Another 100 days indeed!
I'm praying this year I can actually accomplish the task.
Last year, computer issues and just plain life got in the way.
I gave myself grace to not post, even though the paintings were completed.
Today marks 100 days until the set up at the Annual National Shrimp Festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
This year begins with preparation, preparation, preparation.
The sepia series is turning sweet 16 this year.
Most series do not last that long.
Either the artist gets bored, or the collectors stop collecting.
I am fortunate indeed that neither of these scenarios have produced themselves.
So, I keep painting them!
Which brings me to today's post.
Preparation.....
As you can see, this requires a lot of paint!
Unfortunately, I can't seem to remember the mixture from year to year, and I always put out too much Burnt Sienna. This year I emptied the brand-new tube and had to scramble to find enough ultramarine blue to drop it into the color needed. Consequently, I have over 12 ounces of paint.
Let me tell you, it is hard to mix that much paint at once.
It goes everywhere, your knuckles, your clothes, the table, the jar you're trying to fill.
My paint is ready for the next year of works leaving my studio.
Why mix so much?
I try to keep the mixture the same from year to year.
This allows me to pull from the large jar, keeping a continuity along the works for that year.
This also allows collectors to come back to add to their collection.
As you can see, it took a while to get the mixture correct.
The one on the far left is the last of 2024, for me to color match.
The plate was very full, once everything was mixed properly.
Two jars ready to go!
Preparation....
I am officially starting a new series this fall,
to be completed for the National Shrimp Festival in October.
This series was introduced in the spring.
I did two paintings, and the response was incredibly positive to feature them in future shows.
I sold the turtles and still have the octopus.
They are labor intensive, requiring a lot of thought and work to make them beautiful.
They are works on round wood, much like the series that has been stopped because of availability of the round wood signs from Hobby Lobby.
Each round has to be painted white several times and them has a carefully drawn, cut, and sanded dimensional piece of wood mounted on the edges of the rounds.
They have such personality and depth!
I'm working hard to make an entire 10-foot wall of them in several sizes.
Today I laid out several of them which will require several hours of scroll sawing and dremel tool work.
I'm excited to show them to you this 100 days.
The plan is for a total of 24 of them ranging in size from 12 inches to 24 inches.
New series, VBS Dinosaurs and sets, grandson.
It's going to be a busy summer, and I wouldn't have it any other way!
Another 100 days begins, Day 1 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2025
