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?

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.

My Work Has a New Home

Just found out my work will hang in the Chowan Arts Council Gallery in lovely Edenton, North Carolina. I'm excited because it's the farthest my work has officially travelled and Edenton has many visitors because of it's historic homes and location on a river. My work is some of my old colored pencils pieces, which is a medium I'm still planning to work in........so much to do, so little time.

Stamping and Snipping

On November first it will be two years since I started this blog. That occurred to me today as I was thinking about what I've accomplished. When I started, I was using colored pencil exclusively, and my work was selling. But my work with cp was boring to me. I got a lot of positive feedback, but that didn't make it more interesting. Because what I was doing with cp was copying photos. At least they were all my own photos and I wasn't copying someone elses.

I just felt there must be something else I was meant to do.

Fortunately, I had the time and enough money to try different mediums. So the pencils have been on the back burner as I experimented. The fact is that I've hardly sold anything since then. As I realized this, I had to stop and ask myself some questions. Do I have a body of work to show for the last two years? No, I don't. Have I found a medium I want to stick with now? No. Have I enjoyed my experimenting? Yes, definitely. Then I asked the most important question. Where am I going? I don't know. I thought I would feel more accomplished by now, I expected to be more successful at selling than back then.

This morning I was going to change directions and not even use the stamping and collage ideas I'd used all week. Then it hit me......I never stick with anything! Nothing gets practiced enough for me to improve with it. I get discouraged and try something else.

I realized that I need to make plans for myself. I need a loose structure ( is that even possible?) to keep organized with my work. I decided to work only with the Anne Bagby video ideas this week and see where that leads me. Then, if I feel I'm going somewhere, another week. This way I won't get off track and start another project.

Now, I still have those two miniatures due in a few weeks, and my cp portraits of the two little cuties waiting to get done. But this way I'll know that I'll give them exclusive time when I plan it. Does that make sense?

A New Painting

What could be more interesting than some squirrel watching? These guys sit here a lot and watch the show in the backyard. 

Shout 1

24x18

I've been working with my acrylics, I've painted over a number of things, and I feel like I can't possibly turn out paintings like I do drawings. They are always going to look like they came from two different people. Here's my new one, and tomorrow I'll get back to my self portrait in colored pencils. Acrylics lend themselves to experimentation, and I've been observing what effects I get by glazing different color combinations. This looks luminous in person. I'd love to hear what you think about this piece. Please leave a comment. Thanks.

Announcement!!

I'm so excited!! I have started another blog and I hope all of my friends out there will take a look and then jump in and email me your work. The title is Artists Paint Themselves. The purpose is to share self portraits, not just ones done as mature artists, but some showing how we got to where we are. Please check it out. 

11x14

And speaking of......I've begun another self portrait. This is how far I've gotten. It seems like I'm jumping all over the place on this one. This is all colored pencils. I'd love some feedback.

More on the Acrylic Painting

The above work is another collage I tried today, not finished. I was liking it until I added too much white to a glaze, so I 'll have to try something different with it. Just an experiment, anyway.

I had the best surprise today! When I looked at my blog, I noticed I had several new followers. Well, that made me happy, because it's kind of like making new friends. They are people who are saying they like my work, they like reading my blog. Well...one of the new people was my son, Adam. So that made my day. :-)

It doesn't look like it , but I spent hours on the airport painting. It's bigger than I'm used to, about 13x18. Even though portraits are my favorite to do, I'm having a terrible time with the man's face, the man with his leg crossed, I guess you could say the main man. In addition to acrylics, I'm using gel pens. I tried some colored pencil, but the watercolor paper is not a friendly surface. But the gel pens work well, even on top of the paint. It's hard to tell, but the girl's jeans are crosshatched with a white gel pen.

A few weeks ago I started looking at pictures of seeds and pods and I made some sketches from them. Then I started this, which is 16x20. The background is gold acrylic, and I'm using some copper, too. I'm kind of stalled on it, but I'm certain I'll stick with the metallics and some oranges and turquoise, which is departing from the actual seed and pod appearances. They were just a jumping off point.

 
So, all in all, I feel pleased that I've been able to branch out and try new things. I can always go back to strictly colored pencil if I need to. Of course, I'm about to begin an entry for the CPSA annual juried exhibit, which is in Atlanta, where my sons live. I hope my work will make it in. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Missing But Still Here

Hello, all of my readers and friends, or actually, you are all one....all my friends. Thank you for sticking by me lately. I've been very disorganized and can't seem to find space to work on all the things I'm thinking of. Really I need to write all of these ideas down before I lose them. My mind has been very creative lately, it's just my hands that can't get in sync with my mind. But I've been here. I've been checking on all my favorites, and now there must be thirty blogs I check on every few days. In fact, checking on blogs keeps me from being productive in my studio. So, tomorrow after a doctor's appointment I will make myself write down all of the ideas I have. Writing seems to cement things for me. 

I'm going to start a colored pencil painting of a cat with some lettering, which will be stamped. I had this idea for the Explore This show, but as you can see, it will be too late to finish now. I have been working on two paintings. One is almost finished and I'll post that tomorrow. The other one is going to need some revisions. It's just that I'm so insecure about my paintings. It seems like the less time I take, the better the result. Sigh.....

I'm leaving you with this thought......what you see here is what I always see. I'm thinking of doing a large painting called 'View From a Wheelchair'.

100 Blogger Posts

Gosh! I just noticed I'm well over 100 blogger posts, and I was going to celebrate the big day. I missed it. Well, on to 200.

Gourds with Ellen's Bowl

6x18

SOLD

This is all finished, and I have to say, I'll miss working on it. It's one of my favorites. I just love the way colored pencils can be so luminous.