Day #7 :: WINTER HOPE :: January Daily Painting Challenge

WINTER HOPE
by Kim Morin Weineck
original pastel, 6x6"

$125 + $8 shipping

Today was a difficult January day -- as many days in January can be. Apart from the temperatures, which were rather mild for this time of year, today was about change. Changes that have happened and changes yet to come. 

I went to a wake tonight for a dear former boss. He and his family offered me such opportunity when I was in my twenties. Somehow I knew to work hard for them and see where the opportunities would take me and I went all sorts of places! Nantucket was particularly wonderful. So many years ago now. 

In the end, I could and should credit them with directing me to art school because they owned galleries. I spent my days working for them selling other people's artwork, figuring out what people wanted to buy, and studying what I sold. 

Funny how paths make sense in hindsight. 

Today we also got news of a family member's diagnosis. When you're hoping more than you can hope that it's not cancer and then it is....And I have no other words. Only prayers and making art. 

When I'm not sure what to do or when I feel lost or apprehensive, making art helps. 

Today's piece was a challenge again. Simple in construct, this solitary tree with some depth in the flat plane against a treeline and an oddly colored sky isn't as complicated as say a marsh with a dramatic sky and boat and and and... Simple in art is never simple. Instead simple is often a nightmare. How can it be done in a simple fashion and still feel professional/deliberate/confident/finished/etc? It takes some doing and experimentation to get there. 

My notes and reference weren't these colors, but when I painted them as they were there was no hope in the grays and dull browns. Those tones are for another day. Instead, what fun for me to empurple (a great word and joke for my art students) and redden and warm up the color notes! 

The piece is now more hopeful in its feeling. I kept at it with layer upon layer and finally arrived at a place I love for my painting and my head. 

Thanks for reading! ~kmw

Day #6 :: PATH AT DUSK :: January Daily Painting Challenge

PATH AT DUSK
by Kim Morin Weineck
original pastel, 6x6

$125 + $8 shipping

Today's painting was completed at dusk, which this time of year is like around 4pm -- too early! 

The girls were playing and I sneaked into my studio for some quiet time to think and paint and be on artistic auto-pilot.

My last two pieces, the Bright Bouquet and the Enamel Pitcher, were using a different brain for me. This painting today was back to my old painting brain but I was flexing my color muscle. I wanted to tweak the colors to read like that odd chilly light that is so very January. 

I think I communicated that light pretty well ;)

Thanks for reading!  ~kmw

Day #5 :: ENAMEL PITCHER :: January Daily Painting Challenge

ENAMEL PITCHER
by Kim Morin Weineck
original pastel, 6x6"

$125 + $8 shipping

The kisses of color on the flowers isn't white like you may see in this image, but instead, are a gorgeous deep salmon-tinged pink. Then again, the angle of my monitor may have something to do with how this painting looks to others. I'm never sure. 

There are parts of this piece that I am in love with: The dark part where the negative space of the flowers meets the pitcher as well as the dark lip of the pitcher. Oooh! I like that part. Also the colors of the pitcher. The strokes are loose and fun not all bound in a straight jacket like I'm often one to do to my marks. 

As much as I love flowers, I don't paint a lot of them. The entries for the past two days have been fun challenges. The good news is that they're challenges. Without a challenge there is no growth. 

For a spell, I've felt something in me percolating. I want to make some hybridized artwork of fine art skill with freestyle design. I'm thinking that pieces like this are my segue. Although as I look at this piece now, I think it's certainly less of the freestyle design/illustration than I may be inclined to go in the future. It's a process and I'm feeling the forward momentum!

When it comes down to the nitty gritty of it -- who are we painting for? I'm often torn. 

Thanks for reading! ~kmw

Day #4 :: BRIGHT BOUQUET :: January Daily Painting Challenge

BRIGHT BOUQUET
by Kim Morin Weineck
original pastel, 6x6"

$125 + $8 shipping

Many artist-friends are participating in this daily painting challenge and I'm enjoying looking at their entries. Like so many people, I am constantly thinking and wishing I could paint differently --- someone else's palette of color notes, someone else's marks, someone else's subject matter. 

When it comes to challenges like this daily painting one, there are funny struggles for themes and content, etc. I love the pieces I've done so far (all three of them before today's piece) but they aren't taking enough risks. 

This piece is inspired by what I'd like to be snipping from my imaginary cutting garden (imaginary because we live in the woods and don't really have enough sun [or land] for a cutting garden) for a wonderfully whimsical bouquet. 

What do you think? 

And for those who watched, Downton Abbey was pretty fun, eh? I heard a great comment on NPR today that a critic supposed the show has done well because we all seem to like hanging out with these Edwardian people. As an aside, he mentioned that the scenes and camera-work were so lush. I completely agree. The details are sumptuous!

Thanks for reading! ~kmw

Day #3 :: WINTER FIELD :: January Daily Painting Challenge

WINTER FIELD
by Kim Morin Weineck
original pastel, 6x6"

$125 + $5 shipping

It's chilly and here is another snowy painting. This piece was such fun to do! I started with another notan sketch and then the color laying over it was easy as pie!

Not much to say tonight because Downton Abbey starts up again tonight. And Alaska the Last Frontier. Funny how I watch so little television and then blam, both are on tonight. We'll have nothing else to watch for the remainder of the week (a good thing when a painting challenge is underway!)

OH! And I ordered some art supplies today. Can't wait to talk about those that will be coming in shortly!! :)

Thanks for reading! ~kmw

Day #2 :: SNOWY TREE :: January Daily Painting Challenge

SNOWY TREE
by Kim Morin Weineck
original pastel, 6x6"

Sold!
Thank you!

January is chilly and snowy so far, but nothing too much that we cannot handle. It's been mild and unseasonably warm until recently. Again, the January painting challenge means I'm inspired by what I'm seeing. This tree was so beautiful with it's thin snowy garment. 

Artists always inspire me. Are you familiar with Marc Hanson? Superlatives don't do his work justice. His snowy paintings are impeccable. I think I had his work in mind when I created this piece. It'd be wonderful to take a workshop with him. Perhaps someday! 

Thanks for reading! -kmw

Day #1 :: SNOWY FIELD :: January Daily Painting Challenge

SNOWY FIELD
by Kim Morin Weineck
original pastel, 6x6"

$125+ $8 shipping

Happy New Year! It's always busy through the holidays and tonight is New Year's Day and my dad's birthday. The girls will resume school on Monday and, while I feel busy crazy right now, come Monday, normalcy has the potential to resume. Perfect time to do another Daily Painting Challenge facilitated by Leslie Saeta.

The bummer of a January painting challenge could be the subject matter. Today I took our puppy, Hunter, for a walk and here is what I planned on painting tonight. Quick notan sketches in the field made for easy studio work tonight.

Subjects like this are my favorite. Depth. Foreground. Grasses. Color. Hmmm -- the color on this was a challenge and were so difficult to render on my computer. It's day one of the challenge and I'd bet I'll be writing that more often than I care to.

When I paint I strive to communicate a lot through the colors I choose. I want them to be somewhat unexpected. Today I got that right!

Thanks for reading! -kmw