Z is for Zebra - A Painting a Day

A to Z Challenge

"Zebra, Stripes and All" - acrylic painting ©Mary Montague Sikes

This is the last day of the A to Z Challenge, and I feel a little sad. It's been fun and actually stimulating to finally attempt a Painting a Day.

Many thanks to A to Z Hosts: founder Arlee Bird at Tossing It Out, Damyanti Biswas at Amlokiblogs, Alex J. Cavanaugh, Tina Downey at Life is Good, DL Hammons at Cruising Altitude 2.0, Jeremy Hawkins at Retro-Zombie, Shannon Lawrence at The Warrior Muse, Matthew MacNish at The QQQE, Konstanz Silverbow at No Thought 2 Small, Stephen Tremp at Breakthrough Blogs, Livia Peterson at Leave it to Livia, L. Diane Wolfe at Spunk on a Stick, and Nicole at The Madlab Post. Having 1656 participants must have been a challenge all by itself!

Here is my last painting of the series. "Z" is for Zebra.

I now have a studio lined with new paintings, except for "C" is for Casey Cat which I gave to our daughter, Amy. Now, I'll have the challenge of painting another "C". I have an interesting bonus from this project. For several years, a fairly large painting sketched out on canvas has rested against a wall in the studio. It's been only a sketch. Until now. Because I hate to waste any of my very expensive paints, I started using the leftovers from the A to Z Challenge on that canvas. I now have a new painting well under way. Perhaps I'll share it here when it's finished!

Today's painting, "Zebra, Stripes and All" is 14" x 11" acrylic on stretched, deep gallery-wrapped canvas.

Goodbye to the Challenge.

Y is for Yellowstone Buffalo - A Painting a Day

A to Z Challenge

"Yellowstone Buffalo" - acrylic painting ©Mary Montague Sikes

Today's painting is "Y" is for Yellowstone Buffalo. Several years ago, we spent almost two weeks exploring Yellowstone National Park. Wild buffalo roamed everywhere. They often stopped traffic through the park as they lumbered across the roads--sometimes pausing for a while there. Although there were warnings to be cautious because of the danger of being gored by these animals, people still jumped from their cars to take photos. I took the reference photo for this painting through the car window of a buffalo lying by the side of the road.

There are approximately 4200 wild buffalo in Yellowstone National Park. Compare that to the tens of millions that once roamed free across the plains of our country. Imagine people shooting these animals from trains long ago and decimating the buffalo population. Stampeding buffalo herds were a big danger to wagon trains in the mid-1800s.

"Yellowstone Buffalo" is 8" x 10" acrylic on stretched canvas. It is the next to last art work in my Painting a Day for the A to Z Challenge.

X is for X-Ray Tetra - A Painting a Day

A to Z Challenge

The A to Z Challenge is nearing the end. I've been creating a new animal painting each day. This week has been a special challenge for me because every day I've also been taking an amazing art workshop that was especially intense. At the end of each workshop day, I've painted a new artwork and needed to photograph it and post my blog prior to leaving the art facility before 6 p.m. For that reason, I've kept all the blog posts short. I also have been unable to go visit other bloggers in the Challenge. I'll try to make up for that when I return home.

"X-Ray Tetra" - acrylic painting copyright Mary Montague Sikes

"X" is for X-Ray Tetra, an exotic transparent fish native to the Amazon River in South America. This colorful fish is popular for home aquariums.

"X-Ray Tetra" is 10" x 8" acrylic on stretched canvas. This is the 24th painting in the Painting a Day series for the A to Z Challenge.

W is for Wallaby - A Painting a Day

A to Z Challenge

"Wallaby" acrylic painting - Mary Montague Sikes

For "W" I've chosen another animal, the Wallaby, a marsupial that inhabits Australia and Tasmania. My daughter, Amy, provided me with a photograph that she took in Tasmania that I used as my resource image. Since these animals actually live among rocks, I took some liberties with the terrain.

This painting is 11" x 14" acrylic on stretched canvas. We are nearing the end of A Painting a Day for the A to Z Challenge.

V is for Virginia Deer - A Painting a Day

A to Z Challenge

"Virginia Deer" - acrylic painting  Mary Montague Sikes

Today "V" is for Virginia Deer and the many we have seen in our woods over the years. The deer were there long before we came, and I enjoy watching them. They are a nuisance when they eat the vegetables and flowers from the garden. Still, I am glad they are there.

Today's painting is 14" x 11" acrylic on stretched canvas.