Back At It

It's been so long since I've given this blog any attention. I put my Etsy shop in mothballs when I went back to work full-time, and then sort of forgot about everything I was using to support my shop: this blog, my Facebook page, how to scan a picture, where the ink is for my good printer. I have not forgotten how to paint, though. I've been doing lots of creative things for fun, but mostly in my journal.

Today is Black Friday in the U.S., which means I'm off work and enjoying a day as far away from stores and the crazed shopping public as possible. The quiet of my studio and the company of the sweet little guy pictured above have made me realize how much I miss sunny days at home. My studio has windows on three sides, and it is wonderfully cheery. If I could move a coffee pot in here, I might never leave. Of course, I could easily move a coffee pot in here, but then I might never be seen again.

I've spent a lovely morning painting little bits for a project that is slowly taking shape in my head. I want to learn to make labels for journaling and scrapbooking. I have the die-cutting machine and the scanner and too many ideas to keep up with. Often, having too much to think through will paralyze me, but I'm determined to just pick away at the learning curve and the steps until something comes of it. I don't have a lot of free time, but I do have some. So, there are no excuses for staying paralyzed. I will get back at it!

A Digital Easter

I had fun painting this whimsical picture of Mr. Bunny with his elaborately painted egg. I thought of several captions for it, from silly to downright ridiculous, but decided against including any of them on the painting. I also didn't want to limit how someone might want to use a picture like this, so I'm offering it in the shop as a digital download. Go straight to the listing on Etsy by clicking here.

I don't decorate my house for Easter or most other holidays, for that matter. I've also never been a big fan of Easter bunnies, but I do think bunnies are adorable and make delightful illustrations. I've always been inspired by Beatrix Potter's work, and this is what came out of my inspired imagination.

Mr. Bunny's Awesome Find; 8x10 watercolor

In addition to the image in three high-resolution file formats, I'm including a medium-resolution file of the image formatted as an Easter greeting (see below). Print cards or a scrapbook page or even a piece to frame. Don't you just love options? The digital option is new for me, so this is sort of a test. Don't you just love tests? No? Sorry.

Happy Easter Card, 5x7

Do You Have a Heart O' Green?

Green is probably my favorite color to paint with. Like gray, green has an infinite number of shades, and I think I like them all. I just finished another fantasy floral and have made it available in my shop as a print on a 5x7 frameable card. This "floral" is more like fantasy ferns and shamrocks. These pieces are so much fun to paint!

If you're Irish, or just pretend to be Irish one day in March, your day to "go green" is coming soon. Go ahead and celebrate your "Heart O' Green"!

"Heart O' Green," 5x7 watercolor

More Letters

I've been working on more fantasy floral letters. These are now available as prints in my shop, along with the "M" and the "H" that have been in the shop for a week or so. The prints are cut 8x8, but the actual designed area is closer to 6x6. I've been thinking of other ways to use these letters. Stay tuned. For now, it's just so much fun to create my own flowers!

Fantasy Floral "S"

Fantasy Floral "E"

Fantasy Floral "A"

Please, keep in mind that all images on my blog are copyrighted and not available for use without my written permission. Thanks for your respect of my work!

Illustration Friday - EXOTIC

"Exotic" - 11x14 watercolor on mixed media paper

Here's my first attempt to create something for Illustration Friday. The theme for the week was "exotic," which inspired me to paint another fantasy floral piece. I've always been intrigued by parrots and other exotic birds with their surreal color displays. I used to think I would enjoy a talking bird, but I don't have the patience to train one. Still, a talking bird! That's exotic!

Bright Florals in the Dead of Winter

I've been playing around with bright colors, flowers from my imagination, and the alphabet...oh, and a fat little bird found his way to my desk somehow! We are in the middle of a super cold and snowy winter here in southern Pennsylvania, and painting these pieces has been strangely warming. My husband says I'm dreaming of the tropics!

The letter "M" is available now in my shop as a print. Click here to go straight to the listing. "Little Fat Bird" will be available as a print soon as well. I'm working on other letters and other fantasy florals. It's keeping me warm for now!

Blue on the Desk

5x7 watercolor on 140 lb. paper

I sink in and out of blue periods in my art quite often. It's my favorite color to paint with. I just added indigo to my palette for the first time. It's the perfect blue for denim. I'm also trying violet dioxazine, which should be right for violets, right? I plan to call this piece "Blue."

A Place To Read

"A Place To Read;" 5x7, 140 lb. WC paper

I have painted this scene before, but never so carefully. The first time I painted it was over two years ago, and I was just getting back into watercolors after many years away from them. That first version was much looser than this one. This one is already sold, so I knew I needed to give it my best.

It's amazing how confusing it is to draw a divided-light window when you're trying to fit it into a specific space and when there are items in the foreground, like flower vases. I've drawn this scene more than three times, and I don't think I've ever gotten the window structure entirely correct. But, as a friend once told me, when I was obsessing needlessly about every little detail of a craft project, "If you can't see it from a galloping horse, let it go." Good advice!

There Be Penguins Here

This is my first penguin painting, but it won't be my last. I had great fun taking this piece from concept to the final application of textural details. The white details on the parent penguin were achieved with a tiny brush and opaque acrylic ink, which is a relatively new product for me. I especially enjoyed designing the baby penguin's snow suit and the pattern that shows up on both scarves.

I'm still trying to decide how I will use this piece. Will it end up on a series of frameable cards or will I sell the original as is? Hmmm. Not sure yet. I'm kind of kicking around the idea of doing a penguin calendar. This would be January.

8x10 watercolor on 140 lb. paper

The Ninjas of the Cold

I'm finally back in my studio after two weeks away from my brushes and paint, and I'm painting penguins, of all things. Penguins know how to survive the cold. I wish I did!

After all the warmth of Christmas is past, as it soon will be, it seems that there's nothing ahead except weeks of cold. I'll be calling this piece, "Baby, It's Cold Outside" as a reminder to grin and bear it...and bundle up!

8x10 watercolor on Canson Aquarelle

Blue Cotton Towels

A miniature painting of these towels was a big hit when I posted it on Facebook, so I decided to paint a larger version and put it in the shop. It is available with or without the blue mat. See the full listing in my Etsy shop.

Blue Kitchen Towels; 8x10 watercolor with optional mat

Mr. Jefferson's Livable Artwork

I live a few hours away from Monticello, the estate of Thomas Jefferson. Last year, on a VERY hot day in July, we had an impromptu family reunion there. I drove down from Pennsylvania with my kids and my sister drove up from North Carolina with my parents. We toured the house and drank lots of water! I love the place!

Jefferson was such a clever and creative person, which is obvious when you tour his house. He created many functional things to make life easier. They were his works of art, and he lived among them.

One of the words I use to define my artwork is "livable." I love the idea of art being comfortable and soothing and fun. Of course, there is a place for confrontational art and art that teaches, and I am okay with that. But, for me, the best kind of art becomes a part of your life and family. Some people feel that way about their books. Jefferson certainly felt that way. His house is decorated with lovely leather-bound volumes, and I'm pretty sure they were more than decorative pieces to him. He wrote in a letter to his good friend, John Adams, "I cannot live without books."

I have several family members who share that sentiment, so I created a piece that features the saying with books lined up like colorful jewels. Prints of this 5" x 7" painting are available in my Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/listing/169565699/5x7-digital-print-i-cannot-live-without?. The paper is cut to 8" x 10", providing a nice, wide border around the artwork for matting and framing.

Made to Order

Thread Collector ACEO, 2.5"x3.5" watercolor original

The paint is barely dry on this piece. It will be heading to California on Monday. I sold it on Etsy this morning, and painted it this afternoon. That's how "made to order" works for me. I listed pictures of a previously painted piece that serves as the general reference for future originals. Of course, no two will be exactly alike, but they will be similar. Here is the piece I painted several weeks ago and listed on Etsy a few days ago.

In the description of the item, I explain that I will be painting a fresh piece "to order" when someone chooses to buy this piece. If the customer receives the piece, and doesn't like it, they may return it for a full refund.

I have relisted this piece. And, again, it will be made to order...maybe for you! Click here to see what's available in my Etsy shop.

A Page from Monet's Playbook

In the middle of his career, Claude Monet, embarked on the discipline of serial painting in which he painted the same general subject over and over for weeks on end. He was obsessed with color and the effect that changing light throughout the day had on a single scene. In his first series, he chronicled the gradual transition of shadow to light and back to shadow as the sun rose and set over a field of haystacks. It marked a transition in his painting career as well. Before these paintings, he was living the life of a starving artist; afterwards, he began to make a good living.

I'm intrigued by his reason for painting the same subject repeatedly. His goal was to visually catalog every possible light combination through changing seasons and through the course of a day. It's brilliant, really. By painting something familiar again and again, he removed a couple of big elements from the equation. The shapes and overall composition would become almost second nature after a day or two, so that he could focus on value and color and mood.

I've begun painting the same scene again and again. I'm fairly comfortable with the subject, so it's been useful for waking up the brushes and my eyes. The message of the little piece is "Relax," which is a concept I struggle with. I don't know how long I'll continue this daily routine, but for now, it's serving a purpose. I'm hoping that I can find a looser style and gain some confidence in using fewer brush strokes and more interesting colors to communicate shape and shadows. I tend to overwork my pieces, and I think a lesson from Monet's Playbook might help me to relax and focus.

I am making these in a standard ACEO size, 2.5"x3.5". I might end up offering these for sale in the shop that I hope to open soon.

Letters on a Saltwater "Sea"

Here are a couple more saltwater "tiles" in a favorite color scheme. I'm hatching a plan to mount these. A cousin inspired me to try this months ago, and I'm finally getting around to it. Thanks, Lisa!

The Saltwater Trials

I've been experimenting with different ways to use salt in making background fields for some small art pieces. I made a reference card for myself, since I'll never remember otherwise. I think I like all five examples and can imagine I'll find uses for them all. I was surprised at how different the effects are with the same four ingredients: paper, water, paint, and salt. The order made all the difference. Of course, the paper stays the same (at the bottom of the stack), but it did make a big difference whether the paper starts out wet or dry.

So, here are the results:

The "C" overlay is an example of how the techniques looked in use on a 3"x3" piece. I'm pretty sure the kind of paper makes a difference, too. I'm using my favorite paper, which is Strathmore 140 lb. mixed media. I love the smooth texture, which works well when you do a lot of lettering as part of a piece. This paper holds up to a lot of abuse, like when you scrub the salt off.

Here are close-ups of the two basic sequences: salt down first, followed by color and color down first, followed by salt.

Salt followed by color

Color followed by salt

I found all this fascinating. I'm sure others, who spent more time in art school than I, already know all this. It was kind of eye-opening for me. When you're self-taught, you miss things...P.C. things...pretty cool things.

A Happy Marriage of Friends

A very good friend of mine got married yesterday...sort of. The legal wedding took place back in February in a private ceremony. Yesterday was the public ceremony, and it was a beautiful thing. Both she and her husband lost their previous mates to cancer in the last five years, and it was wonderful to see my friend and her new husband "find" each other as soul mates, even though they've been friends for many years.

Abe and Dianne's Barn

My friend asked me to design a custom guest registry artwork for her special day, and it was an honor to do so. Her husband was a pig farmer for many years and is still working in the pork production industry, and she is an extremely talented amateur photographer. The piece is called "Pigs and Pix." It draws together some of the facts of their life: his pigs, her photography and love of nature and cats; their connection to church where they met, and the colors of October in Lancaster County, where they've lived their entire lives.

Buggy and Church

Guests signed their names with silver metallic pen in the clouds above the landscape, making them a "great cloud of witnesses" of the special union of two friends in holy matrimony.

Pigs and Pix; 18"x24" watercolor on 140 lb. hot-press

Landscape of Love

You've probably heard the expression, "It was a labor of love." It usually refers to some project that is more difficult than usual but that is accomplished gladly anyway because it's done for a loved one and from a heart of love, not duty. Well, I'm in labor right now...with no medication! I've never liked painting landscapes. I leave landscapes to others who do them well. I avoid them almost completely, but alas, I must deliver a landscape...soon.

A good friend is having a big event to celebrate her recent marriage, and I agreed to paint a custom piece of artwork for her guests to sign. I've made two of these kinds of pieces in the last year, and I know how much work they are. Trying to make them reflect the actual bridal couple is challenging, but fun. Until an idea finally starts to emerge, I'm terrified that I won't get a good idea. So, I procrastinate and worry. These wedding artwork pieces are stressful labors of love. That is why I give them as a gift instead of selling them. That is why I don't really offer to do them for just anyone. That is why you must be a good friend or a close relative!

Below is a small color study for what will be a much larger piece. It's obviously unfinished, and I might decide to not finish it. I'm on a deadline and need to move to the final piece soon. When I'm done, I think I will maintain my discomfort with landscapes and large-scale painting in general. I'm out of my comfort zone, for sure. It's a good thing I love you, Dianne! And, I really do! Dianne and her husband grew up in Lancaster County. He is an expert in raising pigs; she is an expert photographer. They met at church, and their celebration will take place at the beginning of autumn, hopefully as the trees are just turning brilliant.

Landscape of Love; 9"x12" watercolor study