Gallery 402 Show

I will be showing my small works at Gallery 402 in Toronto, Ontario December 4th through the 14th.  I am showing with fine artist Don Graves and wood turning artisan George Wilkinson.  We are having an opening reception on Wednesday, December 4th, 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.  Anyone who is in the area please stop by to join us for a glass of wine and meet the artists.

We titled the show Nature's Full Circle.  We thought our work represented Nature in it's raw, true form with Don Grave's landscape paintings, what Nature bears is represented in my still life paintings, and the recycling of Nature's fallen trees in George Wilkinson's wood turning pieces.

A Cause for Celebration

5" x 7"

Oil on Gessoboard

 

The last day for Leslie Saeta's 30 Paintings in 30 Days Painting Challenge.  I thought a celebration cupcake would be well suited for the occasion.  As well it is my birthday today so more reason for celebration.  I had a great day today and finished it off this evening by painting my cupcake.  It has been fun the past month!

Bowl of Boscs

5 " x 7"

Oil on Gessoboard

Day 29 of Leslie Saeta's Painting Challenge.  The second to last day.  Another weekend with too much to do so I had to squeeze the painting time in.  I have painted this pottery bowl in pastel before and could capture the texture very well.  I found it difficult to do it with oil in one sitting because of the wetness of the oils.  I will probably go back to this one once it dries and work on the bowl a bit.

Slice of Lemon

3" x 4"

Oil on Cradled Wood Panel

Day 28 of the Painting Challenge.  This one was a challenge for me.  I haven't painted anything this small before.  I think I bought the small board to do a Christmas ornament a number of years ago but didn't use it.  It was sitting on the shelf for ages so I thought I would give it a try.  I would have liked some brushes that were a bit smaller, it got quite frustrating to work with.  Larger size from now on.

Lemon Yellow

5" x 7"

Oil on Gessoboard

Day 27 of Leslie Saeta's Painting Challenge.  Only three more to go.  I really do enjoy doing these and they have become a warm up for working on larger paintings.  When I work on small pieces I don't feel the same hesitation that I feel when working on a larger piece.  If a small painting doesn't work out, it's no big deal.  If a larger painting isn't working I feel I am wasting materials and time.  Working on a small painting before moving to a larger piece allows me to loosen up and relax.

Cherry Perfume

6" x 8"

Oil on Canvas

Day 26 of the painting challenge.  It is getting down to the final few.  I am hoping to continue to paint regularly but not daily.  I don't want painting to be a chore.  Also, I find I am not spending as much time with a painting as I would like.  I will probably go back to a number of the pieces I have done over the past month and add some more to them.  With the oil paint I would like to give it a chance to dry before I add final details and trying to finish one each day means that the paint is too wet to add any details.

Lean on Me

6" x 6"

Oil on Canvas

Day 25 of the painting challenge.  Another song going through my head as I am painting gives it the title.  I should have done my whole thirty paintings based on song titles.  Maybe next time.  I don't have much time for painting today so I decided to do another pear.  The background color is different for me and it gave me some trouble so it took me longer than usual.  I just notice as I am writing this that the shadow for my stem in the front pear isn't right.  That's what happens when you are in a hurry and don't spend time with the painting.

Under the Sea

5" x 5"

Oil on Board

Day 24 of Leslie Saeta's 30 Paintings in 30 Days.  I have been watching the Little Mermaid with my Granddaughter lately.  I seemed to be singing 'Under the Sea' while painting so that's the title it is given.  You know how it is with little kids, you watch the movie over and over again and sometimes you can't get a song out of your mind.

I am on the Dundas Studio Tour in a couple of weeks and today I set up some of my paintings in a cafe in town to advertise the tour.  Hopefully it will help attract people to my studio.  We have seven studios with 30 artists participating.  I am looking forward to it.

Life is Like a Bowl of Cherries

6" x 8"

Oil on Canvas

Day 23 of the painting challenge.  Is there a saying 'Life is like a bowl of Cherries'.  I kept singing it while I was painting it so I couldn't call it anything else.  I am caught up again and only 7 more to go.  I really admire the true daily painters.  It is a real commitment to keep this up for a long period of time.  I think I could manage Monday to Friday, but I really get behind on the weekends.

On the Slope

8" x 8"

Oil on Canvas

This painting is for Day 22 of Leslie Saeta's painting challenge.  I am a day late today.  I had a show to do yesterday and thought I would get a chance to do some painting but it was busier than I thought it would be.  I sold some paintings, met some new people, and listened to some great music.  It was a little cool yesterday but it did turn out to be a great show.  Now I have to paint one for today. 

Perched

6" x 6"

Oil on Canvas

Day 21 of the painting challenge.  Time constraints today, so we have a pear.  I think I will go back in and work on the grain of the wood box a bit more but it will have to wait.  I have a preview show today for a studio tour I am on in November and I have an outdoor show Sunday.  Lots to do!

Plum Tired

4" x 6"

Oil on Board

This is Day 20 of Leslie Saeta's Painting Challenge.  Ten more to go.  I didn't do a pear this morning, I decided to paint my breakfast instead.  It took me about 40 minutes to paint and then I was able to eat!  I have to spend the rest of the day preparing for the show on the weekend.

Snuggle

6" x 6"

Oil on Canvas

We are in Day 19 of Leslie Saeta's Painting challenge.  I have a show this weekend so I will be doing some pears the next couple of days.  It only takes me about 45 minutes to do a pear and I am short on time right now getting ready for the show.  I will be painting during the show as a demo, so I should be able to get a few small ones done then.

Coffee and Kiwi

5" x 7"

Oil on Board

Day 18 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days.  I am counting down to how many are left.  I wasn't really in the mood to paint this morning but I did it.  Not really happy with it.  I think it comes across in the painting if you aren't really in the zone.

Orange Tea

5" x 7"

Oil on Board

Day 17 of Leslie Saeta's painting challenge.  I love the little teapot and I have cups to match which I will have to include in another painting.

Antique Crock

6" x 8"

Oil on Canvas

Day 16 of Leslie Saeta's painting challenge.  I am quite happy with this painting.  Normally with small paintings I would do a close-up of an object and have stayed away from complete still life setups because I thought they may prove to be too difficult on a small canvas. This wasn't too bad.  It took me just over two hours to complete.  I think I will try some more!

Bartlett in a Bowl

5" x 5"

Oil on Board

This is day 15 of Leslie Saeta's painting challenge.  Half way there!  I was in a hurry today so I did another pear.  I like painting pears but I think everyone else must get tired of looking at them.  I painted this in an hour and didn't spend any time looking at after so I can see a problem with my bowl that I will go back in and fix (just not today).  I find that painting everyday is difficult to accomplish for me on the weekends, too much going on.  I will start fresh tomorrow and spend more time!

Cherry Martini

6" x 6"

Oil on Gessoboard

 

 

This is Day 14 of Leslie Saeta's Painting Challenge.  It is 10 p.m. for me and I just finished the painting.  We were babysitting our 3 year old Granddaughter today and only got a chance to finish the painting once she went to bed.  I am so tired, those 3 year olds never run out of energy!  I could use a martini myself about now!

Refelctions of Cherries

8" x 8"

Oil on Gessoboard

It is Friday the 13th today and day 13 of Leslie Saeta's 30 in 30.  I was happy with this painting.  I think I will do a bit of glazing once it dries to give it some more depth.  I love painting this type of tablecloth, gives it some interest.

You Can't Fit in Here

8" x 10"

Oil on Canvas

Day 12 of Leslie Saeta's 30 Paintings in 30 Days.  I find it is getting easier to keep up.  I guess I am getting more scheduled.  I am not thrilled with the apples in this painting but I do love the way the small bowl turned out.

Tomatoe on Glass

6" x 6"

Oil on Canvas

 

Day 11 of Leslie Saeta's 30 Paintings in 30 Days.  I have used the Canadian spelling for tomatoe.  I thought this would be an easy one but I had a bit of trouble with the glass.  I look doing glass on a darker background, I think it is easier with more contrast.

Hide 'n Seek

5" x 7"

Oil on Board

 

 

This is painting number 10 for Leslie Saeta's daily painting challenge.  We are one third of the way there.  This is a small antique cheese box with the Avocado halves hiding from each other.

Retro Coffee and Cream

5" x 7"

Oil on Board

Day 9 of Leslie Saeta's 30 Paintings in 30 Days.  I found this Fire King mug and creamer in some of the storage boxes I cleaned out.  When we were at the antique show on the weekend people were buying the Fire King like crazy.  The mugs styled like the one above were going for $40 each.  I think I will hold on to ours. 

Alone

 

5" x 7"

Oil on Board

 

 

This is Day 8 of Leslie Saeta's 30 Paintings in 30 Days.  A little late in the day for this one.  We were busy with our Granddaughter all day so I fit this one in this evening.  No plans tomorrow so I am going to get ahead of the game!

Couple of Clementines

6" x 6"

Oil on Gessoboard

 

 

This is Day 7 of Leslie Saeta's 30 in 30 painting challenge.  One week completed!  I spent part of the day today at a large antique show in our town.  It poured rain but we kept on going through and I found some great things to paint.  Looking forward to it.

Aglow

5" x 7"

Oil on Board

 

 

This is Day 6 of Leslie Saeta's Painting Challenge.  Feeling a little rushed toady so I thought I would turn to my most comfortable subject, pears.  I really enjoyed this one.  I think I may do a large version of it.

Too Many Tomatoes

6" x 6"

Oil on Cradled Wood Panel

 

This is Day 5 of Leslie Saeta's painting challenge.  I am keeping up but just barely.  I need to get ahead by a day!  I have been watching Downton Abbey on DVD while I have been painting but it is getting so interesting it is taking my concentration away from the painting sometimes.  I may have to switch to music.

Peartini

8" x 8"

Oil on Gallery Depth Cradled Wood Panel

 

This is Day 4 of Leslie Saeta's 30 Paintings in 30 Days challenge.  I just love to see everyone's work each day.  I finished this earlier in the day than the others and it feels good to accomplish that.  Now I will use the rest of the day to work on larger paintings.

Crock and Pears

8" x 8"

Oil on Gallery Depth Cradled Board

 

 

This is painting number 3 in Leslie Saeta's 30 in 30 painting challenge.  I have been going through storage boxes trying to clean out for future downsizing.  My husband and I loved to go through antique stores and through the years we have accumulated many items.  We are starting to sort through what we want to keep.  I have come across many items to use in still life paintings and will be using them over the next month.  

Lone Onion

 

6" x 6"

Oil on Canvas

 

 

This is Day 2 of Leslie Saeta's 30 Paintings in 30 Days.  I have been very busy today spending the holiday with Family but I managed to squeeze this in.  I am not really happy with the outcome but it is my painting for today.  When pushed for time I should stick with pears!

Waiting

Day 1 of Leslie Saeta's 30 Paintings in 30 Days

 

6" x 6"

Oil on Cradled Wood Panel

 

This is the first blog post I have done in such a long time.  Leslie Saeta is hosting another 30 paintings in 30 days and I have joined the group.  I have a number of shows coming up and I thought it would be great to have the extra paintings.

 

I have been spending a lot of time painting.  I have updated my website and now it is time to update my blog.  The work is never ending. 

 

I thought I would start off the challenge with pears, my all time favourite.  Also, I thought September 1st was tomorrow and so I was in a bit of a rush today to have a painting finished.  I am not completely happy with the pear on the left so I may do some adjusting later.  But, Here it is!

Antique Lantern

6" x 6"

Oil on 3/4" Stretched Canvas

 

My husband has collected antique railway items.  This is one of his railway lanterns.  They can make some nice reflections with the different colors of glass.  We have a red one, a blue one, and a clear one.  I have done a painting of three of them together reflecting the different colors onto the wall behind them.  I have posted a picture of this on my Facebook page.  Please like my page if you visit. 

Here Lies the Key

6" x 6"

Oil on 3/4" Cradled Birch Panel

Sold

I bought three keys the other day, each one a different shape.  Antiques inspire me to paint.  I am trying to get back into painting a small painting each day.  I found it easier to do when I was doing the 30 paintings in 30 days painting challenge.  I think that the group effort gave me the drive to produce something each day.  How do I get that drive back again on my own?

Seeing Spots

5" x 7"

Oil on Gessoboard

 

This is my first post in a little while.  I have been busy trying to update my website, www.loisshawfineart.com, and also I have started a Facebook page.  It is driving me a bit crazy.  I don't even know the address to put here to link you to it.  I have never been on Facebook (probably one of the only people) and I am finding it difficult to navigate. 

I am getting back to painting a small piece each day.  I have a few shows coming up and these are great pieces to sell at shows.

Works in Progress

Here is the second day of working on Lemons and Herbs.  I worked on bringing some dimension to the crock and the antique box.  Next I will establish more values in the background and foreground cloth.  I really enjoy taking my time on a painting.  I am the type of person who likes to sit back and look at the painting and think about what is working and what isn't. 

This is the second piece I am working on.  I am working from a photograph I had taken at the Rockton Fall Fair. I didn't take any pictures at the block in stage, it is a bit further along.  The piece is 30" x 40".  The sheep look like they are floating at this point but they will be grounded in hay.  For me this is challenging because I always have trouble painting folds in white fabric.

"Lemon and Herbs" Block In

I have started working on some larger pieces and I thought I would post their progression.  I have been painting everyday but because I am working on larger pieces they won't get finished in a day.  I have been working on another piece 30" x 40" the last few days but I haven't taken pictures from the beginning so it is quite far along.  I will post that one tomorrow.  Above is the block in for Lemon and Herbs and below is the still life set up.  My viewing angle is slightly different than this photo I have taken.

I am doing this piece for an auction at a local art school in our town.  Once a year they have a large silent and live auction to raise funds for the schools operation.  Over the years it has become a large scale auction and attracts many people.  I like to donate a few pieces each year.

30 Paintings in 30 Days

30 Paintings in 30 Days

Leslie Saeta's Painting Challenge

This is the collection of the 30 paintings completed in 30 days.  One each day.  It was a great exercise and certainly a very inspiring way to start out the New Year.  Looking at the collage I should retake a photo of the pomegranates, they look too dark and look at all those pears!  Surprisingly to me, the piece that had the most views on my blog was the antique insulator.  I think it was because people wondered what it was more so that for the painting. 

Outside the Box

7" x 5 "

Oil on Gessoboard

Click Here to Buy

This is Day 30 of Leslie Saeta's 30 paintings in 30 days painting challenge.  This is the last one, and another pear.  I painted a painting each of the 30 days, not painting any ahead of time which is how I wanted to do it.  Through this I discovered I am not a daily painter.  That being said, I do like to paint each day but I don't think I can keep up with finishing a painting each day.  I found that I am more comfortable with my palette and color mixing to the point that I don't have to think about where the colors are on my palette or what colors need to be mixed to achieve a certain color.  This is definitely a result of painting everyday.  I am going to continue to paint everyday, but I won't be finishing a small painting each day.  This challenge certainly has inspired me to think of larger scale paintings, and I have lots of ideas.  Looking forward to it!

On a different note, I took a three evening workshop in glass fusing.  These are the pendants I made in that workshop and I am excited to try some on my own now.  I liked painting on the glass and I think I would like to try some more with painting.

Inside the Box

7" x 5"

Oil on Gessoboard

Click Here to Buy

This is Day 29 of Leslie Saeta's painting challenge.  It is coming to the end and I think I will end with pears.  My favorite thing to paint.  This pear is sitting inside an antique cheese box, fits nicely.

Salt, No Pepper

7" x 5"

Oil on Gessoboard

 

This is Day 28 of Leslie Saeta's painting challenge, only two left.  I was going to paint the salt and then for tomorrow paint the pepper.  I didn't enjoy painting this one so it's salt and no pepper.

Red Pepper

6" x 6"

Oil on Canvas

 

This is Day 27 of Leslie Saeta's painting challenge.  Her 30 paintings in 30 days challenge has been fun and it is great to connect with the other artists in the challenge.  I am finding I am painting a bit faster with each piece, getting used to my palette and not having to think about color mixing as much.  I wish I could think of catchier titles for the paintings!

Cherry Triplets

6" x 6"

Oil on Canvas

 

This is Day 26 of Leslie Saeta's 30 paintings in 30 days painting challenge.  I am getting a little more caught up and not posting as late today.

Resting

6" x 6"

Oil on Canvas

 

This is Day 25 of Leslie Saeta's painting challenge.  I am keeping up, but barely.  I like to paint on the gessoboards now, but I ran out.  I painted this on a stretched canvas and it has quite a different feel after painting on the gessoboards.

Decoy Duck

6" x 6"

Acrylic on Gessoboard

 

This is Day 24 of Leslie Saeta's daily painting challenge.  I didn't know if I was going to be able to fit this one in.  I was at the hospital all day yesterday.  It is 1 1/2 to 2 hours out of town, so I stayed over last night and brought my husband home today in a bit of a snow blizzard.  That is why I am posting so late today.  I had taken some acrylic paints with me and managed to fit this in.  There was a great art store across from my hotel and I spent a bit of time in there, and a bit of money as well.  My husband had a shoulder replacement.  He will have quite a long recovery and quite a bit of work for me as it is his right shoulder and he is right handed.  I hope I will be able to fit painting in! 

Garden Beans

7" x 5"

Oil on Board

 

This is Day 23 of Leslie Saeta's painting challenge.  My husband had surgery yesterday so I spent most of the day at the hospital.  I did this painting last night when I got home and it helped me to relax.  I am heading to the hospital again this morning.  I am going to take some acrylic paints up with me and maybe I can paint something if he is resting since I will be up there all day today.

Swaddled

6" x 6"

Oil on Gessoboard

Sold

This is Day 22 of Leslie Saeta's 30 paintings in 30 days painting challenge.  After yesterday's teacup painting I thought I would go back to another pear.  Pears make me happy!