What Have I Been Working On?

There's a delightful organization in town called Choices (you can read about them here:  http://whatchoices.com/ ) that's supported by a big craft fair every year.  This year the organizers asked if I would add a decorative touch to some wood pieces, particularly some furniture that had been donated.

After much wrangling in my mind about WHAT to paint, I finally decided to go bright.  And bold.  And lively. And vibrant.

First, comes the base coat.... then comes the color:

There are 4 dressers in this set, all different sizes.  I'm painting them all using the same style and colors, but they're each ending up with their own layout.

For anyone local who's interested, as soon as I learn the date and time of the craft sale, I'll let you know!

An addition:  The sale I'm talking about is called the Rocky Mountain Christmas Boutique.  It will be held at the Shining Mountain Golf Course (on Hwy 67, north of Woodland Park)  on November 7th and 8th from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.  All proceeds benefit CHOICES.

Rainy Day Occupation

When it rains ALL DAY... and the dishes are done... and the laundry is done... and the bills are paid... and there's really not much else to do... then whiling away the hours with a pen in hand is really a delightful thing.  And then, when you're tired of pen, you add colored pencils:

I call this one "He Who Promised Is Faithful".  As sure as the turning of the seasons, as sure as the rising and setting of the sun.  In fact, those things are sure things BECAUSE "He Who Promised Is Faithful".

For The Love Of Pencils

The other day I did some verbal meandering about my love of pens, and paper, and pencils, and pens...  Well, clearly it runs in the family!  I present to you first of all, the humble tin, complete with home-made lid.

What's that I see beneath?  Looks like a pencil to me.  But wait, what is the lid made of?  A high quality, high class Skippy Creamy Peanut Butter lid.  That once cost 83 cents.

This was all my grandpa's doing.  He dearly loved creating his own solution to any problem that presented itself.  Got a tin that needs a lid?  No problem!  He also dearly loved pencils, I'm thinking... but he lived in a time where boxes and boxes of pencils just weren't acquired all that easily.  You USED your pencils.  No waste.  NO waste, do you hear?

HAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!   Oh how I loved my grandpa!  My, oh my, he was delightful.  And now I have the joy of this tin cup, with it's oh-so-unique lid, and it's exceedingly quirky contents sitting on my desk!  Makes me smile.

Oh, How I Love Ink!

When I was a kid, I have this memory that my mom would go grocery shopping, and while she filled her cart with boring things (like veggies and canned goods), she would plant me in the pen/paper aisle and I would just stand there and drool.  Clearly, this was back in the day when the world was a safe place!

My love for pen and paper still remains.  It's a bit disturbing to see how many different types of pens I own. I think I have every color of  Sharpie known to man.  And let's not even talk about sketch books.  And tablets.  And pencils.

This tiny little sketch book was a gift from my mom.  I just pulled it out the other day and discovered that it's really fabulous, stiff paper that accepts both ink and watercolor.  It definitely needs to go with me every day, along with a tiny watercolor kit!  

This leaf I drew the other evening while we watched one of those cool shows where people find treasures in their attics.  I was tempted to add some color to it, but then I decided I liked it as is.

How to Make Waiting Less Miserable

I don't have much to say about this, except that sometimes waiting just stinks.  So it's always a good thing to have lovely pens on hand, and to run across a great piece of card stock!  Doodling always makes waiting bearable.  Actually, doodling makes waiting almost pleasant!  You should try it!

What's That Hiding Under the Bed?

The other day I was talking with my sister about projects.  Particularly unfinished projects.  You know.  They're tucked away in a closet, or under the bed.  And once upon a time we were all fired up and eager and motivated.  But then something happened.  And the fire and the motivation got packed in a box and slid back behind something more pressing.

That's the way it is with making greeting cards.  I've got a whole box full of blank cards, just waiting to be turned into something beautiful.  And nothing gets done.  The really appalling thing is, the other day I actually went and BOUGHT a greeting card, because I didn't have any made, and I didn't have time to make one.  AAACCCKKK!!  This should never be!

So I sort-of made a deal with my sister.  She needs to pull the box out of the closet, and I need to pull it out from under the bed, and we both need to MAKE PROGRESS, for crying-out-loud!!  This is my progress so far.  Four cards, all ready to go in the  mail.  I don't have a deadline, necessarily.  I just want to have ALL the blank cards decorated and drawn on and ready to go.  Soon.

Prep Work Takes Forever!

I've been asked to do some painting for a craft fair in October...or is it November?....that will benefit our local pregnancy center, called Choices.  It's a safe place for women to go to who find themselves pregnant and in need of help, encouragement, and support in their choice to keep their baby.

The organizers are providing me with a plethora of objects that could use a touch of beautification!  This is the prep work for a wooden plaque. This part of the project has taken up a LOT of time.  I've lost track of how many times I've written out this verse, and changed the fonts, and adjusted the layout.  And even as I'm typing, I'm still seeing things that need tweaking.

The plaque is only 8" round, so this is going to be some tiny brushwork.  Considering that I frequently paint canvases that are 8 FEET square, this is a significant change!  I'll let you know how it goes!

And a Few Failures.....

This was one of the trees up on top of the crags.  I love the wood part, but I really dislike the needle parts.  I haven't figured out yet what I would do differently.

This was going to be some purple wild daisies, and part way through I decided that I really, really disliked the composition.  So I wiped it off.  I'll paint a solid color over this and reuse the panel.

This was on it's way to success, and I decided I didn't like the leaves in the upper right corner.  So I wiped them off, and now I have to wait for the paint to dry (it's oil) before I can redeem this one.

Deep breath, right?  Failure teaches us, right?  Perseverance is good, right?  Yes, perseverance is good.

Inking vs. Fishing

What do you do while the hubby is fishing, and you're not quite sure you want to join him?  You set up a chair, get out your travel sketchbook and a pen, and revel in your surroundings!  I can't name the peak, and I can't even name the small lake we were beside.  I do know that it was all created by the hand of God Almighty, and His work is beautiful!

I've followed another blog for awhile now, and find myself wanting to learn from it's author.  I've put a link below.  I love his work!  

So how do I learn?

Step One:  remember to take the sketchbook with you!

Step Two:  actually take the time to draw, on the spot, in the moment!

Step Three:  don't quit!

http://iansidawaydrawing.blogspot.com/

And a Lovely Sunday it Was.....

June!!  It's June!!  And while we COULD have more snow, generally it's getting warm and green, and things are starting to smell good, and the birds are happy-happy-happy.

On Sunday my family gathered at a nearby lake for a picnic, some walking, some fishing...and some sketching and painting!  The sun was glorious.  The aspen trees smelled wonderful.  And I tried to re-acquaint myself with watercolors.  Not too shabby!

Signage

A couple of weeks ago a couple of friends of mine got married (also friends of most people in my town, judging by the crowd that showed up!).  The Mother of the Bride asked me to paint a name sign for their home.  There were a lot of hush-hush phone calls, and clandestine meetings near the trunks of cars...and this is the end result.

When the groom first moved to town, nobody could figure out how to pronounce his name.  He kept telling people to just think of "hot pretzel".  So I couldn't help myself.  Here's what the back of the name sign looks like:

Sketching While It Snows

These are the flowers I received for Mother's Day.  Aren't they lovely?  I sat down and sketched them today, because there's really not much else to do.  The dishes are washed.  The laundry is done.  Dinner is thawing.  And I don't really want to go anywhere, because this is what it looks like outside:

Really?  Really.  A good foot of new snow, and still falling.  And yes, it's May 12th.  Ah, life in the mountains of Colorado!  The hummingbirds are valiantly trying to get something out of their frozen feeder!  I've already thawed and re-filled it once today.  Fly south, sweet hummers, fly south!  Come back in a month!

What On Earth Have I Been Doing?

Good question!  I've looked back over my calendar, and I can't fathom how I've spent my time.  All I know is, it's gone.  Ok, that's not ENTIRELY true, but honestly - doesn't time just gallop by?  I just realized that there are only 17 days of school left!  What?!

Since I last posted, I've painted that huge tree twice.  One more time with a picnic table, and one time without it.  Both times the canvas was 4' x 3'.  They were great fun!  I just delivered the second one two days ago.

Now I'm working on some possible decorations for a poetry book.  The example above is pretty doggone plain, I think.  I need to put more variety in the squiggles....maybe include a cherub face, a flower or two, maybe a bird, or a lattice with ivy climbing up it.  The possibilities are almost endless!  Should be fun!

Another Painting, and Progress Pics

I just finished tweaking this this morning.  Whenever I finish a painting, it sits on my easel and I walk around the house and stare at it.  And stare at it some more.  And I always find things that need tweaking.

Here are the progress pics:

I started with a BRIGHT red background.  Did I say bright?  It's a little loud!  Then, the sky and furthest hills.

Next the tree trunk and branches.  For some reason I love this stage!  I see a problem with one of those branches.  It's one of those things I tweaked this morning.

Then the foreground and the picnic table.  I painted the picnic table twice, because the first one was too small.  I know it's giant oak, but that doesn't mean the picnic table needs to be doll sized!  And, no, I do  not have a pic of it!

Then, it's time to add the feast!  That's a blue ball jar in the background.  Love it.

This painting is my practice for live art that I'll be doing for the women's retreat at Camp Elim in a couple of weeks.  (that's http://campelim.com/ if you're interested)  I know that artists frequently do a 'study' before doing the real painting.  I think it's generally meant to help them nail down the tone and colors.  From what I've seen, it's usually not as detailed as the final product.  But there will be a silent auction the weekend I'm painting, and I thought I could put the smaller painting in the auction, so I wanted it to be somewhat nice.

The only thing left to do is put a wire on the back, and it'll be ready to hang.  Oh, that, and figuring out what's in that lovely magenta pitcher!!

I call this "Invitation".