A Painting Day - Safety In Numbers - Ruth Andre

"Safety In Numbers I and II"

12"x24" Oil and Mixed Media on Paper

by Ruth Andre

"Safety In Numbers I"

"Safety In Numbers II"

I have enjoyed the day working in the studio. My special project is moving along and in between paint applications and letting the paint set up  I have been working on this painting, "Safety In Numbers". I love the colors in this painting and I love painting on paper. This peace really needs to be seen in person to see the true colors and textures that make it so much more. Each piece is 12"x12" with a white 2.5" border. It is a little cooler today with a promise for rain and the sky is showing its moody ways. It has been, "A Painting Day".

Contact

Website

A Painting Day - Red Moon I - Ruth Andre

"Red Moon I"

12"x12" on Paper

by Ruth Andre

I have been working on a special project for over a week and have more to go before the needed paintings are completed. This is the first painting to show itself for the series. Just so you know, I am working hard and hope you are TOO!

It has been, "A Painting Day".

Contact

Website

A Painting Day - Veil of Light - Ruth Andre

"Veil of Light"

4.5"x4.5" Oil and Mixed Media on Paper

12"x12" Mat Available

Challenge Painting Eighty-Four

by Ruth Andre

$125.00

It was a quiet day with an overcast sky. It felt good to see a veil of warm light in the valley. I decided to take some time away from the studio today and only wandered in late afternoon. I have been working on a special project and it has taken me over in a way. Sometimes stepping away is the best way to move forward to let the ideas find their way. I had started this painting, "Veil of Light",  a few days ago and only finished it today letting the hazy day be my guide. It has been, "A Painting Day".

Contact

Website

A Painting Day - Vintage and Words - Ruth Andre

"Vintage"

4.5"x4.5" Oil and Mixed Media on Paper

12"x12" Mat Available

Challenge Painting Eighty-Three

by Ruth Andre

$125.00

This painting makes me happy. Do we all have a special blanket or throw that is vintage and warn just right to be comfy and cozy? The colors in this painting, "Vintage" make me think of the old cotton flannel blankets from the 1940's. The fabric for these old blankets show the signs of time. Their color has become muted and the fabric thin but they are still so warm and welcoming. Since we are heading into the week-end I have a question for all the creative types out there. Do you have a special place to work? Do you have the respect of others if  you are in this special place? Are you a solo painter or enjoy the company of others while you work? I have never mastered keeping people out of my studio and I am truly a solo painter. Maybe that is why the small Challenge Paintings have been so fun for me. I can sneak into the studio and work like a wild woman for a few hours for a couple of days and have a painting. I am interested in any and all of your comments. We can think of this as a support blog post of sorts. Enjoy the week-end. It has been, "A Painting Day".

Contact

Website

A Painting Day - Fleeting Dreams II - Ruth Andre

"Fleeting Dreams II"

4.5"x4.5" Oil and Mixed Media on Paper

Challenge Painting Eighty-Two

12"x12" Mat Available

by Ruth Andre

$125.00

"Fleeting Dreams I and II"

This is the second "Fleeting Dreams" painting. These two works make me happy. I like the unexpected colors and the touch of ever so soft pink. It has been, "A Painting Day".

Contact

Website

A Painting Day - Fleeting Dreams - Ruth Andre

"Fleeting Dreams"

4.5"x4.5" Oil and Mixed Media on Paper

Challenge Painting Eighty-One

12"x12" Mat Available

by Ruth Andre

$125.00

There are times when my goals seem like fleeting dreams but I do my best to keep going. A friend once said that the object of life is to keep the ball moving and keep the game going. Can you hear that inner voice ask, why do you care? I advise moving as fast as you can if you hear this voice. It is not going to make good on anything. Keep dreaming! It has been, "A Painting Day". 

Contact

Website

A Painting Day - Pueblo - Ruth Andre

"Pueblo"

6"x12"x1.5" Oil and Mixed Media on Cradled Wood Panel

by Ruth Andre

$250.00

I am reading the book "Californios" by Louis L'Amour and the story takes place in the 1800's when Los Angeles was just a village. Malibu was a single ranch and Paradise Cove attracted shipping smugglers. There is much to be said about the old west and these stories have attracted the world to the Southwest to taste just a little of these wild and romantic stories. L'Amour's words let us  feel the the heat of the day and the welcome coolness when stepping into an old pueblo built of adobe clay. There is talk of spirits and the 'old people'. I love the history and the adventure of these stories. It has been,

"A Painting Day".

Contact

Website

A Painting Day - Spirit Walk - Ruth Andre

"Spirit Walk"

12"x12"x2" Oil and Mixed Media on Cradled Panel

by Ruth Andre

Not Available

The painting, "Spirit Walk" may say a lot about this past week and the fire that was so close to us. I am not sure what to say about this painting's meaning is to me other than there must be more to this life than what we see. I feel the presents of spirits as I walk to the creek and stand under the old oak trees. The old times and the life the people lived years ago is remembered. It has been, "A Painting Day".

Contact

Website

A Painting Day - Passing Through - Ruth Andre

"Passing Through I and II"

Each Painting 4.5"x4.5" Oil and Mixed Media on Paper

Challenge Paintings Seventy-Nine and Eighty

12"x12" Mats Available

by Ruth Andre

"Passing Through I"

4.5"x4.5" Oil and Mixed Media On Paper

12"x12" Mat Available

by Ruth Andre

$125.00

"Passing Through II"

4.5"x4.5" Oil and Mixed Media on Paper

12"x12" Mat Available

by Ruth Andre

$125.00

The Butte Fire has made a deep impression upon me and how quickly what we know that is our life may change in just a moment of time. It seems my paintings these past few days have explored my thoughts and fears. Our lives are filled with new situations and places from the people we meet to the decisions we make daily. I am thinking it is important to be thankful for so many things. It has been, "A Painting Day".

Contact

Website

A Painting Day - Falling In Place - Ruth Andre

"Falling In Place"

4.5"x4.5" Oil and Mixed Media on Paper

12"x12" Mat

Challenge Painting Seventy-Nine

by Ruth Andre

$125.00

We are waiting for a promised rain today. Hopefully the rain will find its way to the fire area and keep the rest of the area safe. There may be hope that things are falling in place. My heart goes out to so many that have lost so much. Letting go and moving on is not always easy. May my next post be filled with rain. It has been, "A Painting Day".

Contact

Website

A Painting Day - Starting Point - Ruth Andre

"Starting Over"

4.5"x4.5" Oil and Mixed Media on Paper

Available with 12"x12" Mat

Challenge Painting Seventy-Eight

Ruth Andre

$125.00

Sold - Thank-You

The fire that was so close is moving away but it is still far from being contained. Over 65,000 acres and over two hundred homes and outbuildings have been lost. Animals have died or have been displaced. There are so many people that will be starting over, turning to a new page in their lives. It is times like this that we realize that nothing stays the same and life is always changing. I am filled with sadness but am hopeful that there will be new beginnings and positive life changes in time. The sky was dark and filled with smoke and ash but no fire in the valley today. The grey sky was a constant reminder of the struggle that was going on for others. I painted today. Painting is a way for me to work through the feelings harboring inside my mind. Then a small but powerful miracle came with a sprinkling of rain that I hope cooled the fire area, giving moisture to the air. Take care.

Contact

Website

A Painting Day - Read Between the Lines - Ruth Andre

"Read Between the Lines"

12"x6"x1.5" Oil and Mixed Media on Cradled Panel

by Ruth Andre

The sky is filled with smoke as I look out the studio window. There is a large fire just 20 miles away in the Mokelumne area just south of our foothill property. Thousands of acres have burned and people along with their animals evacuated. I have seen the water-drop plane overhead in the sky. I pray for all involved and pray the fire is contained soon. The painting above, "Read Between the Lines" may be an entry for  the coming Sierra Wax Artists show at the Poetry Center in Sacramento this coming November. It has been, "A Painting Day".

Contact

Website

A Painting Day - Tribal III - Ruth Andre

"Tribal III"

4.5"x4.5" Oil and Wax on Paper 

12"x12" Mat

Challenge Painting Seventy-Seven

by Ruth Andre

Here is the last of the three Tribal paintings. Each painting expresses a feeling of the valley's ancestry when the Indian Miwak tribe lived here foraging the land for edible plants and game. Today as I look out my studio window I can see the old oak tree branches blowing here and there. The acorns are falling like rain to the ground. It has been, "A Painting Day".

Contact

Website

A Painting Day - Tribal II - Ruth Andre

"Tribal II"

4.5"x4.5" Oil and Cold Wax on Paper

Challenge Painting Seventy-Six

by Ruth Andre

$125.00

This is the second painting for the "Tribal" series. The change from summer to fall brings with it a feeling of relief and excitement after such a long hot summer. The old season is letting go and a new one is beginning. It has been, "A Painting Day".

Contact

Website

A Painting Day - Tribal I - Ruth Andre

"Tribal I"

4.5"x4.5" Oil and Cold Wax on Paper

12"x12" Mat Available

Challenge Painting Seventy-Five

by Ruth Andre

$125.00

The large old oak trees that line the creek are beginning to drop acorns on the ground below. It is a time  for the season's change and to remember the Indian people that would gather here to process the acorns using the creek waters. I feel the spirits of those that lived here long ago where I walk today. The painting above, "Tribal I" is the first of a small series of three works celebrating the coming fall season.

It has been, "A Painting Day".

Contact

Website

A Painting Day - Off the Reservation - Ruth Andre

"Off the Reservation"

8"x12" Oil on Paper

Available with 14"x18" Mat

by Ruth Andre

$500

Second View

"12"x8" Oil on Paper

Available with Mat 18"x14"

by Ruth Andre

$500

This is another painting on Arches Oil Paper. The paper is made especially for oil paints so there is no preparing the paper with sealers. The name for this painting came from the many visits I have made to the southwest but also from my own way of working. I was talking about this painting with my son and mentioned,  I went way off the reservation. I was actually saying my intent for this painting was so very different than the finished piece. I have said this before but it is so true how the intuitive process for painting takes over and the artist hangs on for the finish. I am showing the painting with two views. I like both the horizontal and the vertical view so I leave it up to you to decide the way you like it best. 

It has been, "A Painting Day".

Contact

Website

A Painting Day - Shallow Waters - Ruth Andre

"Shallow Waters"

4.75"x4.75" Oil and Cold Wax on Paper

Challenge Painting Seventy-Four

by Ruth Andre

$125.00

The Mokelumne River is not far from our ranch. There are road exits to the river along the Old 49 Highway. My recent visit was spent watching over two wild preteens with a picnic in hand. The path was rather steep but both Taylor and Devon moved quickly and were at the water's edge in just minutes. I was not sure how deep or how strong the current would be but they edged into the water and  spent the next hours enjoying the cool water on a very hot summer day. It was a fun day. I enjoyed taking in the beautiful colors of the river's shallow waters. 

Contact

Website

A Painting Day - Quiet Hillside - Ruth Andre

"Quiet Hillside"

4.5"x4.5" Oil & Cold Wax on Paper

Available With a 12"x12" Mat

Challenge Painting Seventy-Three

by Ruth Andre

Inspiration Photo by Ruth Andre

It is a seven mile drive from our home to the Post Office so we try to pick up mail while out doing errands at least a couple of times a week. Today I had a Workshop DVD to ship so we were on for the drive into town, Plymouth, California. The backroad is usually pretty quiet meeting only one or two cars along the way. No matter the season it is always a beautiful drive. The painting, "Quiet Hillside" and the photo inspiration shown above lets you see how the landscape has inspired me for this painting. We live in a beautiful area that is so reminiscent of "Old California". It has been, "A Painting Day".

Contact

Website

A Painting Day - Voices - Ruth Andre

"Voices"

10"x22"x1.5" Oil and Mixed Media On Cradled Board 

by Ruth Andre

$900.00

I have not decided on the best direction for the painting today. I am favoring the horizontal view at the moment. There is an exhibit coming up at the Poetry Club in Sacramento and since receiving the show information I have been thinking about Poets and the readings for their poems. Reading poetry or anything aloud is a gift to do it well. While taking a journal class recently the readings were all so beautiful because each reader's voice gave power to the words. Today's painting, "Voices" is for the voices that give words their meaningful path. 

Contact

Website