Daily Painting Practice- Just having fun pushing paint - Doodling to dabbling -Flowers to landscape

There are times when  just pushing paint is perfectly pleasant for practice painting.

After completing those larger works, I didn't have anything special planned or in my mind. So I  just started  pushing paint  for the pure enjoyment of it and to get my creative juices  flowing.

 I started  on a small canvas board(5"x7")  and sketched out  some flowers.

This photo is a little fuzzy, but then so was my intent. Everyone doodles with  a pencil (especially if you are in a boring meeting at work).  I'm not a big doodler with paint though, but this is what I was doing. And just like doodling with a pencil there is no pressure to produce anything  that others will see.... unless of course you post on a blog, like me.

Doodle number 1 complete

  Just enough to get my art brain going again.  This is a great exercise to do when you get  stuck and find yourself staring  at a blank canvas. No thought of a finished  painting here,  and when you are finished, just  rub it out and save the canvas for the next  doodle.

The flowers got me thinking about outdoors and that got me thinking about walking in the woods,  and that made me remember  our trip to the NorthWoods of Wisconsin last  fall.

So this is how I started. I searched and found several reference photos from our trip and began scratching out  the composition with my .89cent brush from Home Depot.

  When I walk through the woods I always am drawn to  fallen trees. They have a story to tell and provide an interesting contrast to the new life springing up around them.

This panel is 12"x16" and is very smooth,  almost  too smooth. The paint just glides on top and barely attaches to the surface.

 I'm keeping everything very thin and trying  to use colorful greys... is that an oxymoron?

Now I am starting to load  up the paint and create some fun textures.  This painting is going to be all about  dabs of color.

I'll leave it here  to dry a little before doing more.  So I've gone from  doodling to dabbling. If this works as a color study I may end up with another large painting to work on.