March 29,, 2013 Good Friday.

I have the day off, so time to do the fun stuff today.  Michigan is being blessed with sunshine today and about 50 degree warmth.  Whoo hoo!

ANYWAYS...
There are two birdhouses on my kitchen counter right now, and Hubs is in the garage helping with  a third... STILL waiting on answers from venues to hold my Birdhouse Silent Auction.  I want to do this around the First of MAY,-yep,- THATS ONE MONTH!!!  Geez, Louise!  I can't dwell on it or it will get me crazy.  Just cross your fingers someone steps up to the plate for me soon.

On another note, sneak peek at the next thing....

Can you recognize what that is? This morning, Hubs gave it a quick sand for me before I start the prep on it...
stay tuned!
Well, can't stay here and chat all day, its sunshining out!  Toodle-oo!  Til later!

March 24, 2013 Palm Sunday

Guitarist Andy McKee passed along a favorite quote of his today from guitarist Michael Hedges...I like it too:

"Sometimes the best thing you can do for your guitar is to put it away for awhile. As long as you think, ‘I’ve got to do something new and different,’ then that thought becomes an obstacle. I think the intent is to keep the channel open. The new and exciting stuff is just going to come out of your enthusiasm"

I thought that you can replace the word 'guitar' with the word 'paintbrush' in that.  Sometimes I feel that way.  When creativity is flowing I am very enthusiastic about painting, I find I do a better job and am happier with the results.  

And lately, it just hasn't been happenin'... maybe its the weather or the phase of the moon.  Funny how when I am not inspired to paint that I want to read.  The books pile up just waiting for the day that I wander out of the art room... and I finished two.  The last was "Road to Grace" about a man called Alex Christofferson who loses his wife, his business and home and starts to walk from Seattle to Key West.  I guess this is the third of the series and I didn't know about the first two, but I now have to get them and read them!  

 The other book I have finished is Proof of Heaven by Dr. Eben Alexander.  Maybe you caught him on Oprah, but he is a world renown Neurosurgeon that contracts a rare form of Meningitis and has a near death experience.  Scientist experiences spirituality and it very interesting reading.

If you get a chance, look up Andy McKee and listen and WATCH him play his guitar.  He is inspiring!  ( I am sorry I don't know Michael Hedges, but I plan on looking him up too!)

March 19, 2013

Found this quote, and I kind of dig it...
"If you are willing to do something that might not work, you're closer to being an artist."  -Seth Godin

Last week, Hubs had a conference up in North Country.  While he was in his conference, it allowed me to do some shopping, catch up with my cousin, and get outta town for a break.

In a little shop I went into, the owner had his little puppy there.  She had such a sweet face.  Her name is Juni.  And I enjoyed visiting with both of them.   I asked if I could snap her picture, as I might like to paint her and he was agreeable to that, providing that I would share what I came up with if I ended up painting her.

Well, since the zebra isn't coming out to my liking, (I have NEVER painted a horse I liked, why would I think a zebra would be any different?)  I decided to divert to something smaller.  I did an 8x10 of Juni and it was enough to restore my faith in my paints again. (like its THEIR fault!)

So, have a good Wednesday, everyone.  Time for me to go to sleep.

March 17th 2013 St Patty's Day

Trying to catch up around the house today.  Will try to catch up to speed here too.

I know I have been telling you about the fundraiser I am heading up... I guess I am ready to reveal what its all about...
At work, at an Activities Committee meeting, I was put in charge of a charity event for Habitat for Humanity.   So, I am doing an ART Birdhouse Auction.  I have found scrap lumber at our Restore Store, and I have the Vocational School Building Trades class making them.  Now I am trying to get artists to either build their own, or get one of ours to paint, decorate, or otherwise embellish to put in the silent auction. All proceeds go to Habitat.  Here is one of the 'nekkid' houses.

I didn't want to exclude some of the artists that do needle work or other art so I am accepting other artwork too, as long as it is bird/birdhouse related!

I am waiting to hear about the venue, before putting out any more advertising, but time is getting short, so I may have to go to a Plan B for the venue.  (Getting a little worried)


I have about 4 ideas running around in my head for the Auction myself...so if I end up decorating them all myself, so be it!

Here is the painting I have been working on for said Auction... I have a few more things to do on it... I tried to collage, but have extra respect for you collage artists... you make it look so easy!  I want to hang a sign off the side of it yet that says something cute, and collage a butterfly in the sky and maybe some more cloudys...

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Then for Create Every Day the March assignment is Black and White.  Wasn't sure what to do with THAT, but as I was sitting in a mall last weekend that incidently had a Merry Go Round in it, I saw the zebra on it and BINGO!  There it was.
Again.  Its been a point of frustration.
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SO,
also last weekend, I was shopping in this little fun downtown store, and the owner had a beautiful little pup.

I just knew I had to paint that face.
Maybe its the phase of the moon, but things just aren't as easy for my fingers, as it is in my head...
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This is what I am doing with extra paint on my pallet these days.  Painting my paint brushes.  Some of them are so old and worn, but are good friends that have been thru many a painting with me, that the finish has come off the handles.  So, I am painting them back on and giving them a lick of sealer to keep them shiny.  They look like Easter eggs, don't they?
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Anyways...
While I was in the Restore, (that place just has my head spinning with possibilities!!!)  I found an old wooden backboard from an ambulance crew.   They can't use the wood ones anymore, but I am going to do something with it.  Stay tuned for funky there....
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So, I haven't been a slacker, just going in so many directions its taking longer to get anything done!
I failed at the Art A Day thing...  guess I bit off more than I can chew.

But here is something I did this morning as I was playing with pixlr, as I just started messing with that today.

I think I will leave it there, today.... Have a great St. Patricks Day, everyone!

March 13, 2013

My apologies for what must seem like I dropped off the face of the earth. No excuses except for being out of town for a few days, working, planning a fundraiser, classes, and getting some painting done for said fundraiser.  Oh yeah, and the daily rituals of cooking, cleaning, washing and the like. No excuses at all!  ;)
I do want to show you what I came up with to decorate at work.  They were so well liked, I taught everyone how to do them.  I was just playing at work and came up with them, after decorating with the same kind of 'hearts' for Valentines Day. (but of course in red).  If I saw them online somewhere, I must have subliminally remembered them, because I really was just playing with some paper when I first made them.

If you make these out of card stock they will stand up on edge on their own.  If you use paper stock and make the small ones they will, unless its somewhere that gets a gust of air or bumped alot. Bigger ones made of regular paper are a little wimpier.
Let me show you how to do them so you can decorate for St. Pattys...
First, cut regular 8-1/2 x 11 paper in one inch strips.  Lengthwise for the big ones, width wise for the smaller ones:

 

Fold a strip in exact half:

 Separate the ends and curl them inside towards the other:

You might have to pull out the ends out to the side to staple them.  Keep the ends lined up and put the staple straight with the squared off ends.

 Make three or four, depending on if you want shamrocks or clovers.  Put the points of the hearts together and staple them two and two like shown.  Then its time to make the stem.  Take a fifth strip and fold one end about 3/4 inch down from the other, like so:

 Flip it over and do the same thing to the other side, so that it makes a box bottom to the strip.
Put the loose ends together and put them between two of the 'hearts' that make the clover petals.

Pinch together and staple.  Put a staple to hold the two upper 'hearts' too.  And TA-DA!!! you have made your first clover!

Experiment with colors and sizes and leaves of your clovers.  Double up on the colors for extra special ones.

Have fun!  And may the road rise up to meet you and the wind always be at your back!

Tuesday March 5, 2013

This one could be the theme of children, pets or some of my favorite soccer players.  We all need to Play, Rest and Repeat.  A lot of us could benefit from a little fun and r & r.  This week I am thinking of hot beaches, and getting away. But then, this is true about this time every winter.  I play in my art room, and that never gets old.

This is the other painting of the Lady with The Hat (16x20 this time!) I am so mad at myself.  On the first one, I made the mistake of putting on the 'stripes' in the background with sharpie marker.   A day or two later, not even THINKING, I decided to give it a clear coat.  Probably would have been ok if I would have sprayed it on, but no, I brushed it on.  Needless to say, that marker smeared all over!  I liked the clean fresh look of the stripes -  Hard to do with a brush.   Hubs says he likes it better smeared a bit.  Oh well.  Have cleared this one before the stripes.  Maybe I will do diagonal stripes? I don't know.  Tell me what you think.

March 3, 2013

Trying to catch up...

First of all, this one went through a kind of a progression.  It was first going to say, "Do what resonates with you:"  I heard that Abraham Lincoln once said, "If I do good, I feel good, If I do bad, I feel bad.  This is my religion."  Several subjects lately have come up where just being true to oneself is the answer.  Its different for everyone, but the answer is do what your gut tells you.  Your gut is usually right.  So, the answer to the question is always another question:

I haven't done a pencil piece in awhile, so finished this one today...

And I am working on an auction piece for an upcoming fundraiser that I am chairing up... for Habitat for Humanity.  Heres a sneek peek of a new piece for that:

As you can see I shot this while still wet.  Its 12 x 24? maybe? I am anxious to do it.  I have it sketched out and am considering of trying a little paper collage on it.  We'll see...

Stay tuned...