Don't Wish It Away

#12 - Don't Wish It Away

(30 paintings in 30 days)

6 x 6"

oil on board
© Nicki Ault, 2011 

Did I mention I was in the mood for wild clouds and skies?

I had a feeling I should get my "daily painting" done this morning, which I did, and sure enough at lunchtime when I brought the kids home from school there was a message from a dear friend needing to know what I was doing tonight. I called her back and got the most wonderful invitation to go with her and two other friends to the Elton John concert!!!! Woo hoooooooooo!!! Luckily the painting was done, so the afternoon could be spent the way it needed to be in preparation of seeing Sir Elton... shaving my legs!!! I'm pretty sure he waved right at me when he came to our side of the stage. And he definitely sang "Nikita" for me! Ha!

Anyway, the name of today's painting had to be changed in honour of my concert experience. The words "don't wish it away" come from one of my favorite Elton John songs, "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues". Sigh. I haven't been to a concert for ages and had forgotten how much I love that moment when a new song is beginning and it just takes a few chords to realize what it is going to be and then you can't help but screech because you are so excited to hear it. That happened to me a few times tonight... "Rocket Man", "Daniel", "Crocodile Rock", "Bennie and the Jets", "Your Song", "Levon", "Candle In The Wind", "Sad Songs Say So Much". Hmmm, I guess that happened to me a lot tonight!

Living Sky

#11 - Living Sky

(30 paintings in 30 days project)

6 x 6"

oil on board
© Nicki Ault, 2011 

sold

This was so fun. I love the power in this sky and the complimentary colours of yellow with dark purples. This is the time of year that we have some great skies in Saskatchewan. The phrase on our license plates is "Land of the Living Skies" and so the painting was named.

As The Night Comes

#10 - As The Night Comes

(30 paintings in 30 days project)

6 x 6"

oil on board
© Nicki Ault, 2011
  
*Update 09/15/11: this painting has been reworked 
and no longer exists as you see it here! 

I felt like switching it up a bit. I'm in the mood for some wild clouds and skies. Actually this little painting should have been called "White Wine Wonderment"! He he! Happy Mother's Day!

At Water's Edge

#9 - At Water's Edge

(30 paintings in 30 days project)

6 x 6"

oil on board
© Nicki Ault, 2011 
private collection

I am thoroughly enjoying myself with this painting a day business. My mood is brighter, my step is lighter, I feel more ... me!

Daydreams and Decisions

#8 - Daydreams and Decisions

(30 paintings in 30 days project)

6 x 6"

oil on board
© Nicki Ault, 2011 
sold

This is the second painting I painted yesterday. I was so excited about the first one I had to keep working. I'm really happy with this one too, so yesterday was a good day. This little series has been fun and I've used colours that have not ever really been part of my palette before. I did paint today, so for now I am going to be one painting ahead of what I am actually posting. I could put two up at once, but now if I have a day where I can't get a good photo I will have a painting on standby. I don't like showing photos that are not a good representation of the work, so now the pressure is off.

Patchwork Prairie

#7 - Patchwork Prairie

(30 paintings in 30 days project)

6 x 6"

oil on board
© Nicki Ault, 2011 
sold

After yesterday's painting, "Patchwork Sky" I started thinking about shapes and patterns and how, really, there is nothing more conducive to the patchwork theme than the landscape of the prairies. I decided to play around with that idea for today's painting... and I love the result if I do say so myself! I am extremely happy with this piece. I was actually so excited by the way this went that I did another painting right after! I didn't want to lose the vibe! I'll show it to you tomorrow... this raises another question... how do Daily Painters handle a small backlog? I still plan to paint tomorrow. Hmmm. Maybe I should be showing both paintings today. 

Patchwork Sky

#6 - Patchwork Sky

(30 paintings in 30 days project)

6 x 6"

oil on board
© Nicki Ault, 2011
private collection

Paintings 2 through 6 have all been done using the resource photos I took on a spontaneous drive out of town at dusk. The sun was beginning to set and the clouds in the west were glowing with these gorgeous reflected colours. I've been using the little screen on my digital camera to work from and it has allowed me to be a bit more loose and not so hung up on details. While working on this one I kept thinking about the patchwork nature of the colours; quite abstract and collage-like in my mind.

Soft Spring Day

#5 - Soft Spring Day

(30 paintings in 30 days project)

6 x 6"

oil on board
© Nicki Ault, 2011
sold

I began this painting after 9:00 this evening, so my dilemma continues on how to get a good indoor photo. I will get a better one outside tomorrow. I find myself wishing for an overcast day! The main thing is I got a painting done and the project is well underway... I'm 1/6th of the way there.

* update: This is a better photo now... I did get the overcast sky I wished for this morning.... and rain! Sorry Saskatoon!

Glory at the City Limits

#4 - Glory at the City Limits- revised

6 x 6"

oil on board
© Nicki Ault, 2011
sold 

 (30 painting in 30 days project - original)

Four days into this project and I am finding it interesting how I have managed to squeeze painting into my day, whereas before I really thought I had no time. Nothing has changed except that I have simply made the time (she says as a light bulb flashes over her head!). 

I have always taken photos of my work soon after completion and usually outdoors on the soonest overcast day. I've had very good results and rarely feel the need to do much more than crop and sometimes sharpen the image. The colour is usually so close that I rarely feel the need to tweak. With this project I want to paint and post everyday, but the photos have been tricky to get; it has been very sunny and a couple of times I have painted later in the day and then can't get a good outdoor photo. Intriguing dilemma. What do the hard core Daily Painters do, I wonder? Maybe they have a set-up with proper lighting and diffusers, etc. Or maybe they paint early in the morning and then have more of a chance to grab the right light outside when it occurs. Hmmm. At any rate, there was a decent overcast sky when I finished today's painting, so I grabbed #2 and #3 and took better photos. What a difference! They are way more true to life now... and I have switched out the images so my blog posts now reflect the best versions of the paintings.

End of Day Wetlands

#3 -End of Day Wetlands

(30 paintings in 30 days project)

6 x 6"

oil on board
© Nicki Ault, 2011
sold

We were all very tired today, but the first sleepover party was a hit and all the kids were really good. The remainder of the day was definitely a jammie day and right now bed is looking really good! I managed to squeeze in a late afternoon painting session and got this little baby done. I'm using photos I took earlier this month when I was out doing errands after supper. The light was gorgeous- the sun was setting and the clouds in the east were glowing with oranges, lavenders and pinks. Next thing I knew I was heading out of town to take some photos. The ditches, dugouts and low fields were filled with runoff from melted snow and were showcasing the colours of the sky. It was breathtaking.