Heads Up

These heads were made from Maureen Carlson's molds, they were loads of fun to paint! I used alcohol inks and metallic acrylics. I'll probably use them and all the matching beads in many necklaces.

Eternity

I finally went to pick up this piece which had been in a members show for the Hampton Art League. It was so much fun to make! I've had this cast of my hand for two years and couldn't figure out how to use it but this all came together. The bird is much more interesting in person because he has lots of texture in his feathers and I used interference colors on the black base. Now let's see.....what else can I use the hand for?

Studio Update

Making these flowers has been such fun, but I know that these a just a diversion while my heart and mind continue their dialogue about clay versus paints. It's ongoing.

Fun, Fun, Fun

  A new bracelet.......

 A new necklace.......

A Spring Understanding

Acrylic and Polymer Clay

12x12

Momentos

Acrylic and Polymer Clay

12x12

Ravaged Heart

Acrylic and Polymer Clay

10x8

Fun. That's what I've been having in my studio ( well, in my dining room, too). My fun seems to spread quickly. I also, of course, have all kinds of clay in my kitchen along with drying paint brushes. I've been jumping from one project to another and it occurred to me that this might be the best way for me to work. Fifteen minutes on some clay, pop it in the oven, thirty minutes on a painting, thirty minutes on a colored pencil portrait. That portrait is a gift so I'll reveal it next weekend.

Finished!

My work is finished for the show and I feel so relieved! Phew! But  there is still another one in the works that I'd like to substitute for the bluejays. I'm not happy with the way that turned out.

And, of course, there is still the wire to attach and papers to fill out and one last coat of varnish for two of them. Did I ever mention that I'm a procrastinator??

Whistle While You Work

20x20

Hip Bluejays

24x12

Acrylic on Cradled Wood

Sprouting in Spring

16x16

Acrylic on Cradled Wood

Seedlings in Spring

16x16

Acrylic on Cradled Wood

I'd be so grateful for any comments you would like to leave. And please! Be honest, don't worry about being nice, ok? Thank you my friends. What would I do without you?

New Acrylic Paintings

For the last week or so, I've been working on these and a few other things. I feel like I never complete anything, but the pressure is on. I have to deliver five for a show next Friday. These are numbers 2 and 3. Ahem....

Neither one of these is finished. I also have two others in similar states.

If you need me in the next week, I'll be in my studio.

Happy 2010!

WIP

A new painting for a new year

After weeks of thought, I've made some choices about how my creative life will change in the future. If you have been here with me for the last year or two you will already know about my difficulty in choosing one special part of my art life to concentrate on. It has been hard for me to settle down on one thing, I love all the things I've tried. Remember? Acrylics, colored pencils, lino cuts, collage, polymer clay. Everything has been fun. I've learned a lot.

This is the year that I get serious about my art. I have already enrolled in a class with a local artist whose work I respect. There are several juried shows I will enter, and there are two shows to get ready for this month. Having a large desk calendar on my studio wall has helped me see my time better.

These are my resolutions, or more importantly, my heart's choices.

1. I will concentrate on figurative art, my real love after all is said and done.

2. I will spend at least 4 times as long in the studio as I do on the computer, the theft of my time.

3. I will be a student of polymer clay techniques, using it as a hobby.

This is a shot of my junky clay table. I can see this will not be enough room. Hmmmm......the dining room?

New Acrylics

During the past week I've wanted to blog every day, but I was too frustrated with my slow progress. So today, after almost a week of work ( I spent the weekend in the hospital, but that's another story...I'm ok), I'm unveiling the painting that has soaked up so much time, and it still isn't quite finished.

When I started this, after letting the blueish background dry, these figures appeared so clearly. I had intended to paint a bird. This whole idea was one I had never thought of. It was very weird. I felt I had no choice but to go with the figures that had appeared to me. I've worked and overworked this, but I'm still not satisfied.

18x18

Acrylic

There is a growing pile of polymer clay and clay accessories on one of my tables in my studio. I've ordered a few books and absorbed them and I'm eager to get my hands on the clay. To really get the results I want will require lots of time, and that time will take away from my paintings. So when I have seven paintings I feel good about, I can direct my energies to the clay. That show in January looms, and I told my son I'd paint him something for Christmas. If you are not familiar with polymer clay and all the fantastic things artists are doing with it, check out Polymer Clay Daily. You'll be surprised.

When I need a break from the angel painting, I've been working on a few other things and the painting below is one of them. This is just the start of it. I envision lots of decorative marks on the ovals, also more color.

If I don't post before Thursday, have a happy and safe Thanksgiving. Even though our lives aren't perfect, and some of us may not agree with current political decisions, this is still a great country. I feel privileged to live here.

New Ideas

Last week my friend Ilse and I attended the Art of the Carolinas, sponsored by Jerrys Artarama in Raleigh, North Carolina. We came back with many exciting samples and lots of new ideas to try.

Here I am with Patti Brady, author of Rethinking Acrylics. I've mentioned her book before and I hope you followed my recommendation and bought it, because it will lead you into new territory. I was so excited about meeting her, and was lucky enough to take two classes, one on digital grounds and one on using interference colors and other paints on various mediums. Patti said we were 'women on wheels' because she was driving around on a scooter due to an injured foot. And isn't her hair color ( uhm, colors ) the coolest? I've always secretly wanted to try a shock of hot pink. Maybe this will be an encouragement.

Patti was demonstrating the effects of fluid acrylics on fiber paste, a very cool feel. I would never have known about these mediums if I had not read her book. Each medium leads the artist to experiment with paints in a new ways, leading to more excitement in your work.

Another artist I was anxious to meet was Bob Burridge. I've tried to get in his classes before in other places, but they were always full. When I heard he would be here, I was the first to sign up. This class was about loosening up and painting abstracts. He really had some great ideas and we experimented with various compositions and using just one color with black and white. He also introduced his new color wheel, which is geared toward more intense colors that appeal to me.

Did I mention that my friend and I drove through one of the worst storms in the past few years? Schools were closed back home, but we slogged on and showed up with the drowned rat look, which I'm modeling here. Bob was happy to stop for a second to pose with me.

My Studio is Overflowing

Besides the painting of my sister, which still is not finished, I've been working like crazy on a few other things. This one on the top is 20x20 and I have a few glazes and some of my stamped paper on it. It is a long way to finished, but I have a vision.

Above is one of the two 12x12s on one of my tables. I wish my studio was four times as big, but I'm not complaining. I know I'm lucky just to have my own studio. Anyway, this painting has glazes and drips.....fun! And the focal point isn't even there yet. Wait til you see what is. Really, this is hard to appreciate on the computer screen. Viewing with the naked eye reveals the layers and the shimmer of the iridescent pearl as a first coat.

Now, you are probably wondering what in the heck this one is all about. It's another 12x12, glazes, drips, and ....well....other things. What you see is only about two inches of it, so please come back to see the whole thing. Every once in awhile we have to step out of our comfort zone.

Have I told you I've been slowly building up my polymer clay stash? Back in the late 90's I had quite a bit of experience with clay. Of course I never got to the level that people do today, but at least I understand some things about it and I'm used to conditioning. I keep hearing a little voice, ' Deeeeeeeb, come and play with me'. Yes, it's the clay calling me. For some reason I keep thinking that I can combine all of these things that have been taking up my time....the stamps I carved, the clay, the acrylics and all the cradled wood panels I got on sale at Cheap Joe's. Maybe there is a way to do that and I think that's where I'm headed.

Is It Thursday Already?

Here is one of my miniatures which I've been working on forever. It's 4x4. I drew a portrait of a little girl I sponsor through World Vision. My idea is to use portraits of two of the girls I sponsor along with symbols of their countries ( India and Bolivia), using the colors of their national flags. Each portrait is on gallery wrapped canvas, so on the sides I first glued newspaper stock report pages and then painted over that and added national symbols on top. I did that to contrast our materialistic society with the sparse lives these girls live. Behind her head you can see part of a letter from her that I traced and stamps which I made. But.....while putting a last minute touch on her portrait, I ruined it. I have to do it all over again because I used a permanent magic marker to darken the outline of her head. Stupid, stupid. See how it bled through her shoulder? I already tried to salvage it by cutting her face and now it's uneven. Aaaarrrrgggghhhh!

Below is my first attempt to copy Anne's instructions on a wonderful video I bought from Creative Catalyst Productions. I want to understand everything about her method before I incorporate it into my work. Her instructions in the video couldn't have been clearer. Without a doubt, her video is well worth the money.

Of course, Ann does a lot more than I did here. I'm going to watch the video again tomorrow and add to the notes I took the first time. She shares a lot of information. She stamps over and over her stamps. Believe me, I don't in any way think my example is a hundredth as good as hers!

New Acrylic Paintings

Botanical Mysteries

18x18

Acrylic

I've been really busy, and I've been here, lurking around other artists blogs, but I haven't taken time to post anything.   

The painting above is one I've been experimenting with, using Patti Brady's book, Rethinking Acrylics. The book is chock full of ways to use acrylics and mediums to make a big impact. In my painting there are about ten ( I lost count) layers of paint and glazes, pours, and drawings. It doesn't photograph well, but in person you can see the faint hint of gold and other subtle color changes. It was an energizing work for me to get lost in. Next time I will not be so restrained, I promise.

Garden Fresh

10x8

Acrylic

This little painting is my entry for Different Strokes From Different Folks. The painting just flowed until I hit that #%&*$ onion! I kept painting and repainting, trying to get the lost edge just right until I was so tired that I called it quits. 

Thanks for hanging in there with me, all of my friends. I think this was the longest I've ever gone without a post, and I'll try to not let that happen again. 

Poppies, Days One and Two

Here are some of the little poppy studies I've been working on. This is totally for practice, an opportunity to step out of my comfort zone. After using acrylics, I also went over them with some pens, oil pastels, and markers. They are so unlike my style, but that's good. I always want to have a detailed drawing to work over, but this time I didn't. Tomorrow.....more poppies. But more close up.

Collages And Acrylics

I'm happy. Here I am experimenting with collage and acrylics and it just makes me feel as if I'm on the right track for now. I love using the glazes and iridescent colors on the backgrounds. There are so many possibilities! I also began working on my self portrait which I  plan on submitting to the CPSA show. We'll see where that leads. By the way, neither of these is quite finished.

Chugging Along, Like the Little Engine

Chug, chug, phew! Working is a lot harder when you  don't feel well. But I've gotten out in my studio and finished organizing, and I've taken stock of what I have going on. Too much, is what. I have three canvases started, a new cp piece I decided I didn't like, and now this acrylic on water color paper, and who knows why I chose to do that? I've never ever used paper for an acrylic. 

This is from a series of pictures I took in the airport in Atlanta. The light is what I like in this, and that will be evident after I get more paint on. I might use colored pencils or markers, I'm not sure.

And then, as if I don't have enough going on, I got a box full of polymer clay and clay tools in the mail today. Fun! I have some vague idea of combining the clay with my paintings, or in the paintings.