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Road Trip!

I am off to Truro tomorrow to take an encaustic class with Nancy Natale.  The class is Bricolage, in other words, attaching things and then adding hot wax.  Other than that, I am not too clear on what else is happening but isn't that the fun of it?  The best part of the class is that you just show up and pay a materials fee and hope that you come away with a masterpiece.  Should  be fun and it looks like it will be a half way decent day.

Not Really Feeling It

Sometimes things just don't come easy.  I have been spending time in the studio but it is more of a maintenance thing.  Sure things are still piled up and my workspace is shrinking but at least I have not planted myself in front of the tv watching any more Storage Wars marathons.

Here is some exciting news:  I am going to the Antiques Roadshow!  I don't know what I am bringing as yet but I got tickets.  Actually the story goes like this:  I applied for tickets on line where you are chosen in a raffle of sorts.  I told my sister to register also because I did not get tickets for the Providence show a few years ago.  No surprise there because I never win raffles.  Anyway, I had to remind her at least three times and guess what happened.  I didn't get the tickets but she did.  Now I think she is more excited than I am and she is obligated to take me because it was my idea.  This happens on June 9 along with about a dozen other things.

Anyway, there is a half hearted attempt at art:

More Houses

Since my Truro cottages were such a hit at the church fair, I decided to make some more.  I made these three over two nights.

I did these in acrylic instead of oil just to see what happened.  I think I like the one on the bottom the best even though the roof is a little crooked.  The windows in the middle one are a little off but they will do.

About Face

Here is another face portrait.  I used charcoal over an abstract oil on paper.  I tried to keep it simple so I worked it up quickly.

I also used some oil pastels and I had to stop myself from over working it.

Something New

  I bought this monoprint the other day from the church art show.

The artist is Deedee Sprecher.  She prints the back ground and then places a trace drawing under the next plate and paints onto the plate and then prints over the background.  I liked the way this has a Toulouse Lautrec feel to it. I'm not sure where I am going to put it but I will manage to find a place.

Happy Cinco de Mayo

May 5th and I was hoping for a better day but I got out early from work so that makes it a good day.  I started working on some new stuff because I have been selling stuff at the local church fair.  I plan on having a few things ready for the next art sale in August.

I sold another one of these 4 x 5 encaustics:

I plan to make some of them as 6 x 6 and I also had the idea of putting some fish on them as beachy things are a big hit around here.

I also sold this one

which was one of my class exercises and one of these

but I am not sure which one this is.  The piece I sold was on the panel.  I also have the larger one framed for sale and some guy thought it cost $86.  He had to be told that 86 was the number of the painting.  I am very excited about these sales.  

New Beginnings

I have been busy cleaning out the studio and getting ready for an art show.  Sometimes I wonder why I keep painting when no body is buying and I also wonder what I am supposed to do with all this stuff.  Most of the time I paint over what I don't like but I think once I paint something I don't like, then whole canvas gets bad karma and should be discarded.  What do you think?

More New Work

I did another portrait while I was cleaning out the studio.  I am not particularly pleased with this nor with the progress of my spring cleaning.

New Work

Here is another Emerge and See portrait.  I think she has a lot of character.

I am dismayed to see that Blogspot saw it fit to "improve" its site.  I don't like new things when it comes to computer stuff.  Does any one who uses this site like this?  I think some one had to make it appear as if they were working.

Patriot's Day

I used to work for a company that gave us Patriot's Day off.  It was always a treat to get a day off in that long stretch between President's Day and Memorial Day.  You could usually depend on nice weather.

Today it was in the 80's and for some reason it was not enjoyable.  Maybe because I had to work with nothing to do and all I could think about was what I was going to eat next.  Tomorrow is another long day but at least I have a short day on Wednesday.  I have not been feeling much like painting so here is some graffiti from Mexico which I like:

Spring Thoughts

We are in for a spell of spring weather, not that is a real change from what we have been having but today it was very active at work and I had a chance to sit on the chairs in the sun out back.  The trees are showing their buds already.  The trees should have their full leaves around here on my husband's birthday, cinco de Mayo, but I have the feeling that they will arrive early.  I will keep you posted.

Also on the weather note, our sometimes pond is pretty much dried up, way ahead of schedule.  It looks like an interesting summer weather pattern.

New Stuff

I have been a bit lazy in the art department lately.  I am preparing for a show in a couple of weeks so I have been going through my stuff and trying to decide what is going to be in the sale.  I did this show last year and sold a painting.  It is difficult to pick what to show because there is no rhyme or reason to what people buy.  Here is what I am working on and I think it is pretty much done.  Not sure if the colors are appealing.

More Art from Mexico

Here are more examples of art from the Holiday Inn in Oaxaca:

Don't you love the colors and details?

Easter Thoughts

Since I still haven't started anything new, I thought I would show some art from Mexico when I was there about three years ago.  I was staying at a Holiday Inn in Oaxaca with an art group and the hotel had some wonderful art.  This was one of my favorites:

I love the colors and the fanciful subject matter.  Here are some close ups:

There were several of these by the same artist whose name I did not write down.  The style of these reminds me of Jane Filer or Sally Dean.

Another Sale

I sold something!  This is one of my better efforts with Buddha art and one of my favorites.  I sold a giclee print of this as a stretched canvas.  It came out very well and the customer was pleased.

I would like to make a print twice as big.  It would look pretty cool.

In Between Projects

I am in between projects right now.  I have a half day off tomorrow so I hope to start something new.  I have plenty of empty canvases ready for something.  Here is what I am thinking to try:

This is Tulip.  Her portrait was a winner last year at the Plymouth Guild jury show last year so she must be lucky.  I have never painted a horse so this should be a challenge.  I plan on using the techniques I learned in the class I took.

ANew Abstract

This one is painted on a 16 x 20 panel, the latest of its many incarnations.  I put lots of textures on this and it started out as a project in a mixed media class a  couple of years ago and then had a couple of projects painted over.  This one is just a few bands of blacks and whites.

Not sure where this is going yet or even if it is going to stay this way.  So far it is not talking to me.

Meet Cosmos

I am done with my latest version of the Truro Cottage:

I decided to put the cottage's name banner at the top because this is a 16 x 20 and the name will be readable but I have to let it dry a few days before I can write its name.  All the cottages have names of flowers and this one is Cosmos.  I think I will be painting more of  these from the photos I have.

New Project Day Two

Here is where I am on my large Truro Cottage project:

As I already said, this works up pretty fast.  I am pleased with the overall look of the thing but I am not happy with the stairs.  They don't look like they are dimensional and I kind of like the red background but I will put in the blues.  I was wondering how much of the red I should let show thru when I do that.  Since it is so big, I thought I would attempt putting in the cottage name at the top.

I am pleased to let you all know that I sold a giclee of a Buddha print.  I am looking forward to seeing it as a stretched canvas and I hope the woman likes it.

Another New Project

I started another painting from this photo:

This is becoming a favorite image.   It is one of the Truro cottages and it is pretty easy to do.  This is my third attempt:

Here is where I was the other night.  I did a red under painting in acrylic because I wanted to start right away.  This one is a 16 x 20 and it may go to my daughter in Rhode Island.  It works up pretty fast.

I bought three lottery tickets for the Half Billion dollars and I know I have a better chance of being hit by lightening but I actually know some one who was.  A plumber who lives in my town just won $1000 a day for life so maybe this is a lucky place.  Will keep all of you posted.

A Little Touch Up

I did some touch up on my Laundry Day painting and here is what I did:

I fixed the grass and did some more work on the sheet.  I don't think the sheet is quite there and I am in danger of overworking it.  I also added some more sand to the grass and I think I like it better.  I will probably continue to mess around with that sheet one more time.

I also started a larger version of the Truro Cottage and I am about halfway done with it.  More on that project tomorrow.

Something Fishy

I was painting over one of my "Emerge and See" paintings and what I came up with was this:

I kind of liked the fish for a change and then I decided to colorize it with mixed results:

One thing to remember about this technique is that if you use water color paint, the water reactivates the ink and things get a little smudgy.  On the other hand, you can still wipe things off and start again.  After the water colors I used some pastel pencils and smeared them around.

What a difference a day makes.  Last week we had temperatures in the 80's and tomorrow will be around 45.  I have to go to the dentist in the morning to replace some fillings to the tune of $300 and then off to Lord and Taylor where I finally got a couple of shifts this week.  I thought they forgot me.

I Am a Winner!

I entered the Scituate Art Assoc juried show last week and I chose a piece to enter at random.  Well, a friend of mine who was working there as a runner and told me that I won second place in mixed media. This is the piece minus the frame.

Another Effort

I decided to re do one of my portraits and altho I like this one better than the original, it is not one of my favorites.  This may get another makeover in a few days.

Something Different for a Change

I thought I would take a break from oil painting and wait for the fixer uppers to dry so I decided to try some more "Emerge and See" portraits.

I am forcing this one to be a Buddha so at this point it is unfinished.  The question here is:  Is a Buddha what it is supposed to be?  Part of the philosophy of this way of art is that the art is what it is between the random layers and the final result should be as it is meant to be.  I am trying to be Zen here.

On the other hand, here is what this one turned out to be after I painted over another that I did not like:

I like that this one is not forced and I know enough to leave her alone.  I am thinking of starting over with the one above and seen what happens with that.

Beach Girl Redux

Today was an amazing day.  The weather has been great and we had temps in the high seventies.  There were hawks flying over head and I tried to get a picture but they were too high.  This is a great time for bird watching - they are back and there are no leaves on the trees so it makes for good viewing.  The ducks have been back for a couple of weeks now, a sure sign that the winter (what winter?) is over.

I did yet another version of Beach Girl and here she is:

Not too much different from the other versions, same big legs.  Come to think of it, the chair needs another leg.

Saved!

Wednesday was a day I dreading - jury duty (again).  My name gets called up every three years to the day. The last time I got a trial and I never want to do that again.  So I called to find out if I had to report and I was told I didn't have to do it!  I was so relieved but does any one want to bet they call me up next year?  

Laundry Day

Here is the latest version of a painting I have been working on.  It is from a photo I took last summer. I am pleased with the progress but I still have some work to do on it.

I still need to work on the larger piece of laundry and I have to fix the top of the roof.  I need some advise on how to deal with the grass as I am in danger of over working it.

Today and yesterday were wonderful spring days.  I hated to spend the day at work.

Beach Girl Fix

Beach Girl was dry enough to fix so here is what I did:

I changed the color of the sky and tried to slim her down.  A little better I think.

Attempt #2

Here is my second attempt of the beach girl:

This one I did not paint upside down as the class exercise but maybe I should have.  The chair is a little too big and the girl looks like she spends too much time at the gym.  I plan on doing the background again because the paint got contaminated with the flesh tones.  I will also give her a body sculpting.

What I Did in Class

We painted from photos upside down as per Right Side of the Brain.  This was the first one.  She is a little deformed and I think she will be a rub out  but I plan on doing her again.  I messed up the left side object which is supposed to be a chair but strangely enough, that is my favorite part of the picture.  Just ignore the blue spot on the cooler - transportation  issue.

This is the second one, also painted upside down, which I banged out in about 20 minutes.  I let the blue underpainting show thru and this was deemed a masterpiece by the teacher for its impressionist feel.    I plan on leaving this alone but I can't resist the urde to "Fix it" with a tiny brush.

More Painting Day 2

This is day two of my painting project.  I have to let it dry a few days before I can get back to it but overall I am pretty pleased.  I have to add more grass and put in some highlights.  I may lighten up the sky also.

I have to make sure I don't get too fussy with it but there is something about getting into the zone when painting.

More Painting

This is another work in progress inspired by painting with photos.  I was pretty pleased with my results from painting the Truro cottages so I am working on another.  Here is the original photo:

I thought it would be more challenging and since there are more details, I am making it 18 x 24.  I like the purple shadow in the sheet and the dark line of the blue ocean.  Here is step one:

I did a red underpainting and per what I am learning, I started with the darkest darks and then went on to the lights.  I was not happy with the roof line so I scrubbed it out.  I also did a grid to get a better drawing which I think worked out but it also confused me.  More to see tomorrow.

Another Painting

This is a painting I did based on a photo from a magazine.  I liked the car and this is my first attempt to paint one.  It came out so-so.  I think the background still needs a little work.

It was such a beautiful day today, 70 degrees.  We had no winter and that was fine with me.  It is also nice to drive home in the daylight.

I've Been Painting!

I must say that my painting class has reenergized me.  As I may have stated before, I like this teacher's style  which is why I took the class in the first place. Our class was painting from photos and when I got home I had this one that I took last summer in Provincetown.  This is a photo of the Truro cottages that can be seen from the highway and is a favorite subject of painters.

I painted this version first

and this version second

I like the second version better.  I think I will go back into the first and lighten the purple shadow.  I like painting from photos!

Rejection x 5

I talked about entering the South Shore Art Center's national juried show, Black, White and Shades of Gray.  I had entered five pieces and all were rejected.  They get about 1200 pieces and choose about 80 - 100 so getting in is kind of a long shot.  The show opens a the end of the month and that is one I will not miss.  Who can figure out a judge anyway.  I would still like to know if my pictures were acceptable for the submission.

Another Buddha

Here is another Buddha I did recently.  It is a 10 x 10 on panel in oil.  Notice that it has similar colors to yesterday's post.  That is because I had some left over paint.  This panel has about three layers of other paintings underneath.  Waste not, want not.

I think I am going to leave it alone but I think I have to darken the right side of his nose.  There is too much orange.

Before and After

A while ago I posted this image and I said that I was going to rework it.  Here is the before:

And here is the after:

I think I like it better.  I don't want to do much more to it because it is in danger of being overworked.  Any thoughts from anyone?

Class Work - Painting from a Photo

Finally something from my class that I don't hate.  I am going to tweak it a bit (and possible ruin) when it dries a little.  I want to darken the shadows and brighten the whites on the house..  This was done from one of the teacher's photos in about an hour.  It is 8 x 10.

One Last

I don't believe I showed this piece.  I originally created it for the Black, White and Shades of Gray show.  It is pen and ink and it took longer than one would think.  Getting the grays took some patience by doing several layers but all in all I like the effect.  I made the huge mistake of cropping it when I should have let the mat do the job.

I went to the MFA today because I had a free ticket and we also had free parking so we were able to splurge on lunch.  Of course I forgot my camera.

More Work

Here are a couple of new works.  I can do these pretty quickly because the canvases are small and it relates to my class in that you are supposed to put down some paint and leave it there. The blue jar is actually a lot smaller.  I like the yellow jug.

This is a 12 x 12 panel that has at least two other things under it.  I have been recycling canvases by wiping the paint off when I get home if I am not happy with it.

Same thing here.  It is a 8 x 10 canvas,  I am trying to get some small works ready for the craft show in May.  Last year I sold some stuff so I hope to again.