Day 13 - 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

"Quilted Colors" , oil, 6 x 6, $85

Today is Day 13 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge that I signed on to be apart of with Leslie Saeta and over 260 other artists. 

My theme is: Connecticut Treasures. 
I know this looks nothing like the last 12 paintings but I've fallen behind on the challenge and I'm trying to catch up. (I need to create three paintings today!)
I thought I would share with you a color study exercise I do quit often. Practice, practice and more practice  is what improves any skill and that goes for creating art. When I have some left over paint on my palette or I'm not sure exactly what to paint I like to grid out these little 6 x6 panels and just play with colors. changing up the values, opacity, hues is the goal in creating these  little "color quilts". 
Where's the Tie in?
How does this tie into the Connecticut Treasure theme? I could talk about the history of Connecticut quilting which is very extensive (I'd rather give you the link below to the New England Quilt Museum in Mass., if you want more quilting history.) Or I could talk about all the quilting groups in Connecticut like, CT Piecemakers with over 260 members, ( here's the link to their calendar of events... it's a very popular thing here in CT) but what came to my mind when I painting this "color quilt" this morning is a little shop I discovered back in November called Yankee Cloth in Wallingford, CT. The store is in an old Victorian style home near the downtown center and the first time I stepped foot inside I could feel the creative energy all around. There's a kitchen in the back with a circle of chairs for quilting chats and two floors of the most beautiful quilting material ranging in every color and pattern you can imagine! There are also lots of samples on display and for sale. The quilting ladies who work there were all very friendly. Hope you get a chance to stop in and wrap yourself in Connecticut love!

Join in the Journey
 Hope you join me on this 30 day painting challenge... you can sign-up for these blog posts to be delivered right in your inbox... just look for the email sign-up box in the right column. Feel free to comment below and share either your  favorite places and/or things to do in CT or... please share, I would love to hear your story.


P.S. One more thing about quilting... One of our all time FAVORITE (emphasizing how much we love ) this children's book called "The Quiltmaker's Gift" by Jeff Brumbeau. I can't tell you how many times I've read this book to my children... if I had to guess it would be in the 100's! Beautifully illustrated and a very fun, clever story that has a powerful message for both children and adults.

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click here to purchase this painting

Links to:
Leslie Saeta's 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge
New England Quilt Museum
Connecticut Piece Makers Organization/calendar of events
Yankee Cloth, Quilting Store, in Wallingford, CT
The Quiltmaker's Gift, by Jeff Brumbeau (Illustrated Children's Book)