Erin Holbrook

I Am Poseidon

2012-01-15T21:45:00.002-05:00

This is another special painting. This one was painted from a funny photo that I happened to get of my husband coming up from the water after a dive in the pool. It was just such an amusing picture with the water coming off his goatee... I just had to paint it!

Sinking In A NightDream

2012-01-13T13:56:00.004-05:00

This is a very special painting, one I created from a dream I had - probably about 9 years ago! I painted it back then but it just didn't turn out well at all... (so that version is cozily buried under 3 other paintings - the top layer being a non-objective palette knife artwork that currently hangs on my bedroom wall) but a few months ago I started thinking about it again and wanted to give it another try. So I enlisted the help of a willing friend to model for me and armed myself with an underwater camera.... and this was the result... I still had my struggles to feel like I had adequately pulled off what I wanted to accomplish and still wonder if I should have pushed it a little more but overall I really, really like it and glad to have the idea resolved.

Another Mustang :)

2011-12-28T17:43:00.003-05:00

This was a commission I just finished for Christmas for someone I love painting cars! Especially the Mustang Fastbacks. Although this was probably the smallest complete car I've painted - on a 9x12 canvas! But I did it! I found the need to NOT abuse my brushes even greater here as I am notoriously bad at neglecting to properly care for my brushes.

The last week in pics

2011-12-12T17:06:00.004-05:00

So it's been a VERY busy week... so this post is a "week" in pics.

1) Photographed a wedding

2) Set up a cool secret tent/fort with my niece and played with all the rudolph toys

3) Crocheted more earrings

4) Decorated my first gingerbread house at my Church Small Group Party

5) Made another beard had - this one with a little bill on the front

6) Finished up a commissioned portrait (no peeking on that)

7) Got in an order of fresh blank canvases :)

8) and painted more furniture

December 2nd

2011-12-03T12:12:00.003-05:00

1) Worked on a portrait commission - no sneak peaks there though :)
2) Had mini turkey sandwiches for breakfast on the Paleo gluten free bread I made
3) Checked on our sick chick
4) Sported my new crochet earrings I made the night before
5) Crocheted one long, fingerless glove/arm-warmer while we watched a movie

December 1st

2011-12-02T07:43:00.003-05:00

How can it be December 1st already?
Today was somehow a lot less productive - didn't get much of anything checked off my to do list.
1) chatted in forums about our sick chickens.. hoping to find an answer before we lose our sick Bantam
2) matted this little chicken painting I did which my hubby loved and wanted me to frame for him... it was destined for the trash in my opinion but I must say it looks a lot better after framing - he saw the potential :) I do not like to mat things though.. because a) it involves math. b) I have to crawl around on the floor. c) I make a mess. d) my mat cutter is so frustrating - can't get the guide to adjust or go back in the slot once it comes out so I did this one free hand. (cut away to me dreaming of a large studio with a standing height giant work table to stretch canvases, mat, measure and such.....someday)

My Day in Photos #2

2011-11-30T21:11:00.003-05:00

Thought I would do the photo thing again today.

1) leftover turkey for lunch.. keeping it simple

2) my finished tree

3) made some gluten free Paleo Bread - will use this for some turkey sliders tomorrow :)

4) painted some furniture for someone - hope to do a few more later this week

5) found this bead weaving from collage which brought back the memory that I remember doing that at home.. very sick in bed one day..... and my old weaving bobbins and reed hook - maybe one day I'll have the space and time for a loom.. weaving is one of those things that is so incredibly time consuming for such a small result but I love knowing I created a piece of woven fabric - I still have all my weaving projects.

My Day In Photos

2011-11-29T22:59:00.006-05:00

So I've obviously been absent from any type of blogging for awhile, Therefore I'm attempting to start back and just keeping it simple and doing a photo collage of my day.

1) tried to enlist my niece as a hat model for my crocheting projects... she was NOT having any part of it - I cropped out her cute little scowl.

2) busted out the Rudolph toys

3) do you know how long I've been looking for this hammer??? don't recall how this happened... or how this portion of it made it to the back of one of my drawers? (I was cleaning out drawers - should do that more often)

4) cooked a turkey

5) finished up this baby hat for a sweet little girl that will be arriving soon and took it to a baby shower :)

6) made a tree skirt out of this pretty fabric I got today - it's an odd shape but works for our tree, my sewing machine- which I just got back from repair- managed to break again so it is only "almost" hemmed and I was reminded very quickly during the process how sewing is just not my thing no matter how much I may want it to be. I didn't get my grandmothers green thumb or mad sewing skills... and I guess that fabric for the shower curtain project that's been waiting since March will wait longer.
7) worked on perfecting the sock bun - tried a wide cloth headband instead of a hair elastic so hopefully it won't leave the hump (and since I'm finishing this up the next morning I'll go ahead and say the bun still looks great after sleeping on it - curious to see how curls work this time)

Finally.. another painting!

2011-09-09T10:40:00.006-04:00

So- I finally was able to finish a painting that I was happy with... although it took several layers and evolved as it went along. I started out with layers of blue and purple and green.. applied in a very Morris Louis style (just on a much smaller scale :) ). Then I kept adding layers of color until I had ruined it.. then went back with the ochres and whites to tone down the straight cadmium orange I had set it ablaze with to get a background I was happy with. The I painted the coneflower and grass silhouettes. This is I think only the 2nd triptych I've done but I really like it. As you know, I usually don't frame my pieces but this one I just felt needed a frame. So luckily - being the pack rat that I am - dug into my closet to find the wooden strips I had cut for some painting back in my college days and never did use - yes over 10 years later they do have a purpose! They were already painted black and I just had to cut them down to size and repaint the ends. I used a nail gun and just affixed the strips of wood directly onto the canvas. I was even able to use the scraps of the wood strips yesterday by stapling them together to create a base for my niece to do an art project with.

My niece's finished glass mosaic tile and seashell finished project using the frame scraps :)

Les Vacances Papillon

2011-06-07T09:30:00.003-04:00

In my current randomness I'm doing, I created this. I had to start over on one of those absolute failures of an idea so I covered it up with a nice background of palette knife strokes of creams and greens. In an attempt to depart my failed idea which was very heavy in subject and emotion, I chose to do something more lighthearted and fun which was inspired by looking at some more decorative art a few weeks ago at someones home. I toyed with the idea of painting in some words but ultimately decided against it. I did however add in some music sheets (which I guess is a throwback to how I like to add maps to car paintings)

making more cards

2011-06-03T09:18:00.002-04:00

Well I was really happy with the first set of cards I made by screen printing a design on cardstock and then overlaying vellum on top. I made a few more this morning. I tried to do couple more masculine ones in a fishing theme. The one with the fish is a sepia tone print of a watercolor fish I did on the hand painted note card. The fishing lures are a print of a drawing I made of the lures first. I had a few more bumps in the process with these but maybe I was just trying to rush.. or maybe it's just because I thought it was a Saturday before the alarm went off this morning!

Hand Drawn Cards

2011-06-02T14:53:00.002-04:00

Yesterday evening I got the idea in my head to do some hand drawings on note cards. I started out drawing a couple of cars and then I painted a little watercolor bass fish. I thought these would make great Father's Day gifts because once you give the card you can mat it and frame it hang it on the wall... like a card and gift in one! I enjoyed painting the fish although it took me quite a bit longer to complete than I hoped but I promptly sold it (yay!) so I hope to do another one today. I also made some more cards today I'm excited about but I will share those later!

5x7 Sketch Painting

2011-05-26T20:09:00.003-04:00

Today I painted in some sketches I did for a recent demonstration. They are small - just 5x7 - and I tried to not take it seriously and work quickly and just enjoy messing around with the paint. I had fun! I painted them on a piece of matboard...Now I just need to cut them out individually.

Church Painting

2011-05-24T09:24:00.002-04:00

I just finished this commission for some sweet friends of their church. (which we also attend) It took me longer than expected and though I've painted a whole series of architecture in the past (well that was almost 9 years ago), I was reminded of the precision required to paint architectural details while at the same time needing to keep it colorful and full of life so as not to end up looking like an architectural rendering. A good challenge that I really enjoyed. Once again this piece is done in my medium of choice - acrylic on canvas and I used a little bit of palette knife work for some of the trees.

New Car Painting

2011-05-23T15:29:00.002-04:00

I finally finished this car painting a couple of weeks ago. I started it months ago and struggled with making it feel right. I normally don't like putting detailed backgrounds in my paintings but it just seemed necessary for this one. So I put in a background from a photo I took on a trip to New Jersey. This is a 65 Mustang Fastback. I took several photos of it which I enjoyed doing and actually incorporated another view of it into a landscape painting I had started awhile ago. This one is my normal - acrylic on canvas - and is 20" tall by 30" wide.

Princess Purse

2011-04-27T08:37:00.004-04:00

My niece is all about princesses right now. She can spot anything remotely princess and everything is related to a princess. So with her 3rd birthday coming up (and her princess party) I decided to make her a "princess purse." (Hopefully the addition of the hot pink tulle will make it apparent that it's "princess.")
I used a portion of an old dress for the black and white fabric and I had to use my husband's old sewing machine he found to use for a variety of his projects because mine is being repaired... let's just say I will undertake no more sewing projects until I have mine back! It's definitely a little rough around the edges but hopefully will garner the approval of a 3 year old princess! Hopefully this, with the addition of some princess hairbows from Katerbug, will make a fitting gift.

Another Little Painting

2011-04-12T11:39:00.003-04:00

This painting I did yesterday - another 6x6 - was just something that was inspired by my devotional and the verse Matthew 25:40. Just some of the thoughts rambling through my head inspired with some new music and the butterfly theme I had going from the day before. Not sure if I'm completely done but thought I would share anyway.

Butterfly Painting

2011-04-11T07:17:00.004-04:00

Last night, after trying to get motivated to work on a car painting that I'm struggling with getting the right feel with the setting for, I decided to just take a break and paint this little butterfly. I found these museum depth canvases and they are 6" x 6" and 2" deep... I just though they were great! I have 4 so I may do butterflies on the other 3 too but I haven't decided. This is the butterfly I stalked in my front yard the other day. It didn't mind me being there and kept coming back to the phlox in my flower bed.

Tooth Fairy Pillow

2011-03-31T07:40:00.002-04:00

I made this several weeks ago. I had a tooth fairy pillow when I was little and I always thought it was so exciting to put my tooth in it. It was pink with a little deer on it and lace trimmed but I created this more updated version with a design I hand screened and made the pocket out of a linen shirt I upcycled. I have another idea for one too but it will be a while before I get to it. I have a shower curtain project ahead of that on the sewing schedule!

Another Flower Pot

2011-03-30T17:01:00.003-04:00

I just finished painting this flower pot. This is the 2nd layer as my first idea was not a winner... at all! I bought this specifically to re-pot an indoor plant from my grandmother's funeral. I really want this plant to live as she was a master gardener and could save any plant and root anything from the smallest clipping. I think after getting it done though that this pot just isn't big enough to transplant it to and it really doesn't have the look I wanted for it. I really only have one room to put the plant in and this doesn't match the style. I'll have to find another use for it!

Portraits

2011-03-27T15:13:00.003-04:00

Just finished this portrait drawing of 5 children early this week. Whenever drawing several faces on one page, it is always a little tricky because unlike paint.. you can't paint over it to start over! and you have to draw lightly at first so you can erase. After collecting various photos to work from and carefully scaling each one, this portrait finally came together.

Photography Day

2011-02-15T19:31:00.005-05:00

Monday I got to go to a beautiful home and take interior photography for Maple Ridge Cabinetry. I always love to do that! (but the editing part isn't so fun) Here are a few of my favorites from that shoot. In a few days I'll be traveling up north to do more photography, excited about the photos but not about all that driving!

Jewelry Organization

2011-01-27T16:24:00.007-05:00

Today I dove into organizing my jewelry.. Now let me just say I am NOT a jewelery girl and the stuff I have is not anything "real"... the only thing I ever remember to wear is earrings. For the past several years my jewelery has sat in an odd 6.5" tall opening cubby on the top of our tall chest of drawers. We designed this opening to hold a reciever and VCR years ago, but once we ditched the TV and service subscription it has become a holder of all my randomly scattered jewelry, pony tail holders, evidently safety pins? and all those dust bunnies. All I had to do was clean this out and I would see I have more than enough.. and now that I am self employed I really will have hardly the occasion to wear it all. Like I said I'm not big into jewelery, diamonds are NOT my best friend, etc, etc...... so all I have is the inexpensive stuff and after a thorough cleaning of some of it I discovered I have too much and have some to give away. I had to figure out what on earth I was going to do with it to keep it organized and within view so I actually knew what I had. My bedroom is small so there is no room for dresser or surface space or even a spare drawer so I went to the wall.
I found a frame I've loved that my hubby made for me several years ago and went digging through nice handmade doilies I've been given over the years that have remained untouched in the drawer. I attached the lace to the back of the frame and hung it on the wall. All of my dangly earrings fit on this! I hope it works out ok. I had a small tin for post style earrings and then I unboxed some unused crystal candle holders (wedding gifts from 10 years ago!) that I put my 2 favorite pair of small post style earrings in. Those are really just for effect.. not super functional but I had a long space to fill - and at least those candle holders are getting used for once.
The next thing I did was went back to the stored away stuff in the kitchen cupboards and got some small cheap vases out, then went looking for some branches which I painted white. This was a challenge since I only had 6.5" vertical inches to make this fit in. On these I hung my bracelets and necklaces. Maybe now that all of this is within sight I will wear it more! and maybe... just maybe.... I can keep this neat.... and the best part is I didn't have to buy anything to make this stuff - I just went "shopping" around the house!

Painting Flower Pots

2011-01-26T16:43:00.006-05:00

Yesterday I painted another flower pot. My co-workers gave me a beautiful keepsake azalea as my going away present when I left my job last week. (I resigned to pursue my graphic design/creative direction and fine art business full time - big step, but exciting!) When I read the plant care instructions I saw this was an indoor azalea which I didn't know there was such a thing. So I set out to get a pot yesterday and what I like to do is buy the inexpensive terra cotta pots and paint them. What I like about these is they are #1 THE LEAST EXPENSIVE POTS THEY SELL and #2 THEY ARE MADE IN THE USA! (and anyone who knows me knows how important that is) Then I just decorate them myself. I use acrylic paint and usually use a sponge brush to get the base coat down so you can't see brushstrokes, then depending on what is going on it, a combination of sponges or regular brushes work well for the designs. This is a great way to decorate your flower pots yourself and save a ton of money.

In my opinion, this beats spending 3 times as much on a plastic pot made in China. I've painted several before although this time I didn't really know what I wanted to do so I didn't have a vision when I started out - and you can kinda tell! I probably would have rather left it plain white (there is some silver in there as well) but added the blue and green. It isn't the prettiest thing but it matches my dining room and kitchen which is where it sits.

This brown pot in the second photo is one I did as a gift a few years ago. It's definitely my favorite one.

Kitty Cat Portrait

2011-01-01T15:13:00.002-05:00

I just completed this colorful portrait of this cute little cat. I used pastel for this one which I don't get to use that often but I thought it was the perfect medium for the cats fur.... and the messy fingers are always fun too. Now I have black fingernails but - oh well : ) It's a 5 x 7 and I plan on putting it in an 8 x 10 mat and frame. Then I will be packing it up to ship off to the grand ole state of Texas for my grandmother - she doesn't know I've done it yet though so shhhhh!

New Portrait

2010-12-29T12:53:00.003-05:00

I just finished this portrait that I've been working on for the past couple of months. I really love doing portrait work despite the fact that it can be stressful. This is the first painting on canvas of three people together that I have done so I enjoyed that challenge. We spent some time taking family photos one chilly fall Saturday morning so I would have plenty to work from. And I only ended up having to blend two photos to use for the painting. I still kept a traditional pose but tried to add a lot of color and texture in the background.

"The Cow"

2010-12-26T14:21:00.006-05:00

This is a painting I just finished of a cow. I haven't painted a cow before but I did really enjoy it! It is large - 3' x 4' which I love to paint large but I forgot just how much paint that uses! It took me a while to find just the right cow - driving all over the county trying to find cows within sight of the road... in a county full of pasture land I saw goats, horses, miniature horses, some kind of flock of large birds but the cows were hiding. I found some that posed perfectly but after looking at the shots looked a little too young for this particular painting. Luckily I ended up finding some and had to hop a fence and slowly sneak up on them as that group of cows was pretty skittish. They were in the perfect place and when they saw me they promptly moved back around a barn and out of sight!

Tractor Painting

2010-12-26T14:14:00.004-05:00

I saw this tractor at a Christmas tree farm for our family's annual Christmas tree trip... so of course I had to take lots of photos.... and my little niece just had to "drive" it, which was of course adorable. It is a little 8 x 10 painting on stretched canvas. I worked on this painting as warm up and breaks between painting a couple of large commission pieces. It's always good to have something to go to when you just have to put the other paintings aside for a moment.

Portrait

2010-09-02T21:27:00.004-04:00

This is the portrait of my nephew I just finished. I had plenty of photos to choose from because a couple of weeks ago he was quite the model when we played a game of "ok take my picture now" and he would pose and then want to see the picture on the camera. He was so cute!

My New Favorite Painting

2010-08-31T21:23:00.003-04:00

Wow.. It's been awhile since my last post. I don't know where the summer has gone. I did finish that car painting I was talking about. Definitely the most fun I've had in awhile painting and I loved the result! It's 60" wide which is the widest painting I've done on canvas. I really like painting cars and have plans for two more car paintings. Right now I'm working on a pencil portrait... we'll see how that turns out. I really want with my next paintings to try painting smaller. That is something difficult for me to do but I did get some really cool museum depth canvas which is really deep. I think they will look pretty cool hanging on the wall.

Another New Painting

2010-06-08T12:52:00.002-04:00

I just finished this painting. It is more of a peaceful one in my current series of emotion/figurative subjects... or at least an implied peace whether it may be an illusion or not, the viewer can decide. It is a stark contrast to the one I'm also working on now titled "My reflection, no connection" Hopefully I will have that one complete soon as well and will share it with you. It will be the 7th one in this body of work and these paintings are surprisingly emotionally draining. I'm working on a large car painting that I'm sooooo very excited about and really enjoying. It's one I'm really taking my time on and practicing patience with but it has been a welcome break. Til next time : )

Conflicted

2010-05-12T20:21:00.003-04:00

After lots and lots of busyness, which still isn't over, I've finally managed to complete a new painting. It is a small 8 x 10 - which is VERY hard for me to do. Small is not easy for me but I just bought some more small extra deep (3") canvases I fell in love with on my trip to the art store this past weekend, so that will give me a reason to keep up with some smaller paintings. I was not so in love with having to pay $20.79 for my 5oz tube of Quinocridone Crimson! Might I add to replace the one that the lid fell off on in the drawer and partially dried out... yes I was sick and even more so after having to buy a new one along with 5 other $15-20 tubes of paint!

This one I called Conflicted and it is on my same figurative body of work.

We All want Something Beautiful, Piano & Failed Angel Food Cake

2010-03-15T19:18:00.008-04:00

I actually had a great weekend! It was a much needed relaxation and break from my extremely stressful week at work. I painted Friday night, went to the gym Saturday and ran for a record (for me) amount of time without stopping - although as I type this I am icing my foot -( it must be better for tomorrows workout! ) but it was worth it - if only i could take that awful president's physical fitness test now (bad elementary school memories). Anyway..I digress.....

I also got out the keyboard and played a little piano which I haven't done in I know over a year.. Don't get me wrong - I'm not any good.. I just like to get it out and stumble around every now and then to not forgot what little I do know and be awed how other people can play so well

I painted the rest of the day Saturday. Sunday I had my mom over for a birthday lunch. I wanted to make a homemade angel food cake... you know to be healthy as I could for dessert... but it was not to be. I knew it wasn't going to work before I baked it because I couldn't get "stiff peaks" to form but I figured I'd just see how it turned out. Pretty much it was what I imagine it would be like to tear a piece of my rubber mattress off and eat it... oh and it was sticky and heavy. You can see how pathetic it looked in the pictures above... However, I WAS successful in covering myself and my kitchen (both previously cleaned) in hundreds of sticky eggwhite dots and confectioners sugar. Needless to say, I sent my husband to the store after church for ingredients for dessert option #2...Chocolate Delight! Had a good visit with family the rest of the afternoon. Today was a busy Monday and am thankful for the past weekend.

Above is a snapshot of the painting I worked on... It is called "We all want something Beautiful". A little different from what I normally do but it was fun. I already have some ideas for my next painting though. Hopefully it won't be too long before I can start that. Happy week everyone!

Self-Inflicted

2010-03-02T20:53:00.004-05:00

This past weekend was our local Meet the Artist reception for the local art guild. We had a decent turnout and I bought I beautiful little painting from another artist... I just need to find the perfect spot for it. I really, really wanted a vase by one of the potters but couldn't decided if I could spend that much and then it was sold by the end of the day so it wasn't meant to be.... but I showed this painting, Self Inflicted, for the first time. For this latest one, I kept in the figurative subject matter and had fun using the palette knife. However, I think I'm going to take a break from the more serious or thoughtful subject matter and just try to get back to have fun and doing random painting. It's easy to feel like you have to create some thought provoking master piece every time you paint, especially when you don't get to do it that often you want to make the time count.. It just gets stressful and causes pressure .. so off to just trying to enjoy painting for paintings sake! Hopefully I'll be painting a mural soon and I have a car painting in mind... and a sunset painting... we shall see.

Miniature Art Fundraiser for Arts Guild

2010-02-09T20:22:00.003-05:00

Well yesterday I taught my 2nd art lesson after taking a break for several years. I've enjoyed getting back into that and trying some new lesson plan ideas. And this morning I finally hauled our Christmas tree off the back deck where it stayed all Christmas untouched so now I have a clear deck again, well after I brush the tree needles away and scrape up some "deposits" left by Mable and Gladys, our beloved chickens.

Our local art guild is having a miniature art fundraiser this year again in conjunction with our annual Meet the Artist show at the end of February. Artists have donated small pieces of artwork to help raise money for our guild to continue to provide activities for the community. I haven't done this before because of course, small is not my thing but I did finally manage to get a small drawing of an old, restored car done. It will be in a mat and frame, but it highlights the front end and wheel. Hopefully everyone locally will stop by on the evening of February 26 or during the day on Saturday the 27 to view the artwork.
Tomorrow I will have to tell you about the expensive shipping lesson I learned the hard way today.

Painting a Ceiling

2010-02-05T19:32:00.005-05:00

So glad it is Friday! What a long week.. How can I work all the time but never get anything done! I guess that is just how it goes.

I did manage to paint my bathroom ceiling last week. I'm glad it was small although working in a small bathroom that contains an already installed and immovable vanity and toilet isn't easy. I really only had enough space for the width of my ladder and to reach the far side I had to lift the ladder over the commode and it barely fit in the space left. It involved a lot of dangerously precarious reaching over to complete. I was using one of those telescoping ladders that you can use in all these different ways. They are supposed to be convenient but it REALLY annoys me. It is very heavy and hard to operate and I always get frustrated. I'm going to buy myself a regular old fashioned ladder one of these days.

But back to the painting, it wasn't too hard but certainly not easy on the neck. Despite that I did have fun because I just love to paint! I put a strie pattern in the border first and then went back over it and applied the design, then went back and applied some more details and highlights freehand. Then after all of that dried I put a thin streaky coat of a metallic glaze. I used Golden's Interference Blue mixed with glaze and silver paint which was the first time I really had the chance to try it out. I had a tube for a while I never knew quite where I would use it. I see its cool possibilities in decorative painting. I did notice if you mix it with any other opaque color it seems to really dull down the reflective qualities so I would recommend using it by itself or with metallics if you really want to see shimmery and reflective effects. Even then I would mix it into a gel medium or glaze for thin application. Golden has several Interference colors to try. I just chose the blue first because like most of the population.. I'm drawn to the color blue!

Learning the Art of Troweling

2010-01-28T23:03:00.010-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I took a class to learn how to use American Clay. I was looking for something to expand my mural and decorative painting offerings and started researching plasters. Initially I wanted to use Italian Plasters but then I found a place to learn American Clay close by and signed up. I really enjoyed the class although I must say troweling is NOT easy. I hope to try to use it on a couple of walls in my bedroom and will hopefully hone my skills further with that project. I took the class at Tuscan Impressions. Eve is the owner and a very talented artisan. She was out of town for my class but her husband taught the class and I learned a lot from him, one of the other studio artisans and a professional Italian plasterer also taking the class.

I've since met Eve and she is very friendly and she creates absolutely beautiful Italian plaster finishes and American Clay walls. http://www.tuscanimpressions.com/. She can definitely create a creative and beautiful plaster finish in a variety of looks and design styles.

The American Clay is very forgiving and can be easily repaired, even if it gets marked on with crayons or pencils, you can fairly easily remove the marks unlike with paint. Even better it is a natural product that is environmentally friendly and non toxic. Using American Clay in the construction of your home or business can earn you LEED credits as well!

Below are some of my sample boards I created and one I used some decorative techniques on. I look forward to using it on my walls, the only downside as it takes a lot of equipment and tools I don't yet have : ( Oh well.. I don't think my husband will object to me buying more tools!
This is the Loma finish:
Here is the Porcelina. After starting out practicing troweling on the wall I was quickly developing a sinking feeling because it was so hard to catch on. But then I jumped into a bicolor application on smooth Porcelina and it turned out well much to my relief. I think I will stick to Loma and Porcelina finishes for now.

And then the Maritimmo which was actually quite difficult due to the type of finish it results and the necessity to NOT overwork it. I admit I had a good bit of help with this board ; )

And finally what I really want to use this for is the decorative applications. Here are a couple of things I played around with.

Shipping a Painting

2010-01-28T22:45:00.004-05:00

Well, today I sent my painting, Emotions in Magenta, off to Florida, hope it makes it there safely. It is headed to Punta Gorda for the Visual Arts Center's 2010 Biennial National Art Exhibit. I fretted over it's packing but luckily I know some great boxing guys that helped me out : ) Now UPS better take care of it! I was super excited to be accepted into this juried show. Here is the link to the arts center: http://www.visualartcenter.org/index.html

I started painting my bathroom ceiling last night. This is one time I can say luckily I have a very small bathroom - and this is the half bath at that! But I wanted to do a ceiling and that one is the only flat ceiling we have (the rest covered in the dreaded popcorn!) and hopefully I'll finish it up tomorrow.

Went to see my grandmother in the nursing home tonight, although she is there for rehab only... what a terrible place, so depressing...talk about making you think about life. I need to bring her some stuff to brighten her room...

Portraits

2010-01-21T18:57:00.003-05:00

This is a portrait of 3 siblings that was commissioned as a Christmas present. I used 3 separate photos which is always a challenge to incorporate into one, but after much work I think it was accomplished alright. This one is mainly pencil and does not have as much of a paint wash as the portrait titled Amelia I posted before. And on this one I used watercolor instead of acrylic.

Glad that the holidays are over, (and yes my Christmas tree is still on the back deck where it stayed untouched all season) I hope to get back into the studio painting regularly soon. I've been so busy with graphic design/marketing lately. I did get into a major juried show in Florida which I'm super excited about. I'll give more info on that soon.

New Painting blending Landscape and Figure

2009-11-12T20:44:00.002-05:00

This painting I did as inspiration from my vacation a couple of months ago. I'm not a landscape painter but really wanted to do something with the lighthouses so I melded a figurative element in... It's one of those either like or hate it...

Back to some Cars

2009-11-10T21:56:00.003-05:00

I have been wanting to do more cars again lately and finally had the chance with my latest drawing endeavors. It is of course a Bel Air, one of the most popular and readily available classic cars. I even found another rusted one this past weekend that was a Bel Air. It had fabulous rust colors though and I think I'll probably get a good painting out of the photos I was able to get. It fascinates me at all the old "classic" cars sitting around rusting and rotting away. #1 I don't think "todays" cars will hold up to sit around rusting away and if they are, will they look as cool? #2 Will our kids and grandkids be restoring 1990's and early 2000's cars and will they be going to car shows with restored cars from today??? .... I think not... (now maybe with the new Chargers or Magnums...) But the one in this drawing/painting was a restored car. I am still searching for the perfect back view of a car for a painting I have that has been hanging on the wall unfinished for a couple of years. It is a landscape with a black asphalt road running straight down the center so it needs a car... I just don't know what car yet...

New Portrait Drawing

2009-11-02T20:39:00.003-05:00

I just finished this portrait. It is of my sweet little niece. I took family pictures of them last week and this shot was just so cute and perfect for a portrait because it showed so much of her personality. I have really been wanting to get back to some drawing and this is the 2nd drawing I've done in a while. It actually ended up as a mixed media piece. I used graphite, charcoal, and thin washes as well as dry brush of acrylic paint. I liked mixing the pencil and paint and might do that some more.

Who Am I

2009-10-27T13:22:00.003-04:00

This is the first self portrait I have done in 10 years... let me rephrase.. it is the 3rd attempt at the first self portrait I've done in 10 years. This is the expression of a feeling I've had lately and an expanded sketch I did for a project in my Art Theory class in college several years ago.

When we are doing so many things, trying to BE so many different things, it is easy to get lost in the busyness that we forgot who we are. I know we are not supposed to find our identity in what we do, but today's culture is so fast paced it is hard to not get caught up in it. I interpreted this through the wearing of several hats, because that is in essence how I feel... I'm wearing so many hats - is the real me under there somewhere??? Who is that anyway??? But such is life I suppose.

Normally I work in acrylic paint but have really wanted to get back to some drawing basics lately so that is how I started this one. It is graphite with a few touches of charcoal and an acrylic wash in some areas. I really enjoy doing portraits but I must say at this point, Self Portraits require more self examination than I am up for... so I probably won't be doing any more portraits of me!

Wall Design

2009-10-09T12:18:00.012-04:00

This is a wall design I just finished. It was pretty tedious but I really am very happy with the way it turned out.

I used a paint made from the collagen of egg shells! It's called Ecotrend Collagen www.naturalinteriorpaint.com... It is a healthy alternative to regular latex paint and it will not grown mold! So it would be perfect for bathrooms. It is made from used egg shells from food processing plants. The shells are cleaned, dried and ground into powder that then has the collagen separated from it and is used to make the paint. It does not have any Benzene, Toulene, Xylene or Formaldehyde. It worked really well and if you are looking for a paint that will not off gas I would recommend this brand or AFM Safecoat (www.afmsafecoat.com) which is another excellent brand that has a very large product line including Stains, Exterior paints, metal paints and more. AFM Safecoat produces healthy paint products that do not contain any of the carcinogenic chemicals found in regular paints that although are not labeled "VOC's", they aren't the best for your health. So AFM is great for chemically sensative people and those trying to create a healthy home environment. In Georgia, you can get these products from Pure Life Healthy Homes in Atlanta and they will ship the paint to you also! They carry a variety of healthy and environmentally friendly products. They are extremely knowledgeable and will answer any questions you have and always make sure you are getting the product you need. www.purelifehealthyhomes.com

I really like the wall and can't wait to do more projects like this. I think this simple, understated look will complement many rooms and can be varied to be even more subtle that this.

New Painting

2009-09-13T18:59:00.009-04:00

Yesterday I was able to spend about 12 hours in my studio - researching and sketching mural concepts and samples, painting, ordering art supplies... it was great to be able to get in the creative groove and stay there all day... I haven't done that in a LONG time. And the best part is I actually started and finished a painting that I really like. It was great too because I took photos of my model on Friday and was able to quickly follow through on my ideas. What was cool also was my husband spent the day painting a motorcycle which he did a great job on. - I'll post pics of that later..

For this painting - which I haven't titled yet. I took pictures of the process from how I start, a couple of photos along the way and then a finished product (top picture). That way you can see how the painting evolves as it goes along. I was so excited after my day of fun that I'm ready to roll on more ideas...the only problem is I'm out of canvas... now I just have to wait my canvas materials to arrive at my doorstep : ( not that I'll have another day to spend that long painting anytime soon.

Wrap Skirt

2009-09-09T21:46:00.002-04:00

So.. Yesterday I made a wrap skirt out of some fabric I painted a couple of years ago. I love fabric and have lots of designs for it and a couple of years ago tried to bring some of it into reality.. this fabric came from one of those attempts that didn't work out to well. However, after seeing it again I did kind of like it and wanted to use it. Typical me style, I wanted to do something quick and easy and no fussy pattern. I cut some off the length with I should not have done because it barely wraps, but it still works ok. I do need to reposition one of the eye hooks, but after sewing them on backwards...twice, yes twice, I decided to wait to do that another day. I tested it out today anyway and it did ok although it will require the leggings which I intended to wear with it anyway. As many fights I have with sewing I still seem to keep trying, maybe one day I'll get better at it : )

Pillow from Recycled Clothes

2009-09-03T21:51:00.002-04:00

This is the pillow I just finished. It took me way longer than it should have, the material creeped and crawled like crazy. I made it from 2 different dresses (one is a hand me down from a friend that I cut the top off of and made into a shirt, the other from another hand me down that wasn't made correctly - I tried to take it apart and put it back together but with no luck thus it became part of my fabric box), a ribbon from a gift, a random button, and the blue and black detail is part of a scrap piece from a weaving I did in college over 7 years ago. I don't throw anything away because, hey.. I might can use it for something. The pillow case has a white insert with a 95% polyester 5% Silk filling and the overall size is roughly 10" x 13".

Walking in Sand

2009-09-02T21:59:00.004-04:00

This is a painting I've been working on for several months. I've kept putting it away and pulling it back out... It really has been giving me fits. I've reworked and reworked again but I really like parts of it, although I'm still not sure how I feel about it. It's titled Walking in Sand because it is in fact someone walking through the sand at the beach. Strolling along the beach is a free and happy feeling, although it is a little of a challenge at times to pick your feet up and through either the dry fluffy sand or the wet sand near the water. It takes a little work but the feeling you get from feeling the wind and hearing the sounds of the ocean is rewarding... I guess it's kind of like life... any thoughts?

New Mural

2009-08-01T16:36:00.003-04:00

This is the mural that I just finished. It depicts crumbling and cracking plaster to reveal bricks and has a tromp l'oeil window with a bird perched in the opening.

New Painting

2009-07-22T20:15:00.002-04:00

I've finally managed to complete a new painting.... At least it's mostly complete. I may go back into it a little in the next couple of days. I'm continuing my main body of work with the figurative theme which I really do enjoy - Although I'm feeling the urge to paint some more cars : ) This one has the figure in color as my last two have had the figure in gray values with limited color palattes in the background. I'm trying to loosen up my brush strokes on the figure and not have everything so tight. It's hard to loosen up on the detail though. I want to continue to focus in on emotion with each of the pieces in this body of work. Now for the the hard part... the name.

Welcome!

2009-04-05T21:08:00.003-04:00

Welcome to my blog. I'm finally going to try blogging and this is where I will have frequent updates about new artwork. I'm currently working on figurative paintings as my main body of work. However, I just finished a rooster as an anniversary present for my husband (he has wanted a rooster or chicken painting for a while) I actually had a lot of fun with this painting and might even do more. I really haven't painted very many animals but it was a nice break from my normal work and using really thick paint and the palette knife, which I love, lended itself perfectly to the rooster feathers.

My husband encouraged/(made) me to clean out and organize my studio today so hopefully with my clean and somewhat organized studio, productivity will now increase while frustration will decrease : ) He is so supportive and helpful.