Day 5

Apex Downhill

12 x 12

Acrylic on Doorskin

Another winter scene for a very snowy January.

Day 4

Nickleplate Vista

12 x 12

Acrylic on Doorskin

Paused for a pic during my skate ski yesterday and couldn't wait to paint this scene today!

Day 3

Frozen Creek

12 x 12

Acrylic on Doorskin

Day 2 of 30

Forest Trails  SOLD

12 x 12

Acrylic on Doorskin

Just to add to the challenge off I went to the studio today without my glasses.  Loving my new brush though which gives a looser watercolour look to the brush strokes.

Day 1 of 30

Ankle Deep

12 x 12

Acrylic on Doorskin

My first post in a long while and inspired by Leslie Saeta's annual January 30 in 30 Challenge.  I find this month long painting a day exercise invaluable as a kick start to the New Year,  helping me to find some sense of discipline in picking up the brushes more often,  finishing the work and posting it.  Every year it gets easier to accomplish the feat and I'm able to paint a little bigger as well!

Day 30 of 30

Whites

8 x 8

Acrylic

This is another subject I have painted before but I wanted to do it a little bigger and practise again with the whites. This is my little cheater of the 30 in 30 painted ahead of time as we are off to ski for a day or two.  It's been a great month with much accomplished and learned along the way.  Thank you very much to Leslie Saeta putting on this challenge.

Day 29 of 30

Sunset on the Dock

8 x 8

Acrylic

I have painted this previously but am drawn to the shapes and contrasts.

Day 28 of 30

Paris Transport

8 x 8

Acrylic

There always seems to be at least one bicycle parked outside every cafe in Paris, even in the rain.

Day 27 of 30

Bachelor Button

8 x 8

Acrylic

Designs in nature can be so astounding.  Which is more stunning, the beautiful long blue petals, the little magenta florets or the receptacle?

Day 26 of 30

Abandoned

8 x 8

Acrylic

We found this old girl out in the bush almost 40 years ago.  I've always wanted to paint her.

Day 25 of 30

Bikes and Umbrellas

8 x 8

Acrylic

France has so embraced the bicycle that you will find them everywhere including window boxes, this one funny enough with an umbrella for protection.

Day 24 of 30

Sunflowers

8 x 8

Acrylic

Flowers to brighten up a grey and dam day in the middle of winter.

Day 23 of 30

Whistler Glacier

8 x 8

Acrylic

Can you imagine a more beautiful back drop for a plein air painting demo by a well known American artist?  While I was waiting for her to set up I took a few pics for future reference.

Day 22 of 30

Alstroemeria

8 x 8

Acrylic

My favorite flowers I'm not sure why but oddly enough I was more drawn to the vase which is clear glass and has no color.

Day 21 of 30

California Bighorn Sheep

8 x 8

Acrylic

This poor girl needs work both on canvas and in real life.  She had chunks of fur missing and what looked like dozens of tics gorging away.  She was standing beside my car and giving me a bit of an indirect stare.

Day 20 of 30

Surf Mobile

8 x 8

Acrylic

I saw this little cutie in downtown Lahaina during the Maui Plein Air Festival a couple of years ago.  It was of course the subject of some great paintings.   

Day 19 of 30

Yellow Boat study

8 x 8

Acrylic

Another boat from Collioure, largely unfinished as I put a two hour max on the project to keep it fresh and spontaneous.  I may work on some of these at a later date. 

Day 18 of 30

Cafe study

8 x 8

Acrylic

This is a scene in the old town area of Nice where the streets are narrow and full of shops and cafes.  I could spend days wandering through the passages checking out all the wonderful food and products.

Day 17 of 30

Boats at Collioure

8 x 8

Acrylic

The colors of the Mediterranean are so intense and saturated, fun to paint but hard to get that kind of light translated using pigment and paper.  Next time maybe darker with the darks.

Day 16 of 30

Rainy Day in Milan

8 x 8

Acrylic

During our few days in Milan we noticed that almost everyone carried an umbrella and if you didn't carry one you were sure to have two or three umbrella salesmen chasing you down each block.  One afternoon we sought shelter from the rain at a cafe and watched the traffic go by including many cyclists carrying umbrellas.  It's ironic that living part time in the wet west coast Vancouver weather I have rarely owned and almost never carried an umbrella and have never ever seen anyone cycling with one, in fact it would probably be frowned on here.  Europeans ride a little differently though and with great skill.