Day 17 and I’ve painted a Persian Shield plant at the suggestion of my friend Jody. She’s been kind enough to send me a few suggestions when I asked on my Facebook page the other day. Not that I’m running out of ideas, but I am curious if anyone had a plant they would like to see me paint and to see if there is anyone actually paying attention.
The Persian Shield plant is a tropical, and like most tropicals can be grown as houseplants in non-tropical areas. I’ve never had a Persian Shield but I would like to grow it, maybe this year I’ll pick one up at the nursery.
So here it is. Meh. As I said before some paintings are more fun than others. I loved the colors, but I am not so happy with the finished piece. I feel it’s too busy, too tight. I painted way too many veins on the leaves even though the actual plant has many more than I’ve indicated but I feel the veins are a lot of the problem. I’m still trying to work on editing my paintings. Just because all the detail is there, doesn’t mean I have to paint it. That’s what us artists like to call Artistic License.
I’ve put a theme to my challenge of tropics, and that has made it easier to complete a painting most days. A blank canvas with no concrete thought on what to paint can be daunting and almost paralyzing. However, I’m really wanting to paint something non-representational. I’m getting an itch to paint mystical stuff again and mysterious things like my Mysterious Mother Nature.
I think it looks better from a distance. A lot of paintings do look better at a distance I feel. Maybe when I see this framed up I’ll warm up to it more. I think it’s okay too for me not to be satisfied with a painting. It’s part of being an artist. If I loved everything I painted I’d never try to improve.
In the meantime, if you happen to be interested in this Persian Shield plant painting, use the button below. It’s an 8″x8″ on board acrylic painting.
What’s the point of the 30 Paintings in 30 days challenge?
I want to be a better painter. To be a better painter, I must paint more and more.
The whole point of the challenge is to get yourself back in the habit of painting everyday. Now I haven’t stopped painting, but I certainly haven’t painted as much as I wanted in the last few months. So I’m joining in with the challenge to give myself a goal and to help me to feel held accountable, too. Not that the Painting Police will come and pick me up if I don’t paint everyday, it’s more of a self motivation thing. I’ve signed up on Leslie’s website and I’m hoping to be able to accomplish a lot of painting.
I’m not expecting to get gallery worthy paintings each day, I may not even paint a whole new painting each day. I’ve been there done that and that was stressful. I put the stress on myself, but nonetheless, it was stressful. I do hope to foster the act of going into my studio each and every day to get more painting accomplished. You know what they say about habits, it takes 21 days to form one. It will help me get better by practicing more and more.
See the paintings I’ve painted during this challenge here. Thanks for stopping by.
About Me
some of my paintings
Learn more about me on the ‘About’ page in the menu at the top. I’m an artist – a painter mostly and an avid gardener. I paint a variety of subjects including birds, koi fish, my gardens, ponds and flowers as well as anything having to do with nature especially trees and tropical scenes. I also enjoy painting abstracts and have started creating more and more of them. My most favorite thing to try to achieve in my painting is mystery.
If you would like to keep up with what I’m doing, join my email list. About once a month I send out a letter that gives you invitations for shows, birthday greeting, sneak peeks at new work and more. I’d love for you to add your email to my Friends and Collectors list!
Love all your paintings, as there are a lot of houseplants! Just beautiful!
Thank you Lisa! I really appreciate your comment.
For anyone reading this, Lisa has a fantastic houseplant blog and she’s the author of a new book titled “Houseplants: The Complete Guide to Choosing, Growing, and Caring for Indoor Plants” (Available through Amazon) You should check it out!
This one is my favorite so far – the colors are amazing!
Thank you so much Donna! I do love those purples and greens. I appreciate you stopping by my friend!