Painting Painting Painting

Well golly gee I have been busy. Very busy! I have been so motivated to paint that there are not enough hours in the day. I haven't posted in two weeks.

Here are a couple of pieces I sent off to a juried show in Virginia. We’ll see if they accept me. Right now I am not using a paint brush with these and I am not sure why. I use everything but a brush. I really just pour the paint. I am reusing interior acrylic house paint from a dentist office remodel. I like the fact that it is limiting my pallet and I love the consistency. These are 5x5x1.5 and they are part of the little monster series I am doing.

I went out on Saturday and helped a sister move from one storage space to another. She is also and artist and writer and she had some great stuff in storage. She offered me anything pretty much I wanted; however I already have too much stuff. I did take a couple of old boxes that held print type. Here is a picture of one in progress and is about 7x7x1. This is fun since I was struggling with a different piece earlier. One of my assemblage pieces was going down the toilet so to speak. I decided to put it away for now and move on. It will be revisited later.

I am also working on a piece for the pink show at the Tangent Gallery in November. The deadline is coming up and this piece is all spray paint. What fun and a little hard to control. I guess I need more practice.

These are just some of the work I've done lately and I will try to post more works in progress. Oh... and I finished Free Fall. I will post her tomorrow. She will be in a show in December with the Swell Sisters.

Quote for the day - Every Artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures - Henry Ward Beecher

I have to agree since I find that most of my work is light in nature unless I get mad at our government and then I do a political piece. Not going there!!!!!!!!

Friday No Work!

I haven’t blogged in a while. I have actually been busy. Go Figure! Work has been pretty crazy. We are setting up our reading conference for November and buying books and contacting with the hotel. I took today off because yesterday was my birthday. Now I know I should have taken yesterday off; however I had a meeting in Sacramento and thought if I have to drive there I might as well go to work. That gave me today off. No driving to Sacramento. I am going up to Cameron Park and have lunch with one of my Swell Sisters Janet.

Anyway........... "Happy Birthday to me."

The Swell Sisters meeting was great last night. We had another Sacramento woman artist speaking about her art. She has a great sense of humor and it was very enjoyable. Her name is Gioia Fonda and she started her own holiday called Pink Week, fifteen years ago.

Per Gioia the second week of November is the week that we should celebrate Pink in all it’s glory. The holiday is to get people aware of color. However if you love green than you wear green all week etc.

Gioia is co-owner of the Tangent Gallery in Sacramento http://www.tangent-gallery.com/ and the Pink show opens on the 2nd Saturday in November.

I have been taking a basic print class at CSU Sacramento and here are some pictures. I know some out there in web-land will think these are primitive and mediocre and they would be right; however it is new skill I am learning. It keeps me in the classroom with young college students and at 62 it is invigorating because I do not understand them at all until we discuss art. Then we can all connect. We started with corks (wine and champagne), erasers, potato (the hardest by far), and we graduated to the EZ Cut which is like eraser material rolled out flat and about 5X7.

The first picture is of the corks and eraser and the second is my first print that I actually cut. I really don’t think it is to bad. I like the cutting part....the printing not so much. I really need to work on that since it is a print class.

Have a GREAT weekend!

Quote for the day: Good communication is as stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after. - Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Work In Progress

I was hoping to sleep in today. Unfortunately that was not the case. I was out late last night at the 2^nd Saturday Art Walk in Sacramento. I didn’t get home until almost midnight.

It was really fun. I met my Swell Sisters at the Verge for the 2^nd Annual Circus Show. The Circus Show was sponsored (or co sponsored) by Gale Hart a Sacramento artist and animal rights activist. All the proceeds were donated to animal rights programs. It was fun with great art, great people, live entertainment, and carny games.

Then we were off to see a collaborative show that one of our sisters was showing in. She did great and sold everything I believe. Good going Laurelin.

Sacramento was crazy last night so many people out. I am not a crowd person normally; but it was fun. I am not sure how anyone sees all of the art shows in one night.

Yesterday I started some new pieces. I am back to assemblage for some reason. I promised myself I had to vacuum before I could get into the studio. I had to take the dang machine a part to change the belt. I hope it lasts as long as the last one!

So far this has bee a great weekend. Here are a couple of pictures of my work in progress.

Quote for the day: For the serious artist does not satisfy needs – instead he creates values. Values, to the world at large, have – alas, alas, and again alas – no value at all – Anthony Burgess

Paint Paint Paint

Today is Tuesday and I think I lost a day or two. That is becoming a habit. Maybe I stay younger that way and only age half as fast. Interesting thought don’t you think?

On Sunday at the St. Ambrose Guild meeting we painted the dags on the pavilion. Yes friends I took pictures. And you say “Yippeeee.” I will also take pictures at the Folsom Renaissance Faire to see how it looks once it is up.

When I arrived at the home of a friend that stores our pavilions I saw that the pavilion was actually up. I though we would have to stand on ladders to paint the dag. The pavilion is 8 or 9 feet tall….at least at the bottom of the dag. The top is probably 15 feet maybe. After asking a few politically correct questions (not my strongest trait) I discovered it was only up to dry out from the Golden Gate Renaissance Faire. Yes friends that faire was a very drippy wet cold affair. Just like northern England and after 90 to 100 degrees here in Sacramento it was very invigorating. Sorry I digress.

Here are pictures of the ladies painting the dags on the pavilion with a wonderful Tudor Rose. I made the stencils and we are saving them to complete the painting. We only finished the front and one rose on each side. The best news is that we will never wonder again which is the front of the pavilion top.

Also the men were painting the portable car garage (not sure what you call it) something other than shiny silver. We use the car garage behind the pavilion as a storage area and dressing room. That allows the full use of the pavilion for chairs and tables AND to keep out of the sun.

The day went pretty fast once we started and with a potluck in between it was a very nice Sunday in deed. Spending the day with friends is never wasted.

Quote for the day: It's a lot like nature. You can only have as amny animals as the ecosystem can support and you only have as many friends as you can tolerate the bitching of. - Randy K. Milholland

Ain't that the truth?

Whew!

Hello all I haven't posted in a few days. Been so busy. I was back at work this week and sometimes after a vacation you have twice as much work at before. Well I was overwhelmed. It was a short week and didn't really feel like it. It seems like there is not enough time. Gosh it seems I say that a lot.

Today I made stencils for my Renaissance Acting Group. The stencil is of the Tudor Rose and we are going to paint the dags on the pavilion before Folsom Faire.

I agreed to make the stencils because after the meeting tomorrow, and after the pot luck, and after a couple of beers it needs to be as easy as possible. No really it is so we can get done in a reasonable time and make it look uniform. I am going to try to remember my camera and take pictures. The pavilion top will only be on the ground so better pictures will have to be taken at the Folsom Faire.

I also worked on my Swell Sister collaborative projects. Actually one is a skull I worked on by myself so I am not sure where collaboration comes in. (see the above picture) I am actually quite pleased with the look. I may have trouble giving it back. The large skull was made by my sister Jennifer out of sugar. She passed it on to me to paint. I was afraid it would melt; but I kept the paint minimal and realistic.

It was to hot to work in the yard; but I did water today since I cannot water again until Tuesday. We are in a stage 2 water alert here in Folsom. I also cleaned the kitchen floor, did laundry and I would have vacuumed; however that machine seems to have a broken belt.

Have a great weekend.

Quote for the day: Avoiding the phrase “I don’t have time...”, will soon help you to realize that you do have the time needed for just about anything you choose to accomplish in life. -Bo Bennett