New Year's Eve

Happy New Year's Eve!

I need to get in the habit of posting on my blog much more frequently than I have been.  Isn't that what it is all about?!

We are experiencing a blast of cold weather in Phoenix which makes me want to cuddle up and just stay indoors.  Because of this, I did finish another painting of Dusty.  This one is titled "Dusty, Again".  It is 11" x 14", oil pastel and collaged papers on canvas.  I used my brand new Sennelier oil pastels that Santa brought me for Christmas.  They go on like butter and just beg to be rubbed into the surface.  They are very nice to work with!  When I started the painting, I was having trouble getting the face to look right.  I stopped and practiced Dusty's face in my sketchbook, using an enlarged photo and graphite paper to transfer the image.  I then came in with the pastels.  I figured out that I had her nose too far to the left and that was throwing the proportions way off.  I got out some turpentine and simply erased her nose and eyes on the painting so that I could start over.  This worked very well and I am pleased with the finished painting.

As for the fact that it is New Year's Eve, I need to make a run to Trader Joe's to get the ingredients for cheese fondue.  Of course I will also pick up some champagne to enjoy with the fondue.  Once groceries are bought, I should have time to work in my studio this afternoon.  I need to do some research in my IB Art sketchbook (for school) plus I might be able to finish my painting of Rainy and Raven.  I also need to get back to my collage book.  There is always something that I want to do in my studio!

The Start of Winter Break

Last weekend my dad made the announcement that he would be retiring on June 1st.  He plans to go into the office once or twice a week, but other than that he and mom hope to do a little traveling, making many weekends 3 or 4 days long.  Mom has been collecting travel articles from the paper.  These articles are about road trips around Arizona and now they plan to take some of these trips.

Of course, I decided they would need a travel journal of sorts.  At Arizona Art Supply, I bought an 11" x 14" sketchbook.  I knew I wanted to include an image of an old car from a magazine on the cover.  I looked through some Newsweek magazines from 1970 and came up with a few options.  I selected the VW Beetle because it was a front on shot and I could include a photo of mom and dad like they were in the car.  Even though they never owned a Beetle, I selected it anyways!  I thought a lot about the title for the book, tossing around several ideas.  "Explore the Road" came to me just yesterday while I was waiting for Rainy's plane at the airport.  It was short and it had a good sound to it!  I used masking tape to block a border around the sketchbook and to outline where the road would be.  I used stick on letters as a reverse stencil, then worked in various shades of yellow, orange, and red oil pastels over the cover of the sketchbook.  I made the values a little lighter towards the bottom that at the top.  Once the pastels were in place I removed the tape and the letters.  I applied a layer of matte medium over the entire front cover to prevent the oil pastels from smudging.  When the medium was dry, I applied another layer, this time securing the VW Beetle in place.  I like the way the complementary colors (blue & orange) help the car show up even better!

I actually started the inside spread before I did the cover.  It seemed like a lot of white, so I used 2 different stamps, a checkered stamp in brown and a leafy pattern in green to break up the whiteness and plainness of the spread.  I collaged in place a variety of small images or stuff that I had on hand like the stamps and the December calendar.  I cut the cacti from an Arizona Highways magazine and the map of Arizona from a map of the states.  I used an old-style letter maker to write Bill and Nancy Haug and their address.  I also added low-relief objects like the St. Christopher's medal and the key.  It was a spread that seemed to come together as I worked on it.

Afternoon Studio Time

I have had a pretty busy Sunday.  I woke up around 4am, but forced myself to stay in bed until 6:00.  I got my birthday thank you notes written before I went to Weight Watchers.  Unfortunately, I gained a pound, but I am not too suprised given that it had been my "birthday week".  I will have to refocuse on making good food choices this week.  I went to Mom & Dad's after Weight Watchers to drop off a couple of the larger Christmas gifts that I had at my house.  While there, dad fixed me eichuka (German pancakes).  It had been quite a while since I had them.  I was careful to only have 2 and I had them with fruit.

Now that the afternoon is here, I decided that I really needed time in my studio.  I added some more paint to Rainy & Raven.  I worked on the girl's clothing and then I worked on Rainy's hair a bit.  Now the paint needs to dry begore I can do anymore.

I have a couple more projects that I want to get started, will blog about them when they happen!

Another Completed Artwork

I created "Buick" from a photograph that I took this summer while Rainy and I were on our road trip.  Our first night was spent at the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, Arizona.  Outside of the wigwams, numerous old cars and trucks were parked to provide a retro effect.  The Buick was parked just outside of the wigwam we slept in. 
I actually finished "Buick" last weekend but didn't get around to photographing the painting until just now.  I made the mixed media piece along with my IB Art class.  They had to create an 18" x 24" collage piece, so I did too.  I began by attaching torn white/nuetral magazine pieces with matte medium to a canvas.  For the next step, I worked with oil pastels that were rubbed into the magazine pieces and then finished off or finally blended with Liquin, a painting medium.  The Liquin gave it a slick, polished surface while also serving as a final finish.  To complete the piece, I attached plastic letters that I spray painted grey and added a touch of oil pastel to.  I purchased some expanded metal which Mike cut to size for me.  I glued the metal in place with E6000.  I am very pleased with the final painting!

Sunday Afternoon in the Studio

I got Rainy to the airport around 11:30 this morning and have since been trying to focus on some artwork.  I have not been too successful yet as my mind is now wandering towards getting ready for Christmas!  I did finish Jack the Beagle yesterday.

There wasn't much lefy to be done.  I lightened Jack's eyes a bit and completed some detailing around the mouth.  Overall, I am very pleased with the the finished painting.  I enjoyed using the oil paint on top of the torn magazine pages.  The last few layers of paint were added with quite a bit of linseed oil mixed into the paint and this left a nice overall sheen to the painting.  I will be giving the painting to my sister Jenni and her husband, Jim for Christmas as it is a portrait of their beagle.

I also started and finished this cat portrait of Zoe in my collage book.  Her face started out pretty accurate, but I got off on her body proportions.  I chose orange for the background to accent her tabby coloration.  I am done now with the household pets.  Next on my schedule is a portrait of Adam, but I need to get a photo first.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I have the turkey in the oven, so I managed to squeeze in a little time to finish a page in my collage book.

This is Cloe, one of Bryant's cats.  She actually turned out better than any of the previous cat portraits that I have completed in the book.  I think this happened because I started the portrait differently.  Instead of drawing the overall shape of Cloe's face and body, I began with her nose, shading it in and getting it to be the right shape.  Then I moved onto her eyes and then her mouth.  I simply worked out from there.  This is how I draw people, so why haven't I been doing this in the collage book?  Who knows!  I guess I just forgot what works best for me.  The center fold in the spread of the book had me working around it instead of working in a way that I know is successful for me.  Now that I have been reminded, I think the pages that are yet to come should get better and better.

It's Been a Busy Day!

This morning I weighed in at Weight Watchers; lost another .6 pounds.  It is slow progress but at least the scale is moving down.  I did my Thanksgiving grocery shopping.  It always amazes me how expensive it is when you buy special foods.  Plus I stocked up on beer because Rainy arrives tomorrow.  I can hardly wait.  After lunch I made a batch of Coc Full of Chip cookies for Christmas.  They took a few hours and I was ready to be finished baking by the time I took the last batch out of the oven!

I added another layer of paint on my Jack the Beagle painting.  I am definitely liking the way it is looking!  I think it is pretty much done at this point.  I just need to come back in and work the facial features a little bit more.  I am not sure when it will happen, maybe next weekend after Rainy goes home.
Now I am getting ready to work on my Rainy & Raven painting.

I am Making Progress

Yesterday afternoon I worked on my Jack the Beagle painting and really made good progress.  Again, typical of me, I was afraid to get started on the painting, afraid that I would "ruin" it.  My self-asteem is pitiful as I don't recognize what I do well until after the fact.

Instead of using a rag and paint thinned with turpentine, I used a paint brush and thinned the paint with linseed oil.  When the brush strokes seemed too obvious, I simply rubbed over the area with a bare finger to smooth it out.  In the smaller areas, I used a q-tip.  The painting is starting to come together and it really does look like Jack.  I was suprised this morning to find that the paint is already dry enough for the next layer.  I guess this occurred because I used a high ratio of linseed oil to pigment and the oil simply dries faster than the pure paint.....faster than I realized it would.  That means I will be able to continue working on Jack the Beagle today instead of waiting until next weekend!  How fun!

Late Start Saturday

I spent the morning baking a batch of Christmas cookies so I didn't get into my studio until after 1pm.  I haven't been working very long but I have big plans for the day.

I had been working on the portrait of Bryant in my collage book off and on for a few days.  I can't tell you how many times I used turpentine to erase his mouth and portions of his face!  At first his face wasn't long enough so I had to redo most of his face.  I added his sunglasses (cut out from a magazine page) but I had the 2 sides shaped differently so I had to tear them off and redo the glasses.  The second pair I cut out I traced from the first pair, flipping the right side over to make the left side match.  This worked out very well and now the sunglasses seem to work much better.  I also struggled with his nose because the photo I was working from showed his nose at a different angle than what I am accustomed to.  Honestly, I finally gave up trying to fix it and said "this will do".  In the end, the portrait isn't a replica of Bryant but it does capture the basic essence of his image and I am satisfied.

Now I am going to work on the collage painting of Jack the Beagle and then I will move on to the collage painting of Rainy and Raven.

A Productive Sunday

I accomplished quite a bit in my studio today.  I didn't get started until after 10:30 this morning because I went to Weight Watchers.  I was down .4 which is a good thing.  I had planned to hike Lookout Mountain this morning as well, but I was anxious to get started on some art projects.

First I had to get a photo of Leila.  She was very cooperative, I suppose because I had just displaced her from a nap on my bed.  She chose to sit on the nightstand as I made my bed.  I still can't believe that I was so lucky as she doesn't usually sit around.  As soon as I was finished, she got right back on the bed and continued her nap.

I started out working at my easel and thought I had Leila's proportions layed out pretty well.  I was having a hard time pushing the pastels into the paper when it was upright, so I moved back over to my table to work.  I am not sure what happened to the proportions.....oh well.  Working in the coloring of Leila's hair was difficult.  I struggled keeping the colors from looking muddied, especially as I added the black, but in the end I felt as if I had captured the tortoise coloration pretty well.  Why are cat's eyes so hard?!?  They are very round and curve upward.  They have a very thin line of black around them which is hard to do with a pastel crayon!  You would have thought that by the third cat I moght have it figured out!  Nope.

I was anxious to work the skin tones on my painting of Rainy & Raven but decided instead that I should get my first layer of color in on their hair and clothing.  Using a rag wrapped around my finger, I rubbed in oil paint that was thinned with turpentine.  Now that the  first layers are there, I will switch over to using a brush.  I still need to think in terms of layers to get the overall luster and depth of the painting media.  This means that I can't be in a hurry.  I will have to stay focused, and patient!

I also continued my painting of Jack the Beagle.  I decided that the background was too blueish so I began by rubbing a layer of terra verde over the background.  This seemed to successfully tone down the blue though I may decide that it needs one more layer.  I also layed in the first layer of color on Jack.  Just like my painting of Rainy & Raven, I am ready to switch to painting with a brush when this layer dries.

Finally, I used oil pastels and finished the self-portrait on the cover of my IB sketchbook.  I had collaged torn magazine pieces on the cover weeks ago, but just hadn't gotten around to doing the self-portrait part of it.  I think I had somewhat lost interest because I just completed 2 self-portraits for examples to show my IB students.  This is not my best self-portrait, I struggled with the eyes and my glasses.  When I was finished with it, I applied a protectice layer of matte medium over the surface.  Now it is officially completed!

Getting Caught Up

Because it has been such a long time since I have written in my blog, I have been able to finish a couple of paintings that I mentioned in October.

I completed the mixed media painting of Dusty.  I titled it "Remembering Dusty".  The media is torn magazine pages and oil paint on canvas.  It is 20" x 24".
I hung it up in hallway where I see it every time I walk by, which is often.  I am very pleased with the way this piece turned out.  By layering and rubbing the colors, they have a definite sheen and depth to them.

I also finished this oil on canvas painting titled "Looking Back".  It is 18" x 36".  This will be the last of my series involving skeletons, at least for now, as I feel finished.
There are certain things I like about this paining such as the way the skin breaks away to reveal bone.  I also like the way I interpreted the human flesh and the skeletal structure.  I am not too thrilled with the plant.  I wanted it to have more of an ivy-like appearance, as if it was growing up the wall, actually clinging to it.  Instead, it looks like a tall plant growing upright out of a planter.  Oh well, I guess I kind of gave up on trying to fix the plant and will live with the painting the way it is.

It has been a month since my last blog!

Wow!  I hadn't realized how long it had been since my last blog.  I have a lot to catch up on as I have been busy in my studio.  For now, I am going for a hike around Lookout Mountain.  When I get back, I promise to update everyone on my studio work!

I am back from my hike, I have showered and mixed up a batch of Christmas cookies that are chilling in the frig.  Now about my art....

I have continued to work in my collage book and manage to complete about one image a week.  Since my last post I have finished one of Rainy, Raven, and our cat Toby.

The oil pastel painting of Rainy has managed to captured the essence of what she actually looks like.  I struggled a bit with her smile, which is bigger than I managed to make it.  I used some paper that I had on hand for Rainy's shirt, then added a bit of pastel to blend it into place.

I am not sure how I feel about the final painting of Raven.  It is basically her but not quite.  I think I am having trouble because I have to work around the binding at the center of the spread.

Poor Toby.....I made her beautiful eyes way to small plus they should be lower on her face.  I painted this picture of her relaxing in the bathroom sink  which is something she likes to do.  I used foil in the upper background to represent the mirror.

I just finished the spread of Alex.  I think his proportions turned out really well.  This is probably because I decided to work with the book upright at me easel.  I used bulldog clips and clipped the opened book to a drawing board.  It is so much easier to see what you are doing when the image is upright!  I don't know why I didn't think of that sooner!  I really want some Sennelier oil pastels as I think it would make the blending and layering of colors much easier.  They are on my Christmas list.

Sunday Afternoon in the Studio

I finally finished my painting "International".  I started the painting in May, but with my 5 week road trip during the summer, I stopped painting.  Then school started at the end of July and it has been hard to get back into the swing of painting.  I am grateful for Fall Break, as I think it has successfully refocused me on my artmaking.

I worked from a photograph that I took when Rainy and I were living in Divide, Colorado.  In 2003, Joni, Asher, and Seva came out to visit.  We went to an old mining town to tour the underground mine.  I took a lot of pictures, including one of this old International dump truck.  For some reason, I have been attracted to beaten up and abandoned vehicles.  Overall, I am pleased with the way this painting turned out.  It is 18" x 24", oil on canvas.

Oil Painting Collage Process

I have a new collage process that I am working on.  The process goes as follows:

Step 1:  Tear old magazine and book pages into pieces.  Small pieces work best as larger pieces tend to wrinkle, but the wrinkles are okay, they are part of the collage.  Using acrylic matte medium, adhere the pieces of paper in a very random manner, spreading the medium under and on top of the papers.  I use a large brush and my fingers to make this happen.  Because I am working on stretched canvas, I make sure to cover the sides of the canvas with paper as well.  Let the canvas dry overnight and then start sanding.  I begin with a medium sandpaper, then move to a fine, and finish it off with steel wool.  Loose edges of the papers peel off; this is okay as I am just creating a textured background for my painting.  Once I am satisfied with the sanding, I wipe the canvas clean with a damp rag.

Step 2:  At this point, I thin some gesso with water.  Using a damp sponge I apply a layer of this thinned gesso to the entire canvas.  The gesso needs to be transparent enough that it doesn't hide the magazine/book colors or printed text.  What this step does is kind of provide a cohesiveness to the canvas.  Now I am ready to lay out my idea.

Collage Fest

I am altering a children's book; you might know it....The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales.  My book will be titled "Through My Eyes".  It will contain portraits of the people and pets in my life. 

Of course the first page is a self-portrait.  I layed down torn pieces from old magazine and book pages, attaching them with matte medium.  Once that was dry, I worked the self-portrait in oil pastels.  When the portrait was about finished, I glued in lips cut from a magazine.  For my glasses, I used the key fobs from a Tiffany's ad then attached eyes to the top of the fobs.  I then came back in with more oil pastel to integrate the images into the collage.  For my blouse, I tore pieces of colored papers that were glued in place, again with matte medium.  I rubbed a little oil pastel over the surface to create subtle shadows.  To finish up, I stitched embroidery thread around the shirt opening.

Page 2 is a portrait of Mike. His portrait was made in the same way, but the only part that is added in are the sunglasses.  I didn't quite capture the way he looks.....I think it is the mouth that is wrong.

Page 3 is a portrait of Dusty.  I struggled with the proportions of her face, but feel like I got pretty close.  Once her portrait was complete, I added in the grasses.

I'm Back to Making Art

Since school started the end of July, I have had difficulties finding time to spend in my studio.  Mostly it is because I am tired.  The weekends have been full of household chores.  The reality is that I had distanced myself from the paintings that I had started in early June, and just hadn't been able to reconnect with them.

Last weekend I convinced myself to go back to my paintings.  It took a lot of self talk, you know the type......I had to convince myself that I wouldn't "ruin" the painting and that I was good enough to work on it.  I was scared.  One of the paintings is a self-portrait titled "Looking Back".  The only portion I had finished was the walls.  I jumped in and painted the tile flooring.  I started by painting the grout lines (somewhat sloppily) and then came back in and painted the tiles one at a time.  It wasn't so hard and it really didn't take that much time.  I set the painting aside to let the paint dry.  A few days later I came back in and added a large concrete, round planter in front of the wall to the left of the figure.  When it is dry, I will come back in and add vines growing from the planter and up the wall.  The idea for the setting came from a picture my sister Joni had taken when she was in Italy.  The setting is important to me as I am looking back from where I have been yet I am heading into a hallway where the destination is hidden.  The future is unknown.

Another painting goes in my series on run down, beat up, abandoned vehicles.  This is an old International dump truck that I had photographed years ago when I was living in Divide, Colorado.  This painting has been mostly complete since early June.  I recently came back in and painted the side mirror, the lights on top, and the side grill.  When the paint is dry, maybe today, I will work more on the side grill area.  I need to finish that area before I can paint the fender well and light.  This painting is very close to being done!

My 13 year old yellow lab, Dusty, died 2 weeks ago.  Her death has been very hard on me and I have hard time just functioning.  I have managed to get back to tracking my food for weight watchers and I have gotten back to exercising this week  Nothing has been easy, but making art has helped.  I started a new process that up till now I have only used on my mini collages.  I decided to try the process on a larger painting of Dusty.  I began by tearing old magazine and book pages into small pieces and adhered them to the canvas with matte medium.  My smaller paintings have been completed using oil pastels, but I am using oil paint for this experimentation.  Once the glued papers were dry, I thinned some black paint with turpentine and drew Dusty's outline.  When that was dry, I painted in this layers of overlapping greens and blues.  My next step will be the underpainting of Dusty.  This painting might take a while, it must be done in phases with drying time.  I am enjoying the painting process.  It is the journey that is important.

This is the completed 6" x 6" collage I made of Dusty.  This one started with the collaged papers, but the painting was done with oil pastels.  It is titled "Dusty, All Grown Up".  It was based on a photo I had taken in the winter of 2002 when Rainy, Dusty, and I were all visiting the Conte family in Eagle, Colorado.  I put in the dark red background to create a contrast with Dusty's lighter yellow hair while also portraying the idea of sadness.  I think the collage is very successful.  I am still working on a mini collage of Dusty when she was a puppy, it uses very bright colors to portray her exuberance.

Not much art accomplished this past week!

This past Tuesday was back to school for teachers.  I was pretty down at the start of the week, but gradually things got better for me, I began to re-acclimate to the idea of work and all that it entails.  Sadly, each day I was pretty worn out and not feeling much like an artist.Honestly, this weekend hasn't been a lot different.

Saturday I did get an artwork of the day completed.  "Time Passes" began with a layer of titanium white, yellow ochre and violet acrylic paintI added the main picture of the two women and the man first.  Next I used a clock stamp, adding a couple of different colors of ink.  Next, additional papers were glued in place.  Finally, I blended the titanium white with matte medium to brush a layer of transprent white over most of the artwork.  It turned out alright, but isn't one of my favorites. 

Today I slept in until 9:30!  This is very unusual for me.  Now it is afternoon and I have worked out for an hour on the treadmill and made my artwork for the  day.  I am pleased with "Round About".  For some reason I was thinking circles when I began and proceeded to base the entire piece on circles.  I began by spreading titanium white acrylic paint with just a small amount for yellow ochre in a circle.  Next I used a template and the same paint to add the cluster of dots.  I cut three images in circles and glued them in place.  To finish up I added the 7 rivits along the lower left edge of the large circle.  Simple yet affective.
The rest of my day will most likely be spent picking up a few supplies for school and basically getting ready for the week.  My artwork awaits.

Monday and Moving Slowly

Even though I was up early again this morning, I really haven't accomplished too much in the way of art making.  I did have a doctor appointment this morning so that did take some time.  I also took the time to buy myself a new agenda book for this school year, I like to keep track of appointments and meetings the old fashioned way.

I just finished my artwork for the day, "Just Yesterday".  I started with a picture of my sister Jenni when she was about 3 years old, with the intention of giving it to her for her 50th birthday.  I missed the big day which was July 3rd as I was deep into my roadtrip.  I will take it to her later this week.  I put down a layer of acrylic paint using Brilliant Orange, Medium Magenta, and Titanium White.  When the paint was dry I attached a piece of stained paper and some lace using matte medium.  Next I adhered the image of Jenni and a frame cut fromm some decorative paper I had on hand. I cut 4 flower stencils from paint samples, glued them in place along with jewels for the centers.  I felt that there was still something missing, so I added thin strips of a paint sample on opposing corners.  The this strips added emphasis and helped to balance the image.  I am pleased with the final composition and hope that Jenni likes it as well.
It is already almoast 1:00 pm; I plan to spend the afternoon working on photos from my roadtrip and adding in missed entries on the Driving Backwards blog.  I hope to be back in the serious painting mode by this coming weekend.

Start Simple

Sunday morning and I was up before 6:00 am; of course Dusty was barking for food and the cats were actively crawling over the bed indicating their hunger as well.  On these days of no school, I like to start simple by creating my artwork of the day.  This collage, "Dreams" was made in the same technique that I used yesterday.  Today I began with an image of the nude woman that I had cut out from an older issue of "W" magazine.  Because of the basic blueness of the image, I first laid down a layer of acrylic paint using Ultramarine Blue dulled with Brilliant Orange and a little bit of Titanium White.  Once dry I added a layer that included Bright Aqua Green that was mixed with the previous colors.  I added a bit more white to lighten it up.  Then I used matte medium to attach the magazine image.  I went over the image with the white tinted with a small amount of the blue and some matte medium to increase the transparency.  Next I found the words "your dreams miss you." in my box of miscellaneous words.  I used matte medium to glue the words at an angle following that of the nude woman.  Once it was attached, I went over the words with white thinned with matte medium.  I used a hand-cut stamp with blue and red ink applied to it for the spirals, then went over the spirals with transparent white, smudging the ink just slightly.  I am very pleased with this piece, the monochromatic blue color scheme gives it a dream-like feel.

Still Painting

I just spent about an hour working on my painting of an old International dump truck. I added in the neutral area of the truck body using mostly titanium white with small additions of Venetian red, Vandyke brown, Naples yellow deep, and lamp black.  I am still allowing the blending of colors to be apparent to get that slightly inpressionaistic feeling.  Forget blatant realism, I want to use color more dramatically that lets the viewer's eye do the blending.  It was fun and relaxing to work on this portion of the truck.
It is almost 4:00 pm, I plan to spend the next couple of hours working on photos from my roadtrip.  I am not sure what the evening will hold for me.

Painting, Finally

I just completed this oil painting that I have titled "Gunfight".  I had it mostly finished in June, before I left on my roadtrip.  It didn't take much time to add in color for the grass the four girls are standing on.  I started with cadmium yellow light and permanent green plus some titanium white.  I added in cobalt blue to make the grass more blue than yellow, then I added the blue to create the shadow.  The shadows weren't dark enough, so I added some cobalt violet.  To round out the coloration of the grass, I also worked in a bit of cadmium red. The grass brings in some of the warmer tones found in the red pants plus it creates a contrast between the ground and the empty space beyond.

Gunfight has become the companion to this earlier painting, "Rodeo Day Circa 1963" that I painted in April of this year.  I purposely painted the backgrounds in a similar style, that becomes a strong link between the two.  Bothe were painted from photographs that my mom took of me and my sisters when we were much younger.

I am Wasting the Day Away

It is Saturday, I always like the weekends, even when I am out of school like I am now.  I got a weave and haircut which took up most of my morning, but I feel better about myself.  Now if the weight would start dropping off I would feel REALLY good.

I made my artwork of the day, "Someone".  This time I started with orange, white, and yellow ochre acrylic paint that I applied with an old credit card.  Next I applied red ink with a hand carved stamp.  I used matte medium to attach a section of music; the lyrics are "Someone's rocking my...Someone's invading my dreams....".  I also attached a clipping of a woman at a sewing machine, then I went over all of it with thinned white paint.  It still needed a little something, so using the side of a credit card I applied ochre-colored ink and then did the same technique with a dark blue ink.  The result was a series of very thin lines.  This collage is much simpler than the ones I have been making, plus it took less time.  I enjoyed the change of pace.
Now my painting is calling me.....

Painting; Well, Sort of

The painting "Cactus Flower 1" was almost finished before I went on my awesome roadtrip.  All that was left to be painted was the center potion of the flower and that took me less than 30 minutes.  I am calling this one finished, signed and ready to finish drying.  I like the impressionistic quality of the painting with the only precise detailing evident in the stamens of the flower, and even that is subtle.  The flowing colors in the flower petals draw the viewer's eye into the center of the bloom, creating the focal point. 

I had finished "Looking Inward" before I went on my trip, but I forgot to post a picture of it in my blog at that time, so here it is.  I like the neutral skin colors, it creates a softer pallate and lets the red speak louder.  This self-portrait captures the way I look much more accurately than other ones have.  Even though the skin tones have that essence of impressionism, it is a smoother approach than the technique I subsequently used in the painting of the cactus flower.
I am done painting for the day as I just can't think straight.  I am still feeling low, probably because Rainy left a couple of hours ago.  Actually, I feel somewhat lost and scattered.  I think I will go make some pesto using basil from my garden.

Procrastinating

I am having difficulty pulling out my oil paints, I just seem overwhelmed with idea of tackling something "big".

I completed my 6" x 6" artwork of the day, "The Ranch House". I began with a photocopy of a picture taken back in the sixties of my three sisters and me (I am 2nd from the left, wearing the light blue cowboy hat).  I used a dark blue paper for the background, then added some stamping in off-white.  The floral trim came from a 1980 "Phoenix" magazine.  I added satin trim, yarn, and hearts cut from the dark blue paper.  I am pleased with the results, the blue herats helped to balance the composition and added a little more interest.

I also worked on sorting through the photos from my roadtrip, I finished up the images from Day 2, there are 44 images that I consider good enough to print.  I am waiting to do all of my printing later, I might even have an outside source print them because there will be so many.
Okay, I might be ready to work on one of my paintings.

Feeling Down

I am feeling a bit low.
Maybe because Rainy goes home to Washington today.
Maybe because my roadtrip really is over.
Maybe because I have to be back at work in 4 days.
Maybe because finances are so tight.
Maybe just because.
Maybe making some art will help.

Getting Back Into the Swing of Things

This is my artwork a day from yesterday, titled "Let Me  Go".  It is 6" x 6", made from found and stained papers, and found objects. 

I really thought that I would be able to work on a painting today, but it is almost 3:00 pm and Mike, Rainy, Bryant, and I are meeting Mom and Dad at 6 pm at Bario Cafe for dinner.  Just because I am not painting doesn't mean that I haven't done anything to today....I have actually been rather creative.  Aside from reorganizing and putting away everything I brought home from my travels, I finished glueing in papers and such in my sketchbook from my awesome roadtrip.  I still need to come back in and label the pages.   I also worked on photos I took on my roadtrip:  selected, photoshopped and starting organizing the images that I will want to print.  I have really had a full day.

This is my 6" x 6" artwork a day titled "Zip", made from found papers, India ink, stamping ink, and rick rack.  The main object is a the image of a doll that I xeroxed.  I am not sure that I like this one too much as the stamped areas had a tendency to smudge.

Back Home

I am back home now after spending 38 days on an awesome roadtrip with my daughter Rainy.  I am hoping to pick up where I left off on three different paintings tomorrow.  Today, I am getting reorganized after being gone for such a long time.  It is nice to be back home, back in my studio.

Troubled Times

This is a picture I took of Heidi and Rhonda when we were on a trip to Palm Springs a number of years ago.

It is difficult for me to blog when traumatic things are unfolding and I can't see through the tears. I will try to catch you up on what happened:

My very dear friend, Heidi, had breast cancer but had been cancer free for more than 3 years. This past December her back started hurting to the point where she was bedridden. She went to a pain management doctor who x-rayed her back and was appalled to find her spine, scull and ribs engulfed with tumors. Heidi had been getting consistent treatment at Mayo Clinic, just a few weeks earlier they had told her that she was doing great. Man were they ever wrong! Since December, Heidi has been getting very good care at the Cancer Treatment Center. Unfortunately, about 10 days ago she became very dehydrated and developed pnumonia. We thought she was recovering and were looking for a long term care facility where she could stay until she got her strength back. But the pnumonia overtook her. Thursday evening, June 3rd, she was placed in Hospice of the Valley. I went over to visit, just after lunch on Friday when I found out where she was. Heidi had a lucid momment where she recognized me and smiled. I held her hand and kissed her forehead. Heidi is one very strong person! I stayed with her until evening, went home and returned the next morning. All day Saturday Heidi lay in bed. There were no more waking momments where she spoke or recognized anyone. She had stopped taking ice chips or drinking any water. I went home around 6pm. The next morning, Sunday, June 6th, at 7:30 am, Michael called to let me know that Heidi had passed. He said I could come see her, but I said no, I saw her yesterday, I saw her in life, and I am good with that.

Now the grief sets in. I managed to hold the tears back for a day. I did a lot of crying during Heidi's process of dieing, then I thought that I was okay. I am not okay. I miss me dear friend. I had known Heidi for almost 30 years. We might not talk for 5 years, but then we pick up right where we left off. Heidi was my strength, my protector, my friend. My life won't be the same without her. Everyone who knew Heidi will miss her.

A quote my daughter shared with me...."After all, to the well organized mind, death is but the next great adventure" -Dumbledore
Heidi is on her next great adventure...........but I still miss her!

Thursday = No Painting

I can't believe how busy I was today with so much little stuff that I was never able to focus on painting! I hiked the base of Lookout Mountain, coming out at the saddle and then back home with only 15 minutes to shower and get to the dentist. I let time get awawy from me. Then I was off to the thrift stores, looking for shorts and possibly an ice chest. Though I found shorts, I ended up buying an ice chest at Target. I am starting to think seriously about the roadtrip Rainy and I are taking as we leave in just 9 days. I found our propane stove and got it all cleaned up and checked to make sure it worked. There is still so much to do, one day at a time.


Though I knew I wasn't going to get a chance to paint today, I still neededd to make my 6" x 6" daily artwork. I decided that it would be a good time to draw. I worked with ballpoint pen and a mirror to capture my basic features. I wanted to make a collage in the style of Romare Bearden, so I looked through my W magazine for eyes. This is also where I found the beaded shoe bauble to cover the forehead. Adding the hand was the final touch! I titled it "Looking for Me".

It was a fun and fairly quick piece to make!

Woeful Wednesday

I am feeling very restless this morning. I don't feel like hiking or doing much of anything. I guess I am lost. I am not sure what to do with myself. I might spend some time planning the road trip I am taking with Rainy before settling into painting. I think the background of the cactus flower might be dry enough that I can work a bit on the flower petals. I should start another drawing....but I don't know what I want to draw. That sense of restlessness is slowing me down.


Yesterday, I worked in my sketchbook (IW=Investigational Workbook). I used pastels and drew the cactus flower that I am also painting. For the first time, I used workable fixative to keep areas from smudging and turning into mud. I had read about this technique, but hadn't tried it. I liked the way it worked because I could lay down yellows, fix it, then add greens over the surface without effecting the yellows. It certainly increases the layering possibilities! I spent the enitre afternoon on the drawing; it was actually fairly relaxing.

It's Tuesday, but feels like Monday!

I am still getting up around 5 in the mornings; usually after a couple of weeks of summer break I am sleeping until 9am. Maybe that won't happen this year. That is okay with me as I am finding the mornings to be rather productive. After my morning dose of coffee, I hiked Lookout Mountain, this time I circled the lower peak and then came back home. I really need to watch my footing as I stumbled on a rock but stopped the all out fall with my hands, jarring my shoulder slightly. Careful Julie!

I am not sure yet which paintings I will be working on today. The dark blue on the International truck is really slow drying. I did work on 2 paintings yesterday.

Looking Inward: I worked a bit on my eyes so they are no longer white hollow spaces! The eye coloring is pretty accurate. I still need to work on the overall shape and add some small details. I also painted in the hair, capturing the dark values and the highlights.









Gunfight: I struggled with the lower half of all four girls! It was difficult getting the shadows and creases in the pants to look right. I also painted the gunholsters on the girls. I realized that 2 older ones had a place for bullets and an additional holster for a larger gun......a rifle maybe? I kept smudging the paint with the edge of my hand so I decided it would be best to paint their boots after the pants were dry!