Waitress by the Window

                                  6x6 Bid on this Painting

I found out about Lee Brown's "A Day Not Wasted" website from Dana Cooper's post. What a great challenge! I tried to think of shapes and composition rather than what I actually saw in the photo. My goal is to paint more abstractly while still being representational.

Alley View

                                     24x24

This is part of my Spain/Portugal series- a view of some colorful houses seen through a narrow street.

Red Galoshes

                                       6x6
The DPW Challenge this week is to paint something pertaining to the arrival of autumn. Where I come from (Seattle) fall means rain. Thus the red galoshes.....

Sporty Little Number

                                    6x6 Bid on this Painting
I'm still working on larger paintings, but felt the need to do a fast and loose little piece before resuming my work. This little sports car was just what I needed. I'm awaiting the new DPW Challenge, as I enjoy doing those as well.

Limited Strokes Challenge

The purpose of this challenge is to prevent you from overworking your painting by limiting the number of strokes you can put down. You identify the shapes and then try to fill the shapes with a color in as few strokes as possible- with lots of juicy paint. You are supposed to estimate the number of strokes you can allow yourself (I estimated 24) and then count each stroke (I did 36!) I used up all my 24 before I painted the background! Then at the very end I cheated a bit by adding a few quick strokes; I just couldn't resist.

I'll be out of town all week at a women's hiking (and eating and drinking) retreat, so I won't be painting. Hope to get back to it on Saturday.

Night on the Town

                                      16x16 Contact me if interested; laynecook@comcast.net
This is another of the Spain/Portugal series I'm working on. It is based very loosely on a photo I took in Obidos, Portugal

Street Performer

                                               14x18
This is a larger version of the Street Performer. I like this girl so much that I think I'll paint her at least once more. She'll be included in the Spain/Portugal series- even though she's in France. she fits with the rest of the paintings and there are many like her to be seen all over Europe.

Car Show

                                 6x8  Bid On This Painting
The DPW Challenge this week is about values. As most painters know, value is more important than color in the structure of a painting. I used a photo taken at a car show that I attended last weekend, and executed the painting over an old one that provided some texture and a bit of color beneath the burn umber tones. After I finish my Spain/Portugal series I may just do one based on car shows.

Small Packages

                                         6x6
This is another painting that got reworked. I'm eager to do the DPW Challenge this week because it's all about value in composition. We have to produce an interesting painting in 4 values, thinking about creating interesting shapes rather than thinking about the subject. And of course, color is out of the equation. Also, there should no be equal shares of the individual values. Dark, medium or light should dominate and one of the three should play the smallest role. A lot to think about!

Street Performer

                                  6x6 Bid on this Painting
A friend was showing us some pictures of his recent trip to Europe when I spotted this young woman in one of the photos. I changed the setting but I tried to stay true to her character. Her body language suggests that she is lightly dancing along with her music.

Surrounded by Green

                                         6x6 Bid on This Painting
In my continuing "Can this Painting be Saved?" project, this one got a complete overhaul. It's all about "linking values" and creating interesting shapes. Also, knowing when to use neutrals and when to use color. I find it so hard to get all this right on the first try!

A Mother's Love

                            6x6  Bid on this Painting
The DPW Challenge this week is "Paint Your Pig". I have a "pig", but I chose instead to use the photo that was provided. The expressions on the faces occurred purely by chance, giving me the idea for the title, "A Mother's Love". I think the little pig looks contrite and she (Mom) looks concerned and slightly disapproving.

On the Green

                                    6x6 Bid on this Painting   

I separated my older daily paintings into 3 piles. One pile is "fine as is" (I could change my mind about any of those). Another pile is "project for improvement" . The third pile is for "paint-overs". I think I've learned a few things about composition lately. Took me long enough! I'm starting to really "get" the concept of linking my shapes, both in color and value. This painting is an example of one that I painted over using what i know now. I think it's a much stronger painting. The painting I posted yesterday I decided doesn't work. I ended up with ambiguous focal points- the bright green lawn and the sunlit corner of the house. Because I'm trying to feature the house, I am working on toning down the lawn and increasing the interest on the corner of the house. Will post the "new and improved" version soon.

Island Retreat

                                         6x8 Not for sale

A friend's home away from home.......

Green and Gold

                                      Bid on this painting
It seems I only paint the little ones any more when the DPW Challenges occur. I am working on my Spain/Portugal series whenever I have the opportunity to paint. I know I'll get back to the dailies later. This challenge was to paint rectangles of color based on what you are observing. I quite like the effect, and it renews my resolve to be more careful about making color fields interesting with the application of a variety of related colors.

On the Edge

                                  Bid on this painting

This is another reworked painting. I always liked the composition and I tried reworking it a coupe times with the original colors. Somehow it never made me happy. I am quite happy with this rendition- at least for now. I especially like the shape of the white cloth.

Tempting Fate

                                  5x7 Bid on this painting
The DPW Challenge this week invites us to paint something inspired by superstition. I painted 2 pieces- this one from the photo provided and another of my own creation. Tomorrow I will post the other one. This one is about the folly of opening one's umbrella indoors. The cat came out looking somewhat like a raccoon, which , in my mind, is even more unsettling than the open umbrella. The little buggers are cute, but they're mean!

Egg On Stage

                                         5x7 $90

I've been going through my older paintings and choosing to (a) put them in a pile to be painted over or (b) get reworked. This is one painting I always liked, but the values needed to be strengthened to make it stronger. It's an interesting exercise to analyze what works and doesn't work in a painting and make the attempt to rescue it. Sometimes they still end up in the scrap heap.

Workhorse Willy

                                    18x24 Contact me if interested
A few weeks ago my husband and I were in Idaho and we found lots of great cars and trucks to photograph. I was drawn to this one not only because of the interesting lines of the truck itself, but also because of the reflection in the metal building.

Aging With Attitude

                                      6x6 Contact me if interested
 I show some of my paintings at a gallery called Alki Arts in West Seattle. The owner, Diane, does an excellent job of display and marketing. In addition, she's an exceptionally nice person. She seems to do well with my cars and trucks, and I like painting them- so it's a "win-win".

Morning Cup

                                 6x6 Bid on this painting
No time to paint these days! I squeezed in a couple hours this morning to paint this my mug for this week's DPW Challenge.

Parked by the Park

                   11.75x17.75 oil on hardwood cabinet door
This has just been listed on the DPW auction site with a starting bid of $150. You can go to http://www.dailypaintworks.com/buy/auction/8014 if you would like to place a bid.                     

Bright Spot

                                

                                        8x6 oil on 1/4" panel $120; email me if interested

                                       

This is my second entry to the DPW Challenge, which if you aren't aware of, is a weekly opportunity to try painting something in a way you might not have considered. Saturday I painted the subject using my instincts at the time, which resulted in my last post on this blog. Today I used more color and interpreted the picture even more loosely. I had a lot of fun with this one.

Windowsill

8.75x5.75 $120; e-mail me at www.laynecook@comcast.net

This weeks DPW Challenge is to paint from a specific black and white photo, making sure the values remain the same as in the photo. I took the easy route, staying with a fairly monochromatic color scheme. It's much harder to determine the relative values when you have to contend with multiple colors. I think I may try that later this week.

Bocce Players

                                14x18 Contact me if interested
I cheated a little on this one. I took a photo of the bocce players in Lyon, Spain, but it wasn't a great painting reference. So I made a composite of several photos i found on the internet and painted from that.

Tapas Stop

                                     18x24

This is another painting for my Spain/Portugal series, based on a photo I took in the late afternoon in Leon. Spain. I'm finding it immensely helpful to post these; for some strange reason I can spot things I don't like- and things I do- in the photo better than in the actual painting. For example, I think that there is too much definition between the walls and the sidewalk in this painting. I would like to see more of the wall color in the sidewalk and more of the sidewalk color in the wall. They should still read as separate surfaces, but more unified. I also take note when I receive many or few comments on a piece. I know it's not an absolute science, but it gives me a feel for the appeal of the painting.

Summer Days

                          SOLD        
                                                                                                                                                                   
This week's DPW Challenge is to paint while listening to a selected song and to identify that song. I chose Bob Dylan's "Summer Days" and I listened to the whole Dylan album "Love and Theft" while painting. I find Dylan to be bold and creative, and that's what I was looking for as inspiration for my paint application.

So Cool-Revised

                              6x6 $90
I was unhappy with the intensity of the color in this painting, so I glazed over the whole thing with burnt sienna and then painted into it again with more neutralized colors. It's more pleasing to my eye now; I hope to get some reaction from other artists. You can scroll down to the original version "2 paintings ago". Thanks!

Wine Country

18x24 oil on canvas

This is another of my Spain/Portugal series. While on the Camino de Santiago, we walked through miles of vineyard with the leaves, some with the leaves just beginning to appear and some with grapes already forming. The pattern of the vines and the red soil were more apparent than they will be later in the season when the lushness of the greenery will take over.

So Cool

                   

This is my second entry to the DPW Challenge. I used a lower perspective, added color and changed the apples around a bit.

Three That Made the Cut

6x6 $90  

This week's challenge is "reflections". I couldn't decide whether to paint it from a higher or lower perspective- so I did both.As long as I was changing the view, I decided to change the color scheme as well. I've been leaning toward neutrals lately- maybe the grey weather????- so I went for color on the second painting, which I'll post tomorrow.

Kissed by the Sun

                     24x24 $850; contact me at laynecook@comcast.net if interested

This old truck has been put out to pasture, but still enjoys the warm rays of the sun.

Watching Bocce

 

24x24; contact me at laynecook@comcast.net if interested in purchasing

Here's the latest in my new Spain/Portugal series. These old guys were so fun to see with their various postures. We came upon them as we explored the streets of Astorga, Spain in the late afternoon. 

Still Pumping

Oil on wood cabinet door 18x11.75 $550 including shipping
E-mail me at laynecook@comcast.net if interested

                                            

I've had these cabinet doors for years (I used to be kitchen designer) and couldn't decide how to use them effectively. I thought this subject matter lent itself to a novel presentation, so it was selected. Now I have to come up with companion pieces for the 2 other doors I have.
We went to the airport late last night to pick up a young Danish couple who will be visiting us for a week  (and then moving on to San Fran, Vegas, Grand Canyon, Death Valley, Yosemite). We didn't get to bed until after 2 am. So why was I up at 7:30???? Just can't sleep these days, and it's really frustrating! Hope I don't crash today when everybody else is rarin' to go.

Outside the Cafe

                                         16x16; contact me if interested in purchasing
This is the larger version of one 6x6 I painted a few weeks ago. I just love this lady; I think I will paint her a few more times. I decided for this larger version that her sweater needed to be a bit more varied in color and her skirt needed some pattern.

Let the Fun Begin

SOLD

This is my entry tor this weeks Daily Painter Originals Challenge: "Paint Something in your Studio".

Most of my paint tubes are downright unpresentable, but this one didn't look too bad. I'm trying out the auction format on the DPW site; click on the link above to take you to the site. Bidding starts at $75.

House On the Hill

This is one of the Spain/Portugal series I've been working on. It's 24"x30". Thus far, I've done 3 landscapes and 2 figurative. My goal is to have 12-15 paintings including landscapes, figurative and city scenes- rooftops, street scenes, etc. Oh yes, and one with cows in the street. I have an idea that it could be interesting to display them along with the photographs that inspired the images and perhaps a little narrative about them. At this time, I don't have a venue for the exhibit, but I have some ideas for that as well. Right now, it's just fun re-living the trip through these paintings.

Retired

                                 
Expect to see of old cars from me for awhile. I have lots of reference photos!

Good Old Gal

                                  SOLD
We spent a few days bicycling in eastern Washington. We had a great time, and the rolling hills, wheat fields, silos and big skies are gorgeous. Unfortunately, I took a bad spill in loose gravel and got a big laceration on my forearm requiring 9 stitches. The good news is it's not my painting arm. The other good news is that I came home with lots of photo references for old cars and trucks, farm buildings and skies.

Still Here

                                        No longer available

I've been dealing with computer programs and haven't been able to post for awhile. We ended up having to get the whole computer wiped out and programs reloaded- and there's still something wrong. Plus my old Photoshop wouldn't reload, so I've ordered a new version and in the meantime am using an unfamiliar free editing program. So here it is. This is my entry to the Daily Paintworks Challenge. I found that since the shapes in the scene were rather indistinct, the best way to distinguish them was to push the values.

                                       In a gallery; e-mail me if interested
This 30x40 canvas was one I originally painted in 2004. It's quintessential Seattle! I always liked the composition, but it was not very well painted. I have learned a lot since2004, and so I used the original as an under painting and proceeded to paint over the whole thing. I strengthened the values and the edges on the tugboats, especially the smaller one, and kept the edges softer and the values closer together on the more distant buildings.

You Can Call Me Rusty

                                         SOLD
This painting is 24x20, and I used a photo I took in Bisbee, AZ for reference. I ended up blending the sky with a round brush, as all the business of the brushstrokes was driving me nuts. The truck is so busy due to the rust; I thought that called for the rest of the painting to be more subtle.

I plan to make a few changes to the Poster Boy when the red paint gets a little dryer. I love the red, but I think it dominates too much and the shape is too boring. I think it would help both the composition and the narrative to add a few more posters. I'll try it, anyway and post the new version.

Thanks so much to those of you who commented. I didn't realize how much I value the feedback. I really really do!

Poster Boy

                                               7x5 $90
This was taken from a reference photo of a man posting a notice. Somewhere along the line I decided that he was a boy instead. I also updated my photo on yesterdays post. It's funny how you sometimes don't notice errors until you see the photograph. I realized I neglected to paint the bottom portion of the black cup on the top. Thus it sat at an improbable angle in the glass below, and the perspective looked wrong as well.

Do I still have blog readers???? Since I returned from vacation I haven't received hardly any comments. I miss getting feedback! I would love to hear what you respond to- positive and (constructively) critical.

Stacked with Lime

                                          SOLD
This is my entry for the Daily Paintworks challenge. It's challenging just to create one of these stacks; mine kept toppling before I finally got one that worked! I used the lime wedge to tie the greens together.

I've been painting madly. I have completed 3 pieces based on my Spain/Portugal trip and then another of an old truck I photographed in Bisbee, AZ. I also had a large painting that I completed about 5 years ago when I was a "worse" artist and didn't apply enough paint to make it interesting. I liked the composition though, so I used it as an under painting and applied tons more paint. well, maybe not tons. Kind of like people who apply "real" paint to their giclees? Anyway, I think it's a much better painting now.

Spheres and Stripes

             6x6 $90
I've only painted this teapot once before. It's an odd thing, likely handmade. The handle is really lumpy. It occurred to me that it might be interesting to tie in the stripes with objects of the same color.
I've been painting bigger the last couple days, using my Spain and Portugal photos as reference. My goal is to create about a 10-15 painting series and then find a show venue. I also have a request from a gallery for more  "truck and old car" paintings- and anything else that's not still life or figurative. She says that the things that are selling are "comfort paintings"- nostalgia and landscape sort of things. While I don't paint specifically to sell, I enjoy painting all kinds of things, and if they are likely to sell, so much the better. So I'll consider that subject matter in the next few days.
Here's a little tip for you, in case you hadn't thought of it already. I did a painting that I think may have the values too balanced- almost equal quantities of dark, medium and light. What I want is mostly one (in this case medium) some of another (dark) and a little of the last (light). In photoshop I converted it to black and white and then used the cutout filter to further simplify the shapes. Based on that, I decided to darken some of my lights so that they are clearly a middle value. I find this tool really useful in troubleshooting a painting.

Brothers

                                     6x6 $90

Two boys by the fire; even as a girl I have memories of hours spent playing with a stick in the flames. This one may turn into a larger painting. My husband is leaving tomorrow for a one week trip, and that means lots of painting time for yours truly.