PAIN

This piece was created for a gallery exhibit entitled " PAIN" and is currently on Exhibit at the Hoyt Gallery- USC - Los Angeles, CA.  Opening October 4, 2017.  This piece is postcard size and was created with ink and watercolor.

What is happening?!...

...this year is already 1/2 over already! How did that happen?! I haven't forgotten about you... I have taken pictures of all the things I've been up to and will start posting them!

I haven't been painting much this year while trying to heal my painters/tennis elbow, carpal tunnel and other issues. My doctor has figured out what is wrong with me, so it's upward and onward from here after the next round of tests next week!! I am feeling better and it's uphill from here!  It has become really difficult for me to paint on canvas as I use an easel, then paint for hours on end with my arm up without notice because I'm totally in my right brain. So.... now I am trying to work with watercolors and paper. Its a huge challenge for me and I may give up and go back to acrylic on paper but for now I'm trying!  Watercolors are so different in that you paint light to dark and at times very frustrating. A piece can be ruined in an instant at the end when it's almost finished. I also normally paint on black often just adding color and where the black is there is no paint other than the initial black (or sometimes yellow).  Here is my current work-in-progress...

I hope I don't ruin it because I like her !

I will post the final picture soon...

Peace & Blessings

Squirrel ! ...

.... and I'm off!  That didn't take long did it? Today I was "squirreled" after viewing an online artist friend's new video.  Mystele Kirkeeng.   She is a Mixed Media Diva!  She makes it look so easy & not messy at all.  I love to watch her process and I am happy that I have some of her art.  Well right there on the side bar was a video by Betty Franks, Mystic Tulip Art, (click on their names to view their videos)  and her colorful doodle painting caught my eye so I watched Betty and I then painted & doodled all day.  I love mixed media pieces. I try, I make a mess, I have fun for awhile then I start thinking too hard, I get stuck, or I ruin it somehow, anyway I'm not ever super happy with the end result ...  then I clean up the mess & vow not to do it again for a long while...  But these were fun! It's just paint & ink. No stamping, poking, scraping, coloring, spraying (well I didn't spray. I dabbed ;)  I actually did some paintings like this in 2008 or 2009. I even resorted to my white lines like my ol' folky folk art I used to do.  

I took pictures of my process today so you could see that too.

 A great tip that Betty has for doodling is what I am gonna call the "double doodle".

Going over your lines twice and not perfectly does look really good!

 

 I already have some ideas for more and will probably think of a few more when I'm trying to get to sleep.

I did these little spontaneous pieces yesterday.

All 3 of the latter are ACEOs. 

Now I'm off to bed with paint in my head! 

Blessings!

A Short Short Story...

 

 

 

"Immersed"

 

The End

Not Good, Bad & Ugly...

...that was my day.  I rarely vent or complain publically but this is my place, sort of my diary... Today I was told my best friend is no longer able to speak, she is nearly non-responsive and her days are very few. She has suffered so much as well as those who love her. As if my life wasn't changed already, it really is changed now. I realized that day before yesterday was the last time I would talk to her and if I had known that would I have said other things?  I wasn't sure she really understood everything I said but she knew it was me and didn't want me to get off the phone when I tried.  She said very little.  The last thing I said to her & she to me was I love you, so that is comforting. Today they put her on a morphine pump. I already miss her and she isn't really gone.  I'm sick right now too, a horrible sore throat, body aches, so the news & realization that I can't talk to her anymore just added to my ailments, my chest literally hurt and I would find tears falling off my cheeks when I didn't realize I was crying.  Unless we were on vacation or out of the country there has hardly been a day without either being with her or talking to her in 30 years. She is a sister to me, one of the longest relationships of my life and I can't imagine it without her right now.  So instead of yarn, I consoled myself with paint and paper. Painting one after another. Then pictures, scanning... blogging.  I'm still going but I'm ready to crash.

I finished and listed this piece in my Etsy shop. Its my favorite of the day. I'm going call these Little Totems.
She sat gracefully silent in the trees...

"Bohemian Hunter"

I'm working on my drawings, so in order not to ruin my drawings, I am playing with thin washes like watercolor which is really hard for me, I have to see backwards sort of.  Too much color working like this can ruin the piece in an instant.  I have several as evidence.

I am sending this one to Norway because it's my husband's favorite, my son named it, and it's more my normal style. Painting on black willy nilly nothing drawn out.

"White Water Woman"

 

Just miles from my home is the little town of Coloma. Famous for the gold discovery that started The Gold Rush, but also famous for white water rafting.   I'm mailing it tomorrow & crossing my fingers it arrives on time.

Tell someone special how much you love them today.

Blessings

 

It's Easter!...

...Wishing You A Loving Happy Easter To You and Your Family!

 I hope you have a Wonderful Day full of many Blessings!

(Ink drawing with digital color)

What's On My Easel...

...Easter Bunnies!...
I started doing these "bunnies" as zentangles while I was watching tv.  My sister got me zendoodling and it's hard to stop. Most that I have done are ACEOs, my favorite.  I have lots of them and I plan to list them for sale on Ebay (Click HERE) and maybe a few in my Etsy shop (Click HERE).  These I drew with pencil and then painted them lightly with just craft Americana paint with lots of water, like watercolors, except the the bunny with the black background, on heavy watercolor paper. I'm playing with acrylic paint on watercolor paper before investing in serious watercolor paint.  What can I say, I love acrylic paint. Years ago I only painted with oils and couldn't imagine myself saying that. I have grown to love them. You can see the texture of the watercolor paper in these photos.

I am currently painting "Seek and Ye Shall Find" which is a fun one! 

Blessings & Have a great weekend!

"Drowning In Yarn"...

... That's the name of my new piece.  This is a painting of one of the pieces I drew in the Little Pages video a few posts back. Click HERE to watch the video. This is the 2nd one I've done and may be the last that I paint on canvas. I may start painting them on paper instead.  I love painting on paper now and I used to be so afraid of it because it isn't very forgiving.  These portraits are quirky,  not as quirky as my clowns but a little quirky. I may not paint all of the pieces I drew in the video but definitely a few more. 

 "Drowning In Yarn"

I painted this one because it was one of my favorite drawings in the group. I sketched it because I recently had to remove all the huge Space Bags full of yarn out of my studio and into my guest bedroom to make room for new sewing machines & room to sew.  I have the big Spaces Bags full, one for reds & pinks, one for greens, one for blues, ... then there are the bags of "UFO's" (un-finished objects) or here's a good one "PIGS" (projects in grocery sacks) hahaha . I have bags of things that are finished, ready for packaging, or some just done to work out patterns, or just for fun, nowhere to go.  Oops I shouldn't fail to mention the human body sized basket trunk full next to my recliner.  I thought I'm drowning in yarn... hey but what a way to go! Could I go buy more yarn? Why yes, yes I could! * In my head as I just typed Why yes,  Anthony Bourdain's voice was resounding in my head as though he was questioned if he could eat more pork. haha My Mom keeps telling, just this morning in fact, of all the things she is knitting and new knitting patterns she is trying with a beautiful soft & delicate yarn.  It's so tempting to stop what I'm doing to pick up some needles, but I am resisting, I'm painting about it instead! 

In addition to painting on canvas I am experimented with paint on fabric. 

Can't wait to show you what I am doing! So stay tuned...

~God Bless & Create a great day~

*Note to self - must have de-stash sale!

Wishing...

...you a Very Merry Christmas!

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this. (Isaiah 9:6-7)

 

Peace & Love to all my faithful Followers & Friends.

LoVe LoVe LoVe

Happy Valentine's Day!
 

Know you are Loved!

 

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

 ( John 13:34-35) 

This piece is on a 5 x7 canvas panel. I didn't start with a black canvas which is so different for me. Somehow my brain sees inside out when I'm painting, if that makes any sense. The black or outlines on most of my paintings is where I didn't put paint.   I have been having fun experimenting with very thin washes of acrylic paint, using them more like watercolors than oils.  I have tried using watercolors countless times just to destroy a piece of good paper & make a mess.  Using a canvas & acrylic paint, if I mess up or don't like something,  I know I can start all over again, I suppose that's comforting in a way, no pressure.  I am planning to do a new video in the next week or so!

 

Finishing What I Started

"Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled"

"Compassion"

 

6 Months ago I started these 3 little paintings of Jesus.  All 3 left abandoned on my easel. I'd see them/Him as I walked right by. I'd stop and pick at one now & then but haven't been able to really sit down and work on them until now. Using the acrylic paint almost like watercolors, I lost track of how many layers there are.  Things so often turn out different than when I start out. 

It's Not That Easy...

"Casting Cares"

Psalm 55:22

The Crazy Ones...

Here’s to the Crazy Ones

Here’s to the crazy ones.
The misfits. The rebels.
The troublemakers. The round
pegs in the square holes – the
ones who see things differently.
They’re not fond of rules and
they have no respect for
the status quo. You can praise
them, disagree with them,
quote them, disbelieve them,
glorify or vilify them.
About the only thing that you
can’t do is ignore them.
Because they change things.

~ Jack Kerouac

Currently Listed on Ebay

Work In Progress

"Fresh Powder"

Hopefully I will be finished with this one tomorrow, I have a few more touches to do. It reminds me of the old Vintage Ski Posters. Can't you just feel her breathing in the winter air about to exhale all of her tensions?!

I don't ski but I love going up the hill to Lake Tahoe & watching the skiers, getting bundled up, getting a cold rosy face & breathing in that Ponderosa Pine . If we don't drive home the same day, we always stay at the same place which is at the bottom of Heavenly Ski Resort with a room facing the slopes. I don't ski or go to the lodge because I hate the lifts. Whenever I have been coerced "forced" to be in one, the whole time I am in a near panic state. Dangling from wire freaks me out. So yeah I don't like elevators either. I did go hot air ballooning several years ago. Now that is extreme dangling! *heart rate going up thinking about it* Once I was in the basket, floating, comprehending the reality of no hope of survival, floating, completely stripped naked of any control what-so-ever, floating, the terror so bad it was hard to stand, gently turned into a what the heck attitude, floating, today is a beautiful day to go if I have to, floating, and I kind of relaxed a little, gently floating. However, that doesn't mean I let go of the basket. Oh no. I had to peel my hands off of the basket pole at landing one finger at a time! Not kidding. haha Flying, I have to do, ballooning I don't, so it would be difficult to imagine that I would do it again, but I'm so glad I did.

I took this video while driving home from Lake Tahoe...in living color!...

A BIG SHOUT OUT goes to Terraworks for featuring my art in one of her awesome Etsy Treasuries! Thank you Terraworks!

Be My...

Valentine! I'm getting in the mood for love...well... it might just be chocolate! This is a sweet Valentine piece I am currently working on. She's so in love with you her eyes follow you wherever you go. I will be listing on Etsy later today when she is completely finished. "Falling Hopelessly"

Work In Progress

On My Easel

A work in progress. A commission for a Little Swimmer. I am enjoying painting on paper more than I have in the past thanks to those luscious pastels I was working with a few months ago. I haven't done many 4x6 paintings and I am digging this size! I'll be doing more for sure. I'll post the final picture when she's completed. *** 1/9 You can view the completed painting by clicking here.

I'm Off...

to take 3 paintings to hang at The Coffee Garden Gallery in Sacramento today for the 2nd Annual Swell Sister show is next Saturday. I had to take these pictures with my camera so sorry they aren't very good. Just wanted to give you a sneak peek. Also a picture of the magazine trees I made. Thank you Martha. I love folding paper! I was an oragami geek when I was little. They are covered in big fat silver glitter which doesn't show up well, again phone picture. If you know me you know what a thing I have for magazines (and jars) so magazine trees instead of throwing them out is partly me hanging on to them just a little longer! haha These are lots of fun to do and the directions can be found here . Hopefully my computer will be fixed soon or I'll have a brand new one.

A Little Word on Wednesday

Work in Progress

“Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and Thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth Thee.” Nehemiah 9:6

Wow! Almost Summer!

Three of my paintings will be in the Marco Fuoco Gallery's "Summer Colors" show from June 13th to July 8th! I still have a few tweeks to do on each one but they are getting there. I kind of goofed off all weekend so I have to get them finished tonight. These are far enough along to give you a peek of them. I will post the final pictures of them on Flickr & they will show up in my slideshow.

" The Gemini"

"Summer Breezes"

"Sails, Blue Skies & Sunburns"

This weekend I watched the movie "New In Town" twice! It's so funny, better than I expected and the guys liked it too. Even the deleted scenes are funny. I also started some new seeds and got my hands really dirty. My sister sent me a trumpet vine and 2 jasmine plants. I love those! What a nice surprise! I painted a trumpet vine on the side of the house around my patio. Now I will have a real one. Jasmine is one of my favorite smells. She sent a Carolina jasmine and a Confederate jasmine. I don't know if they both smell the same, they don't look the same, I'll have to ask her. I hope they all do well and I don't love them to death like my husband does to his patchouli plants! My family sends him patchouli plants when they find them. He loves them to death. Everyday (and I'm not really exaggerating) I will find it in a different spot because he thinks it will be happier there! He's too funny to watch with them and we joke about it. *Light bulb* I think I'll start searching for one for him for Father's Day!