Projects

A pear and a pomegranate still life.

There's been a lot of drama in my life recently, surrounding Angel (and her impending crossing of the bridge) and an issue a neighbor has with Oliver, to the point that I've become completely blocked.

So today I started mindlessly drawing pears again, and after a few hours I became unblocked and started working on The 60 Day Bird Journal Challenge again.  A few more hours in and I'm feeling much better now.

This evening I started refining the journal prompts and began constructing the journals I will be using during the challenge period.

A sneak peak of the papers to be used in the soon to be revealed journals.

Changes

Fall is a great time for making changes, as is winter, spring, and of course summer!  The biggest changes I'm making right now are: combining my blogs, all seven of them, into one or two blogs, and closing the Natural Surface Academy at the end of this month.  This is a major weight off of my soul, I would say shoulders but this is a soul enriching experience!  My new focus will be my artwork, making meaningful art that makes my soul sing, and licensing my designs.

Stay tuned there's more to come!

More Crow Panels in Progress

If I counted correctly there will be a total of 26 panels in this new series, and once these are done I'm off to rework some encaustic pieces from a few years ago to include my crows, Queen Anne's Lace, and the marks I've been putting in these pieces.

I wasn't sure how these pieces were going to come out, while they have similar colors they are not exactly the same... but where's the fun in everything being the same, right!

I've allowed the distractions of the past few weeks beat my confidence levels down, it doesn't help that I've had a nasty head cold, or that my dad has had ongoing health problems.

I did get to see my brother last Monday, the first time since my mom died in 2005, they visited for a whole hour and forty five minutes before they had to leave again. 

So tomorrow it's back to drawing and painting crows, ravens, and blackbirds and if they are horrible then they are horrible.

But, the secret to mastering anything is to keep at it until... until well you've mastered it!

With that said I've decided to seriously edit the information I've compiled for my Natural Dye App, and just create the app!  A simple app that is accurate and usable is much more enjoyable than one that doesn't exist!!!  Feet of clay, I think that's the name for this syndrome, the whole "what if they hate it???"

There will always be haters, and they are not my audience anyway... so onward I will push this week!

Pumpkin Mess

The pumpkin developed a leak, and this is why I put rosin paper down under live still lifes.  I also have a flannel backed plastic table cloth on top of the hardwood table this still life resides on.

Still Life in Progress

Am working on the lighting still, am in need of one of those clip on swing arm lamps for more concentrated lighting.

Computer Issues - STILL 022312

Well after spending 28+ hours installing the new platform, etc the computer crashed and refuses to be revived. Will know more this coming weekend, hubs is letting me use his computer but it doesn't have the bells and whistles that my machine has, unfortuantely.

Computer Issues

Well after spending 28+ hours installing the new platform, etc the computer crashed and refuses to be revived.  Will know more this coming weekend, hubs is letting me use his computer but it doesn't have the bells and whistles that my machine has, unfortuantely.

It's the Precious Things in Life

John and Thomas hanging out watching tv.  My uncle Gary, my dad's youngest sister's husband, passed away tonight at the young age of 56, the same age my mom was when she passed away in 2005.  He's one year younger than John, deaths of loved ones sure make you take a second look at what is the most precious in life, all else is just fluff or unnecessary stress.

WIP - Still Life No. 1

Detail of Still Life No. 1

Setting up a Still Life

New Still Life

As soon as I can figure out a mount for it on my table, I'd like it partially propped up.

Still Life

An impromptu still life I set up this afternoon, in my wet studio.  I"m not used to painting flat other than fabric so I sat to paint the apple it worked out pretty well in the end, I'll finish the apple painting tomorrow.

Thomas in Window

Kitty Still Life! Thomas my Maine Coon cat sitting in the window sniffing the great out doors after a down pour.

Still Life 2

Another still life I created that hung out in my studio for over a year! I made color studies of the pieces some of which ended up in altered books and collage pieces.