Good to be back...

Hi to all and apologies for the couple months of hiatus.  The happy news is first/second trimester sickness is mostly over!  :-)  I have finished a few paintings--including a commission!--and will post them soon.  Thank you for your continued support!

It's okay for practice to not make perfect.

I have never enjoyed practicing.  Anything.  I want what I do to be done and perfect when I do it.  First time.  Done.  Perfect!

Okay, back to reality.  It's true I have never enjoyed practicing.  I also am a recovering procrastinator.  So how to break through these barriers and continuously improve my creations?  Just do it.  Make the supplies simple and keep them in the main room of my house.  I use a 9" x 12" newsprint sketch book and willow sticks.  Sketch anything that doesn't move for a few minutes...like that plush dog sitting on the floor.  Oh, that was fun and looks good!  I'll turn it this way.  Now that way.  Nice...Rinse (the charcoal off my hands) and repeat the next day.  

What's important is that I practiced sketching, not how the sketch turned out.  Having the materials at hand, objects to sketch in my view and releasing the notion of perfection is what works for me.  


What works for you? 

Beautiful Cupcakes

My food theme continues into the New Year!  An art class buddy brought these gorgeous (and tasty!) cupcakes.  So I took pictures for future paintings of course!  Stay tuned for a series...

Treats are Edible Art!

I love making treats...and eating them!. I learned how to make these lovelies from a fabulous-artist-and-awesome-mom-and-super-baker friend (Thanks Lauren!). Ritz crackers, peanut butter, marshmallow puff, and melted chocolate. Just add sprinkles and let cool. Then put them in your mouth! :-)

I also tried a new recipe from Pillsbury.com that sounded tasty...Chex Mix® White Chocolate Bark.  After tasting the "oops" corner of the bark, this is surely a sweet n' salty crowd pleaser!  

Blue Peace complete!

Freshly varnished!


11 x 14 stretched canvas, acrylics and high gloss gel medium

Peace in Progress

Using all white and tints is new for me. When I chose this subject (which is the top of a holiday salt shaker!) I knew there would be shadows and highlights to paint. As I sketched the form and became more familiar with the subject, I saw subtle pinks, blues, grays, browns and yellows. I mixed a tiny amount of each color with puddles of white paint and was amazed how more than a tiny amount can tint the puddle too much! Lesson learned :-).


I am happy with the progress of this palette knife painting. The tints are defining the contours of the bird nicely, and the texture is yummy!


11 x 14 stretched canvas, acrylics and high gloss gel medium

Autumn Glow

I took a Saturday morning walk around my office complex when the leaves were still intact. My goal was to shoot entirely in manual mode on my DSLR camera.  The air was crisp and the light was perfect for capturing the leaves' final "hoorah".  This image is one of my favorites--I love the glow and the bokeh.  


Celebrate the season with a print!

Pumpkins Complete!

The finished product is Yummy Pumpkin goodness!  This one was fun and turned out a little cartoonish with the highlights and bold colors.  I really enjoyed painting this pair!

8 x 10 stretched canvas, acrylics and high gloss gel medium

Pumpkins in Progress

My family went to a local pumpkin patch and selected a few small pumpkins for our table decor.  Since carving the small ones was challenging, I chose to paint a pair instead.  The appropriate tool of choice?  A palette knife.  :-)

Red Daisy Trio

Detail

A trio of daisies posted in spite of the recent cold weather!  :-)  


11 x 14 stretched canvas, acrylics

Creative Stamping

 



I asked an artist friend, "How do you create such beautiful texture in your work?"  She replied: stamps, bubble wrap, drawer liner, a spray bottle and cap, plus whatever was on hand to create the effect she desired.  She was very kind to walk me through her process! 


I used to think stamps and other texturizing items could limit a painting, but instead learned they can enhance a composition by providing interesting shapes and text.  


This piece was my first.  I chose a dress form stand stamp, "dream" stamp, bubble wrap (circle pattern), drawer liner (grid pattern) and a room air freshener spritzer cap (white circles).  I mixed Titan Buff into the background for a softer green.  For me the stamping was fast and was an excellent "loosening up" exercise.  I enjoy finding ways to feed my creativity, and this is one I would do again.  


Thank you Beverly!  :-)


12 x 12 stretched canvas, acrylics including Golden heavy body Titan Buff

Enjoy the Fall Colors

With the leaves changing all around us, you cannot miss the display.  Simply driving around my office park is a lovely treat!  The handy-dandy cell phone camera captured the light and colors nicely.  Glance up at the next stop sign, or gaze out a window...notice how the colors shift from day to day.  And enjoy!