Lamp Shade

Hey Friends, I told Kathleen Krucoff last week I would show her a lamp shade I made using Masa Rice Paper. Thought you might like to see it also.
A few years ago I ordered some Waxed Rice Paper just out of curiosity. Once I had it, just couldn't figure out how to use it in my art because it wouldn't stick to any surface using acrylic matte medium. So when I was redecorating a bedroom, I couldn't find a lamp shade for a floor lamp I had. Ta-Dah! I crumpled the waxy Masa, as usual. Spread it on some plastic and dumped liquid acrylics on it. When dry, I cut the shape out and glued with hot glue to the frame and added the beads, etc.

Here is the close up of the texture. It is an illusion because the paper is very smooth and flat. I love this paper! I've always wanted to wallpaper a small space with it. Can you imagine that?

Happy Trails.

FRIENDSHIP Original Painted Collage 6x6

Hey Friends, Hope you are having a Great Labor-Free Day! My work place closed early so I had the time to post this little girl on Etsy. I included a close up of the bottom edge so you could see the mini-dragonflies. It's just a thick layer of acrylic gel with the impressions of dragonfly and the actual DF embedded.
Have a wonderful week!
Happy Trails.

ROANOKE SIDEWALK ART SHOW

Hey Friends, Boy - was I shocked when I checked my blog this morning! I hadn't posted in a MONTH! It's hard to realize how fast days go by - how fast LIFE is going by!
Anyway, I've got a few pictures from the annual art show in downtown Roanoke, Va. Above is me, myself, and the love of my life-Lillie! She brought her mom to the show just to see her TuTu. The only thing that impressed her was a bag of rubber bands.

Here is a shot looking north at the famous Roanoke City Market Bldg. I had a great spot on this tiny street, almost in front of the now famous Taubman Museum!

Here is a shot looking south with the famous Hotel Roanoke in the background. A gorgeous old hotel you should visit next time you're in Roanoke.

The show this year was wonderful for me. The weather was heavenly and the crowd was large. I sold more artwork this year than in several previous years. Who would have ever guessed. I'm still not up to snuff on this here Internet thingy but I'm afraid it's all my fault. I honestly don't have the time to fumble with it enough to promote myself. My youngest daughter, my baby named Jessi (she's the one thats been so sick) is trying to help me out a bit, while looking for a job. She has some time on her hands at the moment, thank goodness.

I'm thinking about giving Bon Air (in Richmond) another try this fall. Maybe. A lady in my Va. group within Design Style Guide is from Richmond so I'll have to ask her.

I'll be back soon with some new artwork. I have been painting a lot which is a great thing, almost as good as eating ice cream.

Happy Trails.

Water Can with Flowers

Hey Friends, Wanted to show you this painting I just finished. It's one of my fav's. I love watering cans and have several. I think they make a lovely container for a flower painting. What say you? I like the metal cans, even when they are rusty.

For the life of me I can't remember the name of the flower in the can. I know it doesn't matter, but it bugs me when I can't remember a detail. I'm thinking I want to paint this in a larger size. It would be ready for a local show first part of May. Do you think this would be a good gift for Mothers Day or a gardener's birthday? I had better get out to the studio and slap some paint around.

Happy Trails.

TREASURIES!!!

Hey Friends, Short note to tell you I have been lucky enough to be included in several Treasuries lately. Treasury on Etsy is a group of shops chosen by a person, a curator, and grouped into one screen shot so the world can see this curators favorites or maybe its a reflection of their taste. Anyway, I think it's an honor to be chosen. AND someday soon I hope to learn how I can post these treasuries on this blog. I did learn how to capture a screen shot and save it in my Word thingy. Just haven't figured out how to click it and upload to Blogger.

One treasury is here and one is here. And Kathleen and Mysticsilks also posted treasuries with my work in them but they have expired. So just click on their name to visit their Etsy Shop.

Happy Trails.

Gum Springs-the Glow of a Million Red Buds

Hey Friends, A couple weeks ago I posted some photos I took on a short walk down our little country road along Gum Springs. I did finally get around to painting from them. At the time I was painting, the Red Bud trees were in full bloom. That's where the title came from. The little buds have fallen now and the little green leaves are emerging. In the photo below it is hard to visulize all the shades of green and the glow from a Bazillion Red Buds when the sun is setting. Just trust me - That's what it looks like

I painted another from the same area that I will post later. I only have 2 shows scheduled for this year, thus far. And it's a darn good thing 'cuz I'm not sure I'll be ready for these. The first is in a couple weeks and the second is the end of May. Boy, I better get with it.

Happy Trails.

LITTLE BLACK BOOK

Hey Friends, Thought I would show you one of my all time favorites. Why is it one of my favorites? I think mostly, it is the colors. Yeah, I'm a color freak. This one is bright, but soothing or calming. This feeling is the way most gardens/landscapes hit me. Maybe I'm a bit lazy but I love to sit in a garden or patio and just take it all in. The colors, the smells, the breeze, the sounds (birds,water,children,dogs,airplanes). If I'm left alone, reading fits in nicely. I ALWAYS want to take a nap outdoors too, but the bugs won't allow it. AND if you can imagine, someone comes along and fires up that big shiny grill and then the smells of burgers and tomatoes hit ya.

I painted this at my sisters house. I used her furniture, etc. but the colors are mine. This is the way I wanted her place to look. I listed it in my ETSY shop and DESIGN STYLE GUIDE.

Now I'm gonna call my sis and tell her to look at my blog. I'm hoping she will get the hint. This is the perfect day to invite me over for dinner!

Happy Trails.

WINDY DAY

Hey Friends, I'm listing this painting in my Etsy. Again this is acrylic on MASA Rice Paper. I would love to know what you think of this technique or this effect. I'm crazy about it but I'm known to love stuff nobody else likes. BTW-this rice paper makes beautiful lamp shades.

Now I think I'll spend a few minutes figuring out how to post someone else's work here on my blog. It may never see the light of day but I really want to show you some of the work my Team members from Virginia do. I'm talking about Design Style Guide.

Happy Trails.

HERONS - Fresh Water

Hey Friends, I thought it was about time to show you a little art work. I'm finished whining for a little while. This piece was inspired by some photos I took on a street festival trip to Florida a few years ago. The herons came from the photos, the rest is pretty much memories of a greenhouse business that used to be in our area that sold aquatic plants. It is painted with acrylics on 300 lb. Arches watercolor paper. One of these days I would love to have a small water garden. Mostly to attract birds, not necessarily to have fish. I'd rather have the fish in an aquarium. I love the sounds of an aquarium.
I listed a couple of items on my page at Design Style Guide and now I need to figure out how to put their logo widget thingy on this blog.
The painting above is also in my Etsy shop. Now I must run out to the studio and varnish 3 pieces I recently finished for a loyal customer.
Happy Trails.

A BEAUTIFUL DAY

Hey Friends, Yes, today was a beautiful day! This was the first day this year that felt like spring. My oldest daughter, Angie, came over with her first born - my precious grandbaby above. We spent hours outside and in the greenhouse. Angie was transplanting seedlings for her garden and the babe spent hours planting black-eyed peas and various bits of junk.

Here is a close up of a black-eyed pea. She kept hers together in a mini-greenhouse. Silly!

She did her work right out of the wheel barrell with a funny little bear on the chair singing - "Come and Get Your Love". Thankfully, her parents believe children should be allowed to play in the dirt and run outside. Some kids aren't allowed to get dirty or break a sweat. She will probably do more damage in the garden this year than the 200 deer that pass through.

OK - I wanted to show you what I posted in my Etsy shop last night, too tired to blog about it last night. And with the unlikely threat of Confikker hanging around tomorrow, I thought I'd do it now. This was painted with acrylics on 300lb. Arches watercolor paper. It's nice and bright, using the primary colors. It measures a 9 1/4" square with a 2" border.

Happy Trails.

POND

Hey Friends, This painting was done from some photos I took at the college my youngest daughter was attending. Maybe you have heard of it - Hollins College - here in the SW mountains of Virginia. She graduated this past May "08 so I'm guessing I painted it in 2007.
The sun was setting and casting long shadows. Everything was really green, with a few flowers blooming here and there. I gathered them all up into the foreground. It is one of the prettiest campus' you will ever see. I must find those photos and make some more! Click on this.
Happy Trails. BTW-it is 8"x 16".

EVENING PARTY

Hey Friends, This is a Painted Photo Collage. It is 6"x 12". If you scrolled way down, you would find the tutorial I made about how to make these collages. This little girl seems to be timid or a little apprehensive about this party. Maybe she is just overwhelmed with all the decorations and hoopla. Don't you love those paper lanterns? It is in my sale bin at my Etsy shop. Click here.

Happy Trails. (everytime I type my favorite line-Happy Trails-I want to go paint some horses)

POND

Hey Friends, This painting was done from some photos I took at the college my youngest daughter was attending. Maybe you have heard of it - Hollins College - here in the SW mountains of Virginia. She graduated this past May "08 so I'm guessing I painted it in 2007.

The sun was setting and casting long shadows. Everything was really green, with a few flowers blooming here and there. I gathered them all up into the foreground. It is one of the prettiest campus' you will ever see. I must find those photos and make some more! Click on this.

Happy Trails. BTW-it is 8"x 16".

POPPIES & APPLES

Hey Friends, I'm still listing stuff in my Etsy shop that I found while cleaning the studio! My sale bin might get really big - Go check it out.

I can't remember exactly when I painted this-probably 3 years ago. It's a cute, bright, happy liitle gal. Would make a nice gift for that little country girl you know, or that teacher, or that antique collector. You could probably name a dozen more types.

I'm going to add this to Etsy now and then I need to list some paintings on Design Style Guide. This is a fairly new site that markets to designers and decorators. http://www.designstyleguide.blogspot.com/ If you're an artist you might want to take a look.

Happy Trails

LOVE THAT COBALT

This post is being published Wed. Feb. 18th.2009. Can't figure out how to change the date on a draft.

Hey Friends,

This was painted a couple of years ago also. It is watercolor. I remember why I gave it that title. I had a new tube of cobalt violet and cobalt green and the colors are lucious. Cobalts colors are heavy, they come from minerals. So when you put a brush, dripping with color, on watercolor paper (this is Arches) the mineral sinks to the bottom of the liquid before it starts to dry. You get a granulated effect. Just beautiful! I got the idea for this composition, while at a workshop, being held at a local artist home. There were easels and such everywhere.

This is double-matted, under glass, and the metal frame is gold and deep. It measures 20"x16". Normal selling price is $200.00 but for this studio sale, $100.00 and $3.00 shipping will work.

Shipping for this size would be around $23.00, so that's a good deal also. Click for my etsy shop.

Happy Trails.