Moooonlight

This was another weekly "different strokes" painting challenge posed by Karin Jurick. I have to thank her for helping me break out of my normal routine. My usual "modus operandi" is to replicate a still life set-up or photograph I have taken. Since I knew that 70 or 80 people would be posting similar renditions of her cow, I wanted to try to do something different from Karin's photograph. I knew I wanted to move the horizon to accentuate the cow’s face, and I wanted to alter the composition a bit and change the time of day. The challenge got me thinking about creating a story rather than just painting what I saw. That’s what being an artist is supposed to be all about. Thanks to a workshop I took with Elin Pendleton I knew what colors to use to change the time of day. This was so much fun. I feel I’ve created a “work of art” rather than just reproducing a photograph. I’ve done hundreds of paintings over the past 30 years. I think this may be one of my favorites. This is an 8" x 10" watercolor on Arches 300# cold press paper. Available unframed for $475 on my website http://www.dianemorganpaints.com/

Bird over Paradise

Last month I did a sketch of this hummingbird as a preliminary study for a larger painting which is now the poster for the Indian Wells Arts Festival. (See Sept 24th post) I've been looking at the sketch and kept thinking that the bird on the plain blue sky needed some clouds and mountains to make the painting feel complete. So, I had to add them. Now, the sketch is a bird flying over the mountains in Palm Springs....a bird with a background and a sense of place. This 9" x 11"unframed watercolor on Arches 300# paper is available for $275 on my website http://www.dianemorganpaints.com/

Chris' Chevy

I have had a few requests for car paintings, so here is the first. This is a friend's '57 Bel Air....a classic. This 6" x 8" oil on gallery-wrap canvas is available for $150 on my website http://www.dianemorganpaints.com/

Desert Trumpets

This was another choice I had for the "orange botanical challenge" The "Orange Peppers" was the first painting. I decided to do another. This 10" x 12" unframed watercolor on paper is available for $325 on my website http://www.dianemorganpaints.com/

Donut 4acure

This is a little different than my usual watercolors or oils. Just a fun quick sketch. All summer the artists of IncredibleArtist.com gallery have been exhibiting at the Premier Oncology Center in Santa Monica, CA to raise money for cancer research. Each of us was asked to do a quick little drawing that would be auctioned off for charity. The first rendering I did, I later found out I had done on the wrong paper so set it aside. One of the other artists, a young photographer who is a Marine stationed in Iraq, asked if he could have it. I said, "Of course!" This young photographer's photos of what life is really like at war have been very popular at the gallery. Rosie O'Donnell found out about him and has taken him under her wing. She even bought him a camera. You can see his photos on her website http://www.rosie.com/

Just go up to her "links" and scroll down to the pic of the soldier with his palm held out showing a peace sign drawn in ink. His work is on display in the Palm Springs gallery now with artist's receptions on Thurs, Fri and Sat evenings October 23rd, 24th and 25th. For more info go to http://www.incredibleartist.com/harshdesert.htm. You can help make a donation to Art4acure by going to http://www.art4acure.com/ and click on Auction.....then .... take me to the auction......to purchase one of my mini oils of which the gallery contributes 25% of the sale to the Premier Oncology cancer research fund.

Orange Botanical Challenge

I belong to a wonderful international group of very talented artists who support, encourage, challenge, inform, instruct and befriend each other. We have started a new challenge for all of us to create a painting each month with a theme. October's theme is "something orange and botanical." This is my contribution....an orange pepper that has a sort of Halloween feel to it. I've seen two previews already and they are awesome. To view the other submissions go to http://artcolony.blogspot.com/ This painting is an 8" x 9" watercolor on paper.

Flood of '72

The assignment for the 1st meeting of the season of the Coachella Valley Watercolor Society, October 13th was to do a painting using one tube of paint only. This is from a photo taken in 1972 of a mini flood in my backyard. Since I love Georgia O'Keeffe, I thought I'd do a skull painting. I took the skull outside and photographed it in the "pond." The painting is 8" x 10" watercolor on Arches 300# cold press using Payne's Gray

California Commute

This is a 16" x 20" watercolor on Arches cold press. I did a 6" x 8" version of this last year for a small image show. It sold right away and the reproductions have been selling. I decided to do a full-size version for several upcoming landscape competitions....and, so that there would be better detail for future reproductions. It was a fun piece to paint.