50 Paintings in 50 Days

50 Paintings in 50 Days
Exhibit & Sale
Second Saturday Art Walk April 11
Opens April 8 through May 30, 2009
20Th Street Gallery; 911 20Th St. Sacramento, Ca.

50 Paintings in 50 Days

Congratulation flowers from Cathy Johnson.
Thank you Cathy you are a wonderful woman too. The flowers are beautiful, I love them.
Cathy Johnson is my sister's' Mother-in-Law who has been part of my support team. I can't Thank you enough for all your kind words and encouragement.

50 Paintings in 50 Days

Cathy's Lilies
These would be great in a watercolor painting.
Reserved for future reference
I received them on my lunch hour today with a beautiful note congratulating me for finishing as my sister Patty put it, "quite an undertaking".

50 Paintings in 50 Days

Collection of the Artist #50
My legs and the dogie, haven't had a chance to name this one. This is the final painting of the set and my flag on top of Mt. Everest.
In a few days I will take a much needed vacation to see the Grand Canyon and I'm really excited.

50 Paintings in 50 days

Coco Chanel #49

50 Paintings in 50 days

Les Bottes Rouges #48
This is a pair of red velvet boots. Hideous background, I might change it if I have time. I found this boot style interesting and wondered who would wear a pair of these? Probably someone who wants to get a lot of attention if worn with a mini skirt.

50 Painitngs in 50 days

Alejandra's Work Boots #47

As you can tell I had a hard time with my nieces boots. The shoe lace problem cropped up again and the colors were not working, I might do this pair over before it's all said and done.

50 Paintiings in 50 days

Blushing Cowgirl #46
I bet you thought I fell off the horse and couldn't get back on. Really busy with many details that must be completed before the deadline. Tonight or tomorrow morning or afternoon I will post the final pieces and then it will be over.

50 Paintings in 50 days

Tattered and Torn #45

The countdown begins, five more to go and I should have 47 today. If my sister Patricia hadn't sent in the little wonders (baby shoes) I would not have been so inspired and caught up as fast as I did last weekend. Thanks to Patricia, Happy Saint Patrick's day and thanks for the art supplies you shipped via express mail.

One of my favorite artists and teacher, Betty Billups, once said, "It's a miracle these little paintings turn out at all" it's almost as if by chance.

Betty Billups, Plain Air painters of America; Winter Park; Grandby, Colorado, sundown paint out class. That's where these boots went on my first plein air painting trip. I bought a book by Frank LaLumia Plein Air Painting in Oils and Watercolors fell in love with the idea, looked him up on the Internet and the next thing I knew I was on a plane to to a class in Colorado. I got off the plane got my rental car took a wrong turn and ended up in Estes National Park (what a sight) I was two hours late to the teachers reception. 20 teachers from the group teaching at the YMCA in Winter Park. I had never painted in oils or plein air, my first teacher for the week was Linda Tippets, "You jumped into it with both feet" my answer: I parachuted in.

A confused pair of shoes, the confusing detail of the shoe laces drove me crazy. These are my old and favorite pair of boots, they have gone with me to so many places and perhaps it's time for them to go, but they are memorialized in this little painting.

50 Paintings in 50 days

Athena's white lady bug baby shoes # 44
I have to go back and read that book, "How to photograph your art work", definitely a skill necessary to the artist. I love these shoes and I remember her wearing them five and half years ago, I can still see her in them.

50 Paintings in 50 days

Athena's red lady bug shoes #43
Is this a better picture? The shadows don't read as above in the real painting, they are actually darker.

50 Paintings in 50 days

Athena's red lady bug baby shoes # 43
This is a bad picture, I took it this afternoon without enough light and no flash, if I use the flash it has a lot of reflection even though I use a flash filter.

I actually did pretty good on Sunday and caught up by doing two new ones, the lady bug baby shoes, an old one finished and one that is getting replaced; the Chinese shoes.

50 Painitings in 50 days

Athena's white shoes #42
My teacher Peggy Kroll-Roberts taught me how to paint whites in oil, she's a great coach and teacher in Angels Camp. The picture doesn't do this little painting of my nieces shoes justice. I worked on them last night till 2:00 a.m. it took me four hours to complete, but had difficulty getting the picture right.

50 painitings in 50 days

Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy # 41
I botched the top right leg as I was fixing the reflection and I think I made reflection worse. Really difficult to photograph the black background, there was glare so I had to fix it in the photo software program. Nine more to go, what was I thinking? Check out the 20Th Street Art Gallery blog at 50 50 2009 blog, there are some real professional artists that are just popping out these little paintings in a half hour to an hour or so. I didn't dance my way through this project, if I did I was dancing with the devil. This is more like climbing Mt. Everest, I'm so tired and I can see the peak, but it's getting colder and I'm running out of daylight. Thank you for looking, for your comments and your support.

50 paintings in 50 days

Red Lollipop #40
10 more to go, it's almost over.

50 painitngs in 50 days

Corrected

There's no place like home #39

50 Paintings in 50 days

There's no place like home # 39

Day number 42 and I wish I could go home. The pressure is on and I'm at my Witt's end, now I really have to hurry this weekend. There are corrections to be made and signatures, good thing I got Sharpie oil based pens.

50 Paintings in 50 days

Wild Tiger # 38
It's getting harder to complete these little paintings because I'm getting tired and bored, but there are only 12 to go and the deadline is the 20th of this month, nine days. I can see the finish line even though I'm behind by three if I don't finish one tonight. I haven't let myself get further behind by keeping up this week, tomorrow I will be out of town so it might cause a problem. If I can do three on one of the weekend days I won't be so worried.

50 paintings in 50 days

Beyonce #37
A much better picture to replace the one below. Will modify this post later, my lunch hour is almost over.

50 Paintings in 50 days

Beyonce #37
If I can only do three tonight (LOL) I would be right on. O.k., I will settle for one. Beyonce #37 big and clunky, it seems I saw her dancing in a video with a pair of these.

50 Paintings in 50 days

The Crown Jewel # 36
Not quite finished, the background needs to be the color and value of the left side, in the real painting the discrepancy in the background is not so noticeable. I almost finished one last night that I will be working on during my lunch hour, I should have 40 by tonight, Ha! there are only 10 days left until I'm "supposed" to be done and I'm to turn in all fifty dry by the 25 so you have a couple of days of a grace period, still I have to sign them and tape the sides.

I wish I had these pair of shoes to wear the day of the opening reception.

50 Paintings in 50 days

Bravo! #32 corrected

I corrected this painting, if you look below you can see the original plus three other paintings I completed last night. I'm not sure if the direction of the shadow is working for me. I expect to do at least one today and hopefully two, I should have 38 by tonight. It doesn't take much to get behind and get overwhelmed, you can't take your eye off the bull's eye.

50 Paintings in 50 days

Black Tie affair #35
My record in one day, three and now 15 more to go (75% completed). I would have done for had it not been for the pink petal shoe, also I went to a presentation at the Knowlton Gallery on the Sierra Mountains and plein air painting, very impressive. Sixteen more to go. I need to go back and start making corrections and adjustments, taping the sides for a finished look and placing labels and number on the back, my plate is full.

50 Paintings in 50 days

Alejandra and Grant's baby boots #34
Not much more to go, I can almost see the finish line. I've learned a lot, even though I figured out after the gallery splits the commission minus my costs I will end up with about three dollars an hour. The education I received: Priceless.

50 Paintings in 50 days

Pink Whisper #33
Difficult to say the least, due to the white transparent fabric, far more beautiful in the picture. I think I would have finished four had it not been for this practically all white shoe.