Yet Another Little Toy

The toy series is a lot of fun. This little guy has been sitting on my desk for years and when the outside temperatures start the day at -16, I have to agree with him! He was sold by Avon maybe as long as 10 years ago. I can remember when Avon only sold cosmetics. Now you can get almost anything you want from your Avon representative. This little painting is about 6x9 and is done in pastel on gold pastel mat. Pastel Mat has become my favorite surface to work on. I painted him last night as a test of the possibility of teaching a lesson using Skype and a webcam. With a little tweaking, it will work quite nicely.

Another Daily Painting

Here is another little painting in the toy series. This goldfish was a big challenge with its plush face, organdy fins, and suedey body with sparklies. These little paintings are really good exercises and a lot of fun, too. He is about 6x9 in pastel on pastel mat.

Daily Painting

I try to work on a little something most week days and on weekends when I can. This little guy is one of my little daily paintings. He is about 5x5, pastel on sanded paper. He was a lot of fun.

Raffle Item

I've been looking at this piece for 2 years. I was supposed to paint it as a large raffle item for last year's retreat. Instead, it just sat and then moved with us to our new home. Since I am the retreat chair this year, I figured I'd better get it painted. Besides, it is taking up space and I don't want to be contemplating it for yet another year. So, here it is. This not-so-little three-drawer jewelry box came to me already stained. The design on the top is courtesy of Connie Parkinson and comes from one of her books. I wanted a trompe l'oeil look. The jewelry hanging out of the drawers was my own idea. Once it has a nice finish applied, I have some white ceramic knobs to put on and I'll line the drawers with felt. I hope it is a big success and brings in lots of money at the retreat.

Treasure Boxes

Each year the Town and Country Decorative Painters does a service project. For several years, they have painted Treasure Boxes. These are photo storage boxes that are painted and sent to the children at the Shriner's Hospital for storing their personal stuff while they are in the hospital. We use the photo storage boxes because they fit perfectly into the opening in the bedside table. Since the children can be any age from babies to 18 years old, the designs may be appropriate for any age. The February meeting is reserved for service projects, but I will not be able to paint that day, so I have done mine ahead. I painted two boxes and both designs will probably appeal more to the older children.

Painting Day!!!

I finally got to spend time in my studio painting instead of organizing. It felt good. I decided to do a little piece just to warm up and get ready for bigger work. I took an apple from my kitchen and painted it in pastels on sanded paper. It is about 5x5. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's effort.

Holidays Over--Back to Work

We spent the month of December working on projects in our house. We laid carpet squares in the studio/family room and then installed cabinetry for studio storage. After packing everything up so we could move it out while we worked, I have spent this week putting everything away. There is still a little more to do, but I actually can start back to work. Tomorrow will be a project day!

Here is my new studio storage. I am so pleased with how it turned out. It is a fairly small space, but the storage is spectacular!