Goodbye, 2011
Thanks for your challenges and opportunities, your joys and sorrows. You’ve been a good year, tough, but far easier to navigate than your predecessor. 2010 was brutal. You’ve been gentler. Thank you for that. On the personal side, my family handled a big transition as we cleaned and renovated Mom and Dad’s old house so [...]
Art Every Day Month, Recap
Because I’ve posted some of my entries for Art Every Day Month in various places throughout the site, they can be difficult to find. Here’s a full list of all the posts: October 30 Day 1 Day 2 – Battery Snafu Day 3 – Tying up Lose Ends and Recharging Batteries Day 5 – New [...]
Day 30 – And, That’s a Wrap!
Here we are on the last day of November. Goodness, how time flies! November has been Art Every Day Month. And what a month it’s been! I have worked on art nearly every day. Not that I’ve finished something every day, but I have worked on something. Some days have gone well and the paint [...]
Day 28 – Done or Not Done?
I’ve been working on this painting for the past few days, and I really like how it’s progressing. But is it finished? Sometimes I look at it and think, “Yep, that’s enough. It doesn’t need a thing.” Then a bit later I think, “Well, what about some detail in the lower portion? Not much; just [...]
Cyber Monday Blog Hop!
I love blog hops! You just never know where you’ll end up. The kind folks at Studio Waterstone have set up a blog hop to take you through lots of good Cyber Monday sales, specials, and events. The links below will take you to cool shops and sales. If you have your own shop and [...]
Day 26 – Bit by Bit
Another day of making progress of several different projects. I’ve worked on a couple of abstract paintings, started on my entry for the Sketchbook Project, and finished some pendants. Oh, and so you think I wasn’t slacking this week, the last photo shows my contribution to Thanksgiving dinner: apple pie, mincemeat pie, pumpkin pie, carrot [...]
Day 21 – The Value of Practice
After a slow day yesterday, today’s been busy. Not so much for my own art – I managed to finish off only this little ACEO – but also because it was my art group meeting. It’s important to see what other artists are doing, to see new ideas and get recharged. My art group had [...]
Day 20 – Scattered
Sigh. It’s just one of those days. I have lots of time for art but can’t focus on any one thing. I’ve dabbed paint on about 6 unfinished paintings, started a set of new prototypes for Artomat, scribbled in my Sketchbook Project journal, and cut up some new bookmarks. All that sounds good, but I’ve [...]
Days 10, 11, 12 – Mat, Frame, Setup, Show!
Busy, busy, busy! I’ve been doing lots of art and art-related activities, but haven’t always found time to blog about it. The 10th and 11th were final prep for the show on Saturday – finishing up matting, framing, packing the car, making my list, and checking it twice. Saturday was the arts & craft show [...]
Day 9 – And A Box To Keep It In
Ok, I really didn’t do this all today. But I finished it and took photos, so that counts. Otherwise, I’m still working on matting and framing. Lots to do… I found this little wooden box at the store and thought it was too cute. It was just bare, unfinished, so I brought it home and [...]
Days 7 & 8 – Mark That Spot
Day 7 was kinda sorta art related – I wrote the newsletter for my local art group. It’s necessary, but not really the kind of thing I wanted to photo and blog about. Today, I made 11 bookmarks to take to the art fair on Saturday. Bookmarks always do well, especially this time of year. [...]
Day 6 – Paint ‘n Frame
Another productive day. I spent most of the morning working on paintings. Several are in progress and soon to be finished. This afternoon, I worked on putting some of the completed ones into their mats. They look so nice that way! I picked up a dozen mats yesterday, so I have much work to do! [...]
Day 5 – New Supplies and Lots of Painting
So I did some painting this morning and worked on some partially finished paintings. Several of them are now almost done or completely done. Photos to follow soon. Then I ran out to do errands for the afternoon, only to return home and find a big box of supplies on my doorstep! Oh boy oh [...]
Day 3 – Tying up Lose Ends and Recharging Batteries
Ah, much better. Got home while it was still daylight and had time to work in my studio. The first painting is on paper, 7×9 inches. The second is on canvas, 8×10 inches. I’d started both of these last weekend, so I just finished them up tonight. The first is acrylic paint with Liquitex black [...]
Day 2 – Battery Snafu
So again, I get home after 9 tonight, and have just a short time to get in the studio and work. Time well spent, though. I managed to finish something that I’d been hoping to get to, and I’m happy with it. The photo doesn’t do it justice. No sooner had I grabbed the camera [...]
Art Every Day Month, Day 1
Today is Day 1 of Art Every Day Month, a challenge run by Leah Piken Kolidas over at Creative Every Day. I’ve been all excited about this challenge, and was anxious to get home and do some ART tonight. After a very l-o-o-o-n-g day, I arrived home at 9PM, exhausted and a bit deflated. Wasn’t [...]
Art Every Day Month, 2011
October 30. Is it really the end of October already?! Unbelievable. The end of October means that it’s about time to flip the calendar to November. (Wow, that’s profound.) November is Art Every Day Month, led by Leah Piken Kolidas over at Creative Every Day. Have you done Art Every Day Month in the past? [...]
Hand-Painted Necklaces
Can I just tell you how much fun I’ve been having making these necklaces!! I’ve always admired art jewelry when I’ve been at shows, so I just had to give it a try. These are hand painted – yes, each one is unique. No prints or copies here. The painting is done with acrylic paints, [...]
Liberate Your Art Postcard Swap, The Wrap-Up
The postcard swap has been fun. I sent off cards of my artwork with a little note on the back. Then, every few days, I’d get a delightful surprise in the mail – a new postcard with a wonderful image on the front and a note on the back. All the cards came from artists [...]
Drawing Exercises
I love drawings of all kinds – graphite, ink, black & white, color. Doesn’t matter. I love a gorgeous expressive line. Is it any wonder I was a drawing major in college? Needless to say, I’m a big believer in drawing skills. For me, it’s not about representing something realistically. It’s about hand-eye coordination – [...]
Throwing My Toys Out Of The Pram
When I’m working on an artwork, it always seems to go like this – it starts out great and I’m jazzed about working on something new. There’s an initial ramp-up period where I fumble a bit, but once I get into a rhythm with the new work, things hum along. Then about half way through, [...]
Fun Little Doodles
So, I’ve been having fun playing with my little mini watercolor palette. Here are some colorful little doodles that I’ve been doing. They are ACEO size (2.5 x 3.5 inches) on watercolor paper. I doodle the black lines first with a Pitt brush pen – the pen is very versatile and the ink is waterproof. [...]
Mini Watercolor Paint Palette
I’ve never been one to paint outdoors or in public, even though I admire those types of paintings. I’ve wanted to paint outdoors, in public, but have never worked up the courage. But I’ve been taking classes in journaling, and following blog posts about sketching in public, and I’m gathering up the nerve to do [...]
A Kind Gesture
I had an unexpected moment of kindness today. The Clothesline Art Show was today in Hudson. When I stopped at the show this afternoon to work my shift, the members of my group told me that a family had been in, and one of their daughters had spent some time looking at my drawings. She [...]