Painting Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days

Day 1 'Windbent', Plein Air, Oil 2018

I was not sure whether I wanted to paint every day for the month of September, it is a busy month, with the garden demanding so much attention. There is a lot of pleasure in the tasks that bring the harvest of full ripe fruits into a future meal, an occasion, a souvenier of summer's efforts.

The August sunlight was tinted with a coral-colored light from the not too distant forest fires. A record number of dry days, combined with smokey air, and mid-ninety temps made for super-early chores, slug-like activity mid-day and very late dinners. Outdoor activity has to be curtailed with this sort of hazardous air, plein air painting was not possible.

Near the end of August the wind changed, the fires were somewhat subdued and I thought of painting outside again. September is very nice, drier for sure, it used to (1960's) start really raining in mid month, but now it is fairly dry until the end of October.

I signed up the day before, and did not have any trepidations until the third day, I felt a little overwhelmed, but patiently stepped forward, to the next day and the next.

I'll be posting the painting of the day on /www.facebook.com/MiraVistaStudioArts/.

You can join me there by liking this page, or follow my work on Twitter @

Renee Ugrin

@reneeaugrin1

 Day 2 'Willing Subjects' 2018

Day 3 'Eucalyptus' 2018

 Day 4. 'Seckel Pears' 2018

 Day 5. 'Ponderosa' 2018

 Day 6. 'Late Start' 2018

Day 7. 'Green Gage Plums' 2018

Day 8. 'Welcome' 2018

Day 9. 'Amma', 2018

Please watch for today's painting at the mentioned pages.

Thank you all so much!

(all work is copyright and permission to use must be acquired)  

What's next?

On Saturday August 24th, Artists gathered at Portland Art Museum's Rental Sales Gallery to share their Artist's books.  Each person brought their own style to this varied medium.

Behind me are the display 'drawers' which hold hundreds of wonderful works of art.  I have been with this Gallery since 1985.  These events, 'Meet the Artists', allows the public and museum members to have the opportunity to hear what the artist's have to say about their work, what inspires them, the techniques or materials thay use.  A really nice program, and if you don't mind a little public speaking it is a lot of fun.  People seem to really enjoy seeing the ideas come to life and possibilities of the creative process.http://www.portlandartmuseum.org/rsg

I brought my 'Secrets of the Silk Road' - A book made in response to the attack on a cultural place named after a poet Al-Mutanabbi.  The following link provides the background in formation as well as depicts all of the books in the collection on display at the Center for Book Arts in New York City.  Additional exhibits are also listed, the interest to show this collection, or a portion of it continues and more venues are added, according to their capacity to show between 10 and 260 books in the entire collection/exhibit.   - http://www.centerforbookarts.org/exhibits/archive/showdetail.asp?showID=242.  As you can see, so much creative effort has gone into these wonderful works, they are filled with genuine human responses, anger, sadness, injustice, but also there is hope in the 'rebel song that comes from underneath the rubble',  in culture, shared, traded and exchanged is the building of peaceful society.

I will have some new paintings, landscapes and a woodblock print for the Fall Show at Rental Sales and will look forward to seeing the fine people there.  Thank you Rental Sales for hosting the bookarts day.

I have also been a member of Print Arts Northwest since 1985.  This group has found a new home at the Multnomah Art Center in Portland Oregon.  We will be moving in September.  What a gift to have found a more central place for the band of printmakers here in the Pacific Northwest, and Portland (and environs, in particular).  http://www.multnomahartscenter.org/2012/11/06/printmakingstudio/.  
There will be a gallery and a place for print collectors to brouse through hundreds of prints, woodblock, etchings, monotyples, collage, reductive, engravings, linoleum and more.  You will be able to find lots of my work there too!  

This September I am hoping to paint every day.  This is the plan.  I am trying to develope a usefull and happy habit!  

Recently, I have had an opportunity to serve the community as an advocate for the arts.  Once the ball gets rolling I will keep you apraised of these events.  Thank you all for subscribing to this blog.

PS If you are on Facebook, I have a page for my art:  Renee Ugrin, Artworks.  Like it!