Art Everyday Finale - Morning Devotion

Morning Devotion
12x12
Oil and Acrylic
©Antonia Ruppert

This morning, I awoke and had devotion time. That time reading scripture all connected with this watercolor painting to create this new oil piece, "Morning Devotion."


The collage below shows the inspiration/process. It started with the watercolor painting which was created yesterday from an idea and a batch of photography. Then this morning, after devotion time and another photo, I was curious how the whole idea would look in oil.

Morning Devotion Inspiration/Process
Watercolor - left
©Antonia Ruppert

If I learned anything from this past month's art everyday challenge, it's this- Be Open.  One never knows where an idea is coming from. 

Art Everyday.  As I end this challenge, I reflect. Though I did not post every single day, I created something everyday - for which I am grateful. 

Art Everyday Month - Sunday Meditation

Sunday Meditation © Antonia Ruppert

Today's art started out as an encouragement to myself.  Some of the words are:

Be encouraged.
Focus.
God will handle it.

Then I added my daughters names in the hair. And then I thought of my nieices and younger cousins. So their names were added as well.

This is my prayer/meditation for today.  I want to see these lovely sentiments for the next generation.

Art everyday=making art for others.

Art Everyday Month - A Song

Today's art is a song.  I love to paint. And I love to write. And I love to sing.

I grew up listening to my grandmother and her sisters sing. I thought everyone sung like that. It was just that natural.

Let me know if you can not hear this song and I can repost it as a link.

Thank you for listening.

Art Everyday Month - Thank you Michael

Drawing of Michael
Ink on Paper
©Antonia Ruppert
 

 

Today's post is dedicated to my husband of 14 years, Michael. I'm so grateful to have someone to share not only my creative journey but life with. 

 

With gratitude.

Art Everyday Month - Be Your Own Best Fan

Just sayin'

24x30

Oil

Photography by BNHoskins Photography

©Antonia Ruppert

Sometimes you have to be your own best cheerleader. It matters not who likes your posts or who friends you. Sometimes you must come to the point in time where you have prayed and no one is there but you. 

That's okay.

Be your own friend. Like your own stuff. Enter the exhibit. Host the big dinner party. 

I'm taking my own advice. Despite the fear, I'm entering in two paintings into an exhibit I've wanted to enter for at least three years. The odds are stacked, but I can not win what I don't enter. 

Just sayin.'

Art Everyday Month - Accountability

New painting progress--Oil on canvas 

I told a friend today that posting daily is keeping me accountable to creating daily.   

It's funny what happens when you share a goal with someone. What about when you share a goal in a format like this?

I have found that accountability helps us use muscles we already had. The "want to" muscle. The "I wish" muscle.

Close-up of painting in progress.

Accountability + creativity = much productivity.

Art Everyday Month - Colorado Escape

"Flagstaff Mountain"

© Antonia Ruppert

Art Everyday Month continues. One of my new collectors obtained a pre-sale painting of Colorado from me.  Here is a preliminary sketch below.

This painting will be fun to paint because my collector chose two lovely colors: moss green and yam orange. Below is my initial watercolor using her colors. 

Next, I may create some additional studies (preliminary sketches, etc.) and then I'll be ready for the final painting (oil on canvas.)

When I see nature up close and so majestic, I can't help but sing Mali Music's:  

"All the glory belongs to You, all the glory belongs to You, Oh God."

Art Everyday Month - What's Your One Thing?

"Untitled"

Oil and Charcoal on Canvas

30x40

©Antonia Ruppert

Do that one thing first. That's what I learned today. My friend and fellow artist Elaine shared a resource with me- The One Thing - a book by Gary W. Keller and Jay Papasan.

The synopsis from their website- What’s the ONE Thing you can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary? 

That one thing for me was to finish this painting which I started in 2012.  I wanted to finish it to submit it for the Black Creativity 2016 juried exhibition held at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry.  I felt like the painting needed revisions. Here is the painting before the revisions: 

"Untitled"

Oil and Charcoal on Canvas

30x40

©Antonia Ruppert 

Thank God I finished it before I left the house today. 

As it turns out, I blew a tire this afternoon. So I spent the day getting roadside assistance and getting my tire fixed. 

Surprisingly, nothing bothered me about how I was spending my time.  I had already completed my most creative work. 

So I ask you - What is your one thing such that by doing it would make your day?

I'd love to hear from you in the comments below.

Also, this painting is currently untitled - but on my Facebook page, I am currently accepting "title" suggestions.  Go there to share your suggestions.

I appreciate you already.

Art Everyday Month - Being Present

Drawing - Being Present
Watercolor and Ink
© Antonia Ruppert

Does a cell phone, which can transport one to game land, music land or social media land, help or hinder one's ability to be present? 

(Do you keep your cell phone dinging with notifications during family dinner)?

Today's art everyday creation is my hand holding my cell phone. I could see my face so I drew that too.

I had my cell phone in hand for a while. I had no desire to do anything with it but listen to some encouragement from Bishop T.D. Jakes and draw.  No surfing, etc.

Today, I chose to be present.

Art Everyday Month - Bad Hair

Bad Hair-drawing

Ink and watercolor

© Antonia Ruppert

As I drew myself today, focusing on my hair, I realized other people across the world are having a "bad hair day." Their bad hair is a symbol of death and carnage. 

As we say bedtime prayers tonight, may we remember our neighbors in Beirut and   

Paris.

Art Everyday Month - Day 13 - Revision time

Genesis of Survival--progress

Oil

30"x 40"

Making art everyday can help strengthen something you previously made. Today, I spent some time on an older painting. Revising tones and color. Here is how it looked before:

Genesis of Survival

Oil

30"x40"

My goal is to tweak it into greatness. I'll be sure to post the finished image.

Art Everyday Month - Mount Shasta Finished

Mount Shasta Majesty
22x28
Oil
© Antonia Ruppert

This commissioned piece is completed and I can not wait for my collector to see it in person.  Here is a collage showing the process I took to create this piece.

Mount Shasta  Majesty - Process Collage © Antonia Ruppert

1. Red violet underpainting in acrylic

2. Full color underpainting in acrylic

3. The addition of oil color on top of the acrylic

4. The oil finish

Voila!

Art everyday = sacrifice and making room for the unexpected. The unexpected might be a nudge toward mastering color or perspective.  It might just mean that your soul gets to sing.

Art Everyday Month - Experimenting vs. Playing

Photo © Antonia Ruppert

Experimenting or playing? What do you think? 

Which sounds like work? Which sounds like I am creating a masterpiece for a museum?

Who cares as my daughter would say. Let's just say today, I'm experimenting by playing. 

Photo © Antonia Ruppert

Using a cut potatoe and the bottom of a water bottle, I'm printing with acrylic paint on the canvas. 

Photo © Antonia Ruppert

I then sprayed both canvases with ink. This will be the underpainting for an idea I'm working (playing) with.

Play on.

Art Everyday - Day 9 - Mount Shasta

Work in progress. Mount Shasta. © Antonia Ruppert.

Art everyday - day 9: a work in progress. 

For this commissioned painting, I started with a base of acrylic and am starting to add layers of oil on top. While far from being done, I'm loving the way it is shaping up.

More progress soon.

To Tackle Mountains - Art Everyday Month

Study from Flagstaff Mountain © Antonia Ruppert

Sometimes one needs the help of friends. That was the case yesterday-- my last day in Colorado.

I awoke in the middle of the night and thought "my adventure is incomplete." I need to be up in the mountains. I need more pictures of the environment here.

To make a long story short, I was helped by a friend (Susan) and her husband (Brad) who live in Boulder, Colorado. Thanks to them, I was able to take in Flagstaff Mountain in Boulder. Four and a half miles up, turning swiftly around as the road went up. 

©Antonia Ruppert

This city girl, who is usually not fond of heights, took it all in.

Thumbnail sketches from Flagstaff © Antonia Ruppert

After taking in the sights and taking a massive amount of pictures, we made it just in time to the airport. Thanks to Brad's natural ability to speed(gulp). 

Who helps you tackle your mountains?

Art Everyday Month - Day 7

Art Everyday Month - Day 7, Sketch of family watching TV, 7x10, © Antonia Ruppert

Artists from around the world are participating in Art Everyday Month this November. I have created something everyday so far in November despite traveling this week to Colorado.

After flying home to Chicago today, my family ended the day by watching "Me, Eloise," an animated children's television show.

So for day 7, here is my sketch of my family watching the show. Guess who fell asleep?

Art Everyday Month | Day 6

Sketch of my teddy bear, pencil on paper, © Antonia Ruppert

Here is my sketch for today--day six of art everyday month. 

I was not going to post this because it's not like "my work." But, I thought forget the "rules." 

Who says one can not express love in this way?

Writing and finding my voice

Sharing the Journey, (study/work in progress), 7x10, watercolor, ink and wax crayon- © Antonia Ruppert

I wrote everyday in the month of October. Several pages longhand. 

Why? My business coach, Jane, suggested I explore another avenue of creativity. I decided on writing because I have always kept a journal and wrote songs or poetry.

So when artist and writer Cynthia Morris of originalimpulse.com shared in her newsletter about her online writing course Free Write Fling, I thought it was perfect timing. 

Though I started writing because of the class, I came to truly enjoy it because it became a space where the real world could not reach me. It became a place of truth.

Moreover, I learned that one has to commit to writing as with any endeavor.

I had to move heaven and earth to make my writing a priority. Sometimes I wrote in strange places like at the laundromat.

What were the results?

Clarity. Stronger and deeper voice. Connecting with myself. I found myself writing and speaking truth in everyday situations. Telling people things they may or may not have wanted to hear. 

So here I am in Golden, Colorado at a  conference for artists (Art Biz Breakthrough 2015 led by Alyson Stanfield).

I made it to Colorado this week despite what looked like insurmountable challenges. At one point in October while writing, I emphatically wrote that "I would go." The intention and determination swelled up in me.  After much prayer, the way was made clear shortly after that.

Visual art...and writing. A powerful combination which I'm no longer afraid to own.

Portable Space | Art Everyday Month

Portable "office"

Have you ever missed an old friend? Today, I felt the ache for color. 

Surrounded by fall colors everywhere in Golden, Colorado--today, I needed to connect these sights with paint. 

Solution? Watercolor paint, a paper cup supplied by the hotel for water and wax and water soluble crayons. Simple tools to fill my need for color.

Color was everywhere. Here is what I saw today. 

Are we feeling welcomed yet?

This is right outside of the Golden Hotel.

Don't you just love these colors? 

Outside of Table Mountain Inn

Study of a street in downtown Golden, Watercolor and Ink on paper, 7x10

What colors might You use to paint beautiful fall colors? Have you ever had to be mobile or portable with your setup?  

I invite you to share with me.

Colorado + Art Every Day Month 2015

Packing for Colorado

Before church started, I saw a post from my friend Elaine about Art Every Day Month 2015.  I decided to jump in and agree to being creative in some way daily.  That should be easy since I am on my way to Colorado this week for Art Biz Breakthrough and there will be loads of new people and places to see.

I've already committed to creating new Colorado paintings upon my return home.  My pre-sale of those paintings ends on November 10th.  See more about those here.

Also, in the works is a commission of Mount Shasta in California.  So there will be lots to see here on the blog creative wise.  I may even post a song or two. Who knows what November will hold creatively?

For now, here are my doodles for today...

Candy Dish ©Antonia Ruppert

Doodle to the Message ©Antonia Ruppert

This last doodle was done while listening to the message in church today. As Pastor Henry was preaching, I captured some of what he was saying in words and images. 

Doodling has actually been shown to keep the mind engaged while in meetings.  Next time you're in church taking notes, doodle them visually. (Let me know how it turns out.)

If you want to jump on board the creativity bandwagon--there is still time. Check it all out here on the Creative Every Day blog.

What creative adventures await you this November?