Thoughts On The Thirty

30 Paintings In 30 Days-Day 30

Made For Each Other, 6 x 6 " oil on museum quality panel, ©2015, Fay Terry

NFS just now

I am happy with this little painting and the blue background just happens to be pretty close to Carolina Blue. 

The Tar Heels have been playing extremely well of late. I hope they can continue the momentum in the next month and heading into the ACC tournament in March.

I guess this should have been about the limes and the strawberry but I do love basketball almost as much as I love painting.

30 Paintings In 30 Days-Day 29

Little Reds, 5 x 7 " acrylic on museum quality panel, ©2015, Fay Terry

I am really enjoying painting with acrylics for a change. I have not used them for a good while and it does take some getting used to again.  These apples were fun to paint and the shadows were even more so.  I have been surprised how much bigger the 5x7's feel, even though they are actually one square inch smaller than the 6x6's. I guess I like the shape for a break from the square format.

30 Paintings In 30 Days-Day 28

Five Admirers, 5 x 7 " acrylic on panel, ©2015, Fay Terry

These cherries make the apple look huge. I just made an apple crisp using a favorite easy recipe with oatmeal and brown sugar. This apple was not included so it may be used in another painting. 

There are just two more days of the challenge. This has been the biggest and best so far. 

30 Paintings In 30 Days-Day 27

Enough For A Pie, 5 x 7 " acrylic on panel, ©2015, Fay Terry

Donation to Compass Center

Chapel Hill, NC

click here to learn more about the Compass Center

The annual art show "Through Women's Eyes, By Women's Hands" has been one of my favorites and it is coming up March 6 at Top Of The Hill on Franklin Street.  If you are local, this is a great event to attend and always lots of fun.

30 Paintings In 30 Days-Day 26

Tipping Point, 5 x 7 " acrylic on gessobord panel, ©2015, Fay Terry

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While I was painting this, I thought the pear on the left would surely topple over; as luck would have it, that did not happen. The light on these three was fun to capture as well as the long curvy stems.

 I am planning to stick to my theme for the final days of the challenge, but I am eager to move on to some new subject matter. The fruit and vegetable still lifes have been great, but I want to do some landscapes soon.

30 Paintings In 30 Days-Day 25

Red Plums, 6 x 6 " oil on museum quality panel, ©2015, Fay Terry

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Sweet, tart, red and juicy are the best words to describe one of my favorite fruits. My mom used to buy lots of fruit when we were growing up and I always loved plums. We had wild plums growing in our yard, but they were really small like cherries and only good for cooking and making plum jelly or jam.

It's hard to believe we are approaching the end of January and the completion of the thirty paintings challenge. It has been great and I have seen so many wonderful paintings from all the artists.

30 Paintings In 30 Days-Day 24

Saturday Citrus, 6 x 6 " oil on gessobord, ©2015, Fay Terry

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I set this still life up last night knowing that I was going to paint very early this morning.  I decided to do this as quickly as I could and spent less than an hour.  I am pleased with the result. The bowl is another piece from the gallery in Southport, that I purchased at last year's "Empty Bowls" event which I will tell you more about later.

Thanks for looking at my work and I hope ya'll have a great week-end. 

30 Paintings In 30 Days- Day23

Red Onions, 6x6" oil on panel, ©2015, Fay Terry

$100

30 Paintings In 30 Days-day22

Standing In The Shadows, 6 x 6 " acrylic on gessobord, ©2015, Fay Terry

$100 plus shipping

30 Paintings In 30 Days-day21

Fingerling Sweet Potatoes, 6 x 6 " acrylic on gessobord, ©2015, Fay Terry

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These tiny fingerling potatoes are the best, I love cutting them into skinny wedges and roasting them in the oven with skins on and olive oil, salt, and pepper added. They get a little crunchy and then they are good dipped in something like a lemon aioli sauce.

My cooking time has been a little limited recently, but next month will be time to get back to trying more new recipes.

30 Paintings In 30 Days-Day 20

Shiny Fruit, 6 x 6 " oil on gessobord, ©2015, Fay Terry

$100

This painting is one of my favorites that I have painted in the challenge. I love the dark parts of the cherries and the empty bowl. I am still working to improve my composition skills and some days setting up a still life seems easier than others.

30 Paintings In 30 Days-Day 19

Bowl Game, 6 x 6 " oil on panel, ©2013, Fay Terry

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I am still enjoying the big bag of cherries I bought; they are delicious and great fun to paint. They are like little jewels when a light shines on them they really come alive. This group seems to be playing a game and so far only two have managed to get inside the bowl. Not sure what the strategy is but it looks like one more is getting close!

30 Paintings In 30 Days-Day 18

Stand Offish, 6 x 6 " oil on gessobord panel, ©2015, Fay Terry

$100

These pears look as if they are trying to avoid each other; even their stems are leaning away from each other. These Comice pears look very different when light hits them from various angles. They are still fun to paint, but getting the colors correct is a challenge.

30 Paintings In 30 Days-Day 17

Grapefruit And Kumquats, 6 x 6 " oil on museum quality panel, ©2015, Fay Terry

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This is the second painting I've done with red grapefruit and kumquats. The yellow bowl is a favorite of mine, handmade by Donna Mandell,  one of the potters at Franklin Square Gallery, where I have some of my paintings. It has a handle on the left which is not seen here.

30 Paintings In 30 Days-Day 16

Tall And Lean, 6 x 6 " oil on gessobord panel, ©2015, Fay Terry

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These are new pears that I haven't tasted yet; they are Comice pears. I was drawn to their interesting shapes and the long stems. Their coloring is also different from most pears, they are mostly golden with only a few hints of green. I can't wait to see how they taste when they soften up a bit.

30 Paintings In 30 Days-Day 15

Asian Influence, 6 x 8 " oil on Raymar Panel

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I wanted a composition with a red onion included since I love painting them.  It makes a nice color impact along with the orange.  The orange is a little sad that it is on the sidelines but manages to be a key player and keeps your eye from going out of the painting. I am re-reading the chapter on composition in Carol Marine's book and it seems to help me a great deal.

Thanks for commenting on my paintings in the challenge! I am learning so much from the other artists.

30 Paintings In 30 Days-Day 14

Studio Coffee Break, 6 x 6 " oil on gessobord, ©2015, Fay Terry

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I don't often have coffee upstairs in my studio, but this morning I was eager to get started. I had to refill the cup once, and of course it was cold by the time I finished the painting. 

When I begin  painting early in the day I can accomplish a lot more and even get some art tasks done in the afternoon. Today I want to order supplies and take care of a long to do list. Also, it's good to feel a sense of accomplishment before the morning is over. Then I feel motivated to keep the momentum going.

The thirty day challenge has certainly helped me get back on track with my small paintings. Now I plan to start some larger ones. 

30 Paintings In 30 Days-Day 13

Red Bunch, 6 x 6 " oil on panel, ©2015, Fay Terry

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I haven't painted radishes in quite a while, in fact, I have not bought any for a long time.

We usually plant them in our garden every spring but I needed these for a recipe that I have been wanting to try. I'll let you know how it turns out.

30 Paintings In 30 Days-Day 12

Kumquats In A Bowl, 6 x 6" oil on panel, ©2015, Fay Terry

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It's cold and rainy here today but my studio is warm and I love looking out at the rain and wind since I don't have to go anywhere. This has been a full painting day except for yoga this morning at 7:30.

I have enjoyed visiting lots of the artists in the thirty paintings challenge. The number of paintings being done each day is amazing. There is a special feeling that comes from being a part of this group and it is highly motivational. 

As always, thanks for stopping by and looking at my art. Please leave a comment because I'd love to know what you think,

30 Paintings In 30 Days-Day 11

Kumquats On The Table, 6 x 6" oil on panel, ©2015, Fay Terry

This painting is on hold.

This painting was finished in no time at all and I am very happy with it. I hope you like it, too. I set this up in my studio shadow box and it came together quickly once I decided on the composition. I wanted the red grapefruit to be the star, but tomorrow I want to pose the kumquats front and center.

I am finding that it is so much fun to paint my food. Kumquats are delicious and will be in the stores until March. I have always loved the sweet and sour combination. The skin is sweet when ripe and the inside is somewhat tart. You can eat the whole fruit but they do have seeds, which I don't mind.

On another note, this has been a great basketball week-end. My Tarheels beat Louisville, and NC State beat Duke, so I've been happily watching these games.

30 Paintings in 30 Days-Day 10

Red Onion, 6 x 6" oil on panel, ©2015, Fay Terry

Red Onions are currently my favorite vegetable to paint. I didn't know how much fun I would have with the beautiful color.  I used a combination of Alizarin and Burnt Sienna with a little pthalo green added for the shadow areas. I have several of these colorful favorites so you may see more of them before I decide to make roasted red onions.

30 Paintings In 30 Days-Day 9

Breakfast Fruit, 6 x 6 " oil on panel ©2015, Fay Terry

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There are certainly no rules for eating grapefruit, but it's possibly the one fruit that I would only eat for  breakfast. I love grapefruit, which is not everyone's favorite, and we are enjoying some that we received for Christmas.

The red grapefruit is my favorite, and also the sweetest. 

30 Paintings In 30 Days-Day 8

Cherries And Chocolates, 6 x 6 " oil on gessobord, ©2015, Fay Terry

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These incredibly wonderful chocolates came to our home on Christmas Day. I am so far striking a balance between fruit and what's in this lovely round box(dark chocolate pralines from Paris). Chocolate covered cherries are not a favorite of mine, but chocolate with fresh cherries is another story. Same goes for strawberries and oranges.

30 Paintings In 30 Days-Day 7

Kitchen Prep, 8 x 8 " oil on gessobord, ©2015, Fay Terry

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It will be another night with guacamole before dinner; I am finding that I love painting avocados.

This one was especially fun because I kept rearranging the set up and trying various shadow angles. 

When I started the painting I was surprised at how quickly it came together. If you love avocado as much as I do, I highly recommend painting them. I did put a little lime juice on them first so they would not turn brown, and that seemed to help.

The colors in this are not accurately represented by this photo. I will need to take another photo and see if I can get it closer to reality. I tried adjusting it in iphoto, but could not correct it. 

The blue around the towel is much grayer and not leaning toward purple. 

30 Paintings In 30 Days-Day 6

It's Strawberry Season Somewhere, 6 x 6 " oil on gessobord panel, ©2015, Fay Terry

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I love these in this pretty glass dish which was a special gift from dear friends which I couldn't wait to use and paint.

It is so great to have fruit like this in the winter instead of waiting until May in North Carolina for the berries to ripen. While I still prefer locally grown produce, I have been surprised recently at the flavor and quality of some of the imports, particularly blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries. It certainly increases the fresh fruit choices.

30 Paintings In 30 Days-Day 5

January Pine Cone, 6 x 6 " oil on gessobord, ©2015, Fay Terry

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It has been a little while since I have painted one of these and I like to draw and paint them on a regular basis.  I decided on a sunny yellow backdrop and set it up in my shadow box. It started out slowly and then I picked up speed as I got more into the zone of seeing the structure. Oh, what fun! I keep finding more of them on the ground under our many pines and each one is unique.

If you would like to read the "Embarrassingly Obvious Truth About Where Pine Nuts Come From" click here.

30 Paintings In 30 Days-Day 4

Four Eighths, 6 x 6 " oil on gessobord, ©2015, Fay Terry

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All of you who follow my blog know that I love stripes and use them frequently in my paintings.

These orange bites called for one of my favorite kitchen towels to be placed under them.

It must be a good season for citrus because the oranges and grapefruits are wonderful and sweet.

These Cara Cara oranges are my favorite. They are a deep pinkish on the inside and are seedless with low acidity.  Oranges really get me through the winter and keep me going strong so I am glad to have discovered these.

30 Paintings In 30 Days- Day 3

Alligator Pear, 6 x 6" oil on gessobord,©2015, Fay Terry

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It is always fun for me to paint something I have never painted before, such as the inside view of an avocado.  I plan to do more of these incorporated into my still life set-ups in my studio. As you may know, they age quickly when exposed to the air.  By the time I completed this, both halves had turned a little brown on the surface which I easily shaved off to make guacamole.

When I was growing up, my dad did much of the food prep and cooking along with my mom. Back then, avocados were not prevalent in the grocery stores so he was happy when he could find a few. He loved introducing us to new foods, especially using recipes he had made while working in Liberia in the 1940's. The people there called them Alligator Pears, possibly comparing the skin to that of an alligator.

30 Paintings In 30 Days-Day 2

Pear-spective, 6 x 6 " oil on gessobord, ©2015, Fay Terry

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Pears are fun to paint so I decided to try a bird's-eye view. I am very happy with the way it turned out. I I bought about six of these pears; all have been delicious.   After I painted this they were enjoyed in Alton Brown's Vanilla Poached Pears recipe. These are D'anjou pears and they ripen quickly. I will need to buy more if I am going to do any other pear paintings because I like the color and flavor of these.

30 Paintings in 30 Days-Day One

The Big Apple, 6 x 6 " oil on gessobord, ©2015, Fay Terry

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I am enthusiastically beginning another thirty day painting challenge with Leslie Saeta and hundreds of artists from all over the world. I can't think of a better start to the new year! (except collards and black eyed peas) I am doing this for the third time, enjoying it more every time I participate. Take a look at all the paintings here.

This month, I plan to focus on still life paintings, with an emphasis on fruits and vegetables, two of my favorite food categories.

The title of today's painting started me thinking about how the nickname for New York City first began.  John J. Fitz Gerald first used the term The Big Apple in reference to N.Y. horse-racing. He wrote articles for the New York Morning Telegraph.  He explained his use in a February 18, 1924 column under the headline "Around the Big Apple". 

"The Big Apple is the dream of every lad that ever threw a leg over a thoroughbred and the goal of all horsemen.  There's only one Big Apple.  That's New York."

(from Wikipedia)