That time of year 2

95 $  Click here to purchase

I liked my first attempt at capture nature, and it made me want to explore it further. This one is slightly larger and slightly more abstract. I am having a great time exploring and pushing my limits. Will try to mix things up, but there will be a lot of fall colors for a while.

Orange Lilies

Not For Sale

There is a lot of different Lilies, not sure what common name is for this one, if anyone knows let me know. I took a lot of flower pictures this summer. I did paint a few Lilies in May/June, but this time around my style is so different that it was a totally knew experience to paint it.

That time of year

Wasted, in the trash.

Painting small or large paintings? Well, both has it's advantages. Lately I have been trying to make my art work on smaller formats, but I haven't gone smaller than 8" x 8" (20 x 20cm). Perhaps I will go smaller in the future, but not right now.

I have also at times had problem finding subjects to paint. I should have fun painting it, but hopefully others will like it too. I have tried a few new things this last week. Todays post is one of them, and it triggered me to paint a 12" x 12" painting and a 23.6" x 15.7" painting.
I have cropped a lot of photographs that I have taken to square format, so I have a pile of things to paint from. This was a fall picture, trees with colorful leaves. So I went for it, interpret it, trying to find my style of doing nature.

Partially Abstract Water Lilies - Mini 3

65 $  Click here to purchase

Some motives never get old, or at least you get back to it often. Water Lilies is one of those for me. They don't look like they did a year ago, but I am still having fun painting them. This is the 3rd small one I've done the last week, and I think there will be some more coming soon. I usually go with the attitude, if I don't know what to paint, paint Water Lilies, they are never a waste of time.

Four Horse-chestnuts kept apart 2

 SOLD

I often do a challenge more than once, especially if I like it. This one I did because I did the first one with really dark Horse-chestnuts. I also used an orange under-painting, something I usually don't do. Really like the effect it have on the painting.

 

A lot of bananas

SOLD

 Meant to paint this one for a while, but never got things right. Every attempt ended up something else. Well, finally I got it right and I am pleased with the result.
The photo I posted wasn't good enough, didn't do the painting justice (if any picture does), took some new photos of it, better now at least.

A lot of Apples

Wasted, in the trash.

Lately I have been unsure about what to paint. I know that there is things I ought to paint a lot, to train, to learn, but I put it on hold, perhaps I am afraid of failure. Things I like to paint right now is fruit. Doing it my way. I took a lot of pictures at the supermarket of fruit in their cases. I even arranged some. I like the chaos, to find a close-up from the bunch that gives me inspiration. Here is a lot of apples..... perhaps there will come a painting with even more of them.

Four Horse-chestnuts kept apart

65 $  Click here to purchase

This weeks challenge on the Daily Paintwork homepage is called  The 10 Minute Challenge - Again. This is my take on it. I did have some problems with keeping up the pace & paint drying up on me. Overall I think I did. OK with follow the directions/rules of the challenge, but I did some final finish brush strokes to finish the painting.

This challenge felt a little bit strange, spooky since I recently did "12 squares of waterlily fun 2".

Partially Abstract Water Lilies - Mini 1

  SOLD

Here is the first smaller Water Lily painting I did a few days ago. Tried to keep it light, sharp and fun. Painting for me now is more of a journey. Keeping it rough with bold brush strokes and being spontaneous means that the road is partly unknown. A decision can take a painting in a totally new direction. A year ago I planned everything ahead and the paintings had a calm feeling. I paint so differently today (both good and bad I think).

Partially Abstract Water Lilies - Mini 2

 

65 $  Click here to purchase

When  I painted "12 squares of waterlilies fun 2" I was delighted with some of the single squares and think I will do some small compositions of waterlilies paintings (8" x 8").  This is the 2nd one I did yesterday.
As usual I tried to keep things loose, fresh and have fun with it.

Bell Peppers

65 $  Click here to purchase

I really notice the change in season, it is getting darker early here in Sweden, and I get less daylight to paint in.
I know I will have problem getting decent photos of larger paintings the coming months, so I think I will put more effort in painting small. This is the first one, a painting of bell peppers. It is similar in style to "A lot of tomatoes" painting.

12 squares of waterlily fun 2

SOLD

Before I painted the "Don't play with apples" I felt like doing another 12 squares painting, but the first one took some planning, each square would be like a small painting, but also they should work together. That's why I did the apple one, testing what it would look like if I didn't plan anything, and a square shouldn't work on it's own.

This painting is more like the first "12 squares" painting, but I tried to take the planning and each square a step further. I like the result, but it took much longer than usual to paint.

Don't play with apples

 

Well, this one is a result of not being sure what to paint, gets stuck between 2 ideas, and just let go and had some fun.

Lilac 3

250 $  Click here to purchase

I got a commission a month a go to paint a Lilac painting, I did 2, and the client ended up buying both. I thought I do another one. Took things that I liked from the other 2 and tried to keep it loose and fresh.

Purple Iris 10

250 $  Click here to purchase

I am sure this post will not get many hits, cause in one sense I repeat last post and many will think it is the same.
I like the painting I am going to show at that Exhibition, it is only around 3 months since I painted it,  but it isn't how I would have painted it today, so I gave it a go, almost the same composition, same reference photo. This is how it turned out.

Purple Iris 1

This painting made it to the Annual Fall Juried Art Exhibition in Malmo (Sweden's 3rd largest city). The exhibition is called "Höstsalong 2011" in swedish. This is the first time I tried this, so I am happy to make it.

Apple drowning in Horse-chestnuts

Yes I know, another Horse-chestnut painting, but haven't had time to really getting into a place where I could focus on what to do next, so I continued on the path I was on. I had the idea of massive amount of chestnuts and a hint of an apple, like it was covered or drowning. Here is the result.

Partially Abstract Purple Iris 1

I squeezed in some painting yesterday. Haven't had time to paint, so when the opportunity came I just let go and did this one. I call  it "Partially abstract" because I really didn't hold back. As you all know, I am no realistic painter, but even for me there is degrees, and I think this is one is one of the more "out there" Irises I have done.
Not sure what to think yet, am too close to be objective right now.

Green apple and Horse-chestnuts

My 3rd and for now final Horse-chestnut painting, is a kind of "in your face" composition I wanted it to be over the top, but still simple and kind of calm. As usual I played with my brush strokes, wanted it to be loose and spontaneous.

Horse-chestnuts on the ground

Haven't had much time to paint the last days, but as I told you, did a 3rd take on The Fall's Challenge. I often get ideas about future paintings while I am painting, it can be totally different subjects or ideas of I could do things different than I am doing.
I do think my 8" x 8" paintings are fun and I am satisfied with most of them, but I still think my strengths come through much better when I paint bigger. This one is an example of that.

Lilac 1

Well, I've just painted another horse-chestnuts painting, a larger and warmer version of my last post, but thought I post the first commission Lilac painting I did. Never done Lilacs before this one, so I had to learn and get the feeling of Lilacs.

SOLD

Horse-chestnuts on the pavement

When I finally saw the new challenge on the DPW homepage today, I realized that I rather do last weeks challenge one more time than doing the new one, so I did. Here is my 2nd take on "The fall's challenge".
In a way I think this painting is more "me" than my last post, even though it was more of a play thing, if you know what I mean.