Week Four : Don't Lose Faith

This week I did 3 small 6x6 inch canvases.  I really didn't think that they would be that challenging, but I was so frustrated! I think that there was more detail in some than in others and I spent too much of my week on the one that did.  Though I'm pretty happy happy with the end result!  

 

The images were inspired by vintage textiles and I used acrylic paint and oil pastels.  I know they might seem simple or not ambitious enough, but these small canvas are the beginning of a much larger project, so don't lose the faith...

(If anyone thinks they can guess what I'm going to do with these, email me and you'll get a special prize...here's a hint: it's better than a hug!)

so anyway...here they are

 

Also pretty cool was when a friend of mine brought me these 4 slabs of slate to paint on...I haven't figured out what to do with them yet, but right now I'm kinda thinkin' a rock garden, but I dunno...

Until next week...

Week Three: Papa Pace

This week was great!  I had my first ever request,(even if it was from my honey), to do a portrait of his grandfather.  I probably should have gotten a larger wood panel, but c'est la vie.  He seems to really like it, so that's all that matters!

 

 

Next week I am going to venture away from the oil pastel drawings.  My fingers and nails are always filthy and I'm ready for a change!  I have what I think is a really COOL idea for a series of paintings so I'm going to try that for a couple of weeks.  After that I've got a ton of photos I've stolen from the facebook that I want to do...so all should beware!

Until next week...

Week Two: Happy Birthday John

Today I smashed my year old laptop!  I'm pretty much the clumsiest person on the planet!  I tripped over the cord and sent it plummeting to the ground.  Now the screen is all messed up, but Dave hooked me up to the flat screen TV we have in our room and it's working as a kinda monitor until I save up for a new one...I'm super sad though.

Other than that I had a great week!  Today while shopping for a new panel for next week, I treated myself to a small box of those really expensive oil pastels.  I payed $9 for a box of 6 iridescent pastels and they really are everything I imagined them to be!  Soft, smooth, rich in pigment and the just glide right over the paper.  I want the big box sooo bad and the price has fallen to a mere $124.99 for a box of 72.  I ask what starving artist can't afford that?! 

 This week I tried to do something for my brother's 38th birthday.  He made a movie awhile ago and this is an image from a poster for that film...

I haven't showed it to him yet and I'm not sure he checks this thing, so I feel okay putting it up even though I'm not completely happy with it and will more than likely still be working on it until I see him next.

Like I said, I'm not satisfied...I may have taken to many liberties with this one, but I broke my laptop today so go easy on me!

Until next week...

Week One

I've finished week one of my 52 Weeks of Art!  

I was worried I wouldn't have enough time, but as the days passed I realized a week is just right.  I'm having so much fun looking for inspiration, flipping through old magazines, books and flickr pages.  I've found a few pictures from friends on facebook that I'm going to attempt, but I'm always up for suggestions!  If you have something just email me.

This week I did an oil pastel on wood panel of my son Julian.  When I showed my 16 year old son Luther this morning he told me that it didn't look "finished".  I got a little panicked, because although I am pretty happy with how it turned out, I thought maybe Julian looked too pink...or something.  A couple of times I scrapped off and started again...

I love using oil pastels and today when I went to Curry's to get my new panel I saw a box of the most 

B E A U T I F U L oil pastels ever.  I want them so bad, but sadly they are $150...  Well a lady can dream cant she?

Anyway here's week one!  Hope you like it!

I am a Lonely Painter, I Live in a Box of Paints

It's not that I don't love crafting, because I do.  It's not that I don't love doing craft shows and meeting all the amazing crafters and all the dedicated people who love buying handmade, because that really is my favourite!  It's because I need to challenge myself and I need to get back to what really drives me...

So this year I'm putting a difficult task before me...difficult because I have always been kind of a lazy procrastinator.

the task sounds simple enough...52 weeks of art

Every Sunday I will be posting a drawing or painting or sculpture or...well basically it will be one of those three because that's kinda all that I am capable of.

Fortunately I have a wonderful man in my life who willingly and lovingly donated his corner of our teeny tiny apartment.  Now I don't have to worry about mess or clean up or any other lame excuse.

So if you have any requests or ideas, I would love to hear them!  The first of 52 installments will be posted on the 9th...see you then