I'm back... again?!

Hi there!

I've been trying to work on a longer post but I'm a bit rusty so I figured I'd just get a quick one up to get me back into Blogland in the meantime.  

We had a wonderful and very busy summer where we were gone a lot.  It didn't leave me with much time for art, but I took TONS of photos and gathered heaps of inspiration! 

Now that school has started up again and things are getting back to "normal" (is it ever really normal?") I've finally started to get some paint on my hands again.  Yay!  Paint just makes everything better doesn't it?  I know I'm not alone in this!  The above photo is a tiny part of a huge waterlily painting that I've been working on. 

 I have a lot of catching up to do with you all and I'll share more later, but for now the studio is calling so it's time to go get messy... 

I'm Working On...

Just letting you know what's going on over here.  

First of all The Summer Of Color is now happening over at Twinkle Twinkle (click on the name to find out details).  The color for the first project is blue!  You know I love my blues!  So Kristin (the lovely host of the event) asked us to post what materials we will be using for our first project.  I think I'll make a collaged card with paint, paper etc to go to whoever wins my giveaway (still a couple of days left to enter...if interested go here.)  And there's plenty of time to join us for The Summer Of Color fun!  It's just getting started.

Before

I also wanted to share what I'm currently working on.  

I was hired by my favorite Interior Decorator who I used to work with years ago, to paint a couple of cabinets.  So here (above) is the before photo of the first one I'm working on.  It looks way better in the photo... the finish on it was awful!

 In progress...

And this photo shows the green that it is now, and the stencils I cut to embellish it.  I'm doing a raised pattern on it with wood icing, then it'll get painted more and antiqued.  It's going into a study, so I'm making it match, yet stand out from the other pieces in there.  I have to finish this one by the end of the week so I'll get back to you when it's done with the photos of the finished product!  

See you then!

Shadow Shot Sunday and WIP

Hello again!  Another week has flown by so quickly!  

I love the movement in these photos created by the iron pergola and it's shadow.  And the textures (you know I love texture!) of the brick wall and flowers contrasted by the smooth, cool flower pots.

Isn't it pretty?  

We walked right past it and I slowed down and turned to my husband and he knowingly said "It's a great day for shadow shots"!  So I grabbed the keys and ran to the car and grabbed the camera to take these.  This is why I have so many darn pictures of Pasadena... because they seem to have loveliness like this around every corner!

To join in with your own shadow shots, hop on over to Hey Harriet.

I'm so sorry that I haven't been posting that often.  I have multiple projects going on right now.  Of course I'll share them with you as I finish them... or maybe even some in progress shots along the way.  Yeah.  Good idea.

 Here's a work in progress that I was working on last night.  It's a large 36"x24".  I had done several textured layers on it months ago, but put it aside to work on other projects.  I got inspired to bring it back out last night (and ignore all the other unfinished projects around it!)  I think it's calling for some gold leaf.  Yeah... it is. 

 I'll be back in the next few days to share more of the happenings around here.  See you then!

Oh, and there's still time to enter my giveaway!!  Go here to enter.

Stalled

"Whatever God's dream about man may be, it seems certain it cannot come true unless man cooperates."

                  --Stella Terrill Mann

Just a quick post today.  This is a photo of my beautiful, happily used water container that I use for painting.  I put a butterfly sticker on it months ago... I can't believe it's still hanging on!  In the background you can see a bit of a work in progress... a tree painting.  I need to finish it.  I love it but haven't had much time to work on it (and truthfully have been avoiding it lately).  I have worked on other things but this is the one that calls to me most...yet I avoid it.  I need to stop thinking and start doing.  I need to get back into the habit of creating everyday... it's the best way to fend off perfectionist fears.  

"Artists who seek perfection in everything are those who cannot 

attain it in anything."

                    ---Eugene Delacroix

Shadow Shot Sunday and Collage Sneak Peek

Here's my shadow shot for this week. 

 This is my favorite time of day... beautiful warm light and long shadows.

This was taken on Colorado St. in Pasadena.

To join in the Shadow Shot Sunday fun, go here.

Today I "accidentally" made a collage that I am loving.  I went into my studio to work on a specific piece and went to tear a page out of the fantastic french book, which I won (see post below), to use in that piece.  Next thing I knew this collage was forming itself.  Love that! (sorry other unfinished piece, I'll get to you another day).  It's not quite done... just needs a few loving finishing touches.  But I decided to give you a lil' sneak peek of part of it...cause it's fun!

Shadow Shot Sunday : Art Sneak Peek

I can't believe it's already time for another shadow shot!  Where does the week go?  I wanted to share a new art piece with you but it's not quite done.  Just needs to dry so I can do the final details.  So I'm going to give you a lil' up close up detail shot just to tease ....uh..err.....to hold you over I mean.

To see more shadowy shots, visit Hey Harriet for Shadow Shot Sunday.

Work in Progress

Hi there!  Been busy, busy, busy!  

I have several works in progress, but not enough time to finish any of them right now, so I decided to give you a tiny peak at one of them that is already becoming a favorite.

I am loving these colors so far...and of course the texture!

This weekend is jam-packed, but hopefully it's not too long before I can show some finished work.  I'm itching to sneak away into my studio.  Think anyone would notice me missing?

Implied Texture Painting

I'm loving this painting!  This was painted using techniques that I learned in the online Texture Town class that I'm taking.  I love this class and am learning so much already, and it's just starting!  This was for an assignment about implied texture.  Do you see how much depth this painting has?  But to the touch it is completely flat!  All the depth and texture is done with paints and glaze.  And the best thing is that it didn't even take that long!

This photo below shows the initial glazing...

Next, it was stamped and stenciled...

Then it was stenciled more and shaded.  At first glance these two appear similar, but look closely.  See how much more depth there is around the scroll stamps in the bottom photo?  I love it!  And I added a polka dot pattern here and there.

At this point I wanted to call the painting done, I loved it like this, but I also wanted to do the full lesson, so I added my the details.  I'm really glad I did because I LOVE the finished painting.  I want to do many more like this, it was so much fun!  And I can't wait to get into the actual applied texture lessons, with the touchable, raised textures....oh yeah!

If anyone's still thinking about this class I highly recommend it, it's wonderful.  And you should see some of the other students samples, wow!  I love seeing how even with the same techniques, everyone's paintings look so different with their different styles and designs, etc...so cool.  Once again, I'm not getting anything for going on and on about the class...I'm just excited about it and want to share it with you!  I'm off to paint more...

Work in Progress and SSS : Pasadena Palm

This painting was started a few months back, but I've been stuck on it, and can't figure out how to finish it.  I loved the colors before, but worked on it last week and thought I really screwed it up.  After walking away for a bit, I see that it's not bad, and I really like how the colors look in the cheesecloth.  I also remembered that sometimes art has to go through an ugly period before it all comes together. 

 I know that I need to work on the colors a bit, especially blending in around the branch and make it pop out more, and do a bit more glazing, but then what?   I think there's too much going on with the textures, leaves, and cheesecloth.  I do like where it's headed, but can't figure out what would pull it all together, and what to do on the left side...how to balance it all. 

Do I need a main focal point, and what/where should it be?   The branch?  In the beginning of this piece I was so excited because it seemed to be coming together quickly and easily.  I even had a great AHA moment with it involving cool embellishments to use...but...well... I'm stuck.

I know I'm almost there..the answer is just right there...and that's what's making it so frustrating.  I want to finish it, but I'm afraid I'll just mess it up more...but maybe that's part of my solution...I don't like it as much anymore, so how could I mess it up?  I guess I just need to go for it and not be afraid to just cover it all up if I need to...or not.  I have a few ideas, but the left side is just bugging me.  I'm taking this amazing online art class I told you about earlier..."Texture Town",  so I'm hoping I'll find my solution during one of the lessons.  I'll let you know what happens....

Anyway, moving on...

I love noticing and taking photos of shadows, it really is fun for me.  These were taken in Pasadena a few weeks back.  I took tons of photos that day, so you'll be seeing more of these over the next several weeks!

 I really loved the perfect shadow of this palm tree against this building. 

To join in with Shadow Shot Sunday, or to see more click here.

Artist at Work

Wanted to post pictures of a finished painting today, but I painted our hallway instead!  Been wanting to do this for years, just haven't gotten around to it.  I worked on it all day, till about 8:30 tonight and I'm exhausted, but happy!  It's done (and so am I)!!  Here's a little sneak peak of it, more pictures to come...

Painting In Progress

Here's a painting that I started last night.  I told my husband that I had an idea that I needed to draw out "real quick" and I disappeared into my studio with my art journal.....20 minutes later he comes into my studio to see what I'm doing and sees me in the middle of painting this branch onto a 16x20 canvas .....umm.....what?

                                                                           

 I figured that if I was going to take the time to get out my paints anyway to do a sample of it in my journal, then why not just get it started straight onto a canvas and cut out the middleman?

So at first I grabbed a small 4"square canvas...nah.....

a bit bigger....

hmm....6x8?

The next thing I know, I decided on this large 16x20.  It already had book pages collaged onto half of it from years ago.  I once had another idea for this canvas, which involved glueing the pages to it,  but I never finished it, and can't even remember what my big idea was.  So the canvas gets a second chance...

the underpainting

I started with this soft rusty-peach wash, then loosely painted branches, then leaves.  This bottom picture is how it looked when I left it last night after working on it for about 30 minutes.  I liked the underpainting so much that I almost couldn't go over it, but I decided I could just do another painting like this later if I want.

 Today I couldn't wait to get back to it to get started adding the aqua over it.  I'm letting little bits of the warm underpainting and paper show through here and there.  I'm not sure exactly where it's headed, but I can't wait to find out.