A little bit of painting time

I was able to spend a couple of hours today playing with my colors and my student. It was such fun. I do miss my studio time. I can't wait until this move is completed and I can get back to work. Here is what we are working on. It is the Maine coast--11x14, pastel on a sanded surface.

Still sorting and packing

I can see the end of this project. I will be so happy when it is over and done with. In the meantime, I thought I would share the beginning of a pastel painting that is in progress--calling to me. This is from a photo that I took in Maine when I went to the TEAM conference in June.

I miss playing with my colors!

We are getting closer to actually being all in one place. I am at the sorting things to keep and those that are going to be sold. Fortunately, the sell pile is a lot bigger than the keep pile. We will be fully in our new home before August 15. Meanwhile, my colors are calling to me and I can't carve out time to play with them. I can't wait to get my new studio space set up and start back to work.

Studio is quiet

We are in the middle of our move. The movers came on Thursday and loaded up. they delivered yesterday. Now we have to look at what of the remaining items go into storage and what get put up for sale. This move is stressful and challenging. We are taking the opportunity to cull our belongings--having a huge "hoe out" as one of my friends used to say. It makes for a difficult moving process. I will be happy when it is finished and my studio is set up in the new house so that I can start playing with color again.

Geisha is finished

I have put the finishing touches on the Geisha statue. I hope my client likes her. I will be calling today to see if I can drop her off. She is pastel on grey Hannemuhle velour paper. The size is about 11x14. I must say I did enjoy working in the garden. There were enough positive comments about having an artist in the garden that the Garden Club wants to do it again for the next tour. They do this program every other year. A lot of people took my business cards and perhaps there will be some additional work as a result. These kinds of activities are what I call "planting seeds". You don't know the results until sometimes months later when you see what "grows".

Work in Progress

Here is the second pastel painting I worked on in the garden. This statue is part of the gardenscape. She is far from finished, but as soon as she is done, she is sold. This one is pastel on grey Hannemuhle velour paper. This is a surface that I like more and more as I use it for different projects. It does take a little getting used to, but it really is a nice surface to work with.

Painting sold

I participated in the Franklin Garden Club's House and Garden tour today. I sat in one of the gardens and painted. Earlier in the week I visited the garden to take pictures so that I could be painting something OF the garden and not just an unrelated subject. One of the features of this garden was a goldfish pond. I was able to get a nice few pictures of the pond and that is the subject I chose to paint. This piece is pastel on black velour paper. When it was finished, the homeowner bought it. I was very pleased.

Doing a good deed

I had promised the Franklin Fine Arts Council that I would donate a painting that they could use as a fund raiser. I wanted to make sure it got done before we move, so I worked on this little piece last week while I was in Maine. It is based on a photo that I took of the downtown streetlights during the Christmas season. It is pastel on velour paper, 4x10. The framer has it and as soon as it comes back, I will take it to the Arts Council to do with as they wish.