Katie Jeanne Wood

Mixed Media Artist - daily painter of portraits, flowers, abstracts and birds

Free paintings – Daily painting day 172 and 173

DAILY PAINTING DAY 172

Katie Jeanne Wood - 010418 working on freebie paintings

Work in progress
daily painting: 365 day art project
Day 172

Something that I never write about or keep any record of are the free paintings I give away with most every original painting order I get. I’ve been doing this ever since I started selling my work online back in 2001, and this might possibly be the first time I’ve ever taken a photo of one. 

So far today I’ve sold 4 paintings, so I have a bunch of freebies I need to work on.

DAILY PAINTING DAY 173

Katie Jeanne Wood - 010518 abstract painting14×11 acrylic abstract painting
daily painting: 365 day art project
Day 173

Did you notice what Pantone’s color of the year is for 2018? Ultra violet isn’t a color I normally use, except maybe for shadows within a face. I don’t know about you, but it’s difficult for me to paint with colors I don’t like. I’ve turned down a slew of custom work over the years because of the colors the clients wanted me to use. I’d rather say “no, thank you” a million times than put out work I don’t like. 

I would like to make friends with purple, tho. Not for any reason other than I have multiple jars and tubes of it given to me as gifts. I don’t want it to go to waste. I just threw out between 10 to 15 tubes of nearly new Golden paint because it had hardened up in the tubes. Golden, if you’re reading this, please do something about the design flaw with the covers on your tubes of paint. The covers never fit correctly/aren’t air tight/fall off easily, and the paint hardens up fast! I’m reluctant to spend more money on Golden paint because of how much of it goes to waste. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Golden paint isn’t exactly cheap. 

Anyway, since purple’s now the star color of 2018, there’s no better time to use up that paint sitting on my shelves and drawers. At the very least, I would like to not have a negative reaction inside every time I see the color. So, I thought I’d try it out once again on an abstract, and I surprisingly like the results. It’s definitely not a color I can comfortably use a lot of or use a lot period, but maybe it’s okay now and then in tiny bits. We’ll see. 

Reading: A Winter Walk with Thoreau: The Transcendentalist Way of Finding Inner Warmth in the Cold Season – Love love love the artwork 

New canvas – 5 minute painting day 17

New canvas!
5 minute painting
Work in progress
day 17
daily painting: 365 day art project
Day 153
Painted on Dec 17th, 2017

I decided to call my last painting done, and I started a new canvas today. This time I’m going even larger – 24×18 inches. Because I refuse to go through what I did with the first painting, all I had time to do today was get the modeling paste down. I’m not concerned about showing a white canvas as my progress today. It is what it is. I decided to do things the way I would normally do it. Otherwise, it throws me off. I don’t want to go down that rabbit hole again. 

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Okay, so here are the progress shots from my last painting.

daily work in progress shots

The painting started out being 14×11 inches, but I decided to turn the canvas about half way through. It ended up being 11×14 inches, instead.

daily progress shots from the last painting

Katherine Jeanne Wood - 11x14 Land of Opportunities Original Blue Acrylic Abstract Painting11×14 inch
acrylic mixed media collage
Finished painting
Available for purchase here

Today I listened to Ray LaMontagne – Empty while painting. 

It’s a mystery to me – day 12 of 5 minute painting

5 minute painting
day 12
Work in progress
daily painting: 365 day art project
Day 148
Painted on Dec 12, 2017

I have no idea where this painting is going. Is it an abstract? Is it a floral? Maybe a bird painting? Landscape? I’m not seeing anything clearly in my mind’s eye right now, except that it’s not a portrait..or so I think, anyway. The only thing I’m feeling strongly about are those lines I drew across the painting. I don’t like it, so that will have to change. Other than that, it’s a mystery to me. 

This painting is 14×11 inches or 11×14 inches, depending on which way this ends up going. 

Listened to The Great Lake Swimmers: Gonna Make it Through This Year, and had time for a little bit of Sparklehorse: Sunshine today while painting.

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Katherine Jeanne Wood - black and white portrait painting Waited in the ColdNewly revised black & white portrait painting
Waited Outside in the Cold
Available here
Prints are available here

I’ve been revising paintings again behind the scenes. I didn’t do much to the girl on the right, but the girl on the left got a whole new face.

Here’s the old one, which I painted 3 years ago..

I almost painted over this painting completely, but decided it had good bones. It just needed some tweaking and adjustments. I like it now. 

 

Cheating isn’t allowed – 5 minute painting Day 11

5 minute painting
day 11
Work in progress
daily painting: 365 day art project
Day 147
Painted on Dec 11, 2017

Wasn’t fully awake when I started painting this morning. Not super happy with the result today, but eh, whatever. It will be fine. I’m sure I will like it better tomorrow when I layer over some of the black to make it less conspicuous. Got a little too heavy-handed, you might say.

My intention was to write some words with watered down black acrylic, but the paint was a little too watered down, and it went on the canvas in one big splashplop..not at all how I intended. I was going to wipe it off, but then it would’ve smeared, and made a bigger mess.

I suppose I could have cheated, stopped the timer, sprayed it down with water, and started over again. You wouldn’t have known the difference. However, I want to stay true to the 5 minute project, so cheating isn’t allowed. If I mess up, I have to go with it whether I like the outcome or not.

ps: I knew no matter what I did to the painting today I wasn’t going to like. I was a bit too fond of the painting the way it was yesterday, and came thisclose to stopping. I would have been happy to call it a finished abstract at that point, but I thought it was too soon, that I hadn’t worked on it long enough, hard enough. 

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Mary Oliver

I feel like I failed myself today. Oh, well..it’s not the first time I’ve screwed up a painting, and it won’t be the last. We’ll see where this takes me tomorrow. 

Listened to Sugar by Maroon 5 today while painting. 

Not so good with numbers unless.. – 5 minute painting day 10

5 minute painting
day 10
Work in progress
daily painting: 365 day art project
Day 146
Painted on Dec 10, 2017

I think I mucked up the 365 day count here on my blog. I was doing well, but then I checked on this nifty date calendar, and I got a week ahead of myself. Oops! It’s because my blog is a week behind, and I got confused. Today, December 18th, I’m on day 146 of painting daily, but this painting was painted on Dec 10, which was day 138. So which number should I use? hm..I probably should be using 138, right? To go back and fix all my blog posts, tho. Ugh. I’m just going to continue doing what I’m doing. There are too many numbers to keep track of now. I’m on day something or a rather, and this train ain’t pulling into the station until day 365. What can I say? I’m not so good with numbers unless it has a dollar sign in front of it. The rest aren’t important to me. 

Reading: Art Competitions Are Scams – I’ve always felt the same way, which is why I’ve never bothered with competitions. Besides being a scam, who really cares what a couple of strangers think about your artwork? The only “judge” who matters is YOU. Do YOU like your work? Then keep doing what you’re doing. If you don’t like your work, change. Simple as that. 

Incredibly painful, and thrilling – 5 minute painting day 9

5 minute painting
day 9
daily painting: 365 day art project
Day 145
Painted on Dec 9, 2017

I was searching for a new canvas to use, and came across one that I started, but never finished. I don’t remember painting this at all, but I must have. 

December is always a good time to tie up loose strings, and finish up the abandoned paintings. I won’t get around to all of them because there are probably 10 or so, but I’ll do what I can. So the photo above is what the canvas looked like before my 5 minute painting began. And, here’s what it looked like after..

Work in progress

Although I wasn’t crazy about the idea of picking up where I left off months or years ago, (I prefer a white background when I’m starting a new painting, so I can start fresh) I really liked starting on a canvas that’s already been prepped with modeling paste. It saved my head going to all the trouble of tripping out. Geesh. 

Work in progress – close up shot

I have no idea where this is going or what the subject is going to be at this point. None. I find the unknown incredibly painful, and thrilling at the same time. A part of me wants to just dig in there, and get this thing figured out. Have it done already, even though I’m only beginning. I’m pretty sure that’s my head talking..I know how much it loves to solve all my problems for me. Another part of me is totally calm and in no rush whatsoever. 

Ah, yes. Relax. Breathe. Wait until tomorrow to start new again. 

Tonight I listened to classical music from Downton Abbey as I painted. 

Calling it done: 5 minute painting – day 8

Katie Jeanne Wood - 120817 Painting in Progress5 minute painting
18×14 inches
day 8
Finished painting!!
daily painting: 365 day art project
Day 144
Painted on Dec 8, 2017

Success doesn’t come to you, you go to it.
– Marva Collins

I finished it!! I’ll be sealing it later today. I’m thinking of using Dorland’s wax on this one, which will take about an hour or so. I’ve never actually timed it before, but it’s quite a long process because I heat up the wax, and then cool it. Then it has to sit a while before I buff it out, and then I do it again..and maybe again. So, yeah..probably about an hour over all, not including the sitting time. It’s usually something that I do over several days.

Once that’s done, I’ll start the long process of photographing it, and listing the original and prints. Ugh..my least favorite part of all of this. The real work begins for me with all the computer work. I paint super fast, for the most part, but when it comes to all the rest, my pace is slower than a turtle. 

The bright side is (trying not to complain too much here) I’ll have a better photo to show you soon. I’ve been trying to be less of a perfectionist this month, so I’ve been taking all the photos for my blog with my phone. The photos aren’t the best, partly because the lighting really stinks now that I’m in a new studio, but whatever. Not going to worry or stress over things I can’t change. It is what it is. 

Hard to believe it looked like this a mere 8 days ago, eh? 

Tomorrow, I’ll start a new painting.
I’m getting it done one 5 minute painting sesh at a time.
Oh, yeah. 🙂 

Tonight I listened to Sign of the Times by Harry Styles while I painted.

PS: Can you believe I almost messed up, and didn’t paint today?? Yikes. I was so busy doing other things (photographing, editing photos in PS, listing new paintings/prints, and working on other paintings) that I blew off my daily painting first thing this morning. It wasn’t until around 9pm that I suddenly remembered that I had forgotten my daily painting. Oops! Luckily all I needed was 5 minutes, so I still had plenty of time to get it done. 

PPS: tomorrow I start a new painting. I’m excited! 

Just about finished: day 7 of 5 minute painting

5 minute painting
day 7
Work in progress
daily painting: 365 day art project
Day 143
Painted on Dec 7, 2017

I’m thinking this one is just about finished. I need to add a couple more flowers, do something about the upper right corner being a little too washed out/white, and then seal the painting. I’m going to say two more 5 minute painting sessions should do it. I might cheat slightly, and do it all in one day since sealing it isn’t going to change the appearance enough to warrant taking a photo, and writing a blog post about it. 

Today I listened to The Monster by Eminem and Rihanna

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