Day 91 Over The Top

ROOF LINE

Another little "building" painting . . . Enjoy!

Today's painting(s) are available - $48 each - 6"x6" oil on panel . . . click the Buy Now button to your right (if you are viewing this via the blog) or click the Kelly Apgar - Daily Paintings link below (if you are viewing this via e-mail)

Day 90 Again!

AGAIN!


Obviously I am intrigued by Mary's little white house . . . remember I have only seen it in a painting of hers . . . but could not resist doing another painting of it . . . larger and I redesigned the composition . . . love this one too! . . . as you can see my work is becoming much more "painterly" . . . which actually makes the overall painting look better from a distance rather than the close up views in these photos . . . feeling good about what is coming off the end of the brush lately . . . really making a conscientious effort to make my paintings my way . . . the miles on the brush are paying off . . . also I am approaching the whole process with a more equal balance of academic and intuitive effort . . . Enjoy!

Today's painting is available - $200 - 8"x10" oil on panel click the Buy Now button to your right (if you are viewing this via the blog) or click the Kelly Apgar - Daily Paintings link below (if you are viewing this via e-mail)

Day 89 The White House

THE WHITE HOUSE

My painting pal Mary did a large painting with this little white house in it . . . which started a whole discussion on buildings and landscapes . . . combining those two elements . . . and varying the sizes and proportions so one doesn't overwhelm the other and so that the "story" you are trying to paint doesn't get split in two . . .and all kinds of other art geeky stuff like that . . . so I decided to do a little painting with a great big white house in it. . . also limited the pallet to Phthalo Blue and Yellow Ochre with a touch of Burnt Umber and Hansa Yellow to better facilitate mixing . . . I love this one! . . . Hope you do too!

Today's painting(s) are available - $48 each - 6"x6" oil on panel . . . click the Buy Now button to your right (if you are viewing this via the blog) or click the Kelly Apgar - Daily Paintings link below (if you are viewing this via e-mail)

Day 88 Out Like A Lion

OUT LIKE A LION

Here's the first stormy sky painting in the series. . . see what I mean I "nail it" then for some reason think I should try a couple of more times to capture that spontaneous painterly effect that only comes with the initial passion and execution . . . love this one though. . . Enjoy!

Today's painting is available - $200 - 8"x10" oil on panel click the Buy Now button to your right (if you are viewing this via the blog) or click the Kelly Apgar - Daily Paintings link below (if you are viewing this via e-mail)

Day 87 Stormy Skies

SKY WORK 1
SKY WORK 2
Here are a couple of "studies" I did when the weather clouded up . . . once again I have done little study pieces AFTER doing a larger piece that turned out well . . . will post that tomorrow . . .until then Enjoy!

Today's painting(s) are available - $48 each - 6"x6" oil on panel . . . click the Buy Now button to your right (if you are viewing this via the blog) or click the Kelly Apgar - Daily Paintings link below (if you are viewing this via e-mail)

Day 86 Got Balls?

BOWL FULL
WHY?


Bet that got your attention . . . today's blog title refers to the fact I found a set of billiard (pool) balls at the thrift store . . . so now I have "balls" to paint . . .Why is the second one titled WHY? . . . because for the life of me I can't make sense of having a #5 pool ball sitting on my counter next to my black kitchen bowl . . . oh well . . . did these during open studio . . . wanted to post them now as there may not be much "still life stuff" for a while . . . trying to paint plein aire as much as possible and going to "figure" session tomorrow . . . so as always I invite you to stay tuned . . . more to come . . . until then Enjoy!
Today's painting(s) are available - $48 each - 6"x6" oil on panel . . . click the Buy Now button to your right (if you are viewing this via the blog) or click the Kelly Apgar - Daily Paintings link below (if you are viewing this via e-mail)

Day 85 Apgar Creek

APGAR CREEK

One more from Glacier . . . If you sit on the bank along side McDonald Creek . . . just a few yards down from the Apgar cabins . . . you can see where Apgar Creek flows into McDonald Creek across the way . . . this painting makes it look awful snowy . . . but the truth is the only snow was right along the bank and in the deep shadows . . . Enjoy!

Today's painting(s) are available - $200- 10"x8" oil on panel . . . click the Buy Now button to your right (if you are viewing this via the blog) or click the Kelly Apgar - Daily Paintings link below (if you are viewing this via e-mail)

Day 84 Getting To Glacier

FROM THE BELTON BRIDGE

Did this little piece while sitting along the base of the Belton Bridge just East of West Glacier yesterday . . . (Middle Fork of the Flathead River) . . . nice start to the GNP plein aire season . . . hope to do a lot more of the park this year . . . still snow along the banks in the shade . . . also went in to Apgar . . . so will post that painting tomorrow . . . Enjoy!

Today's painting(s) are available - $48 each - 6"x6" oil on panel . . . click the Buy Now button to your right (if you are viewing this via the blog) or click the Kelly Apgar - Daily Paintings link below (if you are viewing this via e-mail)

Day 83 Put Your Paint Where Your Mouth Is

SOLUTIONS

One of the critique groups I go to occasionally met last weekend . . .unfortunately we often get wrapped up in what "we" would do to someone else's painting rather than supporting them in finding their own solutions and doing what they deem necessary to their own painting . . . there are hundreds of ways to change/fix/solve problems in each painting . . . that is the individual artist's right and responsibility . . . However . . . today's painting is my interpretation of a possible solution to one of the paintings presented . . . I felt by down playing the foreground (making it just interesting enough to keep the viewer in the painting but not allowing it to become a focal point) . . . the top 3/4 of the painting (sheer cliffs and waterfalls) would be even more magnificence and increase their almost overwhelming presence . . . figured since that was my suggestion . . . I would give it a shot in my own painting . . . I also loved working with French Ultramarine in this piece . . . I haven't had any of it on my palette for over month and have been playing tug-a-war with Phthalo Blue . . . which is a fabulous color but very strong and hard to control . . . using both blues now . . .especially nice for plein aire work . . . Enjoy!

Today's painting is available - $200 - 10"x8" oil on panel click the Buy Now button to your right (if you are viewing this via the blog) or click the Kelly Apgar - Daily Paintings link below (if you are viewing this via e-mail)

Day 82 Weekend Work - SOLD!

SUNDAY MORNING

SORRY SOLD - Thanks Clare in CT!

Spent the weekend working on landscapes . . . here's one from my morning walk . . . the colors of the sky and water are a little washed out in the photo due to the slight variation in their values compared to the dark values in the rest of the painting . . . it almost seems the better the painting the harder it is to photograph . . . I did notice all of the photos look better on the blog (black background) than via e-mail (white background) . . . Enjoy!

Today's painting(s) are available - $48 each - 6"x6" oil on panel click the Buy Now button to your right (if you are viewing this via the blog) or click the Kelly Apgar - Daily Paintings link below (if you are viewing this via e-mail)

Day 81 Three's A Crowd

HEY! SCOOT OVER

One more from Open Studio . . . working on a couple of landscapes today . . . so stay tuned!


Today's painting(s) are available - $48 each - 5"x5" oil on panel click the Buy Now button to your right (if you are viewing this via the blog) or click the Kelly Apgar - Daily Paintings link below (if you are viewing this via e-mail)

Day 80 Bull's Eye

CUDDLED UP ON THE COUNTER

This is a bulls eye composition . . . everything draws you right into the center of the painting . . . not smart not easy to pull off . . . not sure I did . . . was busy contemplating the triad of colors on the palette . . . which I think works great here . . .pulling those colors into the background and putting the counter in with the egg plant color helped . . . anyway Enjoy!

Today's painting is available - $200 - 8"x 10" oil on panel click the Buy Now button to your right (if you are viewing this via the blog) or click the Kelly Apgar - Daily Paintings link below (if you are viewing this via e-mail)

Day 78&79 Control Your Color!

SPRING!
PEPPER & PLANT

Edited these photos for yesterday . . . got interrupted . . . woke up this morning and realized I forgot to post them . . . so you get a double shot today. . . both done during open studio Thursday. . . thanks Cathi for bringing egg plant & peppers . . . I bought the daffodils . . . and I think you can tell by the painting I really wanted to "nail' these . . .

Non-art Geeks may wish to stop reading here!. . .

the photo is a little fuzzy but the truth is I keep the flowers very abstract . . . probably the best thing about these two paintings is that I quit in time . . . rather than fuss with them and "pet" the life out of them . . . also I was adamant about maintaining a cross complement palette (Violet & Yellow) with a triad (Green) under painting on SPRING! and a split complement palette (V, YO & YG) on PEPPERS & PLANT . . . therefore today's painting mantra is . . .

Control Your Color!

There are plenty of elements in your painting that can cause it to fall apart, inaccurate drawing, poor design, over painting, etc. but if you commit to controlling your color from the beginning the harmony you create will carry quite a bit of the load . . . seriously think about that concept . . . poorly drawn or designed works, even those lacking intriguing imagery, are often times held together by harmonious colors . . . not that the color scheme can make up for lacking specific qualities . . . but I am wondering if it doesn't have a more influential impact overall . . .

Okay all you "normal" people may want to jump back in here and read the final paragraph and just plain enjoy the little paintings for what they are . . . more tomorrow!

Today's painting(s) are available - $48 each - 6"x6" oil on panel click the Buy Now button to your right (if you are viewing this via the blog) or click the Kelly Apgar - Daily Paintings link below (if you are viewing this via e-mail)

Day 77 Ugh!

DAYTON HOMESTEAD

PLEASE NOTE THIS IS 8X8 $200
DAYTON HOMESTEAD
6X6 $48

NEIGHBORS
6X6 $48

Well a light bulb finally went on . . . I realized because I don't have an idea or even a picture in my head of what I want "my' landscapes to look like . . . I am struggling with each and everyone of them . . . and although several have turned out fine . . . I don't like them . . . ugh! the self imposed difficulties of an artist's life . . . now I have a better understanding of what the problem "might" be . . . I can struggle to find the solution . . .until then I hope you will enjoy these . . .

Today's painting(s) are available - $48 each - 6"x6" oil on panel click the Buy Now button to your right (if you are viewing this via the blog) or click the Kelly Apgar - Daily Paintings link below (if you are viewing this via e-mail)

Day 76 Odds & Ends Again

TRY AGAIN

SNOW FIELD
Did so many little landscapes this week . . . lost track of what I've posted and what I haven't . . . here are a few . . . of all the pieces I've done this year these are really feeling like . . .practice! . . . definitely haven't made up my mind with where I am going "landscape" wise. . . so doing lots of experiments . . . probably "thinking" too much as well . . . painted up along Dayton Creek today w/ Mary . . . we are having May weather in March! . . . it's been wonderful . . .I'm painting more than posting . . . so stay tune for lots more . . . until then . . . Enjoy!

Today's painting(s) are available - $48 each - 5"x5" oil on panel click the Buy Now button to your right (if you are viewing this via the blog) or click the Kelly Apgar - Daily Paintings link below (if you are viewing this via e-mail)

Day 76 Smoke From A Distant Fire

SMOKE FROM A DISTANT FIRE

Actually didn't see the fire . . . but people are starting to do some "clean up" around their properties and I could see the smoke from our place . . . Have 4 or 5 more little landscapes done . . . but not too happy with them . . . I'm going to have to sit down and do some "academic' color work . . .I have got to limit my palette and keep the color from being so saturated . . . once outside I struggled with too many colors, painting to low key (at the darker end of the value scale) and too high of color saturation . . . I ordered paint today . . . and getting 3 sheets of panels cut . . . so I'll be starting "fresh" and want to be a little more methodical in my approach . . . we'll see what happens!
Today's painting(s) are available - $48 each - 5"x5" oil on panel click the Buy Now button to your right (if you are viewing this via the blog) or click the Kelly Apgar - Daily Paintings link below (if you are viewing this via e-mail)

Day 74 Let Me Try

MY TURN

My painting pal Mary did this view from my studio Thursday . . . thought I would give it a shot . . . very loose and painterly . . . the old trail (road) isn't nearly defined as I made it here . . .cleaned it up quite a bit in order to get the perspective right . . . it goes up and around . . . but notice the brush strokes go back and forth . . . creating a flat plane that rises and curves . . . kinda like this . . . wish I had limited my palette even more . . . Enjoy!

Today's painting is available - $200 - 8"x8" oil on panel click the Buy Now button to your right (if you are viewing this via the blog) or click the Kelly Apgar - Daily Paintings link below (if you are viewing this via e-mail)

Day 73 Just For Fun!

ANTLER ANTLERS

I propped this painting up against the antlers when I was done with it and thought it made an interesting image . . . so you get a little extra today!

Great weekend so far . . . when to an opening of Tom Lewis's work (see link below) . . . nice stuff and one of the paintings was raffled off . . . woo-hoo! . . . I won! . . . will post an image of the piece next month! . . . Thanks Tom! . . . if you are local be sure to see the show at BMAH through the end of the month . . . Tom's website - http://thomasglewis.com/index.php

The critique went great at HMA this morning . . . 10 to 12 of us . . . only thing I like better than painting is talking about painting . . . Thanks to all of you who came and shared your thoughts, ideas and your "joy" of painting! 3 Points to remember from today (of the 387 we talked about)

1. Making Art is hard work . . . be aware your attitude, your confidence (or lack of) and your level of commitment will all come through in the final product.
2. You must define your own "success" . . . only you can honestly and accurately inform your self about the direction, quality and value of your work. Do what "you" need to do in order to accomplish what "you" are striving for!
3. It's the process . . . it's the process. . . it's the process! Determine what the value of making art is to you on a personal level . . . because when it's all said and done all the sales, awards, luck, acceptance and validation from others cannot equal the "joy" of stepping back from the easel and saying "wow! I nailed it!"

Keep painting and if you don't paint . . . keep encouraging those of us that do . . . because even though this is a personal "painting" journey . . . we're still human and it's nice to know we are "creating" some kind of reaction!

Today's painting(s) are available - $48 each - 5"x5" oil on panel click the Buy Now button to your right (if you are viewing this via the blog) or click the Kelly Apgar - Daily Paintings link below (if you are viewing this via e-mail)

Day 72 One That Got Away

ONE THAT GOT AWAY

Took photos of these little landscapes and missed this one some how . . . sanded 3 2'x4' sheets of gessoed panels today . . . was nice enough to do it all outside . . . 56 degrees! . . . finished my pochade too! see photos below . . .
Today's painting(s) are available - $48 each - 5"x5" oil on panel click the Buy Now button to your right (if you are viewing this via the blog) or click the Kelly Apgar - Daily Paintings link below (if you are viewing this via e-mail)

Day 71 Frosted Flakes

FROSTED FLAKES

Here's what the mountains look like when they get just enough snow to frost the trees all the way to the valley floor . . . great time at open studio today . . . I spend most of it gessoing panels . . . almost 50 square feet of painting surface . . . will sand panels tomorrow . . . and hopefully finish my pochade so I can take photos . . . oh yeah and do some painting too . . . until then . . .Enjoy!

Local artists please join me this Saturday morning at 10am at HMA for the monthly critique!

Today's painting(s) are available - $48 each - 5"x5" oil on panel click the Buy Now button to your right (if you are viewing this via the blog) or click the Kelly Apgar - Daily Paintings link below (if you are viewing this via e-mail)

Day 70 Fast Food

FAST FOOD

FAST PAINTING

Realized about 20 minutes ago I didn't have a "new-new" painting for today's blog . . . was easier to paint something real fast . . . than go through the paintings I have already photographed for the day but haven't edited yet! . . . spend most of the day building a "pochade" . . . pronounced poe-shod . . . french for sketch box . . . I'm making a small light weight painting box that can be hand-held or attached to a tripod . . . for plein aire painting . . . will add photos of it as soon as it's complete. . . another work day tomorrow . . .gessoing and sanding panels . . .until then . . . Enjoy!

Today's painting(s) are available - $48 each - 5"x5" oil on panel click the Buy Now button to your right (if you are viewing this via the blog) or click the Kelly Apgar - Daily Paintings link below (if you are viewing this via e-mail)

Day 69 Copper Teapot

COPPER TEAPOT

This old teapot (it's always been dented and never had a lid) has been in the family for as long as I can remember . . . I think my mom or dad may have found it years ago up at South Pass near Lander, Wyoming . . . I know we've had it since the mid sixties . . . my mom used it for flower arrangements and I remember her doing an oil painting of it once. . . later it was used on top of the wood stove at the mission trail house. . . it now sits on the stairs going up to my loft studio . . . one of my aunts might remember something else about it . . .or maybe my older brother . . . if nothing else it's a great example of a picture being worth a thousand words . . . as the painting is nothing special but there's a lot to say about the image . . . Enjoy!

Today's painting(s) are available - $48 each - 5"x5" oil on panel click the Buy Now button to your right (if you are viewing this via the blog) or click the Kelly Apgar - Daily Paintings link below (if you are viewing this via e-mail)

Day 68

UGLY DOG & OBAMA

MUDDY BARN BOOTS

WHEN WINE SLEEPS

Do you suppose Kurt & Carol are attempting to become famous through my blog? :)

They sure have been the instruments of inspiration this last week . . . here are paintings from the wine they delivered to us night before last . . . they had fun picking it out . . . and I had fun painting it . . . image how much fun we'll have when we actually open it and try some!

The titles don't refer to the actual names of the wines" but they are a "play on words and images" based on the labels . . . have a wonderful trip you guys! . . . they rest of you will just have to enjoy the paintings! Hope you do!

Today's painting(s) are available - $48 each - 5"x5" oil on panel click the Buy Now button to your right (if you are viewing this via the blog) or click the Kelly Apgar - Daily Paintings link below (if you are viewing this via e-mail)

DAy 67 Melting Fast

SNOW CAPPED
SNOW ALONG THE TRAIL

There is actually about 1/8 of this much snow in one shady spot on the trail . . . not enough anywhere to wipe your muddy boots off . . . amazingly early spring here . . . even if we get "dumped' on now it won't last . . . . Enjoy!

Today's painting(s) are available - $48 each - 5"x5" oil on panel click the Buy Now button to your right (if you are viewing this via the blog) or click the Kelly Apgar - Daily Paintings link below (if you are viewing this via e-mail)

Day 66

THEY MARRIED IN THE SPRING

There's something terribly intriguing about old black and white photos . . . even when you don't have any idea who the people are . . . maybe it's just a generational things . . . as these are the types of photos I remember from childhood . . . this painting is based on a b/w photo that was part of an ad in a magazine . . . I wanted to paint it and retain the feeling of the old photo but also of the people being familiar . . . it works for me in this one . . . and kind of a fun way to do figures when you don't have a model around . . . anyway Enjoy! . . .I've got some "nice little landscapes" coming up for those of you that like that kind of thing :) . . .

Today's painting(s) are available - $48 each - 5"x5" oil on panel click the Buy Now button to your right (if you are viewing this via the blog) or click the Kelly Apgar - Daily Paintings link below (if you are viewing this via e-mail)

Day 65 Turkey Bowl

LITTLE BLACK BOWL

Here is a painting of a beautiful little bowl Kurt & Carol got for me in Turkey . . . I've have tried to paint it several times . . . it's super glossy black with bright hand painted "glazed " designs inside and out . . . I just love it! . . . but not to paint . . . a real challenge . . . it has such aesthetic value in and of it's self . . . I don't think a painting could ever do it real justice . . . some things just don't need to be captured in paint . . . you see a lot of beginner painters make this mistake . . . they always want to do the spectacular sunsets or rainbows . . . ugh! . . . not only hard but there are just some things you're not going to improve by painting them . . . again they are just too "ah" inspiring all on their own . . . anyway it a great little bowl and the only thing that I really nailed here is the reflective light on the inside rim . . . Enjoy!

Today's painting(s) are available - $48 each - 5"x5" oil on panel click the Buy Now button to your right (if you are viewing this via the blog) or click the Kelly Apgar - Daily Paintings link below (if you are viewing this via e-mail)

Day 64 Size Matters

MORE PEARS

I know. . . I know . . . more pears . . . but this is a great painting and was especially fun to do because it is on an 8x8 inch panel . . . also back to the hansa yellow (instead of lemon) and that sure helps . . . Cathi set these pears up to paint at open studio today . . . nice composition from every angle . . . I think I did 4 paintings today . . . but kind of it a rut for subject matter . . . getting anxious to get out and do some plein air work , , , !

Today's painting is available - $200- 8"x8" oil on panel click the Buy Now button to your right (if you are viewing this via the blog) or click the Kelly Apgar - Daily Paintings link below (if you are viewing this via e-mail)

Day 63 It's Not All Fun & Games!

Ugh! . . . I hate having to choose paintings for juries . . . here are the 3 I am sending in for a auction to benefit our local art museum . . . are they my favorites? . . . nope! . . . only one (if that) will be selected . . . I rejected several "really great" paintings . . . not that these are terrible . . . it's just that the committee will be looking for great paintings that will "sell" (it's a fundraiser after all). . . landscapes sell . . . local recognizable landscapes sell better . . . as all artists know . . . or will learn . . . some (most) of your "best" paintings may not be considered so by the general public . . . for a huge variety of reasons . . . . . . no offense to the true art patrons . . . but overall . . . people want "pretty" . . .and you can certainly do "pretty" . . . nothing wrong with that . . . if that is the path you choose . . . all this reminds me though of the writer Stephen King . . . early in his career he was considered by the "public" to be a fabulous horror fiction writer. . . "everybody" loves his work . . . and yet he himself didn't think his writing was all that special . . . because after all if "everybody" likes it how unique and special can it be . . . interesting thought!

Obviously these are for sale/not for sale depending on which one is reserved for the auction . . . if you are interested in any of the 3 . . . please let me know and I will let you know . . how it can be purchased!

Day 62 Don't Look Carol!

GABBY

See I told you today would be something really different . . . this is a painting I did of Gabby (an Italian Spinone) . . . I've had the reference photo of her for some time . . . and finally got around to doing this . . .the title of today's' blog . . . refers to Gabby's owners . . . and also patrons of my work . . . I know they will peek at my blog anyway . . . but wanted this painting to be a surprise! Sorry it's not for sale . . . but for now Enjoy!

Day 61 In Like A Lamb

THIS PEAR

REAL ORANGE

March is coming in like a lamb here 50 plus degrees and sunny all day . . . I know I'm tired of orange slices and pears too! . . .but notice the great orange hue in this one (perm red & hansa yellow) way new stuff tomorrow I promise . . . plus 3 this week that are going off to be juried into an exhibit . . . until then Enjoy!
Today's painting(s) are available - $48 each - 5"x5" oil on panel click the Buy Now button to your right (if you are viewing this via the blog) or click the Kelly Apgar - Daily Paintings link below (if you are viewing this via e-mail)