Frida Kahlo Clay Mask

My Frida Kahlo clay mask is finished and up on ETSY CLICK HERE

Scorpio Zodiac Clay Mask

Happy Friday! I managed to both paint a mask as well as sculpt two more. I made the mistake of putting her hole for the wire in front of her stinger, so I may have to add a bow to it.  But, these are turning out to be very fun to hang on the wall. 

Aries Zodiac Claw Mask

Aries, the ram mask turned out cute! I feel I am done painting for today, however.  I have lots more coming this weekend as many things are coming out of the kiln.  I can't wait!  It's also getting warmer out and that means flowers and spending more time outdoors taking pictures.  But, hopefully I will make 9 more masks going into the summer. 

Virgo Zodiac Mask

Yeah I finally got to paint some clay masks that I created and fired in pottery class.  I actually had a lot of fun painting on these.  There's only one more class before the summer break, so I will be trying to make a bunch of these to paint before then.  People keep encouraging me to make the entire horoscope (not just what is relevant to me personally) and if I can be creative enough I think I will try a few more.  If you want one for yourself, send me a note.  I may consider doing a specific zodiac sign first, if you request it.

Day of the Dead Skull Mask on Etsy

 I finished painting another Day of the Dead skull mask.    I listed it on ETSY here

WIP Horoscope Masks

These are on the high fire shelf and hopefully ready to paint by Friday, if not next week.  These are the same three horoscope signs  Virgo, Aries and Scorpio.  I made them with a face form and added clay to embellish their heads with flowers.  I had so much fun to make and have giving me many ideas for other projects in the future.  I cannot wait to paint these!!! 

Painted Pottery Day Of The Dead Mask

I created this mask with a ceramic hand mold.  It was bisqued, high fired then painted with acrylic and covered with a crackle glaze.  I have two more plain masks to pain and 5 embelished with clay flowers.

The Crab

I got up real early this Saturday morning and was able to paint this cute 8x10 painting of a Cancer girl by 9:30.  Yeah. Cancers are loving, sympathetic, sensual, protective and strong.  They can be sensitive, over-reactive and moody.  Sweet Cancer, I have never met one I did not like.  I got out of my shell (pun intended) and painted a background.  I think it makes this painting.  My two favorite colors together...match my office.  So bright and cheery.  

Prints for Charity available in my etsy shop for $30

Angel Journal Page 3 - Winter

I am not sure I would say I am all together thrilled about this page.  I had so many struggles with it.  I had no clear idea what I wanted to make (maybe I need to sketch ideas first) then I sketched it on gessoed paper and did not apply fixative before I painted, so the paint smeared my pencil lines everywhere.  You have no idea how many times I just wanted to say" screw this page" but I knew I could not keep painting over these fragile paper pages.  After all they really are not made to paint on.  But anyway....I then decided to try using colored pencil and NOPE didn't like that either! Acrylics is what I ended with.  I did learn my limitations today however.  These pages are only 5 by 8 and if I want to put more than one angel on a page...I need bigger pages.  I could barely get these three and their faces are screwed up!! AHHHH Well, it's just a journal.  At least I like the Christmassy feel.

  Oh by the way, I still have my tree up.  haha  I hate winter. I hate that I can't climb to summit lakes, I hate that everything looks dead and I hate the cold!  WAAAAH!  But having my tree up and lights on at 5pm every night make me happy.  So that is what I do!!

Frida Kahlo Personal Art Journal Page 2

Hi all!  This weeks entry in my Frida Art Journal was inspired by the work of Heather Galler.  It is so easy painting on paper.  The paint just glides over the surface.  I do paint / prep the surface with either black paint or gesso to make them sturdy enough to hold all the paint.  I do love how this turned out. 

Angel Art Journal Page 2

I finished my second page of my Angel Art Journal this morning.  I started this a few days ago with just a drawing and decided to put forth more effort and paint her.  An hour last night layering and then detailing this morning.  In honesty I probably spent 3 hours on her which is more than I intended for journaling, but I think she is cute!  I am enjoying the painting process so much better now that I learning how to use raw umber and other transparent paints and building layers.  I'd really love to get a print out of this pretty angel, so I will work on that.  Thanks for visiting me today.  Hopefully, I can get another project done before I have to run to the grocery store. Chio!

Renaissance Art Journal Entry - Page 2

Well, I didn't clean up so much as to just get into creating something else. Might as well, since the paints out.  I was ambitious trying acrylic on gessoed journal paper.  Not even remotely close to what this painting deserves, but it was really fun to paint on.   I am so happy that I tried it and now I know I can do many more acrylic pages in my journal - as long as the binding can withstand it that is.

I might need to leave many pages just sketched on to save the binding.  

The Renaissance is my favorite art period.  I loved the realism in Neoclassical and the fabulous style of the Rococo period.  I have never taken a class in portrait painting or oil painting.  For my folk art, I rarely use a real image of a person, so this practice was helpful.  I imagine I could make her much prettier if I spend more than 2 hours on her.  My goal is two max hours inside each journal a week.  I can spend up to 4 on other paintings that I do.  So far for me that is awesome!!!  I am learning patience and acceptance during each piece I make and that makes me happy.  

I am not sure if I will offer this in print or not....we will see. 

Don't Let The Vines of Life Weigh You Down

I was up really early this morning and was able to finish this piece by lunch.  I am thinking I like getting up at 5:30 am! I created this cutie on 8x10 acrylic paper.  First time for me and I think I like working with it - even better than canvas.  I had a lot of fun with her and enjoyed trying something new.  I was actually very patient with her today.  My trusty ole acrylic paint and layering, one thing I have been getting better at.   My brushes on the other hand are getting pretty bad.  I don't buy expensive ones because I tend to leave them out.  I have yet to learn the task of cleaning out my cup water every time I change a color.  I have to use every brush I can during one painting.  Then when I am done I dump the water and wash the brushes.  Totally lame - I know!

My studio is getting a little messy with all this artwork lately.  So, I guess it is time to tidy up....then work on something new! I have no idea what that will be, but I definitely have the creative bug lately, so enjoy!

Prints are available in my Etsy shop here    Proceeds from my Etsy shop fund kitty rescue. 

The Struggles of an Outsider.

Last night, after coming home from pottery class I really wanted to make art.  I was just going to

draw a practice sketch but then I keep going... Adding colored pencil, then paint and more colored pencil.  There were so many times during this piece that I just wanted to throw her out.  I kept screwing her up and going over it again and again.  I put her up for the night in hopes that in the morning I would figure her out and know what to do.  So, this morning I got out my paint and just started going over anything I didn't like.  At some points I felt I was making her worse, but just really pushed thru and decided she is finished.  She's far from perfect... But, thank goodness folk art is not fine art.  I didn't feel like crying and I only told myself I suck once. So, I can just be happy with getting whatever I need emotionally "out" during the process of creating.   I get compliments on my art from ladies who really like my "style" so I should be happy that, "well, at least I have a style" right?  I struggle and flail as an artist almost every day.  Mostly because I just like to wing it and have no patience.   I am learning how to deal with my critical nature each and every day.   

Prints in my Etsy Shop 

Art Therapy For The Outsider.

One of the first projects we are tackling in Life Journal 2018 is a mixed media Willowing style garden fairy.  For my first attempt and using materials I had never worked with before I decided to just use a small 6x8 piece of watercolor paper.  Watercolor paper I had thought I started painting on the wrong side that is.  Not sure what happened but the minute I tried to blend her face, my paper started to deteriorate.  Um yeah, that's not good.   So, in order to save her, I changed to water color marker.  HAHA Well, if you don't want that to run, you might not want to use water!!! LOL

The follies that were happening today were testing my patience, but I broke thru it. I pulled out the acrylic paint to finish the background and used colored pencil over the water color to make it more vibrant and less grainy from the paper fiasco.  I stepped away from doing too much detail as I was pretty much "over it" a few times.  But I am glad I pushed thru and finished her.  She became very satisfying once I got over all my mistakes and accepted her.  

There turns out to be a lot of meaning in this practice of acceptance for me and I look forward to getting better as the year goes by.