Sneak Peek Friday

Welcome to my studio for Sneak Peek Friday. 

Years ago I had this brilliant idea that I would buy used frames on Ebay and from garage sales to recycle for my art.  If the frame was ugly, I could paint it black and have an instant framed artwork.   Never quite got around to it, as you see my lovely collection here.  So one of my goals is to complete this project and fill with prints for either my house or elsewhere.

Here's an example of one of the pictures I have stockpiled.  This print was ruined by the cardboard used for backing, but the frame is still in good condition.   

Here's one of the finished frames ...new print by Diana Mulder :), new mat and new backing.

Here's another landscape mixed media print. 

Here they are in the entry of my house.  I only used 2 frames from my collection, so I got a lot of work to do.  I made a large print of "Cutie Patootie",  and he looks darling on the wall.   More pics to come. 

If you would like join us, just visit Jennifer at  "In the Studio"  and give it a try.

Kelly Berkey's Weekly Sketch Challenge

Kelly5,  9 x 12 oil on board

Welcome to Week 5 of Kelly Berkey's Weekly Sketch Challenge.

Since  the little dog oil painting went well, I wanted to try Kelly's challenge in oil, too.  I had some fun trying different techniques for the background starting with a gold underpainting of acrylic to let some show through.  Unfortunately, not used to the dry time of oil, my hand kept resting in the background while painting  Kelly's face.  So I had to paint over all the gold flecks showing through at the top to fix it.  Oh well, we learn.

My favorite techniques are paintings with layers,  marks and colors showing through from underneath.   To get a little of this,  I scrubbed the red slip so the gesso and strokes would show and used the back of my paint brush to scratch marks at the top.

The biggest problem was making a tiny eye with my oil brush.  I'm so use to the softness of watercolor brushes that it felt like I was trying to paint it with a Q-tip. The brushes always seem to have a lot of stray hairs.  Anyone know the best oil brush for tiny details?  As for the color choices, I just go with what makes me feel good.  It's art right.

If you would like to join us, every week Kelly posts a picture of herself in a pose for you to sketch or paint or whatever.

Cutie Patootie

Cutie Patootie 5" x 5" oil on board, acrylic underpainting

Just a quick post to show this little sweet guy painted in oil.  He did make it back into the water again on his own.  Sometimes we don't know what we're frightened of so we do nothing instead of just taking those little steps and eventually getting our feet wet.  This is the first time in years that I painted in oil.  It was a good little painting to get my feet wet again.

Sneak Peek Friday

Welcome everyone to Sneak Peek Friday.   I just got a very cool book from Amazon recommended by one of my friends.  I don't know too much about the artist, Elizabeth Peyton, except that she did a lot of portraits of some famous English people, ie Prince Harry.  Anyway as you see by the cover,  her use of color and the simplicity of her portraits is what's so appealing to me.  So that will be fun to explore .

A Place In The Sun,  5 x 7 image on 6 x 9 watercolor paper

 Another work in progress is establishing an Etsy site.  I been working on 2 possible ways to sell prints.  The first above is printed on 140 lb. watercolor paper, which I've seen some other artists do.  I've signed the bottom in pencil.  The weight feels nice in the hand.

Surfer Chicks,  8 x 10, matted..no frame

 The other idea would be to print on Epson Luster photo paper and I would sell it matted.  Love to hear any opinions on which way to go.  I was ready to order mats and then loved the print with the signature, too.

"Hesitant Pooch", 5" x 5", watercolor on aquaboard

I also worked on this little cutie patootie. yesterday.  He looked a bit frightened and was being led (dragged) back into the ocean.  I think he was done.  He's so cute.  I got so frustrated with painting on aquaboard that I'm going try the same picture with oil, which I haven't done in years. Wish me luck.

Anyway, if your wanting to participate to Sneak Peek Friday, just visit Jennifer at  "In the Studio"  and give it a try.

Kelly Berkey's Weekly Sketch Challenge

Kelly Week 4  - watercolor & paper, 8 x 10 on 4-ply illus. paper

Welcome to Week 4 of Kelly Berkey's Weekly Sketch Challenge.  Kelly's photo has morf into this little painting  you see here. Her pose reminded me of  toilette paintings from the Renaissance.  She gazes out the window at the lovely beach scene below. 

Technically speaking, it amazes me at how complicated everything becomes when you add other objects.  Everything relates to one another,  values and colors.   This would make a good painting study to get color, value, etc. The wallpaper stripe is from pieces of decorative papers I have.  You will notice one stripe on upside down.  I did that on purpose, aheemmm, to see if you would notice. :)

If you would like to join us, every week Kelly posts a picture of herself in a pose for you to sketch or paint or whatever.

How to Tap into Your Creative Genius

What put you on the path of creating?  Once upon a time you created something of significance.  It might have been a drawing, painting, a photo or jewelry.   And it was good.  And then you did another and another. You liked what you created and so did your loved ones.  And you went on creating.  Then one day you created something awesome.  It was really a step above all the rest.  You thought "this is great, all my hard work, I've arrived!".  But then, you get overconfident and the very next thing you do...it's a dud, right.    You assume they'll all be as good from now on.   And you try something totally different, and it bombs. Auuugh!
Bear with me....


Have you ever listened to Elizabeth Gilbert's TED speech?  She's the author of "Eat, Pray, Love" and she talks about the origin of the word Genius.  It stems from Roman myth which once meant "a guiding spirit who attends a person from birth to death", and this spirit or Genius would either show up while you created or  not.  So if you did create something a step above all else, it was because your Genius decided to show up and help you out.  

Now, my husband watched this with me and said, "she's a loon, that one".  Ok, but this is what I got out of her speech.

Copy your Genius. 

Take that special creation...the one that stands out above the others ...the one the Genius decided to show up for and keep it as direct reference, while you create another.  Use it again with a twist.  I have one painting sitting next me while I paint another.  I pick that painting because of something particular that might be useful for what I'm working on at the time.  It's never the same.  For my charcoal study on Kelly, I had a framed charcoal study sitting next to me that I did sometime ago as I drew her.  I copy linework and shading.  I try to copy everything except the subject.  This way it brings it up to the level it needs to be.  

I painted the beach girls while I had the old man on the easel

Loved the stripes so much, used them again

A little cleaner, but the same colors

Perhaps there will be the day when my "Genius" will show up again, but until that time happens, I'm going to keep one eye on the one he smiled on,  while I create the next.  Look for your Genius.  Guaranteed he's amongst your work waiting to be noticed. 

Sneak Peek Friday

This week in the studio, I wanted to try a watercolor painting on watercolor board.  I used one of the reference photos I took at the beach this summer.

Surfer Chicks 8 x 10 watercolor on watercolor board

When these girls walked by me, I thought "Wow, these girls must be beach volleyball players.  They're so tall and  muscular."   I liked the way it turned out and the board stayed rigid unlike some of the other illustration paper, which has a tendency to bow. 

Nutcracker trio 4" x 12", acrylic on canvas

Also, finished is my little group of nutcrackers.  Although cute, they're not the image I set out to do in my mind's eye, so I'm going to "shelf" :) the idea for now. 

Anyway, if your wanting to participate to Sneak Peek Friday, just visit Jennifer at  "In the Studio"  and give it a try.