Go quickly!

This is a little piece I started Friday and finished today.  It measures 10 x 6.5" and was painted on a silk mat board. Due to texture and reflection it is a little difficult to photograph. This is the best I can do today.  Anyway, the point is, after hours and hours of work on a bigger piece, with no end in sight, I decided to stop for a bit to do something easy and fun.  This is called Roadside.

Accepted into book STROKES OF GENIUS, Northlight Books, F&W Publishing

Thursday I arrived home from a long day at the Vet hospital where I work as a vet assistant to good news.  As is my routine, I checked my emails and happily came across a notice that one of  my painting "Who rescued Whom?" was one of the 144 pieces chosen from 1500 entries to be published in the 2014 Strokes of Genius by Rachel Wolf- a Northlight, F&W Publications book.

Yes, another cat!

This is a very early work in progress (WIP) of yet another cat.  Using Thomas again.  This should be fun.  My favorite time of year is Halloween. Can you see the broom beginning to emerge? Let's see if I can pull it off. I'm working on 4-ply rag mat- less forgiving than my most recent cats, which were painted on linen mat. I have to be very careful to leave untouched surface for the brightest white.  Keeping those areas pristine is difficult when creating large areas of dark. I use the scoring method, which also has draw backs (oo a pun,  Get it?).  I tried using a liquid mask once, but it was a total bust. Enjoy and be sure to check in from time to time.

Thoughts about social media from a "non joiner."

For many years I have belonged to an artist's FB page.  Today the honeymoon is over.  With all groups,  comes politics. I have spent my life running away from groups, from sorority to PTA.  I do not do well in them.  I skim read  social cues, choosing what I think important and almost always find myself in trouble with someone. I am not very consistent in anything I do, especially when it comes to understanding rules. My intensions are good, but unfortunately in groups, rules are more important than positive input, good energy, insightful discussion. One would think that in a social media forum, one could hide behind the cloak of internet space, that things would not become personal.  Nope. In fact, without context or facial expression, comments on a FB page can become that much more powerful. The writer must be oh so careful!  When words take on their own meaning outside what was intended, there is no catcher's mitt on the internet. So now I am in the position of deciding how much I need the interaction among other artists on a FB page.  Though I made many "friends" there, are they?  Yes, one must be very careful.

Shor Park in Summer, Wins Third Place in Annual Competition.

Just goes to show ya, art is subjective. When you enter a juried show, it is near impossible to guess which piece might take a ribbon.  This little CP painting, a study of my walking park, was entered as an after thought.  My other three were passed by, but this took third place! Surprised but still delighted!

Love Color!

This WIP of Thomas the cat has turned into an exploration of values and color. By taking a very simple subject, I'm able to focus on light and how color changes as it becomes shadow. I haven't completed the background yet, but will give myself some time to walk around the piece.  So far, I'm pretty pleased.

KEEP GOING!

Last year I wrote an article about my 10 steps. I created a paintng and documented the highs and lows. It is something that is consistent in my process. Knowing this makes it easier for me to commit to the more ambitious pieces as well as increases the likelihood I will finish. No matter how bad it gets I know that persistence will pay off. The results speak for themselves. Sometimes they even work. The main thing is to KEEP GOING.