#16-21

Nubble Lighthouse 5x7 oil on gessoboard panel $30 starting bid click HERE to bid

"Tiny" NFS

Mountain Hike 6x6 oil on gessoboard panel click HERE to buy

Magnolia Spring 8x10 oil on canvas panel click HERE to buy

Winter thaw 5x7 oil on gessobaord panel Click HERE to bid

"Colonel" 8x10 oil on canvas panel click HERE to bid

I've been terrible about keeping up with my blog since I've been so busy painting.  This 30 n 30 day challenge has been a God send though, as usually I am in the winter doldrums in January and February with "Cabin fever" and it doesn't help that I live in a log cabin!  I'm so glad I am "forced" to go out and paint and I feel like I have grown so much just doing it so religously.  How about you?

Still Painting! #12, 13, 14, 15

8x10 oil on canvas panel click HERE to buy

8x10 oil on canvas panel click HERE to buy

8x10 oil on  panel click HERE to buy

6x6 oil on panel click HERE to buy

I'm doing better with the painting than with the blogging, but that's ok, because I know that sometimes when I get a blog EVERY day in my mailbox sometimes I don't even click on it!  The challenge is really making me feel better about my paintings (after the first week anyway) and I'm feeling braver about tackling more difficult subjects....

9, 10, &11

5x7 oil on ampersand gessoboard Click HERE to bid

5x7 oil on gessoboard click HERE to bid

11x14 oil on canvas panel, click HERE to buy $100

Here are my next 3 attempts.  I gave the palette knife another try on the iris....I still don't seem to "get" it so I went back to brushes.  The large white flower gave me some trouble mostly I think because I painted bigger than I'm used to (11x14).  However, the cows also gave me trouble as I painted smaller (5x7)  Next year when I do this challenge I will definately pick one size and stick with it.

Catching up 6,7 &8 and 1 week in!

#8 6x6 oil on gessoboard click HERE to buy $50

#7 8x10 Oil on canvas panel 

#6 5x7 Oil on gessoboard Click HERE to buy $50

It's been a week since the 30 in 30 challenge started and today I tried to get 2 done.....One took me the better part of the day is 90% there (will post tomorrow), and the other took me 10 minutes, go figure.  I'm also posting #6 & 7 since I seem to be behind on blog posts but not paintings.  Learning A LOT!!

Day 4 and 5

6x6 oil on panel $50 click HERE to buy

8x10 oil on canvas board $75 click HERE to buy

I forgot to post my painting yesterday, so it's two for one day!  I really want to get better at using the knife, but I have to say I really struggled with this.  I don't know if it's because I'm tryng to fit a lot in to a small canvas or what, but I'm going to keep at it.  The cupcake was done with brushes and is 6x6, the tulips were done with knives that Leslie Saeta recommends on her website.  (Dick Blick about $8 each and there are 3 sizes.  I'll try to get a picture for the next blog post.)

Day 3

6x6 oil on panel Click here to buy $50

I feel like I am in a bit of a rut, my style and subject matter are all over the place, but it's ok for now since I've been "off" of painting for awhile I figure it will take some time to get back to my old fighting form.  For now I'm just trying to get better habits, like wiping the brush or knife after every stroke instead of creating mud on the board.   How is everyone else on the 30 day challenge feeling?

Day 2

6x6 oil on panel click HERE to buy $50

I must admit that I am quite out of practice with my painting and I had a heck of a time with these apples.  I'm looking forward to getting back in the groove again painting everyday, maybe even twice a day :)

Cupcake

6x6 oil on panel $50 click here to buy

Here is my first painting of the New Year! I am going to try to do more palette knife paintings in the coming year, they are so much fun to do and people always want to touch them.  I learned the hard way never to bring a wet knife painting to an art show, they always get touched.  (I had one person get upset at ME that it was still wet.) Happy New Year everybody!!

Happy New Year and 30 in 30

Well it's been awhile since my last post, but I'm ready to start the new year with a repeat of last year's challenge, 30 paintings in 30 days!  This year, Leslie Saeta issued the challenge and 100's of artists are participating, I can't wait to see everyone's work!  Stay tuned for a great year of painting!  Happy New Year and many thanks to all of my followers, I appreciate every one of your comments and support over the past 2 years.

Legacy

(made by Scott Lightfoot for me in 2011)

This is by far the hardest blog I've written to date, and being a private person I've hesitated sharing my personal grief with what is going on, but in the spirit of how public Scott Lightfoot chose to share his couragous battle with cancer, it seems only fair that I finish his story for him, from the perspective of one of his biggest fans.  One of Scott's concerns in the past few months was how much unfinished business he had left, mostly through family, but also with his art.  Those that have read his blog for the past 2 years realize that he gives you a play by play description of his battle, from diagnosis to the final stages.  His ability to write with such clear language and emotion is a gift he waved aside, but every time I saw a new post from him, I would settle in for a good story like I did long ago as a kid in the library stacks.

I think I was lucky because I realized the importance of a legacy early on.  I decided to be an artist after having a panic attack watching the news at some point in my early 20's.  A tragedy similar to 9/11 had a occurred and I couldn't get past the fear of dying and having no point to my life.  Yes, I was a mom, and that matters, but I felt like I needed something tangible, something lasting that would go beyond just the memories of me once my kids passed.  I needed to make a difference.  It was then I decided to become an art teacher.  I had long been painting on my own by then, but I needed more.  I met Scott at a school where I taught, a place I know that both of us left a huge impact and legacy with the students, yet both of us didn't seem to "fit in".  I guess we artists don't "herd well" and  so we found other avenues for our legacy.

I know Scott as a friend, as a big brother, a mentor, an artist, a father, a husband, and a teacher, but everyone who knew him will all agree that he had passion for art, teaching, and LIFE like no one I've ever met.  (yes, he could be opinionated and grumbly, and he made enemies, but I loved him even more for that, because he wasn't afraid to speak the truth)

I wish I had the gift of writing that Scott was given, but a stranger solved that problem for me, when he wrote on Scott's blog what I would have loved to be able to say.  After I said my goodbye to Scott at few days ago, I needed to hear his words again and I found the post from a complete stranger.  I'm fairly certain Scott hadn't read it as he had been so ill, so I sent it to his wife to read and I told him about it when I saw him at hospice.

It's long, but worth it. I can only hope I leave half the legacy Scott has left behind.  Here is the post from a stranger:

Dear Scott, about 12-18 months ago, I came across your blog. It was about art, the quality of life, the meaning of life, unemployment, and daily living. It was about struggle. It also spoke strongly to the theme of what it meant to be a man. To be a provider. To make a difference in the world. To achieve. To make an impact. Many of those issues struck a chord with me during a year of unemployment as a middle aged man, potentially needing to redefine who I was or who I was to become. You are a great writer and in that sense, not just a graphical depicter of images, but a true artist.

Expressing your view of the world and sharing your perspective. Changing the views, perspectives, and values of others as a result of implanting images in their mind that affect how they live out their journey. You have changed the images in my mind not necessarily because of your graphical depictions in a media but because you have affected my worldview because of who you are as a person and what you have done with your artistic endeavor along your life's journey. As difficult as it appeared to be at times against your own true self, you opened yourself up to the world and revealed your innermost vulnerabilities. You have told the story of Everyman and Everywoman in the flow of Humanity. The weakness. The chaos. The search for meaning. The effect of the world against the individual. The seeming lack of control and influence over things that are larger than any of us alone. The deep need to have friends and family. How many artists have there been that perhaps sketched drawings or painted pictures but had no lasting impact upon humanity? They are also artists. But we start out only as practitioners of a skill. Perhaps we are fortunate enough to add some practitioner's knowledge. If we are committed, perhaps we gain experience. And perhaps one day, someone looks at what we have done and says we have ability. But is Art about Knowledge, Ability, Skill, and Experience. Perhaps. But the greatest artists have faced the Void and gone into a Realm where no timid soul has ventured before. Their bravery and bravado put the deep life experiences into their unique expression.

I am only one small witness about you and testimony for you across the country and this globe. I started a blog because of you. It is about Art, Daily Living, the Artistic Endeavor, the Journey, and reaching one's Unique Potential. It is about making an impact during our time here in the flesh. It is about asking the deep questions. Although I have returned to work in Boston, I see things differently now. I have a different balance towards my daily walk. I sketch on the commuter train and the subway. I take photos with a different view towards how they could be used in my artistic endeavor. So how is the world of art changing and what part have you played in today’s art? You have been part of the Daily Painting initiative. Art is a more "democratic" experience whereby many more people practice the craft. It is a movement. You have been a part of its early formulation. And perhaps it can be said that the daily artists influence others through their art and that they enjoy being appreciated. But perhaps you have shown it is more than that.

As you know, the truly great artists changed the world by affecting the worldview of others through their expression. And like the Olympic champions of old, we observe that the torch gets passed from generation to generation. But the Olympic endeavor message has similarities to the artistic endeavor, the triumph of humanity over the struggles of life, the noble message of pure things that are to be aspired and expressed rather than the base things, the physical/mental/emotional struggle to be the best, to reach one's unique potential, to leave a legacy, to get it right, to be remembered in the flow of humanity. We each have a part to play. I am part of your legacy. You have made a difference in my life and how I see the world and what I should do in my time remaining however long that should be. I also am preparing to pass the torch along the timeline of the artistic endeavor. But it is not just about art, is it? I am more sensitive to my frailties and my weaknesses. My limits are more known to me today. I am bounded and constrained. For me, much of your message is about how short a time we have here in this life. To surmise otherwise is a fool's errand. There is great wisdom about the human condition in your story, Scott. So I endeavor, in my small part to play on this stage, to pour myself and my life's experience into others. And may attempt to do just a little art along the way as one medium of expression. But the true artists have changed the world. Just as you did for me. Thank you. jim