The moon danced with the stars on the night you were born...

I was captivated by this quote (unknown author) and wanted to build it into a painting. 

"The moon danced with the stars on the night you were born..."

 

I love the texture!

 This painting is part of a year-long online art class (instructor Gillian Lee Smith).

  Click here to view my gallery 
Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.
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I'd love to hear from you...feel free to leave me a comment. 

New Challenge - Days 1 and 2

I feel like I'm finally really back up and running with my art. The last few weeks have been filled with classroom prep and a purely blissful visit from my brother's family, and I had less time to devote to painting. Yesterday and today, though, I dove back in.

I was given a 7x5 photo mounted on wood...I love when people give me something knowing that I'd just love to paint (over) it! I also got back to a textured piece I started a couple of weeks ago. I so love texture!

Here are the two pieces I'm currently working on.

Layer 1

Layer 2

Layer 3

A portion of the textured piece I'm working on.

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Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.
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Seeing Beyond the Clouds

It was sheer perfection finishing this piece as it stormed outside. I'm loving the optimism of the pair with their balloon. Unconcerned with the huge gray mass above and seeing beyond the clouds.

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Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.
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We Love Austin

This was so much fun to create!! From choosing the collage pieces to the final splattering of paint...pure bliss!

Click here to view my gallery 
Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.
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7 Day Challenge - Day 6

I took a blissful few days off from painting while my brother and his lovely family were in town. So wonderful!!! I wasn't driven to add any color today, just black and white and a bit of journaling. This has been quite a process piece for me.

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Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.
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7 Day Challenge - Day 5

Today I added some color to the background which I allowed to drip downward. I'm rather liking the juxtaposition of what seems like a stormy sky and the playful characters below. Perhaps they sense the colorful sky beyond the clouds.

Click here to view my gallery 
Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.
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7 Day Challenge - Day 4

Journaling is one of my favorite things to do as part of my art. Today I added just three chaotic circles to my painting and then I painted the edges of the canvas black and journaled on them. So blissfully cathartic! This piece brings up a lot of parent child relationship thoughts.

Click here to view my gallery 
Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.
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She Wore a Flower in her Hair

I very seldom use watercolor these days, but when I do it's always such an amazing experience. This sweet one is almost all watercolor with just a touch of ink here and there. Watercolor is so deliciously ethereal. And I did it on canvas....loved that that actually worked!

"She Wore a Flower in her Hair"

This painting is part of a year-long online art class (instructor Jane Davenport).

 

  

7 Day Challenge - Day 3

It was calling out for yellow. I get that.

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Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.
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7 Day Challenge - Day 2

After doing some journaling and mark making, I felt like it was calling out to have a couple of whimsical friends. I wonder if they think it's a storm overhead.

Click here to view my gallery 
Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.
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7 Day Challenge - Day 1

Today I found myself waiting for two different paintings to finish drying so I could continue working on them, but I really wanted to keep painting...so I decided to start a new challenge. This time only 7 days. I love to use smallish canvases as palettes when I'm painting. They're kind of an artistic history of many pieces of art I've created. I pulled one out today and started adding elements to it. So much fun!

This one is 8"x8". If at any point in my 7 day process you'd like to purchase it "as is" please let me know.

Click here to view my gallery 
Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.
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I'd love to hear from you...feel free to leave me a comment.

Moonlight Dream

OK, it's quite possible that I'm not really that great at going all the way through to the end with multiple day challenges. I had intended to go to 15 days, but here I am at day 8 and I think this painting is finished. I considered pushing through, but I'm rather fond of this composition so I choose to stop and let it be. I'm super excited to start another. It's such fun revisiting a piece day after day.

And the price of this painting was calculated following the method established in previous posts about this challenge.

"Moonlight Dream"

Click here to view my gallery 
Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.
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I'd love to hear from you...feel free to leave me a comment.

"Live a Great Story" and 15 Day Challenge #1 - Day 7

One of my favorite things to see when I'm on the hike and bike trail in Austin is one pillar sporting the words "LIVE A GREAT STORY". I read it and think, "Yes!!!" As I was creating this piece inspired by a class I'm taking I just kept having those words running through my mind, and just a couple of days ago I was given some letter stencils, so inspiration came into fruition perfectly. And, bonus, I got to burn stuff in the process of making art! I love the "messiness" of this piece. Life is messy and most wonderful when lived fully without worry of being wrinkled, tarnished, etc. That is simply a testimony to a life lived with passion and full of experiences and adventures.

"Live a Great Story"

This painting is part of a year-long online art class (instructor Mary Beth Shaw). 

Day 7

Words and feelings: calm, full moon, starlight, peace

12x12

Mixed Media 

This is part of a series of 15 day abstract painting challenges. If there's any point in the process when you love what I've done and want me to STOP, just let me know and it's yours. The base price will be $30 and each day I work on it will add $10 to the price. (For example, if you love it at day 4, it will be $70.) They will be ready to hang with the canvas edges painted black, sealant applied, and wired for installation. I'll be posting daily photos here (with my daily words/feelings, because that's so much fun!). If I get all the way to day 15 they'll be listed for sale in my Daily Paintworks gallery.

Click here to view my gallery 
Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.
Please click the links below to share my blog.
I'd love to hear from you...feel free to leave me a comment.

"Steampunk Mermaid" and 15 Day Challenge #1 - Day 6

I'm loving painting mermaids. And this one blends two things I love, mermaids and steampunk. I've never painted anything steampunk themed, but I think there' will be more in my future.

"Steampunk Mermaid"

Day 6

Words and feelings: village, neighborhood, doodle, peaceful, silence, serenity

12x12

Mixed Media 

This is part of a series of 15 day abstract painting challenges. If there's any point in the process when you love what I've done and want me to STOP, just let me know and it's yours. The base price will be $30 and each day I work on it will add $10 to the price. (For example, if you love it at day 4, it will be $70.) They will be ready to hang with the canvas edges painted black, sealant applied, and wired for installation. I'll be posting daily photos here (with my daily words/feelings, because that's so much fun!). If I get all the way to day 15 they'll be listed for sale in my Daily Paintworks gallery.

 

 

Click here to view my gallery 

Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.
Please click the links below to share my blog.
I'd love to hear from you...feel free to leave me a comment.