I'm sure I'm not the only artist who squeezes out portions of color from his or her collection of paint tubes, only to find that once the painting is finished, there are little mounds of still-usable paint left on the palette.  (Of course, by palette, in my case I mean the plastic lid to a cool whip bowl.) 
If we're discussing watercolors, the paint is perfectly fine to leave alone until water is added once again. But...what do we do with those little globs of acrylics that will soon be a psychedelic relief map?
I admit to resorting to storing my palette full of still-wet paint in a ziploc bag, which did the trick for a day or so.  I think I might have been on to something, but it wasn't exactly perfect...
On a side note, I've been known to make use of even paint spills: 

Yes, that watercolor ACEO is from a puddle of watercolor that had gotten spilled on some furniture. (oops!) I hastily used some of it before the rest was wiped up with a rag.

It began with this little ACEO, aptly named "The Color of inspiration".

The colorful journey continues, in bright florals and paisleys sparkling with glitter.






Each of these as well as those to come in the series will be an original, collectible work of art.  Be sure to take a look at them all!

Sometimes the simplest things can inspire us.  Sometimes it comes in the form of a single quote from a book, a photograph, or a beloved object.  For me, recently, it has come from a brightly colored silk cord bracelet given to me as a gift not long ago.

I elaborate more here, where you can also see a small glimpse of my latest work, now available for purchase:

I'm finding myself wanting to create pieces full of saturated, bright colors, and whimsical, fun shapes.  So, I'll be looking into my imagination and taking cues from the colors I see in this little bracelet, which, incidentally and of course, I happen to be wearing this very moment.

_If you've read my blog at blogspot.com, you've seen my post mentioning that I'm starting a new series of paintings involving  cityscapes.

Today I was inspired to do the first of my series: this evening I worked on the first painting, which is a small acrylic cityscape measuring about 6" X 6" in deep blue and green hues, accented with yellows and oranges.  The title of the painting is "A Night in the City", and I hope to create many more in this series in the coming weeks. 

After a trip to the craft store on Saturday, which usually gets me in the mood to paint, I had the urge to get creative with a few tubes of paint and a few brushes...

Lately, I've wanted to paint things that were either very fantastic or whimsical, or very abstract...

So, today I started not one, but two miniature abstract paintings that I think will end up turning out really nicely.

Besides interesting color combinations and brush strokes that resemble waves, I'll be adding a bit more texture to these little paintings - something that I think might be a part of my creations in the near future.

My newest listing, for instance, is quite textured - with peaks and waves of bright color forming throughout the miniature abstract scene...

So, stay connected, keep an eye on this site and my etsy shop  for more unsual, colorful, and imaginative art.

I'm sure I'm not the only artist, amateur or professional, who has struggled with what should be the simplest of tasks: coming up with a title to a painting.  And why should this be so ridiculously difficult?  I'm sure you would expect that it would be much more difficult to come up with a subject, or even a color scheme, but I actually find it much more of a dilemma to name my finished piece. 
  I usually like to name my pieces with simple, one or two word titles.  Sometimes the titles are somewhat obvious, such as "Red" - a painting of mine which is predominantly red, or "Goldfishy" - a small acrylic of - what else - a bright orange fish.  Others are symbolic, representative of the "movement" of the subject or colors, such as "Wind" - with its swirls of color depicting swirling wind.  Sometimes it takes a while before I come up with that one "perfect" name for a piece.
My latest painting, shown above, spent nearly a week without a title. I at first focused on the colors - the deep purple, the contrasting yellow and pale lavender-white, or the bright aqua blue.  I considered the subject: the island with trees, or the moonlight and stars shining around them, or the vast sea surrounding the little island. 
I finally put all obvious clues aside, and just thought of what the elements altogether brought to mind.  An island - an isolated island - most likely quiet, secluded. It's surrounded by water, which is a beautiful deep aqua. Trees provide shelter and shade. The moon and stars shine brightly, bathing everything in a soft glowing light.  I decided a place like this would be quite an escape - a sanctuary.  So, I had finally come up with a title: Sanctuary No. 1. 

I think I might add some very slight finishing touches on this painting, but, for the most part, it's finished.  I think my favorite combination of colors in this palette has to be the turquoise and purple, although I do love the contrast of that nearly-white lavender color. 
I hope to have the completed work photographed and in my shop sometime next week.  Be sure to look for it along with my other art!

Last night, at least for a little while, I was able to continue on my painting.  I added more to the background, which included a large, pale lavender moon (is that lavender? maybe lilac? heh heh whatever it is I like the color in this case). I stopped for a little while and tended to a few things around the house while I contemplated just what should be in the foreground, and decided on a little floating island.  I'm pleased with the way the island itself and the trees contrast with the background.  I think after just a few small additions this painting will be finished and ready to list in my shop. :)