I Needed a Fresh New Avatar So...

I've been using a version of this guy as an avatar wherever I go but wanted a newer fresher color. Plus I wanted to make some new canvas paintings. I admit to getting a bit on a roll with it.Yes, fresh new colors indeed.

I think this guy is right up my alley. Very reminiscent of Maddie and Margo not to mention Hannah and her two daughters.

These are all done on 4"x4" stretched canvas and will be going into the shop as soon as I get proper photos of them.

I'm also wondering if these aren't truly reminiscent of the photos one would find in your High School yearbook?

I don't suppose this has anything to do with my re-union coming up in a couple short weeks?

Nah.

More New Art and another Ralphie

I've been finding small random pieces of wood at the construction site lately and I decided that I needed to paint them up. This one has a cherry tree on it. Well, at least a cherry tree in my mind as how I remember it from the house I grew up in.

My Dad built a house for us to live in on a small cherry tree orchard in Brigham City Utah and some of my fondest memories are of those trees. I adored spring time when those four trees came into bloom and my sister and I would climb them endlessly and eat green cherries because we could never wait for them to ripen. My Mom would can them. I never really cared for cherries that way. They always felt so humiliated to me. Somewhat like grapes.


This is painted on a fairly chunky little piece of wood. I'll have to take a side shot as I painted the sides also. It's a happy little piece o' wood.


"Photos of the Soul"
My cherry trees will always be a part of me as this little girl carries her idea of cherry trees with her.


This little Ralphie came about because I had made an online purchase of an optometrist lens and it came wrapped up in this piece of pattern paper and as I was unwrapping it Ralphie decided he wanted to play with it and this is the same exact look he gave me when I tried to play with him and the piece of pattern paper.

Little buggar.

Finally, Some Artwork!

I had finished this one some time ago but something wasn't quite right with it so I stared at it for awhile and finally decided what I wanted to fix on it. I am much happier now. She's done with acrylics on a 4x4 canvas.


"Say Cheese"
This little guy looks like he was a Star Trek fan as his shirt reminds me a little of their old uniforms. He was painted using acrylics and my ever so favorite Prismacolor pencils on a 6x6 canvas.


Ralphie was such a huge hit that I felt compelled to re-visit this particular picture several times, six times in fact, hehe. This is just one of them. They are all done the same way but each little Ralphie ended up having his own individual personality. It was rather amazing.

A Sneak Peek at Something New

Although now that I think about it showing the actual item in its' entirety and in its' finished state isn't a 'peek' but I shall call it a 'sneak peek at a new direction' and call it good, hehe.

I had first experimented with this guy and paper mache and enjoyed it quite immensely but got so busy with other things I never really got to play with paper mache again.

Well friends and neighbors that has all changed and I've got a succession of photos to prove it!

I thought it was interesting to take in progress shots for these guys and while there aren't very many photos I still thought they were informative enough.

I had to draw the eye on there just to give myself an idea of how he was going to look.

I really rather like the group of white birds, kind of look like doves, fat doves but I digress.


Doesn't it look as though the big one is teaching the little ones how to read?

I also prepped a stack of canvases with vintage pages for a slew of Ralph paintings.
You all know who you are...

Boy was I productive

I took a couple days off from work last weekend and finally managed to get a couple of things done in the way of some artwork...yay!


I had started this one a couple of weeks back and then got side tracked...again, with the sparkly stuff and pretty butterflies.
This is a 4"x4" canvas.


This color combination is currently one of my favorites right now, as you will see. Must play with turquoise more often.
Another 4"x4" canvas.


Oh, the little bird is telling some of the dogs secrets and filling Ralphies head up. You can see Ralphie thinking of ways to get even with the dog, yes indeed.

This piece was inspired by two things, one of which was a post by Colorfuldayz called Pet Diaries which I thought was hilarious and ever so fitting.

This one is an 8"x8" Canvas.

I may be offering these up on etsy later this week or next.

And a finished one

This was sitting on my work table partly finished for awhile now and finally, last night, it went where it wanted to go.



Here's a close up of the Big Eyed Bird, just because he looks so happy to be home.


And I painted up some canvses for some decorating in my living room, I think these all look great together as a group and will mesh quite well with my blue walls.
Don'tcha think?

Actually, hehe, no, I bought these at a thrift store with the intentions of painting over them, great cheap source for nice canvases.
I do think I will find it difficult to paint over them though, at least at first.
Especially Sammi...poor guy.

In Progress

I'm really not sure how I feel about this particular piece yet. Been working on it off and on for weeks now and I'm just not sure yet.
Let's see what you all think of it.


She's a tall girl at 8" x 24" and tentivaley being referred to as "The Heart"

Ralphie on Canvas

I know its been a good long while since my last post and I do apologize. I think this summers weather has really gotten to me. I feel at best lethargic and lazy and I can't ever seem to get anything done. Sooo on that note I decided that I was going to get something done this weekend come hell or high water.
I present you with Ralphie...on canvas and in real life...



My Ralphie is one of those cats that even the best and bravest dog is afraid of. You see Ralphie is...Ornery... on his good days. He's always mad, about something. I never know, and while he looks all cute in the photo don't be fooled. I was eating some hard bolied eggs and he desperately wanted some so he was on his best behavior...and he loves me.
I tried to convey that look on the painting but the canvas Ralphie would have none of that, he wanted to be cute...and lovable...and well, nice.
I finally obliged.
See, he gets his way no matter what. Even on canvas.

I've also got no less than 8 other canvases started and in various stages of completeness. In my defense I do tend to get easily distracted. Very easily.

I had a rather productive weekend

Amazingly enough if you take 5 days off from work and have no major plans the things you can actually accomplish are nothing short of amazing.

I finally took off a couple layers of dust from the top of things I hadn't seen in awhile, (no Mom, not the fridge or stove haha) managed to sort out and organize my studio

There is a work in progress there on my table and I had to use my light up really high as it was getting dark out and this is the only major light in the room.


My tv for movie watching, I find it a must have.
There's my Indiana Jones poster I airbrushed back in the late 80's. I haven't the wall space for it right now.


Yes, there's my movie collection at the bottom and my brand new Clip it Up at the top. LOVE that thing. There's little Eggs' head at the very bottom.

It scares me badly to post these pics and these are the cleaned up versions, ack!
Looking at them from the saftey of my computer screen makes me realize just how small my work table really is. I found the perfect one for me, it's at Ikea, we have no Ikea here and they won't ship my table to me and with gas the way it is right now makes no sense for me to go there and pick it up. Would be cheaper to have a team of artisans flown in from Italy to carve one out of an oak tree, but I digress.

I did find a table that would suit my needs at Cost Plus World Market but wouldn't you know it they were out of stock. They say it "might" come in on Thursday. I guess I'm stuck with my "student" version for now.

Here are a couple of the canvases I managed to paint in between all my organizing.






And I made a couple of pocket mirrors from the images too.



I'm really loving my little button/mirror maker

Some new items

Some of the items I'm offering in my etsy shop. It's just a small handful of items just to get my feet wet and see how I feel about the whole operation. I do feel kinda funny pandering myself here in this blog post but I am kinda excited to finally be up and running even if it is on a small scale. Forgive me if you find this all rather off putting.