I am not sure when I go to part time but this holiday weekend will be busy busy!!! Hope everyone has a great day.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
June 30,2011
finished the 3 paintings for the Hive Gallery 12x12 show. The more I worked on them..the more decorative they became. I really like the Gila Monster one which I call "Desert Treasure". The quail one is "Sun King of Quail Love" and the Stellar Jay one is "Mountain Jewel". I couldn't leave well enough alone so I added 3d bits to each. I never know what is going to happen!!! I am happy to have gotten them done, the box done and retrieved my Mom painting. Now I can get the traveling journal done and sent and work on new things.
I am not sure when I go to part time but this holiday weekend will be busy busy!!! Hope everyone has a great day.
I am not sure when I go to part time but this holiday weekend will be busy busy!!! Hope everyone has a great day.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
June 28,2011
Did 2 small plein air paintings today for the Wasatch Plein Air Paradise in Midway Utah. This is a fun event. There are 6 days of plein air painting, 2 paint outs, dinner and prizes. I have done it now for 3 years. This year I could only do today.
So I did 2 small paintings and forgot to take pics of them before I turned them in. I have been so tired that I got them done quickly with a small palette knife and went home..took a shower and a nap and Hubby drove me back to deliver the wet but framed paintings. I will finish my 3 paintings for the Hive gallery tonight and tomorrow and deliver them after driving 60 miles to retrieve my rejected painting In Ogden!!
I saw 2 Sandhill cranes today! And a group of swifts hung out with me and redwinged blackbirds and an old fat gopher. Fun!
I haven't felt like doing much on line as I have been so busy. So hope to catch up soon.
I put a pic I took of my box for my header. It looked awesome with the other boxes..I will post them too.
So I did 2 small paintings and forgot to take pics of them before I turned them in. I have been so tired that I got them done quickly with a small palette knife and went home..took a shower and a nap and Hubby drove me back to deliver the wet but framed paintings. I will finish my 3 paintings for the Hive gallery tonight and tomorrow and deliver them after driving 60 miles to retrieve my rejected painting In Ogden!!
I saw 2 Sandhill cranes today! And a group of swifts hung out with me and redwinged blackbirds and an old fat gopher. Fun!
I haven't felt like doing much on line as I have been so busy. So hope to catch up soon.
I put a pic I took of my box for my header. It looked awesome with the other boxes..I will post them too.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
June 19,2011 Box is done
too dark for pics so I will take some in the morning before work. Needed some help from Hubby to screw postcards onto box..I am so not a power tool girl..but I learned. All clearcoated and will cure on the deck until I get out of work tomorrow..then it is delivered and I can get to my 3 12 x 12 paintings.
need sleep goodnight
need sleep goodnight
Friday, June 17, 2011
June 17,2011
I got the box itself painted and I think I like it. I am painting the postcards that will be attached to each side tonight after work. Then they will be attached to the box, the whole box will be clearcoated and on Monday evening I will deliver it up to the City Weekly offices and on to the next project!!!
Here are pics of the box after Weds. night.
I nearly undid the whole project by spraying the wrong color on it!!!
I thought I had 2 cans of clear coat high gloss. But they are black high gloss!! ( is this from lack of sleep?)
Anyway I tried shaking the one can til the ball rattled but it wouldn't rattle..so I tried spraying over the red rock areas anyway and it seemed rather dark. So I quit after doing all four sides and then realized that I was lucky the paint hadn't mixed so I had not obliterated my painting under black!!!! Yikes!
But in the end..since it is a night scene..I think it helped. I went back and brightened up highlights and sprayed some accent color on the grasses and it seemed to be better. So luckily it is not ruined yet. There is still the possibility though so I need to get my act together. I am posting pics of weds. efforts. The sky bits have embossing powder in places..adds a bit of glow. I used plastic wrap on the dk. blue acrylic paint to create the textures for the night sky. These pics don't show it as well as it turned out. Have a great day..the finished product will be posted soon.
Here are pics of the box after Weds. night.
I nearly undid the whole project by spraying the wrong color on it!!!
I thought I had 2 cans of clear coat high gloss. But they are black high gloss!! ( is this from lack of sleep?)
Anyway I tried shaking the one can til the ball rattled but it wouldn't rattle..so I tried spraying over the red rock areas anyway and it seemed rather dark. So I quit after doing all four sides and then realized that I was lucky the paint hadn't mixed so I had not obliterated my painting under black!!!! Yikes!
But in the end..since it is a night scene..I think it helped. I went back and brightened up highlights and sprayed some accent color on the grasses and it seemed to be better. So luckily it is not ruined yet. There is still the possibility though so I need to get my act together. I am posting pics of weds. efforts. The sky bits have embossing powder in places..adds a bit of glow. I used plastic wrap on the dk. blue acrylic paint to create the textures for the night sky. These pics don't show it as well as it turned out. Have a great day..the finished product will be posted soon.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
June 12,2011
Not a sunny day..but nice and quiet for a while.
Work was a bit crazy yesterday.
You would think that the cave would not be there tomorrow!! Sold out tickets and people did not want to believe it. The Loop road is still closed due to snow and people did not want to believe it. Line forms at the left, and people asked to skip the line.
The trail safety ranger has to give you a safety message before you can climb the mile and a half, 1100 feet vertical gain path to the cave, and people didn't want to hear it.
Sadly these warnings of some danger go unheeded with disastrous results. The reason for the safety ranger is last year a maintenance worker on his motorcycle went over the edge and fell 500 feet to his death. The same summer a little girl fell 100 feet and was injured. Hence new safety measures.
I tell the parents and so does the news every night that parents should not let their children near the swollen rivers..and yet..5 children have drowned in 2 weeks. One was up our canyon. So sad that an 8 yr. old boy died because no one listened to the warnings. Now the bereaved mother who jumped in after him and nearly died herself is telling everyone to stay away from the rivers. I feel for her. I wonder why no one can see the danger.
I get parents everyday asking if the river is dangerous..I wonder if they hear me.
Part of my job is running the bookstore. The other part is giving out information.
Yes the road is closed a few miles up the road..no you cannot go through, because there is 12 feet of snowpack still on the road, why can't I go ahead and try, what about "road closed" don't you understand?
Somedays it is hard to not think of the crowds as stupid. After all I am not the world's smartest person. This is probably the hardest part of any customer service job.
Thanks heavens for the wonderful crew who though they get disgusted sometimes they maintain a helpful attitude and we all get through it and come back the next day!
Did I tell you I like my job a lot?
Now a different thing..Central Park in New York City is banning musicians from Quiet zones. These zones were newly signed and designated in areas where musicians have played for the public in a time honored tradition since the park came into being. One of these quiet zones is the area called Strawberry Fields in honor of John Lennon. Does this seem odd? Lennon being a musician? Well I am wondering about the quashing of the arts in the USA. Funding for arts in the public schools is disappearing, some Republican states no longer fund the arts. These all go back to the erroneous hard feelings the right wing fundamentalists have over Mapplethorpe's provocative photos of nude men in the early 80's that were shown in an NEA funded show. People thought the NEA had overstepped it's bounds by funding thereby condoning gay lifestyles. The NEA was defunded and crippled. The censorship of art has gained a foothold in our country. I just think it is up to the individual to censor..in other words..read the signs, read the reviews, decide whether you want to see the art. If you are offended..then turn around and walk out and get thee to the nearest Thomas Kincaid store and soak up the maudlin, easy on the eyes, no meaning art prints there.
My young artist friend had a show at the University in our gallery at the art building. A sign was prominent..warning of possible explicit material..yet someone went in found the 2" by 3" drawing that was offensive...amongst a room full of ephemera that was gobbed all over the walls and floor, and this poor soul went to the office and complained. My friend's adviser was contacted and she took the offensive drawing down and eventually told the artist! There was no discussion, no
explanation..just instant censorship of a show that had been posted to warn the poor virginal art lovers so they could make the choice to see or not. The joke was on them though. My friend turned it over and reposted the drawing on the wall where it stayed. All were invited to find it. But the lack of concern for all parties involved..even the artist was concerning to me. Where was the outrage for the censorship? Am I wrong to be offended? My friend who is 25 at first was not offended but amused that I was incensed! I found some articles about censorship of the arts in the US and gave them to him and his adviser who is also a friend. eventually he began to see that he had been censored and not in an informed way.
I think this could have been a teaching moment for all concerned. Why is there not a class to address those concerns and how to deal with it?
So I am going to try to find the photos I took of my friend Travis Nickolai and his sign!
Hope I didn't bore my readers! Have a great week.
I found a pic of one of Travis' earlier series of gnomes on butcher paper. He used wheat paste to "tag" abandoned buildings with these guys.
Well I have spouted off. I may not like some art, it may offend me, but that becomes my problem and I can deal with it for myself without trying to bash the artist or others with my ideas of what should or shouldn't be hung on a wall.
Work was a bit crazy yesterday.
You would think that the cave would not be there tomorrow!! Sold out tickets and people did not want to believe it. The Loop road is still closed due to snow and people did not want to believe it. Line forms at the left, and people asked to skip the line.
The trail safety ranger has to give you a safety message before you can climb the mile and a half, 1100 feet vertical gain path to the cave, and people didn't want to hear it.
Sadly these warnings of some danger go unheeded with disastrous results. The reason for the safety ranger is last year a maintenance worker on his motorcycle went over the edge and fell 500 feet to his death. The same summer a little girl fell 100 feet and was injured. Hence new safety measures.
I tell the parents and so does the news every night that parents should not let their children near the swollen rivers..and yet..5 children have drowned in 2 weeks. One was up our canyon. So sad that an 8 yr. old boy died because no one listened to the warnings. Now the bereaved mother who jumped in after him and nearly died herself is telling everyone to stay away from the rivers. I feel for her. I wonder why no one can see the danger.
I get parents everyday asking if the river is dangerous..I wonder if they hear me.
Part of my job is running the bookstore. The other part is giving out information.
Yes the road is closed a few miles up the road..no you cannot go through, because there is 12 feet of snowpack still on the road, why can't I go ahead and try, what about "road closed" don't you understand?
Somedays it is hard to not think of the crowds as stupid. After all I am not the world's smartest person. This is probably the hardest part of any customer service job.
Thanks heavens for the wonderful crew who though they get disgusted sometimes they maintain a helpful attitude and we all get through it and come back the next day!
Did I tell you I like my job a lot?
Now a different thing..Central Park in New York City is banning musicians from Quiet zones. These zones were newly signed and designated in areas where musicians have played for the public in a time honored tradition since the park came into being. One of these quiet zones is the area called Strawberry Fields in honor of John Lennon. Does this seem odd? Lennon being a musician? Well I am wondering about the quashing of the arts in the USA. Funding for arts in the public schools is disappearing, some Republican states no longer fund the arts. These all go back to the erroneous hard feelings the right wing fundamentalists have over Mapplethorpe's provocative photos of nude men in the early 80's that were shown in an NEA funded show. People thought the NEA had overstepped it's bounds by funding thereby condoning gay lifestyles. The NEA was defunded and crippled. The censorship of art has gained a foothold in our country. I just think it is up to the individual to censor..in other words..read the signs, read the reviews, decide whether you want to see the art. If you are offended..then turn around and walk out and get thee to the nearest Thomas Kincaid store and soak up the maudlin, easy on the eyes, no meaning art prints there.
My young artist friend had a show at the University in our gallery at the art building. A sign was prominent..warning of possible explicit material..yet someone went in found the 2" by 3" drawing that was offensive...amongst a room full of ephemera that was gobbed all over the walls and floor, and this poor soul went to the office and complained. My friend's adviser was contacted and she took the offensive drawing down and eventually told the artist! There was no discussion, no
explanation..just instant censorship of a show that had been posted to warn the poor virginal art lovers so they could make the choice to see or not. The joke was on them though. My friend turned it over and reposted the drawing on the wall where it stayed. All were invited to find it. But the lack of concern for all parties involved..even the artist was concerning to me. Where was the outrage for the censorship? Am I wrong to be offended? My friend who is 25 at first was not offended but amused that I was incensed! I found some articles about censorship of the arts in the US and gave them to him and his adviser who is also a friend. eventually he began to see that he had been censored and not in an informed way.
I think this could have been a teaching moment for all concerned. Why is there not a class to address those concerns and how to deal with it?
So I am going to try to find the photos I took of my friend Travis Nickolai and his sign!
Hope I didn't bore my readers! Have a great week.
I found a pic of one of Travis' earlier series of gnomes on butcher paper. He used wheat paste to "tag" abandoned buildings with these guys.
Well I have spouted off. I may not like some art, it may offend me, but that becomes my problem and I can deal with it for myself without trying to bash the artist or others with my ideas of what should or shouldn't be hung on a wall.
Friday, June 10, 2011
June 10,2010
First payday in a long time today!
10 more days until the Box has to be delivered!
I am posting pics I took of the box on Weds. but it looks different now! I decided to bring the sky down to half way covering much of the red rock. The animal sketches just weren't right to me. I wanted something more meaningful. So now they will be painted over as the red rock with petroglyphs and there will be cacti along the bottom.
Then I am cutting out oversized "postcards" from wood, painting them to be animals overlapping the backside of postcards with text, and addresses. These will be attached to all four sides with sheet metal screws. They will be addressed to my Dad.
This way I can use indigenous animals and still add another layer of meaning to the scenes. The sky which I used the light blue spray paint to cover the upper red rock you see in these photos will be a night sky with stars, constellations and cosmos type clouds.
So I am posting the older photos and hopefully take more later to show the changes. This will all be sprayed with a High gloss clear coat to really bring out the colors.
Turns out I am one of only a few who is as far along as I am! This is a group of procrastinators!!!
Have a great day..I am off to work.
10 more days until the Box has to be delivered!
I am posting pics I took of the box on Weds. but it looks different now! I decided to bring the sky down to half way covering much of the red rock. The animal sketches just weren't right to me. I wanted something more meaningful. So now they will be painted over as the red rock with petroglyphs and there will be cacti along the bottom.
Then I am cutting out oversized "postcards" from wood, painting them to be animals overlapping the backside of postcards with text, and addresses. These will be attached to all four sides with sheet metal screws. They will be addressed to my Dad.
This way I can use indigenous animals and still add another layer of meaning to the scenes. The sky which I used the light blue spray paint to cover the upper red rock you see in these photos will be a night sky with stars, constellations and cosmos type clouds.
So I am posting the older photos and hopefully take more later to show the changes. This will all be sprayed with a High gloss clear coat to really bring out the colors.
Turns out I am one of only a few who is as far along as I am! This is a group of procrastinators!!!
Have a great day..I am off to work.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
June 7,2011
I signed the contract for the library show last night. Celeste from the Sprague Library was funny and efficient and a fan. She decided to keep my little portfolio for a while longer because she liked looking at the colorful images! So I have to have all info..price list, titles,etc. done by Sept. 15 for the advertising. I will deliver 16 pieces by the last week of January, 2012. The show will hang until March 30,2012. They supply the refreshments for my reception and the postcards and some advertising.
Hubby has been cradling boards for me to use for the 12x12 show...I need to start those right away. And of course the box is waiting my paintbrush. Now I am getting a bit nervous that my ideas won't translate, or I will not be able to achieve the look I want because of lack of skill! But I am squashing those thoughts and moving forward!
The weather has finally taken a turn for the better and I am posting pics of the hot air balloons that fly by early Sunday mornings.
Feet are much better, job is good, only hope that my 85 yr. old Mother gets over her latest bout with pneumonia. She has gotten it frequently and her Doctor appears rather unconcerned. I wish I were there to advocate for her but have to trust that my sister will get that done. She can be formidable for a tiny woman!
We have 9 kittens from the mother daughter duo of feral kitties in my Hubby's shed. Almost every color of the rainbow except an ginger tabby. I do so love the ginger tabbies..
Now we have to tame the little beasties as we feed them and hope to gather up the kitty clan for a trip to the discount spay and neuter clinic this summer.
Well I have a lot to do on my 2 days off...have a great week.
Hubby has been cradling boards for me to use for the 12x12 show...I need to start those right away. And of course the box is waiting my paintbrush. Now I am getting a bit nervous that my ideas won't translate, or I will not be able to achieve the look I want because of lack of skill! But I am squashing those thoughts and moving forward!
The weather has finally taken a turn for the better and I am posting pics of the hot air balloons that fly by early Sunday mornings.
Feet are much better, job is good, only hope that my 85 yr. old Mother gets over her latest bout with pneumonia. She has gotten it frequently and her Doctor appears rather unconcerned. I wish I were there to advocate for her but have to trust that my sister will get that done. She can be formidable for a tiny woman!
We have 9 kittens from the mother daughter duo of feral kitties in my Hubby's shed. Almost every color of the rainbow except an ginger tabby. I do so love the ginger tabbies..
Now we have to tame the little beasties as we feed them and hope to gather up the kitty clan for a trip to the discount spay and neuter clinic this summer.
Well I have a lot to do on my 2 days off...have a great week.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
June 3, 2011
The weather has changed for the better. I probably won't get to the studio until Tuesday to work more on the box. I am hoping that I won't be so worn out after my shifts to not get art done..but for now..I crash and burn!
Eating better, already lost a few pounds, found my orthotics for my shoes and hope that makes a big difference. I would hate to have to quit my job over bad feet. I love this little job.
Yesterday I sat on a bench in the sun and sketched a bit. Mostly I just soaked up the rays as I ate lunch. Such a lovely place. And I have said it before but the caliber of people who work here is like no other place I have worked before! If niceness were a disease then these people are definitely infected with it. Not to the point of being cloying..just professional and happy to be where they are. It shows in everything they do. I honestly have never worked with people who love their jobs like this group. And I have worked since I was 12..(do the math).
Yes I wish I could afford to stay home and paint the day away..but this is a very great 2nd!
Are you tired of hearing about this little job? I know..but it is unusual to find so many people happy in their work. And already Shannon, who is with the National Park Service is thinking of stealing me for a ranger job next year!
Wow..I could get a Smokey the Bear Hat and have a 7 month job..I would love it!!! Now I just need to get the physical me in better shape..
I have spent a lot of time thinking of how to finish the box, what to do for my 3 pieces for the Hive Gallery and what to take to Ogden for the Statewide show.
I know many artists use a sketchbook to design their works with but I never got into it much. I mostly work out my art problems in my head. Early mornings are good for that. I have decided that the animal figures for each side of the box will be somewhat stylized and colorful..think Australian Aboriginal styles, or Pacific Northwest Coastal Aboriginal. Recognizable as the animal but colorful and flat. I would have loved to make them separate from the box and attached so shadows form but instead I am going to paint them to appear attached as flat panels against a background of red rock and petroglyphs. The sky section will be done similar to my watercolor mixed media works as a nighttime cosmos scene. It will be busy, colorful and hopefully eye candy for whoever encounters the box on the street. I am itching to get to it.
I want to do the three works for the Hive Gallery as the same sort of animal images and maybe with some collage and mixed media. They have to be 12" x 12". My Hubby has yet to build the cradled panels for those.
As for the Ogden show..I am thinking of taking up my gouache paintings of the Black Dog series. I will post them here..can only take 2.
I hope you all have a great weekend!
Eating better, already lost a few pounds, found my orthotics for my shoes and hope that makes a big difference. I would hate to have to quit my job over bad feet. I love this little job.
Yesterday I sat on a bench in the sun and sketched a bit. Mostly I just soaked up the rays as I ate lunch. Such a lovely place. And I have said it before but the caliber of people who work here is like no other place I have worked before! If niceness were a disease then these people are definitely infected with it. Not to the point of being cloying..just professional and happy to be where they are. It shows in everything they do. I honestly have never worked with people who love their jobs like this group. And I have worked since I was 12..(do the math).
Yes I wish I could afford to stay home and paint the day away..but this is a very great 2nd!
Are you tired of hearing about this little job? I know..but it is unusual to find so many people happy in their work. And already Shannon, who is with the National Park Service is thinking of stealing me for a ranger job next year!
Wow..I could get a Smokey the Bear Hat and have a 7 month job..I would love it!!! Now I just need to get the physical me in better shape..
I have spent a lot of time thinking of how to finish the box, what to do for my 3 pieces for the Hive Gallery and what to take to Ogden for the Statewide show.
I know many artists use a sketchbook to design their works with but I never got into it much. I mostly work out my art problems in my head. Early mornings are good for that. I have decided that the animal figures for each side of the box will be somewhat stylized and colorful..think Australian Aboriginal styles, or Pacific Northwest Coastal Aboriginal. Recognizable as the animal but colorful and flat. I would have loved to make them separate from the box and attached so shadows form but instead I am going to paint them to appear attached as flat panels against a background of red rock and petroglyphs. The sky section will be done similar to my watercolor mixed media works as a nighttime cosmos scene. It will be busy, colorful and hopefully eye candy for whoever encounters the box on the street. I am itching to get to it.
I want to do the three works for the Hive Gallery as the same sort of animal images and maybe with some collage and mixed media. They have to be 12" x 12". My Hubby has yet to build the cradled panels for those.
As for the Ogden show..I am thinking of taking up my gouache paintings of the Black Dog series. I will post them here..can only take 2.
I hope you all have a great weekend!
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