DUCK PAINTING: DETAIL WORK

I have been working on the details of the mallard duckling today.  I kept the beak low key, with only a few brush strokes to indicate the nostril and hard edges.  I have started putting in the eye  and beginning of the duck down brush strokes.  I tried using a fan brush, but it was not working at ALL, so I switched to a small round, and it is going better.  Note to self: fine detail requires a smoother canvas...switch to gessoed board? I am pleased with how things are coming out, and unsure how to finish off the background.  Same old story....

RUBBER DUCK ALMOST COMPLETE

I have been blocking in the colors for the duckling today, and almost complete with the rubber duck itself.  I am not too happy about the shadow across the back of the plastic...I will try to remedy that and give it more substance.  Also, the ducklings' beak is off.  I need to fix that before I go any further!  The light source and the shadow are conflicting as well.  Thanks to hubby for catching that fairly early in the process!  Can't wait to see what happens with this tomorrow!

PALETTE FOR PAINTING WITH 'MOTHER' COLOR

I thought that I would show you what my palette looked like for painting with my 'mother' color.  As you can see, my dominant color is Cad Yellow medium, and I have mixed out from there with a fairly limited palette for the Rubber Duck painting.  I have a tiny bit of Cad Red Med., lots of purple, and a bit of Payne's Grey (my favorite color!) along with white.  I tried to use zinc white, but it was just too transparent, so switched to a basic mixing white.  My titanium white was so thick I could barely get any out of the tube.  Yikes!  Need to head to the art supply store again!

RUBBER DUCKY PAINTING: UNDERPAINTING PHASE

 

 

I have begun the underpainting, trying to keep in mind that all of my mixes (in acrylic) have to have my 'mother' color in it..Cadmium Yellow Medium. 

 

 

I ran out of Titanium White!! Had to make a quick trip down to Corinth, MS to find some. I wanted to get a light base on my ducks, especially the plastic one, to reflect under the yellow and look as bright as possible.  I have decided to completely paint and finish the rubber duck first, then move on to the 'real' duck.   Can't wait to see if it comes out like I envision it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RUBBER DUCKY PAINTING: SKETCH ON CANVAS

Today I started the process of getting my sketch on canvas.  My hubby gave me a wonderful new gadget for my birthday...a mini projector!  I took my beginning sketches and transfered them into the projector digitally, and projected them onto the canvas, where I then sketched in charcoal.  I made a few changes to the position of the ducks, enlarged the rubber ducky for better effect, and bowed the legs of the duckling for a bit of whimsy and humor.  Now I am ready to get the painting started! The hardest part of the whole process? Facing that white canvas!  If I can only conquer that fear of not being perfect (which never happens anyway!) and just paint, I would be a much happier person. A new painting is terrifying!  And wonderful! Crazy!! They are going to send me off to the looney bin one of these days....

BEGINNING THE RUBBER DUCKY PAINTING

I am working on a painting for my Art Critique class coming up November 1.  The assignment is to use a 'mother' color, choosing a particular paint color, and using it throughout the entire painting, in EVERY mix!  I am choosing for my mother color Cadmium Yellow Medium.  It is a warm color, a bright one and a color I am drawn to.  It reminds me of golden afternoon light and comfort.

We were encouraged for this assignment to pick any subject that we wanted, but as I was doing a 'mother' color, I chose to do a tribute to my own mother.  I will explain further when the painting is completed, but this will have a rubber ducky in the painting!  I loved the basic color, and the challenge of making it come to life and work throughout the painting.  Thank goodness for taking the occasional art class, and getting together with other artists.  Despite the stereotype of the hermit artist, we need that stimulation, and the inspiration of talking 'art'.  Not that I don't LOVE getting some alone time....

A STILL LIFE TURKEY, AND A CLASS ASSIGNMENT

 

 

I have a new class coming up in a week, in which I must paint something, anything, using "mother" colors.  My instructor explains that this means that you pick your predominant color, and then use it in every mix in the painting.  Your darks must have that color, your lights must have that color.  If I were to choose purple as my 'mother' color, I would have to use it throughout the painting. No exceptions!  At this stage of the game, I am in a bit of a panic, as I haven't decided what I will actually paint.  A landscape would be fairly easy, a still life is much too time consuming...I want to do something for this particular class that I have a real, personal connection to, as the instructor is a stickler for communication.  What are you wanting to say with your painting??  Are you communicating your message clearly?? What is the reason for your painting?? If you don't have a reason, then you are wasting your time!!!  I am panicked!!!  I will come up with something, just wait and see....

ILLUSTRATION IDEAS: DOG IN THE WINDOW

 I have been thinking about illustrating a book...one of those artist dreams that may or may not happen, as my ambition alone will tell.  I took these photos a few years ago in Brigham City, UT.  Someone was in the midst of renovating their 'Painted Lady' home, and the dog found it's way out onto the roof and was having a lovely time looking around.  My imagination was captured by all the possibilities of the scenario!  Being a children's book enthusiast, I hope to someday make a book come to life for some young person!

AUTUMN LANDSCAPE PHOTO: A NEW PAINTING?

 

 

This is a photo that I took this week while hiking at Shiloh National Civil War Park.  The colors are really starting to show themselves for the time of year, and it is a wonderfully beautiful landscape to behold.  So now what do I do with it?  Is it better to just leave it alone, a photo worth admiring? Or can I use it as an inspiration for a painting?  Where is the composition?  Where should I start? Should it be done as an illusionery, impressionist piece? or maybe crop in close and concentrate on a path in the woods?  Is it too much of a photo to really make a painting?  I am asking YOU what you would do with this autumn inspiration...I am overwhelmed by the possibilities and stumped!

MUSHROOM TREES: A CRAFTING EXPERIMENT

I have had a busy week, as my delightfully creative mother has come to visit me.  We have a tradition each fall of creating a tiny tree for our 'forest'.  Over the years, we have created trees from fleece, polymer clay, washcloths, buttons, etc.  This year I came upon hundreds of what I think are False Turkeytail Polypore mushrooms, right in my own front yard.  I discovered after a heavy rain that they were extremely pliable when wet, and dried into a lovely parchment-like material.  So I gathered enough to make a tree for each of us.  This is the result!  I love it...we used styrofoam as a base, soaked the mushrooms and pinned them onto the base, allowed it to dry, and added some tiny birds to nestle among the 'branches'.  Finally, we sealed it with a gel medium, and cut a tiny trunk from a branch outdoors.  While it is not traditional 'art' , it is creative, and great fun!  I love making crafting memories with my mom.  Can't wait until next year!

ARTIST CHALLENGE #72 LANDSCAPE

This is the painting that I have submitted for the latest Artist Challenge #72, landscape.  It is a really large painting, 24" x 36", done in oils.  This was the view that I had every evening when I was living in Biloxi, MS.  We were fortunate enough to have a house on the Bay, and my sunroom looked out over the water.  It was one of the more exciting places that the military sent us, as we had an abundance of wildlife right in our backyard! (In case you are wondering, U.S. military bases are also wildlife preserves.  They are very conscious of preserving our precious land and resources.  I have dealt with antelope grazing in my front yard in Wyoming, roadrunners roaming the streets in New Mexico, and in Mississippi, we had nutria, alligators and herons in our back yard!) Our house in Biloxi is gone, a victim of Katrina several years ago, but my memories of living here, watching the dolphins in the bay, the lurking alligators, the herons catching lizards in the bushes, are still vivid, and wonderful!

 You can visit the Artist Challenge website here:  http://www.theartistchallenge.com/

STILL LIFE USING COLOR

 

This is another of my home still lifes.  I was inspired to put these items together because of their color. The green has a lot of depth, and the turquoise blue just pops! It is unexpected enough to keep it from being boring.  I look for lots of color in my life and in my paintings, and this is a tiny scenario that shows that off.  I used the texture of the bamboo fan behind for some interest as well.  Many years ago I was inspired by a science fiction artist who painted alien portraits...he used texture in all of his backgrounds, posing his aliens before backdrops of limestone walls, Egyptian murals, and crumbling frescos.  What an inspiration it was!  I seriously considered portraiture because of this artist, and I hope eventually to use this idea of texture in more of my paintings!

DOODLE ART...AGAIN!

 

One of the things that I learned with the self-portrait class, is that some people find it easier to express their inner selves in an abstract manner.  One especially talented artist named Tuva (beautiful, right!?) did the most amazing piece of art by layering, spraying and building up colors.  She developed a truly wonderful piece of art that was filled with all of her emotions.  She added some light areas that were truly inspiring, contrasted with some of the hideously dark bits that are humanity.  Wow.  Really, WOW!  I am not nearly developed enough as an artist to be able to create something that deep and emotional, but I did decide to play with movement and shapes for a visual emotional play.  This little doodle is my attempt to show what my joy looks like.  Ladders climbing up out of the depths, bubbles flowing upward and bursting into tiny feelings of happy, and waves of movement forward.  What do you think?  Too deep?

SELF PORTRAIT: MYSELF AS A CAT!

 

This painting was for a critique class that I am taking.  Our teacher, Fred Rawlinson is a former art professor for the Memphis College of Art, and a well-known watercolorist.

Our assignment was to paint a self portrait, not portraying ourselves figurally.  We were to paint ourselves in such a way that we revealed something noone else knew about us, and to make it unique to us.

I chose a cat. My state of mind at the beginning of the painting was not good, as I was feeling particularly self-defensive.  Backed into a corner, and trying to maintain a bit of dignity in losing all control of the situation around me!  The painting became a real learning experience for me, however.  As I did my preliminary sketches, and started laying out the basic painting, I found myself...my true self coming out.  I am a bit of a mischievous soul.  I hate being bored, and am always coming up with new ways to stay occupied.  That imp in me, that bit of the devil, started to show in the eyes of the cat.  I took the eyes in an Egyptian direction, to show that bit that few know about me...my favorite art teacher in college was fascinated with Egyptian art, to the point that he spent every summer there working archaeology digs.  I did many assignments dealing with the cultural pyramid paintings, and the perspective of Egyptian pictographs. 

I kept the attitude of the aggressive cat behavior to show my constant battle against my low self esteem, and my determination to beat it!  When I painted in the whiskers, my final touch, I felt such joy!  I danced around the entire house! It isn't my best work, but it is certainly my favorite.  It expresses so much about me, and I learned that I need to put ME in more of my work.  I can't wait for my next assignment!

 

 

 

 

 

RED FOX PAINTING

 

This is a painting from a year ago, and still one of my favorites.  It is simple, colorful, and not too detailed.  The size of the painting is 3"x5", so you are probably seeing it larger than life.  Hubby hated it, and actually, I don't think that I have run across anyone who much likes it, but for me it signifies the first time that I ever saw a red fox...a burst of surprise and pure pleasure in the seeing. One of the few paintings I have done where I didn't ask for anyone to like it but myself!  That in itself was a tiny bit of growth for me, because I long to please everyone.  I have spent my whole life trying to please everyone, and as the saying goes, 'try to please everyone, and you please noone.'  Ah, well...

PHEASANT DIGITAL DRAWING

Here again is an older drawing of mine, and an experiment in computer drawing programs.  The wonderful thing about using the computer, especially in these economically challenged times, is that you can experiment with all kinds of 'media' and you aren't wasting precious paint and canvas on trial and error.  This is a 'pastel' piece, and I was trying to find a more colorful way to work.  I was excited by the purple shadows on the rust colored feathers, and will definitely be using that combination in a painting later.  Also, I find that I enjoy the more abstract backgrounds.  I find doing too much detail stressful and my hubby concluded that it is stressful to look at as well when I am not having fun with it.  Smart hubby!!!

HARVEST DRAWING

 

This is an old drawing, but an appropriate one for the upcoming season, I think.  I have been too busy dealing with family issues to get back to my art this month, and I miss it so much!! I have signed up for an upcoming critique class with an especially challenging and experienced art teacher.  He has been teaching since the early 70's, and is very well known in the Memphis area...more on that when it happens.  I am a bit anxious, as the first assignment has already been set, and it is to do a self-portrait, without painting yourself!  Terrifying and exciting at the same time.  I have a few ideas which I will be setting into motion this upcoming week, with any luck at all.  Family is wonderful, but in some cases extremely emotionally taxing.  I am having dreams of moving to Tahiti...as long as there aren't too many bugs there....Thanks for hanging in there with me!

GREAT PAINTING IDEAS FROM TEXTURE

Isn't this an interesting texture?? Being an artist means getting excited over silly little things...Hubby once came rushing in from the bathroom yelling for the camera - the washcloth had fallen into a perfect squishy mess that gave him an idea for a sculpture.  So my enthusiasm over the soapy windshield of the car during a trip to the carwash can't be that surprising.  I am thinking this is an incredible background for a bird painting...or an amazing snow scene with pine trees...or just about anything!  Texture is exciting.  It is what makes a painting interesting, and brings you back again and again to look at it.  I definitely need to use this texture in something....let you know when I find it!

MORE PICASSO-ESQUE DOODLES

I am still playing with the ART DOODLE BOOK, and I will tell you why...I am in a slump! A creative cave of darkness (aren't most female artists emotional drama queens?) I am trying to get a jump start back after some difficult, soul-sucking, creativity-draining (and thankfully fairly minor) times. Unlike Van Gogh, Monet and Kincaid, I am not at my best when I am feeling stressed, whiny, or hormonal. Thank goodness for those creative people who have the little tricks of the trade to get back on the artistic tracks!  I am enjoying the Picasso playground.  Above is my Picasso Pookiebear...that started out as a blank page with a circle and a comma.  The comma reminded me of a pacifier, and it went from there.

This page started out with the outlined foot. I chose to do a scene with this one, a self-portrait.  The woman walking up the stairs is me, ultimately tripping over the cat. I have added  a wonky window and a still life with violin, and wallpaper asteroids. This is the first flattering self-portrait I have done, so don't laugh!

SOMETIMES A STILL LIFE IS JUST ONE THING AND LIGHT

 

Sometimes, a still life is just one little thing, but that thing has all the elements of light, shadow, value and reflection.  I placed this tiny porcelain bird on my window sill, and take such pleasure in it every morning when the sunlight hits it.  The reflections of color in the window bring it to life, the blue shadows cool it down and ground it. This vignette speaks to me on so many levels, and I will HAVE to do a painting....It calls to me. It speaks for me.  It is what art is all about!

PICASSO DOODLES

 

I discovered a wonderful interactive book this week, called THE ART DOODLE BOOK by Abrams Image, New York. It is kind of a color book for artists, and gives inspirational images by a variety of famous artists, and encourages you to try something of your own in that style.  This is my first try! As you can see, they printed a single eye on a blank page.  I chose to do what I call 'Mother and Child', using a ball point pen, trying to simplify my lines to pure form, as Picasso so brilliantly does in his paintings.  I am pleased with the results, though I think it came out rather like a 60's psychodelic poster.  If I were to paint it, would I go with hot pinks and dayglo orange?  You bet!

BIRDMAN SKETCH WITH PEN AND WATERCOLOR PENCIL

 

This sketch is completely different from my norm.  I am still not sure as to my comfort level with my imagination.  My son-in-law thinks I am highly influenced by the movie Dark Crystal, and the Skeksis creatures.  I am sure he is right, but I was really thinking about my wildlife art instructor years ago, who was trying to teach me how to draw a robin.  He was demonstrating on his own canvas, the strokes for the feathers, and he wasn't having a good day.  Frustrated, he threw down the 5x7 canvas, and told me to go with my gut.  I mentioned that his bird looked rather interestingly like a metal bird.  Excited, he grabbed his canvas, and in the next 2 hours made the most beautiful painting I have seen of a bird, completely metal with a titanium color pattern.  His imagination was so beautifully rendered that I have envied the ability to use it creatively ever since.  In my attempts to broaden my artistic ability, I always think of him.  I will 'endeavor to perservere'! You may eventually see a part of this sketch in a painting.  Who knows?



STILL LIFE WITH BIRDCAGE

It is Monarch butterfly migration time, and I alway like to commemorate the time with a still life of the courageous creatures.  Having 2 cats, I find it best to have really delicate things protected, and what better way to protect my antique teapot, than in a cage?  Hubby found this beautiful paper monarch that flutters it's wings, and I attached it to the top of the birdcage to highlight the colors. Also inside the cage is a tiny mouse flying on the back of a butterfly.  My mother, who volunteers for the Missouri Conservation Department, spent last weekend banding thousands of butterflies to track their progress across the country to their home way to the south.  I worried that the tiny dot stickers they place on the butterflies would cause them to fly crooked, but she said they took off without a problem.  I still visualize issues with the tracking dots, and will have to draw something to that effect!  Blessings on your journey, Monarchs!

JACK O'LANTERN SKETCH FOR GREETING CARD

I am starting the sketches for my yearly Halloween greeting cards.  This is the first of several I will do before I choose the right one to print up.  As a quick sketch, it is not too bad, but I want to bring a bit of the macabre to the holiday this year, and this definitely is too friendly.  Possibly a pumpkin carved as a skull? or a creepy shadowy card with a bit of a wicked grin lurking about...expect more weirdness.  I am in a scary mood this month!

NAME THIS SKETCH! DRAWING FROM FEELINGS

This is something new for me.  I decided to try drawing feelings that I was having about dealing with a parent with Alzheimers.  My mother-in-law has the beginning diagnosis, and hubby and I are feeling conflicted, to say the least! We have no desire to take away her independence, but she is acting more and more erratic. We want happiness for her, don't want to take over her control, don't want to 'parent' the parent...we are stuck between a rock and a hard place. If we move in any direction, we are upsetting her, but we can't NOT do something, right?  Yikes! This little guy is pinned to the floor with no way out that will not be horrifically painful.  'Stressed' is not even close to the right word, or title.  Can you come up with a title for my unhappy little guy?

PRINTER'S LETTERS STILL LIFE

I was in an antique store in the city when I found a huge box of printer's letters.  For 50 cents each, I dug through and found my last name (well, the m is actually an upsidedown w!)  I combined the letters with some fake  metal amphora pots that I love for their classic shapes.  I put these pieces together because I love the combination of text with curves. It is an exciting mix, and reminds me of the collages that I love that the more contemporary artists are doing today.  It also reminds me of the beautiful Asian paintings with the calligraphy. As always, I am drawn to warmer colors, and I really love the mottled look of the metal urns.  I hope to do a background on a painting someday that is infused with all of the movement and texture of that metal. 

WHEAT: A NATURE SKETCH

 

 

 

This simple sketch is one of my favorites of the year.  I wanted to show the sweeping grace of the single wheat and grass.  The head was heavy with its ripe grain, bowing down the stem. It is not an exact rendition of the wheat, but my feelings about it, so I actually feel like a real artist today!  Most of the time I feel like I am just practicing at it, and never really GETTING it!

RENDERING AN IDAHO OPAL: SKETCH IN INK AND COLORED PENCIL

 

This is the second piece of jewelry that I ever received from my hubby (after my wedding ring).  It is a necklace with a handmade silver setting of an Idaho opal.  The artist who made it was from Santa Barbara, CA and I have no idea who he/she was, but it is still one of my favorite pieces ever! The Idaho opal has a different kind of fire, with lots of blue and pink.  I was not sure how to draw it, so this was a real challenge!  It is always hard for me to do anything transparent, so I will continue to practice it.  I do SO admire those artists who can draw and paint glasswear and reflections!  They are real miracle workers!

PAPER PARASOL STILL LIFE

 

 

 

 

I found these wonderful paper parasols in an international discount shop for only $3 a piece! I loved the geometric ribbing on them, and the hand-painted bird scenes.  I actually have gained more inspiration from these pieces for their simple color pallette and inked outlines.  Being a nature lover, I loved the choice of birds, but I was also thinking that it would make the most wonderful painting to add all of those sharp rib lines to an outdoor scene. Almost like a stained glass piece. The idea is still spinning around in my head.  I am sure one day it will solidify and I will be able to start a painting.  These parasols are softening the lighting over my garden tub at the moment.  Every time I turn on the lights I feel that golden glow and a glimpse of serenity!

LANDSCAPE SKETCH: AUTUMN AT THE LAKE

I am SO looking forward to autumn!  Even though it is still hot and muggy here in Tennessee, I am starting to see little pops of color to encourage me that my favorite season will soon be here.  We have a particular hickory tree that starts turning scarlet at the end of August, just to make leaf-lovers like me happy!  This landscape started out as a black and white...a grisaille drawing. I then used some colored pencils to lightly put in the beginnings of the season.  I look forward to my fall picnics, drives in the country, and sipping hot tea to my heart's content!