515 Pom on a Pedestal

I love painting just about everything that is red, and I love pomegranates. I'm sure I will paint it again and again at some point.

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/515-pom-on-a-pedestal/296704

495 Autumn Cluster

I was away on vacation without paints for a week. I felt a little rusty today, but am eager to get back to the routine. The reference photo for this paintings was taken a little more than a week ago. Many more leaves have fallen since then.

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/495-autumn-cluster/289025

488 Nestled In

These peppers came in yesterday's farm box. The green peppers are changing color by the minute, so tomorrow I may have a completely different still life.

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/488-nestled-in/275601

479 Eggplant Variety in a Yellow Bowl

I believe these are Asian eggplants, and I bought them from the farmers market because I thought they were so pretty.

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/479-eggplant-variety-in-a-yellow-bowl/273533

476 A Delicate Balance

An odd pairing, I know.

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/476--a-delicate-balance/272976

459 Red and Leafy

The red leaf lettuce is a very strange color. Not really red, not really green. Almost both colors in the same place.

Painting has not yet been varnished to avoid glare in the photograph. Colors will be more vibrant and apparent after varnishing.

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/459-red-and-leafy/258363

453 Gems in a Morning Glory Bowl

A few years ago, I got good advice which I have tried to heed with each and every painting: What are you trying to say? Don't just paint a pretty picture, make it mean something. The message may not always seem obvious, but I assure you, there is something I am trying to communicate.
What, you might ask, am I trying to communicate with all these blue and white bowls filled with fruit or vegetables?

Yesterday, I received a comment from Carol A. Ball, another Daily Paintworks artist, regarding my painting "451 Better Than Candy," which is similar to this one. She wrote, "What a lovely painting. It just makes me happy and reminds me of home and food and cooking and family. Good work."
BINGO!! That is exactly what I want to communicate. I couldn't wait to paint today.

Here is a link to Carol's Daily Paintworks gallery:
http://www.dailypaintworks.com/artists/carole-a-ball-4878/artwork

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/453-gems-in-a-morning-glory-bowl/256921

429 Fresh From the Farm

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/429-fresh-from-the-farm/249100

425 Two Grannies

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/425-two-grannies/248315

424 Two Plus One Times Two

I really enjoy setting up these still lifes with reflections. For every painting, there are so many crazy set ups that just don't cut it.

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/424-two-plus-one-times-two/248222

416 Tomato Duo

I have enjoyed this series of paintings and have learned a lot in the process. It has been enlightening to set the objects in many different compositions to see what works and what doesn't. This bowl, the only consistent object, has gotten a lot of "press." The artist is Jean Smaglik Wells and her work is beautiful.

411 Pearl Onions in the Spotlight

I really enjoyed painting the mandarin oranges from a copyright-free photograph, and was curious to try to recreate the conditions that produced the reflections of the oranges. I experimented with set ups to try to accomplish the same effect. I was happy to see these pearl onions in my farm box this week and spent a lot of time arranging different items to achieve the desired effect.

People often ask me how long it takes to paint a daily painting. A gallery owner advised me to say
"61 years" (my age) because it took me this long to get to this place. But truth be told, there is so much research that goes into a painting, and no one ever sees that. First comes the idea, the research, then experimenting with the set up, the sketching and developing the color palette. Analyzing whether what you want to paint will translate into a painting takes time, as well as a gazillion other factors. Then, of course, the actual painting, the photographing, the title, the posting to blog, etc.

I am very lucky to be able to do what I love at this time in my life. I am a happy person when I can devote the necessary time to become a better painter.

This is a longer post than usual. I apologize if it is more than desired. I am exploding with creative ideas and possibilities. Thank you for your patience, support and encouragement. It is very much appreciated.
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406 Cheer

Life is a Bowl of .... Strawberries

A wonderful friend/mentor/teacher advises "Never fall in love with your painting....it is the kiss of death." I have kept that advice in mind with each and every new painting, hearing her voice speaking the works. I "really like" this painting, although I am so frustrated with the photographing/scanning process. The image I see just doesn't do it justice. The strawberries have so many beautiful reds/oranges and the background is my nemesis color, in the YELLOW family.

These are the strawberries my neighbor picked for us. They are long gone and I didn't share them with my husband. HUH!

397 Fully Decorated

These are mockingbird eggs and many thanks to Victoria for providing this beautiful reference photo.

For a direct link to Daily Paintworks, and to purchase, click here:
http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/397-fully-decorated/240618

393 Deluxe Accommodations

Mother/father birds are very resourceful when building their nests. I love to see the found objects they use. We once knew a woman who left her thread and yarn snippets out for the birds.

Barbara Tester took the photo reference for this painting. It is not known how the blue fiber became a part of this nest, but the eggs had a cushy little room, hence the title.

To be directed to Daily Paintworks and all 393 of my daily paintings, or to purchase, click here:
http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/393-deluxe-accommodations/239453

371 More Feathers

I am re-learning a lot about watercolor and enjoying this experience

364 Cheek to Cheek

363 Anticipation

A little exercise in tromp l'oeil.