Whew!

I want to begin today by thanking each of you for your kind words and your patience with me as I prepared for our Thanksgiving meal. I am truly exhausted and plan on relaxing for the remainder of the weekend. We had a lovely day and had many things to be grateful for as during all of this time my father was dealing with some possibly daunting health issues which were resolved positively.

This little painting is just watercolor on rice paper. I did this the same time I did the flower one I showed here earlier. The same method was used with rubbing some paint from the tube onto the paper and using a spray bottle to move it around a bit.

Soulbrush has tagged me. While I have run out of people to tag, I thought I would share with you the 7 different things and open up the tagging to anyone who would like to run with this. I have found sometimes having a tag or an award in my back pocket helps when I need a blog post. :) I love to get the conversations going, however I also have to be in a place to get my head around it. Anyway, here are the 7 more unusual things about me:

1. The best place for me to solve problems is in the shower. I have been known to take a shower at all times of the day.

2. My favorite movies are humorous ones.

3. I can't go to sleep at night without an hour or so of reading.

4. I am often easily overwhelmed by crowds.

5. When something is important to me, it consumes my entire life.

6. I often refuse to follow directions just because it is someone (somewhere) who has told me how something must be done. This is why I am a terrible baker.

7. I also do not do all that great with anything requiring great precision.

So there you have it...do any of these resonate with you?

I hope you are looking forward to a lovely weekend and please consider yourself tagged!

Giving Thanks

A very few items I will be using to prepare our meal.

In the United States tomorrow, we will be celebrating all the things we are grateful for in our lives. In my family, and in many American families, Thanksgiving is a very important holiday. One of the things I always feel grateful for are the many friends I have around the world. Thank you for being here to share with me and others.

Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone!

Premio Dardos Award

My dear blog friends, you have been so very generous to me and right now your awards are arriving in time to share with others just when I am in need of some blog ideas, too.

This award is from our dear friend Suki. She has given me an award with a description which touches my heart.

This award is given for recognition of cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values transmitted in the form of creative and original writing (and Suki adds in art work)...that's the general idea. I am truly honored to receive it. Thank you millions Suki.

The rules of this award are as follows:

*Show the image of the award on your blog.

*Link back to the blog that gave the award.

*Nominate 15 other blogs that you consider deserving the same. (What? 15?)

*Leave a message on the blogs of those you’ve selected.

So here is my list of nominations:

Andrea

Dianne

Julianne

San

Elis

Marianne

Jess

Juan

Paula

Cris

The Truth Board

Fiona

Simone

Lynette

Babs

Some of you may already have this award, so my apologies ahead of time. I also will get around to letting everyone know about this as soon as I possibly can, but you might have to be a little patient with me this week.

Have a Very Beautiful Day!

A Little Refreshment

Today I am sharing this cute little award image to anyone wishing to take it. Soulbrush presented me with this earlier this week. Don't you think it is refreshing?

I am continuing to work on our Thanksgiving celebration. It honestly is the cleaning I detest the most. :) If I can get through that, I can shop and cook the beginning of next week. Needless to say there is not any painting in my near future.

One thing I can do for you, though, is give you this award for honoring me with your presence and your comments, and I can wish for you to have a Very Beautiful Weekend!

Busy Days

I have been really busy doing things other than being in my studio this week. You may have noticed in some of the comments I have mentioned I am hosting Thanksgiving for about 15 here next week. I am not so great with cleaning, so I am busy with such things.I grabbed this shot of some canvases waiting on me for further tweaking...like glazing, signing, etc. I thought it was telling of my seemingly unorganized work methods.
Do you ever come across items you have not known about before and even have a difficult time locating on the web? This summer I needed some white acrylic while I was traveling. When I went to the local art supply shop, I found this brand. I have since tried to find it on the web but have not had luck with that. It is student grade acrylic, but I was really just piddling around. So I purchased this, new to me, brand A>2. If you ever find yourself wondering about this brand, I found it to be good. One of the things I like about the packaging is the opening for the paint to exit the tube is small. One of the things I do not like about the packaging is it is plastic!

Okay, so that is basically all I have today. I have to get back to my organizing for next week. Does having a group of people over for a meal take a lot of prep time for you?

Have a Beautiful Day!

Tuesday's Bits and Pieces

So I am a sucker sometimes for containers. If they are unusual, then I will consider purchasing them. So this is an ink bottle, and it is full of black ink. I don't use ink all that much, but the bottle drew me in when I saw it. You, too, can purchase one at Art Supply Warehouse for $7 or less if you act soon and have the current coupon. I really like seeing the bottle sit on my table. Silly, isn't it?

I have also come across an article about what makes people successful in their chosen careers. Of course, artists are not profiled and a portion of this article suggests just what artists have known all along. Actually, I was reading it when I remembered a story I read from a source I cannot put my hands on now (if you know it, please let me know so I can give credit where credit is due). A professor of art teaching a pottery class at an American University decided to divide his class in two parts. Those students in one half of the class would receive an A if they could create the perfect pot by the end of the semester. The students in the other half of the class would receive their grade based on the quantity of pots they produced during the semester. As you might guess the "perfect" pot came from the students who also produced the greatest number of pots in the semester.

I do not get nearly the quantity of time in my studio I would like, because there are so many people who depend on me. Maybe I should spend time at night painting. Do you feel you get as much time as you would like in your studio?

Everyone have a beautiful day.

Weekend Play

This weekend I played in my studio a little bit. Mostly I was glazing some of the paintings I have shown you lately...and there is still more to do there. But I had to play with a bit of color, too. Three years ago I purchased 3 tubes of watercolors to create invitations to a reception we had for our daughter when she graduated from college. I found those watercolors and played a little bit with them. This is the "blotter paper" used in this play time.This is rice paper and I tossed some sand on it when it was wet. I thought it turned out with some possibilities. I can use it for wrapping paper if nothing else. It is really white and not a buff. I just photographed it late last night and not in great light.

This is one of the things I blotted up a little bit. It is also on (white) rice paper. I had used some sumi ink and a sumi brush to draw the lines. Then I just squeezed a little paint from the tubes on the paper at the ends of the lines. After that, I just sprayed the paper with distilled water to move the pigment around a bit. Then used some powdered pearl pigment to sprinkle over the top.

I know this is not much to share with you, but it is one of the things I did between the glazing layers. One of the things I have learned is there are a limited number of applications where I prefer to use a brush to paint with. Do you find you like brush-less painting? When I do use a brush, there are a few which are my favorites, though.

Some of my blogging friends are having a difficult time right now, so I send each of you a lot of energy to get through these tougher times. And for everyone have a Very Beautiful Monday!

Fly Away

I know you have seen this before, but I have a purpose in sharing it with you again.This was the photograph of a lily which I put through Dumpr. I became interested in the shape in the center of this circle. I am interested in some of the other aspects, too, but this image came to me a lot. Maybe if I just did a bit of sketching it would leave me alone.
I tried a few things like this in a large sketchbook with some charcoal. It was fun to do and made me want to pick up charcoal more often, but it was not enough.

You know where this is leading, don't you? So here you go:
After a lot of playing around with paint on this canvas, this is what I ended up with. It is 30" x 40" gallery wrapped, staple-less canvas in all acrylic. The splattering which appears "white" in the photo is actually pearl glaze. Yes, I know it is not centered and that seemed quite right to me for several reasons...this image knocked me off center a bit and it added to the feeling of flying away. Now, with that in mind, I have decided to title this painting, "Fly Away". I decided to photograph this before I add the clear glaze as it is a lot easier to get some kind of reasonable photograph. I hope it will leave me alone now.

Does this happen to you when an image continues to irritate until you work through it? Rarely do I have this problem, but this time it drove me crazy. Maybe one of the reasons is I could not paint as often as I wanted to paint. I do not know.

I hope to spend some time in the studio this weekend. I have a few more things I need to accomplish, but that is always the way, right? How about your weekend, are you looking forward to something fun?

Have a Great Weekend!

Call Me Tagged

I had never been tagged until yesterday when I was tagged twice! Both tags have the same rules, which are:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. List seven (7) unusual things about yourself.
3. Tag seven (7) other bloggers at the end of the post and comment on their blogs to let them know.

The first person to tag me was Jess. So here are the seven unusual things for her tag:

1. I was born 50 years ago in Biloxi, Mississippi as a military brat and raised in Virginia as a farmer's daughter.

2. I am a terrible housekeeper.

3. When I take on a project I become obsessed with the details, and the project consumes me.

4. Blue is not my favorite color - purple has that distinction.

5. I have moved 27 times in my life.

6. I love Birkenstocks and boots!

7. I tutor an interior design course through a school in England.

And these are the seven unusual things for Marianne, who was my second tagger. She thought I was kidding when I asked if I had to give 14 unusual items. Here you go Marianne:

1. I am a pescetarian (pescevegetarian or piscetarian) which means I would be a vegetarian if I did not consume fish.

2. I am a worrier (especially about children, human abuse and the environment).

3. My sensitivity level goes way over the top of normal. :)

4. My children have been my greatest teachers.

5. I have a facebook page.

6. My husband and I have owned 9 houses in 6 different states in the last 25 years (we rented two houses when we lived in England).

7. I considered majoring in Biology at one point when I was a teenager (like that would have worked out).

Now, I am supposed to tag seven other people (no, I am not going for 14 there since I have to leave some room for some other people).

Cris
Babs
Chewy
Fiona
Paula
San
Dianne

Everyone have fun!

Glazing

Some of you may receive Robert Genn's twice weekly (Tuesday and Friday) newsletter known as The Painter's Keys. If you do, then you know today he spoke of glazing and gave a few keys helpful when using glaze. In this newsletter he speaks of applying a darker glaze over a lighter color to adjust the intensity or make some changes. He describes different methods you might consider when you wish to do this on your paintings. If you do not subscribe to Robert's newsletter, I think you might enjoy some of the topics he discusses. If you are interested in this one on glazing, I will be happy to forward it to you if you will email me.Reading today's submission by Robert made me think of how I use glaze. I have shown you examples here on this blog and continue to glaze away. Robert, a realistic landscape artist, uses glazes to add depth while making subtle changes in color and I used clear glazes to give a depth and glass like appearance to my overall work. I have tried to photograph the results of my glazing technique, but it is difficult. Here I am showing the edge of the same painting in hopes you can get an idea of what I am doing.
Now many of you might wonder what in the world takes me so long to paint these very minimal works I create. The answer to that - the application of the glaze. Sometimes it takes me a long time to get the painting the way I want it, but more often than not it is the glazing which takes forever. In the case of the painting I am showing you the application of clear glaze took 4 to 6 weeks after I had the base painting done. But the build up of thin layers of clear acrylic brought a depth I can't show or even describe. I do urge you to try this sometime. Here is the recipe I use:

2 parts distilled water
3 parts soft gel (gloss)
Blend this together until smooth and allow it to sit for 24 hours (some may feel this is overkill, but it gives me peace of mind) to allow the bubbles to come to the surface and dissipate. Brush on prepared painting allowing each layer to completely dry before applying the next layer.

This is also a good recipe to use to embed things between layers of glaze. I have actually seen paintings where items and paint appeared to float above the surface of the canvas when it was embedded in enough layers of clear glaze. Maybe I will try that next. :)

Normally, I have to have at least one painting going and be glazing others. Right now I have a real back up of those needing glaze, but that is the way it goes sometimes. So now you know what takes me so long to accomplish these paintings. The good side to it is I can have glazing going all the time and do not need a lot of time to slip in there and apply some glazes, nor do I have to "get in the groove" to do this.

So do you have techniques which take you a long time to accomplish? Do you find speed is important in your work? Do you obsess with details?

Have a Beautiful Day!

It Happens from Time to Time

You do not normally see this from me. I rarely, rarely sketch anything which might be recognizable to everyone. One day I was at my parents home and just wanted a pencil in my hand. I ended up doing this page. I know it is nothing for many of you, but I thought I would give you a rare glimpse into something you do not usually see for me. They are a bit tight don't you think?

I also thought you might enjoy this article. While this artist probably isn't really strapped for cash, it says a lot about our fiscal vulnerability, doesn't it?

I hope you had a wonderful weekend. It was lovely here and I spent yesterday working on a painting which has been waiting on me for sometime. I look forward to visiting your blogs to see how things are going in your part of the world.

Do you have plans for a fun week?

Let Me Introduce You

This is another Dumpr image manipulation of one of my paintings, "The Need To Move". I just think these are so much fun.

Today I want to introduce you to a really wonderful artist who has been commenting on my blog. You may have already found her, but if not, let me introduce you to Dianne McNaughton who writes the blog The Art of Intuitive Painting. I have been quite inspired by Dianne's art as well as her writing. She shares a great deal about how she works through her creativity and has many wonderful and delightful ideas. She lives and paints in Cape Town South Africa. Her work is diverse and reveals itself in both abstract and realistic forms. You will enjoy visiting and reading her blog as well as her web site. I look forward to a wonderful blog and art relationship with Dianne and hope you will find her as fascinating as I have.

It is my hope you are all having a wonderful day!

Off Of The Brushes of Babes

Like many of you, I have wonderful friends from many different places in the world. One of my dear friends sent me this painting the other day.This painting has no title and I believe it is possibly watercolors on simple printer paper (cartridge paper). You can tell the painting has been done as a mirror image by folding down the middle of the paper. My friend is Vincent Brenker, and he lives in Itzehoe Germany (near Hamburg). Vincent is 4 years old. I adore these colors and how they have melded together.

I know many of you find inspiration in the work of other artists, but do you find inspiration in the art of children? Babs has shared some lovely work from her little grandson which is really wonderful, too. Do you think we have things to learn about art from children? I do.

I know I have neglected this and your blogs over the last week or so. I am now working to get back to you and going again. Mainly, my family has been my focus, although together we have been focused on a few extraneous issues here, too. I thank you all for being patient with me. I will get going again here before too long.

I normally would not do this, but...

Okay, I have yet to speak of my political bent here on the blog, but today it is keeping me from another post. As many of you know, my son is a history major and since we have gotten an invitation to the final Obama rally here in Northern Virginia tonight the two of us are going to go. It is not until tonight, but with a very excited young man and lots of people expected we are leaving very early.

And here is one last thing for anyone who is an American, if you have not done so...VOTE Tomorrow!