I am a long time member of the Art Guild of Orange Park. This years fundraising event will be a Masquerade Ball! We spent the summer creating all sorts of unique masks for attendees to purchase. The Guild always puts on a great party. Your meager ticket price of $50 will get you food and fun, music and dance, art and other auction items.

My latest acquisition is again an atypical piece for the artist. I’ve done so with a few other artists before. Abby Howard Murphy does mostly Plein air landscapes. I already know where it’s going to hang. It goes in the “birdroom” at our cottage. But none of that is why I bought it. Just look at him! He’s wonderful with his blue feet and twinkling eye! Pelicans being a favored bird by my mommy, she would have loved this one too.

I bet many of my artist friends have had these moments. One of my most memorable ones was when I was sitting in the studio painting lizards. Who does that besides an artist? I recently had another one when I was painting myself. Not making a self portrait, but actually painting myself. Some of you may be aware that I enjoy print making with found objects. In trying to come up with an idea for a show called “About Face”, it was only naturally for me to think of printing myself. I’m not sure if I should describe that or just let the pictures speak for themselves. Well I am artist! What do you think I’m going to do?! I’ll wait to show you how they turned out until I finish the piece I’m doing for the show.

I’ve purchased and been given some art over the past couple of months. This is the first batch I’ll post (not in any particular order). There are times when I think I should stop purchasing art. The walls are quite full. However, they aren’t completely full and more importantly, I continue to fall in love with art pieces. Can’t stop this.

Luckily I had a nice “art stash” money wise when I went to “Brush with Nature” at the Arboretum this year. It had been a while since I’d gone to the event. I made up for it on this visit.

The first is by Gina Ledbetter, 2nd Abby Howard Murphy, Third and fourth by Carrie Keene, 4th by Jude T. Kruzicki, 5th Lori Taylor, and 6th Patrick Mahoney. I have an extremely varied collection both in media and style, but this is the first gouache I’ve purchased.

I’m not “required” to paint every day like during last months challenge, but I am trying to. That will probably last at least through July, since I need to have painted a total of at least 40 by Christmas. That’s the usual number I send. However, since I am making these, I will probably send more this year.

These are the latest paintings from my self imposed challenge of a painting a day for a month. Actually, I owe the month one painting.

I only managed one and didn’t even finish that. It needs work on the eyes and the background. Once again, I had some volunteer work to do before getting started painting.

I finished the two from yesterday. They almost kicked my butt. Before I did that I did a little commission for a friend. Next up something simpler than the last two Xmas cards. Naturally as I’m loading these I see little tweaks that need to be made. Good thing I have until Christmas to do them.

I didn’t finish my painting today. But I started two! I’m posting Phase 1 and 2 of each. I took license with a friend of mine’s photo from Rockefeller Square for the first. The other is from a photo of mine.

I wish I’d remembered that I planned to paint individual Xmas cards for friends and family this year when I started my 30 in 30 challenge. I’d be almost done with the cards by now. So here’s the first of many. It’s actually based on a digital Xmas card I made years ago. I’ve been making my own cards for 45 years. oops! I just noticed I forgot the carrot. When I send it out, it will be there, along with some real shells.