Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Liquin - A Good Thing
reliable favorite (formerly known simply as "Liquin") is a general-purpose low gloss medium that improves flow and transparency. It mixes easily with the brush or knife, smoothes brushwork, and is also suitable for textured oil techniques. Liquin Original approximately halves the drying time of oil colors, resulting in a drying time of anywhere from one to five days, depending on climate, colors used, and film weight. It is not recommended as a varnish or final coat.Applying Liquin is the final step used on the Day Lily, started in July, 2009 and what I'm considering now "almost finished". The Liquin finish keeps dust off the picture, and lends a warmer glow to the oil colors. This picture was taken prior to using Liquin since pictures on my camera tend to create a "shine" on the picture after Liquin is applied.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Fireworks of Glass at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis
It is placed above a glass ceiling. 1,600 pieces of glass compose this 18,000 pound exhibit. What a sight that must be!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Insect Art
The Insect Artwork of Christopher Marley in photographs is an amazing array of botanical images.
From the bookplate:
Christopher Marley's graceful arrangements of jewel-like anthropods and delicate betterflies transform the hitherto creepy world of insects into stunning works of art. His keen eye for design combines with his entomological passion to produce mesmerizing kaleidoscopic bug mandalas and striking up-close-and personal single insect portraits....Here are a couple of photos I took from the pages of this book:
These images will be fun, but challenging, to paint in oils.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Angels Used in Embroidery
Paul Flack drew the angel shown above.
Paul began to look for that sense of fulfillment in painting, inspired by the likes of visionary artists. He had painted earlier in his life for a short time. As his spiritual quest grew, he became intrigued with the concept of angels. Angels are spiritual in nature, not religious and span time and appeal to all ages.
His angels are colorful, eye-catching, and unique in their forms. They appeal to everyone whether you believe in them or not and encourage the imagination to wonder in terms of what the painting means to each individual. It is in this, that Paul finds his fulfillment.This will make an interesting outline for embroidery work on the back of a work shirt. The lines are simple, and can easily be drawn from the photo onto paper or cloth for further embellishment.
Here is one similar angel embroidered from a kit, and sewn onto cloth, then appliqued on the backing of a woman's vest:
We need all the angels available to surround us, so why not on our clothing?
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Art Space Colorado and Open Studios
On the weekend of May 1 and 2, 2010, "Open Studio Tour" is happening in the Grand Valley of Colorado. Twenty-four different studios will be open during this weekend, displaying works. From their recent flyer:
Spring is a great time to visit the Grand Valley. Twice a year artists open their creative spaces and invite the public to view and purchase their artwork. There are sculptors, painters, jewelers, potters, and many, many more artists in different media to enhance your visit. On the self-guided tour, you choose which artists to visit.
OPEN STUDIOS SPRING TOURSaturday, May 1, 10 AM to 5 PM& Sunday, May 2, Noon - 5 PM
Celebrate the arts and view new artwork from artists across the Grand Valley, free of charge.
Click here to download a map or you may pick one up at any of these locations:
Friday, April 16, 2010
FloralArtOilsandWatercolors - A new blogspot for artwork
The new site is called Floral Art, Etc. and will focus only on art and displaying what I am currently painting.
Most of the oils and watercolors that I saved to computer files are displayed here. Some are for sale, some have been gifted, but all can be more or less replicated. Many of those pieces have been blogged about on Nancy's Arts Crafts and Favorites on blogspot, and the references are duplicated there.
Please visit it and offer constructive criticism, if you will. Thanks!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Portrait Painting Tips on the Web
At another site located here, the same artist goes through similar steps on another portrait. The steps are basically the same, with minor modifications. This is a guide which will prove worthwhile to save in the computer Art-Favorites toolbar.
Friend Shirley is an accomplished artist, and is currently painting a portrait of a beautiful young woman (it is in its first stages):
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Create Your Own Color Palette using Colourlovers.com
This has been on the to-do list for a while. Color choices: narrowed down to reddish hues. Where to go for color guidance in paints? THIS SITE is excellent! Colour Lovers opens up a plethora of choices in helping select a paint palette.
Here is the scheme I made in about five minutes using the software on the site, without downloading anything:
Two walls will be painted in the darker red, and the wood trim will be painted in a very light hue of the purplish grey, similar to this color:
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Daybreak Shawl by Westknits
Besides starting from the center of the piece with only those two beginning stitches, it is also intrigueing because it keeps the interest of the knitter with a myriad of color choice selections. Many people on Ravelry have knit it, and it looks quite different each time it is constructed.
Washable sock yarn is a favorite yarn to use for this scarf, although thicker yarns may be chosen. Designer Stephen West says of his pattern:
Daybreak is a semicircular shawl, featuring clear graphic stripes that echo a rising sun. The generous wingspan allows the fabric to drape comfortably around your shoulders and neck. There is plenty of room to play with color in the three sections of this arched shawl. There are three sizes available to knit this shawl.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Palisade Art Lovers 30th Annual Peach Blossom Show
Palisade Art Lovers began in 1964 in the basement of the Christian Church in Palisade, Colorado by a group of Ladies who simply wanted to paint together. Eventually, they moved their meetings to the Palisade Community Center. Only a couple of original members are active in the group, but Palisade Art Lovers has grown to about 20-25 members. PALS members meet twice a month to paint together and critique each others paintings. A guest artist is invited each month to perform a demonstration using different media. The group's goal is to "Promote Art Locally". The group's major event is the Palisade Art Lovers Annual Peach Blossom Art Show in April.You can access the 2010 Gallery of Art prepared by this group by clicking on this link. The meeting schedule for the group may be found at this website.
Artwork for the 2010 show can be no larger than 40" in any direction; all media is accepted. Deadline submission is March 31, 2010 and the show starts on April 15 and goes through April 18, 2010. This link provides all necessary information for artistic submission.
Several years ago, I sold a large floral poppy painting in oils at this same show. This year, I'm preparing two florals for display, judging, and sale.
This is a picture of one of the mixed media pieces (watercolor and pastels), that I will be displaying at PALS:
Friday, January 15, 2010
Art Submission to Heirlooms for Hospice
Next month, in conjunction with the Grand Junction Visitor and Convention Bureau "Arts, Hearts & Tarts" program, Heirlooms for Hospice will be hosting an art sale to benefit Hospice and Palliative Care of Western Colorado. Anyone who donates art to Hospice will become a member of the Hospice Art Guild.
Again, art submissions will be released for future use in the creation of cards or other applications, always providing credit to the artist. Artists have until January 29, 2010 to submit their art donations to Heirlooms for Hospice to be included in this year's February Arts, Hearts & Tarts program. (All art sales benefit our local Hospice.) The Arts, Hearts & Tarts program will occur in February, 2010 in Grand Junction, CO.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Arts, Hearts & Tarts in Grand Junction
Next month, in conjunction with the Grand Junction Visitor and Convention Bureau "Arts, Hearts & Tarts" program, Heirlooms for Hospice will be hosting an art sale to benefit Hospice and Palliative Care of Western Colorado. Anyone who donates art to Hospice will become a member of the Hospice Art Guild. Art submissions will be released for future use in the creation of cards or other applications, always providing credit to the artist.
Hmm...which piece should I choose, perhaps tweak, and then donate for the art sale? Artists have until January 29, 2010 to submit their art donations to Heirlooms for Hospice to be included in this year's February Arts, Hearts & Tarts program. (All art sales benefit our local Hospice.)
Again, it is for a good cause, and it should be fun! (I'll start this week on polishing up another oil work for Arts, Hearts & Tarts.)
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Fabriano: Adoration of the Magi
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Painting a Day Lily in oils
Now to try to paint a likeness of a day lily.
Step 1: Outline the day lily in pencils, adding in some leaves and filling in the background with some color:Stretched canvas painting continues after a week of work with further definition of petals:
Here is a picture of the day lily still in progress after about three weeks:
It is about half finished at this point. It is 30" x 40", and there is still lots to do on it. Grounding the leaves from the base is a hurdle that needs to be overcome. Any helpful suggestions?
Friday, June 26, 2009
Pink Day Lily Finished!
The pictures above were taken in January, 2009 in Auckland, New Zealand. Don't those colors create a riot in your head? Day lilies come in many varieties and colors, and these were absolutely spectacular. Here is a website that tells you everything you could want to know about this flower: The Day Lily Organization.
I had to try to paint that close up picture of the pink day lily because the colors captured me. Here is the project when I was about midway through painting it in April, 2009:
And it was completed yesterday (except for the glazing process), with a picture of the results below. It took four months to complete, what with my busy schedule of a retired diva.
It is painted with oil based fine art paints, and the picture is on a stretched canvas, measuring 11" x 14". Although I like those pinkish, mauve, purple and red colors, I am thinking of painting another rendition of a day lily in golden yellows, burnt sienna and reddish browns, similar to the day lilies in our front yard:
The canvas is prepared and I 'm about ready to sketch out the flower on it. This painting will be my opus, since the size is 30" x 40". Yikes! My husband was kind enough to spend a part of a day building me an easel large enough to hold that humongous canvas.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
"The Scream" by Edvard Munch; Again Surfacing in Grand Junction, CO
(b. Dec. 12, 1863, Löten, Nor.--d. Jan. 23, 1944, Ekely, near Oslo)And from Munch_Museum, a description of the theft almost five years ago is given:
Norwegian painter and printmaker whose intense, evocative treatment of psychological and emotional themes was a major influence on the development of German Expressionism in the early 20th century. His painting The Cry (1893) is regarded as an icon of existential anguish.
A gifted Norwegian painter and printmaker, Edvard Munch not only was his country's greatest artist, but also played a vital role in the development of German expressionism. His work often included the symbolic portrayal of such themes as misery, sickness, and death. The Cry, probably his most familiar painting, is typical in itsanguished expression of isolation and fear.
On Sunday, 22 August 2004, two paintings by Munch, The Scream and Madonna, were stolen from the Munch Museum by masked men wielding firearms. The robbers forced the museum guards to lie down on the floor while they snapped the cable securing the paintings to the wall and escaped in a black Audi A6 station wagon, which police later found abandoned. The paintings were recovered by Oslo Police on August 31, 2006.
Above is a picture of "The Cry" and then a close up of the face by Munch is below:
...now look at a rock found on a neighborhood street in Grand Junction among a pile of bigger stones:
Do you see a similarity?
God has a sense of humor, if only we take the time to look carefully.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Pictures of Knitting Madonnas
The above renedition, found at WikiMedia, dates the wood cut at 1400-1410 AD.
Other pictures of knitting madonnas can be found at The Shawl Ministry. This site will link to each US state that has a shawl ministry. This is their picture depicting their mission:
On Flickr, you can click on the link and see the rendition dated from 1345, entitled "A painting of the Holy Family"; it is attributed to Ambrogio Lorenzetti (ca. 1345) of Siena. Size 54.5 x 25.5 cm.
This search was a fun find for me, and the illlustrations can be used in a number of ways with knitting projects.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Good Friday Artwork
This first work, a print of an original woodcut made by Sister Mary Grace Thul, (Caterina Benincasa Dominican Monastery, Dominican Nuns) shows Jesus washing a disciple's feet the night of the Last Supper. A print can be purchased at this site.
This stained glass picture came from Church Year. It shows the grief of Mary while placing Jesus' body in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea.
Frederick Buechner talks about the symbol of Easter being the empty tomb. Please listen to Buechner speaking his 3 minute essay at 30 Good Minutes.
Windmill Ministries says:
The gospels mention that after the crucifixion Jesus was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. On Easter morning that tomb was found empty. Finding an empty tomb by itself does not prove a resurrection, however it is an essential confirmation that the resurrection really happened.
This stained glass artwork was found at The Road Least Taken.
Good Friday is the Friday within Holy Week, and is traditionally a time of fasting and penance, commemorating the anniversary of Christ's crucifixion and death. For Christians, Good Friday commemorates not just a historical event, but the sacrificial death of Christ, which with the resurrection, comprises the heart of the Christian faith.Have a blessed Good Friday.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Using Blingee Program for Glitter Graphics
Make custom Glitter Graphics
...just stumbled upon a free graphic program found at Blingee. An example of a blinged out picture is shown above. It is a free program and has dozens of graphics from which to choose.
These are the two main photographs shown below (but not blinged out) that I am using as inspiration to create a new oil painting that should be finished before the start of summer.
The lovely close-up picture of the pink and purple lily was taken by Kelly Sheimberg while on the New Zealand/Australia Scrabble cruise trip last month.
Thus far, two coats of underlying orange and yellow primer have been put on the canvas, and I hope to sketch out the lily and foliage by the end of the day. This painting will incorporate some of the newer water based oils readily available on the market. I'm thinking of jewel tones for the petals of the flower with lots of greens/blues for background foliage.
The first painting will be on a 11" x 14" canvas. By the start of summer, I would like to paint a similar lily in varying hues of pinks, reds and purples on a 36" x 48" canvas. Please contact me if you are interested in acquiring either of these original works.