Friday, September 13, 2013

"Summer Serenade" original oil painting by Nancy Laliberte

"Summer Serenade"
© Nancy Laliberte
6" x 6" oil on panel
SOLD
click here to view

After a couple of painting sessions mixing soft and subtle "whites," I had to let loose and get some COLOR out of my system.  : )  With this piece, my intention was to capture the personalities of the flowers as they turned toward the sun with their curling and wispy petals. It was as though they were saying farewell to the season, not really wanting it to leave. 

Ironically, the day after I painted these in my garden, the sunflowers were gone. Just the stems remained of their good-bye song. A four-legged critter had come along and had it for breakfast. 

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Thursday, September 12, 2013

"Singing the Blues" original oil painting by artist Nancy Laliberte

"Singing the Blues"
© Nancy Laliberte
6" x 6" oil on panel
click here to view and purchase

Adding in some color with those creamy white blooms, these hydrangeas are from the PeeGee tree in my yard. I love painting those "whites" in light and shadow. They are full of color when you take the time to look and see. 

This is my fourth painting of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days challenge. To some it may seem that I am terribly behind, but my main goal for this challenge is to paint every day even if I don't complete a painting. Every day of painting leads to further exploration and discovery. For me, that is what it is all about. 

Want to try painting in a no pressure, worry-free setting? Come join me this Saturday for the September session of "Playing with Paint," at Hobby Lobby in Rib Mountain. Details can be found here.

Be curious, explore, discover, and enjoy your day!
Nancy

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workshop or class
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Thursday, September 5, 2013

"Endless Summer" original oil painting by Nancy Laliberte 3/30

"Endless Summer"
© Nancy Laliberte
6" x 6" oil on panel
click here to view and purchase

This is painted from life from a still life set up in my studio using hydrangeas from my dear neighbor Sarah's garden. I did not realize that hydrangeas have a sweet, spicy scent. I love it! My challenge with this painting was all about mixing whites and grays. Loved that, too.

And the 30 paintings challenge continues! I started two more today, but did not finish them. (Insert ringing school bell here.) With the start of school this week, I am quickly realizing how important and precious it is to make the most of daytime studio time. (Actually, I already knew that, but let's just say that the awareness has been acutely heightened.) The day goes by pretty fast and then it's Mom-mode time. ; )

The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum's 2013 Birds in Art show kicks off this evening. It runs until November 10th. If you can get to Wausau to see it, I highly recommend you do. It is top-notch every year.

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See more artwork at Nancy Laliberte Fine Art
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Tuesday, September 3, 2013

"Practice Run" original, plein-air oil painting by artist Nancy Laliberte 2/30

"Practice Run"
© Nancy Laliberte
6" x 8" oil on panel
click here to view and purchase

I started this painting a couple of weeks ago when Wausau hosted the 2013 Midwest Freestyle Championships.Some friends and I met at Whitewater Park in downtown Wausau and painted while the kayakers had a clinic and practiced their craft. My family and I went back a couple of days later to watch the competition, and to give me an opportunity to sketch the kayakers in action. In the freestyle competition, participants have a time limit to perform cartwheels, spins and more while in their kayak. It was pretty amazing!  

In this painting, I threw economizing brushstrokes to the wind, and used as many as it took to capture the movement of the water and action of the kayaker. I blocked in the painting using transparent colors and then built up with transparent and opaque mixes--a technique I learned in Dreama Tolle Perry's workshop that I took last fall. Some areas have a lot of paint and some not so much. I have been experimenting with different ways to start a painting including using a toned panel (usually in transparent red oxide), a white panel, and using the transparent block-in technique. Personally, I like to challenge myself and experiment because I always learn something new.   

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Monday, September 2, 2013

"Dockside" original plein-air oil painting by Nancy Laliberte 1/30

"Dockside"
© Nancy Laliberte
6" x 6" oil on museum quality panel
click here to view and purchase

I hope your summer and Labor Day weekend was full of good things. I thought it would be fitting to feature "Dockside" as we bid farewell to summer. How ironic that this morning's temperature was in the 50s. It was still a great day to be dockside!

California artist, Leslie Saeta is encouraging artists every where to participate in her 30 in 30 paintings challenge for the month of September. Even though it is September 2nd, it is never to late to join in. The goal is to paint every day, regardless if you finish a painting or not. And to have fun! 

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Visit Nancy Laliberte Fine Art
Give yourself a Creative Time Out! Check out my Workshops and Classes schedule