"Brandywine Brook" by Beth Bathe

"Brandywine Brook", 9" x 12", oil on panel

In preparation of the Chaddsford Historical Society Plein Air Paint Out this coming weekend, I decided I need to get out and paint snow, bare trees and water. Here is all three, on yes and some geese too!

So what did I learn...
Baby it's cold outside. Snow is harder than you think. Have to consider warm and cool shadows. Bare trees are HARD...get enough detail without going crazy. And of course water, I think I am getting the hang of that one!

"Blue Doors" by Beth Bathe

"Blue Doors", 9" x 12", oil on panel

I have a lot of interest in old abandoned buildings. Here is a set a doors from an old factory. The patina on the blue doors with a touch of warm orange showing was a photographer and painters dream! Also had fun with the palette knife on the concrete walls

"Two by Two" by Beth Bathe

"Two by Two", #23/30, 6 x 6 oil on canvas

So today I didn't get a painting even started! Here is painting done a while ago. I like how complementary colors really make the subjects pop.

"Ballerina at Rest" by Beth Bathe

"Ballerina at Rest", #22/30, 8" x 8", oil on panel

This image was from one photographer Bill Taylor's photo sessions. Biggest hurdle today was painting a figure so darn small, on an 8 x 8 panel her face is barely larger than a quarter! This was a nice study for possibly a larger painting, and I loved painting the tutu!

"Posies in a Jar" by Beth Bathe

"Posies in a Jar", #12/30, 6 x 6, oil on panel

Another painting with the blue ball jar, #12 of 30. Tomorrow, Monday, I will try to do two paintings in one day...we'll see!

"The Flock" by Beth Bathe

"The Flock", #8/30, 6" x 6", oil on panel

Day eight of the thirty day challenge! I had taken this shot while traveling out west in Kansas. The birds were flying all around the cattle, all part of the same "flock" or "herd"...

Day 1 - "Go Gamecocks!" by Beth Bathe

"Go Gamecocks #1", 6 x 8, oil on panel

Happy New Year! I have accepted a challenge, Leslie Saeta's 30 paintings in 30 days, In honor of today's Capital One Bowl Game with my beloved South Carolina Gamecocks, here is painting number one. Currently it is the 4th quarter and the Gamecocks are up over the Wisconsin Badgers, 27 to 24....GO GAMECOCKS!

You made bid on this painting in the Daily Paintworks Auction!

"Red Lanterns of Zhouzhaung"

"Red Lanterns of Zhouzhaung", 6 x 8, oil on linen panel

The narrow streets of Zhouzhaung China are lined with shops and restaurants. One afternoon several of us gathered along the canal to paint. Here we are set up painting the scene. I am in the blue shirt. The second photo is my painting in the early stages.

Painting in China...finally

"Summer morning in Zhouzhuang", 6 x 8, oil on linen panel

Finally, here is the first of my paintings done in China. In September I traveled with Qiang Huang and 14 other artists to paint in China. You can visit our group online photo album of our trip here. This painting was painted on the third day after we arrived. After spending two nights in Shanghai we made our way to the ancient water town of Zhouzhuang. The whole town is a museum, and we had the rare opportunity of staying within the ancient town in a guest house that was over 800 years old. This is a place you see very few foreign visitors. We were given a map of the village, but it is all in Chinese so we all had to figure out where we were... On the second morning several of us ventured out along one of the canals to paint. Perhaps, we were the only plein air painting group ever to visit the village because we attracted quite a bit of attention. Many local villagers and Chinese tourists took pictures of and with us like they had never seen westerners before. We were a new attraction! Later in the morning we also ended up right in the middle of shooting a soap opera on one of the bridges...it was a very busy morning in Zhouzhang! Anyway, here is my first painting of one of the many bridges and canals.