Trying to get the color right.....

Not sure how you will see these, but I'm trying to get the color right in photos. It's tough, as the light has to be just right, or the shine on these paintings throws things off. I need to do some research. Anyhew..... these are previews. Trying to decide which will be entered into the Wallowa Valley Festival of Arts, and which go online. Let me know what you think!

Soon to be March madness and WIPS

 As I headed out the door this morning I was greeted with a gust of cool air. The wind jostled me as I headed up the hill and the thought occurred to me that March might just roar in like a lion. I was hoping to beat the impending storm and get a full 30 to 40 minutes of slog in, but the clouds swirled around the sky, shutting off the sunlight over the mountains. I looked behind me to the west and saw a solid wall of white. Soon my face was covered with crystal pellets, and I was assaulted by the wind, so I trudged around the block and back towards the house, holding my wooly mitten over the right side of my face to block off the icy flakes smashing against my cheek. As folks drove by, I know they thought I was nuts, two ladies who got out of their car to go see what an estate sale had to offer shouted, "Look at you!" or something like that. I managed 20 minutes before I had to come home.

Now I'm in my studio, ready to tackle several projects. There's a bunny I'm finishing up for ebay, another that might be for a charity auction if I haven't missed the deadline. I've been feeling pretty poorly up until today, so I may be too late. I also have an Expressionist piece for our art society meeting that I need to finish, a demo set up for the same night, and a lesson to finish putting the last touches on for tomorrow. There's a towel blocking the icy cold from the stairway, shoved under the studio door, and a little heater set up to keep me toasty. I'm hoping this will be a productive day! In the meantime, Mother Nature continues her blustering outside.

Pears are done...

I thought I had shared this, but lately our so called 4G connection has been acting up, so downloading photos has been a bear. I finished the pears painting so now the debate on a title has begun. My original thought was "Ready for Market", but we had a lot of time to deliberate while on our way up to Brighton ski resort yesterday. Nature Guy said I should call it " Eight Pears In a Box",  or "Market Fresh", which is a local grocery store slogan. Then he came up with Market Morning. Still thinking about that one. What do you think? I'm planning on entering this one in the Wallowa Valley Festival of Arts, unless I come up with something much better.

Black Americana Uncle Sam Gourd Doll

Feeling a bit patriotic lately, Spring hasn't quite caught up with me yet. So here's my first offering of my Americana gourd folk art. I really love working with banana gourds, so I will have to get some more. This fella started out to be just an average ole white Uncle Sam, but once I got his hair done, he just didn't look like a white boy....lol. He is much more handsome as a black Uncle Sam, so there you go! You can find him on ebay right now.

The Queen of Hearts

The Queen of Hearts she made some tarts all on a summer's day;
The Knave of Hearts he stole the tarts and took them clean away.
The King of Hearts called for the tarts and beat the Knave full sore
The Knave of Hearts brought back the tarts and
vowed he'd steal no more.

A nursery rhyme that we would read as youngsters, found in a book on nursery rhymes and tales from "The Bookshelf For Boys and Girls" set of children's books.  I loved those books so much I got a set for my children, and now have a set for my grandchildren. 
The doll you see above has a rather well traveled history. She was originally meant to be a flower head doll that I started last year. Between the big moves, and hauling unfinished projects from Wendover to Tooele, then Oregon and back, she managed to survive, only to become a Queen of Hearts. She was probably meant to be just that, so she had to wait until I could get my muse on and get her done. You can find her on ebay right now at  Mother's Dream Artworks

Box of Pears - Work in Progress

A box of pears, no, not for canning... a painting...lol. Here's my start, I'm about a third of the way there. I had to stop a couple of times as the floor downstairs is linoleum on pavement, so my feet were freezing! We've had single digit temperatures at night and the heat comes out of the ceiling in the basement, so the floor doesn't get a chance to warm up. I tried to put a rug down, but that wasn't too helpful. So I'm whining and feeling somewhat like a poor artist.... this too shall pass, right? I would move the easel upstairs, but there's really no room. Tomorrow I will try the portable heater and see if it helps with the floor. For now, it's time to go share a new listing at Simply Sheryl's

Queen of Hearts - Work in Progress

Another mad dash in to say hi! I hope you have a wonderful day. Here's a queen of hearts doll that was converted from a flower head doll I wanted to do last year. I think I will get this one done.
Yes, I do have more than one project going on. It's too hard to get the easel set up in the kitchen. When I came home yesterday I tried to make myself available for chatting with my mother-in-law while I sculpted, but she has been reading a book she couldn't put down. I did make some progress on this though. So glad it's warmer today, so I don't have to be in my studio downstairs freezing my fandango off! Have a great day!

Monday Madness- Work in Progress

I made a mad dash into the studio to put the first part of a new painting on canvas. It's only about 3 above here so I don't have time to stay and chat, but I had to share, and I wonder if you can guess what this painting will be of? It will be fun to see the guesses. I hope you have a marvelous Monday!

Works in Progress- dough bowls and a painting

A couple of wooden bowls that just screamed for color, and a canvas ready to add the details to paint are part of what's happening in my studio right now. Ignore the chaos in the background, it's just creative genius right? Actually, I do need to get re-organized so these projects are part of that on going effort. The dough bowls will be going in my Simply Sheryl's etsy shop soon. What's on your work table, or as in my case, ironing board these days?

A Breath of Fresh Art on eBay....

Mixed Media with a retro "hippie" feel is what "Flower Power" reminds me of. Add a spark of color to your January decor. For more information stop by my ebay listings  "Flower Power"

Just a Little Tease....

A sneak peek at the base of a magical and whimsical snowman creation that will debut on the PFATT Marketplace on the 10th of January. I will be posting more photos so stop by again!

A New Year's Snowman WIP Sneak Peek

 Just a quick sneak peek at an idea I cooked up a couple of years ago, and couldn't get out of my head. So he's in the works and will hopefully be ready for the PFATT Marketplace new year debut.

There's a lot more to do on this fella so stop back again won't you? Happy New Year to you all!

A New Gathering of Folk Art Gourd Santas on PFATT

 From Remote Controls to gourds, there's nothing I leave untouched when it comes to creating Santa pieces.

These handsome fellas are on PFATT now and ready to go to a new home. You can find them here: PFATT Marketplace

Santa Claus is coming to town!

He's made his list and checked it twice, and already knows who's naughty and nice. He's on eBay right now for all who is nice!
Vintage Holidays Santa

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from the gang and I! We are ready to spook any daring trick or treater so beware!  We will be watching Arsenic and Old Lace while munching on popcorn and slurping buckets of Tang after the lights go out..... bwahahahaha!
Have a safe and fun  night!

Scaredy Jack has made his debut on eBay!

 Scaredy Jack has been listening to Spooky and Hungry Jack tell some real Halloween whoppers.

 See? He jumped right into my lap, poor fella! He has made his way to eBay though, to see if someone will make him welcome in their haunted castle.

Here he's hangin with the big boys, and you can see they are having more fun than he is...lol.
For more information stroll on over to eBay to see Scaredy Jack.

Jack O' Lantern is on ebay!

 Jack got restless and decided to try eBay for a match up. He's a tall fellow, 2 feet tall to be exact.

Here he is hanging out with Hungry Jack, who will soon be on his way to his new home. For more info on Jack O' Lantern, stop by here..... Jack O' Lantern   While you are there search ebay for more Halloween Challenge pieces by our PFATT artists. Have a great weekend!

Hungry Jack O' Lantern is done!

Hungry Jack O' Lantern is so ready to hang out with someone. He's an impressively large Jack, and fun to boot!
I haven't decided yet where to debut him. I will keep you posted. If you are interested, send me a note.

Spooky Dude Available now!

He is so ready to haunt your castle he's trying to win you with his best smile. See how you can make him your very own here - MothersDreamRtworks

Driftwood Santa now on ebay

A touch of clay and a lot of character in the texture of the Wallowa Lake driftwood became a very cool santa that's ready to hang or sit on a shelf. See him on ebay

We 3 Santas of Alpenfest are bound....

 This weekend is Alpenfest here in Wallowa County, with all the fun that goes along, such as polka dancing, yodeling, Bavarian style foods and lots of vendors.

 Of course there must be Santas to round out the selection of goodies to be had, so I've been working like crazy to finish a few more pieces for the festivities.

 I've already talked to a few folks who haven't seen what I do yet, and they happen to collect Santa figures so I'm hoping they stop by.

These are just a few of the offerings I will have. Two gourd Santas and a tiny vanilla bottle Santa along with a handful of driftwood Santa pieces to be finished. I'm starting to catch a bug, but I'm fighting it, so let's hope I can beat it in order to enjoy all the fun. Hope to see you there!

Spooky Dude Hanging with Friends

 Spooky Dude is happily hanging out with his friends the Sweet Mamma twins. He is tickled to be out and about and looks forward to Alpenfest in Joseph, Oregon next weekend.

 Spooky Dude is trying to find more of his friends in the squash patch.... I know there are more!

Oh, he caught me with my camera. Such a poser isn't he? At two feet tall, he is pretty impressive I must say. I will keep you updated on how he fares at Alpenfest. I have a companion to him that I'm working on, and maybe more. We may have a gourd Spooky Dude and friends invasion in NE Oregon next weekend. Bwaaaahaaaahaaaaaa!

Transformation of gourd into.... WIP

 From plain Jane, to fabulous....lol! Okay, who remembers that commercial? Was it Maybelline or some other cosmetic company? Anyhew, still heading towards finishing this perhaps for tomorrows listing on ebay. Debating that one as I want to test the market at Alpenfest as well.

I will have finished photos soon, but for now I must get ready to run some errands. Today nature guy requested pizza, so because I love my hard working man, pizza he will get. As for santa production, that's a slow run, but I am working on that as well and hope to have more photos of them as well. Thanks for stopping by, I hope to see you again soon.

Something Wicked This Way Comes.....WIP

She's a little rough around the edges right now as she still has spots that need to dry. She will be an impressive 2 feet tall when finished. Hee hee! She is looking forward to getting to know you better my dearies!

The Newest Santa on the block.....

He's roly and poly and jolly with holly, and ready to find a new home. Stop by my ebay listings to learn more. Victorian Holly Dreams Santa

Work In Progress Wednesday ...He's almost done.

 Living in a basement has it's challenges, and getting projects done is one of them. This fella is awaiting one last coat of white on hair and coat trim, then I will add the embellishments after sealing him. I hope to have him finished for my demo stint at the Utah State Fair Creative Arts building on Friday. We shall see. :-)

Created using a tall gourd, this jolly ole' elf stands 19 inches tall. I will share more later so please do stop by again.

Winter Sky Santa from a re-purposed vanilla bottle

At six inches tall with loads of charm, Winter Sky Santa would be a delightful addition to your Santa collection. Hand sculpted with air dry clay, this jolly little fella is a one of a kind original. Stop by and see him here: Winter Sky Santa

Vintage Style Halloween Candle Keep

Hand painted and ready to hang, let this vintage style Halloween candle keep add a touch of fun to your haunted house this Halloween. For more information: Halloween Candle Keep

Holiday...with Matthew Mead: Halloween: New ideas with you in mind...and a give...

Holiday...with Matthew Mead: Halloween: New ideas with you in mind...and a give...:  We have a pretty amazing black and white Halloween story in the current issue... as well as a circus party, a movie night and a bake ...

Santa is lighting the way to Christmas....

Shhhhhhh..... don't tell anyone that there's 126 days until Christmas and Santa is already gearing up to visit your home. Have you been naughty or nice? There's still time to shape up! If you would like this gourd Santa to stop by your home invite him here.. Lighting the Way Santa

A Hauntingly Fun Halloween Treasure Keep

Just a sneak peek at the newest creation to come out of my studio. I've been storing this box for years, but never got around to painting it with the scene I had intended. I tried ebaying the box plain in order to get it out of my way, but that didn't work either, so I finally said, okay, this just needs to be painted with something fun and frightfully Halloween. This is a large paper mache box, about 12 inches in diameter so it can be used in a variety of ways besides just displaying. You could store Halloween collectibles in it, use the box as a base to stand a Halloween tree in and hang the lid above it for decoration, or even a treat box. For more photos on the painted details stop by my ebay listings here: Halloween Treasure Keep

Happy Monday! Okay, it is for me at least.....

 Oh the joy of listing an item on ebay and having it sell right away! Printed on very high quality heavy duty gloss finish paper, with very high quality ink, this is the last of the series I had printed from the original painting I did. I only have one of the prints left of the above painting so head on over fast to snag this! Prim Pumpkin Pear Print

 A sweet and woodsy gourd Santa, hand sculpted and painted with layers of paints, this little fella is also available here: Northwoods Dreaming Santa
So I'm having a good Monday, mailed off a few pieces that sold last week and today, and this little guy will go to some lucky home so we are starting off the week right. How's your week going?

Autumn Pumpkin, Pear & Grapes Still Life Prints

A 12" by 12" print that's sure to warm your home and delight the eye. Two photos as my camera is having a hard time trying find the right colors...lol. You can find more about these here: MothersDreamRtworks

Hagatha Witchley

 August has arrived with an outlook for back to school and fun holiday times just around the corner. Soooo, I pulled out my gourd collection, which is growing by leaps and bounds, and found this lovely lady just waiting to be brought to life. A gourdeous pumpkin witch isn't she?

Hagatha has made her debut on ebay this week, so scurry on over and learn more about her and how you might be able to have her keep you company this Halloween. You can find her here:  Hagatha Witchley