folk art puppet theatre

little fish

on ebay $.99 starting bid see HERE

I just had a wonderful weekend full of family and friends and houseguests and a party...
not much work though :)
I'm starting fresh this morning, fueled with a cup of coffee and broccoli quiche. I've was quite industrious last week, painting every day, and I am trying to continue the practice. The weekends seem to be too busy to work, and maybe that's ok. Instead of feeling discouraged, perhaps I should just determine in advance, the weekends are family time and accept that I won't be painting.
Sometimes I'm afraid that if I paint, a lot, I will run out of ideas, but the opposite seems to be true. The more I create, the more ideas I get. It's hard to believe it will sustain itself. I know being an artist has less to do with 'inspiration' and more to do with perspiration, but there is an element that seems magical and beyond my control

new day

i have been a busy busy bee
I have SIX paintings in various stages of done
I have been painting so much and it makes me a happy girl
There has also been a lot of dreaming and planning and doing.
It all feels so good and so right. I feel like something big is right around the corner.
Speaking of big, I have been painting BIG. This painting is about 16" x 12". for me that's monumental :)

Now on ebay, $.99 starting bid HERE

'super' duper

I think I've talked before about collage and the subconscious...
Here is another perfect example. I was flipping through my atlases and saw some face sized water areas, which are the areas I create most of my faces on. I noticed it was a map of Michigan and had some of the Great Lakes. I drew my girls face and cut it out and then discovered "SUPER" stamped across her forehead. It made me laugh because I knew I was doing a flying piece.

I'm back to listing myself on ebay, starting bid $.99!
see here

changes

For one who does not like change, I sure am making a few around here.

First of all I am trying something different on ebay. The talented and prolific Heather Galler has offered to take over selling my paintings on ebay. She has developed quite a following on ebay and is taking on a few artists to help promote their work. The painting above is called "Hopeful" and is listed HERE for a starting bid of $0.01!

Hopeful is also how I am feeling about a new gallery my art will be displayed in soon. Cranky Yellow has asked for some work so I gave them four originals and six prints. Stop in and visit them if you live in St. Louis!

I have several other things brewing, but I'll save them for another post...

ambiguity

Life is about to change again
Paul starts Kindergarten tomorrow, he only goes half day, but it is five days a week.
Lila will start Junior Preschool the next week, for three mornings a week.
My school starts the week after that, but I'm only taking one class (yay!)

My hope is that I have more time.
That I'm not always playing catch up
That I'm able to do the things that are important
That there is time everyday for smelling the roses

unknown

This painting is listed on ebay with a $0.99 starting bid price!
See here

I work in blues and orange, alot.
I thought green and red would remind me of xmas, but this doesn't at all. It actually reminds me of August.
I'm beginning to really like this complementary color scheme.

Hurry up lunch! I have a crockpot full of curry chicken. TWO jalapenos, cayenne pepper, coconut milk, ginger, garlic, onion, carrots, potatoes, I'm drooling just thinking about it :)

perseverance

buy it now here

I'm having salad bar and pizza for dinner
I like to tear up some romaine lettuce, slice hard boiled eggs, chop up some turkey, get out the olives and croutons, a couple dressings, sunflower seeds, anything else that sounds good
and arrange them all in one of my kids divided plates so my hubby and I can make our own salads, just like at a salad bar!
then I pop a cheapy supreme pizza into the oven, and we have a tasty inexpensive EASY dinner
yummy!

IF = Idle or 'she liked to sit in her chair and think'

how time flies when you're having fun,
or at least when you're really busy

I remember being a kid and dreading the end of summer and return to school
And now as a parent, I think as strongly as I was trying to hold onto the last days of summer, I bet my mom was wishing for the first day of school

For Sale HERE

IF = Tango

It takes two to 'tango'

Lame, I know :)

But I had much fun creating it.

I used modge podge instead of matte medium. Quite different. I see pro's and con's with both.

Modge podge:
Very thick (like thick school glue)
smells like glue
tacky and dries quickly
less expensive
I got fewer wrinkles and air bubbles in my collage elements (yay!)
slight sheen to surface when dry

matte medium
thinner
not tacky, you can reposition collage elements
matte finish

I will probably switch between both in the future depending on what effects I want.
It's good to have choices.

hazy

You'll have to click on the image to see it larger...
I was feeling a little constricted in the normal size which was 9" x 7.5" so I cut a really long, narrow piece of wood and created this lovely lady.
The dimensions are 17" x 6" and you can't tell in this scan, but I also added a wood box frame.
See her now on ebay

lady waiting

It is so hard for me to use a restricted palate, but when I do I am always so pleased.

It's also hard for me to know when to stop, but when I don't overdo it, i'm happy.

I love minimalist art, but can't seem to employ the same theory in my own work, but the closer I come the closer I am to my true vision

on ebay

IF: Worn (out)

on ebay

To Do

three trees

I don't really plan out paintings, theme or meaning wise, I just kind of compose the drawing, think about pallete and start painting.
Upon reflection I have seem 'life' showing up in them. Like for the last month we have had rain, and more rain. When I look at the images I created I see alot of blues, grays, and rain-like imagery.
Then I created this one today. Which so reflects the relentless heat we have experienced. Several days with temps in the 90s and heat indexes in the 100s. To me, this painting looks like a heat wave.

funny how that works

on ebay

IF = Unfold and BIG SALE

Buy here

BIG SALE!
It's my first sale, so it's gonna be a good one!

Buy any 3 prints mounted on wood and choose a 4th print for free. A $25 value.
If you would prefer 7" x 5.5" prints on paper, those are $18 each, 4th one free. Any image you see on my etsy can be a print.

ALSO

If you purchase an original painting on etsy you can get a print of your choice for free.

My etsy

two together

bid here

today was a strange day,
i've been feeling out of sorts, kind of lonely, kind of restless
i think being out of school for the last month is finally catching up with me,
I don't realize how much school is a social outlet for me.
I love learning. I love a good lecture. I absorb it all and it floats around in my head and colors my world in unexpected ways.
i expect to be a student forever in one capacity or another.

IF = Craving

I couldn't decide on just one craving...

Bid here

Today was Paul's first day of Kindergarten.
Actually it's called Jump Start to Kindergarten and it is part of his schools summer fun programs.
He was so brave, much braver than I was.
He kept saying the day before how he might cry when I had to leave, and I was cavalier about it, reassuring him that he would be fine, and many of his friends from preschool would be there.
When it was time to separate, his lower lip trembled just a bit, but he put on a very brave face.
My voice cracked, just a little, before I screamed at myself to 'get it together' and gave him a hug n' kiss.
When I picked him up, four long hours later, he chatted happily about the new friends he made, and playing on the playground. Oh and snack time was fun too.
Sounds about right for a little boy, recess and lunch are his favorite classes.

Always

Bid here

This painting reminds me of my best friend Erica, who moved to Washington (state) last summer. She signs her letters, "Always" so I thought that was an appropriate title.
I miss her, but she will be visiting in September, and we talk every week...

SO! It seems that my new pattern is listing four paintings a week, then taking Friday and Saturday off. It feels manageable, my house is clean, my children are happy and I'm cooking every meal (average 2 meal out a month!)
Of course things can't stay this way, school starts Jun 18th, so that will be an adjustment.

Another exciting development is I may be trading in my 1998 Honda CRV for a similar year/mileage Toyota Sienna. I have serious mini-van envy and so why not make a lateral move? This might take a few months as I would like to save up as much $$$$ as possible to upgrade to a slightly newer vehicle.

I don't mind driving an older car, I don't need the newest greatest shiniest thing. Since I buy Honda or Toyota, they are very reliable, and I love not having a car payment. Of course someday, my dream is to buy a BRAND NEW car, at least once in my life. We'll see...

Lady Bird

I can't even begin to describe how fun this painting was to create.

I have been painting non-stop for the last two days, just trying new things, thinking, really thinking about what I want my art to be, what it should say, and I have been rewarded.

buy here