Daily Painting Sept 2017 :: No. 2 of 30

Today I am back on my imagined trip to the Lake District in England. This time I tried to get a little more about the light in my painting. I love it in person and the depth I was able to achieve. 

Daily Painting No. 2 of 30
3x3" oil on 5x7" oil paper

And I am having so much fun mixing paint and applying paint and smooshing it around on the oil paper! Fun!! 

Daily Painting No. 1 of 30
3x3" original oil

Happy Labor Day weekend! 

It's my 12th anniversary tomorrow. Goodness! I'd do it again in a heartbeat. The hardest thing about being married to Tim is finding a good anniversary card that isn't so dang sappy. I ended up with one with my favorite quote about relationships, written by Robert Browning "Grow old along with me; the best is yet to be!" Hard to believe it could get better but I do like that mindset :) 

Thanks for reading! ~kmw

Daily Painting Sept 2017 :: No. 1 of 30

It's another September and again I've accepted the #30in30 daily painting challenge. With upcoming shows and a busy commission/work/teaching/parenting schedule, I've decided to switch things up this year and will do 3x3" oil paintings on 5x7" Arches Oil Paper.

Oils take longer for me than pastels because all colors I use must be mixed. It takes practice and this monthly challenge will give me just that.

Daily Painting No. 1 of 30
3x3" oil on 5x7" oil paper

At the start of summer I rewatched Miss Potter about Beatrix and ultimately her role in conserving England's Lake District. The rolling hills and farms are a landscape I dream about! Today's painting is about mixing all the greens! Photographing this proved quite a challenge, but I think the gist comes across.

Daily Painting No. 1 of 30
3x3" original oil

At the end of the month, I'm going to put all of the work up for sale, first-come-first-served at $35 each (a steal!) Follow along with me and see if there's one or more you may want. The 5x7" size will be easy to frame and mat. I'm going to collect some frames during the month for ones I may want to keep :)

I'm looking forward to seeing how the collection looks -- always funny to think of on day one!

Thanks for reading! ~kmw

Day 17 :: SIMPLE GIFTS :: September Daily Paintings

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

When I first saw the work of Wolf Kahn I was confused and wondered where the detail went. The more I have looked at and created artwork the more I have come to understand the beauty of a grand scheme of design and the play of composition, color, and simplicity. 

My mantras for the month: Do the work and Keep it simple are well-represented here. My acrylic came first. What fun until it wasn't. The fun was in the sketch and then later in the treeline and sky. What fun! The not fun: windows windows windows. Funny that, too, because the windows are what makes the subject appeal to me. 

SIMPLE GIFTS
original acrylic, 18x18"
©2016 Kim Morin Weineck

The acrylic is 18x18" and large and playful because there's space to spread out. The pastel was getting bogged down with the challenge of saying what needed to be said in a 6x6" surface. When I looked at the color combination and the composition and my marks I decided it was done.

I love these! The subject is a lovely classic home in my town. This is architecture I adore.

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 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 :: CHICKEN FEED :: September Daily Paintings

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

Pastels are gloriously direct. No brush handle to get in the way. You want a color - you find the color - you apply the color - done. HA! It does NOT really work like that, especially if you do a nuanced piece of every sort of gray out there. Challenge doesn't really begin to describe what this was, but it's September and I embrace challenge! 

Cutie little chicken was super smart and found the bag of birdseed. When I happened upon this scene, the chicken turned and looked at me! Such a fun moment at my friend's farm yet again. Some day I will have to see about a residency. I could be inspired and paint something new from this farm every day! 

CHICKEN FEED
original acrylic, 18x18"
©2016 Kim Morin Weineck

Again the acrylic is different but improving. Again I am wondering if I like it more than the pastel. It's funny to think that I'm struggling with a smaller pastel working surface. A 6x6" board was my thing for years whilst the kids were still napping and it was what I could tackle during that short time. Thankfully the school day is longer and so my working time has increased.

Yesterday was intense with an art association meeting and things the kids needed, so I dialed it in and posted my plein air piece from the coffeehouse. Today I did four paintings and need to go to bed. Ha! Who knew art is so tiring?

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 14 :: PORCH LIGHT :: September Daily Paintings

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

Yesterday I didn't post my established standard 'two paintings in different mediums of the same subject' and instead posted a plein air piece I did from Cilla's Coffeehouse in Norfolk, MA which is showing my work for the month. Buildings and the figure are often not my strong suit and I'll admit that the success and FUN of the coffeehouse plein air piece gave me confidence enough to do more focusing on buildings. Today, to catch up, I did four paintings. I'm beat! (The coffeehouse painting is at the end of this post.) 

The pastel looks like I wanted it to look. I have been studying how some artists make their clean marks and blocks of color. A common factor is that some confident artists have blogs of glorious messy color not confined to hard lines. Ahhh. This is my struggle. The more I paint the more I tighten all of this up! 

PORCH LIGHT
original acrylic, 18x18"
©2016 Kim Morin Weineck

 The acrylic is a great example of trying to be messy. It was a good start at messy and then I kept tightening and tightening. Who knows what sort of work I can do next time. This was a good session in the studio -- again from my friend's wonderful Vermont Farm -- and I learned so much. More and more my motto is "Just do the work!"

WELCOME ENTRY
original pastel, 9x12"
©2016 Kim Morin Weineck

My cafe entrance painting done on location. What a great time this was, meeting people and really pushing myself. I loved every moment!

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 13 :: SHADE TREES :: September Daily Painting Challenge

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

It was bound to happen eventually. Today's acrylic took all my energy, and I love it. It feels like I'm illustrating a book about a farm in Vermont that I love. The pastel needs another 30 minutes but today I'm gassed.

This morning I enjoyed painting at a local cafe. Painting en plein air is fun but tiring. Adjusting to school has been tiring, too. September is a month of transition. Add soccer on top of it all, and I am impressed with myself for making my way down here tonight and working on these two pieces. 

SHADE TREES
original acrylic, 18x18"
©2016 Kim Morin Weineck

Again, "nothing feels as good as doing the work." Tonight as I headed down the stairs to my basement art studio I knew I'd feel as good going back up the stairs as after a tough workout. This month is about my own self-direct art workout, and it does feel good. 

The plein air painting from this morning came out nice, too. (You can see it on my Instagram account @kimweineck.) I enjoyed speaking with the most wonderful people who came specifically to support me and with others who stopped by to get coffee and noticed I was there working. The town we live in is full of wonderful folks, and I'm so happy we landed here. 

One more word to a friend who I know reads my blog posts: Thank you so much for bringing my dad to Cilla's Coffeehouse to see my work. It was such a treat to have him tell me he saw (and liked!!) my paintings hanging there. I really appreciate it. xxoo 

This farm is the same one as my painting from yesterday, in case you were wondering. Magical place, I tell you....

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 (and supporting!) ~ kmw

Day 8 :: REFLECTED :: September Daily Paintings

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

Being an advocate for working in a series, here is another marsh scene from this same bridge near where we live. The colors in nature are changing, but I am in denial of anything autumnal just yet. I trust that the colors will soon win me over with exciting pops of red, but for now I'm pretending that the colors are as they were when my family hiked near here in August.

Heck, our summer day family hike wasn't that long ago, and yet it seems forever: school started, the light has changed, it's getting darker earlier, and we now have sports and all sorts of after-school activities! I do have some time while the girls are in school to get things done and here on September 8th I really am taking advantage of that time. 

This painting is pretty fun on my storage shelves in the studio. The prior two paintings are spoken for already (and I'm grateful) but they really do look nice as a triptych -- and I didn't even plan that! 

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

Every post mentions that the acrylic is what starts my studio time. I need to get some bigger brushes! In my prior post I say: if nothing changes nothing changes. Yesterday I made changes. Today I continued to try to make deliberate changes in how I work and apply acrylic paint. (Acrylics dry quickly and oil painting techniques do not necessarily translate.)

Lo and Behold! I am happy with the right side of this painting. The left will have a bit more work to it at another point. It's changes like today that make me happy with this regimen. By month's end who knows what my acrylic paintings will look like? I can't wait to see.

I saw a sign once that said:

Nothing will make you happy but doing the work

I am really understanding that sign and I'm only on day eight!

PRICING NOTE:  I am taking this challenge to heart and taking risks. The work created is a labor of love and learning. For this #30in30 challenge 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 7 :: RIVER VIEW :: September Daily Paintings

RIVER VIEW
original pastel, 6x6"
©2016 Kim Morin Weineck
SOLD!

Today I set out to make a painting early and completed this view from the same spot as yesterday's painting. Marshes make me happy and, since I have been feeling a bit wiped out, why not embrace what I do love to paint? 

What do you think? A whole #30in30 of marsh views? I would simply love to do that. Thirty of the same view but taking chances with colors and marks. Hmmm. Food for thought, surely. Marla Baggetta made 100 variations of a same landscape. I was quite inspired by her when I first found this blog post years ago. Would it hold interest (mine and yours?) I wonder....

RIVER VIEW
original acrylic, 18x18"
©2016 Kim Morin Weineck

The pastel was fun to paint, as usual. The colors are exciting to select. SO MANY GREENS! And when I tackle a subject like this SO MANY BLUES (and for both instances: never the right one). A challenge today is to paint something along the lines of yesterday and make it a painting in its own right. It's difficult not to look too much to yesterday.

The acrylic was also fun -- as opposed to yesterday's angst-ridden marsh scene. I was approaching acrylic painting the same way day in day out. Finally I had to tell myself: If nothing changes - NOTHING CHANGES. I held my brush differently and mixed colors differently. The acrylic always comes first in my daily painting regimen. Maybe I stop doing them? So many questions today!

 PRICING NOTE:  I am taking this challenge to heart and taking risks. The work created is a labor of love and learning. For this #30in30 challenge 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! 

Thanks for reading! ~kmw

Day 6 :: RIVER :: September Daily Paintings

RIVER
original pastel, 6x6"
©2016 Kim Morin Weineck
SOLD

Day 6 and it's shaping up to be an insanely busy month. School began August 30th and I somehow thought I'd get a jump on things so September would be of ease. Alas, no such luck. I'm drained and may need a pep talk to even start on a painting tomorrow. Content like that is really supposed to make it into blog posts. My bad. 

The pastel above was painted after my bold, quick, play with the acrylic below. I am SO IN LOVE with how this pastel looks. The colors, the marks, the scale of the shapes and the rhythm of the darks make me so happy. This is one that I will have a hard time parting with. This is one that I think of when I talk about being a painter of marshes so often that my husband calls me "Marsha."

Working in acrylic and 18x18' is a whole new animal than the 6x6" pastel pieces I have done in the past. It's day six but I have done a stack of 12 paintings so far. These six 18x18" acrylics are interesting. The compelling part of this challenge is that pile. I want to see it grow and I want to improve when it comes to the acrylics. 

RIVER
original acrylic, 18x18"
©2016 Kim Morin Weineck
Studio lighting made photographing
this piece a bit difficult tonight. 

The reason for the acrylic starts is to take them somewhere different: to play with color and see the composition differently so I don't seem formulaic in my pastels. Honestly, I so enjoy doing the pastels because I can do them with relative ease. When it comes to brushes and color mixing and larger scaled works -- it's not the same. I feel a bit tense.

Today's tension in the studio was palpable. Experimenting with marks and color started happening late in the painting near when the bus was coming. Tomorrow's new piece hopefully will continue where this one left off, because I was nearing somewhere I liked! 

PRICING NOTE:  I am taking this challenge to heart and taking risks. The work created is a labor of love and learning. For this #30in30 challenge my pieces are experiments and priced accordingly. Each piece is $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! 

Thanks for reading! ~kmw

Day 5 :: SWIMSUITS :: September Daily Paintings

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

From our days on the beach for Labor Day weekend, I continue to be inspired by sparkles on the water. Of course I'm also inspired by our daughters. The beach is still a place for them to dig and play and I am holding on to that as long as possible. 

Their swimsuits are these awesome colors: bright neon orange and turquoise and vibrant red and purply ultramarine blue. The water struck me as striped in a way. The beach we frequent offers vistas to a lighthouse, distant land, and closer harbors. It really offers all an artist could want to soak in. 

A voice in my head is always critiquing my work. WOW! This voice is LOUD! Sometimes I think that is why social media is a helpful aid. Having support and comments and purchases (!!!) from you all really matters. Thank you! 

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

The acrylic is fun to see, much larger and flat and free and still sparkly. I'm going to revisit this one again when I have more time. I need to elongate an arm (can you tell which one?)

Since it's the Monday holiday, my family is waiting for me to finish these paintings and posts so I can go for a bike ride through the wonderful field in our neighborhood. I'm sure I'll continue to be inspired.

Yesterday the girls and I made homemade marshmallows. I took a bunch of photos of them and now I want to paint them! We shall see.

PRICING NOTE:  I am taking this challenge to heart and taking risks. The work created is a labor of love and learning. For this #30in30 challenge my pieces are experiments and priced accordingly. Each piece is $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! 

Thanks for reading! ~kmw

Day 4 :: WINDBLOWN :: September Daily Paintings

WINDBLOWN
by Kim Morin Weineck
original pastel, 6x6"
$50 + shipping

Simplify! This mantra is repeated and repeated whenever I paint. Today I think I took it to heart. I love how this looks. Clean and placed and deliberate.  The pastels have me pent up and focused on detail.

The sparkle obviously continues to haunt my mind. Can you blame me?

WINDBLOWN
by Kim Morin Weineck
original acrylic, 18x18"

Working larger and in acrylic with tubs of paint makes for different effects. I'll discuss them more in a future post. Mark making, color choices, and economy of brushstrokes are all on my mind. On day 3 of all this work I am starting to feel a change. Come October, it'll be great to look back!!

I'm so busy with the holiday weekend and celebrating Labor Day and our anniversary weekend fun. I'm cutting this short but am happy that I got a painting in. Yippee!

PRICING NOTE:  I am taking this challenge to heart and taking risks. The work created is a labor of love and learning. For this #30in30 challenge my pieces are experiments and priced accordingly. Each piece is $50 ($10 shipping if you're not local) rather than $125 for my gallery-worthy work. Only my pastels will be available at this time. Email kimweineck@gmail.com to purchase. Of course, thank you! 

Thanks for reading! ~kmw

Day 3 :: FISHING :: September Daily Paintings

FISHING
by Kim Morin Weineck
original pastel, 6x6"
SOLD! 

Experimentation continues! Sparkle is obviously on my mind and today's piece made me stop and take note. I've also confirmed I need some more pastels. Terry Ludwig's set of lights would do the trick for super sparkles! 

The back part of land in this piece was the best to paint. In person there is a modulation of color that really sings. Exciting to get that right! The silhouette is fun, too. Placing people in paintings really adds scale and interest. 

FISHING
by Kim Morin Weineck
original acrylic, 18x18"
 

As usual, the acrylic painting came first. I love the sparkle more to this one but I am not sure it reads as sparkle. I have a bunch to learn but sure am enjoying the process!

PRICING NOTE:  I am taking this challenge to heart and taking risks. The work created is a labor of love and learning. For this #30in30 challenge my pieces are experiments and priced accordingly. Each piece is $50 ($10 US shipping if you're not local) rather than $125 for my gallery-worthy work. Only my pastels will be available at this time. Email kimweineck@gmail.com to purchase. Of course, thank you! 

It's my anniversary today. Eleven years with a fantastic guy. Love you, Timmmmay!
Thanks for reading! ~kmw

Day 1 :: THREE SHRUBS :: September Daily Paintings

THREE SHRUBS
by Kim Morin Weineck
original pastel, 6x6"

$50 + shipping

PRICING NOTE:  I am taking this challenge to heart and taking risks. The work created is a labor of love and learning. For this #30in30 challenge my pieces are experiments and priced accordingly. Each piece is $50 ($10 shipping if you're not local) rather than $125 for my gallery-worthy work. Only my pastels will be available at this time. Email kimweineck@gmail.com to purchase. Of course, thank you! 

At a recent family reunion, one of my creative aunts and I had a quick conversation about the spirit of childhood. Adults can get so pent up, yet as children there's an exuberant sense of freedom. My aunt gave me props by saying something like:  You know that feeling, I'm sure. As an artist you must let your inner child play and explore all the time.

Funny thing is that I don't let my inner child play pretty much ever. If she comes out, Blam! Inner critic shuts that mess down with some sort of blurt. Art is a struggle and not supposed to be fun or come easily. Artists are depressed. To make art, one must have angst!

My artistic inner child likes to use BIG brushes on BIG paper with cheapo paint and make messes sometimes. For my challenge this month, I'm working on being a little more experimental and see where it takes me. I have no theme for subject as such. My aim is to paint more, paint big, and feel my way through the work.  And to be more abstract (that goal will take some work.)

Today I thought about this goal and decided I'd visit a subject but paint it larger and in acrylics. Acrylics aren't my strong medium and my hand isn't as confident as I would like. Today's painting ideally could have had less marks, but I was having FUN!

THREE SHURBS STUDY
by Kim Morin Weineck
original acrylic on paper, 18x18"

The acrylic study informed the pastel. By the time I painted that one hours later I was mentally in a great place to make art. It flowed from me all zen-like.

We shall see about tomorrow.
Thanks for reading! ~kmw

Daily Painting posters available

Today I posted the last of the pastels of my #30in30 daily painting challenge for January. Doing a painting every day -- even if I don't do a 6x6" and post on my blog (I am always painting,drawing, and working) -- is such good creative exercise. I can feel myself getting more confident as I venture to new areas and expand my comfort zone.

I also went through the collection of pieces, blog posts, and Facebook entries and am humbled by the support I receive about my work. For those who comment and "like" and share their feelings about the paintings, I sincerely thank you.

January/February poster 11x17"
30in30 (c)2016 Kim Morin Weineck
available for $15 + shipping
email kimweineck@gmail.com
to purchase

The poster is one of the best things about the #30in30 challenge. Seeing the pieces all together like this is such a feeling of accomplishment. Winter is one of my most difficult seasons. For January and much of February I learned that the colors of winter are gorgeous. The light is different and the colors are beautiful!

What I think gets to me the most about wintertime is the light. Time management is tricky generally, but in winter, time management problems seem to double for me. Sun setting at 4pm means I am ready for bed by 8pm. Geez! I don't honestly go to bed at 8pm, but I am not the productive self that I can be other times of the year.

Here is the poster from my September #30in30, the first one that I did. Gosh, it was fun.

September poster 11x17"
30in30 (c)2015 Kim Morin Weineck
available for $15 + shipping
email kimweineck@gmail.com to purchase

If any artist out there is interested in taking on a Daily Painting challenge, please consider doing so. The benefits are many and your capacity to create is bigger and better than you may credit yourself for ;)

Thanks for reading! ~kmw

Day #30 :: SNOW MELT :: January Daily Painting Challenge (in February)

SNOW MELT
by Kim Morin Weineck
original pastel, 6x6"

$125 + $8 shipping

Interestingly enough, last week I went into the studio and four of these 6x6" pieces poured out of me onto their painting boards. It was intense and a perfect definition of "flow." When I came upstairs I showed Tim what I had done and he shot me a quizzical look. "In 40 minutes you did those?"

When people ask how long a painting takes, artists are frustrated by having to answer. So often, the paintings that take FOREVER are the ones that aren't as good. Not always, but often, this is the case. In my classes, I talk about saying the most you can with the least amount of strokes. Minimize your color palette. SIMPLIFY!

My classes also hear me tell this story --- which I LOVE so much. And if it's some made up literary legend, please don't tell me. I like to think that what I share here is truth.  ;)

Ernest Hemingway was talking with some of his writer contemporaries about story-writing. They challenged each other to write a compelling story with as little words as possible. Hemingway accepted and turned in this:

      For Sale:
      Baby Shoes
      Never Worn

Gets you right in the heart, doesn't it?

(And I just Googled it. Not sure if it's Hemingway, but I could be, so I'll hold on to my story line. Whew!)

And so with painting we want to say as much as we can with as few marks. We strive to make something difficult look as though it was done with ease. In Italian the word is "sprezzatura" and I first heard this in Professor David Nolta's Art History class at MassArt. Artists strive toward this "studied carelessness." It's a great contradiction: The art of making something difficult look like it was done with ease.

Winter seems to have broken, and I'm eager for this to be true. Only time will tell, but today's 50 degree walk in the muddy field with a smell of spring in the air was encouraging. This painting of greens touched with various light was a fun challenge to paint. I love the streak of sunlight: Warmth exemplified.

This painting wraps up the 30 in a row for 2016. I'm proud and excited about this body of work. Of course, I'm keeping painting. A new project has my interest and with teaching painting classes we shall see where my studio time brings me.

Be sure to stay tuned!
Thanks for reading ~kmw

Day #29 :: SNOWY STREAM :: January Daily Painting challenge (in February)

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

$125 + $8 shipping

After a short hiatus, here's another painting from the January daily painting challenge. I know it's February. We get done what we can. Winter packs a wallop, and with it come issues of cold and snow, power outages, commitments, and other motivational difficulties. Funny, too, because our surroundings are quite inspiring. Seems the problem lies in time management and, perhaps more appropriately, light management. When it's dark at 4:30pm, I swear I'm ready for bed at 8pm with the kiddos. 

This painting was a challenge from the start. It's on a bright red surface which I thought would be a good way to warm up a cool subject. While that was the case, after a while the surface wouldn't take any more pastel and so I had to be quite deliberate about my warm and cool color notes. 

Perhaps it's more abstract than my usual work. The color harmonies make me so very happy. 

Again, this is a subject in my neck of the woods. We're so happy to have landed where we did, two years ago from February 1st. 

Thanks for reading! ~kmw

Day #27 :: SKYLIGHT :: January Daily Painting Challenge

SKYLIGHT
by Kim Morin Weineck
original pastel, 6x6"

Sold! 

Perhaps you noticed I took last night off from painting. My sinus colds really take me out for the count, and I didn't have it in me to give in the studio. (I felt like I was breaking the law!) Instead Tim and I watched an episode of Masterpiece's Home Fires. Have you seen this show? It's a good one, and Tim pointed out that it's peppered with such beautiful greens. It's fun in an artist-household that a predominance of color gets noticed. 

This painting came out of me this morning with ease. Ahhhh! I am not sure you can know how much I needed that after the humbling experience that led to my last painting. The nuances of color are better in person, yet again and with my apologies, but this image on the computer gets the message across enough that I'm confident in it. 

The second painting of the day will come later. At least for now I'm caught up again. 

January is nearly through. I've learned a lot from this challenge and look forward to what I take on next. 

Thanks for reading!~kmw

Day #26 :: APPLE :: January Daily Painting Challenge

APPLE
by Kim Morin Weineck
original pastel, 6x6"

$125 + $8 shipping

We all have these days -- when you aren't in the flow. Wow! I threw away three painting starts tonight. It was hard. It's like my alter-ego showed up tonight in my studio and decided to 'have a go' at pastels.

Ha! The struggle is usually overcome with ability or vision. Tonight I lacked both for a while. 

Here is my single apple. The colors are fun. The marks are vibrant. Some of the color notes are unexpected. 

Tonight I could have fallen upon my comfort references and painted the landscapes I love. A marsh or a hay field or a beach would have been fun, but I really took the idea of a painting challenge to heart and thought I'd push myself. 

After all that challenging work, I'm tired, BUT ----

I'm also quite pleased with my apple. 

Thanks for reading! ~kmw

Day #24 :: WINTER ACORNS :: January Daily Painting Challenge

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

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When I look at the array of work I've created this month I am excited about what I see, but of course I analyze it to death. What colors are prevalent? Subject matter? I critique the marks I made and consider improvements, future subjects, and sometimes I also feel accomplished. Because there are six days left to this challenge, I don't hold on to the accomplished feeling too long yet. 

The subject matter this month seemed to be demanding more still lifes, and so today's painting. I called it Winter Acorns because some of them were collected just before the recent snows we've had. Others were from my stash that I picked up during walks during this past fall. When I collected them then, the colors were green-tinged and the acorns were tight. In fact, I did this painting of them then 

ACORNS
by Kim Morin Weineck
original pastel, 6x6"

The caps of so many I had picked up in September and October are now loose or missing. Today's painting shows that with extra depth of color at the join of the acorn and cap. It was fun to paint the empty cap, too! 

I'm still sick and working on a bunch of things. Today I ironed and mended some clothes. Mending is fun if you throw caution to the wind and repair dark grey snow pants with bright purple thread! Not so ho hum! It's wonderful to get things like that done while you're laying low. And now off to a night catching up on some silly indulgences like Downton Abbey and maybe a cocktail ;)

Thanks for reading! ~kmw