Blogtober five

The night before surgery and looking forward to the better days ahead.  Less pain on his part, and the waiting for this to happen since the day he had his pre-ops done, is not easy for him to do.   With God's grace, we will make it through with the help of family and friends. 

On the art side of the blog, I sent in my bra art and the committee sent me an email to ask if I would do a commission bra piece for the xray department, made of old mammography films.  I wasn't going to do it, but then had an idea and said yes (hopefully will try to work it in sideways) .  They are going to try to get them to me while I happen to be at the hospital tomorrow.  We'll see what transpires.

Here is hoping that there are bright skies ahead.  Stay tuned.

Blogtober four

I wondered about doing Blogtober because, in two days, The Hubs, is going in for surgery.  He needs a total hip replacement.  Actually, he needed it a while ago, but its now gotten very bad.  So life will be pretty busy for me in the next few.

I am trying to catch up on a lot of things, like finish up the art I need to, so I can be available for nurse duty.  I can't wait til he feels better again!  He has to be off the ibuprofen that works for him for this week prior to surgery, so I know he is gritting his teeth more than usual now.

I need to clean the house for the company and 'help' that will probably be coming in.  Groceries are bought, Laundry is done.  Today is a chilly, cloudy, breezy fall day, and after having breakfast with my siblings and siblinginlaws, doing a little shopping and a farmers market, we are both kinda crashing at home for a bit right now.

He has been flipping between the ball game, (last one of the season) and the Nascar race, and then I hear him snore.  Next I know, he's flipping the channels again.

Actually, once I get the Baby Shower present done, I think I am done with art until further notice.  Although I may sketch a bit in the next few days. 

I started the baby shower project yesterday.  I dragged out my airbrush, blew the dust off of it and started painting.  I am using the airbrush because its going to be a canvas hamper for the nursery.  Because its collapsible, I didn't want to put thick paint that may crack off one day, not that I expect them to collapse it on a regular basis, but because its so movable.

Well, airbrushing takes practice.  I love airbrushing, but I haven't practiced it in a while.  I am now at the point that I either have to patch and make what I have done, WORK, or go out and buy another hamper and start over.  I stopped when I got frustrated so getting back to it will take a bit of effort.  Cleaning up messes isn't as fun as creating!

I guess I can leave this blog with an artistic thought though:

Enjoy whats left of the weekend!

Stay tuned!

Blogtober three

A thought just occured to me while I watched my third tutorial video on Facebook this morning... that art is as relative as anything else in your life.

While I was watching this woman make an abstract painting in watercolors (no, I don't do watercolors but its fun to watch other medium artists do their thang) I realize that the theme of the painting that attracted me to watch in the first place is a definate difference in what she ended up with. (For the record I watched an Oil Painting technique this morning also, but I don't do that either. The third one was a Art Journalling video which I have tried, and basically suck at!)

While I appreciate the techniques and the creative mind she has, and the products she is touting on the video, I asked myself if I would buy that art from a booth.  My answer is no.   I gained appreciation for the piece by simply watching it be made, and if I saw it in a booth without that knowledge, I probably wouldn't value that piece as much.  In other words, it was fun watching it become what it became.  And the video did what she wanted, it taught me a few things.

Once the piece was done, it really didn't appeal to me personally.  I look at this like looking at a catalog of clothes.  Some may be beautiful on other people, but I know its not right for me.  Some may be the right color, or some might be the right size, but I don't have to like them all. Its personal preference like the clothes you wear, the color you paint your walls or any other decision you make.  You have to be COMFORTABLE with it.  Something in that piece has to resonate with you.

I think that art is in the eye of the beholder, and there are as many tastes as there are people.  You should always pick out your own art.  What makes you say "WOW!"  And it doesn't always have to match the sofa. The art you like says a lot about you.  I like to ask myself what I like and don't like about every piece I consider.

For me, I think this blog has given me the determination of  painting over a few canvasses that are less than loved that I have done.  Make something better out of them.  There are more canvasses being done these days than there are walls to hang them on.  So the ultimate purpose of those canvasses, in the long run, are to make ME happy anyway, right?  To express me.

Just my thoughts on a cool, blowy Blogtober morning....


Stay tuned!

Friday, Blogtober 2 2015

Happy Friday!  Did you know that Oct. 2 is Plaid Day?  Yep, I read that on Facebook last night.  And you know what they say, if its on Facebook it has to be true!

Well, I wore plaid today... (lumberjack red), and apparently nobody else got the memo.  Oh well... it WAS chilly out, and the plaid WAS warm, and its comfy on casual Friday.

Besides that, its First Friday.  Hoping to get down there tonight.  And with fall comes the fish fries at the local Legion. Gonna go try that tonight.

But first a glass of wine to say goodbye to the workweek, and hello weekend.

See you tomorrow!  Stay tuned!

Blogtober one.

Ok, we'll give it a shot, Blogtober, that is, with no promises.

Its 10pm on the first... can't wait too much longer to start Blogtober, but I'm in!

Well, as much as I hate to post things that I do for others before they get to see them, I doubt if they, or anyone close to them, will see them here. 

This is a poem that I calligraphied, for a friend, and did the tree to match.  So, although I don't get the poem, I like the tree.  It is on parchment paper with walnut ink and sepia pen. The artwork is only laying in the frame before I left it for framing.  I can't wait to see it done next week. I hope she likes it.

Next up: a baby nursery hamper and a rooster for a restaurant.
And a halloween sign. 

Stay tuned!

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Hmmm, here we are on the last weekend of September.   Despite the continuous proverbial hanging on by the fingernails on the season of summer, its leaving, and the days are getting shorter and the weather is getting cooler.  So I sit on my front porch a little longer, keep the windows open when its cooler than comfortable, and I will not, nope, will NOT hang out the fall wreath yet.  So there!

To do Blogtoberfest, or not to do Blogtoberfest, that is the question...

Life is going to be busy for the next couple weeks so I am also trying to get in all the art I can. (housework be damned!) So remember a while back, I bought a pretty big canvas for a call for art for a new massage place, but I didn't get it started in time? (I bought the canvas on the same day it should have been turned IN.)  Well, that blank canvas has been just hanging around taunting me.

So... yesterday as I was in the parking lot of a favorite store, we noticed THESE:

 I don't know if they were looking for their cars in the parking lot or seeing what parking lots were all about but they were not in any hurry or alarmed at all.  An hour later, when we came out of the store, they were still hanging out, entertaining everyone.

So, on the way home, I was thinking of them, and then BAZINGA! I remembered that canvas.  Its like 24 x 48.  and I did most of it last night, finished up at 6am this morning.  I didn't think the cars in the background did anything for them, so I used a new technique that I never have done before, where you squirt the wet paint and let it run.  Cool effect!  My first experience with Liquid Frisket.  A liquid masking stuff that you paint on everything you DON'T want paint on. Kind fun, even if a little pricey.
Since I took this picture, I have made the 'drumsticks' a little less pronounced, and the feathers lighter on the bird on the left.   Funny how putting on the computer makes you see things you didn't before.

<WIP to show background

So, thats the end of my tomfoolery this week.   Have a good week, and I will see you in October!  I haven't decided yet to do Blogtoberfest, but you will be the first to know.

Stay tuned!

Saturday, September 18,2015

Today is a local ArtFair that we call Artilicious. This is the Chairity Auction fair that we did the Wine Bottle chair for.   It will be interesting to see what is bid on that. Heading out to the fair shortly.

This week, the New Years Rez that I made, ( the one about doing something with the things I have around here that I have accumulated) kicked in and I pulled out an old piano bench that I found at a friends rummage sale (years ago) that I thought was worth painting.  Someday.  Well, someday was Tuesday. 

 This is the idea I had when I first bought it  Why did it take me so long to do it?

 Inside  I covered it in scrapbook paper that is antiquish sheet music.

I posted it on facebook and had some offers.  Sold to a friend of mine that is tickled pink to have it.
I am glad its going to a good home!  And proud of myself still working on a New Years Rez in September! 

Stay tuned!