Day 1

Jaunty Spider Conch

(6x8", Oil) Price: $100.00

Well this is the first of my 'Painting a Day' series. It's a 6x8" oil sketch of a Violet Spider Conch sporting a snipped off peacock feather. I'd had this composition idea for twenty-four hours before I actually set it up to paint - from life. That was a big hurdle for me: steeling myself to do this. It took about two hours of noodling paint around and getting comfortable with it. I deliberately did NOT want to overwork it, so it kind of looks a bit rough. I'm really quite pleased with how it turned out, though. Kind of looks like a lady's spiffy hat, hence the title.

Lessons learned:

1. This can work if I just let myself 'go with it'.

2. Even roughly finished paintings have their charm.

3. Big brushes and little boards can be a lot of fun.

See you tomorrow,

Marianne