Poppies for Christmas

The snow storm arrived in Indiana last night and stayed all day Friday.  After living in Wisconsin it takes more than five inches to set off any alarms for me!  The snow is very pretty.  This painting is a commission!  Yeah!!  It's a Christmas present for a friend's husband.  It's a 6" x 8" painting, very small and it very quick!  My daily paintings are forcing me to paint faster and I'm getting better!  My painting of the persimmons sold yesterday!

Two Paintings

It's a rainy day which makes it perfect for little paintings.  I have a good start on these persimmons, which is a fruit that grows wild over southern Indiana.  Once I'm finished with the painting I plan on making a persimmon crumb cake!  I'll finish the persimmons on Friday and they will go out to eBay on Tuesday just in time for Thanksgiving!  I'm sure the crumb cake with be baked and eaten by the end of weekend!

I'm playing around with different ways to get the paint on the canvas for a quick daily painting. Yesterday I painted the barn and field with no cows, today I painted a new one and added two little cows.  I am also trying to use my pallet knife which makes it very thick and fun.  The is a little Indiana farm that I pass by every Tuesday on my way to art class.  This painting will go to eBay on Friday.

Pumpkin and Sunflowers

The start of my daily painting!  I bought the pumpkin and sunflowers at the grocery store, came home and set up my still life.  The painting really looks small on the easel!  The little drawing in the upper right hand corner is by my six year old grandson, in fact I think he did that drawing last year at Thanksgiving.  When ever I start to take my too seriously I look at his drawing, I study the lines, the clouds, the sun and the trees then I can go back to my painting and relax a little!

A few hours later and I have my finished painting.  Tomorrow I think I'll paint cows!  

Strawberries and Wine

I started and thought I had finished this painting last week but the longer I looked at it the less I like the background!  So after a glass of grape juice and water I have a new background.  The Boulder Creek area in California had quite a few wineries.  My daughter-in-law and  I visited the Mountain Winery and we had a great afternoon.    Our little "mountain baby" spent the day with her dad , we text him when we were ready to come home.  My bottle of wine is gone, my strawberries are gone but I have a vase of sunflowers.  Tomorrow I will be working on sunflowers.  

Halloween Storm in Indiana

Last night the Halloween Monster Storm hit Indiana just as forecasted.  Fortunately it wasn't as much of a monster as predicted though trick or treat night was moved to November 1st, today!  I did prepare for the storm, I had my bottle water, I made a stew and prepared for a day or two with out power.  I also decided to paint a glass of wine and some strawberries!  I still have some wine but the strawberries are gone.  I did visit a winery while in Boulder Creek, California.  The winery was a treat to my daughter in law and myself as we had spent the past month entertaining our "mountain baby"!  The "Monster Storm" was the perfect excuse to purchase some California wine and paint away.  This painting goes up for sale on eBay next week Tuesday.  

Strawberries

Visiting Boulder Creek, California for a month was an experience and one I completely enjoyed.  When I got home to Indiana I painted sunflowers because I was seeing sunflowers at all the farmer's markets in the Santa Cruz area.  Both paintings of the sunflowers sold, I'm feeling good!  I love to see my paintings go out the door.  Strawberries were something else that were in abundance at all the markets and of course delicious.  These strawberries were actually from California but bought in Indiana and a challenge to paint.  This painting will go out in my email on Thursday.  

More Paintings Coming!

Fall is here!  Today may be the end of our sunny fall days which means much more time for me to paint.  I have been doing small paintings and posting them on eBay.  Both my sunflower paintings sold last week now let's see if my two little white ducks sell this week.  I enjoy putting my paintings in the mail and I am starting to get some repeat customers. On Thursday I will post a new painting of California strawberries!

Home from California

I just spent a month in Boulder Creek, California amongst the "tree people"!  It's a bit of an inside joke.  My son, daughter in law and baby Ireland just bought a home in Boulder Creek.  I went out there to play with baby Ireland while everyone worked on the house!  A month is a long time to live in the forest.  Boulder Creek doesn't have any stop lights but it does have two grocery stores and some small shops on Main St.

Even though I have spent a respectable amount of hours on my motorcycle exploring mountain roads I was still intimidated by all the curves and steep grades going up and down the mountain to get to their house.  Baby Ireland and I explored the area almost every morning, we found every play park in a 40 mile radius, various streams, trails and even a covered bridge!  I made sure I kept her stroller strapped to my wrist after all if I was to lose the stroller for even a moment it would have been long gone in no time at all!   Almost every farmers market and grocery store had fresh flowers but as it was late in the year so I didn't see many flowers actually growing.  Baby Ireland  liked the sunflowers better than any other flower, though she has quite an affection for cats!  Everyone was very friendly, especially the people who frequented the "green cross" store next to the coffee shop!

I arrived home on a Saturday and went for a walk the next day with my husband.  It was a nice fall Indian Summer day in Indiana, no mountains to climb!  I told everyone in Boulder Creek that I was from a state where you could stand on one side of it and see the other side, it's just that flat in Indiana!  On our walk some white ducks in a pond  caught my eye and fortunately I had my iPhone with me.  I took quite a few pictures and went back out the next day with my camera to take more.  These little ducks are going up on eBay next week and the sunflowers are already being bid upon.



I am headed to Michigan to celebrate our twin grandsons 6th birthday!  I will have a couple of months of no travelling so I hope to be painting fast and furiously!

 

Sunflowers

Everything is moving so quickly!  We rode our motorcycles to New York City last week to visit my sister and her family.  We had to cross the George Washington Bridge and navigate our way through Long Island.  I was very nervous about all the New York traffic but every one was very considerate of us on the bikes!  We did everything we could do in two days in the city.  We visited the Metropolitan Museum of Arts, the 911 memorial (it took my breath away), China Town, Little Italy, Greenwich Village, and a carriage ride through central park.  My brother in law had us on a two hour feeding schedule (just kidding); the food and company was outstanding.  Every where we went I kept seeing sunflowers for sale or growing in fields around the vineyards.  I took quite a few pictures but as soon as I back home to Indiana I bought some sunflowers and painted them.  I am hoping to have time to do another painting before they wilt.

Raspberries

Raspberries and eggs directly from the farmer!  The raspberries were a much quicker painting, I spent much more time on the eggs.  When I paint quick I like the painting but days later when I look at it I wish I would have spent more time on the painting.  The same is true for the paintings that I spend more time on, I wish I would have painted them looser.  

We are getting ready for a motorcycle trip, headed to New York City.  We will spend an entire day at the art museums and galleries and yes my husband will be with me.  I won't be able to dress up too much as everything I take must fit into two saddle bags, but I can really pack it into those saddle bags.  I am sure I will return to Indiana with all new inspirations!

Today I will be painting sunflowers!  A new subject and something I have been wanting to paint for quite some time.  

Sign Up for Daily Email

I just revised my website!  I added a sign up form for my daily emails.  If you aren't receiving them you can go to http://www.deniselipusch.com and sign up for the daily emails.  I am my own website author, I post all my own pictures, scripts and make my revisions.  I am glad I have this skill as it is much easier to keep my site current.

Daily Painting - Raspberries  5" x 7" oil

I had fun painting these raspberries!  I learn so much more when I am paintings small quick paintings.  We have a farmers market in town and they have fresh Indiana produce all summer long.  I love it!  I have spent almost all week working on my email program for Paintings from Van Gogh's Closet.  I don't mind working hard for myself as I spent almost a lifetime working hard as a secretary while I studied art and raised a family in my spare time.  I am hoping that by tomorrow I will be sitting in front of my easel instead of my computer!

Paintings from Van Gogh's Closet

Another busy day!  John Reynolds (teacher/mentor) sent his painting from Van Gogh's Closet out today.  He did a self portrait.  Paintings from Van Gogh's Closet are small quick daily paintings by myself, John Reynolds and fellow student Ann Simons.  Our paintings are inspired by our travels and seasonal flowers or produce from the local markets in Indiana.

The daily painting blog format forces us to commit to painting daily and it gives us the opportunity to share our work with people all over the world.  We study once a week with John.  He sets up still lifes of flowers, fruits, musical instruments etc.  Of course, Ann & I now have a collection of small paintings in our closet, thus Paintings from Van Gogh's Closet!

Paintings from Van Gogh's Closet is run from my home in Noblesville, Indiana.  I have managed to send out 3,000 plus emails in our first week.  If you would like to be on the email list please go to my Denise Lipusch Artist facebook page and join our mailing list.  https://www.facebook.com/denise.lipusch.art/app_141428856257

Coneflowers From My Garden

My first daily painting.   This painting is 5" x 7" in oil.  These are coneflowers from my garden just outside my door.  Myself and two other artists will be sending emails with daily paintings, Paintings From Van Gogh's Closet.  These are quick little paintings that you can purchase.  We posted them on eBay.  

You can sign up for the emails by going to my artist facebook page.

  https://www.facebook.com/denise.lipusch.art/app_141428856257

Hazel -Happy New Year

It's 2014 and it's off to a great start.  Over the holidays I worked on Hazel, a little girl we met on our travels in New Zealand!  I think she may have been dressed up for Halloween, as they celebrate that holiday also.  Hazel is related to my daughter-in-law, therefore she is Maori and beautiful!  I thought it would be fun to post the picture that I was working from and the painting that I created.    I have a very small group of "art critics"  (my daughter, my son & my daughter-in-law) that share their thoughts with me as I work on the paintings.  At one time my painting had the hands and red sweater in it but that all  disappeared today.  I have a Maori warrior in the works but I may take a break and do some flowers!  Happy New Year