831 Competition

Jean Wells is a Milwaukee potter who makes beautiful art.  I started collecting her bowls and platters many years ago.  I particularly liked her oak leaf,and morning glory themed items, and have painted the bowls so many times in still lifes.  Recently she brought the oak leaf pattern out of retirement, and I purchased two of her vases.  This is the second one painted this week--same sunflowers but the shorter vase.

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/831-competition/520884

830 Leading Lady

I purchased the sunflowers and set them up in my new Jean Wells vase on my still life table.  It was fun to paint a small painting again after so much time.

"830 Leading Lady"
acrylic - 8x6 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/830-leading-lady/520433

dianecampion. blogspot.com

829 Pretending

I have studied this child's face for many months in anticipation of painting his portrait, searching for his true emotion.  In his eyes, I see such sadness, yet he tries to muster up a smile for the camera.  I note that he, like all the other refugee children, have dark circles under their eyes.  Their sleeping conditions are poor at best, and they may be cold or hungry or both.   Fear has to play a part in their emotions, as there is often unrest in the refugee camps.  Many of the children know no life other than in a refugee camp.  These children are The Innocents.  They deserve so much more.

ANERA (American Near East Refugee Aid) tries to give these the children the "more" --- the things we take for granted:  clean water,  warm clothing, shoes, medical attention, schooling---and all of this requires money.  Please consider a donation to ANERA and  "The Innocents Project," which ismy attempt to bring awareness and monetary support of the good work ANERA does in Lebanon andPalestine.  As you know, Lebanon is inundated with refugees from Syria, and it greatly affects their economy.  ANERA is there to help the Syrian and Palestinian children and families.

Here is ANERA's contact information:  www.ANERA.org
ANERA
1111 14th Street N
#400
Washington, DC 20005

Thank you for your consideration.

"829 Pretending"
acrylic - 12x12 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/829-pretending/519842

Open Sesame

This painting has been in the making for quite some time.  I selected the keys, many of which were antique monastery keys, and enjoyed arranging them carefully so as not to look contrived, yet still balanced enough for a good composition.  I'm crazy about painting old things with texture/rust/patina, as well as collections of items, so this was really fun for me. The hardest part of this painting was the background, which I know sounds silly, followed by coming up with a title.  In the process, I found a quote by Pablo Picasso, that I like:   "Action is the foundational key to success"  ---which applies to just about everything, including painting, doesn't it?

"Open Sesame"
acrylic - 36x36 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/open-sesame/519251

828 Just For Fun

This was so much fun!!  I've been working on some LARGE paintings that are very detailed, so as a relief/distraction, I thought it would be fun to do something completely crazy (for me).  I put plastic on the floor and used the extra paint from my palette and lots of medium, squirt bottles and hot water from the shower.  I painted layer upon layer, alternating with hot water showers, and a final coating of white paint, then another shower.  All of this was painted with my fingers!

Just for fun---that was what this was all about.  A new painting is almost finished and I hope you will like it.  I need to look at it with "fresh eyes" several times a day for a few days.

"828 Just For Fun"
acrylic - 16x20 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/828-just-for-fun/518396

see my blog for more information: dianecampion.blogspot.com

In Wine There is Truth (In vino veritas)

I loved these antique hand blown wine jugs, but was really wondering if I could handle painting the complexity of the subject.  I went into it thinking it would be a good learning experience and as it turns out, I loved every minute of the experience.

Finding the right title was a challenge.  "Antique Hand Blown Wine Jugs" just didn't do it for me, so I did a little research.  The title in English and Latin, is one of many common proverbs about wine in everyday language in Italy, wine being an important element.  Basically it means "wine makes people tell the truth."

"In Wine There is Truth (In vino veritas)"
acrylic - 30x24 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/in-wine-there-is-truth-in-vino-veritas-/517104

dianecampion.blogspot.com

827 Interrogation

At this time last year, I was in Taos, New Mexico with my Art Lady friends.  We were painting en plein air on the grounds of the historic E. Irving Couse House/Studio--J.A. Sharp Studio with a beautiful view of the landscape---mountains, trees, vibrant chamisas.  During a break, I wandered and came across a horse farm and many other interesting sites.  The horses were friendly, especially this one, and I remember wishing I had some carrots or an apple to share.    This particular horse intrigued me with his/her marking, clearly a question mark in my mind.

"827 Interrogation"
acrylic - 20x16 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/827-interrogation/516610

826 Russian Olive

I saw this tree in a garden tour of a beautiful property overlooking Lake Michigan, and was attracted to its graceful limbs and soft whispy leaves.  Little did I know until recently when I asked the question, it is an old Russion Olive tree, Eleagnus angustifolia.  It is difficult to find in nurseries because in some states it is considered a "noxious weed," and therefore cannot cross state lines.

I love learning new things during the process of painting.  In addition to learning about this lovely tree, I continued to learn about the color green.  I did not use any green paint in this painting, rather mixed a variety of greens from different blues and yellows.  It was lots of fun and amazing to learn how many combinations there are!

"826 Russian Olive"
acrylic - 15.75x20 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/826-russian-olive/515994

www.dianecampion.blogspot.com