Thursday, December 23, 2010

Last Painting Project of 2010



Is everyone done with their end of year painting? I just finished my last piece today. It will be a present under the Christmas tree. And I finally finished another bucket that went to someone special. This bucket is for my boss to take to his cabin. The name of the cabin is Cloud Crossing and has some of the features of the original bucket. Lordy, those things take awhile to paint!! Glad this one is finished and off to its new home.

May everyone have a special holiday season - see you in 2011!

Hugs from my house to yours!!

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Student and Teacher


Being a student is just as important as being a teacher. And I try to take as many classes as possible so I can continue to learn. Classes might be on any topic - mixed media, oils, watercolor, fired glass - just about anything is fair game and what I learn while being a student hopefully makes me a better teacher. And teaching also helps me learn and increases my own understanding of the subject matter.

Our chapter was fortunate to have Janelle Johnson give a seminar in October. I was only able to take the one day but learned so much! Janelle is an excellent teacher and has an extensive list of colored pencil packets to choose from. And her hand dyed parchment paper is a lovely working surface - love it!

The best part? I have a finished & framed piece to call my own!!

Monday, November 1, 2010

Spooktacular 2010





I love dressing for Halloween and enjoy creating something unusual for the event. With luck there will be a party or two to attend as well. This year, we went as The Ghouls. Of course, I have to dress again for the kiddies!

Thursday, October 7, 2010

New Roses






This past weekend our local painting chapter held one of our fundraisers - the annual container auction. It is always fun to see what artists create with a container theme and this year didn't dissapoint! I will show what I came away with a bit later but wanted to show part of what I created for my auction pieces. Here is a peek at what I created for this event.

Monday, September 27, 2010

Time for Plan B!






Saturday was my Harvest Moon class at Unique Glass Colors. I pulled in and there was a police car there with Harold, Margot's husband. Someone had cut the junction box power lines going into the building complex - evidently thieves had cut & stripped the wires for the copper content! This is such a horrible thing to deal with - the loss of time & energy to put everything to rights - plus the expense - is incalculable! My sympathy to them as everything is repaired!!

But what to do? I have students on the way!!! At first I was going to cancel the class & try to reschedule another day so I started calling my students. Nancy "volunteered" her cousin's house. And, since her cousin was already in the class, I took her up on it. Fortunately, the class consisted of Nancy's family so this solution worked quite nicely. Thanks Ann-Marie & Tim for such quick work making space for the class!

The class worked out fine & everyone had wonderful paintings at the end of the day! I love teaching this class - each painting is so different from the next.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Harvest Moon Class


This is my next watercolor batik class - The Harvest Moon. I love this painting and have taught it several times before. It lends itself to many color combinations and sizes which is something not all paintings can do. If you are in the Orlando area and want to give this a try just let me know! Class is Saturday, Sept 25.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Octopus


So here is the big picture of the octopus - did anyone guess what it was supposed to be? This is a Prismacolor pencil drawing of an octopus from one of my husband's underwater photos. He was in the right place at the right time and got some great photos before Mr. Octo scooted back to his camoflaged lair.

Monday, September 6, 2010

Birthday Present


My hubby's birthday is today - happy birthday dear! To celebrate I have created a new piece of art just for him. What can it be? Check back for the full reveal tomorrow - he hasn't seen it yet!!

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Sandy the Seahorse Watercolor Batik Class






There were six wonderful students for my watercolor batik class yesterday! And they all did a wonderful job! Don't you think so?

Pat & Jeanette came from the other coast to paint with us - thanks ladies!! Nancy B. & Nancy M. were there, as well as Julie K. & Ivey. And there was chocolate covered bacon passed around & sampled. I think the milk chocolate won out over the dark.

Next up? Another class on Thursday!!

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Morning Glory Cabin






I grew up in SE Tennessee right in the foothills of the Smokies so the opportunity to paint those mountains was special. This is a commission I have been working on for awhile. It is a rather large galvanized bucket. The scene wraps all the way around and I was given a list of items the painting had to include - a fly fisherman, a bicycle, a golfer, the cabin & a painted sign, the barn and old bridge near the property and deer. Fortunately, I had photos provided for the barn, bridge & cabin. Everything else I had to research. The morning glories were easy. I've painted those before and Ginger Edwards' books came to the rescue for reference.

Landscapes are not my usual painting subject so this was quite a challenge. And each element requested had to help tell the story & make sense. Eventually, everything seemed to work out and the whole piece ended up like a "Where's Waldo" puzzle - some of the elements are really small but they are all there!

So this challenge is ready to go to a new home today... what do you think?

Friday, August 6, 2010

Meet Dandy Sandy



Sandy is my newest creation and is all decked out in his best beach finery! He sports some fabulous fuzzy stitching and beachside bling. I will be teaching Sandy's class on August 28 - drop me a line if you want to join in the fun! Beginners welcome - this is fun & easy painting...

Friday, July 9, 2010

Favorite Part of the Day



Right now I am in the process of creating submissions for teaching at a couple of painting conventions for next year so there isn't much I can share right now. I am working on a commission piece that I will be able to share next week so check back then. These are some photos from my back yard from this morning.

There is a certain time on a sunny morning that is special. The sun slants through the trees at a certain angle and light catches the caladiums and surrounding greenery making everything glow. If there is no wind, the pool acts like a cool blue reflecting pool and doubles the effect. It is a quiet, peaceful time and usually the only sounds are the birds singing and an occasional squirrel chattering away. This short interlude doesn't last long... soon the sun will shift position and some of the magic is lost. Until tomorrow morning...

What part of the day is your favorite?

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

MOO has landed!


Last month, Jenny Doh put forth a call for MOO cards (moo.com). These little cards are like baby business cards - barely 1" x 2-3/4". I've toyed with the idea of making MOO cards from time to time but just never got to it. When Jenny's call came I decided the time was NOW! It was really easy to upload some photos of my recent artwork & enter the necessary info for the backs. Here are cards from my first batch of MOOs.

And I just discovered one of my cards on Jenny Doh's blog at http://jennydoh.typepad.com. See if you can find it - the photo above gives you a hint of what to look for - it will be found in her posts last week.

Have you MOOed yet?

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Hollyhocks Class




My hollyhocks class was a great success! Everyone had a good time playing with paint, wax and learning a new embellishment technique or two. This was a more impressionistic painting and all the finished paintings turned out great - they all did an outstanding job!! Here are a few photos of them all hard at work...

Friday, June 4, 2010

Hollyhocks in My Garden



I love flowers. And living in Florida gives us the chance to have flowers nearly year around - notwithstanding the last couple of winters! There are some northern varieties that are hard to come by, though. Most of the bulbs - daffodils, tulips, bearded iris - don't do well in the ground. There isn't enough reliable cold weather for the dormant stage these flowers must endure to bloom the next season. We can get some of them seasonally in pots and I do so every chance I get and photograph them to death! For my iris fix, I have to make the trip home to Tennessee and photograph my mother's iris. Her iris are true family heirlooms and came from my dad's mother. They are truly wonderful and a sight to behold when in bloom!

Because of the harsh winter we had, there was extensive planting required to get the yard looking good again. We spent several weekends (as well as several Benjamins) replanting & mulching the yard. On one of my trips to my favorite - and very expensive - nursery there were pots of hollyhocks just opening their lovely wide open faces. I hadn't seen hollyhocks growing since my grandmother used to plant them along her vegetable garden fence! The flowers are crinkly & ruffled & sheer with the sun shining throug them. They remind me of little girls in their little pink dance tutus. So... the hollyhocks found their way onto the cart and made the trip home to the new garden.



They have pretty much bloomed out now. The stalks sit there and I am hoping the seed heads do their job and there will be more hollyhocks to come. In the meantime, my newest artwork will remind me of twirly little girls in pink tutus.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Working On...


Thought I would share another piece from the Spring Fling table.
Today I am a little sad. Painting friends are on their way to Wichita. The annual SDP conference is this week and I won't be there this year. I am supposed to be on my way to London with my husband for an international trade show for his company but plans change sometimes. Instead, I will wait to hear from those that made the trip when they return home. Margot is teaching, of course. And another friend, Karen, is in the election for board member at large... good luck, Karen!


So, I am home... making plans for next year. Working on class submissions for next year's conference. Working on upcoming local classes. Working on the two-day seminar I am teaching next month. Working on new art to sell. Working on some magazine submissions. Working on...

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

What is calling you?


Here is another piece of silverplate from Spring Fling.
The title of today's blog is a quote from a necklace I just purchased from Kelly Rae Roberts. One of her girlies is on one side and this saying is on the reverse. It is a question I try to answer daily when it comes to my creative life.


I have been a big fan of Kelly Rae Roberts for quite awhile now. One of the things she does best is to tie very thought provoking yet succint verbal ideas with interesting art images. And now she is offering a rare opportunity to share her knowledge about creativity and ideas about the business of it all.


Class starts at the end of May... don't miss out!


Tuesday, May 4, 2010

The Mystery of the 88 Roses - part 2
















It was close but I finished in the wee hours of Saturday morning. Good thing - since Spring Fling was happening with or without me! All of the tables were beautiful & we had a packed room. Here are a few photos of my table setting. Each person had a handpainted piece of old silverplate and I also painted my stash of Altoid tins for everyone.
Yes, I painted the roses. This was for our local painting chapter's spring fundraiser. It is a LOT of hard work but so worth it!










Wednesday, April 28, 2010

The Mystery of the 88 Roses


It is time for my painting chapter's annual Spring Fling - one of our fundraisers for the year. I am hosting another table this year and I just counted how many roses need to be painted on all the various and sundry surfaces on my table. 80 ROSES - good grief!!!


That doesn't even count the roses on my thank you notes, place cards, name tags, etc. At least I take a little help from Mr. Printer for those. But I still had to paint some to download into the computer. Here is a sample of what I am painting.


Spring Fling is Saturday - will I finish in time?

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Orchid Exotic is Published!

I just found my Decorative Painter magazine in the mail and my article for Orchid Exotic starts on page 98! It is always a thrill to see your work published but having it seen by all the membership is especially rewarding. (insert happy dance here!!!)

The Decorative Painter is the magazine published by the Society of Decorative Painters and always has amazing how-to articles along with all the news about what is happening in and around the Society. If you aren't a member of SDP, the magazine alone is worth the price of membership!

If you have been thinking about joining now is the time to do it! Not only do you get an amazing quarterly magazine but new members get a really great gift of brushes, paint, etc. by some of our top vendors - such a deal! Check out SDP at www.decorativepainters.org - and tell 'em I sent ya!

Monday, March 1, 2010

Springing with New Ideas


Happy March everyone! It is still too cold here in Florida but surely spring is on the way!!! The trees are leafing & lots of green pollen piling up on the porch & in the pool. Spring also means new deadlines looming and a whole bunch of new projects brewing. Besides new classes to teach, Spring Fling is the first of May. I will be posting photos of my table top then. I am also working on a new challenge that is due the end of this month and will post photos of my finished piece as soon as I am allowed. But here is a bit of my inspiration... however will I use it?

Monday, February 15, 2010

we have a winner!

Congrats to shedreamsbig.blogspot.com for winning my giveaway! It was really fun to play - I have made so many new blogging friends and look forward to participating again next year. Thank you to all who took the time to enter my giveaway. It has been such a great experience!

Friday, February 12, 2010

Curvy Calla Part Two


This watercolor batik class has two options. Students will choose "warm" or "cool" and use those colors to paint with. Here is my version of the "cool" palette. No, the photo isn't reversed - I turned the pattern over and deliberately painted it backward. Students will have choices to make this time - should be fun! Come join us if you are in the area!! Which one do you prefer?

Monday, February 8, 2010

Curvy Calla


One of my favorite flowers is the calla lilly. I love the way the petals delicately overlap at the base and then ever so gently flare into a gorgeous elongated bell that ends in a point, curling back under as the flower matures. How can a flower that is essentially a single petal be shaped into so many different configurations? Add in the variety in color and size, and you have endless possibilities. The simplicity of the flower's architecture also provides more of a painting challenge. There is nowhere to hide by tucking in an extra petal here or there.


I found a darling tiny pot of rosy callas at the market the other day. They came home to be inspiration for a new piece of art. This certainly won't be the last of the callas, though. They are still talking to me!
This is the next watercolor batik class I am teaching. Class if Feb 27. Let me know if you are interested!