12th Painting in the 30 Day Challenge !

Hey Friends,  I love fantasy art or maybe they are called illustrations.  Like James Gurney's work, in Dinotopia.  Of course, my stories are snippets, just a peak into a couple of strange brain cells.

The title here is " Listening to My Love's Story "

 I remember once in a while to take photos as I work along - so here we go.  Above, I'm thinking of which papers I want to use.  That's the gel I used to glue them on the ampersand panels and the crackle liquid, I will put on after the paper is glued.

 Here I'm showing you my process of sketching the bodies in different positions and then cutting them out of Masa Rice paper and staining with acrylic ink.

 This shot and below is showing you how hard it was to decide on something such as what color to make the shadows.  Above is a green shadow.  And I just noticed I need to go back and highlight the birds eye.

And here is ablue shadow.  Can you see the piece of glass?  You lay that on the painting and put your color choices on it, so you don't mess up the original !  I learned that tidbit from Julie Ford Oliver.  Can you tell how old my art table is?   It was white years ago, now it's sort of a splattered egg look.
Happy Trails
Travel Well

11th day-Painting! in 30 day Challenge

 Hey Friends,  I used the same reference photos that I had for the bluebird diptych for this one.  This year I hung out a finch feeder sock with thistle to see what happened.  And....."GoldFinches" .....showed up !!

First time I've ever seen any around here.  So sweet and cute and paintable.  Loved it.

By the first of Sept. it seemed they had all left but I read in one of my many bird books that they lose their beautiful gold color after mating.  Such a shame.  I'll have to wait til next year for more photos.
Happy Trails.
Travel Well

Day 10 in Leslie Saeta's Challenge

 Hey Friends,   A good friend gave me this tiny nest.  She found it in her yard after a hard storm.  I'm hoping the Mom and Babes had already left to find a bigger home.   I took photos of my Babe, Lillie, holding it, to paint from.  She is so sweet and indulges my every photo wish.

 I cut this string of paper birds out of some deli-paper I had painted for another project.

 I drug a toothpick around and around in some heavy gel for this nest to have texture.  And I used more deli papers in the background, along with stencils.

 And I'm just showing these 2 photos to NaNaKat  'cuz she loves birds as much as I do..   I've had my moulding saw outside all summer 'cuz it's so crowded in the studio.   Wrapped in plastic and a heavy tarp, folded 4 times and clamped with big work clamps, 8 clamps!

But a silly wren got in there and with all this material.  I hope she raised some babes without trouble.  I never saw her come or go and I passed by at least 50 times a day!  Moma Birds on a Mission !!!!
Happy Trails
Travel Well (little moma bird)

Bob-O-Link in wax

Hey Friends,  My latest avian themed presentation for the 30 in 30 challenge.  This is a collage of  cold wax mixed with oil paints that is applied to an inflexible surface such as ampersand products.  Then you heat and while very soft imbed stuff in it such as a picture of a Bob-O-Link and a strip of glittery tissue paper and gold stuff and some webby stuff (sorta looks like a weave up there on the left side).

 Then you apply more cold wax (clear or with more oils added).  And then you must wait about 4 months for it to dry.  I'm told others don't have such a long drying time.  I don't know why it takes so long for me, that's why I don't work with it much.

I had to go back in with white oil to touch up his head and the little flowers.  This is a very tactile, expressive way to create. I enjoy it a lot but I'm too impatient.  It just doesn't work with my personality.  It's good to know your limits, in my case anyway.

Happy Trails
Travel Well

BlueBird diptch - Right side

Hey Friends,  Here is the other half of my diptch, the right side.  These are 12" squares.  Look at my last post to hear about YES canvas.  I failed to say I get this canvas at ASWExpress.
I'm at my GrandBabes birthday party today and I posted this last night !  Hopefully everything went fine.   I'm enjoying this challenge this time.  I failed the last challenge.  Thanks, Leslie!
Happy Trails
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Blue Bird Diptch

Hey Friends,  This is the left side of a dyptch.  I'll post the right side tomorrow.  I was at my youngest daughters house this summer, actually spring, because that's when I snapped a 100 photos of a large old lilac in the back yard.  There were some birds, and plenty of Bee's but not a Blue Bird. 
I believe what was really there was a Titmouse, so I just used his body shape for the BB.

I really enjoyed painting these.  I used the "YES" canvas and very fluid acrylics.  It felt very much like watercolor.  The Yes canvas is very smooth and it claimed to be for all fluid media so I gave it a try and love it...I've been using it for a long time with acrylics and oils so now ya know you can use it like watercolor paper too!  I have never cared for the texture of canvas so Yes was a great find.
Happy Trails
Travel Well

30 Days of Painting

Hey Friends, Here is a quirky one for you to ponder.  The title is " I Live Here Now ".....If you are not a painter, or one that produces work for sale, you will not understand how difficult it can be to give a painting a title !   Some times I think of title right away that fits but makes no sense to others.  In most cases that's because it's very personal or betrays a child hood moment.

This is a collage using painted deli-papers and scrap book paper and lots of gel medium.  And a crazy little bottle made to apply hair color with several little prongs that dispense the color.

And this pretty little blond is printed and painted on Sumi rice paper.  I did another version before this one, bigger and more complicated.   I'm saving these works (the challenge works) for the festival coming up in Lynchburg.  I'll list them in my Etsy shop if any come home with me.
Now back to the painting table !
Happy Trails
Travel Well

30 Day Challenge

Hey Friends,  Our neighbors way down the road, have a small, city farm of sorts.  My gran-babes love to go there.  They have chickens, ducks, goats, a dog and a pond!
This little painting is acrylic and painted while my babes chased the dog, Rumi.
I took a bazillion photos of their ducks in anticipation of Leslie Saete's 30 day challenge.  So far I haven't done any ducks but hope to be caught up soon.
I'm busy preparing for my favorite art festival in Lynchburg, Va. on the grounds of EC Glass High School on Sat. Sept. 14th.
And today I'm helping with an Ice Cream Social at the Green Ridge Center in Botetout on Rt. 220.
I had better get this posted on Leslie's blog and start packing !
Happy Trails
Travel Well

Day Two !

Hey Friends  Saw a small gang of Red-Winged Black Birds at Judy's house this summer.  She lives in Botetourt County.  Also saw some grackles there.  Took me a couple months of searching but I finally figured out the birds were Grackles !  Since then I've seen a couple at home.  They are pretty but I'll probably find out they are a pain to paint, with that iridescent head.

This Red-Wing's background is a collage of painted deli papers and stenciled gels.  The bird is painted.  All done with acrylics.

Now I need to get back to the studio,  I'm working on a large diptych for the Goose Creek Show.  The Harmony Equestrian Center is the subject.  Got my fingers crossed !!

Happy Trails Travel Well

Joining in 30 in 30 Challenge

 Hey Friends,   I decided to should join Leslie Saeta's challenge of 30 paintings in 30 days.  It would be good discipline for this easily distracted woman.  I'll not stress too much if I miss a day but I DO hope to get a painting or two ahead.  This is a collage and I've had a lot of fun doing this and plan to do more.

 It may seem weird but for me, collage is a lot more difficult, than just straight painting and a lot slower.   I believe a lot of people perceive it to be a lessor art form but if you've never tried it, don't judge to harshly.

I started with a glittery back ground scrap booking paper.  Once finished I didn't like all the glitter so I toned it down with a gesso & acrylic mixture.  Much better now.
So go check out Leslie's Blog and join the fun.
Happy Trails
Travel Well