FOOLS GOLD Original Artwork Set of Three

Hey Friends,  I think I may have posted this before but I think it was just a peak.  Now you can see all 3 even though the photo sucks of the 2 smaller 6" of the set.

You can hang on one wall with the 2 smaller on one side, or the 2 smaller on the bottom or top.  And you can hang the bigger alone and the 2 smaller on a shelf.

Here is my website and here is my shop on FAA.

Happy Trails

No.30 in 30 Day Challenge - " HOMEMADE GOLD"

Hey Friends,  This really did start life as a black and white page out of a scrap book paper pad.  Just rubbed a gray acrylic all over and then added the faux gold leaf.  I made a post earlier in January and told you I wanted to see how gold paint acted on deli paper.  I like it and love how easy it is too handle as opposed to real gold leaf.  See it HERE.

Added a bit of brushwork, some spattering, a dribble and "thar she be".

One more day!

Thanks for looking.

Happy Trails

No.27 in the 30 Day Challenge - LAUREL

Hey Friends,  Wanted you to see this one because I took a few process shots.  As you can see above, it really did start off as black and white (that was supposed to be my theme for this challenge)

And then I started braying (is that a word?) on some pale aqua.

And then here, I got out the alcohol ink.

And the finale!  painted the donut shapes, cut some sticks and stamped on some circles and finished off with scribbles.  "Tis FUN.

Some pieces just seem to take own their own attitude and help you with the details.

Some are nothing but a struggle from the get go.

Happy Trails

No.26 in 30 Day Challenge - SHEETROCK

Hey Friends,  Again I forgot some process photos.  There really wasn't much to show anyway.  Used some of the tape stuff they put on sheet rock and cut out some circles of it and scribbled circles around the circles with acrylic markers

Yep, It's an ODD one.

This Challenge will soon be over and I think I will miss it a little.  But I also feel like I'm ready to move on to something bigger.

Happy Trails

No. 25 in the 30 Day Challenge - PURPLE MOONS

Hey Friends,  It is Day 25 !!   This piece has been sitting there looking at me for a week.  I finally added what you see below.  One small purple moon.

Sent the image to a friend for a critique.  She thought I needed a more obvious focal point.  DUH.....How obvious can it get.

So after another couple days, I changed the one purple moon to white and cut out 2 larger purple moons.  Not sure they are what it needed but there she is in all her glory for ALL to snicker at.  

In the end I think she will make some good collage pieces for other works.

Thanks for stopping in.  Hope Mother Nature is being kind to you.

Happy Trails

No. 19 in 30 Day Challenge - MAGNOLIA

Hey Friends,  As usual, I was looking for a title.  I bought a box of junk (candy making stuff) at a Goodwill and some papers in it were for ordering more supplies and it was a store called MAGNOLIA.  How Neat.  Well, it is if you think about all the chatter about Magnolia, Gaines, Joanna, etc.

I have always loved Black, White and Red.  So the red touches set off the word Magnolia in my mind.

Still have about 8-12 paintings to go before the 31st.

Happy Painting

Happy Trails to You

No. 18 in 30 Day Challenge RARE BREED

Hey Friends,  I was agonizing over the title for #18.  Black, White, and Gold Abstract....what in the world could I call it?

This photo is one of the in process shots I took AND there it was.  The title.

Why not, sounds as good as B & W Abstract.

Anyway, it has been a fun challenge for me.

Hope you are enjoying the posts.

Happy Trails

No. 17 in 30 Day Challenge 'ONE TOO MANY'

Hey Friends,  No. 17 staring at ya.  What a title, just went blank on this one.

I enjoy these black and white works.  Would love to do a room in Black & White.

I spent almost the entire day in the studio, prepping black and white papers for what will happen tomorrow.  There are at least the same number on a table drying.  I may have ruined a few black papers with fluid matte medium applied with a sponge roller.  When you use a sponge roller a lot of air gets incorporated and can make the surface look dull.  It's OK.  They will be mostly covered over anyway.

That didn't take long but I was also painting more colorful pieces for the bin at Goose Creek and maybe 2nd Helpings.

It has been another dull, gray day.  Really dull.  So I did my best to brighten things in the studio.

I wish I had some of Linda's Pasta Salad for supper.  Sigh

Happy Trails

No.12 in 30 Day Challenge - LOOKS ORIENTAL TO ME

Hey Friends,  Not much to say today.  This piece started with an old clothes pattern tissue.  You can see a bit of the lines on the right side.  I laid one of the homemade Hot Glue stencil things on the left and sprayed with the homemade black alcohol ink.  Did not like the shape so squirted fluid white following shape.  It was really thick so took a few days to dry.

So after looking at it a few days, I couldn't come up with anything beyond Oriental Shape.  So spritzed red ink on it, added the little monk fellow and there she is!

Some things should not see the light of day, I know.  But when ya gotta have SOMETHING, you do the unthinkable. (At least no puppies were harmed in the making of this ugly art)

Thanks for stopping in.  Hope I got a chuckle/snicker out of you.

Happy Trails

No. 11 in 30 Day Challenge - 'SAD SONGS'

Hey Friends, the Eleventh day is upon us.  Jan. is ticking right along.

This gem above started life as a real mess.  Every ugly color you can imagine was on it.  A heavy coat of black and white fixed that.  The rest of it is one of those games, where you keep moving stuff around until you like it.  The umbrella finally came to mind.

I tinkered with several other small pieces.  Started this 20 x 16 when I came to a road block.  Started with a dull khaki green and added some light areas so the intense colors to come will look clear.

You never know, I might fix it with a coat of black too.

I will venture out today and have a school lunch with my sweet little GranSon.

Then another lunch with my Sweet Daughters.

Hope life in 2017 is Treating you Well.

Happy Trails

No. 10 in 30 Day Challenge - "ONE IN A BUSH"

Hey Friends,  Here is my 10th creation.  Today was a struggle.  Why?  I just could not figure out what to do with any of these 5x7's.

Maybe I just needed more sugar.  I love these cool Tropical colors.  These are sprayed with my homemade Alcohol Inks.  Love them.

Here they are laying on the floor, drying, heater to the right and they still are not dry.

Here is the piece from up there that I sprayed with my alcohol inks.  I set the cup of Pantone's color "KALE" beside it.  I was thinking of smearing some of that color around.  Then I thought of a fish silhouette somewhere.

Last shot shows an 8x10 panel that I glued an old clothes pattern onto several years ago.  Just found it again.  I already put yellows on it with a brayer.  I have found out why so many artists put paint on with a brayer.  You simply can't get that kind of texture with a brush or a knife.  Love it.

Now if anyone has any advice for any of these little guys, just give me a holler.

Thanks for stopping by. 

Happy Trails

No. 6 in the 30 in 30 Challenge

Hey Friends,  No. 6 is here already.  This piece is 10x8 inches and as you can see, it started it's life as a black and white paper covered canvas.

My initial thought was a flamingo torn from a painted paper.

But I didn't want it to represent anything so I just started adding colors that Pantone says are the top choices.  Yarrow Pink, Niagara, Greenery, Kale.  And I scratched with a knife and scribbled with a pencil.  FUN.

The last element was part of an acrylic skin.  And it hung overnight by the wood stove and the gloss gel never cleared up.  Have not used gloss gel very much so I'm not sure if this is a usual behavior.  If anyone out there in cyber land knows, please leave a comment..  And I decided the title will be LAMBCHOP.

We have NO snow yet here in SW Virginia but maybe tonight.  Sorry school kids.  I know you love your snow!

Happy Trails

Drive carefully

NO. 3 - SEA SPIDERS

Hey Friends  I think it looks kinda spidery or like logs have intertwined in the water flow.

I have more photos of the process but they just don't show the work involved.  I did get a critique before I was finished, which is the photo above and the additional arm or leg on the left finished it nicely.

The top image was scanned on my Epson scanner (which I love and wish was bigger)  I have to scan in sections and then knit them together in PS.  One of the few things I can do in PS.

The bottom image is from my camera, a Nikon Cool Pix L830,  which I also love.  A gift from a really Kool sister.

Hope you are enjoying all the extra posts and explanations.

I'm enjoying this Challenge more than the past challenges,  BUT it's only day 3.

Happy Trails

THE MAKING OF STILT MAN !! (say it in loud boomy voice, like in the superman movies)

Hey Friends, I finally have gotten around to painting this man I saw on stilts about 2-3 years at the Bedford Centerfest.

Top photo are some of the papers I made for it.  And this photo is the new canvas with a bit of texture, that you can't see.

This is where I start adding the various reds !

Making a decision on where the MAN goes.

Putting down the gel for the MAN to stick tight.

His shirt went down first.

Then his LONG pants came next.

Next his hat and some more papers.

A close up to see the texture.

Here is the final.  SO O O O O O ooooo very disappointed, I was.

I can't even say this needs more work, it's so bad.  Just needs to be burned.

I will attempt it again.

Lord knows when.

Any Hoo, just wanted you to see the long road to a DUD.

Thanks for hanging around this long.

Enjoy your autumn,

Happy Trails

WORK IN PROGRESS

Hey Friends,  Thought perhaps you would enjoy a post about a few of the steps of painting this abstract.  This is ABSTRACT, not an abstracted landscape, which is more of what I want to do.

Above I'm using one of the cheap chip brushes to put the red on the canvas.

Here I'm dipping a piece of Tupperware in paint colors and stamping on the red.

A smaller sized cup for a variety of circle sizes.

Here I'm finished with the circles.  Used iridescent blues, greens, pinks and white.

I put these black and white circles I cut from paper, in a pattern, I thought pleasing.  Then I asked a friend, that likes abstracts, what she thought.

She gave it a thumbs up and said the same thing I was thinking.  That the black & white made it look more complete.

This piece would command attention and be a conversation starter.  Don't be afraid of Red.  It would look great with a lot more than you think.

Come to the Lynchburg Art Festival at EC Glass High School on September 17th and see what I've been working on.  I hope to post more works in Progress before then.

Happy Trails