Again, Sweden - it was beautiful

From the hills overlooking the sea... this one had to be quick!

The Final phase of the basement remodel was initiated today. We worked for a few hours and are SO CLOSE to getting to the fun part. I was reluctant to paint today, it was late and I was tired, but once I got going it was very enjoyable.

Best wishes everyone

Daniel

p.s. Delight in the small things - let awe replace expectation.

More From Sweden, monochromatic rocks...

Island Rocks and the stone path that bends around the coastline are the subject of this almost two-color painting. I simplified the content and left only a single figure standing at the waters edge. This is a small example of the stark beauty we found so far north...

Tonight will be the first time I am asleep before 12:00am in a long time. I need it so much. Sometimes the days are unexpectedly hard.

Thanks to all who have been visiting. May your hearts know great peace even when troubles are near. Dream well friends and strangers,

Daniel

Painting and Another Sketchbook page - by request.

This is bad photo of an average painting (I promise the real thing looks a lot better!). The reference image was from a recent trip to Sweden. This image is from a small island about a 1/2 hour from Gotenburg. The other side of the island is where I and Katie or "Lizzle" spent the whole day swimming in the cold (can't recall the name) sea and warming our bodies on the large smooth rock outcroppings that spread into the waters. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. The fresh "fish and chips" were also the best I've had.


Here is a little unfinished business I am working on for Illustration Friday (the theme is Glamor)... the request for a little more sketchbook seemed like a good idea.

Goodnight!

Daniel

Horses East of town

Here we are again... this one went quick and I needed that. I have done battle with the last few paintings, tonight was sweet relief. Again, thanks for coming.

Movie suggestion: Second Hand Lions. That movie (just watched) has become one of my top 10 of all time. Check it out.

New Artwork will be up shortly. (replace painting with work from my sketchbook that day)

Here is some stuff I am working on for a new painting series.

Train station in Roma

A busy night tonight! I came home at 10:30 after having a nice night out with friends (playing chess and talking). I almost fell asleep on the way home I was so tired. Too many late nights recently...

I so much wanted to just go to sleep as I walked in the door, but I had to paint! I needed something I already understood - so I created a small version of a painting I did a few years ago. This is painted from a photograph I took at the train station in Rome at 4:30am.

The actual painting came out far better than this image - for some reason I could not get a good copy of it for the website!

Enjoy,

Daniel

A very different approach

Tonight, something different: This is an image of the first non-referential painting I have ever done. This strange product is a preparatory piece for something I want to try soon. I must say that after painting from observation for the last three weeks it gives me a curious feeling as I look at this unexpected creation. The same principles of design are being used, but the forms and spatial intentions are much changed. I am going to have to try this a few more times before I can effectively evaluate the relevance of this exploration. I will keep the intended goal of this experiment a surprise for now.

May your Fruit be the Fruit of the Spirit.

Goodnight.

Daniel

19 minute portrait

Hey, it's me! kind of...

This image of my quick portrait was taken from the side to prevent glare... sorry about that.
By the time I sat down to work it was very late (11:37), so I had to rush things a little. It may not be a great likeness but i t was a nice challenge for such a short session. Fun stuff.

Daniel

From the hills above Florence

Here is a quick one...again from the Italy trip! Tonight I am, finally, so close to finishing the basement and getting my studio back! I have not brought my good painting stuff back from work all this time as a sort of added motivation to get the basement finished... I did not think it would take this long! But now the end is in sight, and even though I have had to make some compromises, the paintings are all here!

Next week I think there will be some special changes around this "painting a day" site. Keep checking in for the update.

Last thing: There is always so much to learn (and that is what I keep asking for - that is what I want)... I find my head is spinning more than not. I find my heart is full of longing and yet full of peace. I find myself at home in wonderment.

Take care,

Daniel

Venice

This is from a photo taken during a great Europe trip. I have painted it before, but not with this composition. I was a ready to do something other than still-life today.

p.s. The basement is almost done. Today I finally picked a color and set to work. It is a light-ish warm green-gray and I think it looks okay. I think I will post the before and after pictures soon at "The Wonderment" my other blog. Find the link in the sidebar.

oh, and there is a good haiku from Bill below this post! keep 'em coming.

Haiku challenge:

Write a Haiku about something you do once per day. Submit as a comment.

Gala Apple 2

I like painting fruit. Gala apples are so good to eat and fun to paint.

This photo is a little off, but it works okay.

happy weekend to you all.

Daniel

Painting is done but I have no picture of it...

Please wait until morning - sorry about the delay!


We watched Il Postino today. I love that movie.

A poem in placeof the painting for the moment:


Morning XVII

Naked, you are simple as one of your hands,
smooth, earthy, small, transparent, round:
you have moon-lines, apple-pathways:
naked, you are slender as a naked grain of wheat.

Naked, you are blue as a night in Cuba;
you have vines and stars in your hair;
naked you are spacious and yellow
as summer in a golden church.

Naked, you are tiny as one of your nails -
curved, subtle, rosy, till the day is born
and you withdraw to the underground world,

as if down a long tunnel of clothing and of chores:
your clear light dims, gets dressed - drops its leaves -
and becomes a naked hand again.

-- Pablo Neruda

Gerber Daisies

Through the kindest of gestures I have flowers in my house again. This is the first time since summer that I have had flowers on the table. I guess it was time! I have always liked the sturdy and large blossoms of Gerber Daisies. So as I was looking around the house tonight I thought, "Oh now! That there would make a fine painting." (I don't really think to myself in a North Dakota accent but...)

As it turns out, I forgot that I don’t enjoy painting flowers all that much. It needs to be stated that there are other factors of frustration. What is left of my last crappy brush is a short stock of crispy-hard bristles that do more shoveling than spreading of paint. You could honestly say that tonight’s painting was done with a chopstick. I have a hard enough time eating slippery Chinese food with chopsticks! I should have never tried to render the delicacy of silk-like semi-translucent petals with that balsa-like brush. Technically I painted as much with the handle as with what is left of the bristles. Tonight I also tried a more plodding and deliberate approach which is quite unlike my normal disposition. Learn and learn I guess…

Complaining aside, these are beautiful flowers – especially in the middle of January. I hope they last another week!

Dream well,

Daniel

p.s. thanks again.

Tangerines and black box

The studio will be back in place in a few days. Soon I will be able to paint how I want to paint and with the tools I prefer. Until then, I apologize for the horrible brush I am using and for the limited palette that necessitates some compromises in color accuracy.

Until next time, be good to each other

Ciao,

Daniel

Sumi Paint set

This again was done with all the wrong materials, yet again I admit it was a fun painting to make. This sumi set has been around a long time. The grinding stone and wooden case are the kind of things that awaken a fleeting little joy whenever I open them up. I will revisit this subject when I have my studio back!

A little quote for the late crowd: "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things." Philippians 4:8

Balsamic Vinegar - my favorite

Again, painting without proper tools... hey, this is becoming fun! I really enjoyed the challenge of painting with what felt like a toothbrush. It gave the painting great texture and made the brushwork more evident. This was a fun painting. I like the rich and warm palette.

As we said at the end of Batman (this is for you Dizzle)"Count it!"

Enjoy your MLK day.

Dream well,

Daniel

Day of rest...

I was on the doorstep of making a compromise about this painting a day... I almost said, "Hey, it is Sunday and I am going to make this my day of rest (especially since it is 11:35pm and I forgot to paint today. Oh, and i don't have my paints at home, oh, and my studio is under an 1/8 inch layer of drywall dust, and oh, i have no turpentine, and oh, I am tired etc.)" Well, I pulled some stuff together and ruined a crappy brush painting without turpentine. I got this done and posted in less than 30 minutes. The quality is lacking, but hey - it's hard to screw up Spanish arches!

I hope you like this - the simplest of all simple little paintings.

Daniel

Toy plane - bad photo.

Today's image is a toy plane. I still don't have my studio back - so I painted at my good friend's house this evening during the Bronco game (the Broncos won in spite of having zero offensive potency). Today's painting was done quickly, and I honestly dont care for it, but practice is practice. I would like to say that I really did enjoy the process and outcome of yesterday's work even though the photo does not accurately replicate the colors in the original. (This is also a bad photo)

Thanks for visiting,

goodnight


Daniel

Newest Work -Jar With Brushes

A jar full of stuff from the studio.

Thanks for the patience, I have had a crazy week! At the moment I don't have a studio which lead to many of the issues I encountered in getting the work ready for viewing. Thanks for coming.

Enjoy the weekend.

Blue Vase

This was a fun one to paint.

Another Portrait Study - 25 to 30 minutes.

I did not have time to finish but here it is.

New Painting... Photography timer

posted at last

best wishes,
Daniel

Portrait 2

This is a painting of another student. I am doing these quick studies for each of my Yearbook kids. 11 x 14

Orange

Another painting, Another day. Again I am sorry about the image quality... this has been a crazy week. My studio is under a layer of drywall dust...make that, the whole basement is covered by a thick layer of drywall dust! Good thing i have an optical mouse or moving the pointer would be about impossible right now. Well, it is progress. Progress! The home improvment is great but it is having its impact on my painting and free time!

From Barcelona

Again, a crazy-busy day... refinishing the basement - worked all day. Again, painted without decent supplies. Tonight I did not even have turpentine to clean my brush etc. Well, it is done!

p.s. This is a horrible image of the painting. I will retake it tomorrow. There are so many little things to work out about this process.

Best wishes

Daniel

Spanish Bridge

Today i got home at 10:40pm... i had left all my good painting stuff at work. So with no time to spare and no good stuff to use i set to paint what i hope is a decent study. With a $.50 brush, old crappy paints, a reused canvas, and plastic wrap for a palette... I tried to do something worthwhile. Hope you like it.

Portrait Study

11 x 14. Oil on Canvas. Portrait of one of my students - done as a demo during class.

Tube of Paint with Brush Cleaner

Again, a busy night and I just made my deadline! Again, a bad photo of the work... I am going to have to start taking these to work to re-shoot the images.

My Green Mug

I just finished! I spent most of the night hanging drywall on the ceiling in the basement with a friend. Once we finished I got to work as fast as I could on this painting. Starting and finishing very late forced me to have to photograph the artwork in bad lighting. I will post a better image tomorrow.

Gala Apple on a warm day in January

1st day's work. Oil on Board, 6 x 8 inches.

First post for the new year.

Expect a lot of art and some nice chat.

Each day a new painting will appear, one per day for the rest of the year.

thanks for visiting.