Little Sisters No. 19

I love playing with these girls.  No. 19 is a modern-day angel with an Alice in Wonderland dress, made from a book page that's been hand painted.  Her wings are small but mighty.  

I dream of hairdos.  And I love to find some scrap/s of paper in my stash and make random hairdos out of them.  Don't you want to wear polka-dotted polka dots in your ponytails?

You can click on any photo and see it larger.  No. 19 is up on the Etsy store and available!

Paper Dolls Continue

KL

11x14, mixed media on cradled panel

My first attempt with acrylics and I was having fun and got carried away.  Her clothing was to be made of paper, as has been the trend with the Paper Dolls.  But, it turns out, her lacy shrug is painted and her top is paper. Oops.
  
I love it when Lavagirl, my darling daughter, brings me inspiration. Or something that leads me to a muse. I painted this from the website of clothing designer Keiko Lynn...a darling, young girl with a look I just love.  I've tried emailing her but - sheesh - she has 11Kplus followers on her blog (that's 11,000+). Talk about busy.  Go check her out - doesn't she have an amazing flare?


The background is wrapping paper I bought recently on a Twisted Sister field trip to the Container Store... funny, right?  Take care - thanks for looking!

New Girl in the Studio

Good Ole' Whatshername

6x6, oil on panel

Another in the Little Women series. I left even more background showing on this painting than I usually do and I love it. As an artist, I struggle daily tiptoeing along the fine line between fuss and finesse. When the ground color peeks through, adding tension and interest, I'm a happy girl. She'll look great in a floating frame where the canvas/panel appears suspended and the edges show all around. Aren't I lucky that they are en vogue?

Mothers and Sisters and Guatemala

Amigas

8x10, oil on panel

email for info

My mother loved traveling to Guatemala and I've had reason lately to go back through some photo albums of trips we made together. I'm blessed to have many girlfriends in my life (some related, some not) -- I think of them collectively as my twisted sisters. Wonder what the Spanish, or Mayan, word is for twisted sister? For surely, whether you live in Chichicastenango, Guatemala or Austin, Texas, you need friends who'll help keep your vegetables in the basket you're carry on your head.

We've Been Invited to a Party!

"she said what?"

6x6, oil on panel

Fall weather has arrived in central Texas. It got here yesterday and will probably be gone by Monday but, while it's here, it is glorious. Friday-night-football-not-in-shorts weather. Dust-off-the-soup-recipes weather. Open-the-studio-windows-and-let-the-cool-breezes-blow weather. Deee-lightful!

In other (exciting!) news, we - my work and I - have been invited to an art party that two darling twisted sisters are hosting next month. The studio is all a-bustle as paintings and frames are paired, primping and polishing as we go. My friends have convinced me to bring some of the collages I've made recently. I always think of the collages as my folly -- they are silly, quirky, sometimes sentimental, and pure playtime for me. But, I was approached recently to sell a few, got a commission for another, and these friends love them too and want them to come out of hiding. So the collages are getting dressed up for the party as well! Woo-hoo!!

Knock, Knock, Who's There?

Digging Lemons

16x20, oil on canvas

Streeeeeeetch.
Yaaaaawn.
Whew, it’s good to be here. Thank you, Faithful Followers, for your patience with my recent sabbatical. I really appreciate your emails and inquiries, notes and concerns. It feels great to be missed. If we’re to be perfectly candid with one another, I took these last weeks off to….well….to party. I’ve celebrated the success of some grand organizations plus 2 happy and healthy schools, an engagement, a bachelorette, Easter Eve, many birthday parties for friends and family plus one of the milestone varieties for yours truly, the end of two athletic seasons and the beginning of two more, and such successful committee work… honestly, you just can’t imagine. I was briefly pulled back into the vortex of a former communication’s design career and I was part of the mother of all garage sales. Lots of time with Mr. Right and the kiddos. Lots of time with my Twisted Sisters. It’s been a good month!

I’ve gotten to do a bit a painting and will share those as soon as I reconstruct my outdoor photo station. In the meantime, this was one I forgot to post from Laurel’s still life class this spring.

Just Grab a Kid and Go

On the Tarmac, Cozumel

8x8 oil on canvas

NFS

When our kids were younger, our family plus three others (college girlfriends a.k.a. some of my beloved twisted sisters) vacationed on a beach together for a week every summer, for 11 straight years. We were a small band of travelers in the beginning - 8 adults plus a couple of toddlers, give or take the odd visiting grandma or friend - and one of us moms was often sporting the maternity bathing-suit look. Eeeesch! We ventured no further than big, rambling houses on Texas beaches in the early years.

Our Lavagirl was the last baby born and once she turned 2, we all turned our eyes South of the Border - to the land of white sands, turquoise waters, and the all-inclusive resort with its endless buffets, spirits, activities, and housekeeping. By that time we numbered 15, plus or minus. And during those weeks, all the kids had 8 parents and the livin' was easy. My little traveling companion in this painting isn't mine but she sure felt like it. I'll never forget her fashionable turquoise straw cowboy hat that summer.

Just Time for a Sketch: Happy Hour

Happy Hour sketch

8x8, oil on canvas

I did this quickly from a photo I found on the website WetCanvas. What a great resource for us artist-types. This girl looks like she could be one of my twisted sisters. Have a great weekend!

Chocolate is One of the Basic Food Groups, Right?

Whatever, Cocoa

12x12, oil on canvas

$165 - SOLD

(doubleclick for larger view)

This was super fun... even if my marshmallows look [a bit] like sugar cubes. It's good to take a break from produce painting. Plus, I had an aha moment this week and took the beautiful powder blue pashmina from around my neck and draped it into the lightbox. Such a relief from the tried-and-true khaki. The blue scarf was a gift from one of my twisted sisters... hope she won't mind. And the title? Well, I have another friend who is uber-spunky and - when perturbed - holds up her outstretched arm and hand, dismissing her offender by saying, "what-ev-er, Coco." She's 3.

The Passing of One of My Favorite Artists

The Homemaker

18x18 oil on canvas

A remarkable thing happened Tuesday – we lost two beloved family members. Mr. Right’s treasured great-uncle passed away about lunchtime and, by the following morning, we lost Mr. Right’s mother. These two were always very close. She was the daughter her uncle never had. When talking to other people, they referred to each other as Jean and John but when they were together it was Unk and Little Girl. She was only 67. He was 103.

From the time she and I met twentysomething years ago, we clicked. We had a lot in common, over and above loving her son. She was an exceptional combination of mother and friend – a twisted sister of the highest sort. There was never more than a pinch of the stereotypical mother-in-law-ness. She and I always had a pile of something – books, magazine articles, projects – we were saving for the other one. I loved it when she visited for a weekend – even better when she stayed a week.

She was an artist with a rare, natural sense of color and design that cannot be taught or learned. She sewed – everything from quilts to Christmas dresses to diaper bags to altar cloths. She could make lace. She was a talented mosaic artist and she painted anything and everything that didn’t paint her first.

What fun she and I had painting a set of bar stools together – they’re good-looking: Oriental rug colors with leopard skin seats and corded tassels draped on the backs. And the week we decoupaged the bookcases onto the door of Mr. Right’s “secret room.” And the days we spent setting up nurseries.

She was an artist in her home as well. A 1964 home economics graduate, she was the definitive resource on recipes, holiday décor, laundry, etiquette, the proper pairing of shoes and bags, and what one should and should not wear before Labor Day. She advised countless nervous brides for her church. She made Unk a batch of his favorite ginger Christmas cookies and packaged them in the same treasured box every year since…well… forever. I can’t dream how many of our phone calls began with me saying, “Now, how do I make….?” A visit to her home was always warm, comforting, and inspirational.

She was the family historian. She tracked the genealogy of every piece of furniture, war relic, cup and saucer. She was the type who could put her hands on the fabric scraps left over from Mr. Right’s 3-year-old Tigger costume. Give her 24 hours and she’d have them sewn into a quilt. She framed family photos and wrote the names and dates on the back. And so, it was no challenge this week to find the photo of her with baby Mr. Right shown in the painting. Nor the photo (left) of her, at 1 year old, with her beloved uncle – circa 1943. Via con Dios, sweet friends.

Just Time for a Sketch: Woman's Best Friend

Twofer

oil on panel, 11x14

Surprise - a bonus! Our models in yesterday's open studio were a beautiful woman and her guide dog - both consumate professionals and such a pleasure to work with. The time just flew by. Then it was off to a birthday celebration for a beloved group of my twisted sisters (sans one - we missed you!). The evening temperature was so perfect as was sitting under the stars together with a beautiful view of the city, great conversation... how lucky am I?

DSFDF: Now I Can't Get This Song Out Of My Head

Up On The Roof

8x16 oil on canvas

$165 - email for info

This is my submission for Karin Jurick's latest DSFDF challenge. Click here to follow along as she posts the works of other artists and here to read about her project and my previous entries. I never thought I'd paint rooftops (thank you, Karin!) and struggled with color choices. Karin had advised to treat the shapes abstractly. Then I remembered receiving Pantone's Spring 2010 Fashion Color Report -- click here to read more about that. These colors have such great names: Fusion Coral, Eucalyptus, Pink Champagne, Dried Herb, Tuscany, Aurora. I chickened out before adding Tomato Puree and Lilac to the painting... and now I wish I had. I have a twisted sister who always says, "in hesitation all is lost." I might go back and add them. Thanks for looking!

Step One: Tone Canvas the Color of Teacher’s New Sneakers

Wipe Out

12x12, oil on [pink!] canvas

A cosmic question directed to creatives: what “tricks” do you use to clear artistic hurdles? Thank the dear Lord for girl friends, teachers, and new shoes - that's all I'm saying.

Art class this week was a “wipe out” for me. Meaning, I just couldn’t get the composition onto the canvas; I would draw, then wipe out, draw - wipe out. Over and over. The still life set-up was lovely – an eggplant with a fetching stem, a few curly squash, a pretty blue plate. Yet even with my trusty viewfinder, moving the tableau up, down, left, right - there was no success. Naturally, the more I tried, the more daunted I became. As luck would have it, I had planned an early lunch right after class with two of my twisted sisters. And, proving what a small town Austin really is, two more appeared at the table next to us. Serendipity. And so, surrounded by BFFs, my bruised self-esteem was soothed and my resolve strengthened. (i.e. dog/bone)

I will tame this blasted composition, I determined. My favorite part of art class this week? Laurel’s new lipstick-pink Converse All-Star sneakers, definitely. Ahhhh, a virtual panacea. Inspiration: check.

OK, Now I'm Just Bragging: Listen to This

The Waitress at the Mount Fuji Cafe

12x12 oil on canvas

NFS

I am bursting with pride: my (incredibly talented) 15-year-old Goddaughter Haley recorded a demo CD this summer with five incredible songs and Grammy-winning musicians backing her up! Click the play button below to hear her sing Don’t Want It To Be You – a song she wrote last spring for a school assignment.

Her mother and I were college roommates and, born only 3 months apart, she and Sharkboy were cribmates. When they were toddlers, we often had tea parties or lunch in her play kitchen which was named the Mount Fuji Café. Her musical gifts have always been a joy – I’ve lost track of how many instruments she plays (including the piano on this song!) – and she never complains about practicing. Much. She is a stellar up-and-coming twisted sister, to be sure.

We knew she was getting the opportunity, via her voice coach, to make the demo but never expected it to be this amazing. Her parents hosted a CD release party and we all got a copy; yep, already on my iPod! Remember – you heard her here first.

02-Don't Want It To Be You.mp3

You Did Mean a Portrait of the Cookies, Right?

Prijatno!
8x8 oil on canvas

NFS

I found out recently that one of my outlying twisted sisters (she’s married to a man who’s the brother of a man who is married to a twisted sister) is blogging. She lives in Houston, we don’t see each other as often as I’d like – I think the last time was by chance in the Denver airport – and I’ve always known she could cook. No, I mean really cook.

So we were trading emails and blog addresses this week - I said, wow those homemade chocolate-covered marshmallow cookies sure look good and she said, wow how about a simple portrait? And somehow, this morning early over coffee, those two worlds collided. Her blog is lovely – lots of great photos and recipes. She says she makes “an occasional foray to the utterly decadent.” Yep. Click here for a mouth-watering visit to Prijatno!

This One May Be A Bit of An Oyster

Calm Before the Storm

18x18, oil on canvas

You know - acts better than it looks. This all started when planning a lunch with a twisted sister who is married to a restauranteur. Thinking about her got me to thinking about him which got me to thinking about his (yummy!) restaurants which got me thinking about painting restaurants which reminded me of this photo and... well... you get the idea. So, there I was, painting along on my typical little 8x8 when Mr. Right appeared at the art room door and casually said, "You ought to paint that big." Challenge issued.

Within minutes there was a huge expanse of blank canvas in front of me and, let me warn you, nothing good comes on after the Craig Ferguson show. It was so fun to paint big! By the light of day I like all save her face and hands. Sigh. Those are so hard. I think she's better in person than the photo looks. My hero of the painting is definitely her uniform - I'm a sucker for black and white.

Update on the Tile Fever Epidemic: Mosaic Art

As I reported a few posts ago, one of my twisted sisters appears to be coming down with tile fever. Read about symptoms here. This disease can be consuming... but it sure is fun. And the results? This slideshow shows the many side effects that still live in our garden and a crazy paper mosaic project I tried one time (tidier than tile and cool in the summer!). Plus, towards the end, a few garden balls and one crook-nosed lady my MIL made. I encourage everyone to catch the fever!

Changing Perspective & an Outbreak of Tile Fever

Lemonade Stand II

8x8 oil on panel

sold

More Mimosa (see Tuesday's post) and more purple. These two Lemonade Stand paintings look good together, sitting on the window sill side by side. And here I am... back to painting produce. Determined to branch out yet finding myself ooohing and ahhhing over the beautiful summer fruits yesterday at the store. Reminds me of Blue Bell: we paint all we can and eat the rest.

On another note, one of the Twisted Sisters has contracted Tile Fever. You've never heard of it? Well, it starts when you first think you might want to do a little tile mosaic. Just a small project... nothing major. Riiiiight. It's the tip of the proverbial iceberg. I myself had Tile Fever a few years ago and so did my mother-in-law. It's highly contagious. And now my dear Twisted Sister is showing all the symptoms. Pow! Right in the kisser.

Letterman Sketch & Comments about Commenting

Letterman sketchbook - pencil on paper

This sketch is pretty thin but honestly, I was laughing so hard I could hardly draw. Click here if you missed Dave's Top 10 re Gov. Sanford.

I’m getting some questions about how to leave comments on a blog post. First, YES, PLEASE! One of my twisted sisters frequently says, “The subplots are always the most interesting.” Well, comments are the subplots to a blog. I may have a brand new pair of roller skates but you’ve got the key!

So, click on the word Comment -- it’s at the bottom of each post. You’ll get a little pop-up window. The only thing that might be tricky is choosing an identity. If you have a Google account, use that. If not, click anonymous. If you use anonymous, sign your name in the box with your comment so we’ll know who you are. (For our purposes, anonymous just means non-Google.) Haven’t figured out the other two options yet.

The rest is pretty self-explanatory. Click publish. Your comment won’t show up until I give the okay. That’s how we’ll keep the scoundrels out.

Thanks to all who have written to ask if the paintings are for sale. Gulp. Blush. Yes, they will be. Please check back often; I’m trying to figure out how to use PayPal. And how to create spaces between paragraphs...argh...

Empty Nesters??

Homegrown 2

8x8 oil on panel

$85 - email for info

I have this fabulous table. It's a hand-me-down, having made the rounds through Mr. Right's side of the family and landing at our house some years ago. It's a nice piece of furniture and a great concept, ordered from some hoity-toity catalog. But it just never quite worked out. It's like a hospital table -- you know the type -- the top swings across the bed, it can be adjusted higher and lower and it's on wheels? One of the type A's in our family thought they would work at night on a laptop in bed or something... Anyway, it came to live in my art room and now I use it to set up still lifes.

That's the long way around explaining how, by doing something very simple (in this case lowering or raising the table) your objects (in this case a red gerber daisy stuck in a capers jar) look entirely different (in this case these two paintings). You get a whole new perspective on things. Hmmmm...

Speaking of new perspectives. Sharkboy (feeling suddenly better) is off with his first FWDL - Friend With Driver's License. Gulp. Lavagirl's still at camp. So that leaves Mr. Right and me in an empty nest. Hmmmm... One of my twisted sisters is fond of saying "change is always met with resistance." I think I'll like change better later.

Homegrown 3

8x10 oil on panel

$100 - email for info