Practice

So today I practiced sketching with paint. This is a basic hand study with the hardest part as skin color. Obviously I am pink skined. I had to google how to mix a paint color that looked caucasian & I'm still not happy with the results. I will have to try again sometime soon. 

Advent painting

So happy! I started and finished a bigger painting in less than one month. Enjoy!

Leaf, paint doodles

Eventually a person has to learn to doodle in the same medium as the he or she will create the final product. I struggle with the medium of paint. This week I just played around with the paint, creating backgrounds, playing with stencils, etc. Obviously there was no end result or nice burst of inspiration.... hence the pun.

Fog

I'm so excited! I must share this little painting with you. When I have no inspiration I paint backgrounds and see what asks to be painted on them. This turned out to be some beautiful red orange fog on a pea green sea. The ship was lost in the fog and wandered off center. The painting needed something. Nessie popped in for a cameo and everything was perfect. BUT I was surprised to find a haiku writing itself. Enjoy my very own new poem and small painting.

What happens after midnight

caffeinated glee

fades with morning fog. 

~Kathy Bianco

Blackbird Haiku

I also completed this drawing in colored pencil the same weekend as the octopus in the previous post. The haiku is by Wallace Stevens

When the blackbird flew out of sight 

it marked the edge 

of one of many circles. 

REarrangement

Once upon a time, there was a pretty little flower arrangement on a table as a centerpiece,

 

suddenly it found itself as a REarrangement!

 

 

Haiku 8x10

Another haiku painting has appeard this week. I've enjoyed pushing two different art forms throughout the work week. The sculpture is coming along but the painting finished quickly.

Last weekend I re-read "the Haiku Year" and saw this beautiful painting fantasy.
The blizzard slows
Snow stops rushing
Begins to waltz.

Success/ Sunday Art

I have a new goal, which is several goals smooshed into one. I want to finish a painting. I want to do plein air painting. I want to paint more haiku. Ta-Da, Sunday Art.

On Sunday mornings I have time before church and during nap time to paint undisturbed. I shrunk my aspirations to a 5x7, followed the inspiration of a haiku, and enjoyed Baroque music while I worked.

Coming from the woods

a bull has a lilac sprig

Dangling from a horn. 

~ Richard Wright

Thank you again to my fabulous husband who bought me a book of haiku and the year before bought me a huge set of paints. I'm faithful in using them, my love. Thanks for believing in me!

Trinity Koi (half failure)

So this is the somewhat failed painting. Instead of only reading from three feet away it now reads from six feet away! Progress without success. I really like the connectivity of the seaweed dots. And of course I love to paint koi. This painting is done, whoopie!, and i'm on to other things.

REarrangement

Octopus are so popular right now. In late July I got hooked on ocean documentaries. A fantastic idea for a sculpture popped into my funny bone and I set to work. Today i can tell you that this funny little guy is almost ready for a plaster coating. Keep watching this blog for updates.

Another failure? Not yet!

This weekend I enjoyed working on a dramatic vertical painting.  After getting the detail marks, main subject and iconic elements all in place...

I've realized that I need to go back with brighter colors & repaint the whole thing.

 It reads great from three feet away but you cannot see the subject matter from across the room.

Lets face it, you only get attention if the person notices you from across the room.

Back to painting!

as good as it gets

Dear viewer,
This is as good as this one is going to get. I'm glad I finally found a subject for this awesome background. I'm happy to take a small drawing I've done and translate it into color.
All that being said, I don't like it. This painting will go into the archives unfinished. The anchor and octopus need to be larger, the colors stronger. This painting is more like a first draft. I have to start over if i'm going to get something successful.
Keep you eye on this page for whatever I create next. Love you!

Heron Haiku

facing fine rain
on the upturned boat
a heron, hunched.
~ Martin Lucas


My husband bought me a book of modern haiku last year. It's so nice to read a few lines of poetry before I try to go to sleep. Sometimes a moment like this snaps a picture into my brain and I get to paint or draw it out.

Sunrise over Shepherd

There is a pink sunrise in March that is shockingly beautiful.  This is my attempt to paint it.

Much to my regret I did not get a proper reference photo. This is more impressionistic than I would have liked. Yes, there are three shades of black as the shadows in the foreground. #springbreak2019

Another color page

Some colorful things happened in March. Yes I'm working on some old paintings but I'm starting a new one today.

hand study #2

finished Drawings - hand study #1

2.8.19

Today was a beautiful day for coloring in the garden (Garfield park conservatory)

inspired by Katie Sahm

Some friends and I were at Neidhammer coffee and saw some great artwork by Katie Sahm. I was inspired to try her string art.

Mine is no where near as cool as her art.  It was very challenging to get the string to stay still. But I had fun trying something new.

to see the artist Katie Sahm artwork click here https://www.katiesahm.com/
for great coffee with friends go here http://www.neidhammer.com/

GPAC 1.2.19 part 2

Ta-daah! I told you that I was working on it. This is the second painting inspired by my winter break trip to Garfield Park Conservatory, Indianapolis. Thank you, I think it turned out rather well. As always if you see it on the blog, you get first dibs before I try to sell it on Etsy.

Drop me a note via email about what you are working on.

working

So this is what I got finished this weekend. Yes I am also working on that second painting. Snail may be my pace for paintings.

GPAC 1.2.19

First painting of the year~! Happy 2019 everyone. 

 

Reference photo & final painting. 5x7 acrylic.
I love using Garfield Park Conservatory as my personal studio. I started this one while on Christmas Break. I like how it turned out. The background was painted last year with the basic sandstone colors often seen in this sunny garden. The winter sun in the picture is obviously a little different.

A second 5x7 from another reference photo should be in the works later this week. Stop by & see me here again soon.