Canvas 11

Summer is here in Georgia.  I can not wait to enjoy it.  In fact, I've been like a pregnant Momma in the last tri-mester getting the house ready for summer.  Projects on the to-do list are trickling down.  Which is a very good thing. My one trip to Wal-mart a year was last night where we bought:  6 flavors for the icee maker last night, bug spray, sunscreen, new goggles, Skip-bo and popcorn.  We are set.  I keep being asked, "What are you planning to do this summer?"  I reply....nothing.  Well, that is a little stretch in the truth.  There will be 2 beach trips, plenty of lake time, art camps, baseball and pool time.  But truthfully I'd rather not even leave my house.  My beautiful, new, perfect house.  Ahhh....summer I love you so.

Week 11...Behind the Scenes

I am often asked "where do you get ideas to paint?"  Well, good question.  Many times it just flows right out onto the canvas.  And although I do keep a sketchbook, it is literally just for doodling.  When I feel like doodling that is.  It's all about timing for me with this type of creativity.  I don't like to draw out anything completely because something always gets lost in the translation.  My compositions seem to work better being more spontaneous in nature.  

The fabulous thing about the sketchbook though is that if ever I am stumped for an idea, there's a slew of tiny springboards to choose from.  I love opening the sketchbook up and finding little compositions yet to come to life.   And this week was one of those weeks....what to paint....what to paint.  I have just one too many ideas in my head. And just one painting to finish.  This week.  So I opened the book to find where I had tried to figure out how to draw a pinwheel.  It was hilarious what a time I had figuring this simple line drawing out to look correct!  Like many of my painting subjects, pinwheels have been on my "to paint" list for awhile (Popsicles are next btw).  There is something I love about this toy...maybe it's the nostalgic point of view and what it represents to childhood....maybe it's that they are always amazingly bright and colorful.  There are many reasons why I am drawn to them though, and yet drawing them posed the challenge.

Well, eventually I got it figured out.  I bought one.  That helped.  And now this little composition is on its' way.  I intend to use collage for the rest of the painting.  Now to choose the papers...that's gonna be fun!!



Week 10...

So my friend Jennifer messaged me to call her last night, she had a magic solution to my rather non-responsive I-Phone.  WHEW!!  It's up and running again.  And all my photos are safe.  I do need to figure out the cloud thingy though.  Yep.  Add it to the list.  Which is growing!!  I am in like total freak out crazy momma mode at home.  Cleaning out, throwing away and painting.  Walls that is.  I want to enjoy my summer with some of the looming house projects done when I get out.  So what am I doing?  Burning my candle at both ends.  Itching from the chiggers and tick bites, soaking in long tubs from the over done muscles (running lots of miles...more on that little spark of joy soon).  And planning to paint the basement stairway tonight.  Which, if you read my bridge post about the height fear....well stairs are the #2 fear.  Like queasy I hate going up and down stairs fear.  What is up with me?  Give me a ladder to dance on top of with crazy high heels.  But stairs and bridges make me need a lovely fainting sofa nearby.

Anyhoo...I thought you might enjoy seeing a stair step progression (like that...hardy har har) of this week's painting.  Again, super inspired by the photos I took in San Fransico!  See ya back next week at week 11!

This painting is totally mixed media...a little paint, stabilo pencil, colored pencil, paper, and thinking about a bingo chip too!  I love this one to pieces....it may be sold already.  To me!

Week 10...some thoughts

Wow....10 weeks in.  That's a long time.  To stay focused.  To stay on task.  I'm proud of myself.  Really.  Not that I didn't think I could do this.... but now that I'm in it, well I'm in it.  Make sense?

So here's what I've been thinking about lately.  Where is the art you ask?  Well......my I-phone has the in progress pics in it.  And of course today it died.  Not sure if it's dead, dead...or battery dead.  And I am just not gonna panic.  Although it has a lot of pictures on it.  That are special.  And supposedly there is a thing called I-Cloud that magically moves things from my things to my other things with apple logos.  Yeah, not sure the magic is working right.  Or that I've even set it up.  User error for sure.  Trying very hard not to blerg.  Yep.  So let's talk about happy stuff why don't we?
-I've got exactly 6 days of school left.  that is worth a giant happy dance!
-just about a month until my 1st Paint Something Workshop....which I am over-the-moon excited about!
-worked in the yard many hours this week afterschool...got the chiggers and tics to prove it.  loving the direction the yard is going.  and the fact that we have golf green grass.  we didn't have grass at the old house.  grass is pretty.
-Lily is snoring on me right now as I type.  I just love her to pieces.  I think she's ready for me to be off school too.
-the club pool opens Saturday.  now, my white legs are not thrilled, but heck my heart is!!!  slushie time!!!
-made 3 piles in the basement Tuesday night....one yard sale pile, one Bone Yard booth pile and one keep pile.  I love that the keep pile is getting smaller.
-my last art show until November was this past weekend. I am so glad to have the break.  Well, I guess there is the one in June, but it's gonna be more of an antique show.  More details soon on that!

And lastly, I'm just so glad to have such sweet friends who are following me on this little journey.  At the show this weekend I was reminded of how special this little artsy life of mine is.  How cool it was to see familiar faces.  How very fortunate I am to have been given the gifts to use my hands in a way that touch so many.  Yep.  I know how lucky I am and can not wait to continue along this path and hopefully inspire you to start making your own creative marks.

Canvas #9...Behind some Deep Dark Scenes

I may or may not have actually asked Lily's opinion about the collage trees.  Yep.  I asked everyone else in the house's opinion so I'm sure she was around for tail wagging favor.  Or maybe she just wanted my Razzles?  Anyhoo, all-time creative low hitting hard this week.  Not sure why the over the top super cool I couldn't wait to paint ideas are not translating onto the canvas.  Hmm....maybe working on multiple canvases at once is the key to my success?  And I jinxed myself with just one?  It could also have something to do with the 10 days left of school with kids that are acting like bouncy balls making my nerves whackanoodle. Oh, and my semi-retirement from art shows partay is this weekend in Dunwoody.  Whatever the reason, this painting may break all the 52 canvas rules and be re-visited at a later date.  When I can mull over the trees idea again.  It was a great idea.  Really.  But alas, the week is ending for me creatively because tomorrow is show day!  And tonight is one of those Mommy being a stretch doll in her really hot go-go boots kinda night.  So this painting, well it's a little more completed than the above photograph.....but not super sure it's done.  I'll share it Monday and see what you think about the trees.  The peanut gallery...aka my family..was not in favor of the trees.  Sigh.

Week 9...The Bridge

This week I am totally under the spell of the bridge.  Mesmerized by its beauty and abilities.  At night they literally looked like diamond necklace strands.  Truly captivating me.  This probably seems a bit silly to those of you with these daily privileges.  But you see, living inland and suburban we are more likely to see on a daily basis a cow nibbling grass, or better yet the goat grass cutter.  And cross real railroad tracks.  We don't have the magical bridges and cable car tracks.

We made our way while in San Francisco to the Golden Gate Bridge.  Below is the other one...Oakland Bay I think?  It was outside our hotel.  Gorgeous photo I think, totally untouched!   Anyhoo....I have a little confession.  You'd never guess....the way I dangle on top of ladders all over school hanging artwork up....but I have an extremely unnatural fear of heights.  Yep.  My entire life.

So once we finally got to the bridge I stood at the end and Billy says, "Are we going to cross...we finally made it?"  (It was quite the hilarious jaunt from our hotel to the bridge...involving 2 different cable cars, walking an extraordinary hill OR 2 and a bus ride)  My reply..."of course"  All the while my stomach and head start the lightness and my outer body experience begins.  I made it to the center of the bridge, having to stop several times to take photos of course (and calm myself).  At one point I decided to look up and near about fainted.  Ok.  Note to self.  No more looking up either on a bridge.  One point I stopped and said, "Is this thing swaying??"  Billy replied, "Yes Jenni, it has to bend and move or it will snap."  Deep breath...move forward.  Did I look down?  Of course, had to.  It was with extreme caution and deliberate moves to the edge to look over and I probably looked like some total freakoid doing it.  It was so packed on the bridge with bikers and walkers so there wasn't much time to celebrate my accomplishment of being on the dang bridge.  Once off the bridge my body and soul rejoined and off we went on our next excursion.  Whew. 

I tell you all this because this week, #9 is a painting of the Golden Gate Bridge.  I wanted to remember this little experience of overcoming intense, crazy lady fear of heights.  My family thinks it's funny.  I however do not.  It is an unreal, indescribable with words feeling when it hits me.  I suppose it's pretty good that I can overcome the fear to get from point A to point B.  I don't like missing out on stuff, maybe that's it.  I will say I finally am able to walk near the railing on our second story hallway without getting dizzy.  Yep....I am telling you.  It is an intense fear.  And now that BIG bridge is crossed off the list maybe I can get to Niagara Falls after all.  Maybe.

Canvas #8

So here it is!!   After two porch sessions and a bunch of soul searching on the meaning of....blah...blah...not really.   I don't do that while painting.  Think much about much that is.  I think that's why I listen to music.  It helps block out my overactive brain and let's it completely relax.  I think this is why I produce so much work.  Because I don't over think it.  Period.  And I don't like to over do it either.

The words I was originally going to stamp onto the canvas.  But then I remembered my old tricks and printed them out instead.  And love it.  The quote comes from the Inspired book I love so much.

I know I keep talking about the new house...new house...new house...But Saturday night I realized how deeply in LOVE with this new house and neighborhood I am when my neighbor asked me to help her get ready for prom.  Prom.  She's a teacher and was chaperoning.  We played in all my shoes and jewelry...her daughter, Mailey, She and I.  We straightened her hair all piled in my bathroom.  We tried on dresses.  It was so fun.  I borrowed tin foil from her for our dinner and she was off.  Saturday was one of those warm and fuzzy nights.   You get those when you allow people you don't really know into your lives and allow the seed to grow.  Because it feels right to.  So above the images are more than just little houses.  It's my community.  Both physical and cyber.  All joined together by a common thread.  And of course built on love.  And the white door means that it is always open.  For you.

Another Behind the Scenes

The beauty sometimes of knowing the behind the scenes of your own blog is pre-posting.  Yes, it is a beautiful thing.  Do ya know how to use it?  So here's the deal.  I painted #8 on Sunday.  I knew what laid ahead for this week.  And well, as the story went I got the down and outs and didn't finish #8 on Sunday as planned.  I am a planner and a list maker.  And not being able to check that off the list ticked me off.  No doubt.  And messed with my postings for the week.  But alas.....I am actually typing this on Monday.  Because...well.....I'm not home right now.  Nope!  Shhhhh....I'll tell you about it when I get back.  Nothing to do with art.  NOTHING.  Well, I do plan to look my new books over on the 4 hour plane ride. 

Nevertheless, I did end up finishing #8.  And am OKwith it.  I realized in the other painting I made a complete rainbow around the clouds and painted raindrops.  Guess I shoulda had the inspiration around me while working.  Really, no two paintings should be exactly alike either.  Anyhoo.....day 2 I was back outside but on the eating side of the porch at the table on the art stool.  And no TV.   And my favorite collaging tools.  Because I felt the need to cut and glue something.

Oh and here are a few close-ups of my go-to tools.  A black Stabilo pencil and good sharpener.  Because they need sharpening often.

My I-phone with music.  Oh how I love music.  Christina Perri is inspiring the heck out of me lately.  Don't know her?  Then I strongly suggest you leave this page and head on over to I-Tunes.  Yep.

 Vintage trinkets can bring a simple painting into vavava..vroom painting!  I tell no lie.

And the right collage paper can make you clap your hands over your head and perhaps break out in a dance.  My favorite coveted papers ever??  Amy Butler.  Of course.  She is my biggest artist crush ever ever.  Like if I ever got to meet her in person I'll surely faint.  I'd have the same reaction if I met Luke Skywalker too.  In case you wanted to know that stuff about me.

So it's getting there.....once you see the final result you'll see I'm really getting back to my old tricks.  Which may or may not involve words....

So I guess I'll be back with canvas #8 on Saturday.  That's when it's scheduled anyways.  I'll be a few time zones over....but plan to check on things here.  Let me know whatcha think!!