WIP - Greens

I worked about 3 hours this morning, after a vigorous walk in the snowy woods with my dog.




I experimented with mixing greens before I started and settled on the Light Hansa with Prussian blue. I've simplified the background and now... traaaaalaaaalaaaaa!
It's time to work the red.

Work in Progress: Tomato Cage

Ok, so here's my next great painting, World! 

It's winter, it's cold, 
I'm stir-crazy... 
let's go 
back to the summer 
and try to remember

tomatoes 
on the vine.

Well, it's a start, but I'm getting hung up on the twists of the wires.  I should loosely work the background right now, I think. Loosely, don't work it to death.

Merry Christmas!

PEACE ON EARTH

Tin Finished

He seemed to like it. I was aglow driving home from having delivered it. Always a good feeling to finish a job.

I would have liked to have had more time with it. But here it is, for what it's worth...

Christmas Eve Countdown

OKay... it's noon.  I got up at 8. And I've been going non-stop ever sense. Right now, at this minute I'm taking a breather. Whew...so far I've walked the dog, made the cheese ball, cleaned the kitchen and bathroom, did the laundry.... ohhhhh... that's like an hour each. That's not good.

I'm dying to start on the finish of this decorated tin project. It's been interesting. I should have photographed the steps. But I'll have a picture of the finished tin later today. Stay tuned.

Rich has been a great help. He vacuumed while I walked the dog. A great favor! I owe him one. Now he's smoking a turkey for dinner tonight. We've got company coming and I still have to finish this tin before they get here, by 4 at the latest! So why am I blogging, for pete-sake??!!

Here I go to bake my brownies and cut my veggies and then, if I'm still standing, I'll paint rose leaves.

Screaming My Head Off!

"The Scream" by Edvard Munch (detail)

Oh, NO!!! HOW did it get to be December 23rd already? 

I'm getting desperate here!  The tin I'm painting (see post below) is probably 90% done, but it's those blasted roses that are hanging me up. 

I've never enjoyed painting flowers, and I've never tried to paint roses (too compli- cated) --- well, there's a first time for everything! And as I struggle with these three roses, it really makes me want to continue on with painting them until I get good at it. For the time being, though, I just hope the man likes my work. And I especially hope his wife likes it, because apparently this tin was hers when she was a little girl. Maybe it's a child's lunch tin, of the old-fashioned kind. I don't know.

I really had planned on finishing this tonight, but it's nearly midnight and I'm dog-tired. I'll have to find time to complete it tomorrow, even though it'll be Christmas Eve. I told him I could deliver it around four. But tomorrow I'll be busy cleaning house, making a cheese-ball, walking the dog, and baking brownies for the hunting buddies. 

Rich bought himself a smoker for Christmas, so tomorrow he'll break it in by smoking a turkey.  Jacob and his girlfriend are coming for dinner tomorrow night. I told Rich I wanted a year off from holiday cooking, so he's doing it. Going to keep it simple, turkey sandwiches. All I have to do is make the cheese-ball and a veg tray.

So that's why I'm screaming!  I have a deadline looming, and so much to do besides. I think I'm losing my mind!!!

Oh, once we get home from church, I plan to sleep all day Christmas!

Work in Progress - Small Tin

This is my first commission all year. I was first presented with the project on Dec. 12, so this is a rush job if ever there was one. I was asked to paint an antique tin, and thankfully the man (who's having this painted for his wife as a Xmas gift) already had it sanded and primed. I decide on a folksy blue background. Tomorrow, when I'm sure the second coat has had adequate dry-time, I'll start painting.  I've never painted on metal before. I hope this isn't a disaster!

There are to be 3 evergreen trees, with snow on the ground, on the two sides because they used to have a Xmas tree farm. The man asked his wife what her favorite flower was and she said a rose.  He said, I thought your favorite flower was the daisy. Oh, well, yes, but that was when I was young. The rose is my favorite now, she says.

So there will be a daisy chain curving around both ends, her favorite flower when she was young.

On top, on the lid...he wants the reddest roses I can paint! Three of them, to represent their three children. Aw, man, not red! Any color but red! How do you tell someone this is a design disaster? But the thought is so sweet and he insists the roses be red. I'm going to make them really fill the space of the lid, also with some greenery, so maybe the light blue background won't be as noticeable. I think the blue works well with the other elements of the design. Anyway, I sure hope so!

WHAT THE...!

First Snow 12-17-12

Beary is always  bewildered by the first snow of the season, which was yesterday. He's standing on the NEW PORCH, watching snow come down and listening to the swish of it on the tin roof. He probably still has faint memories of his play-yard, which is gone (and I'm happy to say, we have less mess coming indoors now). 

This is the gourmet corner of the new Man-Porch, where the man-cook burns his meat.

Sold a Painting

I was pleasantly surprised to learn 

I'd sold a painting at last week's Gallery Hop.

"Four Bins"  7"x14" acrylic on canvas

I just knew someone would want this little farm scene. 

It's SO "Summer in Illinois"!

Self Portrait Project

My Self-Portrait

 2006 - Graphic Design Class

We were to take pictures of ourselves, then prepare some graphic that tells the world who we are. As I understood the project we were supposed to use very small photos (like tiles) in our design. That's what I did anyway.