flying shoes art studio

STARTING PASTEL UNIT IN MY CLASSROOM

2012-02-01T14:35:00.000-06:00

Pastel Pencil on 8.5" x 11" Canson Mi-Teintes Paper

I love starting a new unit in my art classes. My students are always so excited to move on to something new with the belief that a personal masterpiece is on its way.

Today I introduced my second year students to the joys of working with pastels. I adore pastels. I love that they involve drawing skills combined with vivid colors and layers of mark making. Pastels are messy and that's part of the fun.

This year I decided to help my students ease into pastels with a fun exercise. Long ago I discovered that you can run pastel paper through a computer printer set on a low ink setting and then "color" your image with pastels. I've used this trick before and my students like starting a challenging new medium on a predrawn page. This way, they get to play with the new medium without having to worry about drawing out their subject matter (which comes next.) It takes a few attempts for most people to understand pastel techniques and its also a challenge for beginners to apply color theory. Students get to practice both in what is a familiar coloring page.

I found a free coloring page of a sun, printed it on light blue Canson paper and turned my students loose to create using soft and hard pastels. This is my example/demo piece. I brought my personal pastel supplies so my students could see the variety of brands I like including my set of pastel pencils.

A WAY TO SAY "THANK YOU"

2012-01-30T14:58:00.000-06:00

"The Quaid Home"

7.5" x 10"

Colored Pencil on Black, Crescent Mat Board

We are extremely blessed to have friends in Santa Fe, NM who invite us to frequently visit. Santa Fe has always been a special place for my husband and I so having such generous friends is a real treat.

To say thank you I created a little, colored pencil rendering of their home while I was demonstrating colored pencil techniques with my students. I love drawing on crescent mat board with colored pencils. The heavier support takes lots of pressure and holds up well to handling. I prefer to use Derwent colored pencils but also use some Prismacolor and Prismacolor Verithin pencils. Derwent are a creamy, artist grade pencil that blends and layers well without having the waxy bloom that Prismacolor's tend to develop over time.

While we were visiting Santa Fe last fall I took a series of photographs of the home early in the morning. I like early morning or late evening landscape images with strong, long shadows. I invented the sky to reflect one of the brilliant skies often seen around Santa Fe. It was important then to use the same sky color scheme in the building and plant life.

As with all art gifts, I don't know if this piece will ever be framed and displayed but I do hope the recipient will appreciate the time and effort spent on creating an original gift.

HANDMADE PAPER & JOURNALS

2012-01-19T15:17:00.000-06:00

It has been a busy start in my classroom to 2012. I thought I'd share a little of what dominates my days as an art teacher. I spend lots of time preparing examples, organizing supplies and equipment and supervising my large classes. I haven't found much time these first few weeks to do many personal, art projects.

Each year I teach a unit in my crafts class on handmade paper. I demonstrate all sorts of techniques on making handmade paper from botanicals and discarded trash. This year I have a huge enrollment so it's been especially challenging to do such a messy project with so many bodies in the room.

The students start by shredding and blending discarded papers in a blender then run them through a screen
and place the pressed paper on a drying rack overnight.

The students are required to make papers that require they blend pictures, old books, flowers, etc in the blender or have to float these objects whole in the surface of their handmade papers.

When they finish successfully making a wide range of different kinds of papers they must select a type of paper they prefer and create a hand bound journal for it. Each journal needs to be decorated inside and out, have a focal point on the cover and at least three embellishments. We then bore holes to bind them with ribbon, leather or whatever suits their theme.

BUILDING BOOKPLATES

2012-01-03T10:45:00.000-06:00

My Bookplate Work Station

I treasure my large pen and ink, stipple drawing but the ultimate purpose of this project is to create customized, adhesive labels that can be used to identify personal books. These labels are traditionally called bookplates and used to include the Latin phrase "Ex Libris."

In today's digital age, more and more book lovers have reduced their personal libraries but many still cherish their book collections. Bookplates are an ancient method of marking ownership. In Medieval times, the wealthy commissioned artists to create custom bookplates and today you can sometimes find commercial bookplates in the dusty corners of book stores. I like to teach a pen and ink unit with my advanced students that requires they hone their ink skills while creating a personal bookplate. For nine years now I have been creating an annual bookplate at the same time.

After I have scanned the drawing, I then create and print the image on adhesive sheets with the names of friends and coworkers. I especially enjoy packaging these labels in a different manner from year to year. This year I wrapped the personalized bookplates in velum. I then stamped brown, butcher paper with a vintage, clock face stamp. I cut these into strips to wrap around the velum. I intended to add a nickel, silver number to each bookplate but found it really difficult to glue with any hope that it would survive mailing across the country so I decided to just embellish the outside with a small, card stock number.

I would love to manufacture and sell these items but I also like the fact that there are only a limited edition of them created each year for special people in my life. When the ink drawing is reduced it does lose a little of it's detail compared to the large original.

2011 BOOKPLATE UNVEILED

2012-01-02T12:05:00.000-06:00

"Time Sure Flies"

8" x 13" Ink on Crescent Mat Board

It's been a busy, holiday season and I typically have this piece finished well before Christmas. This year I finally put the finishing touches on my annual bookplate after the New Year. I am especially proud of the results.

I like the images I select for this project to have some significance from the year before. As most of my friends and family know, one of the significant events in my 2011 was my knee replacement so I wanted to "mark" that event without really celebrating it. So the prominent 6 and 3 is for June 3rd when I had my surgery.

Each of the clock faces has the birth date of my immediate family. My husband, me, our three daughters and our three grandchildren all have their birthdays included in one of the times. I also added a little clock without a time tucked partially away to represent what I hope is another birthday for a much wanted grandchild being sought by my oldest daughter and her husband.

There are other numbers that hold some significance for me. If you look closely you will find a 4, 5, 7 and 8 which are dates and times of other special events for me and my family.

I really wanted this year's bookplate to be something that both men and women might use since it is a gift for coworkers and close friends.

I need to give a special thanks to Darlene Parker of Feathered Friends in Santa Fe, NM who let me spend time in her amazing shop of wild and domestic birds. She permitted me access to photograph her birds for references for the little birds I drew around the vintage clocks. Even if you aren't interested in purchasing a bird, her shop is quite the experience and she is quite the expert on her inventory.

Darlene and her special, feathered friends

I hope everyone has enjoyed a great holiday. We return to school in a couple of days and my calendar is filled with once again directing a murder mystery dinner theater to raise money for our community's emergency youth shelter. I am also busy moving my art studio to another space.

MURDER MYSTERY DINNER THEATER

2011-12-08T13:22:00.000-06:00

It's a busy time with the holidays approaching, finishing up holiday commissions, working on scenery for our church's drive thru Nativity and teaching the last few weeks of school. On top of everything else I am gearing up to direct another murder mystery dinner theater for our local Emergency Youth Shelter.

The shelter committee is a wonderful group of generous people and they asked if I would get a design ready so they could promote this year's show ahead of the holidays. They hope to entice some people to purchase tickets as gifts and get the ball rolling on promoting the event.

Here is this year's poster/ticket artwork. I have to admit that I took the idea of the lettering from an existing design used by the production company. I first drew it in black and white then recreated it in color using colored pencils.

DRAWING COMMISSION

2011-12-06T09:22:00.000-06:00

Matthews Family Portrait

14" x 10" Graphite Pencil on 80lb Paper

I know most studio artists live and die by commissions but I really don't enjoy doing commission work. I have the luxury of a full time teaching position to pay the bills so most of my artwork is created for my personal enjoyment. If something I've done sells then wonderful but the real joy for me comes in the process and not the sale of the final product.

A good friend brought me an envelope full of various photographs of family members and asked if I would create a composite drawing of the best in one drawing. I've done this before but found this especially challenging since the photographs were really small and I have never met these people in real life.

I happy to be done. As in any commission piece, I hope the customer is pleased. I was able to work a lot in class while my beginning students are preparing to create self portraits for their semester finals.

PATTERNS IN INK

2011-11-27T09:57:00.000-06:00

The fun of a brand new sketchbook is trying to decide how to start filling up the pages. Since so many of my students are working in ink this month I decided to create a cover page in ink using lots of fun patterns. I also discovered a little, vinyl piggy bank that begged to be decorated in ink, too. I purchased a porcelaine pen over the holidays and am anxious to use it to "pattern up" some dishes before I move on.

Meanwhile I am laboring away on this year's bookplate, doing a few Christmas commissions and starting to gear up to direct this year's murder mystery dinner theater.

TIGER COLLAGE

2011-11-18T12:35:00.000-06:00

"Torn Paper Tiger"

24" x 36"

Torn Magazine Pieces on Foam Board

Just finished the tiger collage created with tiny pieces of torn paper from "O" magazine.

Today was the deadline for my student's to finish their torn paper collage assignments so I made it my personal deadline as well. I think I may frame this fellow and possibly donate him back to the school. I'm also not sure how many more of these I want to tackle. My fingers are really sore from ripping all this paper!

ARTIST TRADING CARDS

2011-11-17T08:46:00.000-06:00

Artist Trading Cards

2 1/2" x 3 1/2"

Just finished a series of three Artist Trading Cards and decided these vintage beauties deserved to live in a frame. I collect vintage images and wanted to use them in some multi-layered collages. I've used colored inks, markers, oil pastels and stamps. I've included a red butterfly in each piece and used some vintage papers from a old French journal I found at an auction. (Funny how anything written in French just sounds romantic.)

The actual colors of the piece are vivid and weren't captured well by the scan but I still wanted to post what I had. I also matted each piece and added color to the beveled, interior cut of the mat which repeated some of the key colors in the card.

Artist Trading Cards (ATC's) are supposed to be given away and never sold but lately there has been a movement of selling cards so patrons can enjoy them without having to manufacture cards for trade. These cards are called Art Cards, Editions & Originals or ACEO. Since these girls are framed up and ready to display I plan to add them to my work being sold at this weekend's Miniature Show at our local gallery.

MY NEW OBSESSION

2011-11-12T10:39:00.000-06:00

My daughters have got me hooked on a new website that is consuming my time. I love spending time on pinterest.com It is an online bulletin board that lets you organize your Internet finds, pin them and share them with friends. I think it beats any current magazine for finding clever ideas and resources.

I have tons of print outs of Internet recipes and resources that are piled up and scattered around my house. I usually misplace them and can't find the one I need when I'm ready to try them out. Pinterest saves those resources for me and links me with others who share the same interests.

It costs nothing to join and you don't have to be a member to enjoy looking at the pages. I've discovered loads of great crafts, art, recipes and have even shared some of my personal artwork.

I can spend hours looking through the various categories of pins. Just look for yourself at http://pinterest.com/

TORN PAPER VALUE COLLAGE

2011-11-09T12:46:00.000-06:00

"Pieces of Lisa"

Torn Magazine Paper on Foam Board

16" x 24"

Each year I teach a unit on making torn paper collage with my craft students. My craft classes generally consist of seniors who need one more elective or art credit but who don't want to take a traditional drawing or painting class. This unit involves creating a full color image by tearing and glueing paper from a magazine. This project requires my students to "harvest" colored paper that best replicates the same colors as a resource image they select.

I have made a number of these projects over the years. I've even created a torn paper collage on a lifesized, ceramic pig for the National Pork Council office. Sadly, I don't have a photo of that giant hog anymore. It was quite the beast to have standing in my classroom for weeks as I glued and varnished it's hide.

This year I am working away on a tiger face to demonstrate the process for my students. It's a little like paint by number except no paint - just paper. My favorite magazine to use for these projects are O Magazines published by Oprah Winfrey. I have gathered up piles of these magazines for my personal use because they have excellent colors and heavy, quality papers.

Here is a close up of the piece. I especially enjoy the ripped edge created by tearing each little piece of paper. The pieces are then layered much like a mosaic without any gaps between them.

I hope to finish the Tiger this year and perhaps donate it to our high school. Tigers are our mascot and my students and I have created a number of tiger pieces which hang in our hallways. I actually have drawers of these demo pieces and have thrown some away after we finish the unit.

2011 BOOKPLATE UNDERWAY

2011-11-09T11:49:00.000-06:00

I've done my research and gathered up photos and props and have started on this year's bookplate. As in the past, I am rendering the entire piece using black ink applied with stippling. It's a terribly time-consuming approach but I really enjoy the process.

As in any good work of art, there is significance for me in the subject matter. I like my annual bookplates to represent something personal in my life while also being a pleasing, pretty piece.

2011 FALL CRAFT SHOW

2011-11-06T09:07:00.000-06:00

My lovely daughter, Lindsay in our craft show booth

My daughters and I just wrapped up our annual participation in a local arts and crafts show. Fortunately this event is held at my high school so setup is simple and no travel expenses are involved.

All three of my girls contributed to this year's booth. The hit of the day were simple, jersey scarves made from repurposed T-shirts we purchased at our local thrift store. The girls created fringed and curled scarves that flew out of the booth. The curled version was so popular that we had to set up a sweatshop in my husband's nearby classroom to manufacture more during the day.

You can see some of my artwork was on display, too.

The girls made some extra money but most of all, it was a great experience preparing and enjoying the day together. I am really blessed that my daughters love the arts as much as I do. It's a joy to share creating and projecting with my family.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2011-11-02T10:07:00.000-05:00

TIME SURE FLIES

2011-11-02T10:01:00.000-05:00

"clocks" courtesy of junkcamp.blogspot.com

The month of October really rushed by and I failed to find the time to blog about any art adventures. Much of my month was spent traveling and assisting with the high school one-act play which competed it's way to state.

I've got tons of work lined out to start including this year's bookplate. I've decided to create an ink piece with clocks and birds as my subject matter. I've been busy collecting ideas and taking personal photos to work from. Recently I spent a few, glorious days in Santa Fe, NM and found an exotic bird shop whose owner gladly permitted me to shoot photos of her birds. So now my resources are ready, my pens are out and I'm geared up to get started.

A DAY OF ARTIST TRADING CARDS

2011-10-01T14:22:00.000-05:00

This past week I taught some of my artist friends and students a "how-to" about Artist Trading Cards. I spent a great deal of the week gathering up resources and it sure got my juices going. I learned a long time ago that having a goal or deadline makes for heightened creativity and productivity so I'm on a quest to have some exciting cards for an upcoming show and swap. I just needed to garner some interest so others would participate with me.

I really didn't know what the finish piece would be

but I loved these images and papers.

This morning I had the house to myself so I covered my dining room table with all the scraps and supplies I wanted and proceeded to build away. I've also learned that these tiny works of art require some time to develop. You may cut and paste but then wait awhile before you know what you want to do to give it some finishing touches.

My father-in-law is a pro at building all sorts of things. He made me this mini easel and I think it works great as a means to display a special ATC. I've always had a "thing" for Mona Lisa so I decided to build her into an ATC.

"Mona Loves Paris"

Mixed Media ATC

2 1/2" x 3 1/2"

And finally - here are the finished cards I built from the two images I discovered. "The Man in the Moon" includes part of a poem my mother used to recite to me. "Improvisation" just seemed to suit the hilarious image of the lovely lady using a basket as a hat.

"The Man in The Moon"

Mixed Media ATC

2 1/2/" x 3 1/2"

"Improvisation"

Collage ATC

2 1/2" x 3 1/2"

My dining room table is still covered with supplies and I've got a bunch of freshly painted cards drying in my kitchen waiting for the next step of layering stamps, torn papers and images. So I'm off for more fun.

QUILTING HANDS PROGRESS

2011-09-30T15:07:00.000-05:00

Here's an update on my progress with this class demonstration piece built from my grandmother's quilt using my hands. I've finished working the piece to demonstrate value and texture techniques but I'm interesting in finishing the entire thing sometime soon - just because.

I love graphite pencil on white paper - sometimes it just "hits the spot." Thanks to a mention in Southwest Art Magazine, I recently discovered a fabulous Southwest artist named Mary Ross Buchholz who creates beautiful horse and rider drawings using graphite. Visit her blog at http://maryrossbuchholz.com/blog Her work is extraordinary.

Since my students only have a short time left with graphite this piece may have to wait until next summer for completion. I am on to building demonstrations using ink which will involve my annual bookplate.

TEACHING EXPRESSIVE LINE

2011-09-30T14:30:00.000-05:00

I spend a great deal of my day creating assignments for my students. Part of that time is also preparing examples and demonstrating techniques. My beginning students are studying the Element of Line. We are doing line drawings of different subjects I set up in the room and currently we are working on expressive line. I decided to update my unit with a couple of new exercises to teach expressive lines.

First I had my students create a variety of different types of lines. Then they had to create a drawing of flowers in a vase using expressive lines. Like any good teacher, I had to do the assignments, too.

My second year students are about to begin a really challenging ink assignment that will take them the entire second, nine weeks to complete. They are creating a giant self portrait built from individual grids each filled with patterns. The trick is to create changing values within the same pattern.

To start them off in ink work, we draw a random doodle across a sketchbook page and they are to fill each section of the doodle with a pattern. They are also required to create light, medium and dark patterns.

Ink can feel intimidating at first so this exercise helps loosen students up and get them used to working in that medium. One of the challenges for me in creating a demo piece is making sure I don't complete a piece that needs to be partially done so student's can figure out the process.

It's been a busy week of building new projects for my classes while also teaching a workshop on Artist Trading Cards. I've got lots of projects planned for my weekend so stay tuned to see what pops up next.

LITTLE RED TRIKE HAS A FRAME

2011-09-25T16:27:00.000-05:00

The Little Red Trike has a tricked out frame and is ready to be delivered to friends who coordinate the area fundraiser for folks who are fighting cancer. The event is sponsored each fall and I think this is the fourth time I've donated a painting for their silent auction.

ARTIST TRADING CARDS

2011-09-22T14:32:00.000-05:00

I am up to my ears in projects these days but thanks to a text from a good friend I've added Artist Trading Cards (ATC's) back into my life.

ATC's have been around for years and artists across the planet have been building and trading these itty-bitty (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") works of art. A few years ago I required my students to create ATC's and we had a great time making and trading them. ATC's are supposed to be original works of art made in miniature and traded, never sold. You can find websites that feature ATC swaps and there are even kits available to get started.

When my friend texted about hosting an ATC event I got the itch to drag out all the scraps and odds and ends I used to collect for making them. Today I launched an ATC workshop next week for my students and friends so I am up to my ears in preparations. The student president of our local art club currently works at a coffee shop and she is going to ask if they would host an ATC swap and show.

I have a few, special ATC's from former students and hope I can entice other high schools, the local college art program and some of my artist buddies to build and swap.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2011-09-21T18:28:00.000-05:00

CLASS DEMONSTRATION

2011-09-20T12:23:00.000-05:00

In the fall I start out my advanced students working on a variety of graphite pencil and charcoal pieces. My second year students are required to create a drawing which incorporates hands. This year I decided to demo using an antique quilt top and photographed my hands appearing to piece the quilt together.

This quilt is very sentimental to me. It was created by my grandmother using remnants from my grandfather's shirts. I usually have it stretched on a frame and hanging in a guest bedroom since it is small and never was finished. I also love the fact that it was created over a hundred years ago while my grandparents were still living in a dugout on our family farm. To make it even better is the fact that I was told the quilt pattern of eight pointed stars is often referred to as "Road to Oklahoma."

This is the early stages of my demonstration. I am trying to impress upon my students the importance of microscopic details and strong contrast with a variety of values. The challenge for me in this piece so far is creating the drape and perspective of the star patterns and replicating the patterns on the fabrics my grandmother used. I am "embellishing" and changing a few of the patterns to add more variety and that helps me instruct my students to change their pieces and not rely totally on the reality of their resources. I love drawing and all art for that reason - you can change whatever you want, however you want.

I am trying to work from upper left across my piece. I like to demonstrate this approach to my students to try and prevent smearing pencil marks as you reach across the paper.

As in all demonstration pieces, I don't know if I'll complete this or not but right now it's a lot of fun to work on.

WALK A MILE IS MOVING ALONG

2011-09-19T20:25:00.000-05:00

It feels great to be back on the easel. I've got most of the shoes' local color in place and started adding some value changes. I really hope to capture how worn these moccasins are so each rip and weathered section is a challenge.

I'm saving the little beads until last like dessert. I've created bead work before and I loved working on such itty-bitty details. I've been jumping from project to project at school and at home but I plan to finish this piece before September ends.

WALK A MILE REVISTED

2011-09-18T11:50:00.000-05:00

A year ago I did a small, colored pencil drawing of my grandmother's moccasins. The piece sold quickly at our local gallery. I have often thought I should revisit this special subject matter and create more work featuring these antique keepsakes.

I recently purchased two small canvases and decided to take the moccasins out of their protective glass containers and get to work in acrylic. With the start of school, I have loads of demo pieces going at school with my students but wanted to have a gallery quality piece started on my easel at home too.

So here's my beginning. I started by under painting the canvas then applied a great carmine color which I roughed up and scrubbed out so the under painting shown through. I love creating portals in my work so this wrap around canvas was perfect for a vintage looking frame.

I also decided to compose the shoes so they would look like they were hanging on the canvas from a straight forward viewpoint.

So the fun is about to begin. I am anxious to challenge myself to capture the worn hide and tiny beads on these old shoes.

LITTLE RED TRIKE

2011-09-08T14:22:00.000-05:00

"Little Red Trike"

4" x 4" Colored Pencil on 80lb Paper

Just finished this itty, bitty piece as a donation for The Circle of Friends Cancer Fundraiser coming up in October. Each year I donate a piece for their silent auction and I have been pleased that some of my close friends have purchased my pieces and contributed to this important cause. I love when something I've created is loved by someone I know.

This piece is small but has lots of vivid color. My third and fourth year, advanced placement students have been working on warm-up drawings using an old tricycle and bicycle as their subject matter. I decided to join in the fun and create one of my own. Colored pencil work is extremely time consuming no matter what size it is. I apply layers and layers of thick color blended together so the finished piece has the qualities of painting. Now that it's done, I am going to frame it in a glossy red frame with a wide, white mat.

I hope someone has a sweet memory of a little red tricycle and gives it a good home.

SKETCHBOOK TIME

2011-08-29T08:56:00.000-05:00

I love my sketchbooks! I have a wide variety of different sizes and paper types made especially for wet or dry media. Some are full of examples I use in class where I require my advanced students to do weekly sketchbook assignments. Some are themed books where I challenge myself to create a total book that has a single concentration or idea. I have watercolor books, pastel books, books of only black paper and lots of standard, white paper books.

The only problem is which books to haul around and which books to leave at home. It never fails that I get some inspiration only to discover that I left the appropriate sketchbook behind so I often drag a heavy bag filled with everything just in case the urge hits.

I have always required my students to use sketchbooks and I've gotten used to groaning and dropping grades when they ignore sketchbook assignments. Lots of fellow art teachers have abandoned sketchbooks for those reasons. I believe strongly that sketchbooks are a vital, artistic tool. The more I draw, the better I draw. When I have my sketchbook handy, I am prone to pull it out and make use of idle time rather than spend it playing on my iPhone.

I also love, love, love the attention I get when I am busy doodling in my sketchbook in public. It's great fun to have someone notice, walk over and admire my work.

Today I am teaching a "how to" in sketchbooks to my second year students. Little things like cut a piece of thin cardboard to sandwich between pages so marks don't scratch through pages or never draw on facing pages or keep your book in plastic as you haul it around to prevent it getting dirty and most of all - have it with you all the time like a best friend ready for a conversation.

BACK TO SCHOOL

2011-08-26T08:41:00.000-05:00

We've had eight days of school and my eager, art students are finishing up a series of warm-up exercises. I teach a crafts class for upper level students, beginning art classes which focus on drawing and painting skills and two advanced classes including an Advanced Placement studio class.

I've found that it takes a warm-up project to get everyone back in the swing of working and hitting my rigid deadlines. I've also learned that it's important that I draw and work along at first to establish how I want my students to perform.

It's been a long, dry summer of little "arting" for me so I decided to complete my value drawing I used as a demonstration for my Art II students. Each year I drag out a box of old sneakers and require my students to make a detailed line drawing and then using the same shoe and pose to create a full value drawing. I instruct them on the uses and techniques of 4H to 6B pencils and all the tricks I've learned about rubbings and blending and reflected light, etc.

My classroom is packed this year. I currently have 147 students and 30 of them are working on shading sneakers. It's exciting to have so many students on fire and excited about drawing. It always inspires me to create and generate new art work on my own. I love teaching and I'm fortunate that I get to combine my love of art with fostering new talent in the classroom. The school year looks bright and full of promise!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2011-08-24T18:18:00.000-05:00

SUMMER OF 2011

2011-08-11T09:14:00.000-05:00

The Shoe is hoping to fly again soon!

My summer has wound down and I'm back working in my classroom in spite of an ongoing battle with my new knee. On Friday, August 5th, I had a second knee surgery following the June 3rd total knee replacement to improve my mobility and restore some flexibility. This operation has set me back some but seems to have helped my knee flex and bend. As a result of another surgery I now have four more weeks of physical therapy, pain pills and support hose which will follow me to my high school classroom.

It's been a rough summer and not just because of my new knee. My children have all had battles and trials and our region (like many in the states) has had a horrific drought that has devastated farmers and ranchers and our rural economy. I'm pretty glad to be saying goodbye to the summer of 2011 and starting up a fall in my classroom. I've spent a few hours preparing my room and will report for duty on Monday - in my white, stretch, support hose.

This past week I discovered a little ray of sunshine that I hope marks the positive transition into fall. The trunk of some sort of plant has often sprouted beside my front step but for the twenty some years we have lived in our home it's never produced a bloom. Well, right on cue on my granddaughter, Lily's second birthday it burst out with a beautiful lily. Cool - right? We enjoyed it for awhile and then I captured it, pressed it and preserved it to someday give to Lily perhaps with a little grandma wisdom about light at the end of the tunnel, God's grace through trials or that there are often sweet reminders just when we need them that all is well, all is precious and there is beauty just when we need it.

I hope to be back and at 'em soon with new artwork and artful experiences. So look for some blooms after my summer of drought.

NEW MEXICO ART SHOW CONCLUSION

2011-07-16T10:40:00.000-05:00

What's Down the Road?

I just returned from taking down my art show in Taos, New Mexico. This was an awesome experience for me and I was thrilled when the owner of the Trading Post Cafe and Gallery invited me to show again in a year.

The question for me now is - What's Next? I still have quite a bit of inventory left from the kitchen counter series and I am really wanting to explore some new, more challenging subject matter so I'm not sure what I'm doing next. Thanks to weeks of physical therapy (and three more weeks to go) I am feeling like tackling a new, artistic pursuit. Right now, however, I'm not exactly sure what's ahead.

Graham's Grille - Taos, NM

This trip to Taos, NM included eating at a different restaurant. We got reservations at Graham's Grille located just off the historic plaza. It has been there for years but we've only walked by. We had a great meal and fabulous conversation with locals. Michael and I met and visited with the Taos artist, Bill Arms and local realtor, Paul Johnson most of the evening.

Single Pump Gas Station in Truchas, NM

Thanks to good friends who loan us a place to stay in Santa Fe, we left Taos on what is known as the High Road to spend a few days in the "city different." We have a few favorite spots on the High Road. One is the bizarre town of Truchas teetering on the edge of a ravine. It's filled with art studios and one, tiny, single pump gas station.

Miracle Dirt at the Chimayo Chapel

Our next stop is usually Chimayo where we have visited the Sanctuary de Chimayo for years. It's been fascinating to watch the changes surrounding this ancient mission known for it's miracle, healing dirt. The congregation has built up the area with all kinds of monuments and outdoor worship sights but the church itself is still the same.

We arrived right in the midst of Sunday Mass and enjoyed listening to the priest as he prayed for rain for the drought stricken region. We then peeked into the adjoining room where the miracle dirt is found. I love this tiny room. The walls are lined with crutches and canes and all sorts of discarded medical equipment from the faithful who claim miraculous healing. I was tempted to add my cane to the display but I'm still not at the point I'd claim to be healed.

"Chimayo Chapel"

6" x 8" Colored Pencil

I've created three different paintings of the Chimayo and only have this small, colored pencil still in my inventory. Who knows. Maybe I'll work on another one since this place has such a special appeal and primitive beauty or maybe I'll build something out of my stacks of photos or resource files filled with images.

The easel is set up, the paints are out. All I need now is some direction.

KIP GABRIEL WATERCOLOR

2011-07-16T10:02:00.000-05:00

"Kip Gabriel"

16" x 8" Watercolor on 200 lb Arches Paper

I am fortunate to work with some fabulous teachers at Guymon High School. Just next door is a great friend who teaches U.S. History and her husband is the 3-D Art Teacher. I had the added joy of teaching art to their daughter who now is expecting their first grandchild. This is a baby gift for this wonderful family.

The family loves to hunt and fish so the baby theme they requested was to feature all of the things they enjoy hunting - turkeys, pheasant, deer and their love of fishing. They also asked that I include their treasured black lab.

Kip Gabriel was supposed to arrive August 8th but he has yet to make an appearance. As always, I hope the family enjoys my gift.

STUMP CARICATURE

2011-07-16T09:53:00.000-05:00

"Grandpa Stump and His Grandsons"

8.5" x 11" Ink on Card Stock

A friend requested a cartoon/caricature of him and his three grandsons to screen on T-shirts. It was fun to tackle this simple little project during my recovery. Years ago I seemed to be doing tons of cartoon images but not so much lately. At one point, I even set up a booth at local events or special occasions and drew caricatures all day long. It's always a challenge to caricature females and children....I find it's best to "cute-a-phy" rather than exaggerate features on these subjects. These three little boys were all pretty darn cute to start with.

MY HAPPY PLACE

2011-07-03T12:33:00.000-05:00

"My Happy Place"

6.5" x 10"

Watercolor on 200 lb Arches Paper

This is the first piece I have completed since my total knee replacement a month ago. I decided to concentrate on a watercolor I started a couple of years ago which was a demo for my students. The reason this subject seemed to beckon me is that it portrays one of my favorite places on the planet. It is a window seat at the Plaza Bakery right on the corner of the historic and busy Santa Fe Plaza. My husband and I love to sit in this window and people watch on one of the busiest and most interesting corners in Santa Fe. You can always count on seeing some bizarre, colorful and one-of-a-kind folks stroll by. We have even seen close friends walk by. I think a lot of Santa Fe visitors love to "dress the part" when they are in town so it's fun to watch tourists and locals alike. We have sat in this location enough to even know some of the local characters who frequent the plaza such as docents from the Georgia O'Keeffe museum and some of the area street musicians and panhandlers.

My husband is holding his GPS in the painting. One of our hobbies is to geocache while we travel. It involves using a GPS to hunt for hidden logs that are scattered all over the world. Santa Fe is a great place to geocache with hundreds of these little logs hidden in parks and public walkways. If you want to learn more about how to join us and thousands of others who use million dollar satellites to find Tupperware containers in the woods visit www.geocaching.com

So as I continue to recover (which at this stage involves some very agonizing physical therapy sessions three times a week) I am dreaming of my happy place in Santa Fe. Fortunately we head that way in a week. I am taking down my Taos, NM art show on July 10th and we are going on to Santa Fe to enjoy a few days away from the attacks of my aggressive little physical therapist.

If you are in Santa Fe next week - look for me enjoying a cup of coffee and a decadent pastry in the window of the Plaza Bakery. And if you are there - treat yourself to the unique atmosphere of the "City Different" through one of the best spots in town.

THANK YOU NOTES

2011-06-21T11:33:00.000-05:00

It's been eighteen days since my surgery and I am slowly finding my way back to my easel. I "tucker out" quickly so I try and make good use of times when I have some stamina.

I am extremely grateful to live in a generous community where lots of coworkers, family and friends have generously brought by food, supplies and loaned me assorted medical equipment to help me through my recovery. So one of the first things I completed has been a simple, little watercolor thank you note.

I discovered these little cats years ago and honestly can't remember where. I've since enjoyed drawing them doing all sorts of funny things and thought they would be a cute image on a thank you note.

I am trying to finish up two, personalized watercolor baby gifts and playing with some small colored pencil pieces but again - I am held back when my energy seems to evaporate. Thanks to physical therapy three times a week and pushing myself I am making progress. I just wish I was moving faster.

Thank you to everyone for all your prayers and continued compassion. I'll be back soon.

SUNFLOWER FESTIVAL RESULTS

2011-06-11T09:46:00.000-05:00

This is my first post since having total knee replacement on June 3rd and I hope I am finally getting back to some kind of normal.

The Sunflower festival was on June 4th and I'm thrilled that my "Fancy Shawl Dancers" won the 2-Dimensional Best of Show Award. My banner was selected as one of the two pieces featured in a live auction and sold well too. We were all disappointed that Kelsey's banner didn't sell well but Lindsay's had a nice price in the silent auction. I wish I could have been there and I don't have much recollection of the day as it is.

I've got my easel set up waiting for me but between physical therapy sessions and six hours on a knee extension machine at home, I haven't found much motivation to be creative.

Thank you to everyone for your prayers through this ordeal. I'm anxious to be on the other side and enjoying my creative self again soon.

WEDDING CARICATURES

2011-05-31T11:28:00.000-05:00

I recently had a commission to do cartoon caricatures at a friend's wedding. Due to the impending knee surgery there was no way I could sit and do caricatures on the upcoming wedding date. The bride asked if I would at least create caricatures of her and her family for decorations. Here is my finished work.

Year's ago I used to set up and draw quick, ink caricatures at local events and children's parties. I actually haven't done much cartooning like this in years. I enjoy the exaggerated facial features of caricatures but for friends and family I generally create "cute" cartoons that flatter a little more than traditional caricatures. I remember doing hours of these quick sketches finding I had to create drawings of baby after baby. I learned very quickly that every baby has to be cute no matter what.

The couple also asked that I design a cartoon frame for the cartoons.

This is the bride and groom which the couple plans to recreate on the top of their wedding cake.

I didn't get a lot of suggestions of hobbies or interests for the bride so I just let her celebrate.

The groom loves Nerf guns.

The youngest daughter is described as a princess

One son loves money, nerf guns and anything spy-like.

This son has his own superhero symbol.

This son excells in all sorts of sports and academics.

The oldest daughter loves FFA, her boots and claims to be the boss of the family.

My blood pressure is coming down with the exception of the recent calls from the hospital business office regarding payments for the joint replacement surgery this Friday. Maybe I can set up a booth in the hallway of the hospital and raise some money doing caricatures to pay the bill.

Keep those prayers coming!

ASHER & HADLEY PERSONALIZED WATERCOLORS

2011-05-25T13:56:00.001-05:00

I've had two commissions for personalized watercolors waiting for my attention for a long time. With the end of school, family and pending surgery I am behind on these orders. These simple little pieces take a great deal of time to complete and are often more of a gift of my time even with the price tag. I thought I'd share a little of the process.

To start I draw multiple, cartoon images to suit the customer. Most of these watercolors are personalized baby gifts and match some sort of nursery theme. I usually draw the images in colored pencils and then paint them with watercolors. I often make a ton of these pieces not knowing exactly how I'll arrange them around the child's name.

Then comes the job of cutting out each little piece over and over again. I use both scissors and X-Acto knives to get the intricate, tiny cuts. I actually stumbled on the idea of creating 3-dimensional paintings after a horrible watercolor mistake on a nearly finished piece. I was desperate to salvage hours of work and decided to create cut-outs to cover my mistake. The idea took off! I think having this little characters and embellishments popping out of the picture are a great touch.

So here is Asher's finished watercolor. As in all commission work - I sure hope my friend likes the finished piece!

Here's a close-up of the monkeys, background and the silly, jungle birds I invented to embellish the painting. I tend to get really "busy" with these paintings but the fun is assembling all the tiny pieces and seeing it come to life.

I debated about posting the painting for baby Hadley. As is sometimes the case, this customer needed a copyrighted image used which always makes me a little itchy. But this special baby has a Disney themed nursery waiting. I really prefer to invent my own cartoon characters but I actually loved putting this painting together.

I am still preparing for a total knee replacement next week. However, I am also battling my blood pressure which has been extremely high. If the blood pressure problem doesn't regulate I may be hobbling around a little longer - so, prayers appreciated!

A TIME OF TRANSITION

2011-05-21T15:57:00.000-05:00

Now that my show of little pastel still life paintings has been up for a few weeks and my acrylic street banner is hanging high above our brick main street for the upcoming art, food and wine festival, it's time to catch up on some overdue commissions.

As a rule I'm not fond of commission work but I sure appreciate the paycheck that comes at the end. Last fall my oldest daughter, Kiley and I sat up a booth at a local craft fair. She marketed her fabulous hair bows and I promoted my personalized watercolor paintings. I've had two such orders for watercolors waiting for my attention. I also have a niece and a former student with new babies waiting for a personalized baby gift. So my easel has changed over to a center full of watercolors and colored pencils.

I have one more week of teaching art at the high school before our summer break begins. That means lots of work packing, inventory and requisitioning supplies. I'm also in charge of supervising student artists who are creating graduation backdrops and last minute projects. It's always a hectic time up until the last bell rings on Friday.

Instead of a summer filled with exciting travel I am preparing for a total knee replacement June 3rd which should influence how I spend the rest of my summer vacation. I have been gathering and organizing my supplies in hopes that I will find comfort and distraction painting during my recovery. Let's hope so. I was one of the youngest patients in the orthopedic clinic this week that wasn't there due to a sports injury. The thought of using a walker at my age has really upset my self image. Hopefully my blog will be filled with lots of great work due to my confinement and who knows what you'll discover due to copious amounts of pain medication.

Your prayers will be most appreciated!!!!

SUNFLOWER ART FESTIVAL 2011 BANNER

2011-05-14T22:26:00.000-05:00

She is finally done! This year's banner is a bit of a departure from the floral pieces I have done in the past. I hope she enjoys her home hanging high above main street for the next few weeks. I also hope someone adopts her and gives her a permanent place to live.

Banners are supposed to be turned in to the local gallery on Tuesday and are to be hung soon after that. I am excited to show off two banners that are being created by two of my daughters.

I think I have enjoyed my girls work more than mine this year. It is such fun to watch them doing something I enjoy.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2011-05-11T09:54:00.000-05:00

BANNER PROGRESS

2011-05-09T09:31:00.000-05:00

I have more of the under painting and choices made regarding this year's Sunflower Festival banner. The deadline for turning it in is this weekend.

I can't believe how orange I've gone in this piece. I rarely use that color except for highlights and when it's required as a local color. I plan to tone it done quite a bit. I also plan to change the right hand to soften the pose and expose more of the fingers. I don't care for how the thumb is sticking out even though I like it on the left hand. I am going to "paint out" the large, green leaf so the fingers are prominent.

At this stage nothing is really finished but I have finished blocking everything in excluding the right hand changes

It's time to start details and pump up the values.

SUNFLOWER FESTIVAL BANNER PROGRESS

2011-05-04T14:48:00.000-05:00

This year's banner is progressing nicely. I always have great expectations and fun at this stage of a new project. I thought using an orange and blue complimentary color scheme would make a jazzy banner when seen from the street. I really like covering the canvas with medium values before I start creating highlights and shadows.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2011-05-04T14:38:00.000-05:00

MY TRADING POST CAFE & GALLERY ART SHOW

2011-05-03T09:06:00.000-05:00

Rene and Kimberly are the owners of the amazing Trading Post Cafe. Their restaurant and gallery has been praised in the New York Times and Frommer's. http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/north-america/united-states/new-mexico/taos/14127/trading-post-cafe/restaurant-detail.html

The Trading Post Cafe has been open for seventeen years in the same beautiful location in historic Ranchos de Taos right at the base of the San Francisco of Assisi church. They were tremendously kind to show my work during the peak of the New Mexico tourist season.

It is always stressful to pack and travel with artwork and especially with the delicate, powdery pastels I chose for this show. I added an extra element of concern when I matted everything in pure white mats that showed any pastel residue that might fall from the work. Thankfully everything traveled well without any breakage or changes.

I inventoried and priced each piece before my husband, Michael and daughter, Kelsey started to hang the work. I deliberately waited to price the work until I saw examples the day before. Taos is a busy art market and I decided to price the pieces a little higher than I normally do. I still priced the work inexpensively in hopes of better sales.

I was extremely honored to be given the best room in the gallery/restaurant to show my work. It is a huge room and I was challenged to build an exhibit of my small pieces that would fill the space. Kelsey and I spread out the work and decided to group pieces by size and color rather than evenly space them across the walls of the room.

I have eighteen pieces in the total show. With help from Michael and Kelsey the show was hung in about an hour. At the same time we were hanging my work a local Taos artist was in the back hanging her new show. I was shocked when I discovered her work was being put in the restroom! Wow - I had the biggest room in the place and she was happy to hang in the bathroom.

I can't express how thrilling this experience was for me. I have traveled to Taos since I was a little girl and I've dreamed of showing my artwork there all of my life. This was truly a dream-come-true day. My show will be on exhibit until July 10th. The Trading Post Cafe is open Sundays at 5:00, Closed Mondays and open Tuesday through Saturday for lunch and dinner.

http://tradingpostcafe.com/

2011 FESTIVAL BANNER BEGINS

2011-05-03T08:33:00.000-05:00

The Sunflower Art, Food and Wine Festival opens June 3rd and one of the highlights for me is painting one of the twenty street banners that hang on main street before the event.

This year I asked a beautiful friend to model for me and be my banner subject. The painted area of the banner is 24" x 35" and begins with a heavy coat of gesso. The canvas has to be carefully stretched since it is 100% cotton and likes to shrink when wet.

Stay tuned to see this project develop. I am excited that my daughters are also painting banners this year and I will post some of their work, too.

FEATURED ARTIST FOR ART FESTIVAL

2011-04-28T14:36:00.000-05:00

I am pumped to have my painting "Farmer's Market Sunflowers" selected as the featured artwork for the upcoming Sunflower Art Festival coming up June 3rd.

My work will be used on all of the festival's print and electronic publications promoting the event.

These sunflowers have made their third appearance on my blog. I posted them first when they were created for a local miniature show at the Wild Horse Gallery. They showed up a second time a few months later when I donated them to the Circle of Friends cancer support group where they sold to a very dear friend. Now they are going to get to show off again on banners, fliers and websites. Yippee!!!

ART SHOW CARD

2011-04-27T10:20:00.001-05:00

I've just completed creating my show card for my upcoming art show at the Trading Post Cafe and Gallery in Taos, NM. I've been debating back and forth about whether to only use what I consider to be the showiest pieces or include everything I've done in the Kitchen Counter Series. I decided to include all eighteen pastel paintings that I currently have in my series inventory. I've also got contact and studio information on the back.

My reasoning for putting so many images on my show card is that I hope patrons will see a painting they like and grab a card while they ponder their potential purchase. Taos has an active art market which is one of the reasons I am so thrilled to be showing there - especially a show that lasts from May 1st to July 10th. I hope that these little cards will help boost interest in my work as well as sales. Who knows where my cards may wind up?

PB & J ON A PAPER PLATE

2011-04-26T09:33:00.000-05:00

"P B & J on a Paper Plate"

9.25" x 8.25"

Pastel on Canson Mi-Teintes Paper

Drum roll, please! This is my final piece in my Kitchen Counter Series heading to Taos, NM this weekend for my very first Taos show at the Trading Post Cafe & Gallery. I finished it yesterday, just got a scan and have it's frame ready and waiting.

I like to mark the occasion of finishing a series with something special. My last Kitchen Counter Series was concluded with a very fancy still life of strawberries in a silver bowl. This time I thought I'd go the opposite direction and have the finale piece be something everyday, ordinary and loved by nearly everyone. Come on. What's a better comfort food and a true favorite from our childhood than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. In fact, I actually ate half of my subject matter before I even started the painting.

So now I'm busy building gallery tags and a new art card for this weekend. I am extremely excited about fulfilling a lifelong dream of showing my artwork in a New Mexico gallery. Thanks to everyone who has encouraged me - especially my family and my husband, Michael.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2011-04-20T10:31:00.000-05:00

RED GRAPES IN GLASS BOWL

2011-04-14T21:43:00.000-05:00

"Red Grapes in a Glass Bowl"

11" x 8.5"

Soft Pastel on Canson Mi-Teintes Paper

I rarely like to revisit a subject but I really enjoyed painting red grapes a years ago and I loved trying to capture a clear, glass container. My first painting of red grapes is no longer in my inventory so I decided to create a new one for my May 1st show.

This is the next-to-last painting for that show. I am away from home for the weekend at the state speech and debate tournament so no painting until next week. All of my new frames have arrived so I'm nearly ready to pack and go.

It's been a wonderful art week for me. My students did incredibly well at their last high school competition, I've sold three paintings - one right after the other and I've had two commissions for personalized watercolors.

MEETING THE ARTIST CAROL BEESLEY

2011-04-14T21:26:00.000-05:00

One of the highlights of the spring is the annual Art Jubilee Competition and Show held on the campus of Oklahoma Panhandle State University near my home. For the past eleven years I have taken my students to this event to compete against high school art programs from the surrounding five states.

This year my students won our tenth sweepstakes award and brought home our tenth 2-D Best of Show Award. I was thrilled since this was one of the biggest turnouts for the Jubilee in years.

As part of the event, the university hosts workshops for both students and teachers. This year it was a joy to meet and spend time with Oklahoma artist, Carol Beesley. Carol's work has been featured throughout the Southwest. She is currently part of the faculty at the University of Oklahoma.

Carol Beesley and Me

Carol and some of her vivid, Oklahoma landscapes created with oil sticks.

As part of her workshop, Carol cut Van Gogh's Starry Night into little squares, passed them out to participants, gave us piles of oil pastels and square pieces of paper and led us to create our little section of the painting. I had a ball. It was so much fun to get to play with other artists. I actually ended up painting two different, 18" x 18" pieces.

I hope to post some of the exceptional student work entered in the Jubilee soon.

URBAN BRU COFFEE HOUSE SHOW

2011-04-09T16:09:00.000-05:00

I picked up my artwork at the Urban Bru Coffee House yesterday. I was very pleased to be their first artist to be showcased. The new establishment has had lots of traffic and has been really busy especially since the owners have been hosting special events. They are also contributing back to the community by participating in numerous charities and organizations.

Susan Barrias is the owner of Urban Bru. I first met Susan when I cast her in my murder mystery dinner theater. She and her husband have a daughter in my husbands high school speech program.

There have been a number of photos from Urban Bru in our local newspaper over the past two months. This photo of board members of the local homeless shelter with Bru employees ran a few weeks ago.

The employees at the Bru gave their first tips to the shelter. Behind them you can see some of my artwork.

All in all showing at the Urban Bru got me a lot of attention. Owners Dr. Mannie and Susan Barrias also bought the large pastel of coffee cups with heart shaped foam - "I'd Love a Cup"

"I'd Love a Cup" now has a permanent home!

ORANGES & SLICES

2011-04-06T14:43:00.001-05:00

Less than a month to go until I get to hang work in Taos, New Mexico. I am so thrilled. This has been a life long goal. We plan to travel there on April 30th, spend the night and hang the show at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, May 1st. I hope we get to enjoy one of the Trading Post Cafe's amazing meals on Saturday night.

These oranges were so much fun to paint. I hadn't noticed that the last three pieces were all red and when I realized that, I was determined to go another direction. I used a brown background for the first time and really liked the natural setting it gave the fruit. I've had friends comment that the piece looks extremely photorealistic even with the use of deep violets and electric oranges. I've been interested in using a wide variety of vivid background colors so I was concerned that a brown background might not fit in the series - wrong!

This digital image is from a scan of the piece but it still fails to really capture the accurate palette of rich oranges I used in the work. (I need a color lesson in PhotoShop.)

"Oranges with Slices"

11" x 8"

Pastel on Canson Mi-Teintes Paper

Only two more pieces to go!!!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2011-04-06T08:57:00.000-05:00

RED CHILI PEPPERS ON A YELLOW PLATE

2011-04-01T17:19:00.001-05:00

I couldn't do a New Mexico show in a restaurant without adding a few red peppers. I finished this piece last night and may still change a few things before it goes into it's frame. There are lots of subtle shades of red and violets in the peppers.

"Red Chili Peppers on a Yellow Plate"

8.25" x 9.5"

Pastel on Canson Mi-Teintes Paper

It's been a great art day for flying shoes. I got a call this morning from our local gallery that a large pastel piece I did last February sold last night to an Oklahoma State Senator that was in town for an event. They wanted to let me know about the sale. That really made my day. I had been debating collecting some of the gallery pieces that had been hanging for awhile and bringing them home. I think it's important to rotate inventory after a while. So Glad I didn't do that before this sale.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2011-03-30T18:29:00.000-05:00

POMEGRANATE ON A PATTERNED SAUCER

2011-03-26T18:56:00.000-05:00

I have been dreaming of a colorful pomegranate still life for months and I've also been anxious to paint a little saucer my youngest daughter bought me at a local thrift store. Today I did both and I'm pretty happy with the outcome.

"Pomegranate on a Patterned Saucer"

8" x 11"

Soft Pastel on Canson Mi-Teintes Paper

I am still on a quest to find the perfect violet, soft pastel. I've bought an assortment of different brands online and at art stores around the Southwest but I still can't locate the creamy, soft, dark color I want. I used all kinds in this piece.

I plan on completing four more, new pieces in time for my May 1st show. I've got giant oranges and a sack of bright red chili peppers waiting on me in my refrigerator. After that - who knows.....

WORDLESS (AND OUCHLESS) WEDNESDAY

2011-03-23T12:50:00.000-05:00

A LITTLE INSPIRATION FROM SANTA FE

2011-03-22T12:29:00.000-05:00

While visiting Santa Fe over Spring Break, I happened to notice a small display in the lobby of the La Fonda Hotel. A fellow pastel artist had matted some small prints of their work in brightly colored, fabric mats - "What a great idea!"

I am working away on pieces for my May 1st, Taos show but hoping to also participate in our local Sunflower Art Festival the first of June. I know I can't possibly have enough original inventory and afford enough framing for both events but thanks to my La Fonda discovery I think I might have a solution.

I can make small prints of some of my best pastels, mat them in small fabric mats and sell those for reduced prices at the Sunflower Festival. At least - that's my plan at the moment. Here are two preliminary pieces made from prints.

This is my recent plum pastel matted in bright pink silk.

Here is the same print matted using some painted scraps of dimensional wallpaper I've been saving in my studio. Both of these pieces are small (only 4.75" x 4" in a 10.5" x 9.5" double mat)

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2011-03-16T11:35:00.002-05:00

BROOKS RANGE HUNT

2011-03-12T22:44:00.001-06:00

Last October I received a photo from a friend who now lives in Alaska. She asked if I would paint it as a gift for her husband. The photo was of a campsite in front of an amazing sky and Alaskan mountain range. With holidays, directing a play and lots of family obligations, her request has been on the back burner until this weekend.

"Hunt in the Alaskan Brooks Range"

22" x 16"

Pastel on Canson Mi-Teintes

I wish my little Canon Power Shot could better capture the correct colors and that my skills on Photoshop could create a better digital image. But as is usually the case - you need to see it up close and personal. The horns aren't this yellow and the foreground is colorful but not quite this orange.

Commission work is always a little nerve-racking for me. I am fearful of pleasing the customer and worry about successfully interpreting what they have in mind - especially when it comes from a specific photo that the customer already cherishes. I really am anxious for this piece to safely travel all the way to its new home in Alaska and even more anxious to please my friend.

"BLACKBERRIES IN A CUSTARD CUP"

2011-03-10T14:32:00.000-06:00

It has been a particularly distressing week in my classroom. (No real tragedy but a lot of disappointment in how my students are performing.) I have high expectations for my students and myself and it's challenging not to personally react to apathy or wasted time and talent.

Creative projects have always been an oasis for me whenever I'm upset so these little blackberries were supposed to rescue me from my teacher blues. Sometimes a painting or drawing creates itself with very little effort but these guys seemed to fight me from start to finish. Maybe it was my irritation at the end of the school day or maybe capturing black berries on a green background was a big challenge - I don't know.

"Blackberries in a Custard Cup"

7" x 10"

Pastel on Canson Mi-Teintes Paper

I am debating whether to frame this piece or not. So help me out folks. Tell me what you think. Composition work? Shapes and colors interesting? Would you want to live with it peeking at you from a frame on your wall?

As for this teacher - she's pretty darn happy spring break starts next week.

"PURPLE PLUMS ON PINK"

2011-03-05T08:54:00.000-06:00

I have had "fits" this morning trying to get a good scan of my recent work. I brought home an old flatbed scanner from my classroom but it did not want to sync with my computer. Long story - lots of attempts - gave up!

What you see is my even older, smaller, home scanner attempt but at least it captured some of the colors with some degree of accuracy.

"Purple Plums on Pink"

9" x 7.5"

Pastel on Canson Mi-Teintes Paper

This is the second in my new series being prepared for The Trading Post Cafe in Taos, NM. This painting almost painted itself. It's mat is ready

PROUD OF MY STUDENT!

2011-03-01T11:14:00.000-06:00

Stefanie Almedia, Senior Guymon High School

Silverware (Fork) Sculpture

"The Way I See It"

Very excited for my senior student, Stefania Almeida, who won one of only eight merit awards at the 22nd Annual Area High School Exhibit in Liberal, Kansas.

Stefanie is an extremely talented young lady and she excels with every type of art she attempts. She is a highly skilled pastel artist and draws beautifully regardless of the medium. At the beginning of the year I challenged my Advanced Placement students to create a series of pieces all based on silverware. Stefanie decided to build a sculpture as a resource for a charcoal drawing. The drawing was fabulous and the sculpture was really cool.

"In My Dreams"

Charcoal Drawing by Stefanie Almeida

In preparation for the Kansas competition, she decided to rebuild her fork sculpture and enter it along with her original charcoal drawing. We just learned this morning that the sculpture was selected by the judges as one of the show's top pieces.

It makes my world to have such a terrific student. Our next goal is to get her some art scholarship money for college.

NOW THAT'S MORE LIKE IT

2011-02-26T13:28:00.001-06:00

I found a bunch of crisp, red radishes and knew they needed to be captured on a turquoise background. It's been a wonderful day painting up these little guys. I especially love their long tails.

The mix of complimentary colors help to make this piece pop.

"Radishes on Turquoise"

8.5" x 8.5"

Soft Pastel on Canson Mi-Teintes Paper

I wish my computer and camera could better capture the true, rich colors I combined. I've played a lot with Photoshop to try to fix them but it just doesn't compare to seeing them in real life.

Theses babies are done and ready to mat and frame for The Trading Post Cafe. I already have some purple plums drawn out and plan to paint them on a hot pink background next. There are some fabulous blackberries waiting behind them if I don't eat them first.

NOT "FRAME-WORTHY"

2011-02-23T15:01:00.000-06:00

Here are a couple of still life pastel drawings I've completed and don't really believe deserve a frame. They've been great pieces to play with but I don't intend to exhibit them beyond my blog buddies.

"Sliced Orange"

6" x 8"

Soft Pastel on Canson Mi-Teintes Paper

I did this piece out of a pastel paper sketchbook

I bought a long time ago and it's on an odd orange, toned paper.

I've learned that I need to warm-up a little each time I start working in a medium I haven't touched for awhile. Since I teach so many different mediums, styles and skill levels, I am always jumping around. Currently my craft students are doing printmaking. My first year students are finishing up color theory and colored pencil techniques. My second year students are in the middle of pastel portraits and my advanced students are all over the place with acrylics, colored pencils, collage - you name it.

I am ready to give my full attention to building up my inventory for my Taos show. I have confirmed that I'm to hang my work May 1st and take it down July 10th. I'm thrilled to have my work showing over Memorial Day and the Fourth of July in such a great tourist market.

"Sliced Pears in the Light"

9" x 5"

Soft Pastel on Canson Mi-Teintes Paper

I just did this piece a few days ago to again, warm up.

I wanted a clever composition and to use some vivid color but

I'm not all that happy with the result.

I have blocked out three new pieces including a landscape commission for a good friend who now lives in Alaska. So visit me often and see how my inventory grows.

ONE OF MY FAVORITE CLASSROOM EXPERIENCES

2011-02-17T14:20:00.000-06:00

Every year I look forward to the end of the first semester when I have my beginning students draw a self portrait. I have them draw a portrait the first week of school, save it and then pull that first drawing out to compare to the portraits they draw at the end of the semester. It's so much fun and so esteeming to see how their skills have developed.

Here are some examples of before and after drawings done by a few of my Art I students. The drawings on the left were done in August and the drawings on the right are done by the same students in January.

I'm pretty proud of how their artistic skills have improved.

All of the students are required to wear some sort of head covering. Backgrounds are optional and can earn bonus points.

I'M BACK!

2011-02-17T14:03:00.000-06:00

It's been a crazy, hectic time in my household as our entire family has been involved in the Murder Mystery Dinner Theater. I'm finally feeling like I have my life back.

My husband, Michael played Benton Fish, the master of ceremonies.

My daughter, Lindsay and son-in-law, Aaron played Mitzi Mooney and Chet Farquirk. Chet was one of the romance novel authors. Aaron is actually married to my oldest daughter, Kiley.

My daughter, Kiley played Jane Forthright, the head of security who helped to catch the killer.

We closed the show last Sunday afternoon after a month of rehearsals and a great weekend of performances. I was exhausted but really pleased we pulled it off!

Thankfully, we raised a lot of money, had great audiences and the event pleased the youth shelter coalition.

Now I'm ready to get back to preparing for my Taos, NM show and enjoying time on my easel.

I'D LOVE A CUP"

2011-01-31T13:12:00.000-06:00

"I'd Love a Cup"

24" x 18"

Pastel on Black Canson MiTeintes Paper

Here's a brand new, large pastel made especially for the opening of the new coffee house. I'm also claiming this as this year's valentine artwork for my family. I hope to hang my work sometime later this week in time for the coffee house opening on Saturday.

Since this was a quick piece, I decided to make it all about the color. I discovered a quote a few days ago that read "Value tells the story but color gets the credit." I wrote it out and posted it in my classroom. My students are all learning color theory and starting to work in colored pencils or pastels. It's a real challenge for them to suddenly work in colored media so I am constantly talking about the importance of color value. I thought this piece would help me explain using the color wheel, developing color values and being bold with color choices.

I think I may need to do some more pieces in this simple style. I used to do a lot of work with strong, black outlines on black paper and I forgot how much fun they are to do. I've also been itching to use some metallic pastels I found in an art shop in Santa Fe which I finally put to use to make the portal around the coffee cups.

CAMI'S WATERCOLOR

2011-01-29T08:24:00.000-06:00

They say "The cobbler's children have no shoes" and there are lots of times when my family has asked why don't I create more artwork for them?

My granddaughter, Cami has had to wait four years for her very own, personalized watercolor. She turns four this weekend and I've finally made her a painting. We don't get to see Cami as much as we'd like. She lives with her birth mother in Texas and visits my daughter and son-in-law on alternate weekends. She is a loving, sweet, bright little girl and we are so happy she is a part of our family.

Cami loves cupcakes, art (that pleases me tremendously), monkeys and fairies so those are the images we selected to signify the letters of her name.

Before the ravenous legal team at Disney chases me down on the copyright on Tinker Bell - no money was exchanged for the use of her image and my granddaughter has hundreds of legally purchased "Tinks" on bedding, posters, T-shirts and toys all over her room.

ART SHOW IN A NEW COFFEE HOUSE

2011-01-28T15:34:00.001-06:00

I am really excited to have been invited to hang some of my artwork in a brand new coffee house opening in our community. The owner of the business is one of my cast members in the murder mystery dinner theater I am directing. She approached me about being her first featured artist.

Yesterday I stopped by the shop and was pleased to see how clever it looks. I plan to show some of my inventory of pastel still life paintings but I hope to build a new pastel with coffee cups especially for her shop.

I love visiting coffee houses when we travel and enjoy the original artwork that is usually on display.

I've got my ideas and my paper ready. I hope to get something wonderful going this weekend. Dreaming of patterns, vivid colors and of course, coffee cups.

MURDER MYSTERY DINNER THEATER

2011-01-25T15:29:00.000-06:00

A long time ago, a fellow artist commented that they had stopped growing a garden each summer because it robbed their creative energy. I thought that was odd since I didn't view creativity as a limited resource.

Since then I have discovered that her words, in fact, are true.

I find that I need to limit where I direct my creativity and if left unfocused, I can get bogged down in endless projects and never finish anything.

Since I was a kid, I have loved performing in live theater. I remember vividly when my mother took me to see Carol Channing in "Hello Dolly." I wanted to to do THAT! I don't honestly know how many shows I've acted in or directed. Since founding our community theater in 1979, my husband and children have all contributed lots of time both on and off stage.

I am right in the middle of directing a murder mystery dinner in our town to benefit a newly forming emergency youth shelter. It's a very worth while project and I am having a great time working with both the youth shelter committee and the talent I've assembled. The show, "My Fatal Valentine" is about a group of rival romance novelists who are competing for an award. One of them is murdered and the audience gets to vote for "whodunit."

BUT - I'm also yearning for my free time and my time on other projects - mainly painting. I've got my easel set up and hope to get some time there preparing for my Taos show but I know that I can't easily jump back and forth from theater to visual art without one suffering or feeling spread too thin. In about three weeks the production will be gone like pixie dust and I'll be able to concentrate on my paintings.

Yes, you can most definitely spend your creative currency so be thrifty, dear friends.

The Sun, The Rain & The Appleseed: Flying Shoes Inspiring Minds

2011-01-23T21:04:00.001-06:00

I am really honored that a good friend featured me in his beautiful blog. James worked at the local gallery before launching out to seek his fortune elsewhere. He was a wonderful advocate for me then and I am grateful for his continued support and friendship.

Here is a link to visit his blog.

The Sun, The Rain & The Appleseed: Flying Shoes Inspiring Minds

BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN

2011-01-22T12:00:00.000-06:00

I can hear strains of Gene Autry as I gather supplies and organize my easel for my upcoming Taos, NM show. I have a pile of measured papers and mats ready to go. I've found that it's easier to prepare
everything in advance so I can concentrate on the fun of painting when the mood strikes and the time is right.

I measure, cut, tape and label my Canson MiTeintes papers in assorted sizes on scraps of mat board. For a show I like to create an assortment of small sizes ranging from 4" to 18." I love to work larger but smaller pieces are cheaper to frame, ship and sell for less.

Next I cut mats and frame backing for each piece. I detest cutting mats which is made easier since I have access to a fabulous mat cutter in my high school classroom. This time of year I am cutting hundreds of mats (in spite of how much I hate doing it) for my student's competitions. There are lots of scraps left over which help my budget. This way I also know exactly what size of frames and glass I am going to need. This helps me budget what expense I am going to have.

So now I'm ready to start a new series of food still life paintings for my Spring show. I bought some lovely, golden pears last night that I think will be the first piece on the easel. I hope to add about ten new pieces to replace the inventory I've sold or given away.

"Back in the Saddle Again!"

PATRON SAINT OF FACEBOOK

2011-01-20T14:21:00.000-06:00

Here's my homage to Facebook with its very own patron saint.

This piece is also done in Derwent colored pencil on black Canson paper. It measures 3" x 9".

Patron Saint of Twitter

2011-01-20T11:24:00.000-06:00

I have a number of 3" x 3" wooden blocks left over from making mini art blocks with my students. I have glued a lot of altered, vintage images and prints of my artwork on them and sold them well at our local art gallery.

I've been trying to come up with another novel way to use them. Last summer when I set up my art show in Amarillo, the previous artist was taking down her work which was canvas panels hinged together of saint-like characters. So I thought "Why not invent some saints of my own based on some current pop culture?"

So here is my first, personal saint. This is my Patron Saint of Twitter. He is created on black Canson paper with Derwent colored pencils. He measures 9" x 3" and soon will be glued to three little 3" x 3" boards in a triptych.

Notice the Twitter 't" on his hat, the Twitter bluebird and Blackberry, CXL which are Roman Numerals for 140 (which is the number of characters/spaces you have to post on Twitter) and the phrase "Follow Me."

THE MYSTERIOUS "MAE"

2011-01-18T13:07:00.001-06:00

Last summer I found this painting at a yard sale and I had to rescue it. The yard sale was in the former home of the deceased Guymon resident, Vonceil Gray (not sure I spelled that correctly). She and her husband had owned a wonderful dress shop on main street where I remember shopping with my mother and older sisters. Vonceil was a really classy woman who was always beautifully dressed whenever you saw her. When she died, her home and it's contents were sold.

It's hard for me to see a discarded work of art (well there are some that might deserve to be hidden under the bed). I have difficulty throwing away abandoned student work left in my classroom, too. Mae (which was written on the back of the canvas cardboard) needed a home so I not only brought her to mine but I also hung her on the wall. Someone did a nice job of depicting this person using some lovely color techniques.

The only other clue I have is the date "1972" written on the back of the piece. Someone had marked out something beside the name, Mae but I can't make it out under the black.

I've lived in the same little town for over 50 years and think I know just about every aspiring artist in town but no Mae comes to mind. I don't know if it's the name of the artist or the subject. So Mae remains a mystery.

Maybe someone out there can help identify her. Regardless, she is admired, enjoyed and appreciated each and everyday as I walk past her. Someone cared enough to capture her and Vonceil cared enough to frame and display her in her beautiful home.

I think each and every working artist hopes that their creations outlast them and are appreciated and cared for long after they are gone.

LUKE WATERCOLOR

2011-01-05T16:57:00.001-06:00

Here is another dimensional watercolor commission I did for Christmas. This piece was for a little boy who adores John Deere tractors. The mother gave me one of his toy tractors for inspiration and basically asked me to do whatever I wanted.

Camra's Christmas Commission

2011-01-05T13:34:00.000-06:00

Now that the holidays are over, I am geared up and starting a lot of new projects. I have waited to post a few of the Christmas commissions I did until I knew the gifts had been unwrapped and I wouldn't spoil any surprises. This 17.5" x 7.5" watercolor was created for a really wonderful young lady who was a former student and an active member of my husband's speech and debate team. She is currently a college student who is actively pursuing a career in theater wig construction.

Camra's mother commissioned this piece during the Art Show I participated in way back in November. All of the images and the color scheme were her suggestions.

2010 BOOKPLATE

2010-12-11T08:55:00.000-06:00

Each fall I begin a lengthy ink unit with my advanced students. While they work away I start an original bookplate design which I eventually scan, print on adhesive paper and give to friends and family for Christmas. This year's bookplate is finally complete

I've known for a long time that I wanted to celebrate my success with my fruit and vegetable still life paintings by using the same subject matter in my bookplate. My youngest daughter had discovered a little white plate with blue flowers at a local thrift shop and I had been itching to use it in a piece of art work. I also wanted to design a decorative border around the still life. I started by drawing a flourish design and inked it with a .08 micron pen. This pen has a relatively thick tip. I planned to create the entire piece using stippling (layers of dots/dashes).

I also selected a pomegranate as my subject matter. I was surprised to discover how symbolic this particular fruit is for so many different religions and cultures.

I knew I wanted something a little different from my earlier bookplates so I decided create something vertical. I cut a piece of Crescent mat board 9" x 15" for my support. It is nice to have a hard surface to work on since this piece is hauled around for weeks between my home and classroom.

For the background of my still life I wanted the look of a folded tablecloth so I draped some fabric under the little plate and sliced open what would be a series of ripe pomegranates. I wanted to have the final layout be straight down and not a traditional side view of the plate and fruit.

For the remainder of the piece I used a .005 micron or prismacolor ink pen. It's like drawing with a tiny strand of hair. I have no idea how many dots/dashes make up this piece.

Like most things that take a lot of time to complete. This detailed ink drawing began to evolve. The more I learned about the significance of the pomegranate, the more I wanted to make a statement in this year's work. I can't help but be influenced by world news and current events in our household and part of the fun of creating an annual work of art is to use it to mark the occasion or note what's happening around us.

In researching the pomegranate I learned that it is a frequent icon in almost every established religion. You can find it in synagogues, temples, mosques and churches all over the globe. Each group claims it and identifies it with their faith. So I couldn't just feature it on a little floral plate.

After some further study I wrote the word "Peace" in a variety of languages around my subject. I felt this made more of a statement and took this piece from being just a simple still life.

So here it is. Hope you approve. Hope you'd like to have a print for your very own. And most importantly I hope you find some time of peace and joy during the holidays.

"The Symbolic Pome"

8.75" x 14.75"

Black Ink Stipple on Crescent Mat Board

Aven's Watercolor

2010-12-06T16:50:00.000-06:00

Aven's Watercolor

6.5" x 10.5"

Watercolor & Colored Pencil on 200 lb. Watercolor Paper

I made it a goal to post on "The Shoe" with more frequency but deliberately chose not to post some of my recent commission work. Many of these new pieces are gifts for friends and former students. I didn't want to ruin the surprise for my customers should someone accidentally see their Christmas gift ahead of time.

This commission piece is for a very young child and was ordered by my son-in-law's sister. I doubt the child will discover this post but I hope her mother will be pleased. My challenge for Aven's watercolor was to create a folk art piece inspired by the owner's piggy bank. Aven's room is decorated in matching colors and designs.

I am just about done with two companion pieces for Aven's brother and sister. Each of their paintings are entirely different and have been a lot of fun to create.

I am nearly finished with my 2010, inked bookplate. Stay tuned to see this year's design.

"WALK A MILE"

2010-11-12T13:27:00.000-06:00

"Walk A Mile"

8" x 10" Colored Pencil on Canson Mi-Teines Paper

$200.00

I am very fortunate to own a number of authentic, antique, Native American artifacts. My grandmother, Gussie Powell collected all sorts of beautifully beaded items and blankets and my family has given me many of them since my home is decorated in a rustic/western theme. These moccasins are in that precious collection.

This piece grew out of a need to accommodate a brown/cream, wooden frame for the upcoming Miniature Art Show at the local, Wild Horse Gallery. It also gave me the challenge of replicating bead work and worn hide. I selected the rust, yellow ochre color scheme to suit the brown Canson paper. Colors always read differently depending on the color of the paper support. This same color scheme would have a completely different look if created on white or black paper.

Now I am back to the watercolors to complete some new commissions that have come in since last week's craft fair. I am also working away on this year's, holiday bookplate. So stay tuned. Visit me often and a thank you to everyone who stops by The Flying Shoe.

2010 MINIATURE SHOW - "AUTUMN MOTH"

2010-11-10T09:39:00.001-06:00

"Autumn Moth"

7" x 5"

Colored Pencil on Canson Mi-Teintes Paper
$100.00

Our local gallery, The Wild Horse, is once again hosting a Miniature Show which opens on November 18th. I was concerned about getting anything ready for this year's show due to the demands of my personalized watercolors. But one of the joys of being an art teacher is that I actually have time occasionally to work on my pieces at school.

Long ago I purchased some small, inexpensive brown/cream, wooden frames. So I decided to create a piece that complimented that natural color scheme. After working for weeks with watercolor I also wanted to play with a different medium. My students and I are all doing ink pieces right now but in a few weeks my advanced students start a new unit with colored pencils. So I pulled out my Derwent colored pencils, some brown Canson Mi-Teintes paper and started playing.

PUMPKIN PATCH ARTS & CRAFTS SHOW

2010-11-08T09:38:00.000-06:00

It was a lot of work, but my daughters Kiley, Lindsay and I had a booth at our local, fall craft fair. Kiley sold her adorable bows and hair accessories and I took orders on my personalized watercolors. We were fortunate that this huge festival had a space available at the high school so I was able to use a lot of the display units from my classroom.

I borrowed back a lot of the watercolor gifts I have done over the past few years. This is the first time I have actually tried to sell these items. I had quite a bit of interest and have had people calling about placing orders in time for Christmas.

LILY WATERCOLOR

2010-11-05T13:42:00.001-05:00

I've been collecting some of my previous watercolor paintings to exhibit tomorrow for the arts and crafts show. When I picked up this painting I did for my granddaughter, Lily, I realized I had never gotten a digital photo or posted it - so here it is.

I have been doing so many of the name only paintings that I forget how fun these cartoon paintings are.

Here is a close-up of Lily's painting

I start setting up in just a couple of hours which is always a huge job. I used to love doing art festivals when my girls were little but have only done one in recent years.

Two of my daughters are working with me this weekend. My eldest, Kiley is selling her handmade bows and Lindsay, my middle daughter, is helping us out. I hope we do well!

100 BLOG POSTS

2010-11-04T09:09:00.000-05:00

I noticed totally by accident that my last post was my 100th blog post (cue confetti, horns and balloons). I realize in blogville that I am a blogging infant but still felt it deserved to be celebrated. I have been amazed that my little posts have been read by people all over the planet. Last night I noticed that I had almost 800 hits just in the month of October. THAT'S CRAZY!

Thanks to everyone who stops by to follow my creative life and artistic experiences. This effort has really motivated me to create more and be more disciplined with my artwork. It's my personal goal to post with more frequency.

I've loved art all my life. It's hard to imagine that the little girl who used to leave a trail of drawings behind her would some day have total strangers around the world share her journey. Now - where's my cake!

PYPER

2010-11-03T19:30:00.000-05:00

Here is a commissioned, personalized watercolor requested by a former student. The obvious color scheme is pink, lime green and black. The introduction of black made this one very different and striking. They asked I add lime green bows.

This is the last piece I'm preparing for this weekend's show. I think I've got a nice variety of work to display

Here's a close-up that shows all the details and dimensions. These pieces look really "scrapbooky" but it's all cut-out and layered watercolor pieces. The finished painting is 6 1/2" x 18 1/2" on 200 pound watercolor paper. I am finishing each painting in a 2" white mat wrapped in acetate.

RAMPING UP FOR ART SHOW

2010-11-02T16:00:00.000-05:00

The Pumpkin Patch Arts & Crafts Show is this weekend and I am pushing to get last minute touches ready on my booth and sample paintings ready to exhibit. I just finished assembling a sign to hang on my display tent which is comprised of watercolor patterns. I hope this will help potential customers decide on possible patterns for their personal paintings.

This is another gift for a family friend. All the direction I was given was the baby's name and that the nursery was decorated in pink and green. I hope this is the last of my "free" pieces for awhile and that I have some orders coming soon from paying customers.

FOUND IT!

2010-10-26T10:25:00.000-05:00

Last night I was searching through my cluttered studio looking for my old artist trading cards. At the very bottom of a box of swipe files (files I've made over the years of all sorts of images and collected, project ideas) I discovered my missing sketchbook. I nearly cried. This book has been missing for nearly a year and I had given up hope that i would ever find it again. I am so-o-o-o-o-o happy!

Needless to say, I will be very careful how I manage this little treasure from now on.

The sketchbook is filled with a variety of approaches of a single image - me. I started it a long time ago and have nearly filled all the pages with multiple mediums and styles all of the same photo. It's not about what I study as my subject matter but about how I study my subject matter.

Again- so happy!

Personalized Watercolor Card

2010-10-19T09:03:00.000-05:00

Finished this show card for the craft fair I am doing Nov. 6th. I have been working on an order form so potential customers can have something to pick up and use later. I find people need time to contemplate before making an art purchase thanks to our poor economy. I hope that by giving them something to carry away from my booth I might make some sales after the event.

I am printing these up on card stock and plan to pass them out. They are 4" x 6"

ART CLUB FUNDRAISER

2010-10-18T13:12:00.003-05:00

Our high school art club, The Art Zombies, are raising money through an online T-Shirt Contest. One of my students designed this grunge tiger design and she also uploaded my scratch art design we have been using as our art club logo.

I hope my followers will help us out be visiting the website, registering and voting for these two designs. The more votes we receive, the more likely we are to win some contest money. It doesn't cost anything to register to vote and it won't put you on any mailing lists. You don't have to buy anything to register or vote.

We don't get money for the purchase of a shirt. The prize money is strictly based on how many votes we get during the course of a day, a week and a month.

So log on to DesignByHumans.com and cast your vote. You should find these two designs on the vote page or search for them by the artist's name HatchTheGirl.

This is Molly's Tiger Design

This is my scratch art design.

All prize money will go directly to our high school art account.

MY TAOS, NM ART SHOW

2010-10-14T09:43:00.000-05:00

I finally got confirmation about the dates for my first art show in Taos, NM. The owner of the Trading Post Cafe contacted me yesterday and asked me to select and I decided to show for the two months of May and June of 2011.

This is a huge thrill for me after years of traveling to New Mexico since childhood and admiring the work of established artists. Yes, I am showing in a buffet room of a restaurant but it isn't exactly a Wendy's. The Trading Post Cafe is a historic trading post set in historic Ranchos De Taos at the feet of the Ranchos De Taos San Francisco De Asisi Church. It is a spectacular sight to show and will be packed with tourists next spring.

Again, this is a really exciting step for me down a road I've always dreamed of.

Wedding Anniversary Gift

2010-10-13T12:57:00.000-05:00

This Friday is my eldest daughter and son-in-law's first wedding anniversary. They married last fall in San Antonio, Texas with millions of Monarch butterflies overhead.

Monarchs migrate from the far Northern parts of the United States down to Mexico and since they have an extremely short life span, it may take multiple generations to complete the long trip. It's an amazing, beautiful journey for an amazingly beautiful, fragile life. We were fortunate to be in the path of their flight through Texas where millions converge before entering Mexico.

The kids were married outdoors in the Japanese Gardens under a sky filled with butterflies. At the conclusion of the ceremony, I captured a Monarch on our windshield and have been saving it ever since. I knew I wanted to give it to them on their first anniversary.

I tried a number of approaches for how to best display the butterfly and finally settled on this idea. My daughter carried her favorite flowers, Gerber Daisies for her wedding so I selected a silk version to nestle the butterfly. It was really tedious to rebuild the wings and protect it while trying to mount it in a 5" x 5" shadow box.

I hope it lasts a lifetime this way and that they enjoy remembering the clouds of Monarchs over their heads on their wedding day.

Grant Lee Watercolor

2010-10-11T15:33:00.001-05:00

Grant Lee's mother is much like a fourth daughter in our family. She spent a great deal of her childhood playing at our house and is someone very special to us. She recently had her first son, Grant Lee and decided to decorate his nursery in a jungle theme. Here is her baby gift just finished today.

It is a 12" x 7" watercolor and colored pencil painting on 200 lb, rough watercolor paper. Since little Grant Lee's name was so long, I decided to create a different size painting rather than the long pieces I have traditionally been doing. I really enjoyed building the cartoon, animals. Years ago I did a lot of cartooning work so it's always fun to return to those characters.

This piece is a gift for a special family which is why I have been making them in the first place.

I have finally decided on prices for the craft show I am participating in soon. I am going to have a flat fee of $55.00 for any name of four letters or less. Then I plan to charge $12.50 for each additional letter. The longer the name, the more time and detail is required to complete the painting. This smaller piece is an exception. We'll see how this system works. These pieces take a great deal of time to do so I hope this is a wise method of selling them. Pricing is always difficult for me and I tend to under price my work in hopes of making more sales.

I plan to provide a 2 inch white mat and clear acetate wrap for each painting and to require the customer to pay in advance. I am going to give the customers limited color choices and the opportunity to select from a variety of backgrounds and patterns.

Circle of Friends Donation

2010-10-06T18:33:00.000-05:00

Each fall our local Circle of Friends Chapter holds a fundraising banquet and auction and I have donated a painting for the cause. This group provides money to cancer patients for gas, food, treatments and just about anything else needed during their cancer battle. Having lost my mother to cancer, I believe in helping this group anyway I can.

This is my donation for this year's event. It is colored pencil piece I did last November for our local miniatures show. I love this piece and have sold a few prints of it but the original has been hanging in our local gallery unsold. I drew it from photos I took while visiting an early morning, farmer's market in Telluride, Colorado. I enjoyed all the fresh, frilly sunflowers on display that day.

I hope it helps someone in their fight and makes that fight a little easier.

McKennon's Watercolor

2010-10-06T09:33:00.000-05:00

Whew! Another baby watercolor is finished and this one is for our church youth pastor's family. Their son is named McKennon and their nursery has a hippo theme. I added the little yellow birds for more "whimsy."

This watercolor/colored pencil painting measures 4.75" x 20" and is painted on 200 lb, rough watercolor paper.

I am still not sure what I will charge for orders to make these custom paintings. The craft show is only four weeks away so I need to make some decisions soon!

Here is a close-up of the bottom of the painting.

"TEAL" Watercolor

2010-09-30T19:42:00.000-05:00

My eldest daughter, Kiley has purchased us a space at an upcoming Arts and Crafts fair, The Pumpkin Patch. It is held the first weekend of November and is a huge event in our little community. Kiley has been making the most amazing hair bows for the past few months and plans to sell those. She has asked me to show and sell my customized "baby" watercolors.

For the past few years I have been creating watercolor paintings for new babies and this is my first attempt to market and sell them to the public. They are extremely time consuming projects with lots of intricate details on top of details. I generally ask the parent to give me suggestions of things each letter of the alphabet can stand for (A is for Apple..) or give me the color scheme/theme of their nursery.

I paint a colorful background then paint and cut out the additional pieces and attached with foam adhesive so the final painting has lots of dimension. It takes a ton of time!

To prepare for the craft show, I decided I'd best gear up and finish some of the gift paintings I needed to complete. So this week I have been swimming in watercolor working on four gifts at once. This is the first one I've finished. It is for a special friend who just had her first child and named her Teal. This dear friend was once a teen participant in a youth counseling training program I directed and she now coordinates the CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) program for children caught up in the legal system.

"TEAL" is 8 1/2" x 18 1/2" watercolor & colored pencil piece on 200 lb rough, watercolor paper

Here is a closeup of some of the details in the finished painting. Each piece is hand painted, decorated and individually cutout. Taking orders to make very many of these will be a mixed blessing. I still haven't decided on a reasonable price for my time and expenses and I don't know exactly how I am going to design a system for the customer to customize their personal painting. So stay tuned and give me your suggestions.

A Commission is a Commission

2010-09-24T10:32:00.000-05:00

This may be one of the strangest commission pieces I have ever been asked to do. A former student whom I adore recently asked me to create him a painting. And here is that work - a bottle of Windex. As bizarre as the request was, I was determined to make something of it and to attempt to find something pretty with some interesting color choices.

So here is my latest work - an 11" x 15" acrylic painting of a bottle of Windex glass cleaner.

Altered Butterfly Book

2010-09-18T18:58:00.000-05:00

Altered books are both a thief and a feast for creative expression. Once I get started on a page, I am obsessed with it and ignore more productive, artistic pursuits. It steals my creative energy and I've learned to avoid starting a new book or page when I am "under the gun" to get some work done.

On the other hand - altered books have proven to be a wonderful tool to get my students motivated, loosened up and inspired. This year, I am doing an altered book day at least once a month with my two advanced classes and as in the past, my kids eat it up. There is something naughty about taking an old, discarded book and filling it with paint, collage and drawings that thrills my students. It also builds confidence in experimentation that ultimately serves my students in their other work.

This Friday I did a lesson which involved painting a light glaze of gesso across two facing pages then collaging found papers to create a focal point. I asked my students to journal across the pages in a colored pencil then to do light washes of acrylic paint on top of their writing.

I went on to take funnel-type coffee filters I had long ago purchased and washed them with splatters and drips of raw sienna paint. When dried, I stamped a variety of different tea-stained stamps across the filters. On my computer, I printed out a butterfly on card stock, cut it out and decided to create a butterfly book in that shape.

I had some old twine, copper, feathers and wire which completed the butterfly which I laced to the page.

Again, this activity is always so satisfying and fun to do...a feast for a creative spirit. Now I am obsessing about what to do with the opposite page....stay tuned because I probably won't sleep until I decide what goes there.