Trisha Day 3

I started with a black canvas for this one just to change it up a bit. Glass is hard to paint--or not paint! I am not a favorite of dark backgrounds but that was the color in the set up. The flowers were Spider Mums except for the one at the top which was--a Peony. 

She said it wasn't necessary to define that with detail.

I learned a lot in this workshop and hopefully it will show in my paintings.

And... KATHIE

you won the giveaway but I have not heard from you. Please contact me so I can send you your book and exemplars. If I don't hear from you by Sunday I will let Mr. Random pick another name from

HERE.

Hope to hear from you!!

Trisha Day 2

 This one was very hard to paint. Trisha put a red light on the green apples and it was hard to make myself paint the colors that I saw rather than what I thought it should be.

I changed the light to regular light so this one was easier to paint. 

Ok, so Day 2 was fun!

Trisha Adams Day 1

I really enjoyed Trisha Adams' workshop this weekend. I think that she has helped me move along to seeing color much better. I enjoyed seeing her process and loved her easy-going encouraging style. This is the first of several paintings that I will show you. This one is 16x20.

Son, Zach, will be participating in One Spark here in Jacksonville in April. His business on the side is

 Original Fuzz guitar accessories. He wanted me to paint a sign from their logo for their booth.

Here is the progression. It really was fun to paint. It is 40x60.

All done. 

  Hopefully they will big the big money prize if lots of people vote for them.

And
KATHIE,
 you are the winner of the giveaway so be sure to contact me with your mailing address.

...and the winner is...

Kathie

Congratulations!!

 Please check the link on your name to make sure this is you 

and then send me your address and I will send out your book and exemplars!

Thank you all for your sweet comments. I SO SO SO appreciate all of you!

Giveaway and some Exemplars

Hey guys!! Thank you so much for all your comments. It really is quite exciting to join the ranks of the "Published!"  Jenny did a great job of assembling different talented artists and some have even been my teachers in the past so I am feeling especially blessed.

 I am not really sure why the publishers chose not to include my exemplars but those were submitted to them along with lots of other images that I will show you soon. And as I said, I would like to do a little mini workshop as to how to draw, color and use these fun versals.

So, I decided that I will do a giveaway for a signed copy of the book along with printed signed copies of the exemplars to the winner. I have added them below and you have my permission to print these out and use them as you please since they were sent in to be included in the book. 

Mr Random.org will pick the winner so you know the drill, just leave a comment saying you want the book and exemplars and you will be thrown into the hat!

I will announce the winner on Saturday night February 23.

Creative Lettering Book!

Well, one thing has been accomplished on my Art Bucket list. I have been published in a book! And this book is very special to me because it is by Jenny Doh, the former editor of Somerset Studio Magazine.
Here are a few of my pages. It is available on Amazon and I think it is just about to be released for shipment.  My sweet friend Lori is in the book too!

My specialty lettering in the book is called "Chunky Versals."  They are really fun to do and a really great element to add to journal pages. I may even do a little workshop showing you in much more detail as to how to do them.  

The book is really nice. Jenny did a great job!

Struttin'

Here is Mr. Rooster that I painted yesterday with our art group. We had such a good time painting our roosters and they are really fun to paint. It's iridescent colors are hard to capture but I did my best. He is a prize willing rooster and I think he knows it.

It's 12 x 12 on a cotton panel. It's for sale over at Daily PaintWorks if you are interested in owning him.

Made me laugh

Happy Friday! This was on a FB post of one of my sweet high school friends and it just made me laugh this morning. I bet we can all relate.

Yesterday my painting group got together at my studio and painted roosters. We had so much fun painting because each of us has our own style and it is so fun to share how we plan to tackle our painting. I will finish him up today and post him tomorrow.

Also, I am so sorry that I had to reinstate the Word Verification setting in my comments area. I just hate that thing and can't read the letters when I have to do that but I was starting to get some anonymous spam type things. In fact yesterday there were 8 of them. So I just wanted to apologize for that. I added a "Email me" gadget at the top right so please feel free to email me if you so desire to comment and I can actually get back to you much easier. If I have to do the Word Verification thing (which sometimes takes me several tries to get it) I just give up.

Have a wonderful weekend!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hope everyone has a day filled with love!!!

Pears in the Journal

I love painting pears and I love to write with a pointed pen but I have been neglecting both of these  lately since I started oil painting. I actually haven't painted with oils in about a week but I have really enjoyed doing some quick sketching.  Hubby is flying back from Miami late tonight after a business trip so I am waiting up for him.  Painting is a great way to pass the time---especially painting pears.

Potted Plants

These flower pots are a quick go-to for me when I have had to do all sorts of uncreative stuff like wash clothes and add up receipts for taxes among other Monday stuff that required my attention. When I only have 20 minutes before washing my face and going to bed these pots are just the answer when the day is almost gone and nothing was created. I hate it when a day goes by and I didn't get to pick up a paint brush.

Cezanne's Apples

It has been such a busy weekend that I had no time at all to squeeze out any oils and paint. But sometimes I can do a watercolor much quicker and easier. These are some of Cezanne's Apples from the photo image below. I love (love love love love...) his paintings with it's rich texture, depth and color. This started as a quick sketch but actually took me longer than my alloted 20 minutes for the sketches. His are painted in oils but it was fun to look at his and try to figure out what he did. My image was from the internet and it was not a crisp image so I really couldn't figure it out so well. But it was fun to paint. I always enjoy using my watercolors.  He painted many other paintings that I love (love love love love...)  and might try painting some of them with his technique---whatever that is...:))

The Road to Glenville, NC

Last night I went to a very special presentation at our Cummer Gallery by local artist Jim Draper.   I really enjoyed seeing all of his huge paintings of Florida and have always wanted to meet him. I got an opportunity to pick his brain a bit about his process and he was very willing to tell me but I felt like I was on "The Bachelor" with people coming up and stealing him away from me in mid art sentence.
His paintings inspired me to pick up a brush today and paint a landscape. I don't have any wonderful FL pictures like he does (I do not like snakes, alligators or chiggers --nor do I like to sweat).  I will never be a successful plein air painter will I?  Well, not here in FL anyway. So I decided to look through my pictures from my trip to Cashiers and on up the Glenville when I went to our girls reunion last year. This view was breathtakingly beautiful and I tried to capture the beauty of these Blue Ridge mountains but that beauty is hard to capture.  My paintbrush is no match for God's paintbrush! This was just a quick photo I took as I pulled off the little mountain road. It took my breath away. This is a small 6x8.

Quick Sketch for Thursday Afternoon

Oh my goodness, this one was a challenge for just 20 minutes--I must confess, I think it took longer than 20 minutes because I forgot to time it. It was 30 at the most. It's really just a "go for it" thing. And it helps me with  my drawing skills to quick sketch. No pencils allowed. Just a sketch book, a black pen, a few watercolors and 20 minutes.  No worries... (famous last words)...

Quick!

I have 20 minutes until the video transfers...go outside, sit down, look at the plant---DRAW!--don't fret--just draw---draw what you see...yes, it's wonky---go with it. Grab the watercolors--add color--the black pen bleeds--it's ok!---go for it---paint----the video is almost ready----STOP!  All done.

Pocket Sketching

I love to sketch in my journals and do it quickly to get little quick studies that might even turn into an oil painting. I happened upon a wonderful teacher, Kath Macaulay, and her name caught my eye because our daughter's name is Macaulay spelled the same way. Ours is a family name and maybe we are related to Kath because of the same spelling. 

She has 3 videos and it is an excellent introduction into quick watercolors in your sketch journal using a water soluble pen to make the shadows. Kath is so entertaining and encouraging and I just know she must a really nice person. It's very basic but I enjoyed it very much.

My favorite vase--again--and more daisies

I thought I would try using two references, one being the real thing and the other a picture of the real thing. It just gives me another perspective by looking at the monitor.

.

Here is the painting in it's first stages of underpainting.

Just a little journal sketch

As I listen to Michael Nobbs and try to be "sustainably creative" everyday, this is the one thing that I managed today. Just a quick sketch in my journal with my Tombos of some funky apples in a wooden bowl.

Also, there were a few questions about yesterday's post about the monitor.  I went to Best Buy and asked them if I could display my iPad on an external monitor and they said I could with the right adaptor cord. So that's what I did. Now I paint at my easel by looking at the monitor. That is if I am not painting from a still life.
 No more printing out images to paint.

So excited!

I am just beside myself right now. My new Samsung monitor runs from my iPad so now I can paint from my iPad from the monitor! It's amazing how these Apple products just work. I plugged it in and it worked! Go figure! Thank you Steve Jobs.

WIP in the easel. I am doing little studies where you paint a first statement then scrape it off and then a second and scrape it off then paint a third and final. By that time your colors and composition should be right---"should" be., that is. This is after the second statement. It wasn't from the monitor as you can see. It was a still life.

Stronger

Well, yes, that is probably right. But as I said the strength doesn't come from our own power. It comes as we trust God and He gives us the strength. We have had a difficult two weeks although it looks like Chauncey has caught my cold I am filling him with Emergan-C and Zicam(not sure if that really works)

and anything else I can think of to lessen the effects. 

I like to listen to Michael Nobbs, "One Thing Today Podcasts."  

His podcasts are about doing just one thing today to stay sustainable creative. Sometimes, I just can't make myself go to the easel so I usually have one of these letter collages going or working on a big journal page in my grid journal. I love a grid! So at least I can get in my "One thing today" everyday. It's good for my creative soul to do something creative everyday even when I don't feel like it.

Day 29!

Well, better late than never! I started this one yesterday and since my little "life break" I have had a hard time starting back up. This is still the arrangement from my last post but this time painted in oils. It is a beautiful arrangement but it getting a bit droopy now so it's on it's way out.  This is on Senso Primed Linen canvas sheets .

Day 26 of 30-30 Challenge

This one is quite the hodgepodge but it was fun to paint. I painted it first in watercolor then went back and added acrylic to pop the colors. Then I outlined in ink with a Micron marker. 

This arrangement is just so beautiful I had to paint it. I will try to paint it with oils if it stays fresh enough for me to get back over to the studio. I am still struggling with this upper respiratory thing. Now it has decided to move up to my nose and run like a faucet.

Thanks to Kleenex with lanolin and Butt Paste.

Yes, you read that right, I put Butt Paste on my sore nose. Works like a charm!

Day 23 of 30 Day Challenge

This is an 8x8 acrylic painting. I only have acrylic here in my home studio and I have still been a bit under the weather and not really feeling like going over to the studio so this is today's painting. It is an adaptation of a pot in one of my favorite inspiration books called Container Gardens. I so wish I could grow and tend a container garden myself but I think I am just better off painting them.

This will probably be my last painting for this "30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge." I almost made it to 30 but I have to admit, the pressure to paint and post one everyday and be happy with it is certainly a "challenge"!  I need to tend to some family matters and get well from this nasty old virus thing that I have so I will return really soon hopefully ready to paint again!
Congratulations to all who are still hanging in there with the challenge!!! Keep going!!

Day 22 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days

Looks like I am reverting back to my mixed media style in acrylic. Sometimes it's good to just revisit.
I don't seem to have much get up and go (paint) these last few days.  I am battling some type of chest thing with coughing. But I am not down for the count.

Day 21 of 30 Paintings Challenge

Oh man, the pressure in on now. I am determined to get to thirty. This is a crazy little 6x8 of a still life that tried so hard to work---and maybe it worked enough to post it and call it #21.  I am feeling like I am in the 4 grade again doing math homework--just get'er done! Anyway, this is a little Angus wannabe painting.

I have my favorite painters in which Angus is one as well as Trisha Adams. I will be in her workshop very soon! Ok! 21 done 9 to go!

Day 20 of 30-30 Challenge

 I am pretty much stepping out of the box here back into acrylics. I really admire and enjoy the paintings of Angus Wilson. In the fall he will be here in Jacksonville and I am looking forward to seeing how he does his paintings with acrylic.  I have seen the several YouTube videos he has but seeing him do it is person will be fun. This one is rather bold with that red and orange background. I was planning to put another color over the background but I decided to just leave it.

Below is the sketch I did with Tombo markers---same sketch that I used for yesterday's painting.

I actually have two places where I paint. At home when I get the itch to paint something I go into my little walk-in closet that's all pimped out with shelves at my fingertips and a good work surface. 

I transfered all my WSO oil colors to my other larger studio (Red Door Art Studio) in the bungalow because I am seriously thinking about changing over to all water soluble oils. (Unfortunately I have a fortune in regular oil color).  The OMS (mineral spirits) gives me a headache and the clean up is not easy for me. Here at my home studio I have used Holbien Duo oil paint for a good while now and the ease of clean up as well as the exact same consistency and results as the regular oils makes it much easier to paint--at least for me. But for now here at the Red Door annex, as my husband calls it, I have transferred all of my acrylic paint. Goodness, I had no idea I had invested in so many. That was back in my Robert Burridge days. I still love the way he paints in acrylic.

10 more paintings to go to complete the 

Leslie Saeta 30 Paintings in 30 Days.

Day 19 of 30-30 Challenge

"Bright Flowers and Pears"

6x6

Day 19! Well, as I said the other day---real life is pressing in so I have to find a way to paint something that is quick and easier and fun to do. This took about an hour to do after I laid down the transparent colors last night. I am thinking that I might work better and have more fun painting when I do it the Hedi and Dreama way. Others use this method of laying down all transparent colors first also. But for me I think it helps me to get something down on the canvas as a underpainting color map. Again, I really should have taken a picture of the underpainting but it doesn't look like too much at that point.
Here is the little Tombo marker sketch I had in my mind but I was working on a square canvas so I can to crop it.

By the way, when I work here at home in my little closet art room I use Holbein Water soluble oil color. I really am thinking about switching completely over because the OMS seems to give me a headache and I hate the cleanup and the pour-offs etc. The WSO are just as good as the regular oils and clean up with water. But I have a fortune invested in regular oils and there are a few colors that I like to use that Duo doesn't have---namely Shiva Ice Blue. I could possibly mix that color up from Duo and put it in this.

Day 18 of 30-30

This was an interesting process to this little 6x6 painting. As I try to set up simple still lifes I try to make it pleasing to my eye but then I also need to remember a few of the rules of composition--namely the rule of thirds. I think that this one didn't quite fall into the correct area for the rule of thirds. I will surely paint this darling Fiesta Ware cup and saucer again and try to slip it into a more successful still life.

I saw an excellent "Artbyte" by Patty Mollica that is very helpful.  I highly recommend the Artbytes which are extremely helpful tutorials from wonderful painters in the Daily PaintWorks site.

Day 17 of 30-30

Just when I think I am sailing along in my daily painting, here comes a simple still life that

throws me for a loop. I guess I didn't realize how hard it would be to capture the white bowl, which is a new purchase from the antique store. White is tricky for me because it's not white really. I think I need to paint this set up again and see if it gets easier to paint. Not only is it hard to paint white it's hard to get the shape right. This was on a black background and I pretty much licked it to death--except at the top. I like to keep a little of the black showing. There's always tomorrow.

Day 16 of 30-30

Leslie Saeta 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

This is day 16 of my everyday journey of painting from life.

Whew!  I had to make the decision that I had to paint these daily painter faster. I haven't cooked my sweet hubbie much of a meal in 2 weeks and the clothes have piled up (again!) so I had to paint my daily paintings faster. So how to do that? Go smaller I guess. Sometimes it takes me just as long for a smaller one. Luckily this one only took about 2 hours so I am done for today. I decided to paint 6x8 and start from a black gessoed background which is something I enjoy doing. I have several black small canvases ready to go. 

These sunflowers were in a clear antique vase but it just wasn't happening so I changed the vase.

It worked ok.