Happy Painting

We had out of state family visit over the weekend and yesterday (Monday, 18 February 2013) decided to paint this smaller watercolor "Grazing in the High Country" on 5"x7" Canson Watercolor Greeting Card.

"Cactus Blossom Splendor" is a watercolor and acrylic painting on 9"x12" Watercolor Paper started very late last night that I finished today.  It is from a photo I took a few years ago while visiting family in Arizona that I'd been waiting to paint.  I really like the way it turned out.

Happy Valentines Day - A Couple of Paintings

"Trusting the Process"

I had painted on this 12x16" glossy cardboard a month or two ago and then repainted it but day before yesterday painted again and this time I liked it better.

"Backyard Flowers"

I got this 11" octagonal frame quite awhile ago and cut a watercolor sheet to fit inside it thinking I'd do a watercolor painting though this morning I decided instead to use acrylic paints so here is my Valentines Day painting finished this afternoon.

Having Fun the Last Few Days

"Happy Easter"

Had fun over the weekend and yesterday doing a combination of different mediums the first of which was a pastel "Happy Easter" I drew on 9"x12" Mi-Teintes Pastel Paper shown at the left.

"Bird Standoff"

The second watercolor painting I did for fun I call "Bird Standoff" on 9"x12" Canson Watercolor Paper shown to the right in the photo.

"For Cindy"

The third watercolor painting I did is on 5"x7" watercolor postcard called "For Cindy", a friend of mine who loves the ocean and beach and is shown in the photo to the left.

Pictures of Handpainted Birdhouse Gifted to a Friend

I didn't want to post pictures of this birdhouse until after I presented it to a friend.  I love thinking of the person I'm painting the birdhouse for the entire time I'm painting it as their personality and what I think they might like or images that might bring them peace and serenity come to my mind.  She loved it and it was fun for me. I hope she treasures it for years!

Finished Birdhouse for Friend and Two Paintings Finished Today

Started on a birdhouse for a friend on Thursday and finished it today.  I have to say this one has some things I've not had on any other of the birdhouses I've painted with love individualized for each lady as my gift to them (one of which is a bird painting that I think came out beautifully).  I won't post pics of this one until after I give it to this special lady.

After finishing the birdhouse thought I'd try my hand at Challenge 10 for the "Let's Paint New Mexico" blog.  It was quite a challenge for me since I'm not used to painting cars and there was an awful lot going on in this picture.  I am still a work in progress but happy with the results, shown here to the left.  I am calling this one "Cruisin' New Mexico Style", it is watercolor on 5"x7" postcard.

The other painting I did tonight is "Purple Majesty" an acrylic and watercolor painting on very small 4"x5" canvas, it is in the photo to the right.

Staying Creative with a Little Doodling and Sketching

"Shiprock"

"Edwin Yanozha"

I've been doing some doodling and sketching this past week as I started feeling better from the cold I seem to have caught.  Here are some pictures of the sketches.

"Little Boy"

Today I started painting a birdhouse as a gift for a friend and once that was about half way done I did the sketch shown of the little boy.

"Let go ... Let God!" Watercolor on 4x6" Postcard

Lay down to go to sleep a couple of nights ago and thoughts kept spinning around in my head. I have learned that when I am trying to avoid feelings or thoughts this is sometimes what happens so instead of laying there I need to get up and go into my art room and write.  I started out writing and then came across a little plaque a friend gave me probably fifteen years ago so put it with a couple of other things and the little painting to the left is what that still life looked like.  After taking about an hour and a half writing and painting I was then able to go back to bed and slept like a baby.

Busy Time During the Past Week - "Beauty of the Valles Caldera" Finished Today

Last week I took this painting on the right to my friend and she and her husband have already installed it above their fireplace.  I have to admit it looks perfect there. I had also done some wedding invitation samples at the request of a friend's daughter though not my specialty and in keeping their privacy won't show pictures of the samples I created for them though they seemed very happy with the result.

Yesterday in order to get the creative juices flowing I had to paint SOMETHING but didn't really feel like working on the oil painting I started about a week ago so doodling created this little acrylic painting I'm calling "Limbering Up" in getting those creative juices flowing.

This morning have been fighting off a cold though found the time and had the motivation to finish the original oil painting on 9"x12" canvas I started last week "Beauty of the Valles Caldera".  I love this particular place in the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico and hope that love shows through in all the paintings I do of this beautiful and natural state I call home.  

Original Oil Painting "Looking Up the Hill" on 10"x12" plein air panel

This past Saturday rather than my normal routine I decided to stay home and paint.  Paint is really what I did almost the entire day.  I finished an oil painting for a friend the day before and did finalizing stuff first on that Saturday.  I then painted the oil to the left "Looking Up the Hill" and was surprised at how this vision appeared on the canvas and seemed to take on a life of it's own.  I then finished off a landscape in oil on a 12"x16" canvas paper and a fun little 4"x4" wooden block in acrylic.  Sunday I finished off the wooden block flower with some silver gel pen.

A new follower on Twitter made a comment that she'd like to sell my birdhouses.  I'm so flattered and happy that people like the birdhouses I paint.  I have to tell you I buy the wooden birdhouses at Michael's, even bought some at Walmart and Hobby Lobby.  Each of the birdhouses I've painted have been a labor of love, individualized for whoever I'm giving it to and not for sale.  I did try painting one with specifications so almost a commissioned birdhouse except it was a gift and I have to say that I felt so confined by the specifications that it wasn't as much fun, I don't think it turned out as nicely as all the ones done from my heart, thinking about that person with each paint stroke and idea.

The oil painting I did for a friend recently is actually a painting from a Walter Foster instructional art booklet that she just fell in love with.  I have gotten so used to doing my own original art that I wondered how different this one might look from the original I did when I first started painting.  It was a good experience to paint again from someone else's work and I think this turned out even better.  Also I recalled some of the techniques I learned from my painting instruction years ago and think that's why the oil painting above flowed so easily from my thoughts.

Tomorrow I take the painting to my friend that my husband lovingly framed for me today.  I'm so grateful that I get to share my love of art and gifts I've been blessed with and hope my friend enjoys this painting for years to come.

Happy New Year 2013 - Acrylic "Marie's Teapot" Finished New Year's Eve

Woke up New Year's Eve morning to snow which was such a welcome and beautiful sight and then started an 11"x14" oil painting I am painting for a friend.  As the day progressed and into the evening I went into my art studio to take another look at the painting I'd started in the morning and found myself painting the background and foreground on this original acrylic painting "Marie's Teapot".  I painted the initial teapot in November 2012, thought it was finished but as I kept looking at it realized no, it was not.  So here is the now finished painting and I'm much happier with the end result.

Happy New Year 2013!  It seems this year is starting out to be an amazing year of growth, enjoyment and personal productivity and creativity.  

Art Supplies Arrived Yesterday - Had to Use my New Schminke Watercolors

Received an order from Dick Blick for a few art items yesterday and after installing my 30"x40" original oil painting "Old Fashioned View of New Mexico" #480 Cumbres Toltec Railroad in the ordered frame and temporarily placing it in our family room, thought I would try out my new Schminke watercolors.  You would think that I would tire of this particular floral that I took photos of when we lived in Cherry Valley, CA tho you would be wrong.  Hence the name of this small original watercolor on 4"x6" Canson Postcard (I also received with my order) is "Repetitious Floral".  Now to rest after updating this page and enjoy some football with my husband.

Challenge 9 - Let's Paint New Mexico Submission Painted this Morning

Waking up this morning to rather cold weather temperature outside showing between 10 and 20 degrees and I've been wanting to do another submission for the Let's paint New Mexico Art Blog so decided to start painting this morning.  To the left is my submission for Challenge 9 for the art blog.

I'm also enjoying many new art connections on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn which is quite inspiring and motivational for me.  I hope that 2013 will be a wonderful new time of renewal, refreshing and reconnecting with old friends and making many new ones.  I am so excited and happy to be alive and always growing emotionally, spiritually and artistically.

Happy to post that once posted to Facebook, this blog and Twitter this painting has been sold.

After Christmas Pre New Year's Resting & Creative Process

  Christmas day as I was unwrapping the ham my husband had requested I cook for dinner from the netting it was wrapped in I was reminded how dangerous our civilization is to our native birds and creatures.  I am an avid lover of nature, the birds and animals and have, for years, cut up whatever netting or plastic that comes from the grocery store that birds could get caught up in and either killed or maimed from.  So ... getting angry as I unwrapped this ham the first watercolor painting done on 5"x7" Canson Watercolor Paper was born which I titled "Protect Our Environment" - Netting Kills.  The second was just something that, after my anger about the netting subsided, came about in a more peaceful and thoughtful way and somehow it reminds me a bit of the scales of a fish tho it remains untitled for now.  

The third painting began as a watercolor tho when I discovered I'd dripped a large spot on the upper left part of the painting I used some acrylic paint there and in the foreground right. Upon noticing a pen spill surrounding the apple in this painting I decided to try and disguise it with the pen dots around the apple itself.  Thus this painting which is a combination watercolor, acrylic, pen on Canson 8"x11.5" Drawing Paper I titled "Convluted Still".

Painting Done in my Art Studio December 23rd, 2013 -- Missed My Studio & Painting

"Canyon Splendor"
4x6" oil on wood panel

"Eye of the beholder"
oil on 4x6" wood panel

Yesterday, Sunday, December 23rd I thought I'd just go paint a little in my art studio but realized once I started painting that I guess I had alot of stored up "something" because I couldn't seem to put down that paint brush.  I have to say that I really did NOT want to post some of the painting I did though in being open and honest, as I've learned to be, I strive to be true to myself as an artist and what my process truly is.  I painted on five paintings tho haven't been able to get a good photo of the last one so will post that one later.

"Don't Try This at Home"
oil on 7x7" writing paper

Back Home After Pre-Christmas Visit to California

"Christmas Ornaments"

"Fall in Redlands"

Just back from a 12 day pre-Christmas visit to California to see our family there and help support a family member having surgery.  Funny how now that I've gotten back into the habit of doing artwork more consistently even being away from home I decided to take my watercolors and sketch pad and found time to do a couple of pieces just to keep the creative juices flowing.

The drive from New Mexico to California was uneventful with wonderful weather and while in Redlands, CA we had a few days of rain which was very refreshing and almost felt like you could HEAR the trees and plants soaking it all up.  We left Redlands and visited family in Lancaster, CA and the day before we left had quite a bit of wind with some rain and that storm moved across the states and was to be hitting our area of New Mexico the day we left to drive home.  Surprisingly to us it was beautiful and clear every mile that we traveled leaving around 9:45am from Lancaster and arriving home in Rio Rancho, New Mexico just at 10pm (had to stop and pick up a turkey and swiss sub from Dion's Pizza before coming home that we'd phoned in ... smile).  We had heard the weather was very tricky around Continental Divide, New Mexico and watching the outside temperature it did get down to 10 degrees there though we were safe and warm in the car as well as the roads being totally clear and tho we did see snow along the way it was not a problem.

View of San Francisco Peak from Williams, Arizona

Christmas has always been a very special time of the year and holiday for me and this year even though we decided because of this trip we wouldn't get a tree or really decorate our house as we normally do because of being out of the area we feel very blessed that we got to enjoy some special time with our family BEFORE Christmas this year.

Having a multicultural family and friends from all walks of life I'd like to wish you all, no matter what religious affiliation or none, a very meaningful and joyful holiday season and Merry Christmas. May the spirit guide, protect and bless you.

"Corrales Harvest" Acrylic on 5"x7" Canson Watercolor Greeting Card

"Corrales Harvest"
5x7" acrylic

A friend mentioned the blog "Let's Paint New Mexico" at http://www.letspaintnewmexico.com/ and after checking it out I decided I wanted to participate. I painted this acrylic on 5"x7" Canson Greeting Card I'm calling "Corrales Harvest" for Challenge 8, my version. What fun and something new and exciting to do with some other New Mexican artists.  I just love all the art connections I'm making.

I submitted this little painting for the "Let's Paint New Mexico" art blog but there was some type of misunderstanding and it wasn't included in Challenge 8. I'm hoping in the future you'll be able to see and compare my own and other artist's version of a photo presented for different artists to paint.

Two Acrylic Paintings Done Three Nights Ago

29th Anniversary
5x7" acrylic

In the Dark of Night
4x5.5" acrylic

I had a busy week last week with Thanksgiving, my birthday and my 29th wedding anniversary tho I enjoyed all three and even found time to do these small paintings in acrylic.

Painted November 21st 2012 - Original Acrylic Painting "Sandhill Sunset"

"Sandhill Sunset"
5x7" acrylic

I had fun painting this original acrylic on 5"x7" Canson Watercolor Greeting Card and named this one "Sandhill Sunset". I thank my friend, Norm, for giving me permission to make a painting out of his photograph.  I like the way it turned out!

Two Original Acrylic Paintings on 5"x7" Canson Watercolor Greeting Cards

"Marie's Teapot"
5x7" acrylic

It has been a wonderfully relaxing weekend topped off tonight with a little painting in my art studio.  The first painting is "Marie's Teapot" an original acrylic painting on 5"x7" Canson Watercolor Greeting Card.

"The Plant Mister"
5x7" acrylic

The second, also an original acrylic painting on 5"x7" Canson Watercolor Greeting Card is "The Plant Mister".

Celebrated a birthday yesterday and our 29th wedding anniversary tomorrow.  I am so grateful for each and every moment I have had with my husband and pray we have many more years together, doing creative things, traveling and just enjoying life together.

Twitter Art Exhibit in Los Angeles January 2013

The Twitter Art Exhibit notified me today they received both of my submissions by mail. I'm so excited to be invited and now participating in this for the first time.  For more information please see http://tmblr.co/ZQajhuXf1bjH