Merry Christmas

The photo above was from when my son played at a concert called Tuba Christmas. They played Christmas tunes with the tuba and euphonium. My son got cut out of the picture when I downloaded it onto my blog! It was freezing cold out but it was fun to hear him play since he plays at a college a few hours away we don't get to hear him play much. Happy Holiday!

Julie and Julia

I put the movie "Julie and Julia" on while I was drawing this afternoon. It reminded me that watching the character Julie write her blog is what inspired me to start mine. Julie worked full-time while she cooked her way through Julia Child's cookbook. OK she has a few meltdowns along the way but she stuck with it.

I am officially abandoning my card a day project. I just can't keep up with it. But I am planning on posting more photos of the paintings I am working on and posting finished pieces too. I can get a little overwhelmed with life and all of its details but I can't stop painting! I may not be the worlds greatest painter but I don't feel like me, if I don't paint. So stick with what you love and you will live a more fulfilled life.

Work Stoppage

I lost an Aunt last week and this week my mother-in-law passed away. All artwork has come to a stop for now. I will try to get back into the swing of things soon. Hope someone still reads this.

Our Town

I had a painting accepted into the "Our Town" show which is at the Community House in Birmingham Michigan. It is the first time I have had a piece accepted into that show so I thought it was very exciting! The opening, which tickets are $75 and up, is a fundraiser for the Community House. They served cocktails, very nice hors d'oeuvres and desserts. I included a photo of my painting, which is a watercolor named "Under the Table".

Artprize continued

Another piece that stood out to me was "Invasion" by Lisa March. It is about the carp invading the Great Lakes. Carp are a very invasive fish once the get into waters and there have been controversial measures taken to try and get rid of them. Her piece of art is carp that are made of wire and paper machet (I think). The carp are very life like with expressive faces. They appear to be swimming at you.

In "Dream Collector" by Heather Holloman the artist had 378 jars displayed on 6 wooden bookshelves. People could walk in between the shelves to look at the jars. In the jars were dreams. She had recorded mostly childrens dreams, wrote them down on cards , put items in the jars to represent those dreams and suspended them in water. It was interesting to read the dream cards and to see how she represented them.

More on Artprize

We went back to Grand Rapids to see more of Artprize on Sunday. If you don't know anything about Artprize it is an art competition in Grand Rapids, Michigan which runs from September 22-October 10. Art is hung in 192 venues including outdoor spaces. Paintings, prints, drawings, sculpture, video all are available for viewing. The top prize winners are picked not by a juror but by the public. The top prizes total $450,000 which is an unheard of amount!

We parked near the Grand Rapids Public Museum in a parking structure. The Museum holds 72 pieces of art. I can't say I remember all of the pieces titles or the artists names but I can tell you what stood out to me. Many of the artists were on site and answered peoples questions.

On the way to the museum we walked past several large sculptures. One that stood out to me was a deconstructed car that looked like it was sinking. I thought the artist was making a statement about the sinking auto industry in Detroit. That is my first photo.

Other pieces that I loved was "Reminisence" by Jennifer Surine. Her piece was made from sterling silver shaped in loops and twirls and hung from fishing line. It was ethereal looking. It reminded me of jewelery or small wire chandeliers. The artists said it took her 17 hours to hang.

The second photo is the painting "Uprising of Sausages and hot dogs" by Sergery Tyukanov. Apologies if I spelled that wrong. It reminds me of Bruegel paintings where the streets are crowded with people drinking and dancing in the Medieval times. The artists said the painting is about our civilization that is constantly consuming.

I will continue on Artprize in my next post.

An Artful Week-end

I returned yesterday from a fun-filled, art-filled week-end. I went with my art friends to Grand Rapids, MI and Saugatuck. We visited Artprize in Grand Rapids and relaxed and enjoyed the sites in Saugatuck. What I mainly want to focus on is Artprize.

When we first arrived in Grand Rapids the weather had turned much colder and windier than when we left. It went from 85 to 58 with 40 mile and hour winds, maybe higher. It was difficult to be outside. Our first stop was Frederick Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park. The beautiful green space has 26 entries, mostly large scale sculptures. It is also hosting a glass works show by Dale Chihuly. The glass works are so beautiful. Totally worth the 3 hour drive and freezing! We went on the tram ride that takes you past most of the sculptures. My photos above are of the Dale Chihuly glass. I will include more photos and information on Artprize in later entries.

If you want to find more information on Artprize you can visit www.Artprize.org and there was an excellent article on Artprize in the Detroit Free Press, so visit www.Freep.com. The article was in September 23 Play section.

Card #42 Angular sensation

Card #42 is another of my triangular, abstract designs.

Card #41 Floating By

I have been seriously sleep deprived lately so clouds are especially appealing to me. Floating, drifting away, sounds great to me. I have been practicing many techniques for making clouds. For this cloud painting I tried using an eraser to smudge the edges or soften the edges of the clouds. I don't know if this is my favorite technique. There will be more to come.

Treasury

I have a encaustic painting that was included in a treasury on etsy. The last time I had a painting in a treasury it sold! I can only hope it happens again! Here is the link to the treasury http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c80d78433778eef285ff09b/an-art-lovers-guide

I have been painting

I have been painting --I just haven't been posting. This is one of the geometric paintings I have been working on. I started with a light spraying of paint over flavored tea. Then I painting the triangles and ended with painting around the square shapes. I thought it turned out nice. What do you think?

At the Beach

I am afraid with my not posting for a while on my blog I have lost my followers. I was at the beach the last two weeks so I didn't post or paint much. I will get back into the swing soon. We drove to Florida and back. I had not done that since I was a kid. There are much more distractions for the ride than I used to have. As a kid we had no air conditioning. We would all be packed into the family sedan with just coloring books, word finds books and candy. We were ready to kill each other before we got there. Even though our trip was not easy it was much easier than my childhood car trips. This time we had the DVD player to watch movies on and I had my Ipod if I didn't like the music my son choose to play. We watched a lot of "Everyone Loves Raymond". People say I remind them of Debra Barrone. I think I am a bit less mouthy! Plus I did do some driving during the car trip. They didn't let me do that when I was a kid! I think I would have driven a bit faster than my Dad. He was a farmer and was not used to the expressway--but that is another story!

Mote Aquarium

Visited Mote Aquarium with week in Sarasota Florida. They have a great collection of aquatic wildlife there--sharks, turtles, manatee to name a few. I found the design on the turtles shell to be particularly interesting and took a few photos. I hope you enjoy them.

Fish Art

This is a funky art shop along I-80 on Tybee Island, Georgia. They sell all kinds of fish theme items made from reused stuff aka junk. I thought it was fun and charming. My boys thought it looked like junk. Art is in the eye of the beholder!

Traveling

Shortly after starting my new job I left on vacation. They knew this before I was hired. So my blog has been neglected. Right now I am traveling in the southern regions on of the United States. I have a fondness for clouds and have taken several photos. The clouds have hung around a bit more than I would like. We have had a few days when it was cloudy and it rained on and off all day. We had one day where it rained all day! The nerve-- to rain all day on my vacation!

New job

It might be tough to be a good blogger since I started my new job but I hope to keep up with it. I am working in an office which I haven't done in a really long time. I have had retail jobs which I can do in my sleep but not an office job for 20 years. It does pay much better than retail though! I have at least an hour commute so that is an extra challenge. I didn't sleep last night or the night before that is an extra challenge! I don't have to work again for two more days so it will give me time to recover!

Card #40 Washington Sunset

This is from a photo that my brother-in-law Tom took of a sunset near his house. They live out in the country where there are small mountains and it is quite desert-like. The colors in the sky are amazing!

Card #39 "Bursting with Color"

This has to be one of my favorites so far! It is a close up of a peony from my backyard.
I used layers of alizarin crimson, rose madder, and opera to get that intense red.

A Paying Job

I was offered a paying job yesterday! I have been looking for a part-time job for about a year. A friend said she had something in her department. I went to check things out and it seems great! So I am going to be setting up appointments for conference rooms and making things run smoothly along with other things. The job is at the Renaissance Center so that should be interesting. The drive to get there will be a long one but I will get used to it. I hope! I needed something to get me out into the world and to support my art habit! Being an artist can cost some moolah!

Etsy work

I did a little work on my etsy shop today. I edited some of my photos, changed some tags, got rid of some paintings. I had read that having good photos is crucial. When I started my etsy shop I just took photos and downloaded them to my shop. I was so excited to get my shop set up I didn't edit the photos. Now that I am a bit more savvy I made a few changes and I hope that makes a difference. It is a never ending learning curve!

Card #38 "Row row row your boat"

This is a smaller version of a previous painting I did of an antique canoe. The painting is from a photo I took. We had been at an a marine museum called Les Cheneaux Maritime Museum in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan ( or an Michiganders call is Up North). This museum has lots of handmade wooden boats and the craftsmanship is amazing. If you happen to find yourself in this area (Cedarville) you should check it out.

Etsy treasury

I got into a treasury! I don't know how long they last.

Card #37Waiting for the Rain

This little ditty I composed from a larger photo. The kitty looks like she is waiting for the rain to stop next to the pair of bright yellow wellies.

Vacation Plans Gone Loco

My family and I have had a vacation planned to go to Florida for two weeks since last fall. We were going to stay at the condo that we usually rent out on Sanibel, Florida and also go to Universal to the Harry Potter theme park. Well that all changed this week. We found out the condo had been rented out--even though we told them we were going to use it. Apparently the right person didn't get that information. I wasn't the one making the arrangements. So here we are a month before we are going to go and no place to stay!

I talked to my sister who lives in Michigan and they are going on vacation the same week and we decide we should rent a beach house together for that week! Sounds great! We both look for about two hours and then she hears from her husband that he can't take that week off now! No vacation with the sister!

Now I am trying to find a place possibly around the Savannah area and also in Florida. I have another sister in Florida that is trying to help me find a place. I should be painting right now and I am spending countless hours looking for places to stay! I also lost my sunglasses this week-end. I hope whoever found them is enjoying them but feeling guilty!

And the Winner Is!

And the winner is Azure Islands! Please send me an email with your address to dianeoneil3@yahoo.com. I hope you enjoy the card. It is easily framed. I will have more giveaways in the future so keep reading!

Card #36 Western Michigan Beach

This painting is from a photo taken when on a walk along the beach near Saugatuck, Michigan. It was a very cold fall day. You can see the edge of the dunes off to the right.

Giveaway

I am giving away this hand painted card! Anyone that comments on this blog entry between now and Saturday will be put into the drawing. I will draw a name on Sunday. Since I haven't had a comment in at least 6 weeks I am hoping that will change things! It is a great little painting of geraniums in a bright green tub.

Coming Soon to an Art Center Near You

I will be in an art show at Paint Creek Center for the Arts opening June 25th. This is a juried member show. It is the first time the art center has done this. The show will run until July 31st. PCCA is located at 407 Pine Street, Rochester, Michigan 48307.

Card #35 Back to the Beach

The beach is a fascinating place. The swell of the ocean. The sand under your feet. It has a delicate balance that man has messed with. I can't believe the oil spill is still going on and there isn't anything I can do from here to stop it. I am going to start to list my beach theme cards on etsy and all of my profits will go towards the oil clean up.

"Valentino The Last Emporer"

I watched the documentary "Valentino the Last Emporer" this week. It is all about the fashion designer Valentino and his last year of designing clothing. I found watching him go through his creative process very interesting. He does his drawing, drapes the fabric on a mannequin , the a model and then the clothing is sewn. He would ask everyone else their opinion. You would think he would be more sure of himself but he needed that reinforcement just like we do as artists. He had been a designer for 45 years! That is a long time to be in any business. His company was bought out by another firm and he retired shortly after that. He said he was interested in so many other things and wanted the time to pursue them. I can relate to that!

In my younger years my big dream was to be a fashion designer or an artist. I went to school in New York but I studied fashion buying and merchandising. I felt because I wasn't good at sewing I would be at a disadvantage compared to the other people and I would have been. My creative spirit never died and now I get to pursue that through my painting. I need Valentino's stick- to- it-tiveness. I didn't get back to my painting until I was 40 so if I stick with this for 45 years I will be 85 and a really good painter!

South Haven

We spent a lovely week-end with friends at a beach house in South Haven Michigan. OK technically the house wasn't on the beach but it was within walking distance. The weather was hot for Michigan so I actually got in the water. There were several rickety stairs to traverse to get to and back from the beach. The stairmaster is a piece of cake compared to these stairs!

Summer is Here

My peonies and lilacs have opened up! It is 85 degrees today which is quite unusual for May! I picked some of the flowers and brought them into the house. It smells heavenly in here!

Card #34 Abstracted Fireplace

I had one busy week and my painting went by the wayside once again. I did a garage sale with two girlfriends last week. I spend two days pulling things out and pricing. I spend three days at the garage sale. People that shop at garage sales love a bargain! It doesn't matter that you spent $40 on a sweater and it was worn once--they want to spend 50 cents! Hard lesson learned!

Back to painting. The "Abstracted Fireplace" is a portion of a fireplace mantel. The left side is a candlestick, next to it is a picture frame. The fireplace itself has a ornamental front made from plaster. That's what the curving lines are. I think it made an interesting composition.

Card #33 Abstracted Chair

Using a photo of the HGTV Green Home family room, I took a small section of the room and tried to find a balanced composition. The area I painted is the arm of the floral chair with the pillow in blue and the blanket in red. The edges of my photo look a little wonky but the paper curled up a bit. Once I put it in the plastic sleeve it will straighten out. I have been entering the green home sweepstakes every day. The fabric on one of the chairs in the sitting room is very similar to a painting I did last fall. I think that's a sign I am going to win!

First Sale

I listed my flowers on etsy yesterday afternoon. This morning when I checked my emails I had a sale! I am so excited! My first sale! I only had four things listed so I had better get busy!

Flowers on etsy

I am now listing my handmade flowers on my etsy site. I did lots of research before I did it. I keep coming up with more ideas so I think I am on the right track. I just got in the mail some small clutch purses that I am going to decorate with flowers. I haven't had any art sales (yet) but I hope my flowers will get the ball rolling!

Bad Blogger

I have been a bad blogger lately. I have been caught up in painting some larger paintings and making flowers. I have also been searching for display items to use for doing art and craft fairs. Yesterday I found an old suitcase at Kane's Town Hall Antiques in Romeo, Michigan. It is similar to one I used as a kid. It was old even then! I am going to use it to display my flowers. I also found a vintage purse that I am going to add a flower with a sparkly earring center. The weather here is cold and rainy. It is perfect creating weather!

Fish and art show opening

Check out the fish at the bottom of my blog. They will follow the cursor and then click and the fish will be fed.

I went to my friend Tari Kahrs art show opening last night at Little Monsters/Flint Street gallery in Lake Orion. Tari has a very nice collection of fruits, vegetables and flowers in pastel. Tari also makes jewelery. The show will be up for the month of May.

Card #32 Abstracted Map

I painted this card as a study for a larger painting. It is an abstracted map of the city of Boston and the Harvard square area. I would love to go there someday soon. The highways are the yellow lines and the streets are the black lines. The green areas are the park areas.

Card #31 Luna

As I continue on my circular journey I have created more cards. This one looks very outerspacey. After removing the tape I discovered it had been placed a bit crookedly. It isn't perfectly framed but I like it anyways!

In the works

This is a painting in progress. I am really liking this one but I don't think it is quite done. I wanted to share anyways. The background color in the photo looks almost brownish but it is really purple. I'll take another photo when I am done.

Card #30 Sampler

Happy Monday! This card painting is another example of my tea and spraying technique. I added a linear element with the circles. I am really enjoying this series.

Giveaway

A fellow VAST member has on her blog a giveaway through U Print. If you go to her blog http://www.dianeclancy.com/blog/ 2010/05/rolled- canvas-giveaway- your-image/ you can win a chance to have your artwork printed on a 16 x 20 canvas.

Card #29 Red Moon

I forgot to do my posting yesterday! I worked out at the gym and then I worked in the yard all afternoon weeding and trimming shrubs back. I only got half-way across the backyard and ran out of steam. I have a big yard.

Today's painting is going further with my circles theme. I have started a larger painting using the same technique. It is great when a smaller card painting inspires me to do more, larger paintings.

Card #28 On the Line

This card was created in the same manner as cards 26 and 27. I added a linear element to this painting. I keep having more ideas for this technique so I plan to keep going.

The weather is suppose to be beautiful today--80 and sunny! Taking a break with a bike ride sounds like a good idea. My oldest son is coming home from college today for the summer. He is having car problems so I hope he actually makes it home without me having to go rescue him. Have a great week-end!

Card #27 "Round and Round"

Painting #27 was done with the same method as painting #26 where I sprayed flavored teas with water and watercolor paint and then added circles. I stuck with cerulean blue for my background color. Spraying paint and negative painting around shapes is one of my favorite ways to paint.

Card #26 Circular

The Circular painting was completed using a few different painting methods. First I laid flavored teas down on the paper with water. Then I sprayed watercolor paint in different areas. Next I placed circular shapes down and painted around them using the negative painting technique. It is more of an experimental piece.

On a personal note I think I hit a milestone today. I was able to drink coffee (decaf) and I had vegetarian lasagna! I have had acid reflux for about 5 months now and haven't been able to drink coffee or eat anything with a tomato sauce. I found a medicine that works! Hopefully I won't find out this is not true in the middle of the night!

Card #25 Chapman House

Chapman House is a 5000 square feet country English manor with Italian renaissance side porches. It was built for William Chapman from 1911-1914. The McGowen family now owns the home and runs their home decorating business out of Chapman House. It is a beautiful building and I love to walk through it and dream of living here. Hey, a girl can dream, can't she?!

This card took me way too long to do. Too much detail to do for a quick painting. I love the building so I couldn't abandon the painting before I had finished.

Card #24 Masonic Temple

This card is a painting of the Masonic Temple in Rochester. I don't really know anything about the building but I like how angular the entrance is. The photo I took doesn't do the painting justice.

We went to the Green Fest they had in downtown Rochester today. They had lots of vendors with "green" products. They also had animals and things for kids to climb on and food. I thought it was interesting and I especially enjoyed the food.

Flowers to go and Card #23 Home Bakery

I labored this week over my organza flowers which will be leaving home soon and going to Little Monsters in Lake Orion. My generous friends, Leila and Chris, will have them for sale in their store.

My card painting is of the Home Bakery in Rochester. The outside of the building is made of stone. It is a historic building and the bakery has been in that building since 1930. I didn't try to paint every little stone on the building but rather give the impression of them being there. The Home Bakery is a-- you guessed it--at bakery! Can you see the wedding cake in the window?

Card #22 Rochester Brewery

I took my card a day paintings into the Paint Creek Center for the Arts today. They are going to be for sale in the Gift Gallery for $10. It's a steal! While I was in downtown Rochester (Michigan) I thought I should go for a walk and enjoy the beautiful spring day. I walked around and took some photos of the historic buildings around Rochester. I am going to make that my theme for my cards for the week--historic Rochester buildings. Card #22 is of the Rochester Mills Brewery. It was the former home of a Mill where they made wool fabric. It is a very pretty building and a nice restaurant too. It is great to sit out on their patio when the weather is good!

Etsy showcase

I am behind on my card painting because I have been busy today posting new listings on my etsy account. I also bought a showcase spot for tomorrow. I have heard this isn't worth the money but I am hoping to get more interest in my shop so why not?

Blooming

These are some of the latest flowers that I have made. I was having cramps in my hands from cutting them out yesterday! They are fun to make despite the pain.