January 2016 Day 31 Painting Challenge Finale

Final Collage of the 30 in 30 Painting Challenge January 2016

This sure has been a quick month. Working on new pieces every day during January has been a fun and exciting way to begin the new year. Many thanks to host Leslie Saeta for getting this Challenge up and running. It's been a great way to experiment with the materials, push past the boundaries, see other people's work and getting to know some of their processes. I've enjoyed the interaction, exchanging of ideas and getting comments on works in progress.

Go here to see the final collages of all the participants' works over the entire month. What a collection!

Some work from the challenge I've pinned here .

Thank you for having a look at my work and for leaving comments and remarks!  See everyone at the next painting challenge.

January 2016 Day 30 Painting Challenge

 

Where the Current Takes Me

The final piece for the 30 day challenge. Listened to some music, got all drifty and had fun with this one.

Where the Current Takes Me (detail)

Where the Current Takes Me is made of wet and needle felted Corriedale, Merino silk, seed beads, glass beads, paua shell, and some sea glass from Port Townsend, Washington's North Beach. Music I listened to was Vangelis' La petite fille de la mer (which you can find HERE.) I heard this little piece of music years ago while attending a filmmaking workshop and was enchanted by its haunting qualities. Today's felt comes in part, from immersing myself in this song. The paua shells were something I began collecting while living in New Zealand. The pieces I found on the beach were often a bit ragged, so I purchased some that had been smoothed out and polished. On occasion, I've used my dremel tool to drill tiny holes in the shells, making it easier to attach to wearable felt pieces. I marvel at the swirls of colors on these shell bits, ranging in color from blues, to purples and greens, with pink at the edges. The smooth surfaces reflect the light and add a bit of sparkle.

Visit Leslie's 30 in 30 blog here.

Congratulations to Dotty Seiter, winner of the drawing today for the GeFelte Fish. Please email me with your details and I will pop that fish in the post! See the fish here.

A big Thank You to everyone who stopped by my blog, looked at my work or left comments during the month of this challenge. I appreciate hearing your ideas and remarks. Looking forward to seeing everyone and their work in the next painting challenge!

January 2016 Day 29! Painting Challenge

Sacredness of Silence

It's getting easier for me to get to that quiet place in the space between thoughts. In the beginning,  it lasted a few seconds. Ahh, the stillness. Allowing more space to experience this has created a peaceful place to make art. It is becoming addictive. The silence. Observing, selecting materials, moving my hands to pull it all together.  When it seems complete, I ask the piece what its name is and with a whisper, it lets me know.

The Sacredness of Silence is made of alpaca and Romney fibers, seed and glass beads.

Leslie Saeta's 30 in 30 blog is here . 

Tomorrow is the last day of this 30 day challenge.  Oh, I love the idea of making one thing a day. I will continue, but work on a micro scale. Just for fun.

See you tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing everyone's big 30 in 30 Collage.

January 2016 Day 28 Painting Challenge

Flora

Looked at some flower imagery and went for a summery feel, working a bit larger this time, 12" x 12". Started this one with wet felting, some oven drying, and then needle felting and beads. Added a fringe on the bottom for fun.

Flora is made of Corriedale, Merino, beads and fringe.

See everyone's work on Leslie's painting blog here .

Leave a comment to be entered into a drawing to receive a Gefelte Fish piece (see the item here). 

Only a few more days and the challenge is over. It's sure been fun having a look at what everyone is making.

January 2016 Day 27 Painting Challenge

Blissful Stillness

Some days, I pull out many colors and grabbing little bits, combine them to make tiny felts. There is no particular design idea, as I wet felt several pieces at one time. After drying, they can look very different, the colors changing, the dry layers have now blended into into something new. I keep all these component pieces in a large wooden box and occasionally, pull them out to create an assemblage. 

A few weeks ago, I ventured to The Hirshhorn Museum and saw a collection of works by Joseph Cornell. I could easily have spent half a day just looking inside the exquisite boxes filled with all those interesting little items. This got me back into doing little assemblages with the tiny felts collection.

Joseph Cornell's Verso of Cassiopeia 1

Joseph Cornell

 Go to Leslie Saeta's 30 in 30 page HERE to see everyone's work.

A few more days until my giveaway of my Gefelte Fish (view here).
Leave a comment on my blog and your name will be entered in a drawing I'll do at the end of the challenge.

January 2016 day 26, part 2 GIVEAWAY

All done with embellishing my giveaway piece for the final week of the challenge. It is a GeFelte Fish...this little guy is 3-d, complete with a magnet on the back. Give him away as a gift or keep him for your fridge art gallery or anywhere else as a reminder to have fun and look for the good stuff every day. He's made of wet and needle felted Corriedale, Merino silk, and glass beads. If you ask him his name, he will whisper it in your ear.  

Leave a comment on the blog to get entered. I'll announce the winner on the day we post the final collage of all 30 pieces done during the month.

Am experiencing a few technical glitches again today. Was unable to load my giveaway piece on today's challenge page, so created a new page. Scroll down to see today's 30 in 30 Challenge piece.

 ​

January 2016 Day 26 Painting Challenge

Where it all Leads

Hard to believe it, but we are up to day 26 already! I did what I did yesterday...looked at my immediate surroundings, sipping coffee in silence, waiting for inspiration to sparkle and speak to me. 

Someone recently gave me a canvas print copy of a painting I've loved for a long time, Jean Dubuffet's The Cow with a Subtile Nose. When I first saw this image years ago, I nearly fell off my chair laughing. It was the most charming, delightful image I'd seen in a while. I loved everything about it...the cow's body shape, the colors, incredible texture, and THOSE EYES. I never would have expected to be so enchanted by a livestock painting. Pure magic. Now I have one to make me chuckle every day. I grabbed the color and texture elements and used them as a starting point for today's piece.

Jean Dubuffet's The Cow with the Subtile Nose

 Visit Leslie's blog HERE to see what everyone is painting today.

Work from the challenge I've pinned HERE.

January 2016 Day 25 Painting Challenge

Sipping my cuppa and looking out the window at 2 feet of snow this morning, I wondered what would come to me in the way of ideas for a new felt piece. Inspiration can come from any direction...sometimes from something I see, often by a whisper in my head as I sit quietly with one of my kitties. Today, I looked over at a painting we bought a few years back while living in New Zealand. This piece grabbed me the first time I laid eyes on it...I started photographing small sections, and getting in very closely to see the detail. Bingo. Found my inspiration for the day.

detail of Cristina Popovici's Extra Realistic Up Close

 

Extra Realistic Up Close by Cristina Popovici

Have you ever looked at something in your home on different occasions and noticed qualities about it that you hadn't before? Maybe it depends on what degree of presence we bring while observing it. Ha! Maybe this is also why we cannot "see" something that is lost and is actually right in front of us! 


I love the ways Popovici (see her work here) works the surfaces of her paintings. They have great depth, varied textures, rich color and layers of glazing. I used a detail to get me going in the right direction today.

Visit Leslie Saeta's Painting Challenge Blog HERE .

Some paintings I've pinned from the challenge are HERE  .

As added inspiration, I played this piece of music I recently discovered on youtube. It's Massimo Bucci's acoustic piano arrangement of one of my favorite songs, Firth of Fifth by Genesis. Find the song HERE.

P.S. I was not intending to do an Andy Warhol version of a wool painting (top image today). The new blog template I am using stretched my felt image out across the width of the page and as yet, I have not figured out how to change the settings so it is the correct size.  Therefore, 4 mini versions in a row. lol. 

One last thing....since there are only a few days left in the challenge, I will be doing one more give away. I'm working on the piece today and will post it tomorrow.  See you then!

January 2016 Day 24 Painting Challenge

Primo Strata

Primo Strata (detail)

We are officially snowed in! Two feet of snow and not a plow in sight. I love the stillness when this much snow falls. The sun is making everything sparkle and the cats are all snoozing in the window sills. Today's piece is primaries only. By layering, other colors subtly peek through.

Primo Strata is made of needle felted Corriedale. 

Go HERE to see all the work on Leslie Saeta's Painting Challenge blog. 

New theme for tomorrow.
 

January 2016 Day 23 Painting Challenge

Let it Begin

A short meditation is something I do every day before working with my wool. The stillness continues as I pull tufts of different colors out and place them over each other in layers. The needle makes a soft sound as I punch it in and out of the sponge mat that lies underneath the wool, creating the matted surface and blended colors. Staying focused and present, the work unfolds and time is lost. It's easy then to glance across the room at a clock and see that an hour has gone by in a minute. Being in this state feels great and adds something to the work being done. 

What do you do to get into a place where you do your creative work?

Go to Leslie Saeta's blog HERE  to see what the hundreds of artists are doing today in the painting challenge. 

Works I've pinned from the challenge HERE .

January 2016 Day 22 Painting Challenge

Spirals (in the rough)

My thoughts today were leaning more toward a summery palette while we're waiting for the big snowstorm to head our way, with 18-24" (45-60 cm) of snow. I like being able to stay in, even for days at a time! No where to go, everything is closed or unreachable due to all that beautiful white stuff. A time to stay put and enjoy the view.

This piece looks like it needs a bit more embellishment, so will do that shortly and add an updated photo.

Spirals piece is made of wet and needle felted Corriedale, Merino, silk and beads.

Go here to see Leslie Saeta's Painting Challenge blog and catch up with what everyone made today. So many wonderful things to see. 

Using random.org, the winner of the drawing for the piece I made on Day 16 (Tailspin) is Sheila Delgado. Please pm me with your contact details and I will put the piece in the mail (as soon as we dig out from under the big snow!)
Thank you to all who left kind remarks and comments on the blog this week! I appreciate your following my work in this challenge and I look forward to seeing what everyone is doing in the final week.

January 2016 Day 21 Painting Challenge

Skyward

Waking from a nap the other day, I looked out in the back garden and saw fog rolling in over the trees. I snapped a few photos as I wanted to remember the texture of all those branches, overlapping and disappearing up into the sky. Thought it might be a nice image for a felt painting. Nothing like looking to Nature for ideas.

Trees in my garden

 Skyward is made of needle felted Corriedale and Alpaca fiber.

Go to Leslie Saeta's blog here to see what other artists are painting today for the challenge.

Tomorrow night, the winner of the Day 16 wool piece (Tailspin) will be announced. Leave a comment on the blog and your name will go into the drawing. Thank you for stopping by to have a look!

January 2016 Day 20 Painting Challenge

Tell Me More

After I made this piece, it seemed to look at me wistfully and want to ask me a question. Funny what we can see in a piece after it is done. I don't usually have any orientation on these little pieces and I rotate them in all directions as I add the embellishments. In the end, one way of looking at it seems to be the right one. See anything in this piece?

Tell Me More is made of wet and needle felted Corriedale, silk, and beads.

See everyone's work here on Leslie Saeta's Painting Challenge blog that is going on the month of January.

Get entered into the drawing to win the piece I made on day 16 shown here, by leaving a comment on the blog this week. Friday is the last day.

January 2016 Day 19 Painting Challenge

Joy in the Silence

I've been rereading Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth. Each time I read it, I discover new things I swear were not there the last time I read it. I like to ask myself questions, like "what do I need to know right now," or "what would help me in this situation?" Opening to a random page provides the answer that fits perfectly. 


 He talks extensively throughout the book on the idea of silence, how being without thought opens up new possibilities for different ways of viewing the world. I took a drive yesterday without playing music in the car. Driving in silence, without thinking about anything, gave me the chance to see my surroundings in a new way. 

This piece today is about enjoying the peace found in silence.

Joy in the Silence is made of wet and needle felted Corriedale, Merino, silk and glass beads.

See everyone's work HERE at Leslie Saeta's 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge. 

I am doing a giveaway of the piece I made on Day 16, called Tailspin which you can see HERE.
Leave a comment this week and I will enter your name in a drawing (I will use random.org to select winner). Last day to do this is Friday, January 22.

January 2016 Day 18 Painting Challenge

The Wind in the Trees

Working on a small abstract landscape. It was very blustery today and the trees swayed...those skinny leafless branches going every which way. This is a summery version of what I saw out there today.

The Wind in the Trees is wet and needle felted with Corriedale, Merino, silk, silk throwsters and glass beads.

Look here to see everyone's work on Leslie Saeta's 30 Day Painting Challenge blog. 

January 2016 Day 17 Painting Challenge

Almost There

Painting with wool allows me to work with tiny amounts of color and to use them in subtle ways. I can pull the roving apart, make what looks like spiderwebs of fiber, and arrange them in layers. I then use my needle to push the lines of color into the underlying wool, blending them to create different color combinations and texture. The background is wet felted, and I added the birds using needle felting. The white strands of silk in the Merino wool add a bit of a shimmer.

Almost There is made of Corriedale, Merino, silk and silk throwsters.

Visit Leslie Saeta's 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge HERE.

January 2016 Day 16 Painting Challenge

Tailspin

For this one, I thought it would be fun to go 3-D. I got some ideas as I worked with a group of second grade students the other day on a drawing project and noticed that a few of them chose to repeat spiral shapes throughout their pictures. They seemed to enjoy making those spirals in varying sizes and then finding ways to connect the shapes in interesting combinations. A really fun piece was a tiny mermaid on one paper, complete with spiral hair, bikini top and spiral tail fins. 

This piece was inspired by someone who told me her week had been really crazy and she felt like she was caught in a tail spin...but in the center of it all, was a peaceful space that helped her get grounded again.

Tailspin is made of wet and needle felted Corriedale, Merino, silk, beads and gold thread.  

Additional Inspiration for spiral imagery

 Visit Leslie Saeta's Painting Challenge blog HERE  to see what everyone is making this month.

Some additional images from the Challenge pinned HERE .

Another artist in this painting challenge, Sheila Delgado, had a giveaway in September's Challenge of some of her gorgeous sunflower paintings she had made into bookmarks. What a great idea! I'd like to do a giveaway during this third week of the challenge.
Starting on January 16th and ending January 22nd, leave a comment here on the blog and be entered into a random drawing to win the Tailspin piece at the top of this page. It is 4"x 2" and can be worn as a brooch or hat pin.

See you tomorrow.

January 2016 Day 15 Painting Challenge

The Wishing Tree

A tiny, palm sized landscape. I saw a tree on the drive home and liked the way it seemed to stretch to one side. It looked like a place to sit, watch the clouds drift by and release some wishes.

The Wishing Tree is made of Merino, silk, cotton,  and beads.

Visit the big Painting Challenge blog HERE  to see what everyone is doing.

Some works pinned HERE  .

January 2016 Day 14 Painting Challenge

HeartScape: Earthly Heaven

I keep gravitating to the blues palette. After adding all the colors to the base shape, some swirling movement seemed to take place. This one reminded me of water, air currents, clouds and land masses. It sort of all came together at once.

Earthly Heaven is made of Corriedale, Merino, silk, cotton and glass beads.

Visit the Painting Challenge Blog by Leslie Saeta HERE  .

Some works I've pinned are HERE  .

Earthly palette

January 2016 Day 13 Painting Challenge

HeartScape: Calm

Yesterday, I drove past fields that were covered in corn over the summer months. They are now a blanket of bright green, usually what I see there in early spring. The warm temps keep giving us mini blasts of summer. A nice surprise in December and January. Plus, I saw a gigantic stack of limes at the supermarket. Green seemed to be the color of the day.

my palette for Calm

HeartScape Calm is made of Corriedale, Merino, silk, cotton and assorted beads. In the next few days, I'll be putting up a few pics of the processes I use to make these little felt paintings.

Oscar with his Calming Heart

Visit the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge blog to see everyone's work.

Go HERE  to see work I've pinned from the Challenge.

See you tomorrow.

January 2016 Day 12 Painting Challenge

HeartScape: Blue One

Someone told me the other day how sad she felt after hearing some distressing news. Feeling blue would wash over her, but not for too long. I envisioned a blue heart, with a warm energy swirling around and through it. Blue, to me, is a quiet and serene color, very calming and soothing.  It is the sky and the ocean. Seeing vast stretches of blue invites me to take several slow, deep breaths and almost feel myself inhaling the color. 

Blue One is made of Corriedale, silk tops, cotton and assorted beads.

Visit the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge HERE .

Some pieces from the challenge I've pinned HERE .

My palette for the Blue One

January 2016 Day 11 Painting Challenge

HeartScape: Easy Breezy

Today I thought of watermelon, a most interesting fruit, in my opinion. Growing one is quite fun as it starts off so tiny, transforms into its oblong or spherical shape, all covered in different shades of green, streaky patterns. Slicing reveals a burst of fragrance in a big splash of color. All that flavor and texture are pure summer. I can almost feel the breeze on my face as I imagine sitting outside, eating a big slice. Nature provides a most perfect palette. All this from looking at a bunch of wool sitting on my bench top.

Easy Breezy is made of Corriedale, Merino, silk tops, cotton and assorted beads.

Work in Leslie Saeta's 30 Day Painting Challenge here.

Some works I've pinned from the challenge HERE .

                                     

              See you tomorrow.

January 2016 Day 10 Painting Challenge

HeartScape: Harmony

Going through all the wool I have available to work with, I keep reaching for the blues, purples and greens, reminders of the color I see in the sky, the ocean and the garden. Adding a few splashes of pink and orange provides the finishing touches. This one whispers Harmony.

Harmony is made of Corriedale, Merino, silk tops, cotton and assorted beads. 

Visit Leslie Saeta's blog  to see everyone's work HERE . 

Some work from the challenge pinned HERE.

Shameless Promotion invitation from artist Cindy Williams HERE. Thank you, Cindy, for making this special offer today.

Working from this color palette today

January 2016 Day 9 Painting Challenge

HeartScape: Off the Beaten Path

After wet felting this piece, it had a bit of a map feeling to it, so I imagined taking a walk across its landscape, what I'd see and the meandering paths I'd take. Sort of a bird's eye view.

Off the Beaten Path is made of wet and needle felted Corriedale and Merino wool, silk tops, cotton and assorted beads.

  Here are the works of those participating in Leslie Saeta's painting challenge this month.

Go here to see some of the works I've pinned from other artists during this challenge.

January 2016 Day 8 Painting Challenge

HeartScape: Joy

The first week of the painting challenge is up already! This week, I switch from landscapes to heartscapes, small felt paintings made into brooches. The color combination reminds me of the vibrant shades I see in tulips during early spring. It's always great to see those first blasts of color in a landscape that's changing from its dormant state into one of liveliness.

Joy is made of wet and needle felted Corriedale, Merino, silk tops, cotton and assorted beads.

Have a look at what the others are doing today on Leslie Saeta's blog here.

My pinterest pins from this challenge are here.

January 2016 Day 7 Painting Challenge

Dance of the Lupines

This is the time of year when the lupines are in full bloom on my friend, Cynthia's farm in New Zealand. There were lots sprinkled throughout the expansive gardens on the farm where I stayed, just a few kilometers away from my friend's sheep farm. Having spent most of my life in the burbs, I enjoyed time each day walking around the farm, taking in all the sights and sounds. The gardens had pockets of lupines, each color with a distinct fragrance and I marveled at the intricacy of the many blossoms on each stem. 

Dance of the Lupines is made of Corriedale, Merino and silk tops.

Visit Leslie Saeta's blog and see the work of close to 1000 artists who are all participating in her 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge.

My pinterest page here with work from some of the participants.
 

Lupine Field

January 2016 Day 6 Painting Challenge

Vines

Where I used to live, there were wisteria growing around my porch. Surrounded by fragrant blossoms, I'd sip my morning cuppa before heading off to work. One day I imagined what it might look like if all the blossoms were different colors.

Vines made with Corriedale, Merino and silk

Visit Leslie Saeta's blog to see everyone's paintings for day 6.
My Pinterest page here.

January 2016 Day 5 Painting Challenge

The Forgotten Fruit

Day 5 of Painting Challenge...my theme for the week is landscapes, but after doing this tree and setting it aside, I thought it looked better in a different orientation. When I paint abstracts with watercolors, I turn the paper in all directions as I work so there is no particular way it has to be. I keep painting on it until it seems to work in any direction. How many times have you done a painting and discovered it looked more interesting when cropped or rotated?  And so it is with this piece. 

The Forgotten Fruit is made of Corriedale, Merino, silk and beads.

See all the other artists' works here  on Leslie Saeta's Painting Blog. 

January 2016 Day 4 Painting Challenge

Summer Wind

As it has been unseasonably warm so far this winter, I decided to make a small piece with a summery feel. Have not experienced leaving windows and doors open in December for quite some time. It feels much more like a southern hemisphere winter, that I am used to, rather than a northern one.

Summer Wind is made with Corriedale, Merino and silk.

See all the participants' paintings here on Leslie Saeta's art blog.
More paintings here on Pinterest.   See you tomorrow.