Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Busy, Busy, Busy


I wonder when I'll see my dining room table again! The weekend was full of making grocery bags (on the right), fabric coiled bowls and coasters and more cards! I hope it will be worth it all. I only have 9 more days to toil -- then maybe I can get back to painting.

Monday, November 23, 2009

The Blue Boat

12" x 16" Watercolor
I finished painting this last Tuesday in class. I really don't like it, so I wasn't going to post it. Then, I remembered - this blog is about my journey, so I post everything, like it or not! I should have made the boat red instead of blue (from a distance, you can't even tell that it's a boat). When am I going to learn to be an artist, and change things in photographs? Maybe at the same time I believe that I AM an artist! Oh well, every painting is a lesson in itself!

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Road Trip


Ok, so if you also follow Barbra Joan's blog, you've already seen this photo! I'm a little slow this weekend. On Friday, my friend Donna and I drove to Dade City and met up with Barbra Joan. This photo was taken in front of "Artfully Yours", the little gallery where I have some artwork. Anyway, we had a decadent lunch and strolled the streets and poked around in antique shops. It was a wonderful day! I met Barbra Joan online through these blogs - and we've developed a nice friendship. Isn't the internet a blast!
I'm getting ready for an Art & Craft Fair on Dec. 5th, so I'm making cards like crazy, as well as sewing up some coiled fabric bowls and coasters, and some reusable market bags! You know, whenever I have some time to myself, I can really get into some trouble! So, because of all this, I haven't been painting. Keep checking back, though, I just might find some time for that, too!

Monday, November 16, 2009

Mort Solberg


Citrus Watercolor Club was on Friday. We are so lucky to have some of the most fantastic artists come and do demos and workshops! Last week it was Mort Solberg. I hope you will go to his website and see a step-by-step demo that he did in one of his workshops. This man is amazing!


These are just a couple of his wildlife paintings that he brought to share.


He starts every painting with splashes of color. For all wildlife backgrounds, he used Payne's Grey and Burnt Sienna.




This was the second one that he demo'd. Just spashed on bright colors, not knowing what he would actually finish with!



The finished product (in about an hour) turned out to be a woman with an umbrella. Then, he drew names and gave away this painting, as well as a print of the fox painting (on top). Needless to say, I did not win!



Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Poinsettia Love

3" x 5" Watercolor

Next month at Watercolor Club, we'll be having our Christmas Luncheon. Tom Jones will be doing the demo -- he's so much fun! And, there will be a small painting exchange. I painted this poinsettia and attached it to a card for the exchange. I hope whoever gets it, likes it!

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Fence Line

10" x 14" Watercolor
I finally finished a painting today! I've been so engrossed in making cards this past week, I never got to painting!
But, I feel that I'm making some progress on marketing my cards. A local Florist/Gift Shop owner looked at my cards last week, and told me to come back this Friday, and she will purchase "a bunch" of them to sell in her shop! I'm giving her a wholesale price, cause I really don't want to do consignment for such small item pieces. I'm doing that in the gallery at Dade City, and so far, I've been getting a check every month for $2.00!
I also have a friend of my daughter's in Kansas City selling them for me! She works in realtor's office, and some of her co-workers and realtors have seen my cards, so I sent her information, samples, and an order form. I'm anxious to see how that works out. Wish me luck!

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Fine Art America

I'm now showing and selling prints of my artwork on Fine Art America. I'm hoping this link will take you to my page on their site!


My friend, Barbra Joan, told me about this site -- it's pretty neat! You pay a small fee annually, and a small commission each time something sells. They print the painting and send it - you get the money! I had a small problem, though. I had already dowsized the pixels in all of my photos, which meant that I could only sell cards with most of my photos (the pixels determine how big they can make the print) - and most of my good paintings are either on display, or given to friends and family! So, I managed to unframe some - enough to start a little gallery!


So, if anyone else is interested, just go to the site! All I need to do is sell a few prints over the course of a year, and I'll be home free!