Well I’ve made it to Day 8 of the 30 and 30. Today a clivia plant with flower buds was the painting subject. I grew this in my greenhouse. The clivia flowers make a pretty photo, but I was looking for an easier (or so I thought) photo to paint.
But I had no idea what I was in for.
My day started out with me not being able to paint because of waiting on the AT&T guy to do an install of Fixed Wireless. When I started this challenge, I set up some guidelines for myself to try and make it easier to accomplish my goal of painting everyday. One of these guidelines was to paint first thing. I do have a son in 6th grade, so when I say first thing I really mean after I get home from taking him to school but before I check any emails or *gasp*… browse any social media sites. This has only worked once or twice so far. Meh.
Let me get back to the clivia painting. If you’ve been following along (you can see all of them so far by clicking here) you may notice this painting looks different than my other paintings. This painting was more difficult for me because I’m trying to teach myself a new way (to me) to paint. That new technique is referred to lost and found edges. My paintings for the most part have never really looked the way I wanted them to look and honestly I couldn’t figure out why. I think I finally have.
I have, until today, approached my paintings as I would an illustration. Hard edges all over the painting, giving it a flat look with not much depth (which I didn’t know I was doing it or that it made it look flat – I learned that in one of the videos). I didn’t know that’s what I was doing so I didn’t know what to do about it.
I remember an episode of a podcast I listen to (AHA – Artists Helping Artists) of an interview of an artist who I don’t remember at this time. At the end of the episode Leslie and Margaret usually ask the artist they are interviewing what art books they like. For some reason a book I thought was called Edges came to my mind. So while I waited for the AT&T guy to install the internet I went to Amazon and looked for it. I didn’t have any luck, so I just Googled it. I ran across many sites that had the keyword and through a few videos on YouTube and websites I think I have the gist of lost and found edges now. However, knowing what they are and creating them are two entirely different things. *sigh*
It’s going to take a lot of practice. A lot.
It is hard!
So if anyone that happens to be reading this and has found a great trick or know of a place where I can get good advice I’d love to hear from you. I have a feeling it’s just going to take practice. I have really concentrate on each brushstroke.
So this clivia plant is my first painting where I consciously tried to paint using lost and found edges. It looks better from far away than close up. I have a lot of work to do. But, it’s a step in the right direction that I want my paintings to go.
If you like this Clivia plant painting I’ve titled “Worth the Wait”, and want to purchase it, use the PayPal button below. It’s 8″x10″ acrylic on canvas board.
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.
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!
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