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

trio

bid here

today was uneventful,
I almost got my daughters hair cut.
She has mad, mad, curly hair and I am at a loss as to what to do with it.
I want it to be long so we can do pony tails and such, but it is such a frizzy mess right now I feel I need to get it trimmed and maybe the stylists can advise me.
I'm not complaining, I love her hair, I just need to learn how to take care of it.

fish out of water

so back to my regularly scheduled life:
i made a delicious spinach lasagna
painted
played outside with the babies

now it's bath time, then bed time, then Tudors time (for me)
sometimes life is good

if = cracked

so much for my art resolution,
i spent the week cleaning and painting my great room. It needed to be done, and i feel good that it is, now maybe I can get back to some sort of normal

buy here

everything

Much larger than i'm used to working, like 12" x 10"
I would like to go larger still, I'll get there...

Much of yesterday was spent painting, my house. With the help of my brother, we got the hallway, dining room and some of the great room done. Tomorrow we will paint the two vaults in the great room, if my ladder and my roller on a stick can reach.
A newly painted room is one of favorite things. I love what we did yesterday, it's called mesa taupe, and it's, taupe, but its' a beautiful taupe i swear. it looks clean and modern and velvety. I'm doing the two vault walls with a seafoamy bluey color. It might sound strange, but I have high hopes.

I think it's a great way to start the summer.

Candy

I haven't painted any fairies in a while, and it was fun to make some wings. I may be doing some more in the future, as I will be showing at Archon (science fiction convention) again this year. I had such a great experience, and got LOTS of positive feedback and even made some money. Last year I showed as an amateur, but may go professional this time. Their requirements are that you are published (I am) and generate your income from your craft (writing, art, game design...) and I do. It's not much of an income, and after talking to other pro's at the the con, that seems typical, but it is an income. Being pro means you get a write up in their convention guide, get a special ribbon on your badge, and will be judged for the art show amongst the other professionals. I was a finalist for the amateur art show last year, but didn't win, so have no illusions for winning this year, but it's all good.
I'm getting excited, can you tell?

Glory

I love the beginning of a new week. It's like a clean slate. This week I will spend 15 minutes a day picking up, this week I will do the things I need to do to promote my art like work more on my artist's statement, this week I will have time for it all, kid time, husband time, me time.

Who knows, this week it might just happen...

Orange

My son wanted his room painted orange.
'Orange?!" i replied. Then looked at some magazines on decorating kids rooms and guess what? Orange is a very popular color for kids rooms. So I said ok, and got like 30 color chips and looked at them all in the light in his room, picked what i thought was a nice, pleasant, orange. Not to garish, not to pastel, just right.
just wrong it turns out. Three coats later, (apparently you should primer green walls before painting with orange) and I hate it.
I'm not against the idea of orange, but I needed it to have more white in it. To be just a touch lighter.
My husband just told me his friend told him that psychologically, white rooms make people lonely, blue rooms make them calm and orange rooms...orange rooms make them angry....
Well I'm angry just looking at all my hard work and money wasted.
pictures to come later...

together

whew! barely got this one done. I just kept working on it. I would add something and walk away, then think about it, and come back and add something else. I love it, it is so painterly and free
when i'm doing tight, illustrative work, i don't get the same joy, the pleasure of the spreading paint around, and letting it tell me where it want's to go.

on ebay

flowered

This is a linocut I did called "Flowered"
All I can say is "how fun!"
If you have never tried, I recommend it. I got the lino block at a craft store and it was so soft and easy to cut. The cutting tools were easy to use too, able to do quite delicate work, though some of that get lost in printing.
I did an edition of 8 prints. This is 3 of 8 and it is available on ebay.
The bottom is numbered, titled and signed (name/date) at the bottom.

diamond

This painting has kind of a stained glass look. It wasn't intentional at the onset, but developed that way. The colors are all sort of muted with turquoise being the most saturated.
I'm usually terrified to start painting with out a plan,
but when I do,
just sometimes,
it all works out.

on ebay

Happy Mother's Day and Goal for May

I hope all the mother's have a relaxing day ahead of them, I have a brunch, then a trip to the brand new super mega JoAnn's. I think dinner will be at my parents house. So lot's of driving, but no cooking :)

I take my last final on Tuesday, and would like to start something for the month that I will be out of school. Sunday through Thursday, I want to do a painting a day, so you will be able to find some sort of new artwork here. I'm taking Friday and Saturday off as my 'weekend'.
I did something similar in January, but I posted new work everyday, I think I missed two days the whole month. It was an incredible journey and my work really evolved. I'm ready for that growth to happen again.

I will start today with this new painting. I have been experimenting with thicker paint application (impasto), working more intuitively and everything is looser. This will be listed on ebay tonight for buy it now $75

I titled the painting 'Beginnings'

time flies

but I have not been having fun.
I have been swamped with end of the semester papers, projects and exams
I have been stressed out and overwhelmed
and not much fun to be around I hear

So I turn in one more project tonight, have one more exam next week and I am done!!!
for a month.

Then summer session starts.
I originally had planned to take 2 classes. After some soul searching and reevaluating my priorities, I decided to just take one class. And in the fall, just take one class. And in the spring, we shall see.

When I am in school, that takes priority, and everything else has to line up behind. Well on my list of priorities, school is around number 4 or 5.
So I am slowing down. It will add a year till graduation, I only have 9 classes left. But I don't care.

I do care about my family, my personal artwork and having time to explore other interests.

So expect to see more of me here, soon...

if=theater and 1st Interview!

I just had my very first artist interview!
Check it out at Liz's blog primoriginals

Her work is lovely and inspiring, I especially like the art pendants in her esty store.

Thank you Liz!

Here's my Illustration Friday offering























I have an optional title "Stage Fright"
which applies to me and my life in so many ways. They say all the world's a stage, that's unfortunate for me

She Knew

She knew it was against county ordinance, put she loved him and couldn't let him go...

print here
original here

IF = Impossibility

If seemed like an impossibility to her that it would ever stop raining
and be sunny and warm

Acrylic, oil pastel, pencil, vintage atlas, matte medium
Painted on wood 9" x 7.5" x .75"

Print here
Original on ebay later tonight

Transparent

I used lots of transparent glazes on this painting. To make my glazes I use Golden fluid acrylics and mix with my matte medium. I can control the amount of saturation using this method. I can get washes with just the barest hint of color, so I can apply layers and layers, building up the darker areas.
Sometimes I like to work quickly, boldly, and sometimes, like today, I like to take my time and watch the image emerge.

print here
original here

Paper Dress

Restraint seems to be the word of the day. I restrained much of what I normally do in a painting. Minimal brush strokes and work on the face, the background is simple simple simple.
I used some text from a vintage geography book to establish the dress, added many overlapping pieces of aqua tissue to apply color then drew a simple outline.
I think it is very effective. I think sometimes I may be 'self-indulgent' when creating mixed media pieces, too in love with the process and not concerned enough with the result.

Original on ebay later tonight
Print HERE

Pink Horizon

This is a first for me, (I think)
I don't believe I have ever painted one of my figures in anything other than a dress.
Funny to realize. I think I will do some more

Dream

I love these colors, Phthalo Blue and Raw Umber.
It's my favorite way to make black. It makes a dark, earthy color. I TRY to never use black from a tube, but i do use ink. I am finding my paintings are just a little bit softer when I don't even use the ink.

The life so short, the craft so long to learn - Chaucer

Print mounted on wood, available HERE
Original on ebay HERE

IF = Talisman

3. Talisman: anything whose presence exercises a remarkable or powerful influence on human feelings or actions.























The monarchs arrive, for a day or two every summer, then they are gone. They conglomerate around my purple butterfly bush, all oranges and blacks, and I feel lucky. I take my children outside and they laugh and chase the butterflies and I feel lucky again.

Mixed media collage on 3/4" select pine
9" x 7.5" x .75"

Print here
Original on ebay later tonight.

sunny

I like the contrast in this painting.
the colors are bright and happy, but the figure looks so melancholy.
The stark shadow so dark compared with the whiteness of the sun.
An interesting juxtaposition.

Dancing Queen

In yesterday’s news the story that made me chuckle was the scandalous piece about Michelle Obama touching the Queen. This is a big no-no in royal protocol. No one touches the Queen. If she does extend a hand for a handshake you are supposed to offer a limp touch in return.
They were posing for pictures and the Queen put her arm lightly around the waist of Mrs. Obama and Michelle did the same.
An innocent gesture?
Or a bold attempt to humanize the monarchy?

A I

Have I mentioned I’m addicted to American Idol? Judging by their ratings I’m certainly not alone, but I’m always slightly embarrassed to admit how much I enjoy this show. I always pick a singer and root root root for them, and occasionally I vote. In previous years I have supported Kelly Clarkson, Fantasia and David Cook. I’ve lost a few times with Bo Bice and Clay Aiken. But it seems I generally like the person who ends up winning first or second.

This year I’m crazy about Adam Lambert.

He certainly seems to be controversial. You either LOVE him or you HATE him. I’m think that’s good in an artist. Don’t you?

See

Today is my birthday and I just finished this painting...
I'm offering a 8x10 print on luster paper for $18 on etsy here
The original will be on ebay later tonight

Go Aries!

IF = Poise

I did this painting yesterday and named it 'courage'
This morning I found the word for Illustration Friday was 'poise' and this painting couldn't have suited it more.
Now I'm not sure if the title is 'poise' or 'courage'

I'm enjoying working in this size. It's a little bit bigger so I can develop more of a scene. It measure 9" x 7.5" x .75". The skirt is made of tissue paper, I love the effect.

Print is available here
Original available here

Now I have to get back to my housework. We are having relatives from Chicago coming to stay the weekend...

IF = Subtract

I may have stretched the idea of the theme this week.
I used an old book with mathematical tables as the background ;)
Theres lots of algebraic subtraction equations.
As it turns out I used algebra for something! I never thought I would.

This painting is larger than the usual size I've been working in. It is 9" x 7.5" x .75"

Buy print here
Bid on original here

Answer: Swing

Question: What my daughter wishes she was doing right now.

I have a five year old boy and a two year old girl and no swing set.
My neighbors have nice wooden sets, and Lila is constantly breaking into their yards when she thinks I'm not looking. Because she's big enough and smart enough to not throw herself off the top of the slide, I've decided this is the year for us. Actually, this is the month for us. I've given myself a deadline so it's not suddenly September and we're still shopping for just the "right one". I think I've found one that would fit in our small, hilly, wooded, strange backyard. I just need to double check dimensions, talk with the crew (husband and friends) and order it.

Wish me luck, I'm so freaking excited for my kids. They will be over the moon.

Leprechaun Trap

Today Paul and I decided to make a Leprechaun trap. He came up with the basic design and I followed orders. I always have to fight the urge to 'guide' him, but when I let go and let him be the decision maker, it is more enjoyable for everyone.

His sign says "NO TRAPS AHEAD"























So there is a ladder for the Leprechaun to climb up, a golden path to lead him on, the rainbow with some gold pieces behind for the ultimate bait. Notice the flowers...












































Whoopsy, Mr. Leprechaun! Don't be so greedy next time!

But to Paul's credit he is very concerned about the hypothetical prisoner. He wants to add water and food and a blanket to keep the wee creature comfortable.
Lucky for me, Leprechauns are very wily and can escape most situations, so after taking the gold, they usually leave something in exchange, like some chocolate, and are on their way.

IF = Legendary

Who isn’t familiar with the legendary tale of William Tell?

I thought I knew the story, but all I really remembered was he shot an arrow through an apple perched on someone’s head.

It filled my head with great imagery, so a painting followed.

Then I visited wikipedia, to learn the real story. The story of how William Tell wouldn’t bow to an Austrian overlord. How the overlord then punished him, commanding him to shoot an apple off the head of William’s son, if he refused, they both would be executed.
William Tell pierced the apple perfectly.

I don’t know how well my light-hearted painting goes with the dramatic tale, but it’s a great story anyway, and I love how Illustration Friday always stretches me in someway, and I always seem to learn something new.

modernity

this piece is really making me happy.

it incorporates a lot of what i love:
i got to collage
throw paint
do portraiture
have things complicated
have things simple
leave something to the imagination

Spiral Betty

I sketched her face last night.

I envisioned her hair early this morning, like around 5 am, as I was lying in bed, trying to sleep, but wide awake.

The background, a nod to Klimt.

The name, a play on Robert Smithson's 'Spiral Jetty'


Photo credit George Steinmetz September 2002

A collaboration of ideas, and somehow an image emerges.
Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
I like this one

IF = Intricate

This piece is a bit more intricate than I usually work.
The tiny leaves of the ferns, the marbled map paper, and her face is more realized.
I'm really trying (on some pieces) to develop a more restricted palette. To see that more can be done with less. It's a long and winding path, as most things are.

starflake

lost at sea

growth