What's up chickadee?

I've been so busy lately that I am totally not keeping my head above water. I know you all know what I'm talking about. But it's all good and I'm still squeezing in painting time as much as I can. It does bring me peace in the chaos...

This sweet little chickadee, an original 6"x6" oil painting is on 1 ½" gesso panel painted on gold foil, needs a loving home. Find our more here.

cooper's hawk

This original 6"x6" oil painting on ⅛" gesso panel is available, unframed, for $100 here.

rooster

I was just totally in the mood to paint a rooster this morning and I had so much fun with color subtleties in this handsome fella! Boy do I love color!

This original 8"x8" oil painting is painted on a 1 ½" raised panel and is available for $200 here.

red finch

After a week away on a much needed vacation, as always, I have the crazy feeling that I may have forgotten everything I ever learned about painting while I was away. So I was kind to myself and painted this sweet red finch that I am very familiar with and love doing. So now the crazy fear is gone and I can move on, full steam ahead, refreshed and energized. Nothing better!

This original 6"x6" oil painting on 1 ½" raised panel is available, unframed, for $130 here. No frame is necessary, can be displayed as is. Sides are painted gold.

Here are more early bird paintings that you might enjoy!

white-breasted nuthatch

A common feeder bird with clean black, gray, and white markings, White-breasted Nuthatches are active, agile little birds with an appetite for insects and large, meaty seeds. They get their common name from their habit of jamming large nuts and acorns into tree bark, then whacking them with their sharp bill to “hatch” out the seed from the inside. White-breasted Nuthatches may be small but their voices are loud, and often their insistent nasal yammering will lead you right to them.

This white-breasted nuthatch is an original 8"x8" oil painting on ⅛" gesso panel and is available, unframed, for $160 in my Etsy shop here.

soft heart

This original 6"x6" oil painting is SOLD.

green heron

Green Heron is an original 6"x6" oil painting on ⅛" gesso panel. It is available, unframed, for only $100 here.

Junco

How cute is this little guy? He's a Junco. This original 6"x6" oil painting is on a ¾ inch panel with painted sides so it doesn't need a frame for display. It's available for $100 here.

poised

Poised, this finch is all ready to go as soon as a wonderful opportunity comes his way. And he's certain that it will. We all need that blind confidence that the next great thing is right around the corner, because it always is!

The House Finch is a recent introduction from western into eastern North America, but it has received a warmer reception than other arrivals like the European Starling and House Sparrow. That’s partly due to the cheerful red head and breast of males, and to the bird’s long, twittering song, which can now be heard in most of the neighborhoods of the continent. If you haven’t seen one recently, chances are you can find one at the next bird feeder you come across.

This original 6"x6" oil painting on ⅛" gesso panel is available, unframed, for $100 in my Etsy shop here.

sassy

This sassy bluebird is 6"x6" and painted in oil on 1/8" gesso panel, sold unframed, for $100 here.

gray catbird

How a gray catbird helped me get my day off to a great start...

I got up late today and thought I wouldn't have enough time to fit in my daily painting. Whenever that happens it makes me start my day off feeling a bit disappointed. Since one of my words this year is Yes (you can read more about that on my blog here), I decided to try to fit in a painting anyway. Well, everything worked out and I was able to see gray catbird come to life, and I must say, I am quite pleased with the colors and the brushstrokes... plus, added bonus, I got to work early to boot! It is amazing what you can accomplish when you say yes!

This original 6"x6" oil painting on ⅛" gesso panel is sold, unframed, for $100 here.

bah humbug

So very much hoping this isn't a reflection of me during this crazy hectic season. Sadly, I think it is. I meant for him to look happy. But this is how he was feeling this morning. Bah humbug. I'm doing my best to keep and eye out for the holiday spirit sometime soon :) This could be a great holiday gift for an art lover/Christmas nay sayer in your life...

This original 6"x6" oil painting on gesso panel is available for purchase, unframed, for $95 here.

cooper's hawk

This original 6"x6" oil painting on ⅛" gesso panel is available, unframed, for $95 here.

baltimore oriole

This original 6"x6" baltimore oriole original oil painting on ⅛" gesso panel is available, unframed, for $95 here.

eastern phoebe

This is Phoebe. A sweet and thoughtful little bird. You can just see it in her eyes. 

This morning I was listening to another Art Pro Podcast. The interview was with an artist named Bianca Bello (her website is wildhumm). Her art is super fun and she's an inspiration because she became an artist mostly by accident while getting her masters in chemistry. And she's making it work. I love hearing stories of people with a love for art actually making it in the real world, and being able to support themselves with their art. I can happen!

This original 6"x6" eastern phoebe bird painting is available, unframed, for $95 here.

lookin' up

How sweet is this little guy? Just lookin' up, knowing something amazing is bound to happen if he just waits patiently :)
This original 6"x6" oil painting on ⅛" gesso panel is available, unframed, for $85 here.

big magic

Each morning choosing a title for my painting is much, much more challenging than creating the painting itself. They are usually pretty random. I actually keep a list of words and phrases that either sound fun, like I want to roll them around in my mind for a while, or else I pull them out of something inspiring that I've saved for one reason or another.

For today my title came from this quote that I found inspirational from artist Meredith Pardue.  This appeared in Elle Magazine.

"Create your work with passion, with ferocity, and do so from a place that is yours and yours alone.  Take elements that speak to you from those whose work you admire, take it from the world around you, TAKE it, and make it YOURS. Do it again. And again.  Work for it. Then work harder. Fail. Get up. Do it again. Work, work, work. It is not easy, and it is not fast. Do it anyway. Put in the thousands of hours. Put yourself at risk.  If you don’t, then you are not being innovative.  Someone will always be better than you.  That is ok. You are not here to compete or compare yourself with others. You are here to find your own way. Be innovative.  Work hard, and be relentless. Or go do something else—because forging a career as an artist is not for the faint of heart. 

Save money early on in your life, and take advantage of your youth and of compound interest.  Invest small amounts of money monthly throughout your college years and into your twenties, and you will have much more financial security later in your life without having to put out the money—freeing yourself from a stifling existence of working a job you dislike, freeing up your time to create.   Live below your means.  You do not have to live in NYC or a big city to be a successful artist.  

Do not compromise your work based upon what is trendy.  Keep your ego in check.  Travel—make it a priority, especially in your twenties.  You do not have to have a lot of money to see the world, and nothing opens your mind and enhances your perspective like traveling to new places.  Read.  Visit museums.  Educate yourself.  You will never “arrive.”  What you imagine or hope will be your greatest achievement or peak experience will probably be anticlimactic.  Most of your true successes will happen privately.  It is easy to be free in your twenties, but it gets more challenging as you get on in your life and your responsibilities increase, as you have a family—stay your course.  

So, I've got a lot of work ahead of me because I don't have the advantage of being in my 20's. But I do have plenty of perseverance, and I'm not afraid to work hard. This is great advice at any age, right?

"Big Magic" is part of my growing series of bird paintings titled "early bird." This original 6"x6" oil painting on ⅛" gesso panel is available, unframed, for $95 here.

sparrow

This cute sparrow is freshly painted on Monday morning. He's too wet to make it into my 2017 calendar, but happy to be part of the growing collection of birds inspired by the wonderful photography by my East Pete friend Marvin Stauffer.

This original 6"x6" oil painting on ⅛" gesso panel is available for purchase, unframed, for $95 here.

hello

Part of the fun of painting birds is seeing them come to life. It's almost like I start the painting with a vision of what it will become, but then it takes on a life of it's own. Before I know it, there is a bird, with it's own unique personality, looking right at me. :)

And here is a glimpse of who might be looking up saying hello, back.

This original oil painting is sold.

rooster

Original 6"x6" rooster oil painting by Kim Smith. One in a collection of fresh and stylish bird paintings. Painted on ⅛" gesso panel. Sold unframed. Available for $85 here.