A Good Day for painting.

I finished a painting today. I had started it last night. It was one based on the photo of the boat at East Point. I'm very pleased with the outcome, but will take it painting class on Thursday night to see what Ann thinks. It always helps to have a second eye!

I sat outside with the sun at my back, felt the warmth and enjoyed the smell of the tea olive blooms. (Reminds me of my grandmother!) I played a little on the Patriot Rider painting, and I started one of the lighthouse in Carrabelle. I'll try and take pictures tomorrow and post them this week. Ick - it's almost Monday already. Guess I need to try and get to sleep. Anyone have earplugs? Lobo's rattling windows tonight!

I found the building!

It has always been a dream of mine to own a 2 story downtown building. Store front below, living quarters below. I've found it! (Shown below!)

My art guild was invited by the Carrabelle Artists group for a day of Plein Air painting and everything seems to be falling in place. Carrabelle is noted in the Guiness World Book of Records for having the world's smallest police station, and the property I want is on the same block (stone's throw away). Here are a couple of photographs of the parade (Carrabelle is also the place where soilders trained for the World War II D-Day invasion - the parade was in honor of vets) and another shot taken in nearby Eastpoint.

I'm working on the painting of the patriot riders, it clearly envokes feeling and shows the true understanding of the sacrifices our vets have made. The one below is a typical scene in the area. Just one reason I have truly fallen in love!

Say prayers or send energy (or money if you'd like)! I hope I can find a way to creatively fund the projects I have in mind. Art gallery, recreation program, after-school tutoring, and vacation rental, and vendor/artists rental space. If anyone has any suggestions or knowledge of resources that may be available to aquire the building PLEASE leave a contact or e-mail me. I'm ready to live out my dream and be a community hub for creativity and giving!

As promised... photos of the new paining!

Just need to paint the sides now. This first one on the wall at school.

Cropped.. had to adjust the colors a little...got them as close to what they are...

Happy Square Root Day!

I know - it's been a little while. I've tried to catch up since the OWOH giveaway. Full time work , home and health needed a little attention. The thyroid medication was upped and a few extra tweeks of loose screws, I'm beginning to feel almost human!

I painted last night and completed, start to finish, a new painting. It's a still life - a water glass of flowers in an impressionistic style. I'm pleased with it and it wasn't too taxing. I'm usually more pleased with a painting and the creative flow when I am able to relax. I haven't really done any impressionistic painting before last night, or at least not that I could readily identify. I was a little out of my comfort level but I was in the mood. I'll post a pic as soon as I take one. I'm testing it on the wall. The back-ground was a mix of ultramarine blue, red or some variety and raw umber. It turns into almost a chocolate brown, and I have an accent wall of milk chocolate on one of my classroom walls. Looks pretty good if I do say so myself!

In the meantime, I found another art doll give-away. The link to it is on the right. Kindred Sisters Gathering Post is the sponsor! ... but just go look, don't comment. lol - maybe I'll have a better chance of winning! lol

and the winning numbers are:

....and the winning numbers(if you can't read my blurry screen shot or you don't want to click on it) are in the order they were chosen:

161: Winner of Dixie's Retreat" 8" X 10" matted print -

Margo from
margosmemoriesmusings.blogspot.com

176: "Blue Door" notecards - Sonny Nobles (honest to goodness how this happened, I'm really not sure, but I work next door to him. The numbers were randomly chosen from random.org. I'll probably add an additional winner just because this is just too freaky!)

...to make up for this bizarre incident: #142 -

Pam from
primsbypam.blogspot.com

#118: Froggie Hangin' On notecards-

Jenn Klee from

springtimeinspired.blogspot.com

#16: Wolf notecards -

Sherry Goodloe from
gotart4u.blogspot.com

#147: "Dixie's Retreat" fridge magnet -

Holly from
ojo from noho

I've e-mailed everyone or left a message on your blog, and I hope to hear from you very soon! Congratulations!

Jana

Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven....

I'm counting down. Thirty more minutes till the end of the giveaway. (One World One Heart )I'm thrilled that it will soon be over, so I can actually start digging into and following some of the participants. It amazed me to find so many creative people sharing the same "space". This two caution light gal loves that the world has gotten a little smaller for her, and I'm sure many other small town artists feel a freedom like no other here... blogging, chatting, finding like-minded people.

27 minutes left to enter.... scroll down and get your name in the pot!

Photo of the night will be of what I call FL913 - (it's the boat numbers....) a lot like what you might see in the area, but strickly a place from my mind! Hope you like...

What flower are you?

I am a Hydrangea What Flower Are You?

Going through the One World One Heart giveaway...found this one - couldn't help it...

Marvin the Martian, Wolves and Money

I'm watching Dr. Strangelove. ...well, I was listening, and I thought Marvin the Martian had somehow entered the scene. a little humerous second or two.

I think I've been overdue in adding some of my painting photos here. FINALLY, we figured I needed a little more juice in my thyroid medication, and today I've started to feel a little more like the normal me, which includes a tiny bit of adventure and a little more "feel the fear and do it any way" attitude.

Everyone calls my honey Lobo, (to whom belong the boots in an earlier post)and I found an old puzzle of a wolf. I figured I'd give my first 4-legged animal a try. It's the third painting I've finished since I decided to give this painting thing a more serious look. First was the boots, even though I started the blue door first I finished it second. The wolf was a challenge, but fun. Of course, like most perfectionists, I see things that are a little "catiwampus"...but I'm pretty pleased for a first. I did figure something out... do the background first! lol (but I still get excited an forget)

I still have the original and it's for sell... any takers? It's a 16" X 20" acrylic and currently in a barnwood frame. Any offers considered... Setting prices on art initially have been difficult. I've been told, the general rule of thumb is a dollar per square inch. $320? What do you think? How would YOU set your art prices in today's economy?

...oh, and I DO have prints... I'll post sizes and prices shortly!

So overwhelmed!

It's lunch-time and I snuck a peak at my OWOH give-away, and in less than 12 hours over 50 people have signed up. My head is swelling at all the compliments and it has come at such a phenomenal time in my psyche. My motivation to paint had withered a bit... this has given me just the amount of watering I needed to make me want to go home and plant a little paint tonight! Thank you!!!!!


Jana

One World One Heart. - Give Away..

I just stumbled upon a One World One Heart. A very unique concept, and I'm going to give it a try if my battery doesn't die before I can get to it. Of course, the deadline to get it in is tonight.

I will be giving away a matted print (8"x10" with mat) entitled "Dixie's Retreat"... and no, it has nothing to do with the place or the song, but a person. Dixie was one of those unique women who seemed acutely aware of who she was and stood firmly at her place in this world. She led an adventurous life from what I knew of her, and you could normally see the joy that she held inside her. The day I heard Dixie was very ill was the night of my painting class. I chose to paint this one in her honor.

.....She has since passed on to the next life, but she will not be forgotten. She loved to travel and loved the ocean. So I look forward to sharing it with one of those that enter and in a way it will also have a part of her keep traveling on this earth! . You enter by commenting, leaving your name and a way to get in touch with you if you are the one chosen to receive it. (random drawing from the entries) ...One World, One Heart....

Ooops - forgot to mention, the winner will be announced on February 12th, 2009! Deadline to enter will be the 11th @ 11;59 pm :)

Guys, I've had such a GREAT response, I'm adding a set of blank note cards with envelopes of the painting on the right (no wait - that's my other right!) This will be for a 2nd drawing...and if I happen to hit over 150 comments I'll have a 3rd drawing... I'll add a set of my froggie cards (the one I use for my icon) too... maybe more anyway. This giveaway has been such an enriching experience - I feel like giving even more! :)






Click on the icon on the right, and see all the hundreds of people participating in their own give away, and get to know the lady that started this One World One Hear concept... Maybe you can think of something to give away next year!

Twitterly amazed & grateful

I am so in awe... I am totally amazed at the creative people in this world that share their talents with the world. ...and do so in such a peaceful way. Even in our darker expressive creations; they are shared without harming another. We may feel pain or sadness when we see them, even while we are creating them, but their presence is healing.

When I look at others' gifts they share (the poetry of sharing their daily lives with words, in paint, or with twinkling blocks of glass ) I somehow find solace in it. I even find comfort in the posts of others that have found others that have shared. The bits of humor sprinkled in the midst of money madness and mortgage mayhem helps remind me of what is of REAL importance... family, friends, art, puppies, children of all ages. (not necessarily in that order).


To all of you - I am grateful!

Now - can anyone make me feel better or help my absent-mindedness?

What Tarot Card am I?

While I am not a true believer, after taking this quiz, it was kind of cool that it fit so well... I'm not so sure I'm as beautiful as the Empress on the card ;), but It was fun, none-the-less... (I also usually appreciate the art on Tarot cards!)

You are The Empress

Beauty, happiness, pleasure, success, luxury, dissipation.

The Empress is associated with Venus, the feminine planet, so it represents, beauty, charm, pleasure, luxury, and delight. You may be good at home decorating, art or anything to do with making things beautiful.

The Empress is a creator, be it creation of life, of romance, of art or business. While the Magician is the primal spark, the idea made real, and the High Priestess is the one who gives the idea a form, the Empress is the womb where it gestates and grows till it is ready to be born. This is why her symbol is Venus, goddess of beautiful things as well as love. Even so, the Empress is more Demeter, goddess of abundance, then sensual Venus. She is the giver of Earthly gifts, yet at the same time, she can, in anger withhold, as Demeter did when her daughter, Persephone, was kidnapped. In fury and grief, she kept the Earth barren till her child was returned to her.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Going, Going, Going, Going....

I haven't stopped today! It's 11PM and I'm finally settling in to watch Dark Shadows with my honey. It's a nightly ritual. I was too scared to watch when it was actually on TV, so I've become a fan!

I went to painting tonight after Subway with Lobo. I took the chicken painting I've started... I still have trouble adding yellows. I did a little and then went on to the chicken wire. Sometimes I feel like I'm doing so good, and I'm pleased with my work, then I get to painting and I find myself feeling very inadequate. It could be that I haven't been to painting in a month or so, and it could also be the lack of time I've spent with brush in hand.

...and while this isn't painting related, I'm selling my bike. I'd been painting so often and trying to get the co-op off the ground, and physical ickiness - I hadn't been riding. ...it's a 2002 Ridley Speedster. I'm going to miss having her around, but she deserves to be ridden!

2 weeks without paint...

I hadn't picked up a paintbrush in two weeks, but last night I started painting a commission of Red Aseel/Asil chickens (a rooster and a hen). I had felt a little afraid that I may have lost something in the way of "how to" ...but it this case it wasn't like I preach... "You don't use it you lose it!' It was still fun and alot seemed to come a little easier than usual. I'll chick - no, I mean click a picture of it as I progress and share results when I get there. I didn't get to paint tonight. Had to come home from work a little early - fought a migraine all day. It got the better of me around 2. Slept until a few minutes ago. I hope I can make it to painting tonight.

Oh, had a nice surprise at work today. A guy that works for the state in Voc Rehab services stopped by for business and round aboutly we discovered we were at same Guild meeting last month. His photo gallery is: http://www.myphotographsonline.com/ I really like the MIssion photos... remind me of National Geographic works. There are also pics of the Guild. His name is Alan. I look forward to him working with some of our students, and enjoying his photography. You go do the same if you'd like. (at least until I can add another one or two photos here!)

Me-ow in Oil

"Look into My Eyes!"

I've been working on my nieces portraits from a photo. I took it to art class the other day and my instructor brought out the oils. I had never used them before. It was fun, the frustrating, the fun, then frustrating. (One day I'll finish the painting for all to see. I decided to pull them out at home and see what I could come up with. Without committing myself to a looney bin while trying to get techniques down. The ACEO size was perfect to practice with. This is what I came up with... The photo doesn't give the eyes their due, but they do look pretty good if I do say so myself! I still don't have the hang of it, but I see a bit better how it's done. Acrylic will probably be my dru - er, I mean medium of choice.

ACEO Heaven

What is an ACEO, you may ask? Well, for me, it's been heaven. When I have a little time, and want to get creative, but not enough time to do an 8" X 10" or bigger, I pull out the standard size 2.5 x 3.5 size card stock, watercolor paper, or canvas, pull out the baby paint tubes and fine tip pens and markers, watercolor pencils, and what ever else I want to and get down to it.

The first ACEOs I created were the first art pieces that sold. They were the ones that gave me my permission to call myself an artist! These buyers, really probably have no idea how important their purchase was to me. They were not people I know, or people that are related to me, or even friends of a friend. For this reason, I knew someone appreciated my art, based on the art itself... not just because they feel obligated because I am who I am.

The two pictured above here were those two that first sold. (The top one I original had considered throwing away.) They both are living in NYC somewhere, and I have several more! They are my fledglings. I just pray my artists wings will work well and soar as well! The one on the left is in Calhoun County!

No longer a comment virgin!

A special thanks to Sandy Sandy, a fellow SmARTist, who posted the first comment! I'm hoping she will be the first of many, from many. I also just added a "myspace" space. I just realized just how extensive the on-line networking can be. I LOVE looking for and at the artists' blogs. (I've also found quite a few of my former students! ...so they'd better behave! lol) I'll be looking at facebook and twitter in the next few days.

Hmmmm - so what to post tonight. I think you'll get my "Boats fer Rent" - I know it's an odd perspective, but I remember 4th of July at the Dead Lakes - Uncle James & Aunt Pearl's place. If I remember right, to get to the lake, you had to go down the hill, and there were several small docks. I also found a Dead Lakes picture or two from the Florida Memory Project . It has a large archive of photos from the state with a pretty good search tool. Great site!

This painting all started with the cricket cage I purchased at an estate auction. It caught my eye and reminded me of one of those childhood memories that gets massaged occasionally. It's hard to see detail, but there are crickets in the cage, worms in the boat, a turtle on the bank and fish shadows in the water.... and a bug here and there.... hope you like.

Here, have a new one...

A little difficult to grab all the detail and hidden animals, but the old-fashioned climbing roses and the cone flowers reminds me a little of my grandmother's garden.

The bird houses boast old tags from Calhoun County and the pathway leads to a cozy little spot to "set a spell" , read a little and play fetch with the pup. All that's missing is you!

A Horse of Many Colors.

I had been looking at a couple of Southwest Art magazines and was inspired to do this one. I like to do bold unexpected colors. (I have a bookcase I painted for the co-op that has a large funky colored tree on it that is in the same style.) These kinds of paintings seem to come quickly and flow once they get started.... and they are fun without a lot of thinking. I think doing things in unexpected colors helps me exercise my skill of seeing light and dark and shades in between. I'm hoping it will lead me to better ability to do more realistic looking paintings. I'd like the ability to do realism if/when I wanted to - but I'm not sure realism will be my "niche".

Painting to me is therapy, and when the real doesn't look real combined with my sick desire for perfection - it may not be the best idea for me to think realism will be my voice. BUT, I do love a good challenge. Guess I need to listen to my mood and let it dictate what the painting will be. Hey maybe that's why I seem to have 5 paintings started at one time! lol Anyway - I present my Horse of Many Colors and hope you enjoy! The original is an 8" x 10" acrylic.

SmArtist Artist ...in training...

A few weeks ago I took a leap of faith and have invested in myself and my art by registering and committing to a telesummit. If you click on the title you'll go to their registration web page to find out all they are offering. You know some of us education types.... suckin up all the information we can about what we do. I actually enjoy those meetings and inservices I go to when it applies to something I'm interested in. Things like brain research and how it applies to learning. Treatment of ADHD, (now all known as ADD I understand), etc. Now I will admit I CONSTANTLY doodle during most, but I have ADD so I can multi-task... no I NEED to multi-task in order to pay attention! ...but I digress.

I'm really excited about getting the information. Self-supporting artists - portfolios - how to find corporate buyers , tax and law information and more... all in the next 7 days. All from what appears to be credible qualified people. It's all going to be completed via an on-line format and I'll get a CD and a link if I can't catch it as it is taking place. (Which is a GREAT thing because in spite of my registering for the pre-summit sessions, I wasn't able to get to any of them as they were taking place!)

...soooo I'll be pretty busy these next few days and I may not post anything (also trying hard to do regularly) for a little bit. I am adding two photos... one of a tractor a former student now an adult and friend (Thanks Tonya!!!) took a picture of and then the painting I created from it.

As someone with strong roots in a rural farming area this was "home" and easy to invision the what the inside of the barn might look a little like (which was fabricated from a shallower region of the brain ;). I seem to have a "cartoony" (to me) edge to most of my attempts toward realism - but to me pleasing to my eye. I like the monochromatic color scheme here and learning the white/black color mixing to create the difference in shade was a little challenging. Definitely a learning experience! Hope you enjoy too!