"Waiting for a Date"

"Waiting for a Date"   6.5" x 4.25" mixed media on book page

It is Friday after all.....  This is my ninth painting for the month and today of course is the 10th, so I'm one painting behind. I had big plans for today's double painting of a yellow rose, but I got side tracked with this little piece. I could hear in my mind Leigh saying "Stop JanettMarie, you've spent enough time on this one." I couldn't help it, I was experimenting with Derwent's Inktense pencils and I got carried away with the time.

So much to paint so little time!

-JanettMarie

Two is Okay...

"Above One"   6"x6" oil on canvas panel

"Above Two"   6"x6" oil on canvas panel

I think I have these mixed up as far as which one was on my left and which one was on my right. I painted these at the same time. I thought... "why not", I've painted several at a time before, remember the acrylic on paper with the apple and the coffee cup series. This was very, I want to say "freeing", is that a word?

Here is the rose I worked from, it was a bit unhappy because I had not taken care of it. I tried to make appear a bit more happy.

Unhappy model...

I couldn't help to not think about Georgia O'Keeffe while painting these close up flower images. She was all about that.

I missed the post yesterday, oh well, every once in a while may be better than every day any way, yes?

Maybe I'm crazy, 

-JanettMarie

Two Nutcrackers and a revision...

"Drummin' Up"   4"x2" acrylic on canvas

What better way to catch up then by painting two itty bitty paintings of nutcrackers! Yes, this guy is drummin' up all kinds of things to do. The Nutcrackers are fun to paint but yet take time because of all the intricate buttons and buckles and details nutcrackers have.

Here is painting number six, a nutcracker carrying a flag so I call him "Flag Man".

"Flag Man"   4"x2" acrylic on canvas

One more painting I have to share is a new version of yesterday's painting. I just couldn't leave it alone. I think I can now.

"January Four" v2   8"x6" mixed media on canvas panel

Well, I'm gonna take a break now and report again tomorrow.

Stay warm....

-JanettMarie

So much for two today...

"January Four"    8"x6" mixed media on canvas panel

I worked on several paintings at a time today and almost did't finish one! I'm not even sure if this one should be considered finished. Maybe tomorrow will be my day to finally get caught up, time will tell. And yes, I'm surprise with this painting, I had no idea... can you tell?

Oh, I thought I would show you how much snow is in our front yard.

When was the last time I trudged through snow that was almost up to me knees in Indiana? It's been a while and now it's 6ºF and windy like 30 mph, feels like -15ºF. Nope, I'm not going outside!

We will see what tomorrow brings.

Time for a change...

Rose Three  6"x6" on canvas

Wow, I think I need to start from the beginning again. This rose was so open there is so much going on I'm just overwhelmed!

This is three, today is day four, I bet I'll get two out tomorrow. We're supposed to get snowed in here late tonight, so what else will I have to do tomorrow but paint?

It is time for a change, don't be surprised if the next painting is other than a rose...   : )

Fun is good!

-JanettMarie

Do Another... ---Sold

Rose Two- 6"x6" oil on canvas panel

Another try at a rose painting. I have the underpainting to show you...

I'm not sure how I can go from here to up there, but I did.  I wanted to paint this rose simply like a Morandi, then I thought "How would Van Gogh paint a rose?", I ended up with this. Go figure, no, do another!

-JanettMarie

First little post of the year 2014 -Sold

6"x6" oil on canvas panel

This is the first painting of the year for me and the first painting of my 2014, thirty paintings in thirty days challenge with Leslie Saeta.

Believe it or not this painting took me a long time to do. I had to clean up my home studio first, then I had to figure out how to set up my studio for still lives again and on and on and on....

Now, I've been watching Qiang Huang paint roses for the last couple days and decided to give it a try. This is the first. I started this painting and got really picky. Then I remembered I usually have fun painting and I wasn't having fun, so I changed my attitude, finished this guy and I will try again tomorrow!

Do another, that's what I tell my students, that is what I tell myself today.  : )

Happy New Year!

-JanettMarie

Experiment with oils...

8"x10" oil and enamel on canvas

Well, it's not the best composition but it was a successful experiment. I used oil paint from the tube, you know, the traditional stuff, then I used black oil based enamel that you buy from the hardware store. The two paints so far seem to be getting along. I have ideas for using this mix on a larger scale.

This is supposed to be a painting of bourbon in a "rocks glass" sitting on a cocktail napkin. It's another beginning.

Whew hoo!
-JanettMarie

"Oh What Fun It Is"

4 foot by 2 foot mixed media on canvas

One could say this painting took 8 months to complete which is pretty true. I started this painting last April and yesterday it finally broke loose and I finished it. It is relatively big at 4 feet by 2 feet so I'm just as surprised as you may be at the result. Wait, do I have any photos of it before?

Well, okay here it is, a photo from last April, it's the painting in the middle. Things that make me say "hmmm…" and "wow".

Merry Christmas all!

-JanettMarie

"IMA" and "Surviveoar"

Front: mixed media on paddle

Back: mixed media on paddle

Here she is Ms. Ima Surviveoar.

Ima paddles in a dragon boat for the Indy Surviveoars Team.

This is an oar that I've painted for the "Pink Paddle Party",  which is the teams annual conclusion of the Indy SurviveOars dragon boat racing season and their come together for a celebration and fundraiser. Hopefully this paddle will help raise a lot of dollars for the survivors cause. 

Go team!!

-JanettMarie

"Who?"-Sold

2"x3" mixed media on paper mounted on canvas

This is a small piece done today for Randy's mom. This owl has many possibilities, mostly devouring mice and other small rodents!

I started painting with acrylics but the feathers required more, so I searched and searched and I found my color pencils, thus the "controlled scribbles" for the small feathers. Mixed media, gotta love it.

Enjoy your week,
-JanettMarie

"You Can Do It!"

6"x6" oil on canvas panel

Click Here to Bid

I'm not sure what's going on here. Is that little tomato trying to jump up to the other one or is the other one trying to jump down to the other two? It's a quandary, I find myself in that type of situation all of the time!

This painting I again got a little crazy with, the orange especially drove me crazy, but I came back from the craziness and I'm going to try this one again also. The big question... when.  : )

Enjoy the day!

-JanettMarie

"October Pear" -Sold

6"x6" oil on canvas panel

Click Here to Bid

This little painting was an exercise in using conservative brush strokes. Trying to paint without overdoing it by dabbling too much, or too much blending on the canvas. Each stroke is supposed to be deliberate and with purpose. Hey, just like that golf book, every stroke/shot must have a purpose. Well, toward the end of this exercise I got a little impatient and put the shadow area in a little crazy like. That would make it expressive like.  : )  Maybe this should be titled "Expressive Pear". I think I will try this again.

October is time for change for the leaves, and me, so I changed the look of my blog page and tried to clean it up a bit. Hope you like it. Also, I am going to try the auction process of selling my paintings again. I gave up on it pretty quickly in the beginning of my "blogging my paintings" career, so I'm going to go back and give it a try again. If you think it's just crazy, let me know, I don't mind, we all need a little crazy in our lives.

-JanettMarie

"Wave Breaker"

6"x8" oil on canvas panel

Click here to buy now

The last post was an image of the last painting I did on Madeline Island before coming home to Indianapolis, Indiana. This is the first painting I did when I was on Madeline Island. This is a view from the ferry dock, looking out toward one of the Apostle Islands. The day was over cast so there was very little contrast to be found. The orangey rusty looking part in the middle of the painting is the "wave breaker". There were seagulls all lined up waiting for the next free meal to arrive I'm sure.

Have a great day!

-JanettMarie

"Island Speed"

16"x12" canvas panel sitting on my easel.

Can you believe it? I went outside and painted on an island, who does that?

Plein air painters do!

15 mph, that's "Island Speed"... slow down baby.

Have a nice casual day, it's Sunday.

-JanettMarie