Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Lookie here!

I was somehow entered into a drawing I didn't know anything about when I posted a comment on ArtSnark's blog last week, and, hey! I WON! My winnings came very quickly by mail. They are 4 ATC's (Artist Trading Cards), from Melanie at Studio27 on Etsy. They are very cool! (Click on them to see them larger.)

I purchased some blank ATC's quite some time ago, but have never done anything with them. These make me want to go search for them in the studio cupboard and get busy playing with them! Maybe when I get more things on my ToDo list checked off.... In the meantime, I have some really cute tiny easels that these Just Fit on, so I can enjoy them and be inspired by them while I work. In fact, they reminded me again, Where is that old photo that I want to make into a Heritage tapestry? Remember that I was searching for it several months ago? It still hasn't been found...

Monday, June 29, 2009

Little 'somethings'....

My small paintings have been doing very well in the Blue Pig Gallery. In fact they have all sold, so I am a bit frantic, trying to get some done to replace them. I began this little painting yesterday afternoon, and have completed it this morning, except for setting it aside and looking at it with 'fresh eyes' later to see if any adjustments are needed. It is 5x7" and I painted it from a photo of Wooster, though I don't intend it to specifically be Wooster. It will just be called "Yellow Lab."

This afternoon, I hope to do another small piece, so I can get three into the gallery as soon as they dry. I have priced them pretty low, as it is increasingly clear that people still want art, but don't have a great deal of income for it right now. At least that is true here. So, for now, these little pieces are at least helping to pay my expenses.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

What has, and hasn't, been happening...

As you can see, not a great deal has been happening lately on the weaving front. I have been getting a wee bit of painting done, but am feeling a bit blocked there, as I really am feeling that I should be at the loom. I have to confess that my days have been disappearing into some foggy place lately, and I feel as if I am running far, far behind the pack! I've been put on a new 'headache-go-away' medicine (for this same headache that has been my almost constant companion since Nov. 2007). The med makes me feel a lot groggy in the mornings, which is usually my studio work time, and a bit droopy for the rest of the day. It doesn't seem to have rid me of the headache so far, either. Curses, stupid medicine! Double curses, stupid headache!!!

Our spring and early summer has been cool and wet. All of these things have made me want to just sit in a rocker or on the porch glider and do nothing more than read light novels. So that is pretty much what I have been doing. I have had several batches of company in May and June, so I did add some grocery shopping and a bit of cooking to that very small ToDo list that I'm working from. My parents just left today, and they'll return next weekend, right before I go to Boston for a week. I have determined that, when I get back home, I will set a deadline for the piece on the loom, as that is the best way to motivate myself.

I have played a bit with a design for the June tapestry, for the calendar series. I have the upper 2/3's designed, but am not quite ready to share it yet. I may get that design done this week. If so, I will share the design and the process with you.

Well, I think that about brings you up to date with what has been - or perhaps really has NOT been - happening here in my studio and life. The 'lazy days of summer' seem to have quite overwhelmed me!

IF: Worn 2

Rub-a-dub-dub,
What is worn in the tub?
Nothing!

Friday, June 26, 2009

Illustration Friday: Worn


The IF topic today is "Worn." I don't have time today to do anything new, maybe later in the weekend. But, for now I will post these two digital images I did of my grand-daughter, who stuck two wire coat-hangers on her arms as bracelets and said to me when she was just two, "It never hurts to accessorize!" When she gets to choose her own clothes, she puts on pretty much all her current favorites from both the closet and the dress-up box. Both images were done in both Photoshop and Painter.

Here is a more current photo of her, from last Thanksgiving, when she 'dressed-up' for the holiday celebration. As her grandmother, I am so pleased to see her be creative in every aspect of her life, even down to the clothes that are worn to express her uniqueness.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Illustration Friday: Drifting


I'm posting this little oil sketch of my grandson drifting in his pool 'donut' for this week's IF topic. The water was fun to paint, and it was also fun getting the transparent look to the donut. It is 5x7" - just a sketch. My grandson is very laid back, and what he does in the pool is just to get himself into his donut and drift around. His older sister paddles around here and there in her donut, but he is happy to just drift where the pool and his floating donut take him.


We spent the past few days drifting, as well. We were back up to the lake to go fishing. Last weekend was too windy to fish, as the fish just don't bite when there are whitecaps on the water. But this weekend was perfect! Between us, we caught 18 keeper-sized rainbow trout. We only kept 6 of them, and released the rest, as we don't really need a lot of fish to eat, with just the two of us. We caught most of the fish with worms, but when they ran out, we used lures, and I caught the biggest one (16 inches) on a Rooster Tail lure. (Just a little detail, for anyone who might wonder...) Fishing is a wonderful activity.... as it alternates times when you really are just drifting along doing nothing with short bursts of excitement and activity. During the drifting times, I had an idea for another of the Calender tapestries, for the month of June. I'll keep you posted as the design materializes!
Gus went along again, and enjoyed watching the fish get cleaned through the screen door window.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

¿Que pasa?


My studio has been looking like either two people work there, or someone who has a somewhat split life occupies the space. There are paintings in various stages of dryness propped in every available space, including, until today, against the loom. Today I moved those aside and decided I'd better do a bit of weaving before I forget how to weave!

I think I may have enough paintings to keep my space filled at the gallery for awhile. I have, so far, only had to replace one that sold.

I am keeping up my 'resolve' to paint a bit each day by doing small warm-up paintings and sketches in my Moleskin.

Outside, my Peace Rose is in riotous bloom, and my lavender is due for the first harvest. We are having a very wet early summer, with cool weather that is un-natural, but quite fine with me! Hope yours is going well, too!

Monday, June 15, 2009

Vega Lake Weekend...



We finally got up to our cabin, for the first time since full snow melt. We took Gussie along. He actually loved it - sitting at the window watching birds and chipmunks, and finding all the nooks and crannies the cabin had to offer. The lake is full, and there is still run-off flowing in. The chokecherry trees are as loaded as we've seen in years, perhaps even decades! Maybe we'll do some jelly this year. My husband used to make wine from them, but I am allergic to it and it was more work than the product seems worth now. The air was full of the sound of hummingbirds, marmots ran amok, but we still have yet to see a moose there!
This is my first attempt at a slideshow, and I find the labels distracting, but don't want to do it over. I'll have to remember to leave them off next time!

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Ala Mode...


This is an 8x10" oil that I did of my husband at a coffee shop with a piece of blackberry pie in front of him. I painted it on a black canvas, which I've wanted to try for awhile. The canvas is gallery wrapped, so I have painted the edges black, with bits of color from the painting blended in. I won't have to frame this. I may have some corrections to make to this when it dries a bit, but overall, I like it. As always, the wet paint doesn't photograph well - I don't know how to correct for that! - and the painting itself is darker and richer than this photo shows. The glare is especially prominent in the dark areas. Does anyone know what to do about that? I don't use a flash, and shoot pictures in natural light. The solution may be just to be more patient and not take pictures of wet paintings!

Monday, June 8, 2009

Flowers for Sale....


I am stopping on this painting for now - perhaps for good. I don't want to do too much to it. It is 12x16". The photo isn't great, because the paint is still wet so there is some glare. But anyway, it is all I have done today except laundry. No matter how bad I feel, I can always do laundry. And as this was my first day 'home alone' since we don't have Wooster, it's been a hard and sad day. It is amazing to me how much of my day was centered around his needs, especially in the past few years while he needed medicating. Anyway, YEA! for painting, and even for laundry... I'll take what distractions I can get.

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Where did she get this?

My husband suggested I post this. We discovered it in my Moleskin this morning in church. I had let the grandkids draw in the sketchbook at their Daddy's graduation last weekend, as the parts that weren't about him got a bit long for them. Among the pages of cute drawings was this Venn Diagram (properly labeled as such) done by our 5-year old grand-daughter. She was evidently diagramming the loudness of her Olivia books. So, where does a 5-year old learn to do Venn diagrams? Do they teach these things in kindergarten now? She is a very bright child, but this is just pretty funny! Something definately to go in the 'save' stash... which is already getting a bit large.

Friday, June 5, 2009

IF: Craving


I did this little 5x7 warm-up oil sketch for the Illustration Friday topic, "Craving." I do sometimes crave chocolate, and I often crave sweets! The image is from an amazing piece of triple-chocolate-something from a local restaurant that a friend brought by as 'comfort food' for us yesterday.

Speaking of comfort, thank you all for your sympathy and understanding in the loss of our Wooster. Sometimes, when days are soooo hard, it helps to know that others are thinking kind thoughts and knowing how you feel. I have found that Beauty is a comfort, too. As I sat on the porch with Wooster on his last days, I kept looking across the street at the neighbor's catalpa tree, which is blooming, and has a rose climbing about 15 feet up into it, which is also blooming. That beautiful tree gave me comfort, too, and I finally took a picture of it today. It's blooms are almost finished, but it is still lovely. I'm sure, had he been allowed to cross the street, Wooster would have appreciated it in his own doggie way, as well. And it could have used the watering...

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Small ups, Huge downs...


I hung my work in the new gallery yesterday. It looks nice. I hope it does well there. I got an award in the Fiber Celebration exhibit from Shuttles, Spindles, and Skeins, one of my favorite fiber shops in Boulder, CO. I don't know what the award is yet. Those are the ups.

The down is that I have made the appointment to have Wooster 'sent to the heaven for good doggies' tomorrow. How do you say something like that without sobbing uncontrollably? I certainly don't know. He has been our friend and almost constant companion for almost 13 years. We will miss him. We will mourn him. We have loved him almost as much as he has loved us. This huge 'down' doesn't even make the small 'ups' seem significant at all....

Monday, June 1, 2009

A fast but lovely trip...


Saturday, we went over the mountains for a quick trip to the Colorado front range. We first went to Loveland, met some dear friends for a very quick lunch, then to the Museum to see the Fiber Celebration 2009 exhibit for a few minutes. There are some great pieces in the show, and I wish I could show more to you, but, as I don't have permission for that, I will just show a shot of my two pieces, plus a few that were nearby.
The Loveland Museum is also hosting a Wayne Thiebaud exhibit! I love his work, and especially liked a piece called "The Speaker" though I could not photograph it, and can't find an image of it anywhere (ARGH!). He is, of course, mostly known for his pastry paintings, but the exhibit included a lot of his people and place pieces as well. A great thing to see, but, Oh! for a bit more time there!




We couldn't dally there long, though, as we needed to get back to Denver for my son's graduation and pinning as he received his RN degree. It was a wonderful and fun ceremony, and then a terrific celebration afterwards at his wife's parent's home. So we got in a bit of family time, too - again, not enough! I got a few grandkid photos, and am especially fond of this series of my grandson showing me how he can do somersaults. Home again yesterday... a beautiful day to cross the Rockies!



String Theory

  Ok, I don’t know anything about string theory, except maybe what I see on The Big Bang. But there is an excellent fiber exhibit right now ...