This is one summarized post of the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge from September 2016.

​LADY BIRD SUNRISE - SOLD
​Day 30 of the Strada Easel 30 paintings in 30 days painting challenge: Whew!!! It's done! Thanks go to Strada Easel for providing an incentive to complete this mission without missing a single day. My 30th painting is from the Mopac pedestrian bridge over Lady Bird Lake in Austin. The challenge in this painting (other than the light changing by the second) was to stay out of the way of the hikers & bikers. No tripod, just standing at the rail holding my small pochade box to paint the scene. The area was much busier than usual with our ACL music festival getting underway today. Thank you all for your kind words of encouragement, the likes and support. It means a great deal to me

ENCHANTED EMPORIUM - SOLD
Day 29: I was blessed to paint with the Plein Air Austin group today at the Wizard Academy property. Just Southwest of Austin, They have a beautiful outdoor wedding chapel with an awesome view that they let people use for FREE! The trick is to sign up for a slot very early. This painting is a side view of the building that houses the Enchanted Emporium.

SUNKISSED - 6"X6" OIL ON ARCHIVAL PANEL   $100  Buy here
Day 28: This morning's painting didn't get finished because I wasn't fast enough to capture it before the light changed dramatically, so I stopped on the way home to paint this one.  I was struck by the way the sun painted the grass and flowering trees and loved how it looked against the shadowed side of the building.

ON THE ROAD TO WACO - 6" x 6" - Oil on Canvas - Available here
​Day 27: Another trip up the highway for work today. The scenery in Central Texas between Austin and Waco is varied and includes rolling hills, farms and ranches. I've been making this drive about twice a month for over 10 years, and never tire of the sunrises and sunsets and beautiful vistas along the way. I am truly blessed. This is the 27th day of the 30 day painting challenge, and I have surprised myself by not missing a single day. I apologize for multiple postings as I figured out that when I assign the pictures in a post to an album, FB changed the "post" to "upload" & didn't show the accompanying text & hashtag that was necessary for the challenge. Just about the time I figure it out, FaceBook will change it all.

Just Hanging Out - 6" x 6" Oil on Panel - Available here
​Day 26 of the Strada Easel 30 paintings in 30 days challenge: Juicy paint for a cloudy rainy day. Just after the rain stopped, the sky was darker in some spots than the field. it was really eerie light! 

Ferdinand - 6" x 6" Oil on Linen  - Available here
Day 25: Does anyone remember the story about Ferdinand the Bull? This one seemed more of a Ferdinand (just wanting to sit around and smell the flowers) than a Bevo. Another cloudy, rainy day...sigh. Once the rain started, though, he got up and stood with his head in the little shed...the rest of him was out in the rain.

A Rose for You - SOLD
​Day 24: Zilker Botanical Gardens. The roses are still pretty, but most of them were past peak this morning. It was very cloudy and grey so I was looking for some color. Of course, the minute I had everything out of my backpack, and set up, the sun came out and shined directly into my panel, giving me exactly the wrong angle for painting (you don't want sun on your painting surface or the painting will look fine outside, but be too dark once you take it inside). so, since I didn't have my umbrella, I moved everything around to the other side of the garden, and got busy.

Happy - 6" x 6" Oil on Archival Panel -  Available here
Day 23 of the Strada Easel 30 paintings in 30 days challenge. Revisiting crepe myrtle...more abstract this time. ​

New Day - SOLD
​Day 21: Today was a travel day. Just an hour & 1/2 to Waco (coming and going) but I left early, about an hour before sunrise, so that I would have time to grab a quick painting along the way...and QUICK it was! Sunrises change by the second so you don't have much time at all. Fortunately I had already set out some piles of paint, so I didn't have to start from scratch. I was watching the clock as I drove, and exited about ten minutes before sunrise so I could be set up in time (note to self: ten minutes before sunrise is not enough time)

Congress Ave Bridge - 6"x6" Oil on Linen $100 - Available here
​Day 20 of the Strada 30 paintings in 30 days challenge: 2/3 of the way through! Several years ago, I painted at this same spot with a great view of the Congress Ave Bridge. (behind the Four Seasons). However, when I went there this morning, I found the viewing platform fenced off(it is falling into the lake). Since I could still see the bridge, I set up behind the fence and got to work.

Evening Shadows - SOLD
Day 19: Today I had no clue what I would paint, so I just started driving until I found something that caught my eye, and that sparked a memory of another place I had long wanted to paint. Sometimes you have to follow the Nike motto and "Just Do It". I'm really more of a planner, so this goes against my nature...but I had to do SOMETHING. Another benefit of the commitment to paint 30 paintings in 30 days...if I hadn't already committed, I probably would have gone home and read yet another art book or magazine, and wished I could paint that good. 

Morning Glory - SOLD
​Day 18: Today's painting was a little demo for my nieces' (Maggie & Beth) and their friend Genevieve to help them earn their girl scouts outdoor art badge. I brought my backpack and showed them all my equipment for plein air painting and then painted in their back yard. Maggie's biggest concern was how I cleaned up my palette.

Morning at Pennybacker Bridge - SOLD
​Day 17 of the Strada easel 30 paintings in 30 days challenge. I finally made it back to paint the Pennybacker bridge. The challenge today was in drawing that thing! But it was a beautiful morning and the early light hit the horizontal beams, giving me some very warm color to offset the greens and blues. The other challenge was making sure I didn't step back too far and fall off my perch.

The Early Birds - 6"x6" Oil on Archival Panel - Available here
Day 16: The hike and bike trail around Lady Bird Lake. I love walking this trail early in the morning. Today was more challenging trees... More clouds that kept hiding the sun. However, I'm already feeling the benefits of painting every day. I've found that I CAN find time to paint even if for only a little while. It's easier to start each one as my confidence grows. Even when they don't come out like I want them to, I learn something. Plus, I've been inspired by others who are also participating in this 30 paintings in 30 days challenge. ​

Evening Peace - 6" x 6" Oil on Archival Panel - Available here
Day 15 of the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge. Halfway through. Sun dappled trees are a challenge every time. It was fairly late when I started this painting, and the light was pretty much gone in 40 minutes. This one was painted on an Ampersand panel, tinted lightly with cadmium red light hue.​

Rain to the West - SOLD
​Day 14: I started this one last night, looking over MoPac to the west this time. Since the clouds were totally different tonight, I had to rely on value notes and memory to finish it. 

Evening Clouds over Austin - Available here
Day 13: This is from the same vantage point as the painting from Day 2...the top floor of my parking garage overlooking Zilker park toward downtown. It rained a bit as I was completing the painting, so I moved under the cover of my Subaru hatch. You have to keep a completely open mind when painting en plein air. With the cloud cover, the scene that I stalked out yesterday no longer had light filtering through the trees...but the sky was very dramatic, so I completely switched gears and went where I could see the sky. Oh, and I was carded by the security guard. He said they have a lot of trespassers but I was the first painter. ​

Mighty Fine - SOLD
​Day 12...Another food truck... Mighty Fine! (you can tell what I think about at lunch time). 

Land of the Free - 6"x6" Oil on Canvas Panel - Available here
Day 11 - 9/11. With my mind tuned into the significance of today's date, I was drawn to paint an American flag in tribute to those who lost their lives that fateful day 15 years ago. Another drive-by painting as my friend, Virginia, would say. ​

Partly Sunny - 6" x 6" Oil on Panel - Available here
​Day 10 of the Strada Easel 30 paintings in 30 days challenge:"Partly Sunny". This morning I set up my umbrella and easel while the sky was still dripping rain. I'd only have a small window of time between rain storms and other activities to get my painting in. The crepe myrtles have been so beautiful this year, and I wanted a couple m ore shots at them before they fade. 

Kebabalicious - SOLD
Day 9 of the Strada Easel 30 paintings in 30 days challenge: "Kebabalicious". Austin loves it's food trucks! We have several that rotate to come serve our office complex adjoining Zilker Park and today was Kebabalicious day.

The Peaceful Arbor - SOLD
Day 8 of the Strada 30 paintings in 30 days challenge: This little arbor is on my way home from work. Any suggestions for a name for this painting would be much appreciated. Oh, and I was lazy, and painted it from the front seat of my car...with the air conditioner blowing. Is that cheating?

Come on the Back Gate - SOLD
Day7 of the Strada 30 paintings in 30 days challenge: "Come on in the Back Gate". It was 92 degrees when I painted this one late this afternoon. But I found a (relatively) cool spot in the shade and got to work!