Challenge 3 (Apple Still Life): Isabella. (Painting #79 Finished.)

I've never really spent too much time on a still life before. It's kind of amazing how quickly you change from doing something artsy to doing something more mathematical. It's hard to paint something in front of you because you want to get all the lines right, make sure everything matches up on each side, that the lighting makes sense. The hardest part of this painting was actually the table! How do you give life to a flat surface?

Challenge 2 (Shadow): Brave. (Painting #78 Finished.)

For such a simple painting, I can't tell you how frustrated I was! Shadows are not my strong point, I've realized. Which is odd because I always loved shading with a pencil and a paper, but it's a whole different machine with paint and canvas. When my time was up, it was not easy to set the canvas down and not keep redoing everything, but I guess that's the point of the challenge, isn't it? 

Challenge 1 (Texture and Line): Lost. (Painting #77 Finished.)

First challenge completed Sunday afternoon after making some horrendous pillows. Inspired by a picture I took on the Awendaw Passage. Also, I re-watched Lost so there's where you get your title from.

5x7 canvas panel

Here's some pics of my new place! Not too shabby after just a week, thanks to my Mom, Craigslist, and Walmart. I'd still like a few things, but who wouldn't??

Table thanks to my friends on Craigslist. 

I wont bother with the bedroom, it's literally just a bed right now. Though I do have a little patio outside!

Can you spot the homemade pillows?

Nesting tables courtesy of Walmart. 

Winnie is on the fence about the whole thing.

Challenge.

Well I do not have anything to show that I'm currently working on because I have decided to do a painting challenge for the next few weeks. I stumbled across a website called dailypaintworks.com, and each week they challenge painters to complete a painting in one sitting in a subject of the website's choosing. So I went over to Hobby Lobby and got a dozen 5x7 canvas panels (for 9 whole dollars) and I'm going to follow their past challenges and do paintings in one sitting! I think it's going to help me in a lot of ways because I wont have time to over do, over think, and over paint, and I will be painting in new subjects that I would never otherwise do! Here's the thirty that I'm going to complete in one sitting:

1. Line 

2. Shadow

3. Apple

4. Back and white 

5. Window 

6. Water 

7. Architecture 

8. Still life from song

9. Found still life

10. Insect 

11. Anthology still life

12. Sunday still life

13. Backyard landscape 

14. The sky 

15. Kitchen

16. Neighborhood

17. Night 

18. Happy hour

19. Park 

20. Self portrait

21. Raven 

22. Spooky tree 

23. Relative portrait

24. Historical portrait

25. Celebrity portrait

26. Pet portrait

27. Porch

28. Moon

29. Statue 

30. Flowers

And I also have moved! I left the fanciness of Mount Pleasant for the other side of the river, and now live in West Ashley! Thanks to my mom who flew down just to help me move all of my belonging (my clothes and dog)! Once I actually have belongings I will post some pictures. Until then, my amazing new checkered wall: 

Painting #76: Pompeii. (Finished.)

Weekend at Large with Updates.

Winnie and I went on an adventure this weekend. After a torrential rain I thought it would be a great idea to take a hike through Francis Marion Forest. I wanted to trek the Swamp Fox trail - a 42 mile sprawling hike that follows Francis "swamp fox" Marion's movements during the Revolutionary War. Winnie and I did about three miles of it - 1 of which was wading through ankle and calf deep water. Not surprising we were the only ones out there. But it's a gorgeous trail that takes you through forest, swamp, farmland, rivers, lakes, and wetland. And thankfully you can park at different places along the 42 miles, so I'll definitely be back out there next week. 

Saw this fun guy!

It's nothing but this for miles and miles and miles. 

My camera is not great but you can see straight down the trail for what seems like forever.

Winnie was a good sport about the whole walking in swamp thing.

Lovely view of Lowcountry swamp. 

My fab Good-Will find.

Where I'm at with my painting. I only have a few very small details to add and then I'm going to leave it the hell alone.