All is Calm

Hey Friends,   Today has been an unusual day to say the least.  I spent the day with my youngest daughter.  She has been sick off and on for several years.  Yesterday and today was pretty hard on her, so we just hung out together.   We made one little trip out to pick up the last gift I needed at 2nd Helpings.  We dropped a couple things off at my oldest daughters.  Etc, etc., I think we go too long without seeing each other.  "I" need to change this.  "I" need to take the lead and make her carve out time for her mother.

She will get better.

And we will have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year.

My wish for you is to have as great a Christmas as I will have.

Happy Trails

Travel Well

Birds at 108

 Hey Friends,  A couple more shots of  my birds.  These are at Gallery 108 in downtown Roanoke on the market.

Go by and see them in person - They are way cute.  And great gifts with their fancy little easels.

Go check out the post on the Double Line blog about a workshop at 2nd Helpings.

Happy Trails
Travel Well

Beautiful Birds

Hey Friends,  I had the good fortune to see both of these beauties this morning !!!  Even found this tiny little feather.  Can't say for sure that it's a woodpeckers feather but it sure looks like it. 
On my way to work I had to stop for some suet to offer these beauties.  I want them to hang around so suet should do the trick.

I also painted about 5 more Wood peckers  and I've started listing them in my DPW gallery.  The starting bids are low and they make sweet little gifts.  And they come with their own little handcrafted easels., which you can see by scrolling down a bit.

Happy Trails
Travel Well

Art by Night at Gallery 108

Hey Friends,  A photo I took just a couple hours ago while at the LAST ABN for Gallery 108 forever.

Seems pretty sad in so many ways but most of the artists are already anxious to try new venues and new shows.  Most are happy for a change especially the original founding members, they have been working all the details behind the scenes, long hours !

So as a good-bye the gallery is giving you a 20 % discount on everything in the gallery - everything!!

I know you can find some beautiful gifts at good prices.  The doors close on Dec. 31st.

Now come out to TINKERINGS on Main Street in downtown Salem tomorrow, Sat. the 8th.  The Double Line Painters will be demonstrating IN the window.  It will be fun, and Tinker has beautiful handcrafted gifts too.  Support your local business'.

Happy Trails
Travel Well

Hand Crafted Easels

 Hey Friends,  As promised I'm showing you the little easels I have made for my miniature paintings.

 I used 20 gauge silver coated wire with gold  beads or pearls or glass beads.  Back view above.

Hope you can get a sense of the size and structure.  The mini painting of the robin is 3'x3".  I suppose you could say this easel is more feminine most.  Not at all like the wooden things I've seen for sale.

Happy Trails
Travel Well

Mini Bird Paintings at DPW

 Hey Friends,  I just put these 3 little specimens in my DPW gallery for sale.

The short 3 day auctions start at $29.00.

I made the auctions short so they can be shipped in time for holiday gifts.











They come with a little hand crafted silver jewelry wire easel to display.  And yes, I made them because I can't find any ready made easels except clunky wooden ones.

I will take a photo of one on the easel and show it to you tomorrow.   But they are very nice looking, I'm told.

If you want these can be wrapped in a small box and sent directly to someone on your list.

No extra charge !








Happy Trails
Travel Well

Mini Bird Paintings

 

Hey Friends,  I've been busy since Thanksgiving painting miniatures of my favorite subject - Birds!!

I scanned a couple groups to show you I haven't been slacking totally.  Some day soon I will learn how to make a collage out of my paintings, but this will have to do for now.

I have to decide now where to take them.  I have four galleries I could take a few to each but I'd really like to post some on DPW.   This is the part I really dislike - deciding what to do with my work when they are ready to fly.

I painted so far 34.  Some are 2"x2", some are 3"x3" and a few are 2"x4".  I've got to make a decision today !  Or Christmas will come and GO !

Happy Trails
Travel Well

Happy News

 Hey Friends, the Salem Museum has the holiday wreaths up now !  All ready for us to bid on !  I'm just showing a few here.  I saw some bids already and they were $25 and $30 so we can afford them and help the museum at the same time.

 The reception is this Friday the 17th until 7pm  so come out and bid on a beauty and check out the beautiful art work upstairs and on the tree in the gift shop.  Unique gifts in deed !!

 And the good news is........A lovely lady from Georgia bought my art work above titled " the Snow is Ending " (with the cardinal).  That made my day !

So I scooted on over to the museum and hung " Magpie " above, in the empty space.  I love painting birds so I had better get busy.  Hope all of you have a fabulous weekend.

Happy Trails Travel Well

Painting at the Sedalia Center ..................

............with the Double Line Painters today.!   The weather was fabulous and the company was great!  I painted 4 (maybe 4 starts) but I think the first is done/finished.  What do you think?  I love rocks/stones so my first impulse is to paint the stones and not the landscape.  But ............

 I did paint 3 more of the landscape.  This magenta canvas panel above has a fence row and a red tree on it now.  I'll get some photos tomorrow.

We all took some extra pieces finished over the summer and laid them out on a blanket/sheet, just like the REAL painters do out west.    Guerrilla painters?!
This is a lovely Art/Cultural Center in Bedford,Va.  and most people are hoping it becomes a regular Nov. happening.

Happy Trails Travel Well

Holiday Shopping starts NOW!

 Hey Friends,  A wee bit of news.  The annual UUC artisan show started tonight and continues tomorrow, Sat. 11-3-12 from 10 til 4pm.  A photo of my set-up above.  It's a pretty casual show but very tastefully run by the staff at Unitarian Univeralist Church (hope I spelled correctly) at the corner of Apperson & Grandin, across from Patrick Henry High School, in Roanoke, Va.

 We are serenaded with lovely piano music and vocals.  They were pretty lively so photo is blurry.

The evening/opening preview was pretty busy.  A decent crowd for a Friday evening, after work, type of thing.  There were lots of appetizers and hot cider to share.
Now if these folks go tell all their family and friends to visit tomorrow,  we may all go home happy campers.
A little bit of everything, for everyone on your list.  Jewelry, clothing, hats, wood art, pottery, stained glass, watercolors, pastel, oil and more.  

Happy Trails Travel Well

Unfinished Cold Wax Paintings

 Hey Friends,  A little more about the Cold Wax paintings that I created in the workshop taught by Gina Louthian-Stanley.  The LRA sponsored the retreat at Camp Alta Mons in Shawsville, Va.  If you live in SW Va. you should consider joining the League of Roanoke Artists.

 Top image is a collage of various finds into the wax & oil. (I found the leaves on a walk,one little hydrangea bloom on the floor and the unfinished butterfly is a paper towel)  And the danged yellow wax mixture is still SOFT and comes off easily.!!  The image above is another collaged piece.  I have to finish the birds head and this piece seems to be hard enough or should I say dry enough to work on some more.  When I got the base coat of purples and yellow-oranges on the board I put it in the oven on the lowest setting to see what would happen.  Then collaged into it.  I think that's the only reason it's so firm/dry.

 This is a DF collaged into the gob of wax mixture and stamped .  Still to soft to do anything with it.

This was stamped several times, the shells added and Lilly pushed into the wax.  And I think I can work on it more now.  I will test spraying with a varnish on the driest one.  Should be interesting.
I love the process and the feel but I don't think I'll be spending much time with this technique.  I'm too impatient and I'll drive myself crazy if I fight my nature.  I would like to attempt a Dreamy fairytale theme I have in my head  for my granson's room.  I can put down a layer and let it sit and dry at it's own pace and come back to it every year until it's done.  It should be ready for my GREAT granson.

Happy Trails Travel Well

League of Roanoke Artists Retreat

 Hey Friends,  Our retreat at Alta Mons ended Sunday but I'm just getting around to showing you a few shots from the Wonderful workshop given to us from Gina Louthian-Stanley.  Gina is a wonderful teacher with lots of patience, a soft spoken easy going nature.  Love the lady !
Above is one of the streams on the property !  Loved this place.

 Because it is difficult to show with just a few brief pictures, I decided to start with one of Gina's demo's.  She started the above painting with NOTHING in mind.  Putting on the cold wax mixed with oil colors.  Just a dab of oil from the tube mixed well with Dorlands Cold Wax.  She pushes and spreads the mixture with her hands, spatulas, rubber dough scrapper and anything laying close by.

 In this shot she spent maybe 30 minutes will explaining as she went along, using various papers and templates to get a variety of textures.  Then she laid a piece of newsprint paper on it and wrote words with a stick !

 Added a butterfly and more papers,  gave it a rest.  She may keep it as such or put more stuff in it !  It is a wonderfully messy process with endless possibilities.  VERY slow to dry and that's the part that will prevent me from working with it very often.  You have to have a LOT of patience !

 Then we went for another walk, something I love.  This is a beautiful little spot here in SW Va.  I was told the original use of the place was a resort for the railroad big wigs.  The United Methodist Church bought the place for the use of their children and youth groups, such as the Scouts.

 Gina is barely visible on the left and she is conducting the critique at the end of the weekend.  I hated to see it end.  I was the last one to leave.  Had to have another walk.  Took lots of photo's.  This is Susan Young's work here.  I got photos of every ones work but it would be an enormous post.

 Here is Mary Anne work.  Unfortunately you can't tell much about it but the paintings are beautiful.  Mary Anne used the mixture like paint with a knife.

 Here is a shot of Susan's work.  More graphic and abstract than Mary Anne's.  Both styles are easy on the eyes.

A final shot of Gina's to be assemblage.  She started working on the textures, etc. of the long piece.  She will finish with wooden hands and a nest with eggs, etc.  Should be gorgeous.

I didn't get any shots of my pitiful attempts but I will and that can be a future post.  Gina's is a great teacher and I bet she would be happy to give a workshop for your group, so here is a link to her blog, which should lead you to her email,  http://ginalouthian-stanley.blogspot.com/

Happy Trails Travel Well

Art on the Parkway

 Hey Friends,  Bonnie Mason and I worked the crowd (Ha) at the Meadows of Dan location for this years "Art on the Parkway".  Above is just one beautiful vista.  Anyone would love it here!

 This is the intersection of the Parkway and Rt. 8 and another one, maybe Rt. 58.  Can you see the 3 antique cars? !  A lot of antique cars and trucks and motorcycles !  This is one hopping spot for the "Peak weekend for leaf peepers".  The amount of people was amazing ..........

 And here is Bonnie and yours truly.  The weather was great and a bit chilly once in a while.  We both sold some artwork and met a lot of nice locals and Parkway Travelers.  We both hate outdoor shows now BUT will be back next year !!

Thankfully our Bouncer/Bodyguard Mr. Wandy kept order in the parking lot !!!  We saw a few shady characters in boots and bibs but felt safe with him there.

Happy Trails Travel Well

Double Line Painters take over Salem, Va.

 Hey Friends,  Some of us "DLP" went to downtown Salem, Va. yesterday to get photos and encouragement.  It was a fabulous day - perfect for picture taking.  We pretty much covered the entire little city !  Bum knee and all.
The statue above was carved from a tree that used to stand right there.  It fell before the carving.

 Bonnie and Linda on the walk in front of Roanoke College.  A beautiful campus.

 Mary Anne and Linda at the "Country Store".What else would you call a store with Hawaiian umbrellas?

And we came across a storefront right on Main with a poster of the SPCA's 2013 Calendar !!  Which has Judy's prize winning painting on the cover.  How Cool is that?!

Now I must hurry to borrow my sisters truck and pack it with all the set up stuff for "Art on the Parkway".  Bonnie and I will be together (same space) for this show also. This is the last outdoor show for the year.  YAY!!

Happy Trails Travel Well

Plein Air Inspiration Show at 108

 Hey Friends, Just realized I have not invited you yet, to the BIG show at Gallery 108 in downtown Roanoke .  It opens tomorrow night, Friday, Oct. 5th with our monthly "Art by Night" but it will hang until the end of November.

 Bonnie made us very nice postcards for this show, up above.

And here is a sample of some of the works we created.  We were all at the same spots, painting together, but the paintings are so very different, you would never guess that. 

We are hoping you can stop by the gallery for refreshments while perusing our work.

Happy Trails Travel Well

Wild Phlox

Hey Friends, I just added this little painting to the Daily Paintworks Shop.  It is 5"x5" canvas panel.
And it is really better looking in person.  And I used my scanner which usually makes such good copies.  Seems a little fuzzy to me.  I should try it again and compare.  Maybe I've accidently changed something on my scanner.
This auction will start tomorrow the 26th .  Click on that DPW emblem there on the right.

Happy Trails Travel Well

Reminder - Art on the Asphalt

 Hey Friends,  A quick post to remind everyone about the art show this Saturday, the 29th of Sept.  In the parking lot of Budd&Co. on Jefferson St. in downtown Roanoke, Va.  This is the heart of DT Roanoke and sponsored by Signature 9 Gallery.  A beautiful upscale gallery with the art work of some of the areas best artists.  And it's about a block from the art show, so you can see both !

Unfortunately, Bonnie Masons name isn't on the list of exhibitors above.  She didn't find out about the show until after the cards were printed, BUT she will be there, sharing the tent with me.
Hope lots of friends see this reminder and come by to say Hi.  We will have lots of smaller giftable pieces of original art.

Happy Trails Travel Well