Sunday, April 30, 2006

#30 "Soleil"


This baby macaw had a very special personality: unfortunately, she passed away from an extremely rare bird disease at just a few months old. For those who own pets, many know how human like their characters can be. JLC SOLD

Saturday, April 29, 2006

#29 Rio Grande River's Edge


A river access just south of Pilar, where the kayaks and canoes put in. New Mexico certainly has some of the finest outdoor recreation spots. JLC

Friday, April 28, 2006

#28 Antique Silver Spoon


Complete with the twisted handle from my grandma's spoon collection; she'll need not know that I use it daily for my coffee. JLC

Thursday, April 27, 2006

#27 Cobalt Marble


In like fashion as a crystal ball, this deep purple glass orb lures one to stare deeply into its' depths as well. JLC

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

#26 Wolf Skull


Another something found in the woods painting; The compound curves, subtle reflective colours, and the complex form of "all" bones make excellent study material for any painter. I like the way the lower lobes of the back of the skull look like eyes in their sockets. I think O'Keefe was on to something. JLC

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

#25 Pinion Pine Cone


These pine cones share the same spiral form as the tree's branch pattern. The practice of painting greatly enhances ones understanding of the subject being painted. JLC

Monday, April 24, 2006

#24 Sangre De Christo Range at Sunset


By heading straight over this range for 50 miles, you end up in Santa Fe. All I need is wings. JLC

Sunday, April 23, 2006

#23 Silver Pitcher


Another antique silver item, silver reflects so beautifully, by painting the pitcher I could see what the pallette colours actually were. JLC

Saturday, April 22, 2006

#22 Mourning Cloak Butterfly

This was painted for a small picture frame I had with the same burnt umber colours in it. JLC

Friday, April 21, 2006

#21 Dawn in the Mora Valley

Very rich in the colours of the light of dawn, sometimes you just catch it right. I may spend a month just doing landscapes, each one could be this dramatic. JLC SOLD

Thursday, April 20, 2006

#20 Leaded Glass Butterfly


The iridescent glass of the wings and the lead figure supporting them made an interesting subject to paint. JLC

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

#19 Mechanical Pencils

Mechanical pencils are great because they never need sharpening, every artist has their favorite tools; these are a few of mine. JLC

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

#18 Rio Grande Gorge,Taos

This landscape can change colour overnight. This is a morning after some rain had fallen, by the end of the day, it could be yet another colour. JLC SOLD

Monday, April 17, 2006

#17 Classical Guitar Crown




This was one challenging piece to paint with all the little details and reflections. JLC

Sunday, April 16, 2006

#16 Candle in Bronze Holder


An Easter candle in a bronze holder, this "keylime" coloured candle seem to glow even without the flame. JLC

Saturday, April 15, 2006

#15 Russian Lacquered Box


With it's red interior and black exterior finish, this little box has always caught my eye. Today I decided to paint it. JLC

Friday, April 14, 2006

In addition to painting, classical guitar has taught me many valuable lessons about dedication, persistence and staying true to what you love. JLC

#14 Tulip in White Pitcher


Paint straight from the tube was bearly bright enough to capture the radiance of this flower due to the white vase. Flowers with their delicate form and texture are a tough subject to paint well, especially my nemesis, the sugar pumpkin flower. JLC

Thursday, April 13, 2006

#13 Espresso Cup


Glazed ceramic reflects light in very subtle ways. This painting was drawn with the brush and sculpted with paint. JLC

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

#12 Tortoise Glass Vase


The amber glass had a neat translucence and pattern, sometimes, I paint an object just to see how to approach the problem of interpreting it in paint. JLC

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

#11 Sir William Crookes "Radiometer"


Sir William Crookes invented this device, Nikola Tesla was so amazed by it that he patented several inventions relating to a radiant energy; not solar or heat energy, but cosmic vibrations of a very high level. Almost as fascinating as watching this thing spin, is how someone could achieve the talent to blow the glass around the contents and still keep the vacuum inside. JLC

Monday, April 10, 2006

#10 Cobalt Vase

Glass is an interesting subject, aside from just painting the object, one is confronted by all the other details being reflected onto and through the glass simultaneously. JLC

Sunday, April 09, 2006

#9 Sunset Show


This sunset changed colour so fast it was dark in minutes. SOLD JLC

Saturday, April 08, 2006

#8 Owl Feather

The blue sky reflecting through the feather's edges was the motivator in this painting. I have my eye open for more cool feathers. JLC

Friday, April 07, 2006

#7 Blue Wasp


There are strange critters roaming all over these hills, this is just one more I've never seen. This wasp literally caught my eye with its' metallic blue and green highlights, very trick indeed. JLC

Thursday, April 06, 2006

# 6 On the Way to Angel Fire, New Mexico

Highway 434 is a remote road through Guadalupita, here the colours change constantly with each passing season; winter is slowly giving way to spring, but not before these clouds continued to build and it began to snow. JLC

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

#5 On Stage Poppy


Posting a painting everyday is certainly not an easy undertaking. It has taken some time to get to a level where it was even possible. Even if one paints very small, the intensity of performing "a painting a day" is an admireable challenge. Developing the skills to paint any object, quickly, with no prior knowledge, would benefit any painter. I am hopeful that my daily studies will increase my knowledge as a painter and refine my brushwork skills. JLC

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

#4 Head of a Young Girl

****April 2006's theme is "A Person, Place or Thing", with an emphasis on quickness in rendereing the subjects in paint. "ThemeWorks" is an artistic journal in the form of small oil studies. This work is based upon "Twelve Monthly Themes" chosen on the 1st day of every month...SEE ARCHIVES... On April 1, 2006, I began numbering the works; #1 through #365, representing one year. All "ThemeWorks" are original oil paintings, executed alla prima and posted daily on this blog. They are painted on archival oil primed materials. For purchase info, e-mail jon@jonconkey.com .. More of my works may be viewed @ www.jonconkey.com.. JLC..