August 13, 2017

OMGoodness!  I haven't posted since APRIL?  Wow!  Time flies!   I don't even have a good excuse.  Let me go through my closet of art and post what I have been up to...

this was a couple of combined photos that I have now framed in barnwood.

Walnut ink. 

this black 6x8 sketch album has been fun to play with.  Colored pencil.

Red and blue tulips in Acrylics, Sold

A couple more from the black sketchbook, colored pencil colors, white ink pen.

Four BFF's in acrylics, 24x36 gifted.

Orange truck in walnut ink and colored pencil.'

I was dreaming of the beach one day, and did this, not knowing what else to do with it.

So I came up with this after
 learning  that funding might be cut for our Great Lakes.

Lin Manuel-Miranda wrote a play called In The Heights that was performed at our local theater. Its about a neighborhood of people in New York from the Dominican Republic.  It was very loud, and colorful and full of vibe.  It inspired me to do this:

Just because:

And this girl just looked like she was having fun.  And since its summer:

Today I painted two Peace Poles.  Ones a gift.  Ones for me.  Will show a pic next time.  Makes me want to do more.   Stay tuned!

Sunday March 12, 2017

Here's a thought:  Never let a dress code get in the way of fun socks! Words to live by! lol.

Well the hockey helmet was a hit:

Since I have been taking this watercolor class, I have been less than impressed with the results.  At this point, I think I will leave the watercolor to the watercolorists because I apparently am not one!  I have found that with some of my pen and inks, that I can color in the backgrounds.  I am sometimes daunted by doing backgrounds because you can really screw up a piece by doing something bad to the background.  But here is one of the pieces I have 'helped' with the watercolors:  The browns in the car and the light blue in the car are inks.

  

The first assignment... we were supposed to learn leading lines into the painting, mountains, and trees.  I guess my lack of ever SEEING mountains hampered me... I am more of an Up North girl and this looks very "Up Northish"

  The Porch is something I wanted to do for awhile.  I just noticed I forgot to finish the dog sleeping on the porch.

The light house is also unfinished, I see, with the roof not visible here.

This is what I am working on for next week.










Then sometimes, you just have to do something that you are familiar with, (ahhh... back to colored pencils and ink!)  Just to prove to yourself that you can do it!

 SO, this has been a major block in my artroom.  A dumpster save that I thought I could do something with... Its just BIG, and there isn't room in there for it.  What do you do with it?  Gesso and paint it of course!  I did it in a wine theme for the Art and Wine event coming up.   Its 24x24 and so heavy it needs a cleat on the back for hanging... It took me a week, but I feel redeemed, like I actually should have paints in my possession.

Well thats what I have been up to.  Stay tuned!

February 18, 2017

This morning, as I wake up and drink my coffee, thinking of the two watercolors I have to have done for next weeks class, (I haven't been slacking, I just don't like what I have done yet.) and the other things I would like to do, like get online and get some of my work copied for the upcoming art sale I have signed up for, and get some stuff framed up, etc. (The frames have been in my living room for a month or more) I am reminded by the hockey goalie helmet that stands in my way.  Although there is nothing I want to do more, than make a special kid I know happy by painting it up his way, my thoughts have to go with this project FIRST. 

First of all, you have to please everyone.  The right colors, the right design, and you need it by WHEN?

Second of all, to get a good adherence on something that will take some wear and abuse, you need enamel paint.  I used to do signs, so I have some... but even when I did signs, I didn't have the warm place to do it for the winter.  Those paints don't dry/cure well in the cold.  They have an odor and are flammable.  They need solvents with odors and are also flammable.  Not something you want to have circulating in your house for weeks/months, and breathing.  Needless to say, its an outdoor thing.  In Michigan, without a warm place garage or something, that cuts out the cold winter months. Luckily, we have a break in our February with a weekend of 55-60 degree weather.  It just might work!

Thirdly, enamels need days to dry and cure.  Then to do it right, it should be clear coated, with a nice hard protective cover. I have a friend with a body shop that can clear it for me, if he has some extra clear in his gun someday.  Again, then you have to give that time to cure.

Apparently there is a tournament we are hoping to have a nice cool hockey helmet for.... I seriously can't wait to see him in it! 



I have signed up for the Annual Art Walk the first weekend in May.  I am getting braver about selling, but its more out of necessity than actual wanting to.  Looking for a business manager:  Cheap.  Someone that can put it all together and get it out of my art room and sell it so I can keep up my habit. lol.  I have heard of people that have had to quit their day jobs to sell their art.  There is so much to it!  Taxes, and shipping, and festivals, and framing!  When you work 40 hours a week, and still have chores to do at home, its almost impossible.  Even to keep up a shop online!  ( Maybe hire someone to do the housework so I can do the fun stuff??)

For some reason, I feel the need to head to the ReStore and get a flat hollow bedroom door.  I want to paint it for a kids bedroom.  Both sides.  Don't ask me why... its just something I have been thinking about for a while and must DO.

There's always something!  .... Stay tuned...

Wednesday Feb 1, 2017

I am taking a watercolor class.  I wanted to try it.  Watercolor is a whole different animal and I think I need to be more water and less pigment because I am painting like an acrylic artist, not the pretty watery colors that are watercolors.  See for yourself:

Not to mention those little tubes of paint won't last long the way I am going.  Oh well.  Tomorrow night is critique and we'll see if they are as hard on me as I am on myself.

Happy Chinese New Year, by the way.  Did you know its the year of the Rooster? I have done a couple of roosters, (see this blog for pics) for other people of course, but when I tried to do one for myself...

I got one pissed off chicken!  I wanted to do one of those cool multi colored, free flowing birds, like what these artists did:

 I didn't want to copy them, so I did them by memory.  Granted its been MONTHS since I saw these, so I winged it. (no pun intended) lol...  you would even think I might have been in a bad mood that day, eh? Nope.

So, a work-in-progress... or I will gesso it over.

The artist reception went well.  We had a small but nice exhibition and crowd.
Well, stay tuned.  

Saturday 1/14/17

Winter keeps us indoors and gives us more chance for art!  Should spend it on housecleaning, but that is just no fun at all.

A friend of mine has a new pup, for about a year now, and she is just sooo cute, I had to try to capture that face! Meet Charley:

 Then, this old sap barn from a few years ago was still in my sketchbook... since it didn't do anything for me before, I played with it again today.... still not impressed.  :/

 And I had to do this today... don't know why but it had to be done....

I am not saying I am done with any of these, but trying to keep the creative juices going.

The Art Center in town has asked if I would like to join in and put one piece in their non-member exhibition until the end of February.  I said sure.  Since I didn't know what to put in, I let Hubs pick:

It was one I did for the Human Form exhibition and stuck back in the back of my art room.  So for now, thats all thats arty from here.

Stay tuned!

Monday after Christmas 2016

Good morning!  I hope you had a wonderful Christmas!

Last week my friend Ashley and I took a mandala class.  For those of you that don't know what a mandala is, the word means CIRCLE, but its used as a spiritual focus, a meditation.  In this class, we were given a blank canvas and were allowed to choose paint and where we wanted to go with it.  The canvas had circles and one square.  That canvas was pretty intimidating to say the least.  Where to go, where to go???

 It was explained that the middle was the core of us within the universe.  We asked our angels to guide us.  And seriously, I had no plan, but it came very easily.  I felt good about it when I was done.  I like it.

From my last couple posts, my friend gave the portrait of her hubby, father in law and son to her son for Christmas, and it was a hit! YEA!!

Other than that, I am just enjoying the season.  I am helping Hubs construct some presents for next week, but will show those at a later date.

Happy holidays!  Stay tuned!

Monday December 19 2016

The holidays are upon us, and like Santa's elves who have procrastinated a little too long, we are busy busy busy. 

We have finished a project we started mid-fall.  I think I told you about the keyboard?  Well, here it is...

 For being a recycled kind of project, and the keyboard was free, we paid about 70 for the beautiful walnut wood, about 16 for the recycled legs, 50 for the piece of glass, and then the incidentals: the base board, the bottom 'box' that hold the legs, the stain, the paint, the hardware... we can't just give it away.... and had a lot of interest until we named our price.  **crickets**
Oh, well.  We'll either sell it or not.


Then comes this pup...

done for a friend for her son for Christmas.  The first was too dark, and really didn't look like her.  So I did it on white and widened the face... And I am not sure it captures her personality yet, but she is going to take it.  I told her I didn't want her to pay for something that didn't look like his dog, but the first was a 5x7 and the second one an 11x14, so the price went up which probably didn't thrill her.  We should probably have discussed it first.

A little photography this season...   

 I am taking a watercolor class and a mandala class and just going to enjoy the season. 

Merry Christmas to you all.

Stay tuned.