Sketchbook blog

I love this time of year for several reasons.  For one, my wedding anniversary is coming up soon.  This reminds me how Steve found the last rose of the year on his rosebush and gave it to me after he proposed.  How rare is a November rose? I also love late fall because everything begins to slow down a bit at this time of year.  We take the time to reflect and ponder the stark beauty of nature when the world (well, at the least parts of the North Hemisphere) is laid bare.  And when the foliage is almost gone, it's a lot easier to identify the wild birds in our yard.  This is when we begin playing our bird identification game in earnest.  We especially look for the waterfowl who, escaping the colder climes, return to our pond. Earlier this year, Steve bought some excellent binoculars with a tripod, so we are all set up for viewing from our porch to see the waterfowl this year. Right before Thanksgiving this year, the Hooded Mergansers returned.  Steve looked for these diver ducks bec

Lately, I'm intrigued with Joan Miro's work.   16 paintings down, 34 to go to make my 3rd Artomat batch ever. At night, I've been sketching some skeleton keys.   I will probably do a series of paintings of keys next, similar to my series of paintings of gears.

This year, for Christmas, our family will do something different. Instead of buying gifts for adult family members, we are giving a gift in honor of family members to Operation Christmas Child . Clarice committed to packing 10 shoeboxes this year for Operation Christmas Child (OCC), which is a ministry of Samaritan's Purse . She made her goal, and on top of that, she volunteered 5 hours over this past weekend to unload and help pack shoeboxes at Christ United Methodist Church, our local drop-off location for OCC. First, Clarice packed her boxes for little girls and little boys. She included a picture of herself and a hand-written note in each box. Pink bunny rabbit for little girl! All kinds of fun things, from jewelry to school supplies to toys. Clarice was in the Christmas spirit really early this year. Alex, Clarice, & Karlie (Clarice's friend) unload shoeboxes at the local drop-off center. And here's a short message from the gang.

Just finished these small 5 x 5 inch and 3 x 5 inch deep cradle acrylic and ink paintings. I chose colors that would really pop off the wall:   bright blue, coral red, bright yellow, and green. I used a little bit of a printmaking technique by making the impression of a  contrasting color using burlap.   So, I paired: Yellow with green,  Green with yellow,  Coral  with blue, and Blue with coral. Then, I used black India ink to paint the gears.  I have been studying Kandinsky for some time and his preference for circles, squares, and triangles in his paintings has translated to me though mechanical gears and cogs.  These cog-like shapes have the advantage of representing all of Kandinsky's prized shapes. I also liked the unevenness of the ink application because it reminds me of the unevenness of grease. As a last step, I sprayed all paintings with several applications of glossy permanent fixative. I have no plans for these paintings.  I am just building a portfolio and really getti

I just recently completed a set of ornaments.  I'm not sure where they will end up, but I'm thinking that Clarice may end up selling them at a holiday fundraiser for her school. They have been very fun to make. The color palette is Mondrain:  with yellow, blue, and red on a white background. The gourds were painted and then sealed twice with an opalescent and then a glossy fixative. Tied through the eye screws are leather bands (for jewelry) that should hold up well on any Christmas tree or other hanger for the holidays.

Recently, I got a check from lovely and gracious crew at Artists in Cellophane (a.k.a., The Art-o-mat folks).  This means that my Mini Masterpieces are selling again across the country at potentially new locations.  I was pleased to see that all my pieces sold in "new" (to me, at least) locations.   Art-o-mat is a wonderful idea inspired by artist Clark Whittington, and the goal is to make art accessible to the public.  For $5, you get 1) handmade, beautiful, original art, and 2) the chance to put a coin in a recycled cigarette machine.  Save the planet, expand your horizons... all at the same time! Here's a map of all the locations where I've sold "the goods" across the United States so far: New locations added lately where art lovers are enjoying a "morsel of a masterwork with a bit of art history" are the following: Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, FL Burnet Gallery at Le Meridian Chambers, Minneapolis, MN The Smithsonian American Art Mus