Daily Painting Sept 2017 :: No. 15 of 30

Halfway! Hurray!

My studio wall has a parade of artwork and I'm excited. Halfway feels great. Oils have been challenging me lately. They're slower than pastel and the color isn't as direct. I have to mix it and often it's not as bright or something or other as I'd like. These small works are making a big difference and that's what I'd hoped.

And today is a marsh with notes and color as I've visited in the past, but today it's with more editing.

Daily Painting No. 15 of 30

3x3" original oil

Simplify!

It can be said for so many things in our lives. And it certainly holds true in painting. 

Thanks for reading! ~kmw

Daily Painting Sept 2017 :: No. 12 of 30

Simplicity in painting is difficult to figure out for me. I see all of the minutia and want to reference all of it. In my studio, the most frustrated I get is when I'm putting in too much and can't make it work.

Daily Painting No. 12 of 30

3x3" oil on 5x7" oil paper

This piece is about simplicity. What color is in the distance? What about the sky? These studies are teeny at 3x3" and I don't have a lot of wiggle room to convey everything. How can I made it work?

Oils, too, are tricky. Imaging painting with smooshes of colored butter. Lines aren't as easy to make. Hard edges get blended. Color ends up in color. It's a joyful medium when you let it do its thing. I love it hate it love it again numerous times in each painting.

Daily Painting No. 12 of 30

3x3" original oil

My struggle here ended in a nice spot. I love the color and light harmonies. Feels like September in my neighborhood field, just like I had wanted.

Thanks for reading! ~kmw

Daily Painting Sept 2017 :: No. 10 of 30

The beginning of the month starts with organization and a huge transition -- daily paintings and school starts again. Such planning and time-management skills are in use, and I get lulled into a false sense of security. "I've got this down! A natural time-manager!!"

And now, day 10, and I'm posting at 10pm rather than 7:15am. Took 10 days :) 

BUT --- the paintings! I have been having fun and working hard. My show in October is coming up and I need to work for that. I have commissions coming due. I have to get going on those. But these small works have me inspired and wanting to paint all the time.

Daily Painting No. 10 of 30

3x3" oil on 5x7" oil paper

While looking for a piece of paper recently, I stumbled into my filing cabinet that represents my life put away into four drawers all neat but sort of like that last scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark. What treasures did I stow away that need to be studied? For a while I remembered everything that was in there, but if I'm honest, that was 20 years ago and things just keep going in there!

I mention this now because I found some work I did while studying in France waaaaay back in 2000. My paintings were neat-o! I was on the brink of something fun. Simplicity. Modern. Ah! Painting everyday for a summer will bring you to a new level. 

One painting in particular has me inspired. And so, while working, I'm really thinking a bit differently. Today's painting starts along those lines. Oil is a tricky medium for me. I want to paint FAST but it demands planning from me. And patience. And diligence in getting clean mixtures. Pastel isn't the same for me, but the results I want aren't the same either. 

Daily Painting No. 10 of 30

3x3" original oil

Maybe I'll post some of my paintings I did while studying in France someday. I love to look at them. It was a magical time for me, oddly spiritual and creative and wholly unique. I am blessed to have had such a time. 

Reminder: my local art classes are going to start up again the week of September 19th. Zullo Gallery is a fantastic spot and I'd love to have you join us! Thanks! 

Thanks so much for reading! ~kmw

Daily Painting Sept 2017 :: No. 7 of 30

My brother married a wonderful woman 15 years ago this month. With a last name like MacIntosh, there is little doubt of her heritage.

My brother composts his grass clippings and other compostables in a big pile hidden by some strategically placed shrubs. During a recent visit, my nephew asked me to see the volunteer pumpkins that have grown from the compost (my favorite part of composting is the bevvy of volunteer plantings). The pumpkins and gourds are great, of course. What caught my eye were the thistles!

Daily Painting No. 7 of 30

3x3" oil on 5x7" oil paper

How appropriate in a house with Scottish heritage that beautiful thistles bloom in their compost!

Daily Painting No. 7 of 30

3x3" original oil

It caught my eye and I had to paint it, all loose and fun with the sky behind. Something is fun about smooshing around paint. This one was particularly smooshy!

Thanks for reading! ~kmw

Daily Painting Sept 2017 :: No. 6 of 30

Past years I struggled to name each painting and this year they get numbers. Wow is this a great change! Each painting has a story, but sometimes those stories don't make good titles.

Daily Painting No. 6 of 30

3x3" oil on 5x7" oil paper

Today's title may have been something about the dots of yellow in the field. Perhaps something about the way it zings amidst the neutral grasses. As the nights have been so cool, the grasses have gotten beautifully deeper in tone. Funny how neutrals make brights more bright and beautiful!

Daily Painting No. 6 of 30

3x3" original oil

This again is inspired by my neighborhood. How on earth can we ever move from here. It's heaven!

All the paintings will be available on Sunday, October 1st. I'm hammering out the details and think they'll be on my website www.kimweineck.com on a first-come-first-served basis. Each a bargain at $35 because my wish is that they all find good homes and because they are small treasures of great lessons learned. 

Thanks for reading! ~kmw

Daily Painting Sept 2017 :: No. 5 of 30

I have five paintings lined up in my studio like a small parade and I love seeing them! We started in the imagined English countryside and have moved to New England.

Daily Painting No. 5 of 30

3x3" oil on 5x7" oil paper

After years of painting and critiquing I've learned I love small moments. It's a sort of mindfulness in life to notice intimacies around us all. These small paintings feel like snippets of the larger world. It's the world I love to notice. 

Daily Painting No. 5 of 30

3x3" original oil

Thanks for reading. Hope to see you tomorrow! ~kmw

Daily Painting Sept 2017 :: No. 3 of 30

With each painting I learn new things - it's the best way to paint. The space in a painting is different than photographs, and it's fun to be the one manipulating the space by playing with color, line, and composition.

Daily Painting No. 3 of 30

3x3" original oil

This is the third in the imagined landscape of the English countryside. I love this palette! I'm having fun.

Daily Painting No. 3 of 30

3x3" oil on 5x7" oil paper

Happy Anniversary to me and Tim today, too. Happiness happiness! And keeping it short in the blog department. Stuff to do and fun to be had -- the benefits of anniversaries on holiday weekends :)

Thanks for reading! (Hope to see you again tomorrow) ~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 12 :: FARM COMPANION :: September Daily Paintings

FARM COMPANION
original pastel, 6x6"
©2016 Kim Morin Weineck
sold

Yesterday's painting was freeing and I was a bit pumped to begin the week with that energy. I used brushes I've often disdained -- the fan brush in particular. Good artist materials seem precious. They are expensive and beautiful objects. If you've read my blog since the onset of this month of daily painting, you know I am trying to have fun with creativity and let my inner child silence my inner critic. Here on day 12 the two are fighting a whole lot! 

When I was studying painting in France 15 years ago (a time I love to reminisce about), one of our classes brought us to the beach where we had to select natural materials for brushes. My uptight younger self (although I'm still pretty uptight now) HATED this assignment, because so much of what was painted had to be given up to this awkward and yet freeing process. Yesterday was a bit about that. 

FARM COMPANION
original acrylic 18x18"
©2016 Kim Morin Weineck

Today's paintings have been made, and I sit here blogging about them and my process. When I see the results here on my screen I get a bit tingly. For a while now I've wanted to paint more of the figure, but geez is that ever an intimidating idea! Marshes you can totally fudge. "I'll put the water there and move that and make this like that" for a good painting. My inner critic flips out if I were to think any way like that when painting people. Painting people demands accuracy and practice.

I've mentioned this story before, but I do love it, and so here it comes again:

Our youngest daughter was trying to do something and was repeatedly getting it wrong. When Tim and I prodded her to try again because "Practice makes perfect" she immediately corrected us with her updated "Practice makes better" because "Mom, and Dad, you can't be perfect!" I love that change to the common platitude. We say it all the time.

For a while, I've been making 2-dimensional artwork in two distinct styles:  loose and slightly-abstracted fine art and tight, detailed illustrations. Sometimes I feel a little right-and-left-brain-at-war. When I get into big conversations about art, I'd say that a day was coming where there'd be some fusion of the two.

Today's paintings feel like that fusion is imminent if not finally at hand.

I love the acrylic more (!!) than the pastel, and that is a major change. The piece flowed out of me, and I enjoyed every moment. Ah, what fun!

The subject of today's painting is my friend and her puppy. Lucky me gets to visit her at their family farm in Vermont and vicariously live through her whole family. This moment was when we were off to harvest some mint while all around us was bursting into springtime bloom. This farm has been on my mind a lot lately, so I would expect that you may see it in future paintings.

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! 

Thanks for reading! ~kmw

Day 11 :: QUIET :: September Daily Paintings

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

The theme for my daily paintings seems to be "If nothing changes, nothing changes" and forcing myself to make changes. 

Today those changes worked out for me. I came into the studio knowing I'd be working on a marsh and wanting to mix it up. Less marks and more defined lights and darks have been on my "I wish..." list for too long now. 

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

Do I like the acrylic more than the pastel? I think I do! The underpainting for this piece was full of movement and I tried to keep that same feeling even after paint was layered on top.

Today is a difficult historical day. Art is a wonderful way to slowly process anxiety and a jumble of feelings. It was a welcome time for me to have on a somber anniversary.

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! 

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 2 :: WATER SPARKLE :: September Daily Paintings

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

Although the girls began school Tuesday, today they had off. Right when we are feeling a groove - BLAM! And into this blam I come to make art. September is a tough month for this challenge. 

Many artists I have studied and follow paint sparkles with ease. The twinkling light is such a draw in the landscape. I stop whenever I see it and I stare and think how easy it would be to paint that. Today painting said "Ha!" 

Learning is part of this challenge and I set forth to learn. Don't tell Tim, but what I may have learned is that I need to buy more pastels ;)

WATER SPARKLE

by Kim Morin Weineck

original acrylic, 18x18"

This larger-scale acrylic painting came first. I loved the process of painting it. As I mentioned before, BIG size, BIG brushes, BIG shapes. And then little tiny sparkles. At the end I like the modulation of marks. Perhaps I should revisit the pastel and mix up the sizes of the sparkle. Eureka! 

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 #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 #25 :: MORE ACORNS :: January Daily Painting Challenge

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

Sold!
Thank you 

Not being a big still life painter, these acorns are fun. And they are so diverse in their color and shape. Each has its own variety of oak tree. This spring, I'll have to pay more heed to the varieties of oaks we have in our neighborhood!

This assortment seems to be a collection of oddballs. The top left is so long and pointy. What fun that was to observe! The colors and shapes and indented tops of each are amazingly different and intricate. It was difficult to make them good paintings because part of me wanted to become a botanical illustrator and paint every little bitty detail. 

Funny that when I look at my collection of work, 20 of the 25 are from my neighborhood. The two acorn pieces are included in the 20. 

Five days to go. Twenty-five down. Feels great! I'll be hosting another open house in the future. More information on that to come. 

Thanks for reading! ~kmw

Day #22 :: RIDE HOME :: January Daily Painting Challenge

RIDE HOME
by Kim Morin Weineck
original pastel, 6x6"

$125 + $8 shipping

This piece is inspired by the same day and drive of the previous post. The consistency of the shadow line on the distant trees alludes to that.

I remember a painting demonstration at a local art association years ago. The artist mentioned that when one looks at a painting, the time of day, season, sometimes month should be noticeable from the visual clues in the work. Color, light, and other timely hints let us know when the painting is meant to show. 

This January challenge really cements this idea for me. So many of the paintings are so obviously January and winter for me. The color of the light on this one is all January. 

A wise-guy in the audience told the demonstrating artist that his painting felt like a Tuesday. I don't think you can tell that! 

The colors in this painting are not as punchy as some of my other colors. The light gave an overall cast of blue to the piece, making for the grass in the field to be a difficult color to pin down. 

In the end, I love the result. It was nice to get back in the studio and spend some time really concentrating on a specific time. The next piece I'm going to post to bring me up to today is also from the same ride home.

Thanks for reading! ~kmw

Day #18 :: COLD SHADOWS :: January Daily Painting Challenge

COLD SHADOWS
by Kim Morin Weineck
original pastel, 6x6"

$125 + $8 shipping

Blue is my favorite color, and it is so prevalent during winter. The shadows, the sky, and the snow all feel so blue. Tonight I went out to shovel the four inches of snow we got last night and the light flakes all sparkled with crisp white and blue. Teeny electric blips of blue. It was beautiful -- but it was still winter and shoveling, so don't get me wrong ;)

This piece looks great on my bulletin board of work from this month. Next to yesterday's piece it is around the bend from that riverbank. My neighborhood inspires yet again. 

And how does this piece read? Is the blue water? Marsh? Field? It's not up to me. What I loved about this composition was the space and the light. 

Remember how I mentioned that new set of 200 pastels I bought at the beginning of the month? It's great -- but I need more blues! The Terry Ludwig Best of the Blues set of cobalts and ultramarines should do nicely. My birthday is in March, hint hint. :) 

Thanks for reading! ~kmw

Day #16 :: ICE :: January Daily Painting Challenge

ICE
by Kim Morin Weineck
original pastel, 6x6"

$125 + $8 shipping

The notes and iPhone photo for this painting look nothing like this image. In fact, I'm going to show you my thought process for this piece! I had fun and think you may like to see the progression from start to finish painting. 

This painting on your screen doesn't do the painting justice, either. The sky here is odd and fluorescent where in person, the effect is more dynamic and smooth. The bottom photo gives the best representation of the painting.

As I said in a previous post, my mind is like a viewfinder, scoping out new paintings everywhere I look.  Sometimes when I see big shapes and angles, I take a cruddy photo with the intent of working it out better in a painting. Sadly, this intent is often not followed up on, and I have a ZILLION poor photos laden with the potential to be something better.

Until today!

My photo with big shapes and GRAND plans! 

Sure, this photo (which I cropped perfectly to be a fantastic square composition) is fine. If I were to paint it as is, the result could be a lovely calm piece. When I originally sketched out my shapes at the onset, I had in mind I would do a color scheme similar to the one shown, but give it a bit more oomph. You can see my original color mapping below. 

(left-top) The draft close to the photo and
(right-top) finished piece with imagined color
The finished piece under my two drafts

Something gnawed at my creative mind and told me that the grays and blues were too staid. Even my intellectual mind agreed! I drew the image again and laid in color on top of color and played with color relationships and balance. It took a few layers and corrections to get where I thought the piece was best before I started on today's painting. 

Tim just visited me in the studio and asked if the painting were from a place we frequently walk on a Cape Cod beach. I smirked knowing that this piece is actually from the newly constructed neighborhood being built near our home. 

He then mentioned that the piece looked and felt cold. Isn't that neat? The painting is oozing pinks, yellows, deep maroon, orange -- all warm colors, and he is agreeing with my thought the the painting looks cold. What power we artists wield! 

How great is it when your spouse totally backs you up and they don't even know that they are doing it? Tim so affirmed the lesson of tonight's studio time: 

 
*You don't have to paint exactly what you see. The viewer is only going to know what you make them see. Make it matter. 

*Play with color relationships. Convey what you want, but stretch yourself. Say more with color than what is there, and study color relationships. Work them out before getting into the painting. The effort will pay off in the end result. 

A big painting and seeing lesson tonight. I feel so teach-y!

Thanks 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 #14 :: WARM SPOT :: January Daily Painting Challenge

WARM SPOT
by Kim Morin Weineck
original pastel, 6x6"

$125 + $8 shipping

This afternoon I had to pick up our youngest from an after school activity and left a teensy bit early so I could scope out the area near yesterday's painting. I had such fun painting last night's piece, and thought I could take more inspiration from the spot. I wasn't let down. 

With sketchbook and camera phone in hand off I went. A quick notan sketch, color notes, and a click from my phone helped to get to this result tonight. Of course after taking the photo I had to go to school, come home, make sure homework was done, clean up, help with dinner, help clean up, etc. etc. before painting. Still, I was excited to see what I could make, and that is such a great feeling!!

When I stepped back and looked at the light in this piece I knew I had got it right. Yay, me! ;)

And I have an amazing painting idea for tomorrow. What crazy color! What beautiful light. We shall see if I can pull it off, but as my friend told me once before an art show, I got this! 

Thanks for reading! ~kmw

Day #13 :: THROUGH THE TREES :: January Daily Painting Challenge

THROUGH THE TREES
by Kim Morin Weineck
original pastel, 6x6"

$125 + $8 shipping

Our neighborhood is an enchanted place. Being an artist, I spend my time looking at things around me seemingly with a viewfinder in my mind taking snippet notes of my surroundings and thinking "someday it would be nice to paint something or other...."

This daily painting challenge makes the 'someday' turn into TODAY! 

Tonight's painting is from the marshy area on the Charles and Mill rivers in our neighborhood. As you drive home at sunset/dusk/twilight, the light coming through the trees creates this magical twinkling of the spectrum. 

During winter this color show is vibrant with only silhouetted evergreens and the tree branches. I find the scene foreboding and yet also hopeful simultaneously, such a contrast of feeling, much like the painting construct is a contrast of dark and light and of warms and cools. 

I have SO MANY IDEAS swimming through my mind. Maybe tomorrow I'll have some time to fledge them out a little more fully. Bigger pieces are jonesing to be painted. I taught an oil painting class today and their buttery quality made me want to get smooshing around some oils. We shall see....

Thanks for reading! ~kmw