SALS Challenge - Hair

 Each month for the Stansbury Art and Literary Society Meeting we have a challenge. This months challenge was HAIR.

I love Victorian Ephemera so I used this darling image to loosely paint my angel you see above her. It was so fun to see if I could pull this off in a day, I did it! I am looking forward to seeing what everyone shares.

Dreaming of Chickens

The Stansbury Art and Literary Society challenged us to come up with a poem and then a painting or some way to illustrate our poem. So I've been dreaming of crocus and chickens and dragonflies, trying to decide my topic. Here she is, what I've settle on. Not sure I'm completely finished, but she's pretty much there. Now to find a frame and get her ready for her debut tomorrow night.

I'm still around, and here's a painting to prove it!

I was beginning to wonder if my blog would still be here when I checked in again. It's been a long process trying to recover from my physical fall apart, and I'm still on the mend, but thanks to modern medicine and prayer, I'm getting there. Silly me, I found out that I need to pray for myself as well. :-)
Anyhew, back a while ago I started this mixed media painting on a canvas board. I have only been able to work on painting when I'm at the apartment so this has been waiting for the final touches. We are in the middle of a dual move, some stuff going north, some stuff going east, but with me down it has been necessary for me to stay in town to see the doctors and go to PT twice a week. Our move deadline is looming so here I am, trying to pack and not throw my back out again. It takes some thought to get things sorted and organized, which I'm not right now so I'm glad you can't see the place, it's pure pandemonium. Trying to paint in chaos is not a strong point of mine, but I'm learning to change my way of doing things to live in the moment so to speak.
What does all that have to do with the actual finished piece, probably not much....lol. I used acrylics and stamps and various other items to create texture and design. It was rather freeing to play around with the different colors I had chosen for this. Have you tried a new technique or style lately for the fun of it?

Of Chickens and Things....

Chickens are funny creatures. They scratch and peck and bwaak bwaak their way around a yard, skittering here and there to catch a bug, or get out of the way if necessary. More and more folks are getting into raising chickens, and here in Utah there are communities that have passed ordinances allowing town folk to have a limited number on their property.
When we lived in North Pole we had several chickens, the white Cornish cross we would raise every year for eating. The year my ex and I split the second time I was left with about 30. They became my visitor greeters, surrounding any vehicle that came into our driveway, pecking at their tires and waiting for the "victim" to get out. I looked out my living room window one day to see a friend sitting on his bike with my little flock staring up at him. They even tried to go running with me and another friend one day. We took off down my drive and heard the skitter of tiny feet. As we looked back all my little hens were following us, trying to keep up.
We would like to raise laying hens some day, but for now, I will suffice with painting them. Here's a pastel I did yesterday. Do you have chickens?

An Apple a Day....

There are a multitude of reasons you should eat apples. Here's an article on 10 Reasons You Should Eat Apples.

Me, I like to paint apples as well as eat them so I always have models on hand. The above piece was done on Strathmore colored art paper. Just a study, and trial of what I can do with soft pastels. Am going to tackle some more this afternoon. 

The painting above is a pastel I did last night while sitting at the table. Hubby was serenading me with the dulcimer so we had a peaceful evening. I am heading back to the table to try my hand at more pastels. I have a couple of landscapes in mind, and need to get going on them as I have a deadline to meet for the Wallowa Valley Festival of Arts. Time to get painting!

The hippie in me....

 More of my "hippie art" as hubby calls, it, which has brought out the freedom in creativity in me I suppose. My first one will be a Valentine piece, with love all through it. Still pondering the color scheme, but I think I have it nailed. First off I need to gesso this though as the texture will wipe off if I don't.

 A sunny sunflower I started last Autumn before everything got crazy around here. Time to add another layer of paint, and wipe and dab, and push color around.

Something for winter, that I didn't get to finish, so I thought I'd better get to this one and not leave it sitting around. I will finish it and then add it to my website or etsy shop, haven't decided yet. There are so many possibilities for themes with these, but I first want to try some random abstracts, just for giggles. What medium gives you the most freedom of expression?

WIP for the Utah State Fair

My apartment is turned upside down because we are getting ready to move so I used my kitchen counter and cabinets as my easel today. It actually worked out great! I'm not done with this, and may want to make some changes to the lettering, but this is where I'm at as of now. Utah State Fair here I come? Lol

I'll give you a daisy a day dear.....

Even though it's threatening to snow outside, again, I was inspired to create this as a tribute to the upcoming Summer months. I love Shasta daisies; they are so prolific here in Wallowa Valley that they create mini carpets of green and white here and there along the slopes. They are tall and dance in the breezes that drift across the valley floor. This piece is available now.

Dancing Daisies - 8" x 10" on gallery wrap canvas $125.00 Email me if interested.

More WIPs

Fresh fruit for sale! I've been going back and pulling out things that were started and not finished. I have a real desire to get back to painting for a bit so I will start with finishing these.

Now I'm committed so someone will have to hold me to this.....lol.