Daily Painting Practice - Memorial Day Tribute

I was very pleased to be awarded the purchase of two of my paintings for the Eastern Nebraska Veterans Home through the Nebraska 1% Art Project. It was a national competition for commission work or work for purchase. My painting 12th and Harney was chosen as well as...
The Veteran. I was very glad to see this one picked because I had originally painted it as a tribute to the veterans after watching the series "Band of Brothers".

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Simple Tribute
original by Peter Yesis
6"x6"
oil on canvas board
(Click Here to Bid on EBay)

I really like the simple, quiet ways people in my neighborhood pay tribute to or honor the sacrifice that so many have made on our behalf. There is something so dignified and beautiful about this little flag attached to the home. Symbolically attached to the heart of the people in the home.

If this painting sells, I am going to match the amount as a donation to the (The Disabled American Veterans Charitable Service Trust)
Even if it doesn't sell I am going to donate anyway.

Daily Painting Practice - Blue Plate Special

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Blue Plate Special
original by Peter Yesis
6"x6"
oil on canvas board
(Click Here to Bid on EBay)

I thought I would experiment doing a painting all in one primary color... Or maybe I should say primarily one color.... No, how about I wanted to do a painting in blue? I kept this very loose though I must admit when I first saw the plate I really liked the design. However, painting the plate design in detail would have taken more hours than this daily painting was allotted . Besides you don't need detail when you've got the blues?

daily painting practice - Tea and Triscuits

Since I haven't been posting that much lately I feel out of practice coming up with ideas to paint for my daily painting. After almost two years I felt like my idea factory was getting ready to close down. I needed to sit down and think...what should I paint...what should I paint...
The answer was right there in front of me. An artist's snack turned into still life practice.
The tea color was the most fun. The Triscuits were more fun to eat than to paint.

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Tea and Triscuits
original by Peter Yesis
6"x6"
oil on canvas board
(Click Here to Bid on EBay)

I like the perspective of looking down on the scene. It makes the viewer a part of the painting. It is a very personal viewpoint. You might as well be eating and drinking the tea. I know...I know... you want some jam or peanut butter. You'll have to wait until the next painting.

daily painting practice - orange peel

Back to having fun pushing paint around. Also back to keeping it simple.
Throw a couple of oranges down, peel one to make it interesting and you have a daily painting subject.
I worked this from background forward. I don't always approach a painting this way...in fact when do I ever approach a painting the same way?
Up until this point I was using a number 8 brush. I am trying to re-train myself to use the largest brushes possible...one step at a time.

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Orange Peel
original by Peter Yesis
5"x7"
oil on masonite

Orange and blue are a great combination. Though my favorite part of painting this was the different whites in the peel.

daily painting practice - a plein air day

It felt really good to be outside again. Yesterday, I painted with my friends Marge , John and Kathy. John has a house on the Platte River and he drove us over to some beautiful places to paint. You can see Kathy and Marge setting up under this tree. They are looking down at the river.
This a view of the Platte River just over the ridge and that tree.
I wish I had set up to paint this sandy trail because the painting I started in the morning really bombed out.
I thought I was smart in starting with a sketch but the end result was less than I hoped for. I didn't even take a photo of it. Let's just say the canvas made the ride home in the back of my truck covered with leaves and bugs....(and that improved it)
After lunch we only had about half an hour left to paint so I set up near Kathy and Marge but turned away from the river.
Better than this morning. Very impressionistic though.
My friend and fellow artist (Kathy Jureck) did this wonderful little watercolor of me painting. She was kind enough to give it to me. That's my Monet wanna be hat I am wearing. Maybe that's why I was so loose and impressionistic.

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Sandy Trail
original by Peter Yesis
9"x12"
oil on canvas board

Sometimes I think the best plein air is done when you only have a limited time to paint and you don't have time to think.

Daily Painting Practice - Lilacs

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Lilacs
original by Peter Yesis
8"x10"
oil on canvas board

Thank you to all of you who have written emails and sent cards and prayers while I have been sick. Nothing makes me want to get better and do a daily painting then when I receive such kind words of support.

I am feeling much better...cough cough... In fact I even tried cutting the grass tonight...hack,hack.... I could only do half but it was worth the exercise. I should be back to regular posting again... cough,cough. One good thing about posting daily paintings is that you can view them without the germs.

Daily Painting Practice - Keep at it

I am still battling the flu from an alien life-form. I swear I must have been abducted by aliens in my sleep a few weeks ago and they experimented with my immune system. I am having to repeat how sorry I am for not posting but I simply do not have the strength or stamina to paint. I did manage a trip to my new plein air friends house last week. Every Thursday Marge and John and I have decided to meet and go out plein air painting.
I gave it a shot painting from Marge's deck. The result was blah and by the time I got home I had a fever that lasted another 2 days. Then it disappeared for two days and I tried a daily.
Another blah....another fever... We now have a plan if I am not better by Friday it's off to the .... Doctor. As you can tell, it is something I put off until I run out of excuses why I shouldn't go. I can't wait to hear what he thinks of my alien abduction virus theory.
Last week's painting of "Playing Right Field" got a lot of good comments and sold well. It got me thinking of painting a series. One painting for each position.
I ran out of gas on this one too. So I 'll post it as it stands now.

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Center Field - work in progress
original by Peter Yesis
8"x10"
oil on canvas board

Hopefully you all won't have to hear me complain next week.. I'll look for some good news to report. There is good news... I'm just too tired to type it.

Daily Painting Practice - Playing Right Field

I am sorry for not posting all last week. I have been a bit more than under the weather and it has taken me a while to be able to sit and paint again. The good news is while I was inside fighting some strange biological bug, the weather has been beautiful for dandelions. Wet and warm and then cool nights. These plants grow so fast. I don't think this one was even an inch tall last week.
I came up with this idea when I went on one of my ..."step outside you might feel better in the sun" moments. My walk consisted of 10 steps outside. The idea was great...but I wasn't. The painting would have to wait another day.
I feel much better now and so what else should I do but paint the first sign of spring.

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Playing Right Field
original by Peter Yesis
8"x10"
oil on canvas board

Anyone who has played baseball as a child or any parent who has young children who are learning to play baseball will understand the title. So little happens in right field in minor league baseball. Kids that are stuck out there get bored really fast and always find other things to do. Like picking dandelions. I remember coaching years ago and I had a young girl playing right field for me. She was so busy picking a dandelion bouquet she failed to notice the ball rolling past her. When the shouting of all the other kids finally got her attention, the bouquet was carefully laid down on her glove before she ran after the ball..... She probably grew up to be an artist.

Daily Painting Practice - Lemon

This could be the start of another baseball painting. Isn't there an expression in baseball about throwing lemons?
What I like about these next two photos is that it shows how the texture was built by values and by trying to keep the opaque paint thick and the shadows thin. (maybe it didn't quite work that way)...at least I was thinking about it.

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Lemon
original by Peter Yesis
6"x6"
oil on canvas board

I love the texture in this little painting. It was hard to come up with a good title when the only thing to look at is the lemon.

Some good news to share. This weekend I was picked up by my third gallery. (The Heller Art Images gallery) right here in Omaha agreed to represent me. I am thrilled to have representation in this fine gallery, especially since it is in my hometown. They took 6 paintings! This is so exciting because I have a lot of ideas for painting Omaha city-scapes and this gives me a chance to display them in a place that people will recognize the subjects. Now all I need to do is produce ,produce produce...of course quality, quality, quality is the guide.

Daily Painting Practice - Lemon Lime

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Lemon Lime
original by Peter Yesis
8"x10"
oil on canvas board

Another quick and fun painting to reward myself for a good painting day. Actually maybe not so quick. About two hours. I deliberately bought the lemon and lime when I went food shopping last week just for a daily painting. One problem when combining food shopping with still life prop buying.... the budget goes out the window if I get carried away. I was tempted to buy a dozen radishes , pomegranates, watermelon, strawberries, organic carrots with the greens still on them and so on. Of course buying them all at once is even a bigger mistake. They always rot before I get a chance to paint them. This just happened with the Easter Lily I bought last week. The blooms feel off yesterday. Now I have to plant it and wait until next year for another chance.