Fruit Tree Blossoms

8 x 10 inches, oil on linen panel

 My fruit trees are full of flowers, and looking great.  Decided to trim a few low branches, and just could not let those blooms got to waste.  Today's painting is from one of my pears trees.  Just wanted to share some Michigan Spring time with you.

Mary
Schiros-art.com

only 4 days left

Day 27......

oil on canvas  "Violet Shadows"

                                                                 Available 

     I feel like I got one right!  Had this set up to paint for a few days, and went into my studio just when the light from the window cast such beautiful shadows.  I started painting like there was no tomorrow, I just wanted to capture the natural light a quickly as I could.

Mary

Still time

12 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

Day 26.

    I have to smile as I post this.  I just finished this up, and my husband made a comment after looking at it.  He ask; your doing that daily painting challenge this month?  I said yes.  He said; You have a few more days to go?  yes.  He smiled and said;  you may get it right yet.  The man is my biggest critic and biggest coach...got to love him :)

Mary

Schiros-art.com

Introspective painting

Day 18 of 30 paintings in 30 days......

7 x 5 inch oil

Today I thought I would see what I could do with some left over oil paint, a very small canvas, and a one inch brush.  I was also thinking about the idea of a self portrait.  So I started working on a face, not necessarily mine, just a face.  But as I started painting it I realized it looked a bit like my self as a young girl.  When I was young, people teased me about being too pale, even having a ghostly look.  It really bothered me as a kid, so often I would try my hardest to get a tan, ending up with either some freckles or a heck of a sun burn.  Now that I look back at that I realize what a waste of time it is to worry about what others say.

   Interesting how painting can bring back so many memories and thoughts.

Mary

Schiros-Art.com

WIP

For day 7 of 30 in 30 painting challenge I am sharing the process of my still life.

Stating to get some color going here.  Hopefully Thursday I will have a finished painting to show...
we will see.

Mary
Schiros-art

WIP Still life

Day two of my current still life.  Starting to define some lights and darks.

But I also did my daily painting for the 30 paintings in 30 days.  I rarely work on just one painting at a time.                               The beginning....

The end...........

Palette knife painting, oil on canvas panel 10 x 8 inches

Mary

Schiros-art

Memories

It is freezing here, Winter in Michigan is beautiful but very very cold.  So the last few days I have been thinking about last Summer, and decided painting a few Summer paintings would warm me up.
    This one is from a photo in Linden Michigan, at the Mill-pond in town.

14 x 11 inch oil on wood panel  The Cruise

    This one is of one of my cats "Boots" out in the yard on sunny Summer day....

Oil on canvas 16 x12 inches
Shadow Walk

                                                                      Click to Bid
Started Boot's painting with a combination of tone and underpainting....

   The yellow underpainting is a great way to add extra warmth to a painting.....just what I needed :)

Mary

Making a statement with art

6 x 6 Oil on wood panel

My painting for today.  Yes it makes a statement.  Statements do not have to be Earth shaking, they can be small and simple.  I love old fashioned light bulbs!  I really, really hate those curly bulbs.
Sweet and simple, my statement for the day.

Mary

Two Color Theme

Today decided to follow up with another painting using the 2 complements blue and orange.

Orange Roses,  Oil on canvas, 16 x 12 inches

AVAILABLE AT DPWS

For me picking the colors I want to work with, and keeping the colors to a limited number, makes painting more enjoyable.  Used C.A.S. oils, ocean blue, ultramarine blue, Cad.yellow,  Cad. orange, and white and a  touch of permanent green   Love how opposite colors look so bright next to each other, and also when mixed make the most beautiful grey.  Adding this to the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge.

MARY

day 1

Calendula, 5 x 7 inches, oil on canvas panel

                                                                    Available at DPWs
Day one of a new 30 paintings in 30 days challenge,
(Thanks Leslie Seata ).
Today was to beautiful to be inside, so I pulled a chair up a short distance from one of my gardens, and painted my Calendula (also know as common marigolds).  
   These flowers serve multi purpose, one they are pretty but best help keep bad bugs out of the veggies.
    After I painted them decided to snap some photos so you could get a real peek at my garden edges:)

had to sneak a Cosmos in just because..

 Hope everyone is having a great day!
Mary
Schiros_Art 

From Pencil to Paint

20 x 16 inches oil on canvas

To follow up on my last post, thought I would share the first painting from my last sketching session.  I picked the drawing I liked the best, then drew a grid over it to help decide the lay out.

 From that I sectioned off the area I wanted to redraw on my canvas.  Then I did a quick acrylic painting to use as an under painting.  For the under painting I used Matisse back ground acrylics they are matte and have more tooth that regular acrylics.  When the under paint was totally dry (gave it 24 hours), I finished it in oil.  Used Weber water mixable oils starting with brush work then finished with a palette knife for a little more texture. 

 Mary

Schiros_Art

Second Hand Find

20 x 16 oil on canvas "Last Pear"

Found a wonderful statue at a local shop I just had to get.  It is an amorphous female form that I thought would be interesting to paint.  What I have found interesting, is for how simple a form it is, it is difficult to paint.  I find myself trying to add more information to it than what is really there.  Thought I would share some of the work I have done.

the Satue

quick acrylic painting

quick charcaol

  

Acrylic thought I would add hair, why not?

another acrylic 10 x 8 inches

 












Mary
Schiros_Art

Schiros Abstracts

A summer morning

Walk Around.  oil on wood panel, 10 x 8 inches

         Available at DPWS  

                         Day 16 of 30 paintings in 30 days

    I do not live in a city, but a quiet neighborhood where it is not unusual to grab a coffee in the morning, while still wearing a bathrobe, and talk to the neighbor over the fence about the weather or what we plan to do for the day.  This painting is one of those summer mornings.  It is funny my husband says it looks like a sad painting, but to me it reflects my reality.  I find it odd the different views people have on a subject sometimes, but again that is part of reality.  When painting this I wanted to leave the women’s face undefined so she could be anyone. 

Mary

      Schiros_art 

  

Elephant and Tea

Day 8....

Elephant and Tea, 14 x 18 inches, oil on canvas

 Found another little object that said; paint me! So combined my new favorite tea pot and the little red elephant for day 8 of
30 paintings in 30 days

Mary
Schiros_Art

Tea and Tulips

Tea and Tulips, oil on canvas, 16 x 12 inches

Day 7 of  "30 paintings in 30 days"
Found this little tea pot at a friend's store in Durand MI
Called ReTHINKin It and just could not resist getting it it.
I tend to be a tea pot collector.   The same day I got an order of new oil paint, Rublev Colours,  from Natural Pigments.
Love the paints, creamy and soft , perfect for working this little painting up.  
Nice way to start a new start the second week of the challenge.

Mary
Schiros_Art 
 

a little green paint please

 

 

 

Frog in a Bowl 2, oil on canvas, 10 x 8 inches

For the 5th day of January  2013,   30 paintings in 30 days, a Frog in a water bowl. why not.  On January  4th  I just painted the frog and the bowl, but it need something more, so I repeated the idea adding the water pitcher and like it much better.  Also, I think painting the frog a second time was good practice.

Mary
Schiros_Art
 

Happy as....

Day 3  (30 paintings in 30 days)

Oil on Canvas 12 x 9  inches, Happy Duck

 Another whimsical oil painting for day 3, a duck in a sunday dish...why not.   Think I could have put this little guy in anything and he would have looked happy.

Mary
Schiros_Art 
 

Whimsical week

Day two of 30 paintings in 30 days.
Decided week one will be all whimsical still life paintings.
Using the same mug from yesterday's warm up and add a black cat.  Calling it "Me and My Shadow". 
Oil on canvas, 12 x 9 inches.  off to find another odd ball subject to paint for the 3rd.

Mary
Schiros-Art
 

New Year Warm Up

Taking the "Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days"  challenge, an idea from Leslie Saeta

     Thought starting the year with a small warm up painting would be perfect. 
      Doing warm up paintings is one of my New Year resolutions.  The idea is the same as stretching before a run.  Starting the painting day with small warm up paintings helps to get one in the creative mind mode before working on larger works.  This is something I never thought of until I took a work shop from Robert Burridge.  It is a great idea and has helped me a lot. 

"Brushes are Ready"  Oil on canvas 10 x 8 inches

Mary
Schiros-Art