Featured Artist for September and latest art

We are still in packing mode for our selling and buying home project.  It seems I've been packing mainly my art supplies and paintings for a million hours now and I'm not sure I've hit halfway yet :(  It makes me really really REALLY wonder if I really want to be an artist HAHAHA!  

However, I am keeping up with my artistic obligations as well.  Last night I had to paint my 2 5x5 canvases for Art Center of the Ozarks's annual 5x5 auction fundraiser.  I had lost track of deadline so I naturally resorted to acrylics.  I have packed most of my accessories for this medium because I don't usually work with it.  But thankfully, I can enjoy a very limited palette so when I got hold of my red, yellow, blue and white tubes, I know I had no worries.  Also helpful were my Beste Duo brushes  which I really hadn't played with until last night!  They were perfectly handy to have except I couldn't figure out what end to soak in water!  My solution was to paint very fast :D  Used one of our dinner plates for mixing...I usually use an enameled pan.

 

 "Isolated Peace" and "Purple Clumps" 5x5" acrylics on canvas

Above are the two finished pieces.  I'm so happy I managed to paint them after packing all day and definitely exhausted!  But it felt so good to have painted and to meet an obligation!  My friend Mary picked them up first thing the next day to deliver 3 towns away from me.  Thanks Mary!

 

Hey, I am honored to be one of 2 featured artists at Poor Richard's Art this month YAY!!!  The other artist is Damon Chatterton, a wonderful polymer clay sculptor!  I plan to be be there for the Twilight Walk come see me!!!

"Kathy" 8x10 watercolor on paper

Another success story I have to share is the completion of this tribute portrait of my very missed niece Kathy.  This is a gift of mine to my sister Anna for her birthday next week - Happy Birthday sis! Enjoy Hawaii!  I love you!

Poor Richard's Art makes 2nd gallery for me!

For many years I've considered applying to be a member of Poor Richard's Art in Rogers, AR, because it seems like such a cool place with its eclectic selection of artists and fine arts and crafts. But something always delayed me. For instance, I missed a flight home from a Cancun vacation last year so I couldn't make the meeting with their Artist Selection Committee. But this year, I visited the shop again and I was particularly impressed and very eager in pursuing showing there. So I made another appointment and met with a the panel last Saturday of March. Thursday I received email from committee chairperson Erin Neal (innovative mosaic artist) that I was indeed accepted!!! YAY!

Do click the above image which will take you to a cool artist page fellow PRA (Poor Richard's Art) artist Dave Clark (very unique abstract artist) made for me on the PRA website.

I matted and framed my latest piece so it is one of the paintings I dropped off yesterday. A wonderful jewelry artist and my good friend Mary Stewart was kind enough to drive me. Then we stopped a few doors up to Iron Horse Coffee Co. for a little coffee clutching :)

Jan Ironside and Erika Nelson photo by Mary Stewart

Here you see a new colleague Jan Ironside, and wonderful impasto artist, helps me get started in the new gallery. There I am big, as life, in my bright orange cargo pants! HAHAHA I'm calling it artist license, that's my story and I'm sticking with it ;) But if one would pick a theme in this post, it would be orange lol Not intentional, but my random choices tend to follow a color theme OYE! May this new endeavor be a blessed one too!

Kathy's Portrait WIP and Daffodils in oils

Detail of "Spring Daffodils"

Click on the image to see better. This is my favorite part of the painting. I ended up losing my muse below this. That's when you go, "I hate it when that happens!" The whole painting looks good hanging, very sweet and springy. It's off to Wishing Spring Gallery tomorrow!

"Spring Daffodils" 6x18 oil on stretched canvas

The painting is based on the first bouquet of daffodils I received this spring. My neighbor has an awesome garden and she supplies me with lovely bouquets! It thrills me when I hear the knock on the door and I notice it's either her granddaughter or her :)

"Kathy" 8x10-ish watercolor on paper

This is work in progress aka WIP. Today is my departed niece's birthday. We lost her last year. Gone too soon. But that's her, always smiling even through her cancer treatments. I can't wait to get this done. I don't know why I insist on putting flowers when I paint my relatives :D I am so not a flower painter!!! I guess I just enjoy seeing life.

Abraham Lincoln Challenge and Feeling Good

I recently stumbled upon a group of outstanding blogging artists who participate in a challenge group www.dailypaintworks.com They have weekly art challenges and this week it's painting from a black and white photo of Abraham Lincoln. First challenge was to paint in neutral tones using ocher and ultramarine blue . Second was interpret the b/w photo in color. So here are my contributions each around 5x7-6x9-ish watercolor on paper.

I haven't really had successful art time in a while. But I hope with spring knocking on the cold door of Northwest Arkansas, I will once again find time to create more art that make me feel good to share. Today was a particularly good day to choose to paint. I woke up feeling inspired, especially when I found this video that encapsulated how I felt. I hope it empowers you too :)

Thankful for you

"Autumn Harvest" 8.5x8.5 watercolor on paper (click image to see bigger)

This is a good Thanksgiving art to share on my blog. I was so thankful to be able to paint! I've been so busy dealing with technical issues and meeting a deadline which seemed to take forever. So when I began to see the light at the end of the tunnel, I made it my goal to finish editing my latest trailer (to my satisfaction) so I can paint today (Sunday)!

And I didn't waste time. I simply moved away my keyboard and set up my still life :) That's me seizing the day! Mom shipped me some lovely persimmons from California and I bought a pomegranate from the store! The fall leaves are from another still life set up I had which I haven't quite finished. It was a painting I decided to paint at midnight a week ago... Friday? Here is the painting beneath... I will show it when it's more done. I'm so behind my portrait commissions....

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL MY BLOG FRIENDS AND READERS! I AM SINCERELY VERY THANKFUL FOR YOU AND THE THE KIND ATTENTION YOU GIVE ME. YOU KEEP ME GOING :) XOXOX

Father's Day ACEO watercolors

Back when I was a prolific "Ebay artist" I painted mostly ACEO (Art Cards Editions and Originals). They are baseball card size which is 2.5x3.5 inches. I painted them mostly in watercolors or occasionally used acrylics or oils. Those were the days before Ebay simply took the joy of creating and selling without worrying too much about making a good living out of painting. Here are three of my favorite Father's Day themed ACEO.

"Baby's First Man!" 2.5x3.5 inches watercolor on paper

"Summer Fishing for the Boys" 2.5x3.5 inches watercolor on paper

This last one is close to my heart as it is Lori Andrew's men. I fell in love with their matching chins! Thanks Lori!!!

"Chin Club/ Belong" 2.5x3.5 inches watercolor on paper

Fathers are very special especially for little girls! I hope nobody forgets to tell their dad they love them. I wish I could call my dad but he passed away in the mid-80's . However, I'm pretty sure he knew he was loved :)

I am currently in a group show that opened June 9th and will end July 3rd at the Art Center of the Ozarks. Now I'm just busy doing commission pieces until my next group show around the end of summer. I hope to jump back in DSDF again more regularly, but we'll see ;)

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all the good men who go out of their way to bring up wholesome children by giving them all their loving support! It's not an easy job but it makes a big positive difference in the long run!