The Collage of My June Paintings

The Collage of My June 2016 Paintings

At the beginning of each month, I share the collage of my work from the previous month.  Here is the one for June 2016.  Rather an odd bunch, I think.  I wasn't as productive as I could have been, thanks to my daughter's high school graduation hoopla--too many events, ceremonies, recitals, and parties! 

I have also been trying to balance my love for oils and watercolors by working on oil paintings in the morning and creating watercolors in the afternoon, in addition to experimental work in my sketchbook and art history reading in the evening.  Yes, it is an ambitious lifestyle, but life is short and as the Romans said, carpe diem is my motto!

Collage of My February Paintings

Collage of My February 2016 Paintings

Another month gone, another post for a monthly collage.  Portraits, still lifes, a big commission painting, and the rest are old paintings that I have reworked.  An odd bunch, I admit.  Yet, I go in the direction my heart points.  There will be more portraits, still lifes, pointillist landscapes and cityscapes in the future!

The Collage of My August 2015 Paintings

The collage of my August 2015 Paintings

I guess I was in the mood for flowers last month.  Look at how many florals I painted in August!  Which painting is your favorite?

50% Off Sale on My Etsy Shop!

click here to go to my Etsy shop

I am back!  I was gone on a family vacation to Denmark, Sweden, and Norway.  I've returned on July 13th.  But, for the last two weeks, I have been crazy busy getting ready for the big sale on my Etsy shop.

There are now 83 paintings on 50% off sale on my Etsy shop.  This is the first time ever I am offering a sale of this scale.  Some paintings are new; some have been reworked and improved; others are my Etsy followers' favorites.  There is something for everybody!

The Collage of My April 2015 Paintings

The Collage of My April 2015 Paintings

April went by so fast amidst flowers!  It may appear that I haven't painted as much as usual, and that's quite true.  I was busier collecting reference photos for the hot days, rainy days, cold days, etc.  Besides, the beautiful weather was hard to resist!

The Collage of My March 2015 Paintings

The collage of My March 2015 Paintings

March is out!  It was a strangely cool March, slowing down the arrival of flowers in my garden.  Despite the uncooperative weather, I've painted many spring flowers from the last year's pictures, as you can see from the above collage.  Do you have any guess on what I will be painting this month?  Spring flowers!

Collage of My February Paintiings

Collage of My February 2015 Paintings

Another month over, which means the time for another collage.  How do you like the collage of my February 2015 paintings?  My focus of this short month was cityscapes and landscapes.  Which painting is your favorite?

The Collage of My January 2015 Paintings

The Collage of My January 2015 Paintings

Wow.  Did I really paint all these fabulous paintings?  I am proud!  As I said in yesterday's post, this month I will be painting in oils, perhaps, landscapes and cityscapes.  I don't know where the flight of my creative imagination will take me and you!

The Collage of My October Paintings

The Collage of My October 2014 Paintings

Last month, I slackened a bit due to the ongoing eye trouble, painting only 15 paintings. What can I say?  I am only human.  Which is your favorite painting?

Collage of My September Paintings

Collage of My September 2014 Paintings

Last month, including reworked paintings, I finished 25 paintings!  As many of my readers may know, September was the month of Leslie Saeta's 30 in 30 challenge.  I didn't participate in it, because I learned from experience that it was unnecessarily stressful.  I don't need the external stimulation, because I am an artoholic who cannot live without art!

By the way, I started a new series of "Cityscapes" with a new section on my Etsy store.  As a big city girl from Seoul, Korea, I love what big cities can offer--monuments, museums, parks, bridges, boulevards, bustling neighborhoods, etc.!  In the coming weeks, you will be seeing lots of paintings of my favorite cities--Paris, London, New York, San Francisco, Washington, DC, Venice, etc.

"Monarchs on Coneflower" (watercolor on paper; 4.5" x 6.5")

click here to buy

"Hanging Out" (watercolor on paper; 6" x 6")
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Collage of My Animal World in Watercolor

This is it.  The collage shows my summer watercolor series of animal paintings.  I have been away from watercolors several years, because I was bored and felt I hit the wall.  I thought I couldn't achieve the rich, luxurious, textural, and painterly feel with the medium.  And I was quite right.  Switching to oils freed me.  I no longer worry about careful underdrawing and am wild with laying down thick paints.  

I also realized that I could be spontaneous with watercolors, perhaps a side benefit of having worked in oils that are more forgiving and "carefree".  My watercolor paintings are not tight. They are fresh, watercolory, and effortless-looking.  I like puddles, blooms, and paints beyond pencil lines.  I adore granulating paints that leave granular residues, such as cobalts and other mineral colors.  I don't use making fluid, because it leaves obvious, tell-tale marks.  In other words, I use watercolors to do things that can be done only with this transparent, fickle medium.  I let watercolor paints and water work their own magic!

Collage of My June Paintings

Collage of my June 2014 paintings

I was very productive last month.  I had to drop several paintings for this collage of my June 2014 paintings. What do you think?  Which painting is your favorite?

Collage of My May Paintings

Collage of My May 2014 Paintings

Here is the collage of my May paintings.  A lot of dots!  If you have a super sharp memory, you may notice three paintings you haven't seen in any of the blog posts this month: the dogwood one, the deer one, and the cupcake one.  It's because I didn't torment you with all my reworked paintings.

There is a story behind the pink cupcake painting.  I have given it away to my Facebook fan last year.  But a collector in Spain bought it out of my website despite the red dot!  What to do? Well, a sale is a sale, so I painted another that looks very much like the original.  This is the first time I sold the same painting twice.  Business must be good!

Collage of My April Paintings

Collage of my April 2014 paintings

How do you like the collage of my April paintings?  I am afraid I didn't paint as often or as many as I usually do.  But there has been a huge development during the month.  While painting "Bluebells Heaven", I rediscovered the joy of pointillism, the technique that I used to play with at the very beginning of my artistic development.

"Evening Walk in Dublin" (mixed media, 14" x 10"; 1996)

"Maine Event" (mixed media, 14" x 20"; 2000)

A new way of expressing my vision has unleashed my artistic enthusiasm.  Every morning, I can't wait to start painting.  You will see many shimmering, "dotted" paintings in the coming months!

A new series of "Dotted Landscape"!

Collage of My March Paintings

Collage of My March Paintings

March is almost over!  What a month it has been!  A snow storm after a snow storm. Yesterday we had an all-day-long snow/hail/sleet/rain "deluge", which caught weather forecasters by surprise and caused a major leak in my storeroom.  I am fervently hoping that I saw the last of the snowflakes for the season.

You may have noticed that I painted only nine paintings during a 31-day month.  Why? My artistic enthusiasm has been flagging.  I had to dig deeper and deeper into my old photo files to look for painting inspirations.  It has been a drag.

But no more.  The long-overdue spring has finally sprung!  My garden is about to burst with spring flowers.  Here are some I caught this sunny morning.

White daffodils

Miniature daffodils being watched over by a pig statue!

Crocuses and snowdrops

Hyacinths buds

Goodbye, winter.  Hello, spring!

"Passionate Poppies" (oil on stretched canvas; 12 x 16") sold

sold

Imagine coming across a field of red poppies.  Your heart leaps with joy!  This is a painting to blast you out of the winter doldrums.

Collage of My February Paintings

Collage of My February 2014 Paintings!

How do you like the collage of my February paintings?  Quite a mixed batch, don't you think? Which painting is your favorite?

Collage of My January Paintings

How do you like the collage of my January paintings?  I was going to take it easy in January, but ended up creating as many paintings as during the previous month.  I guess painting is in my blood!

Off to paint another masterpiece today.  Hahaha.  Have a great month!

My September Paintings Collage

I painted 26 painted in September 2013!

Today is the last day of Leslie Saeta's 30 in 30 Challenge.  I didn't get to finish yesterday's painting, so there you go, no new painting to share today.  No matter.  I am still proud of myself because I created 26 beautiful paintings, one of which I had to drop for the above collage.  One painting a day really adds up!

Today is also the day of the September drawing.  I would like to thank 23 fans who have sent me photos of their pets and other things for the past seven weeks since I started painting from fans' photos.  It has been a great fun and learning experience.  In particular, my pet portrait painting ability grew tremendously, all thanks to your support and participation.

The lucky winner is Desiree Moeller.  Congratulations!

"Sunflowers on Hot Summer Day" (oil on linen; 8" x 10") sold

sold

No other flowers say "summer" as loudly as sunflowers.  In the depth of winter, or on a cool summer day like today, if I want to feel the hot summer sun in my heart, I just have to think of these big, bold, in-your-face, flowers.

By the way, I am back to painting oils.  You wouldn't believe how exciting it is to switch back and forth between mediums.  Watercolors do something oils cannot do; there are things one can do only with oils.  As I told a friend of mine, by renewing my watercolor ways, which were my first love, I doubled the fun!  I am sharing the collage of the paintings I created during my explorations on Yupo painting last month.  Enjoy!

Collage of my Yupo Paintings created in July 2013!