Category Archives: mixed media

Arting for 365 Day 240: Not Quite as Planned

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8.5 x 11 watercolor on paper

8.5 x 11 watercolor on paper

Goal: To create one piece of art each day for 365 consecutive days

Yesterday my niece and I were able to sit down and do some drawing together. We worked patiently for quite awhile and put our work up toward the end of the evening.

This morning, as we opened presents, she ended up getting watercolor pencils. We decided we’d experiment with them on our yesterday’s work.

Nolan’s art (see below) turned out beautifully! I wasn’t as thrilled with my piece as experimentation turned out to be a bit of a mess in some areas. Oh well. Sitting down and painting with my niece was well worth the not-so great project I ended up with.

Nolan Day 240

Arting for 365 Day 239: Lime

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Day 239: Lime

5 x 3″ watercolor and ink on paper

Goal: To create one piece of art each day for 365 consecutive days

The holiday season is upon us. In our family this means overindulging in food and drink until you are, basically, comatose. Yesterday was no exception. Chex mix, candy, pie, sugary drinks and adult beverages abounded.

While there is plenty of healthy fruit around the house, it seems most of it has been used in our adult beverages – limes squeezed into tonics and cranberries floating in mulled wine.  Just as it should be.

Happy holidays all!

Arting for 365 Day 238: A Renewed Interest

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5 x 3" watercolor and ink on paper

5 x 3″ watercolor and ink on paper

Goal: To create one piece of art each day for 365 consecutive days

Like most things new, flying had been exciting initially. But the luster quickly wore off. The daily flight, above beautiful green groves below, became ordinary and soon enough the landscape faded.

It’s uncertain what changed to make her take notice. But a renewed interest in all that surrounded her emerged. Patterns and shapes danced below. The world anew.

Arting for 365 Day 234: The Slinky (Dink)

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12/18/12

3 x 5″ watercolor and ink on paper (In real life image is has more of a red hue)

Goal: To create one piece of art each day for 365 consecutive days

The Slinky aka Slinky Dink: A toy that, as a child, held such potential for fun. This funny metal (they may be plastic now) worm-like toy brought excitement to us all. My siblings and I would crowd together at the top of the stairs to hold races or contests to see just who had the best touch for making the Slinky go the farthest. And as we set the thing off on its downward journey, the sound of rings of metal stacking up on each other was pure delight!

If you are anything like us though, our excitement quickly faded. It seemed that after a few runs, the slinky dink was out of commission. I’m certain it wasn’t that we became over zealous upon sending the metal worm down the stairs – watching it flip and fly as it went – landing in a tangled mess at the bottom. It also couldn’t have been the stretching of the slinky across the room that made it perform less spectacularly. No. We were certain the toy was just not that good.

I’ve tried the Slinky Dink again as an adult and think they must’ve fixed the problem – whatever it was. It seems to work fine now.

Arting for 365 Day 232: A Beautiful Time of Year

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Day 232: Tangled

3 x 5″ watercolor and ink on paperDay 232

Goal: To create one piece of art each day for 365 consecutive days

Whether you’re into Christmas and the holiday season or not, you’ve got to admit the lights are pretty fabulous. The ugliest of venues becomes a dazzling site, come nighttime. Trees and snow (if you are lucky enough to have it) glow and all seems right with the world.

Last weekend we visited a little vodka distillery in Boulder, CO called the 303. Perhaps it was the vodka in me, but I was taken by the loveliness of the place, as the room filled with a warm glow from the many strands of lights. We chatted with friends, toasted to a happy birthday, and I took solace in the fact that while there are things that are wrong with the world, there are many, many more that are right.

303

Arting for 365 Day 229: Trials and Tribulations of a Home Alone Cat

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12/13/12

3 x 5″ watercolor and ink on paper

Goal: To create one piece of art each day for 365 consecutive days

It’s a sad life for the neglected cat. Sleeping and eating can only distract for so long. And that ball of yarn lacks entertainment without a human controlling its end.

So you sit and wait. Moping or pacing impatiently until that door finally opens and the humans finally give you the attention you deserve. You purr and snuggle in close. Until you remember…they LEFT you. All day. So you snub them for a moment or two – perhaps taking your anger out on an errant foot swinging above. That will show them you think as you quickly take your place on the nearest lap.

Arting for 365 Day 228: Floating

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12/12/12

11 x 14 watercolor, ink and acrylic wash on paper

Goal: To create one piece of art each day for 365 consecutive days

On some far off planet, in some other universe, a child plays and dreams. She imagines a place full of wonderful creatures that move about in beautiful patterns and create sounds that are music to her ears. The creatures, she is certain, are friendly and exciting and imaginative. Most importantly, they love to play.

Imagining what fun they would have, the girl determines she must meet these creatures and so devises a plan. She will build them a home (that also doubles as a spaceship, of course) and attach a balloon to carry it into the atmosphere. It would float and she would wait. Patiently. For her new friends to arrive.

Day 228 Floating Detail

Arting for 365 Day 127: Unable to Find an Entrance

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12/11/12

3 x 5″ watercolor and ink on paper

Goal: To create one piece of art each day for 365 consecutive days

Plumes in hues of teal

Amass with vibrant energy

Ready

Permeating the space

Eager to enter

Yet stymied by a room with four walls

And no entrance

As a side note, I’ve started to turn my 3 x 5 pieces into cards. Here is a sampling. I hope to have them listed on Etsy soon!

Day 227 Cards

Arting for 365 Day 226: Part of the Art Experience is Interpretation

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12/10/12

30 x 12″ acrylic and ink on canvas

Goal: To create one piece of art each day for 365 consecutive days

For most of my blog posts, I attempt to describe my artwork in stories or poetry to provide insight. But sometimes I think too much explanation leaves little for the viewer to ponder. Being a viewer myself, I realize it’s nice to ponder.

So for day 226’s work I’m going to let you interpret the work as you like, with no insight from me. Instead I’ll simply talk about my technique in creating the piece.

First off, it was extremely satisfying to work on something of a slightly larger scale. While the 3 x 5″ pieces are well and good, it was nice to spread out and work. Thinking about the piece, I knew that I wanted to merge my approaches – combining realism and abstraction, ink and paint. I also wanted to explore geometric spaces paired with washes of color.

I’ve got to say, this is my new favorite piece. Not only am I happy with the concept behind the work, the flowing lines, strange juxtaposition of bright pink with earth tones make for a visually stimulating piece as well.

This piece available for purchase here