Remembering Santa

   I am working on several projects that I cannot reveal just yet because you know, it's Christmas and somethings have to remain a secret for a while. But here is a look back at last year and a special project I had.  
  Last Christmas I painted a gourd and turned it into a special Santa Claus. It is a fun challenge to do because you have to think beyond the front view and come up with a plan for the sides and back of the gourd.  I could have just painted it red and declare it done, but that is just not me.  And I always think it's better when the story is in the details of the project, so here's the story about this particular Santa.
    He was to be a centerpiece for a party and the theme was old time toys at Christmas. The details tell about his personality and what kind of Santa he was.  I did some research on various ideas and came up with some old fashion things that would make him look the part.

Here he is about a third of the way through. You can see how I blocked in major color shapes for my plan. I painted the face early on because it has to go behind the beard, of course and because then it helps to have him staring back at me.  You may think I'm crazy, but it's like he was talking to me and telling me what to do next.

 He's been reading his mail and working on his list, thinking about what who should receive what. That's a feather pen in his left hand.  He's got a gingerbread snack in one pocket and a watch in another so he won't be late.

Like I was saying, I couldn't leave it just red. I wanted to give the back some design too. So he's wearing a cape with blue moons and stars on the trim and a tassel hood.
    I love how he turned out and it was very hard to give him away at the party for the raffle.  But he went to a very good home of my friend. So I know he will be brought out every Christmas and enjoy the celebration.

Time for Reflection

Thanksgiving is time to reflect on things we appreciate in life.  So today as I start the baking the pumpkin and apple pies, memories of cooking with my mom and my aunts. They taught me how to cook and at the same time taught me the value of being creative. Recipes were invented, written down, and traded.  The kitchen was also the place to be creative with sewing and painting. We used the counter to spread out the materials of whatever we were working on and just set to work.

This past week I discovered some new bulbs sprouting in my garden under the studio window.  I wonder how long it will take for them to show their blooms.

 And here's a peek at some little star boxes that I painted up for Christmas presents. Love the prim designs by Donna Atkins. I'm not sure who these will be for, but it's sure nice to have them done.

       

Windows Reveal So Much

  Today I am going to post pictures of an ATC swap I hosted on the Milliande Art network.  The theme was "Windows".   In the beginning I thought it would be a way for me to give back a little to this wonderful community of creative women who have shared so much with me creatively and personally.  Somewhere in the middle I realized that I was receiving so much from each woman who personally created cards and even sent wonderful extra pieces of ephemera along for me to use later in other creations.

 I loved opening up each envelope and package to see what treats for the eye they held and where they came from. Each one revealed a unique idea, but centered around the "window" theme. Some opened, some gave a view through plastic or gauzie fabric, some with cut-out sections, and others with sketched details. Colored, painted, inked, drawn, glued, sewn, stamped,  folded, and printed, each one so special I had a hard time deciding which to keep and which to send on.  

 I tried to save them all in my basket so that none would be misplaced.  A basket full of mail- treasure!
I would like to personally thank Kit Bauer, Sonja Milojevic, Dove Clark, Dawna, Barbara Dyrda, Anne Trudell, Kalona, Ruth Dailey, Monika Schmid, Pam Parker, Cindy Riordan, Pam Zirbel, Julka Vlajic, Sue Horsley, Christine Stuart, Patricia Gonzalez, Mary Larner, and Mary Austen for participating in my first hosted swap.

My own ATCs for this swap by cutting a 7"x2 1/2" piece of watercolor paper in half and inking it with a few layers to make a soft background. Then carved my own stamp from rubber for the front and cut part of the eye out so that it would be a little window. The stamps on the inside are some of my favorite stamps from other designers.

Life is Always Changing

Time, seasons, technology, nature, life...everything is in a constant state of flux. I love the change in the seasons and Fall is my favorite time of the year. Love getting out all my Autumn and Halloween decorations. Now if only the weather would co-operate and cool down.

I had never made an inchie, so I braved this swap challenge on the Milliande network, hosted by Lois Lugg. I do like the sparkly nylon net and buttons.  While crafting these tiny pieces, I decided that it was definitely not my favorite format. Lol! I sent them off in the post, with wishes that they have a safe journey to Lois.

Meanwhile my studio is undergoing some big changes too. This wall used to separate my studio from a bedroom downstairs. The doorway shows the hallway into the main house.

This is a view into the old studio. I'm afraid my studio looks a little like a episode of "the horders" show, but I promise it's going to be very organized once we get it done. And I cannot wait to get going on the sorting and organizing.

A Couple of Chicks

I was just looking through my photos the other day for something to share and I found these two paintings of chickens.
The most recent is one I painted with acrylics just for fun on a little 5x7 canvas.

"Chicken in the Watermelon"
This little chick is having a quick lunch before the other farm yard chickens catch on that there's watermelon to be had.  She's so wrapped up in this sweet fruiti-licious lunch, she probably wouldn't notice anyone coming up behind her.  

And here's a watercolor I painted a few years ago at a seminar with Susan Scheewe Brown.
I can just imagine this proud rooster patrolling the yard and trying to give the other birds an piece of his mind.



These chickens were a lot of fun to paint and always make us smile. 

Summer Dream in the Making

I enjoy challenging myself with a new project. So my latest piece is something different. I was inspired when I took a trip this summer to Cannon Beach, Oregon in June with a very dear friend, Nancy. We had just spent a fantastic week with Sue Scheewe Brown in her watercolor seminar and then took a little weekend jaunt with the Browns up to Cannon Beach.

The day we arrived at Cannon Beach we took a talk along the water's edge, down to Haystack Rock. This place seemed like heaven to Nancy and I because we spend most of our days in the desert of Nevada. It was raining lightly and we had to wear borrowed boots to walk down to the tide pools.

It was really fascinating to see all the life along the rocks. I took several pictures with my camera. You should have seen me trying to balance the umbrella and take pictures while walking in boots two sizes too big.  The starfish and sea urchins seemed like a magical discovery to me.

14 x 18 inch Canvas board

In the center of a canvas board I spread some gesso with a palette knife. Salt was sprinkled here and there too, but that would melt away with the watercolor paint that came in the next step, leaving little pits.  I created shapes in the wet gesso for sea creatures with my palette knife. I do enjoy using a palette knife, as you know. By drizzling String Gel along the sand's edge,  I gave the surface even more dimension. Some details were added with a graphite pencil also.

"Summer Dream"

The blue at the bottom was made by washing blue watercolor along the canvas and then sprinkling in drops of rubbing alcohol. A light coat of fixative was needed to seal the watercolor and pencil lines. I think they look like those sea urchins clinging to the rocks in the tide pools. The piece was mounted to a wood board with brass corners to make it finished in a unique way. 

The Sea Calls to Me

The sea has always been a mysterious and magical subject for me. When I was a child, my family took vacations to the California coast. We rented a hotel room and walked down to the beach to walk in the sand and play in the waves.  I can recall the feeling of the sand between my toes and the smell of the salt in the air.  In fact, right now if I close my eyes, I can imagine myself standing on the beach. It's still a wondrous memory for me.

Today the collages I am displaying are made on two canvas boards and have a mini canvas mounted on top with lots of paint and tissue and printed paper overlay. For personality I have added my little clay birds, tiny seashells, and vintage music to create a story picture that is very sweet.  For easy hanging, I also glued a ribbon cord to each one. Over all size is 5 x 7 inches.

"By the Sea" 1






"By the Sea" 2