Bit of an update

Well hi there, strangers!

Sorry for the momentary break in activity. I have a few things in the works right now (including a show at Tea Lane in Aberdeen this Saturday the 2nd of May) and I've been preparing for that, as well as finishing up a few digital projects. Among them, a logo donation for Valley Gaming, a rebranded game shop in St Croix Falls, Wisconsin. All the best to them!

I'm not one to air my difficulties online (anymore, haha), but truly, the last few weeks have been a bit tricky for me. I'd started experiencing shoulder and neck pain to the point where I had to take 15-30 minute breaks after about 2 hours of painting; both the frequent breaks and the pain made it difficult to get into the zone. As a result, my work suffered. When I finally decided to see a doctor about it, she told me that I had been grinding my teeth in my sleep (a sign of anxiety and stress) which had become a strain all the way down to my trapezius and even my deltoids.

So as difficult as it's been, I've been trying to cool down a little on my painting, spending more time and going slower on each work, trying to build up the muscles around that area to strengthen them, and generally taking it easier. I'm DYING to get back to daily painting, I am, but it's time for me to take my own advice and be kind to myself.

I will still be painting, just less frequently for a month or two, until I can get my mental and physical state in check.

What a drag, right?

Thanks for being here. Knowing that I have such a great support base is making it much easier to heal!

A Host of Golden Daffodils

          I wandered lonely as a cloud
          That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
          When all at once I saw a crowd,
          A host, of golden daffodils;
          Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
          Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

          Continuous as the stars that shine
          And twinkle on the milky way,
          They stretched in never-ending line
          Along the margin of a bay:
          Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
          Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

          The waves beside them danced; but they
          Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
          A poet could not but be gay,
          In such a jocund company:
          I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
          What wealth the show to me had brought:

          For oft, when on my couch I lie
          In vacant or in pensive mood,
          They flash upon that inward eye
          Which is the bliss of solitude;
          And then my heart with pleasure fills,
          And dances with the daffodils.

-William Wordsworth (1815)

A new painting in my Look Up! series. The daffodils almost appeared to be sojourning toward a lovely church sitting above a bus stop near the Morrison's parallel to King Street. 

12"x16" Original Oil on Canvas

Crimson Glow

This beautiful red rose cast an intense and unique red glow on the greens surrounding it; I have been having such a fun time painting these! This tiny painting is part of the Cubicle Art collection, named so because the paintings in this collection are small enough to be hung on a thumb tack, for those of you who would like a little more art in your cubicle. They're great for other rooms as well!

10cm x 10cm Oil on Canvas

Velvet Petals

I loved how the top rose in this lovely bouquet caught the light so crisply in some places and so softly in others.

This is also one of many pieces in my Cubicle Art collection, named so because they are small, portable, and easily hung on a thumb tack for those of you who would like a little more art in your cubicle or office. I've got a few hung up in my kitchen, too!

10x10cm oil on canvas

Sunbathing

These roses (a gift from my wonderful husband) were so lovely that I had to paint them in a mini-set.  I'm hoping to get a few more paintings in before they wilt.

These paintings are all teeny tiny 10cm x 10cm paintings that can brighten up a cubicle wall, being light enough to hang from a thumbtack. Hope you like them!

10x10cm Oil on Canvas

Autumn Vines

And this, friends, is how Aberdeen does October.

My fourth painting in my Look Up! series.

16"x12" Original Oil on Canvas

In The Edinburgh Light

In the golden Edinburgh atmosphere, the castle (which is made out of numerous stones, including old red sandstone) was bathed in an orange light, and cast an almost supernaturally red glow. I may paint a more realistic version at some point, but this is how I remember it hitting my eye.

This is the third painting in my Look Up! series, depicting point-of-view shots of majestic (and sometimes imposing) architecture. I hope you like the series so far!

30x30cm Original Oil on Canvas

Escher

My cat is really smart, you guys.


April Fool's.

12"x10" Original Oil on Canvas

Elgin Cathedral

Even after nearly 800 years, this Cathedral in Elgin still has a magnificent presence. The light filters in at such an amazing angle, I'm almost glad that there aren't any windows to get in the way.

This is the second painting in my Look Up! series.  I imagine you're getting the gist of it by now. :)

12"x16" Original Oil on Canvas

For Birds and Kings

 

Pardon that this picture was taken in the field. It was SO lovely out by King's College!

This is the first in a new series entitled "Look Up!"; if you don't know what it means yet, you will. 

10"x12" Original Oil on Canvas

Winds of Change

 

Aberdeen Beach is a bit of a long-cut away from our weekly grocery trip, so I almost always insist we take the boardwalk home. This time around, we were hit by a very Aberdonian weather twist: our sunny day started becoming a bit more ominous, the waves grew a bit larger, and the winds really picked up, blowing in some intense layers of storm clouds! 

My favourite part of this motif were the seagulls.. Aberdeen seagulls are just so hardcore. They just sat there, not letting the impending storm ruin their little gossip circle. 

Another piece in my Aberdeen Beach series.

12"x16" Original Oil on Canvas

Bonnier With Wear

Tyres have worn grooves into this unfurled road over years and years of travel, pressing the adjacent grass into a permanent reverent bow. The sun has bleached the wooden fence posts and the tall rushes have enveloped the long-opened gate. I wonder how many sunsets this golden hill has seen.

16"x12" Original Oil on Canvas

Scots Pine

Fresh off the easel, a painting dedicated to a beautiful windy day we experienced on a road trip right on the cusp of Autumn last year.

12"x16" Original Oil on Canvas

Bird's Eye View

 

 A tiny painting of Aberdeen Beach as seen from the high-up boardwalk. The sky looked positively lime against the purple clouds, and I couldn't help myself. 

This is part of my cubicle art series, because it is small enough to be hung using nothing but a few pieces of tape, a piece of string, and a thumb tack or two.

10x10cm Original Oil on Canvas

Eclipsed

A super fun, very chromatic painting I made after watching the eclipse (as best as I could without looking directly into the sun, of course). The sky really was amazing to see, and the sun crept behind a thin veil of clouds shortly before it was fully eclipsed, so it made for some amazing photographs!

12"x10" Original Oil on Canvas

Eventide

 

Just as the moon rises over the smouldering embers left by the setting sun, the water reflects and echoes its swan song.

Another painting in my Aberdeen Beach set.

12x16" Oil on Canvas

Fortress

Had to photograph this one on the easel before the light faded.. I love how Dunnottar Castle is protected because it is surrounded by water, and still, in some areas it appears as though the water is also protected by a womb of tall grassy cliffs.

What a wonderful place.

16"x12" Oil on Canvas

From the Castle

Tiny cubicle painting (small enough to be hung up on a thumb tack) of the spectacular view from Dunnottar Castle in Stonehaven. These little guys make great gifts and great escapes on those days where you'd rather spend the day inside a painting than inside a cubicle!

Thank you guys for all your support; I wouldn't be doing this without you. I'm definitely hoping that I can send a few of these off so that I can continue making more!

10x10cm Oil on Canvas

Coo

An itsy bitsy cubicle painting (small enough to be hung from a thumb tack) homage to that happy little Highland Cow in Drumnadrochit.

10x10cm Oil on Canvas

Kyloe

Fell in love with this lone happy Highland Cow enjoying a perfect day in Drumnadrochit. There is something about that whole area that just sings.

10"x12" Oil on Canvas

Losing Sight Of The Shore

An evening painting of Aberdeen Beach that sold before it dried!

I would very much like to do another few nocturne seascapes.. This was one of the most intuitive paintings I've done, and it felt so lovely to create. I'm so happy that it's going to a good home!

12"x16" Oil on Canvas

One Last Throw

Aberdeen beach lends itself some really beautiful motifs. I saw a father and his two daughters launching fireworks nearby here last year!

 This man and his little kid (who was bundled up, so I didn't get to see if it was a boy or a girl!) stopped on their walk to play fetch with their dog. I felt a kinship with the dog especially, because it felt the same way about retrieving the ball as I did painting all these vibrations!

This is the third painting in my Aberdeen Beach series. I hope you enjoy it!

12x16" Original Oil on Canvas

Settling In

I love how much the colours gently mute as they transition from the heat of day into the coolness of the evening. How lucky I am to live 15 minutes away from such a magical place.

10x10cm Original Oil on Canvas

This is also one of many pieces in my Cubicle Art collection, named so because they are small and portable and easily hung on a thumb tack, for those of you who would like a little more art in your cubicle.

In the Calm Afternoon

I have fallen madly in love with the North Sea while living here in Aberdeen. This is the first in a series of paintings dedicated to the Aberdeen Beach skyline from one end to the other, at different times of day.

Hope you enjoy it!

12x16" Original Oil on Canvas

You're Home Now

Not much that I care to say about this piece (it's deeply personal to me), suffice to say that I needed it. Welcome home.

12x16" Original Oil on Canvas

The High Dive

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Children of ALL AGES! I present to you the next painting in a series of many, I like to call Big Top Kitchen Edition! You are about to witness an audacious act of aqueous adventure, as our hero cherry tomato shall plunge from the very top glass platform into a mere two fingers of water! She may look like she has doubts, folks, but I assure you: she is a professional.

10x10cm Original Oil on Canvas

This is also one of many pieces in my Cubicle Art collection, named so because they are small and portable and easily hung on a thumb tack, for those of you who would like a little more art in your cubicle.

Teeterboarders

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Children of ALL AGES! I present to you the next painting in a series of many, I like to call Big Top Kitchen Edition! See the breathtaking teeterboard act! Two brothers in a feat of acrobatic grace, one (the elder) gearing up to launch the other (the younger) sky-high on to the higher platform! Will he make it? Will we have ketchup on our hands?? Can we handle the suspense???

10x10cm Original Oil on Canvas

This is also one of many pieces in my Cubicle Art collection, named so because they are small and portable and easily hung on a thumb tack, for those of you who would like a little more art in your cubicle.

Tightripe Walker

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Children of ALL AGES! I present to you the next painting in a series of many, I like to call Big Top Kitchen Edition! Behold, the tightripe walker, deftly traversing the forked tightrope without the use of a net!

This is also a teeny tiny painting, part of my Cubicle Art collection, because they are small and portable and easily hung on a thumb tack, for those of you who would like a little more art in your cubicle.

I've been getting a lot of really great feedback lately - thanks so much! If you have any other ideas for subjects along these lines or anything else you'd like to let me know, please feel free to leave a comment.

10x10cm Original Oil on Canvas

Natural Lullaby

I made this blueberry orange honey sleep tonic (with lavender, catnip, lemon balm, and all other things sleepytime) in order to combat a small bout of insomnia.. And boy, not only was it gorgeous, but it worked like a charm!

12"x16" Original Oil on Canvas

Snap Dragons

I had every intention of doing a painting of these gorgeous snap dragons and calling it "Oh, Snap!", but this one turned out a little too peaceful and pleasant to wreck with such a ridiculous name. Never fear; I will most certainly be painting them again soon. You know me... I certainly can't waste a gem of a pun like that.

White flowers, you guys! They're so much fun to paint!

10cm x 10cm original oil on canvas

The Dragon's Mouth

My dear friend brought me a lovely bouquet of snap dragons yesterday, knowing full-well that I wouldn't be able to resist painting them! I love their character, and the vibrations of temperatures that come from semi-translucent white flowers in a warm environment.

10cm x 10cm, original oil on canvas.

Food Pyramid

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Children of ALL AGES! I present to you the next painting in a series of many, I like to call Big Top Kitchen Edition! Behold, the gravity-defying cherry tomato pyramid! Will they stay that way? I guarantee you they will, now that they've been immortalised on an easy-to-pin surface!

These three little guys charmed the paint outta me. :)

10x10cm original oil on canvas

Ready for Launch

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Children of ALL AGES! I present to you the very first painting in a series of many, I'd like to call Big Top Kitchen Edition! This would be, I suppose, the cherry tomato cannonball, preparing to be launched sky-high for spec-maters.

Should I apologize for that pun?

It's a cubicle painting, so it's light and flat enough to be pinned onto a cubicle wall.

10x10cm, original oil on canvas.

When We Grow Up

The beautiful cherry tomatoes look up at the deep, spiced red peppers, and say to themselves "Wow, when we grow up we want to be just like them!"

Sorry, babies.. You're much better off realising that you're perfect as you are!

12"x16" Original Oil on Canvas

Off the Handle

This teensy weensy little guy was a blast to paint! I had a lot to do in town today, so I only had about half the light I normally do. I grabbed my smallest panel and got to it! Hope you like it!

This is my first in a large series of paintings I call Cubicle Art,  because they're tiny, flat, and light enough to pin into an office cubicle.

10cm x 10cm Oil on Canvas

Gaston's Breakfast

A little goofy villain humour for you all on this painting's title.

I love eggs. I just love them. Painting, eating, throwing, eggs are simply wonderful. And this painting is a doozy at 12"x16". Hope you enjoy!

I do have a funny egg story, but I'll have to save it for another entry. I have to have SOME reason for you all to keep coming back, right? 

(now he's roughly the size of a barge.)

12"x16" Oil on Canvas

Perfumed by Furze

And now back to our regularly scheduled programme!

..Well, almost, anyway. I will be spending the rest of this month working different sizes than I did in January, oscillating between much smaller (10x10cm) to much larger, such as this 12x16 beast.

I very vividly remember taking an early, early train ride from Aberdeen to Edinburgh, and looking out the window to see these beautiful cows (I cannot not be 100% certain, but in my head they were best friends) chilling out and relaxing near this immense cliff covered in gorse flowers, leading all the way down to the water that looked downright purple in the semi-cloudiness. I don't know if you've ever smelled gorse (otherwise known as furze) before, but it's almost a cross between coconut and plumeria. If you see these little yellow flowers (growing on dark green prickly bushes), please don't hesitate to smell them; that scent is downright intoxicating!

12"x16" oil on canvas

Drat!

I'm feeling a bit under the weather, so I'm afraid I'm going to have to push the completion of my Friday painting (which is roundabout 3/4 completed) until tomorrow.

On the bright side, it's a 12x16, so it's nice and large! Very exciting, yes yes.

So positive healing thoughts appreciated, and I'm sure I'll be right as rain tomorrow!

Loch Laggan

Nothing helps doldrums quite like a cycle-break. I have a tendency to get caught up in cycles and general ennui this time of year, and this morning I felt that usual lethargy creeping in. Rather than bracing myself for a gloomy week lacking productivity and full of sleep imbalances, I'm attempting to nip it in the bud and counteract it as best as I know how. So naturally, I drank an utterly unnecessary amount of tea, picked a few colours that neutralise one another nicely (transparent oxide red and ultramarine blue) and experimented.

This week may end up being full of such experiments, at least until I can get back into my cheery regular routine. Apologies for the poor quality of the photo; the daylight was gone by the time I finished. I'll do my best to take a better one tomorrow and replace this one.

Mental health takes a fair amount of work sometimes, but it is always, *always* worth it.

12"x10" Oil on Canvas

Oystercatchers

I am simply in love with the little oystercatchers that hang out on the revealed sandbars when the tide goes out on the North Sea. Aberdeen has been oscillating between beautifully sunny and dreadfully snowy on a near-quarter-day basis, thanks to the gale-force winds coming off of this lovely sea. With all the flack it's getting for that, I thought we could all use a reminder of how lucky we are to live within walking distance of scenes like this one.

10"x12" Oil on Canvas


P.S. I just put in a bulk order of 12"x16" panels, so some larger works are in our future! Are you as excited as I am?

Tea for the Heart

I've been making a lot of herbal decoctions and teas for my friends this year; I feel like it helps me fill a spiritual void and makes me feel like I am, if even psychosomatically, connecting with ancient medicine women and shamans. I love the idea of brewing a pot of tea and a bounty of life and flora springing forth.

This certainly won't be the final blooming teapot I'll be painting this month!

Again.. Thank you for all your support. I am humbled by the amount of emotional support I've been receiving throughout this daily painting adventure. I simply can't thank you enough.

10"x12" Oil on Canvas

Exciting News!

Hi everyone!

I have great news!

My works are now officially put up for auction here! From now on, paintings posted will have the link to Daily Paint Works, where all of my work from 2015 will be able to be viewed in its entirety and purchased using PayPal.

Just in case you didn't catch the link for this site, here it is.

(that's http://www.dailypaintworks.com/artists/catherine-duthie-5535/artwork for those of you who prefer to copy and paste your links rather than follow them.)

Thank you so much for all your support. I know it's a bit silly to admit, but on days when I am feeling sluggish and non-painterly, knowing that there have been at least a couple of you cheering me on gives me the push to keep going.

Here's to a productive and successful February!

By the way, here's that link again, just in case you kept reading and don't feel like scrolling back up to the top of this entry.

Not From Concentrate

This big juicy reflective collection on my counter was too lovely not to commemorate. You can't see it, but there is actually a persimmon in the way back holding the green apple up.

I love apples so much, you guys.

10"x12" Oil on Canvas

Gifts and Green (they love each other and they love our team)

Lilies from my birthday present and some lovely apples that I inhaled shortly after immortalising them in paint.

10"x12" Oil on canvas

Take a Deep Breath

Took a break today and painted a landscape. It's been a rather arduous few days and I needed to make myself a little retreat. Who wants to set up a picnic here with me?

12"x10" Oil on Canvas

A Bowl of Cherries (and what you make of it)

I know, I cheated; it's in a frame, so of COURSE it looks better.. But hey, it's my birthday and I do what I want.

Today I turned 29, and I feel like I've not gotten older so much as levelled up. Life is a bowl of cherries, friends. And I'm so lucky to have you all in mine.

12x16 Oil on Canvas

Pre-Pesto

Yes, my very first basil! I'm starting to see each of these paintings as more of lessons than necessarily triumphs or failures. I hadn't painted basil before, but now I understand it far better than I ever did. I'll have to paint it again to know for sure.

Also, if you were curious, that tomato actually *was* that round. It was almost off-puttingly perfectly round.

12x16" oil on canvas

What did I do this week, anyway?

What did I do this week, you ask?


Oh, a little of this...

Blue Lemonade

Little Palette Cleanser Demo (it looks much more green and orange in real life)

... A little of that...

Flow Drawing at the Aberdeen Wellbeing Centre

And even a little bit of this!

Oil Painting Fundamentals at the Rosemount Community Centre

So I may have been absent, but I've been just as busy as ever. New paintings will be coming soon! I hope to get 4 paintings done this week. Wish me luck!