Faces of Lola

Here are progression photos of a piece I started yesterday and finished today.

16x20 acrylic and pan pastels on gallery wrapped canvas.

I titled her, "Lola".

She started off as a sketch of a sweet and innocent young lady 

Then she quickly turned into a very scary looking person.

This is a common, known as the scary or ugly stage, to go thru.  It has been known to frighten someone from continuing.

I've been at this long enough to know to keep moving forward.

Added first layers highlights and shadows.

Refining the features.

Continue to refine the features and adding more color.

She went to the hair salon and had hair extensions added.

This is the final piece.

I wanted to knock off some the preciseness about the painting so I sanded the entire piece down.

I really like the affect.

Tea Bag Art Tuesday 7-31-18

I have been making tea bag art for almost 2 yrs. now.
It was recently that I decided to start filming my process. All of this filming stuff is new to me and a little intimidating. Yet... I know improvement comes with consistently trying.  
Thus, weekly Tea Bag Art Tuesday was born. Your continued support means the world to me!
Thank You!

(Pardon the typos.  WhenI saw them I was a little disappointed... that's when I decided "not to sweat the small stuff"!)

My customer loved it

I've heard many stories of artists who venture out toward their dreams and of the struggles they face.

A common thread evolves around money or the lack of, that is.

Thus... the terminology "starving artist" became a catch phrase.

I can attest to the validity of how unsettling it can be not to have a "steady" income 

and how it can make you feel like shit.  

Which in turn encourages all kinds of self-doubt questions to take residence inside your head.

Thoughts are equally powerful, the good and the bad thoughts.

I can choose my thoughts which conjure up belief in myself, my story, and my art.

"If I think I can, I can."

I am extremely grateful to have several customers who qualify to be called collectors of my art because they have multiple pieces.  

Words can never express how grateful I am for their continued support and encouragement.

I have a customer that often calls on me to do custom work for her.

I teasingly tell her that she keeps me in business.  Which is actually the truth.

Some of her requests have me doing things I have not artistically done before.

Sharing with you, her latest project, was the catalyst for this post yet when I started writing it seemed I had more to say.  I decided to go with it.

Anyway...

   I wanted to show you about her project.

She found this wooden tool case that's from the 1920's.  It was rich with history.  You can tell it was well used, back in the day.

My customer found out her nephew and his wife are having a baby.  And she wanted me to turn it into something special.

These were her her guidelines:

She wanted it to be transformed yet not altered to the point of loosing it's character.

She wanted it to be a place for little baby toys, books, etc.

She did not want it to look babyish.

She wanted it to be able to be used, alter, for others things.

She gave me info of the mother-to-be  style and asked me to make it something she would like.

She gave me a deadline of little over a week.

I consulted with Mary, a friend of mine who specializes in refinishing and repurposing furniture.

She gave me some pointers and ideas which lifted my confidence.

Off I went.

I scrubbed, scrubbed, and scrubbed followed by sanding, sanding, and more sanding .

It had multiple layers of dirt and grime that needed to be removed until I could finally start making it look pretty.

The best part... my customer LOVED it!

Here are finished photos.

After several coats of stain

I painted the bottom off white and gently sanded to bring out the texture from the wood. 

I used joint compound with stencils for the patterns on the sides.  Sanded.  Followed by doing a light glazing to push back the white color.

I softly painted the flowers with PanPastels.

Sealed it with four coats of varnish.

Until the next time!

"Goddess Within" custom work

I got a message from a customer who purchased a piece of art from me several years ago.   

Her  sister had been visiting, saw the art, and "absolutely LOVE IT".   

She was wondering if I would make one like it that she could give as a birthday gift.

After explaining that you can never make an exact piece of art like the original 

she said go ahead and get as close as possible.

By this time I am stoked and ready to go.

13"W x 15"L loose canvas 

Gessoed then added a layer of joint compound for texture

After it dried I sanded then applied matte medium to seal the surface

Glazed with Golden Raw Umber

Sketched with charcoal

Added color using PanPastels and acrylic paint

Added more colors to the background using PanPastels

More texture added to the background with joint compound

After it dried I sanded it then sealed it with matte medium 

I wanted more depth to the background so added coffee ground, let it dry overnight

PanPastels and acrylic paints

Randomly added drops of black india ink

Stenciled vertical lines

Added more color with PanPastels

Stenciled the headdress using a paper doily and flexible modeling paste

Sprayed final fixative

After the headdress dried I sanded it then added more modeling paste to make it larger

Applied matte varnish

After the varnish dried I stippled another layer of matte varnish 

Let it dry for several days.

Varnished an vintage wooden clothes hanger, created a wire hoop with stone embellishment as a way to hang it

Attached the canvas to the wooden hanger

Signed it.

Finished.

I delivered this piece of art today and my customer LOVED it!

What a good feeling when the art I "create from my heart" is genuinely appreciated.

Thank You for all of your support and encouragement.

I will continue to do this because of YOU!

Not at the top of my game

When I got up this morning I didn't feel "at the top of my game".  

I felt off - I couldn't pinpoint any reason why, I just did.  

Because I am an avid believer in the Law of Attraction I know how important feelings are.  

Good or bad, your feelings conjure up very strong chain reactions.  

Setting all sorts of things into motion to reinforce your feelings.

I wanted to shake this feeling. So... I did what I knew best to do.  

I went into my studio and created art with abandon, no concerns for the outcomes.  

I did a spread in my art journal.

Worked on four sculptures that I have in progress.

I was enjoying this time creating in my studio.

By late morning I was getting my groove back.

I finished the day off with this lady.

What have I been up to? I've been asked.

My life shifted a little after my husband, John, had major surgery on October 31st. 

(he's doing remarkably well now)

By his side, in the hospital, is where I chose to be.  

From time to time I would pull out my sketchbook and draw.

I found comfort in those brief moments spent with my creative self.

John was released from the hospital November 6.  We were both eager for him to come home.  

"there's no place like home"

 Mid November I was honored to be part of Art on Elm exhibit where I could display some of my art.

I have squeezed in time incorporating encaustic medium into several custom pieces. 

I'm loving it!

                                 

Currently John is feeling stronger, moving around more, becoming more independent, and less needy of my assistance.

That means its time for me to go into my studio and welcome back all the creative muses.

Yet when I actually entered into my studio I was stymied, not sure where to begin.  

I have felt this feeling before.

I knew it was simply resistance holding me back. 

My priority became to overcome it.

I picked up a piece of water color paper, grabbed a soft brush, pulled out my pan pastels,  and painted this fine young lady.

She isn't perfect by any means which is quite OK with me.

The whole point was just to begin and that I did.

I overcame my resistance.

Weekly Wrap-Up of 2/23/15

My week started with a creative burst and continued through out the week.  Just love it when that happens because this isn't always the case. I thought I would show you what I created within that time.  

My daughter had given me a photo of her (Tara Verkuilen), my GRANDdaughter (Delaina) and myself.  It is one of my prized photos.  GRANDkids can bring pure joy to your life.  In this photo what you don't  see is how tightly Delaina is grabbing our necks.  We had just finished doing a group hug when this photo was taken so she had "left over" hugging for us. On Monday when I started drawing this piece with a graphite pencil I set 3 intentions: 1. To capture the essence of the photo #2. To draw multiple people in a group #3. Not to spend alot of time on it. I believe I did just that. Yes, there are things I would change but "it is what it is".

                                   

This next piece followed on Wednesday when I decided to see what I could create with PanPastels.  After working this for I while I began to realize it just wasn't looking they way  I had envisioned it.   She was OK, just not what I wanted her to look like.  When these times roll in I hold tightly to my mantra "it is what it is".

On Thursday I went into my studio determined to redeem myself of any negative creative energy from yesterday, sorta like getting back on the saddle.   I had already textured the background when I applied gesso.   I created this next piece using a palette knife, which I am getting into.   My husband, John, is always encouraging me to be a little edgy with my art so I listened to him.  When the drawing/painting was all done I added glass beads and fiber paste to each side of her head.  (this was my "edgy" addition)  It was just what she needed.   Because there were thoughts of my tenacity from yesterday's art in my head and heart I named her "Steadfast".

Steadfast

Friday rolled around, I sat I my desk in my studio,  I looked over at my little "special piece of art" that has  left an impact on my heart like no other and I was energized.  READ the story here   I got out my easel board and taped artist paper to it.   I was on my way to create my very first oil painting.  Yes, I was a little nervous but there was also an assurance that embraced me.  The idea of me standing up and showing how big my brave is really created a whole new mindset.

Blooming

By the end of the day, when she was 90% done,  I was beaming!  I did it!  I'm eager to do it again.  I have always wanted to use oil paints but felt a little intimidated.  Recently I met an artist, Pam, who works with oil/cold wax and I was fortunate enough to spend the entire day with her.  READ the story here She taught me alot about oil paints and without being aware she, also, instilled confidence.   After that, I signed up for an on-line class with Kelly Berkley Wrapped in Flowers.  I learned how to use oil when painting a portrait.  YES, I LOVE WORKING WITH OIL  Two of my favorite portraits artists, Kelly Berkley and Kate Thompson, are joining forces for a 5 day workshop.  I desperately  want to go! I am putting it out into the Universe to help me generate the income to go.  

Thank You from the depth of my heart for all of your encouragement and support

 as I travel down my creative path.