Day 16 :: RED :: September Daily Paintings

RED
original pastel, 6x6"
©2016 Kim Morin Weineck
$50

This is a busy month which I deliberately chose to augment my stress by undertaking this challenge. It's wonderful to do the work and feel progress and I keep telling myself that doing the work is a better feeling than having more on my plate. Certainly this month laundry and cleaning and such can take a back seat! 

As I mentioned in yesterday's  post about the porch light painting, architecture is a challenge for me. Generally I want to tighten things up and make all the edges hard and ruler straight. Painting then becomes such a chore as opposed to being something to enjoy and free my inner artistic child. When I'm feeling life's pressures, of course I take on the challenge of something that I find difficult. Goodness. 

RED
original acrylic, 18x18"
©2016 Kim Morin Weineck

Today my studio time in Massachusetts brings me back to Vermont at the farm I am so inspired by. This square composition is wholly architectural with some intense cropping to really challenge all my perspective skills. My farmer friends have wonderful young children and so you can make out the scooter and the red tricycle in front of the barn door.

The acrylic came first and then the pastel above. Simplicity is my mantra and being able to say a lot with little marks and color changes. I think I did well with this. Pastel makes it easier to do: pick colors, make marks, move on!

This will be a fun one to compare and contrast. I have been putting both images next to each other on Facebook. It certainly does welcome comparison that way!

PRICING NOTE:  I am taking risks with this challenge. The work created is about learning and  my pieces are experiments and priced accordingly. Each piece is A BARGAIN at only $50 ($10 shipping if you're not local) rather than $125 for my usual gallery-worthy work. Only my pastels will be available at this time. Email kimweineck@gmail.com to purchase. Of course, thank you! 

Thank you for reading! ~ kmw

Day #15 :: JANUARY :: January Daily Painting Challenge

JANUARY
by Kim Morin Weineck
original pastel, 6x6"

$125 + $8 shipping

For those who paint with pastels, I've been painting with a lovely complete set I purchased at the beginning of this monthly painting challenge. When looking at my work, I would guess the new set arrived for the eighth painting. The marks changed a bit and my palette broadened.

My go-to set for a while was Sennelier's plein air half stick set of 80 colors (funny how 80 color options isn't enough) because of its range of intense color and neutrals. My newest set is Gallery Mungyo Handmade soft pastels full set of 200 colors from Jerry's Artarama. If you're interested in adding to your pastel collection, take advantage of sales, coupon codes, and free shipping. Today's price is waaaaay more than what I paid, FYI.

With 200 pastel colors to select from in this set, I finally don't find myself saying "I wish I had this one color..." For this manufacturer, this is it. And so I force myself to make it work, and that is good practice!

Of course, despite the 200 (!!!) colors to choose from, I needed different blues (of course I did.)
What an important lesson that is. It took me a spell to figure out what sort of blue I wanted for the sky, the roof, the house itself, the snow, and the large evergreen. Some of that negotiation is visible in the finished product, but I am thrilled  with my result.

I'm getting good practice on painting buildings and it's obvious this monthly painting challenge is in winter --- everything is snow and cold and I have so many nocturnes. It's been SUCH FUN! For those in my neighborhood, this is the wonderful antique home on the corner of Miller and Myrtle streets. The candles in the window are still up and they make me happy each time I drive by.

All my posts end with a thank you, but, goodness! It's day fifteen and I have to thank all who have read, commented, liked, and encouraged me along the way. I appreciate your support more than I have words to express.

Thanks for reading! ~kmw

Day #10 :: LIT WINDOWS :: January Daily Painting Challenge

LIT WINDOWS
by Kim Morin Weineck
original pastel, 6x6"

$125 + $8 shipping

Nocturnes are some of my favorite paintings. I am captivated by the way artists are able to capture the subtle colors of night. I wrote of this in September's painting challenge about my painting Blue Moon. Since the creation of the camera, it seems that night paintings are some of the most authentic ways for an artist to really insinuate themselves into a painting. Cameras take photos of any scene but night paintings say more than a night photo often can.

I'm in need of practice for nocturnes. The color palette isn't what I'm used to at all. The marks I made, too, are different for structures rather than features in nature. With practice I'll improve, and that right there is the nugget that makes these #30in30 painting challenges worth their weight in gold!

Off to watch Downton which started 40 minutes ago.

Oh! I haven't forgotten about my new pastels. I'll post about them hopefully tomorrow. They are still being tested. and so far, so good!

Thanks for reading! ~kmw