Sunday August 25th, 2013

I can't believe summer is slipping away so fast!

I didn't get some things done that I wanted to, but then, I have to give myself a break; there is only so much time.  Next weekend is Labor Day weekend already!  Then school is in and fall sets in.  A few trees have already started to turn to fall colors already, here.  The things at the farmers market are ahead of schedule and the wet spring gave us lots of juicy fruits and veggies this year.  Very tasty.

There is a winery near here that has had bands on Friday nights for about three years now and we get the schedule of activities in the spring every year and say we are going to go, and never have.  Well, last night on a last minute whim, we went.  It was a beautiful summer night, and we caught the last set of the band. There were tables under a large pergola with grapevines running all over it  and an outside bar for your wine and cheese and snacking needs.  Note to self:  grab friends and go again next year.

These looked so good, hanging from the open rafters above our table, and I could just imagine painting them!  Aren't they gorgeous?  And they make great wine too!

The tasting room is in an old one room school house and the proprietors have made this country school so quaint...

I could see this painted too.

And as the band played the last song, and said goodbye, the day was saying goodnight too:

 

Ahhh... summer.  My favorite season.  I'm not ready to say goodbye!  I have enjoyed the long days, warm weather, and the adventures that can only be enjoyed in the summer... the picnics and reunions, the beach and the watermelon!  And, no, it isn't just the wine talkin'...

Tuesday August 20, 2013

Just dropping by to say "Hey!"
Have a few things in the works so hopefully will be able to post more next time, but thought I would throw a little inspiration your way.

School starts after Labor Day in our neck of the woods.  I remember back to my own school days and more than meeting my friends again, or getting new clothes, was the anticipation of getting a new box of crayons.  I remember the disappointment when the teachers would only ask for the box of 8 or 16, because I really wanted the BIG box of 64 with the sharpener on the back.  Colors like Cornflower Blue, and Blue Green and Green Blue.

Someone asked me not too long ago if one of my drawings which was done in colored pencil, if it was done in crayon.  Interesting... I may need to try that.

Will post again when I have something to show. Have a good one..!

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Our picnic table in the back yard has had more makeovers than the Oprah show. 

Hubs built this 12 foot table with treated wood and a steel picnic leg kit from the hardware store, back in the eighties.  We let it "dry and cure" for a year or two and it got ugly.  So I just HAD to paint it. And I have been doing it every couple years since.  Its a big heavy table so it takes the weather, hot or cold, burning sun, rain, sleet, ice and snow out there.

This week, The Hubs stripped down the old pic-a-nic table in the back yard and slapped a couple coats of primer on it.  I just painted it last year but I didn't take the time to prep it well and it does have to sit out in the snow all winter.  The paint always takes a beating and it has so many kinds of paint on it, it peeled really bad this year.  Paint alone on this table weighed a ton!  I figure it was pretty well indestructible!

So it looks like this at the time being... A blank canvas.. beckoning me to make it colorful...

 

Last year, I bought this really cool watermelon at a charity craft show so I painted the table to go with it.  Like I said tho, I probably didn't take the time to prep the surface before I did it, (I scraped it, and slapped a coat of primer on it, but didn't sand or really work at it.  Just took off the loose stuff)

 

The paint job before that was for the sports teams in the family.  

The time before that, I had extra paint after doing the house... so it matched!  It was like that for many years! Good ol' housepaint!

 

And the time before that, it was just a random paint job that lasted a couple years with just craft paints.

 I had it done with slices of watermelon all over it once, but don't seem to be able to put my finger on the picture, 

And it was done with: Sit Long Talk Much Laugh Lots" Or something scrawled up the benches, (I think there were flowers all over it then too of some kind) Those designs were way back in the eighties!

This picnic table has been through a lot in its almost 30 years!  Its been through neighborhood parties,  birthday parties while the kids grew up, construction workers, (remodeling/construction a couple times, actually),  a couple of graduation open houses, loaned out to friends for their parties,  halloween pumpkin carving, and family reunions!  I love thinking about all the friends and family that have sat around this table with us through the years!  Its like part of our family.

So we'll slap another coat of paint on her and dress her up for the next shindig, whenever that will be!  Just got to come up with a design first.  Stay tuned!

August 8th 2013

Been busy lately!

And I have just had to paint a couple things just to remember how!

I did this for an raffle for an Alzheimers fundraiser.  Its done on 8x10 canvas board with acrylics.  I put a flower pot, garden spades and a pair of garden gloves in with it.  Wish me luck!

Then my friend Dan took a gorgeous water lily shot and I tried to paint it... it just needs something though.

Still waiting for the weather to cooperate so that I can put a coat of clear on my table, so I can sell it.

A friend of mine has recently lost her beloved dog and has asked me to paint a picture of it for her.  I hope I can do her justice.  I worry about whether or not I can portray the personalities when people ask me to do it for them.  If I do it on my own and I capture it, then fine, thats cool.  But if I don't, there is nothing hurt.  Its just a picture of a dog. But when someone asks you to do it, the pressure is on!

Have been in cahoots with a friend who wants to surprise his girlfriend with some painting... that will be coming up soon, so stay tuned for that.

August 3, 2013

Happy August!  This summer is going fast!  So many fun things to do in the summer I am sure thats the reason it flies! Its my very favorite season.

I haven't done much art since I last wrote, but sometimes you just have to do the HAVE-TO's instead of the WANT-TO's.   Those HAVE-TO's are multiplying and catching up with me, so its time to take time out of the artroom to take care of business.  **acting like I was just told to clean my room **

Recently, a friend wanted to buy one of my paintings. YAY!  However, Hubs also had a connection to it and didn't want to part with it just yet.  Well, alright.  Hubs is always ready to make money, so if he says that he didn't want to sell that particular painting, he must really be attached to it.

So, asked the friend if he would take a print.  No problem, yes, he would.  So off I went to find a printer that could do it!  I went 35 miles to the printer I like for my pen and inks.  After finding out that their scanner will not take canvas, (it rolls the paper through but canvas doesn't bend) their suggestion was take a good digital picture of it and send it in to a good printer.   Asked a couple of artist friends about where they get their prints made and received a couple of referrals to some places online.  I have checked locally and haven't found anything reasonable.

I sent the digital picture of the print to several different printers to see their work.  I was amazed that one did their own, and three of them went to the same lab!  And I liked them better than the one that did their own.  So, good to know!

However...

I didn't send the right picture.  I always take pics of my art in progression to be able to step back and see it differently throughout the process... I always see something that I want to change or do differently, after I take a pic and pull it up on my computer, then I will go back and change it. 

Well it was one of THOSE that I now have 4 prints of.  Dang, dang dang!!!  It may not look bad to someone else, but its not the final product.  And I'D know!


Lesson learned.  I really ought to delete those progression pictures once the painting has changed, but I don't.  Its kind of looking down the path you traveled to get to your destination.

At any rate, I found the printer I like through the process anyway, and so I will probably send some others.  Now to send the final digital file to the printer to get my very patient friend his print.

Hope to have more to show next time I write.  Until then, I will share something artsy:

Have a good week, friends, and make something colorful!!