Here is my collage for the thirty day challenge. I only used 19 of the 29 paintings I accomplished just so they wouldn't be so tiny.  I think it's safe to say that I am developing as a landscape painter. I feel like I found my stride during this challenge. Thanks again to Leslie Saeta for hosting and challenging the 1400+ artists who participated and continue to inspire me daily!!

Long Way 'Round

Long Way 'Round, oil on Arches oil paper, 8x12"

Day 30, 30 paintings/30 Days

Please visit and "like" my Facebook page

Celia Kelly Studio

This is the final painting of the 30 challenge. I am extremely proud that I accomplished 29/30 paintings, missing one only because I was too sick to stand at the easel. As I have said, the most important thing that I take away from the challenge is the fact that my painting are developing to where I finally feel comfortable again as an artist.  On a painting spectrum, my vision of what I want a finished piece to look like and the actual finished piece are each moving closer to the center.  I may take a few days off and catch up on things that have fallen by the wayside.

Also, I am happy to say that one of my 30/30 paintings has been donated as a fundraiser for St. Francis of Assisi school.  I mounted the watercolor paper on an archival board, with ph neutral glue, something I haven't tried before. The frame was also made by hand using a different method then previous frames.
Here is "Single"

Oncoming Storm

Oncoming Storm, oil on Arches oil paper, 8x12"

Day 29, 30 paintings/30 days

please visit and "like" my Facebook page

Celia Kelly Studio

I can't believe there is only one painting left to do. This challenge proved to be such a joy, and allowed me to grow as an artist. I wasn't sure I would be able to complete it, but I did, only missing one day because of illness.  And this painting, Oncoming Storm, is by far my favorite for many reasons. 

Distant Trees

Distant Trees, oil on Arches oil paper, 6x8"

Day 28, 30 paintings/30 days

Please visit and "like" my Facebook page

Celia Kelly Studio

I have a handful of photos of Kansas and the eastern part of Colorado where the land is equally as flat and mostly farmland.  I had sat them aside last fall to paint from but never did.  When I decided to jump into the 30 day challenge, I quickly threw a file together of 30 photos to paint from, and I've realized I have thrown most of those by the wayside, returning to these photo references instead. It's been a better tradeoff and the paintings are showing the growth I was hoping for during the challenge.

Winter Field

Winter Field, oil on Arches oil paper, 6x8"

day 27, 30 paintings/30 days

Please visit and "like" my Facebook page

Celia Kelly Studio

I was unable to paint/post yesterday because I had a sudden onset of a virus and spent the day willingly in bed. This is completely unlike me, so despite the fact that I won't produce the full 30 paintings, and I could not paint, I feel like the rest was desperately deserved.

Here is another vast farm scene that I see when traveling back and forth to St. Louis.  There was absolutely no light values to be found within the reference photo, so I created them. For feeling tired, rusty, and having freezing fingers (basement studio), I am pleased with this little one.

I am also happy to be the Louisville Visual Art Association artist of the day: http://www.artebelladaily.org

Frozen

Frozen, oil on Arches oil paper, 6x8"

Day 25, 30 paintings/30 days

Please visit and "like" my Facebook page

Celia Kelly Studio

It's another cold day here in the Ohio Valley.This painting is of the frozen lake and snowy field at Bernheim Arboretum. It is also one I struggled with, the point of wiping the paper clean, but in the spirit of the challenge, I allowed it to be. 

Summer Field

Summer Field, oil on Arches oil paper, 8x6"

Please visit and "like" my Facebook page

Celia Kelly Studio

I painted this late last night as an experiment and because it is so cold in my basement studio that I needed some warmth.  The painting is actually much brighter then the photo suggests. 

Flatland

Flatland, oil on Arches oil paper, 12"x16"

Please visit and "like" my Facebook page

Celia Kelly Studio

I should entitle this one Falling Clouds.  And, I should be painting scenes of snowmagedan, but I just haven't been able to do that yet.  I should also note that the photos I have taken of my pieces lately have not been the best representation of the works, but it has been too cold to photograph them outside in subdued light. So, no matter how I try there always seems to be bits of uncontrollable glare. 

Cordoned

Cordoned, oil on gessoed watercolor paper, 4x6"

day 22, 30 paintings/30 day challenge

Please visit and "like" my Facebook page

Celia Kelly Studio

I went from the largest work on paper that I've done so far, yesterday, to the smallest for today. Actually, the small size came from my inability to read a ruler and making the wrong cut. Oh well, it made for a nice quick study of a much larger scene.  I will use it later on a bigger, more complete painting. 

Layers

Layers, oil on Arches #140 cold pressed oil paper, 12"x16"

Day 21,  30 paintings/30 day challenge

Please visit and "Like" my Facebook page

Celia Kelly Studio

I started painting on gessoed watercolor paper at the beginning of the challenge in January, switching from my normal gessobords.  I realized I love the feel of the paper, and am sorting through the best way to suggest framing/hanging.  I was reading an artist blog recently and someone posted information on a type of Arches paper, that is suitable for oil paint. It has a built-in barrier so chemicals and oils don't leach through, leading to breakdown. So I decided to try it. I bought 12 - 12"x16" sheets to cut into smaller sizes. For Layers  I kept it whole, and BIG!

It had a different feel then gessoed paper, more of an absorbent feel that requires more scrubby painting. But I will acclimate and report more later.

Red

Red, oil on gessoed watercolor paper, 6"x8"

Day 20, 30 paintings/30 days

please visit and "like" my Facebook page

Celia Kelly Studio

I started this painting late last night to post for today, and I'm not really a late night person (anymore). The redeeming factor was I that I am very pleased with it.  I took the reference photo while taking my son back to college, and in that fleeting second, captured a scene I was thrilled with. So much so, I may do a version 2.

Grazer

Grazer, oil on gessoed watercolor paper, 6x8"

Day 19, 30 paintings/30 day challenge

Visit and "like"my Facebook site

Celia Kelly Studio

Day 19 came after a long trip back and forth to St. Louis to deliver Hugh back to Washington University.  I had a full day of work, plus CPR training so I didn't paint until 10pm. Needless to say, for the first time in the challenge, the painting and posting almost didn't get finished. But, in normal Celia fashion, (I will not rest when something has to be accomplished), it did. I started this painting two days ago, and finished it a few minutes ago. For a girl who grew up in Kentucky loving horses, they are incredibly hard to paint.  I started it as a challenge to myself, for getting proportions right and all that other boring stuff. I will challenge myself more in the future with this.

Sloped

Sloped, oil on gessoed watercolor paper, 8x6"

Day 18  30 paintings/30 days

Please visit my Facebook page

Celia Kelly Studio

When you are standing in a vineyard, you can easily become mesmerized by the neatly organized rows, and how they can lead your eyes back to the layers in the distance.  I attempted to capture this in Sloped.

Farther

Farther, oil on gessoed watercolor paper, 6x8"

Day 17, 30 paintings/30 days

Please "Like" my Facebook page

Celia Kelly Studio

These cliffs of slowly wind-eroding rocks from southeast Utah have become a favorite of mine to paint.  I took hundreds of photos when I was there at the end of the summer, but after careful examination stored them in a file after returning, due to a few failed attempts at painting them. They are so complex, one's first instinct is to try and capture every nook and cranny, which isn't possible. My interpretation took on a new freshness when I took a broader mindset, so to speak. The theme of this challenge has been "Looser", and that certainly applies to Farther.

Blanketed

Blanketed, oil on gessoed watercolor paper, 9x12"

day 16, 30 paintings/30 days

Please "like" my Facebook page

Celia Kelly Studio

I felt the need to resurrect myself after being unhappy with the results of yesterday's painting post. I worked bigger and looser on Blanketed. I feel like I am half-way to the point in painting of where I would like to be, as far as loose application and brushstrokes  I guess the answer to that is to keep painting!

Overlap

Overlap, oil on gessoed watercolor paper, 6x8"

day 15  30 paintings/30 days

please join my "Celia Kelly Studio" Facebook page

I worked and reworked this little painting, and I am just not satisfied with it. I did not want to scrap it because I love the composition contained in the reference photo, but somehow could not interpret it quite how I envisioned. But, I decided to post it as-is, to show that I painted for day 15, even though the end result was not up to par.

Contrast

Contrast, oil on gessoed watercolor paper, 9x12"

day 14, 30 paintings, 30 days

Please visit, and "like" my Facebook page,

Celia Kelly Studio

The dark blue under the clouds was actually the stormy sky breaking through under the swift clouds. My kind of scene!

Single

Single, oil on gessoed watercolor paper, 6x8"
Day 13, 30 paintings/30 days
please "like" my Facebook page, "Celia Kelly Studio"

A wide open space with a designated single lane. I always see these when driving around and want to turn onto them to see where I will end up. But in the end, I respect the fact that it's someone's personal property, and just admire from a distance.

Distance

Distance, oil on gessoed watercolor paper, 6x8"

Day 12,  30 paintings/30 days

I can't remember where I took this picture, but it did not get lost in the shuffle of the plethora of pics I took at the end of the summer. It signifies the vast, vast area of the American West. I would have named it Vast, but I've already used that title on another painting from the series :-)

Capital Reef Cow 2

Capital Reef Cow 2, oil on gessoed watercolor paper, 9x12"

day 11, 30 paintings/30 days

please "like" my Facebook page - Celia Kelly artist

I zoomed in on a magnificently vast scene to create this painting. Capital Reef National park has many signs throughout its boundaries informing visitors of free-range cows, which is something I found fascinating. To me it signified no boundaries, literally and figuratively, an idea that I love, especially when it comes to finding a place to paint.

Unoccupied

Unoccupied, oil on gessoed watercolor paper, 6x9"

Day 10, 30 paintings/30 days

please follow my "Celia Kelly Studio" Facebook page 

I am 1/3 of the way done with the challenge and I must say, compared to the challenge I did at this time last year, I am truly enjoying it!!  Last year, I had the best intentions but shortly after the it started, I realized I was not enjoying myself.  I do think what I produced was quality work, but I was too concerned about getting a painting done for posting purposes rather then enjoying the challenge of improving my painting or stretching myself artistically.

This year, I have so much more going on in my busy schedule, but I am finding the time for thought and effort  with each painting I am doing.

Fruitful

Fruitful, oil on gessoed watercolor paper, 6x9"

Day 9, 30 paintings/30 Days

I switched gears with this one. I tried to stay loose and use purposeful organic marks. I am happy because this is the direction I have been working towards!

Harvest

Harvest, oil on gessoed watercolor paper, 6x6"

day 8,  30 paintings in 30 days

This is the first painting I have done with this color palette and it felt very foreign to me. I actually enjoyed working through the issues I was having and liked having to twist my brain a bit.  

Solo Silo

Solo Silo, oil on gessoed watercolor paper, 9x6"

I changed this composition quite a bit from the photo reference I used, and I like the way it turned out.  I have had this photo tagged to paint for over a year now, coming back to it until it finally shouted at me long and hard. It portrays late fall, early winter ....perfect for a cold January new year.

Groomed

Groomed, oil on gessoed watercolor paper, 9x12"

day 6, 30 paintings/30 days

 This photo reference was taken was from the northern part of Sonoma County in California's wine country, near Healdsburg. It a wonderful place to visit. I would love to set up and paint en plein air soon, as those endless rows would put me in a painter's trance.

Collection

Collection, oil on gessoed watercolor paper, 12x9"

Day 5, 30 paintings/30 days

Cattail collections are becoming some of my favorite subject matter.  Perhaps it has to do with plant matter, or being at the waters edge, or standing in the beautiful, reflective light or the fact that every time I work on a cattail painting, the color palette is so calm and appealing.  

Remote

Remote, oil on gessoed watercolor paper, 9x6"

Day 4, 30 paintings/30 days

One of my goals when I signed up for another 30 paintings challenge was to paint in a looser or "free-er" style.  Painting on paper has been interesting as well, and I am enjoying it. It is forcing me to use different styles of brushwork. It's all good!  With Remote, I feel as if this is all beginning to come together.  I painted a different version of this image a while back, and the two look nothing alike.  I am also pleased with the color scheme. Kind of mood provoking or "Rothko-esque" if I do say so myself.

Zion

Zion, oil on watercolor paper, 9x6"

Day 3 30 paintings/30 days.

What can I say?  I would live in the National Park if they would let me! :-)

St. Louis bound

St. Louis Bound, oil on gessoed watercolor paper, 6x9"

Day 2, 30 paintings/30 days.

The highway from Louisville to St. Louis, other than a few spots, can give you tunnel vision. Unless you are constantly looking at every scene and envisioning a painting as I always am. I drive this route fairly frequently now, as my son attends Washington University in St. Louis.  What a better way to pass the time then to look for subject matter.  

Bernheim in Winter

Bernheim in Winter, oil on gessoed watercolor paper, 6x9"

OH Happy New Year! On top of everything that I have going on (it's great to be busy), I have decided to enter another 30 paintings in 30 days challenge. I am going to paint, unless otherwise noted, on gessoed watercolor paper.  It is an interesting and less expensive surface to paint on during the challenge. I may not paint all thirty but the spirit is willing. With preparing for an exhibit, a show, making frames and working on the ARTwheels Mobile studio/gallery camper, I have had little time or energy to paint. So I wanted to start this new year off with a reminder for myself that I can do it ALL!!

Yesterday, Hugh and I delivered many boxes to the Polvino Art Center in Nicholasville, KY for my solo show that will open January 8. The opening is from 5-8 and I would love to see all your smiling faces there!
After we left the gallery we walked around historic Nicholasville. Nicholasville is close to Danville, KY where I attended college, and way back when, it was know as the place where the college students went "over the hill" ...a.k.a - went to buy booze.  How different it looks in the daytime!! :-)
We spent some time in an antique shop and had a lot of fun looking at elements of history. I bought a fedora, and a beer stein (speaking of booze) from my favorite city in all of Europe.