La Flora

Here's my latest mixed media painting. She's on wood. This is the first time that I've tried to paint a darker skin tone...and I think that I might have done something right...because I'm really pleased with the result. The on-line workshops that I've been taking are really paying off...I'm much more comfortable with the process of drawing, collage, under-painting, etc.
La Flora is 12x12....about 4" of the painting (to the right of the figure) is cut off due to the limitations of my scanner. I know that I should use a camera...but it's so much easier and faster just to scan stuff. xoxo

My New Pink Dress

I am finishing up some little Petite Doll paintings that I sketched during the time I was taking SuziBlu's class. This one is painted on a 6x8 canvas panel. The flowers are hand carved stamps that I made a couple of nights ago while watching TV. I have two additional paintings on the same kind of substrate that I want to finish...and then I think that I'll play around with doing paintings on small canvases (6x6 and 6x8) which are stretched over frames that are 1 3/8" thick. I think that it would be fun to run the painting right over the edge of the canvas. The pieces wouldn't even have to be framed because they'd have a finished profile. Yesterday I went to my favorite art supply store...Dick Blick...and found that they were having their annual 50% off canvas sale...so I bought what I came for (a bottle of white acrylic ink and a kneaded eraser)...and then added a supply of canvases too.

I'm taking another on-line portrait class...this time it's straight acrylic paints...and learning how to work with values. It's being taught by Jane DesRosier...she does wonderful paintings. Love her work. I took a textures class from her earlier in the year. What I find so exciting is that as I'm learning...and practicing (that's the key here, I think)...I can see my work improving. Well...that's all for today. I'm going to do some pencil sketching, play with the dogs, and cook up a little dinner.

Another Petite Doll

Just one more little doll to add to my collection. These are so much fun to do (except the one that has the boy & girl on it....I've re-done that one three times since publishing them in this blog...and I still don't like the result...so-o-o-o I think that I'll just paint them out and do something else on that 6 x 12 board). So that's that!

SuziBlu is going to do a "Goddess & Poet Part II" portrait class in December. I'm going to sign up as soon as she opens the sign-ups. We're hoping that she'll teach 3/4 and profile views of the face...I'd prefer 3/4 because there's so much more mystery in a partially turned face (I think). Whatever....I'll be looking forward to it.

Gypsy Goddess

This is my last mixed media piece for the Goddess and Poet workshop. My Gypsy Goddess. I'm really going to miss that class...although I still have a couple of weeks (or maybe just one) left for Petite Dolls and I just started a journal writing workshop...I'm still going to miss sharing and getting feedback on the work. I know that I'll keep doing mixed media paintings...I love working with everything but the kitchen sink. And I love doing art.

Petite Dolls

Taking another class from SuziBlu on-line. This one is Petite Dolls. Three lessons so far...and having so much fun creating these little doll people. It's a completely different kind of face than I've been doing...so my first attempts really looked like space aliens...but then I discovered that if I made a slight change to the eyes...which really means doing it my way...I got a face that looked like a doll and not an alien. Here are three of my finished pieces.

My Latest Mixed Media Piece

This started out as a graphite pencil drawing on white paper. Then I glued it to a wood substrate and used acrylic paint, ink, graphite and colored pencils, oil pastels, in many layers with at least three layers of clear gesso in between layers to give the surface some tooth in order to allow the layering of the various media. It also has collage and molding paste added for additional texture.

It's Getting Easier

I posted the mostly un-colored version of this piece on July 22nd. Now that I've messed around with it for a few hours...here it is again...the finished painting. I like the way it turned out. I'm learning so much in this on-line class that I'm taking...never knew that I could do what I'm now doing. On Saturday, another of the workshops for which I signed up got started. So I'd better hustle and work on the drawings for that class....already behind on my homework.

Just Add Color

Remember a week ago (Friday, July 24th to be exact) I posted the beginnings of a portrait that I called The Girl With the Wild Hair? She's back. This time in color and with embellishments. In one week she went from a delicate little pretty to Princess? Maybe. Goddess?...probably. Colorful?...most certainly! During the process of her conversion I learned a lot about working in a journal and using acrylic paints over colored pencil and on an Italian paper with which I had no experiance. What a trip! Tomorrow I'm working on another 2-page spread. Same journal. We'll see what happens.

An Artist's Work is Never Done

Before week three of my class begins...tomorrow...I thought that I would just do two more of my pretties in the Moleskine Journal (butter fantastico!) Yesterday I used plain white sketchpaper to do the one on the bottom. Sometimes these ladies just ask for white paper...it's the pale, etherial ones that seem to crave white.

Part Two...Week Two

This is my 2-page, girl-with-the-wild-hair, drawing. I've forgotten if we're supposed to paint the hair on our journal goddesses or if we're supposed to leave the painting of hair, backgrounds, etc. until next week. The brain is first to go, I hear. I might just have to watch the week 2 videos again for the answers. I wouldn't hurt me a bit if I watched the videos again...watching Suzi do a drawing and hearing her explain what she's doing and why she's doing it will just help me in the long run. OK...so I'll watch the videos again.
XOXO