Happiness

12" x 16" Acrylic with Collage

I'm sure having a lot of fun playing with these acrylic collages! I'm still not where I want to go yet, but I'm enjoying the process. I think I'm going to try an abstract without collage next. I want to learn to play with color and structure. Stay tuned..........

Peace

12" x 12" Acrylic with Collage

Here is my latest attempt at fluid acrylic with collage. I received an intructional DVD from Ann Baldwin last week. She makes it look so easy! I'm discovering that abstracts often take on a life of their own. This one started out in my mind as simple, pale blue and silver, and ethereal. Well, what happened!? I think it became a much stronger statement - becoming bolder and more activist-like. Those darned fluid acrylics! They're so much fun to play with, I just couldn't stop adding color! Oh well, it is what it is - and, I learned a lot from this piece.

Fire!

When we moved to Florida almost 9 years ago, the house we bought has a very nice fireplace in it. The owners told us that they never used it, and had closed it up so birds and squirrels wouldn't get in it. That was fine with me, cause I couldn't imagine having a fire in Florida. So, I turned that room into a dining room.


Fast forward - and we had the coldest winter ever last year, and this year started out the same way, so I decided to rearrange and turn the dining room into a cozy den - and have the fireplace inspected and any repairs done. So, yesterday, the guy came out and did all that - and so, today, I made fire! Did I mention that it's balmy and warm today? Oh, who cares! I needed to make a fire!

So, after many tries, I finally got some wood to burn! And, it was beautiful for awhile. Meanwhile, we had all the doors and windows open! LOL It's ok - I just know that it will be cold again!

Chaos

12" x 12" Acrylic with Collage

I had such fun today - experimenting with all my new fluid acrylics and trying out a technique by Ann Baldwin, that encompasses collage and stamping. It's always been a struggle, trying to figure out how to come up with an idea for an abstract. In her book, she talks about finding ideas - and when I was at Michaels the other day, I came across this sheet of paper, and bought it because it was cool. Now, I'm thinking it could be the catalyst for a new series!

There's also one for Peace, which will probably be the next attempt!

Blog Anniversary

Three years ago today, this was the first painting that I uploaded onto this blog. At that time, I had been painting for a little over a month. I remember loving painting with oils - and I managed to paint something every day!

This blog was born out of my desire to have a place that my family and friends could go to and see my progress on this wonderful journey. I had no idea that it would be the beginning of new friendships - and that total strangers would find me and comment! What a blessing! Through this blog, I have challenged myself to paint - and to show even the failures. I've "met" many other artists, and love seeing what they do! I've learned so much, and continue to do so by trying other mediums and other styles of painting. Long Live Blogging! Thank you to everyone who peeks in from time to time.

October Road

12" x 16" Watercolor

Finally painted again! I haven't been in painting class for awhile. Seems like something comes up every week, and I can't go. This is my rendition of a wonderful photo that I saw on Wet Canvas. I hope I did it justice.

Yesterday, I purchased another cool book on painting acrylic abstracts: Creative Paint Workshop for Mixed-Media Artists. I'm still trying to find ways to tap into my creativity and make some abstracts that I will love! Lots of great ideas in this book! Now, I just have to order more fluid acrylics, and find a bunch of papers to add to the collage. Why is it that I just have to keep finding new things to do that cost me a lot of money?

Picasa Picnik

I use Google Picasa for my photo program - and I just got an update today. Went in to see what was new, and found a new toy -- Picnik!


This fun editing program allows me to:

Add a frame around my photo - it will make it look nicer when I upload it to my blog!

"Posterize" an inspiration photo - might make it easier for me to see the values!

And, I can also turn a photo into hexes - this might help me figure out how turn a subject into an abstract!

I'm excited to try all the fun things the program has to offer! And, it's free!

Hiatus

From left: Sandy, Judi, Jeanne and Susan

My watercolor class will be in hiatus until December 30th. We decided that we all need a break during this busy holiday time. Hopefully, when we re-convene - we will have some new students, as well as some regulars that have been traveling! Today's class was fun - everyone doing their own thing. These gals have really taken to the medium, and do great work!

Am I Blue?

7" x 10" Watercolor

Today in my painting class, we painted flowers "close up". I got this image from Wet Canvas. I love painting flowers this way - it's so dramatic and fun. I'm planning on doing a series of them, and then matting and framing them alike for my wall. Tomorrow, we're going to Watercolor Club - they're doing a "Paint Around". Anxious to see how that goes!

Pepper Fiesta

7" x 10" Watercolor

My watercolor class was dedicated to painting produce yesterday. I had everyone come in with at least 3 pieces of produce. We made little still lifes, and painted! Fun! I picked out these peppers just because they were so colorful! I must admit, though, that I gave them away at the end of class - I just don't eat them! One gal brought in broccoli, and another had some parsley - they both did an amazing job of painting them (and I think they're very hard things to paint).