"Oh Joy! 84"

84 how many more? This is the one I finished at the same time as number 83. Weird. Even though I had trouble deciding which should be 83 and which should be 84, this one has been on my work table the longest and ends up coming in second. Interesting how this turned out with the red line and it seems to be half yellow apple. I'm not sure what it means yet. Maybe some day when I figure myself out, I'll figure out my paintings... or do I want to know?  : ) hmmm.... split personality, two sides of my brain.... too scary!

Good night, I promise this is it for the day!

-jM

"83 For Me"

6"x6" mixed media on paper mounted on panel

Oh, number 83, yes, for sure, I knew the whole time I was working on it that it was number 83. After my episode with 82, you know I was paying attention... although... I finished 83 and 84 at the same time. This is a real first for me. I was confused for a short time about which was 83 and which was 84 but it only made sense that this was is 83.... it was right there with 81 and 82, how could it not be 83....  oh, me...

Thanks Randy.... for helping me keep it straight!

-jM

"82 Whew!"

6"x6" aquamedia on paper mounted on panel

Eighty-two Whew! for sure... working today on all kind of projects not getting any painting done... I decide okay go... paint number..81. I finished this painting, I have a title "81 Now We're Having Fun", I scan the painting, I'm ready to post and.... I've already posted number 81... "ApplePear". Here is 82 Whew! before I changed the number from "81" to "82"....

Can it be... too many apples? Or am I just not paying attention? Hmmm... maybe I'm having too much fun!

Interesting.... okay, keep going only 18 more... maybe I could substitute pears for the last batch of apples, I have 18 pears finished....  oh, no, that wouldn't be right....

Apples, ya gotta love 'em!

-jM

"ApplePear"

6"x6" mixed media on paper mounted on panel

Have you seen them at the grocery store? It's an ApplePear! Oh they are good eating too!

This is number 81. It has a little spot of gold leaf on the bottom right of the applepear so it automatically became a mixed media piece, hmmm.... just like that!

Counting down the paintings and trying not to think ahead about what number 100 will look like, I just know it will be big!  : )

-jM
PS: Happy birthday Kathleen!

"Green Cup" -Sold

3"x2" itty bitty acrylic on canvas

An itty bitty "Green Cup" with real coffee on the surface of the canvas in the cup!

Saturday was painting a "Bug" for Cookies and Canvas. I always have a great time with the kids and I have to believe that the parents and grandparents have a great time too!
Here is happy painter Faith with her painting and mom Merilee!

Merilee and Faith at Cookies and Canvas

She's drying that bug so it's okay to take home without getting paint on the car!

-jM

"Gold Martini" -Sold

3"x2" itty bitty acrylic on paper mounted on canvas

An itty bitty martini! This painting is on paper then mounted onto an itty bitty canvas. It has a really nice look with the rough (deckled) edges of the paper. A splash of gold glazing on the top surface, very rich!

-jM

"Granny's Eighty!" -Sold

6"x6 acrylic on paper mounted on panel

Here she is, number 80! Twenty more and counting down! These last few have been pretty monochromatic, but they are a nice change from all the commotion going on in some of the earlier pieces!

Maybe with Spring here, life is good again...   not that it was ever bad...  it's just nice to have warm weather and sunshine!

Where is my swimsuit... do I have a swimsuit?

-jM

"Early Moon"- Itty Bitty -Sold

2"x3" itty bitty acrylic on paper mounted on canvas

What day last week was it that we had the biggest moon in the last 18 years? I'm thinking it was Saturday... and I missed the rising or it's max size at around 8 PM EST, but it still had an influence on me!

How about the size of this moon!

Pretty big 'eh?

(Thanks Bonnie for teaching me how to spell "'eh")

-jM

"Apple Army" -Sold

6"x6" aquamedia on paper mounted on panel

Number 79 is an army of apples! Watch out for that one in back, he's trying to forge toward the front!

Happy Monday!

-jM

"Déjà Blue"

6"x6" acrylic on paper mounted on panel  -Sold

Number 78, I never thought I'd get here so long ago when I started... wow! I'm in the seventies and almost in the eighties! Déjà vu, I feel like I've painted this before!  Lol!

Golf season is coming!

-jM

"Subtle Seventy-Seven"

6"x6" acrylic on paper mounted on panel

It just seemed right to keep this apple as it is here and not add a bunch of type and stenciling. It called for being a subtle red apple painted on a dark ground.

Subtle 77 or maybe Subtle Seventy-Seven... ooo, I kind of like the three S's... Subtle Seventy-Seven...
new way to write the title!

Have a great day! Enjoy the subtle sunshine!

-jM

"Good Day for Sunshine"

7.5" x 5.5" mixed media on paper

A strange little title for a rainy day here in Indianapolis, but a little sunflower like this is always a good day for sunshine!

This painting was done with a technique that I learned from Joanie, Art for the Soul of It.  I've had a lot of fun playing around with this. Thanks Joanie! I'm going to keep experimenting with this... so far so good.

This is gouache, india ink, gold paint pen, acrylic, hmm what else... sweat...  : )  I really like the effect, gonna stay after it!

Have a safe Friday!!

-jM

"Pink Punch"

6"x6" mixed media on paper mounted on a panel

Apple painting number 76, "Pink Punch" because... see the white-ish line on the right side of this apple? It is actually a bright pink that doesn't record well.... scan or photograph, with out me spending way too much time on it! Another one of those..."Oh, you really need to see it in person".... 76... 76... 76!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

-jM

"Cocktail Hour" -Sold

7.5" x 5.5" Mixed Media on Paper

It's very close to cocktail hour and this one is ready for St. Patrick's Day tomorrow with it's oh so green olive!

I experimented with gouache and india ink and gold paint pen and... whew... do another!

-jM

Oh my goodness me, thanks leigh for taking a picture of me with "Seventy-Five". This is incase anyone wanted to know what 20" x 20" would look like on the wall. Oh, now how many people have a black wall! Uh oh.....

Seventy-Five

 20" x 20" mixed media on canvas

I had to look this one in the face tonight. I noticed I was painting other pieces and avoiding painting #75 apple. Even number 76 is close to being finished! 76 is a 6"x6" though, but none the less, no excuse for avoiding number 75!

I'll look at this again this weekend to finish it up and find a good title, but I just wanted you all to know that I am working on this one, it's a little bigger than most of the others with this one being 20" by 20", but hey, it's number 75! It should be some what special.... yes?

-jM

PS: I learned today about shooting a photo in the RAW format with my digital camera and it seems the reds are looking better! All the oranges and reds aren't becoming one big blob of color. Thanks Ginny!

My Little Painters!

I mentioned the other day about "Cookies and Canvas"..... Well, here is the photo of the kids (cookies) with their paintings! Great Little Artists!

-jM

"Pickled Pair"

Umm... well this is an itty bitty two olive martini is titled "Pickled Pair" for a good reason... poor olives, they've been in there a long time!

-jM

"Oh Itty Bitty Cup O Tea" -Sold

An itty bitty red cup with tea...    I cannot pretend...   I got my inspiration from Pam Holnback, I hope that is okay... it still came out a lot like JanettMarie and there are a lot of problems with mine but... it's an itty bitty!

This tiny painting is mixed media because I actually used india ink to mix with some of the colors to tone them down. I believe that makes it officially mixed!

Ummm.... was anyone expecting an apple?   : )

-jM

"74... 26 More"

74... yes 26 more, I'm approaching the finish line, I can almost see it!

Sure have been learning a lot by doing this series. All the different materials and techniques I've been trying... wow! Also, just when I think a painting is not going to come around it does... thank goodness, else I'd want to quit! No quitting allowed!

Here is a black and white version, I was checking my tonalities, you know, the lights and darks and middle tones.... how did I do?

Yesterday, I taught a "Cookies and Canvas" to about 26 kids, well, maybe 23, I think I had three adults participating with their small painters too. It was fun, one of the painters asked me if I was "famous". I said "Not yet" and smiled... thinking... not yet...

I'll post a picture or two when they become available on the Wine&Canvas face book site.

It's Sunday, the beginning of an new week!! More apples and itty bitty paintings coming!

-jM

"Lucky 73"

"Lucky 73" is definitely mixed media... gold leaf, oil paint pen, acrylic, water soluble pencils and water soluble oil pastels! A lot of mix on a small 6"x6" canvas panel.

I took a black and white photo of the painting before it was finished off, change is good....

I've been destroying the stencil numbers I've been using lately... I think it may be time for a new style for the numbers.... maybe a few handmade numbers...

-jM

"She's Arrived!"

"She's Arrived!"   Would that be March or this apple?
Number 72, here we are! Had fun finishing this one up. Used water soluble oil pastels at the end, cool fun!
Maybe it was just a fun afternoon... that could be too! Fun is good, remember to have fun, life is short!

Happy Birthday Andy!! Have fun today!

-jM