Bass Harbor Head Light

Bass Harbor Head Light     9" x 12"   Pastel    ©Sheila Ashley Liston
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DAY 3O OF THIRTY PAINTINGS IN THIRTY DAYS CHALLENGE SEPT 2017

Yay! It is possible to do thirty paintings in thirty days! I must admit that there were some late nights on this project! Tomorrow I will post a photo of the whole group of paintings.

This painting was done from photos from our first trip to Maine. We went there again last fall, but this time I chose to do this flight of stairs, leaving the remainder of stone steps for the younger folks!  

Bass Harbor Head Light is in Bar Harbor, Maine on Mt Desert Island in Acadia National Park. We could've have spent a week in just this area alone. We're thinking the next time, we will need to plan for a month's stay. There's much to see and do there as well as wonderful places to paint.

These sketches are from the top of the cliff, looking out over the ocean.

I didn't get a photo of each stage of today's painting, but this is how I used black watercolor to establish the darkest areas, after the initial pencil drawing. 

Punderson Lake

Punderson Lake     5" x 6"    Pastel       ©Sheila Ashley Liston
Available $75

 DAY 29 of Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days Challenge, September 2017 

We spent this early evening at Punderson State Park in Newbury, Ohio at the marina. It was pleasant, as the weather is cooler and the marina was closed. That made it a perfect place to sit outside and start this painting. We had a blue heron, named Gilbert, who insisted that we knew that we were the guest at his residence! How did we know his name? A gentleman, called Skipper, came by from the campground, walking his dog named Gilligan. 

 

The sky was cloudy at that time and and we were not sure that we could get interesting light. Around 5:30 pm, the sun did break through the clouds for long enough for Bill to photograph the scene, while I quickly set up. I did get a chance to get a quick underpainting done in watercolor, with some color notes. Later it did become chilly enough, that we decided to head home. I then finished this in the studio.

Punderson State Park is a place that we took our children often, as they were growing up.  We've camped there and stayed in the Lodge. Good memories!

 

View From Tinkers Cabin

View From Tinkers Cabin     6" x 6"     Pastel        ©Sheila Ashley Liston
Available $75 

Day 28 of Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days Challenge, September 2017

Our church, The Chapel at Tinkers Creek,  is located on a 21 acres in Streetsboro, Ohio. The back part has a cabin that is used for our Youth Programs. This particular view is from the cabin, looking east. My husband and I were there to simply enjoy the sunset that evening. As I turned the opposite direction and I saw a lovely cloud formation with hints of blue, lavender, pink, and peach tones, equally as beautiful as the sunset itself. With the road leading back to the church, I thought of of a simpler time and an old country dirt road. That scene had to go on the  "must paint" list. 

Painting today, brought memories of the past 12 years, in this church. The people there have now become part of our family, supporting each other through good times and tough times as well.

  

Delphinium on Glass

Delphinium On Glass     5.25" x 8"      Pastel      ©Sheila Ashley Liston
Available $95

DAY 27 of Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days Challenge, September 2017

The delphiniums are still looking fresh today, so I decided to paint them in a still life. I placed them on my antique wood flat file that has a protective glass sheet on top. The sun shone brightly on the table, creating a wonderful reflection of the sheer curtains. I'm always pulled to reflections of any kind, whether it's still water or window glass on buildings. The glass vase had an interesting look with the water, and also, it reflected that image onto the table.

I got lost in painting this one and didn't take but two progress pictures. I started with a quick watercolor wash of the dark areas on paper that I already had toned. I like working on a darker surface. UArt is now producing a black sanded pastel paper.  I can hardly wait for my shipment to arrive in early October. Slowly, I added the color in areas all over the painting. Then, I began to define each background areas. I finished the flowers last.

Delphiniums

Delphiniums       6" x 6"         Pastel         ©Sheila Ashley Liston
Available $75

DAY 26 of Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days Challenge, September 2017

It's always fun to have a good reason to buy fresh flowers!  Delphiniums were always a delight to arrange in my days as a floral designer. They were not as easily available as they are today. I found these at my local supermarket floral department. Painting the subtle color changes was a bit of a challenge in pastels. 

1. I usually choose a darker underpainting, but this time I started with a dark blue on white Premier Pastel paper. 2. This time I chose to wet the pastel a bit to be able to move it around smoothly without getting a build-up of pastel too early. 3. I  chose a very dark blue Sennelier pastel to deepen the darkest values. Then I worked gradually, alternating the adding the subtle colors. All of the blossoms had different amounts of lavendars, blues, and creamy whites.

Chloe

Chloe      6" x 6"      Pastel       ©Sheila Ashley Liston
Available $75



DAY 25 of Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days Challenge, September 2017

This painting today is to honor a close friend of mine on the first anniversary of her death. My friend, Leigh, fought an illness for 13 years after her doctors gave her two years. Chloe, a rescued miniature collie, became her best buddy. Chloe loved Leigh as much as Leigh loved her, and they were inseparable. Chloe took Leigh for daily walks, and together they visited Chloe's favorite neighbors.  Chloe is very wise girl who chose a wonderful friend for her owner! 

Loren's Bouquet

Loren's Bouquet    6" x 6"    Pastel      ©Sheila Ashley Liston
Available $75

DAY 24 of Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days Challenge, September 2017

This bouquet caught my eye in a most unexpected place. My husband and I took our car in for maintenance at our favorite shop, Automotive Rehab, in Garrettsville, OH. The container of wildflowers was waiting on the showroom floor to be placed in a vase for the counter.

This repurposed 1951 Chrysler body makes for a creative service counter. Owners, Jon and Loren Martin have done a fantastic job restoring an historic Chrysler dealership for their auto repair shop. Loren adds an artistic touch with having fresh flowers on that counter. 

This is my reference photo for the painting.

These are my progress photos showing the stages of development. I started with a light drawing with vine charcoa on Uart 800 sanded pastel paper.  Then I used watercolor to do a value underpainting to establish the light and dark areas. I used a hint of watercolor to mark the colors of the flowers. When there are so many different colors, it's helpful to map them out early. Then the pastel painting begins. Having the watercolor wash underpainting allows the sanded paper to still still hold several layers of pastel without flaking off. To go directly to using pastel, it is easy to get too much build up that plugs the painting surface.

I must add, that if you are in need of a quality auto repair shop, this is the one. Loren and Jon are personable owners that pay attention to detail and deliver superior service in our area.