And I'm Back!

Good Evening! Chris and I have returned from a lovely trip to Toledo. I thought I may send the latest update on the cloud progress on my flag painting. After I get all the shapes laid in with the white paint, I am able to blend in other colors with the white to create the depth of the cloud and the detailed shapes within the cloud. Here is a close up of some cloud details. Until next time...

Happy Saturday!

Hello!

Welcome to anyone who may be new on my blog from Toledo! This weekend I am showing and selling my paintings at the Crosby Gardens in Toledo. I've had a lot of cards go out so thanks for coming to visit my blog! And thanks to all you loyal readers as well... good to chat at you again.

I got to paint at the show today and I started another sky there. I believe it will become a grassy knoll. However, we started following my flag yesterday and I am able to show you the next step. This is showing how I laid out all the cloud shapes before delving into the details. It is easy to do this when I have the dark purple background. When I start with a white canvas, I paint the blue sky first to leave behind the white cloud shapes. This is time I sort of went backwards. It's nice to switch it up sometimes! It will also be interesting to see if the skies have a different feel with this new technique.

Until next time...

New Follow a Painting

Good Morning!

I rushed off to paint last night so I thought I'd show you the beginning of what is anticipated a pretty fantastic painting. It is a new theme I have not painted in the past. Of course, it includes a pretty elaborate sky but the subject is new and patriotic. When we were in Glencoe, Chris took some great pictures of the town's flag against the, at that time, beautiful clouds of the day. It was very inspiring so I composed my favorite sky picture of the day against my favorite flag picture and you will see what I come up with the next few days. The canvas is 24 inches high and 36 inches wide. I painted the entire canvas a deep purple like I did my dogwood last week. I drew the flag out on a piece of contact paper and glued the flag where I wanted it on the canvas. Here you see the flag glued on and the palette of colors I will potentially be using for the sky. This is the clean, fresh version of the palette! I was trying to remember how many different tube colors I used total for all these shades of blue and purple... I think I have several combinations of about 9 different colors (of course, not all at once!!). Soon we'll see how those colors become a sky!

Until next time...

Finished Hay Field

Hello!

I thought I would get a quick word out and show you a final picture the hay field I showed you started the other day. I ended up painting two versions and they both turned out really nice. I like the character these rolls of hay have. I want to paint one a little larger so I can really play with the texture of the hay and have more room for the tree line and maybe, just maybe a barn! Hmmm... so many ideas and so little time!!

Okay, I've been putting off painting all day to get other errands and chores done so I HAVE to get in the studio! I may or may not be a little absent this weekend. Chris and I are headed to Toledo for the Crosby Gardens Art Festival. If you are from this area, stop by and see my work in person. I would love to meet a new blog reader!

Until next time...

Follow a Hay Field

Good Evening!

Today was a beautiful day and I took great advantage of it! My father and I took a little road trip through rural Ohio today. He was looking for wild life and I was scouting out beautiful scenes to paint. I was able to get some very inspiring pictures of wheat fields and old buildings with character and some lazy rolling hills. So, don't be surprised if you see some of them soon as I start painting new scenes. Tonight I am showing you the finished sky and the under painting for some hay rolls. This was a very popular theme in the past but I'm not sure I've ever followed any with you. I start out with shades of purple to later compliment the golds that will be painted on top. Tomorrow, I should be able to show the finished piece.

Until next time...

Follow a Dogwood

Well hello everyone!

You know you really should attempt to get some sleep when you blog and then find out you've already talked about that photo!! I just blogged about painting my dogwood tree painting, when I scrolled through and saw I already showed you the first step of the painting. So, scroll down and take a look at dogwood in it's first stages... now take a look at it with it's final strokes of paint! Fun transformation! I love how the bark of the tree makes the whole piece come alive and gives it that 3-D feel. Enjoy!

It was a six hour van ride back last night after the close of the show and I had plenty of time to think about my next series of paintings. I don't think my subject matter will change much but I have some new ideas for composition of these subjects and maybe playing with color schemes in the skies. I've seen some beautiful sun sets lately. Anyway, I will get to see if the visions in my head can translate on the canvas. It will definitely be fun to follow. The next couple of days I am just getting a couple started paintings finished for Crobsy Art Festival in Toledo this weekend... then, I think I get to play with my new ideas. Can't wait!

Until next time...

In Case You Were Wondering

Hello! Here is an amusing yet very true picture of the "art wagon" on it's way to the next show! This time around I experimented with adding an extra painting box to the mix and it took up a bit more room than expected. So were full to the brim as you can see. Right now, the booth is set up so the van gets a little breather. Come tomorrow though we're back on the road and heading back home for a tiny while before heading to Toledo next weekend.

Until next time...

Chicago

Greetings from Chicago! This is our last day down town and we will be heading north to Glencoe in the next couple of hours to set up another show. I am a little sad because the entire week has been nothing short of gorgeous weather around here and today it is VERY cloudy and threatening rain! Oh dear. We'll see if it may miss us! Yesterday while Chris was in his meetings, I wandered my way to the Art Institute of Chicago. That was a fabulous decision! It has been a while since I have wandered with the Masters and got to stare at paintings. You know, the best way to learn about a painter is to study their brush strokes. I spent quite a while in front of a couple Georgia O' Keefe's, may most favorite painter of all time. They had three of her paintings on display. She had attended the Art Institute to study at one point in her career. Anyway, that was my day yesterday. Now Chris is in one more meeting and then we are on our way to the next show. Wish us luck!

Until next time...

What shall I do today?

Good Morning!

I was able to get a little bit done yesterday and one of the pieces I have been waiting to start is a new dogwood scene. This spring my husband got some beautiful shots of dogwood flowers from his mother's tree. I have painted dogwoods in the past and they are a very popular subject in my booth. However, I had one picture I was taking all my flowers from and I was feeling redundant with my flower shapes. Yesterday, I tried out some new shapes and I think I am pretty pleased so far. Here you see the progress shot from yesterday's paint. Today, I hope to get the bark on the tree and the deep blue sky behind the tree finished. That will actually complete the painting as well. Then, if I have time, I would love to work on a couple barn scenes I have started. I have been putting them off because they take a little extra attention and concentration. Later this evening, Chris and I are headed to down town Chicago and we will stay there through Friday. Chris has a workshop for his job there.

Until next time...

Gorgeous Day!

Hello! Today was a great day for painting. Chris and I are staying with friends in the Chicago area between of Chicago area shows to save on gas and wear and tear on both the van and us. Here I have less of a chance to get distracted and more of a chance to get some work done! Today Chris caught me in touch up mode on a cloud scene I had nearly finished. I have been painting outdoors which is great - aside from the bugs! The tiny little gnats land on the paint and get stuck so I am frequently fishing them out! Otherwise, painting outside with the birds and squirrels has been quite pleasant.

Until next time...

Rough Day!

Hi there! It's Monday again and here in St. Charles, IL it is a beautiful sunny day. However, I have a feeling my colleagues in Ohio are experiencing the storms we had yesterday at the Cantigny Arts Festival. About 7 am yesterday, Northern Chicago was engulfed in a storm carrying 70 mph winds and heavy rain. On the drive in, there were tree branches in the road and I was so worried what we would find when we arrived at the park. Our tents are not necessarily made to withstand those conditions. We were about to find out just how strong our setup was. There were about six tents scattered about the grounds that didn't stay put during the storm. There was artwork strewn about and set-ups collapsed. The end booths caught the brunt of the storm. We arrived at mine and a corner of my tent had come undone and fallen inside. Everything was drenched. However, my oil paintings are able to resist water and we were able to wipe everything down and wait for the sun to come out to dry the rest. The only piece that was ruined was the piece that I had worked on the day before that hadn't dried yet. Water and oil don't mix well as I'm sure you know. So I am waiting for it to dry some more to see if I can salvage it or if I'll have to toss it. I feel very fortunate that I didn't have to pack up and go home due to loss from the storm. Afterwards, the weather cleared and the show went on. I painted for the crowd again and this time I think I'll be able to keep it!! Now, I will be painting as usual to get ready for this coming weekend. I'll try to keep you posted! Have a great day!

Until next time...

Cantigny

Good Evening from the outskirts of Chicago! It is the end of day one of my show at Cantingy Park in Wheaton, IL. It was a beautiful day, sunny but not too hot, and for a nice change, no rain!! I set up a space for me to paint while people visited my booth. That was great. I was able to work on a sky for a 30 x 40" piece I have been putting off for a while! People really enjoyed watching me paint and it was fun to talk to people about the process. Here is a picture of me painting today. I call this my mobile studio! Oh, and Chris took the picture so you can actually see me this time!!

Happy Father's Day to all those Dads reading my blog. Have a great day!

Until next time...

Grassy Hill, triptych

Good Morning! Wow, my drying table is looking pretty nice! Because I have quite a few steps in my painting process, I can have about 8 or 10 paintings started and seemly going no where, then BAM one day I have them all finished! This week has been a BAM week! I finished three triptichs and I think four individual paintings of various sizes this week. Here is another of the triptychs we've been following. This one features the grassy knoll. It is very laid back and peaceful isn't it! Enjoy! More images later. Until next time...

Evergreen Triptych

Good Afternoon!

Here is a peak at the freshly painted Evergreen Triptych. The middle painting is 7" high and 5" wide. The side canvases are each 5"x5." I like how the middle one is centered and taller. It adds interest to the scene. Enjoy!

Until next time...

Triptych Time

Hello!

Today I am showing you my drying table so you can see some of the progress I have made the last couple of days. Because I am focusing on some small pieces right now, I have been working on several at a time and it's harder to show progress on the tiny ones. That being said, I have gotten several skies finished on the little ones and here is a photo of my drying table of triptychs. I thought I'd try the triptych idea on three of the themes I have going at the moment. I have one that is planned to be a grassy knoll, one that is a field of hay bails, and one that has evergreens and flower fields. The skies are finished and near dry so I can work on the foregrounds now. I just mixed some greens and will get a couple more essential colors mixed so I can finish these up today. I hope to post finished photos by the end of the day! I can't wait!

Until next time...

Time to paint

Hello! Welcome back to the studio! I like to hang my paintings as I finish them to help me figure out what I have finished and what collections I need to expand upon. Yesterday was my first semi-full day painting and I was able to get my paintings hung. So, the photos you see are glimpses of my studio as I am working in it. (I took the picture, so I'm not in there!) Today is another day for painting so I will see again soon with another update!

Until next time...

Sewing Progress

Good Morning!

I wanted to post a picture of the sewing progress I have made with my latest t-shirt quilt. I have two commissioned quilts to finish before I delve into a painting frenzy for my 6 show weekends in a row. Today I am hoping to finish both quilts. The other is all ready to go but I cannot post a picture of it because it is a surprise that would not stay a surprise on my blog!! Enjoy and I'll be back soon!

Until next time...

Hello!

Hello! What have I been up to? Well, yesterday, I headed up to the Akron area to hang my fabric art up at Creekside Home Treasures in Fairlawn, Ohio. Maria Daw has a beautiful shop of home decor items and I am her featured artist for the month of June. To see some photos of my work and statement about me as a fiber artist, go to www.creeksidehometreasures.com. On the way there and back I saw some beautiful scenes I may like to paint. I was sketching and taking pictures out the window while my husband drove. It was quite nice! I have to sew again today but I will be painting again soon. I can't wait to incorporate at least one of those scenes!

Until next time...