Breaking the Monet-any

For about a month now, I've been quite focused on my little single fruit still lifes; painting these "still lifes" in my everything but still life. Two nights ago I took a break from the still life.
I got out my knife (palette knife).
I put some Justin Timberlake on the Pandora
And I went Monet-ing.

I've gone Monet-ing with a knife before and it's better than chocolate (I'm not talking American chocolate, because we all know that crap sucks, I'm talking Swiss chocolate.........ohhhhhh or Belgium chocolate, even better.....wait, no, not Belgium chocolate. It's not better than Belgium chocolate. So, ya, better than Swiss chocolate).
It's really quite calming to don your knife and paint till you get that Monet high (similar to Belgium chocolate).

I dug up a picture from 2010 from the Denver Botanic Gardens of one of the lily ponds. A time when life was simple. One child simple; working 2 nights a week, 5 days off, sleeping till 9, no school drop offs, pickups, no fighting over whos pancake is "lighter" (Yes, they fight over who has the ligher pancake....I know, makes no sense) .....Just a slow, peaceful, quiet pond of a life.

Colorado Pond Performers (2016)
Oil on Clay Board 8x8
Place a Bid

Orange you Lilies Something (2016)
Oil on gesso board 5x7
Place a Bid

These days, it's important to have a useful knife (and did I mention Belgium chocolate....because that's important to have too....really, really important). 

-Cheree 

Things that make you go hmmmmmm mmmmmm mmm

I have not been painting at 4am for months now.
It's too dark and cold. And I'm too tired.
So, instead I've been staying up late, which is why I'm too tired to get up at 4am.

This has created a disturbance in "Information Central".
For those who don't know what Information Central is, it's the living room.
But for the Peacock, it is the heart of the ship he is guiding, the control center for the Master of the Universe, all informing, all powerful, all knowing. Bow down to the great TV in our living room......
Information Central.
This is where the peacock will laugh with Stephen Colbert, survive with Cody Lundine, converse with Rachel Maddow, yell at Joe & Minka, celebrate the Wisconsin Badgers, and bond with the kindred souls of Chris Hayes & Thom Hartman.
Information Central: Good friends, Better conversation, Always informed.
The rules for Information Central include:
1. Do Not override ANY of the DVR shows set to record.  
2. No E! or WE or OWN or any of that other stupid crap, it is harmful to Information Central. 
3. No interrupting the shows unless you have cut your arm off, are drowning in your own saliva, or dinner is ready. 

Well, for the past few weeks I've been painting my fruity little still lifes while the Peacock does his fruity little work and bathes himself in all that is Information Central. So far I have not been banned, but I have been placed on warning a few times. Here are a few of the creations done in Information Central......

2 Pears (2016)
Oil on clay Board 6x6
Place a Bid

Bowl of Cuties (2016)
Oil on clay board 6x6
Place a Bid

Berry Proud (2016)
Oil on clay board 6x6
Place a Bid

Oh and
4. No humming.....apparently
-Cheree

Unnecessary Roughness

The classes I've taken lately, I've painted with very talented individuals. I like learning not only from the instructor, but also from the other, more practiced painters. I usually look forward to this and all that I have to learn. But for some reason, this evening, I was very rough on myself, my painting ability, the painting itself. I was wishing I'd just stayed home sick (I was a bit under the weather I should mention, but I'm somewhat cheap & didn't want to lose my money I paid for the class....ahh, digression back to the blog now)....I was having a hard time seeing the success of it, when others were perfectly capable of seeing it for me. The roughness then digressed to: why am I even here doing this? I'm selfish for doing this....I should be home....I'm a bad parent for taking time to do this for myself......my brain was spiraling out of control. I had to step away from this painting So. Many. Damn. Times and get myself together! It was fooling me. Fooling me of life and fooling me with that damn brown bottle on the orange cloth. That bottle is brown, dark brown, but I can see through it. How the hell do you paint "see through"? How the hell do you see through such darkness? How do I show that there is light even in that dark empty bottle? I know it's just my brain playing tricks on me.

Unnecessary.

Roughness.

Take a deep breath,
Break it all down into smaller pieces of shapes and colors. It's not that rough. In fact, it's easy to get through.  And it is necessary to do it this way.

Still #Four (2016)

Oil on canvas board 16x20

Sometimes stuff is rough,
But rarely unnecessary.
And when you can see through a dark brown bottle, it means that your liquor is out.
-Cheree