Downy Woodpecker

This morning we finished the Downy Woodpecker. In the right kind of frame, he'll be pretty cute.

New Project

Today I started working with a pastel teacher. I am absolutely thrilled! I was lucky enough to find someone who specializes in animals and works in a realistic style that is a good match for what I am doing and want to do better. We started working on a tiger today based on a photo that my husband took at a zoo. We accomplished a lot in 3 hours. I can't wait to go back again next month.

Bird House for Bike Trail Benefit

I finally finished my bird house for the Bike Trail Benefit Auction. The birdhouses are given to artists to paint and then they are auctioned off during May Mart, Franklin's garden mart held the first weekend in May in Fountain Park. I really struggled to decide how to paint it this year. I finally found a design on the Plaid website that provided my inspiration. I still need to put varnish on it, but it is done and I can meet the end-of-March deadline. This one is much simpler than the one I did last year, but it is sort of cheerful. I hope it does well in the auction.

What's on my easel?

My student and I are working on a Downy Woodpecker in pastel. This is about 7x9 on Colorfix sanded paper. The paper is a sort of greyed lavender color so it helps provide a good base for the sort of wintry looking piece. Last week we just laid in a background and worked on the wood siding. Today we started on the little bird. He is coming along nicely, but still needs a lot of work. The background was scrubbed in and then blended using a soft brush and denatured alcohol. Once the bird is finished, the background will need some additional attention.

More Splashing in Paint

Once again today I played in paint. I had to paint a large raffle item for the retreat. I chose to paint a pair of nesting boxes. The large box is a design by Connie Parkinson. For the smaller box that sits inside, I used a part of the original design. The result is that you see the river and the bridge on the large box and then when you open the box, you are taken down to the river's edge. It turned out pretty well.

Playing in Paint

Today I played in paint for the first time in quite a while. I had a wooden lid for a glass bowl that I had to paint for the Town and Country Decorative Painters retreat in April. This year's theme is Candyland and the bowls are the centerpieces for the banquet on Sunday. For my lid, I used a design by Connie Parkinson. I am very pleased with the piece. I really hate to give it away. Tomorrow I will varnish and then it will be ready to deliver to the banquet chair.

More from the beach

Here is another of the little pieces that I worked on in my free time in Ocean City last week. It is pastel on Mi-Teintes paper, about 6x8.

Chocolate in Pastel

Not only did I do the bunny in colored pencil while I was in Ocean City, but I also took some time to do him in pastels. The biggest difference in the appearance of the two pieces is that the colored pencil version literally shines because the pencil is wax based and when burnished it is somewhat shiny. The soft pastels have a mat finish. Both the colored pencil pieces and the pastel piece were done on the same color Mi-Teintes paper. The pastel version also has a few more areas of reflected color--tints.

Chocolate bunnies

While I was in Ocean City, I had time to play with my colored pencils and my pastels. I had taken some pictures of a chocolate bunny that I wanted to do as a set and I packed the reference photos so I would have something to work on if I had time. I completed the set in colored pencil on grey-brown Mi-Teintes paper. The size is approximately 5x7. Sadly, the bunny was sacrificed for the good of the project--and a tasty bunny he was, too!

Back home!

I feel like I have been away forever, but it was only a week. The retreat in Ocean City was very nice. My class was small, but the students were happy when they left and gave me ideas for things to submit for next year. That's a good sign. I made a friend at the hotel. Seymour kept coming to my balcony and right up to my sliding door to see what was going on in my room. I took a lot of good photos to use for reference.

The weather was perfectly horrible. When I left yesterday the ocean was angry--grey, big waves, loits of noise.

Food as Art

You may have figured out that I am not at home. I am visiting family on my way to Ocean City, Maryland, to teach at a decorative painting retreat. My poor husband and my dog have been left at home to fend for themselves while I am off having a good time.

Today I went to lunch with a friend at the Tea By Two tea room in Bel Air, Maryland. It is a charming tea room with fabulous food. One of their specialties is what they call their Celebration Dessert. It is an absolutely decadent, but beautiful dessert that consists of a puddle of frosting in the bottom of a teacup to hold a small cupcake in place. On top of the cupcake is a fantastic frosting rose. When you have finished eating your dessert, they wash and pack the teacup for you and you get to take it home. We were celebrating my friend's birthday--a little late, but this is when I am here--so we each had a celebration dessert. Hers had a candle.

The reason I have shared so much information about this dessert is that you never know where you might find art. I have to say, this is not only decadent, but it is a beautiful work of art as well

Seagulls are in their permanent home

I delivered my seagull painting to my cousin in Delaware today. It is now in it's frame and hanging on the wall. He is very happy.

A tisket, a tasket

This is a really busy week as I am getting ready to teach at a retreat. I may not get a lot of painting done. But, tonight I went to a basket class I made 2 different baskets. I am very pleased with both of them. Creativity takes many forms.