Pear

Acrylic on 5 x 7 canvas

This is the first and only painting that I’ve done so far with my new acrylic. I know that it’s a little boring, but I was just playing around with mixing colors. I am pretty happy with the way the pear turned out although the background was suppose to be gold but it turned out a little too green and it sort of blends in with the pear. It would have looked better if the background was a burgundy or maybe a burnt umber, but who cares….it was just practice anyway.

I really haven’t drawn or painted anything for a little while because I have been down with a sinus infection that has been pretty brutal, David’s back is out again and Alana is stopped up. So, we have been a pitiful bunch. I have noticed that colds and stuffy noses doesn’t get to kids as much as adults and Alana was able to play soccer like a champ and seemed unfazed that she could only breath through one nostril. She made 3 goals and they won the game. Meanwhile, I was in the stands and the light was hurting by eyes and I was praying that the game would be over soon. Of course, I had to root for my child, so on top of everything else, now I have a sore throat. I just love winter. I am feeling some better so I hope I can get some art therapy in very soon.

Brrrrr…….

EDM #18 Draw a view

Derwent graphtints, .05 pen on watercolor paper

This morning brings us at home a gloomy and cold start, I hope it warms up as the day goes on. I just noticed that my door knob on my sketch is way too high LOL. In these excercises I draw really fast so sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. I don’t change my screw ups, I try to learn from them.

I haven’t had time for drawing these last few days. Karen and I finally got use our birthday gift certificates to the spa on Saturday. IT WAS HEAVEN!! The massage was 45 minutes of complete bliss. Seriously, by the time she was finished, and I got off the table I was so relaxed that I could hardly walk. The lunch was tastey, but the pedicure….not so much. She did a good job, but I really don’t like anyone touching my feet. We were so pampered that it was almost embarrassing.

I also went to the library and checked out some books on art journaling, color theory and other art stuff that I found interesting. So for the last few days I have been reading some intense material on colors and I’ve been taking notes. It’s boring stuff really, but it’s information that I need so I guess I’ll suffer through it. I hope I can get some painting in, but I’ll have to wait and see. I did paint a piece of fruit last week, but I can’t seem to get a good picture, and my scanner doesn’t like my fruit either. I will post it when I get a good picture.

I’m so excited…..

(Sorry, about the blurry picture) This is paint and palette wetting spray, slo-dri fluid retarder, 1 8 oz. each of tit. white and ivory black.

Isn’t that the most beautiful sight that you have ever seen? I have been wanting these for a long time and when I saw that they were on sale at Dick Blick I went for it! They were still expensive so I didn’t get a whole lot of colors this time around. I did get enough to start mixing. I kinda hate the idea of learning to mix acrylic with artist grade paint. I am trying to look at this way, the better I learn to mix the less colors I have to buy, which will be cheaper in the future right?

I bought a mix of two different brands of fluid acrylic, Liquitex and Golden. I think Golden is suppose to be a better brand, but they didn’t have all the colors that I needed so I ended of mixing brands.

I have my acrylics and I have canvas NOW I have to think of something to paint!

You say tomato, I say mater . . .

EDM #14 Draw what you see in the morning when you get up

EDM #17 Draw a musical instrument

EDM #206 We call it (a)

EDM # 14 is my vitamins. I have to keep them on my dresser so I will remember to take them. EDM #17 Is the electric guitar that my daughter got for Christmas.

EDM#206 is a new challenge and we call it suppa not dinner. Back home lunch is dinner and we call it dinna. We went out to eat with some friends on the 40th birthday of my sister and myself. It was a very nice restaurant in a renovated old church. We had so much fun and at the end, the husband of a couple ask me how I liked the food. I said, “Suppa was really good.” He turned to me and said, “Suppa, what the hell is suppa?!” I am almost sure he knew what I was referring to, but chose a smart remark to belittle me, so I replied, Suppa is when you share food with people you love and dinner is food you share with people you don’t and then I walked off. Of course I didn’t mean it, but I wasn’t going to let him talk down to me I think he was drunk. Idiot!

Let me see if I can remember more stuff : going shopping=goin’ to town, tractor trailer=transfairy truck, aluminium=a -lyewn-yum, yours=yalls-is, and=’n, bologna-bolonie, alot=a mess, ing=in’, tomato=mater, potato=tater. If my Granny Lucy was still around I’d have a bunch for you.

I guess you can take the girl out of the country, but you can’t take country out of the girl, and that is completely a okay with me.

A New Year Begins….

EDM #9 Draw a bit of organized chaos

EDM #12 Draw what you ate for dinner

EDM #13 Draw your telephone

EDM #15 Draw a tree, leaves or branches

EDM # 16 Draw your favorite tool

Graphite and Colored Pencil on Sketch

EDM 9 is the inside of a wrist watch. EDM 16 is a wire bending tool for jewelry making. EDM 12 is a sad drawing of a great dinner. EDM 15 is my Harry Potterish tree. EDM 13 is my phone with the number 867-5309 on the screen then I just had to add a bathroom stall. I know I am dating myself, but as I began to draw the phone that song just came to me and I ended up singing it until I was finished drawing.

I have been giving a lot of thought to my resolutions, goals and lists. I really am not into structure; well not in my personal life anyway. I have been in a K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid) mode ever since I quit work to stay home with Alana. So in the end I have no resolutions, no immediate goals and no list for them. I am just going to enjoy the drawing, the painting, the beading and the reading all year long.

Goals, Resolutions and Lists, oh my!

EDM # 7 Draw a bottle, jar or tin from the kitchen

EDM # 8 Draw your watch or other piece of jewelry

EDM# 10 Draw your hand or hands

EDM#11 Draw your glasses or sunglasses

Graphite on sketch paper

These are some challenges that I managed to complete over the holidays.

Wow, there are alot of lists, goals, and resolutions expressed in the blog world. Myself, I have never been a list person. I mean, there is the occasional grocery list or I’ll jot down quick stuff for Alana at times, but I have never wrote down any kind goals for myself that I can think of. Which leads me to believe that I really should, because I am exactly the type of person that needs one. I have things that I need to do, want to do to and should do, but some times it just falls through the cracks never to be seen nor heard from again. I wonder if writing things down make goals more tangible? If that is the case, then there is another reason to make a list and sign me up! But instead of a resolution or a goal list can I call it a wish list?

Christmas is over….

Christmas went off without a hitch and was laid back as they come. I won’t bore you with all the details, except to say it was nice visiting with the family and getting David and Alana all to myself for a week.

For the past couple of months I haven’t been drawing as much as I should. I haven’t forgotten my beloved pencils and paints, but I was on a mission. This year I wanted to make everyone a little something for Christmas to go along with their gift. I had a lot going at one time. Their were quite a few things that I tried to complete that didn’t quite work out. One, was two colored pencil pieces with fishing lures that I didn’t finish on time. I tried to make a clock out of wood and that was a disaster! and the last one was a celtic letter in beads on silk like material that fell apart while I was matting it. So here is some of my handiwork:

note cards: colored pencil

These are some note cards that I made for my dad’s girlfriend. I also made the notecards holder too.

These note cards were made for neice. These were really quick and didn’t take long to make. I also made another noteholder.

I also made her this jewelry set.

This is a watch that I made for my mom. The picture is out of focus (sorry)

These are stone earrings that I made as stocking stuffers.

I made alot of rice bags. I think I will have one more to make. Because I made one that was confascated .

Acrylic on canvas

The boys really loved these. I didn’t think they would go over as good as they did.

These are T-shirts that were also for the boys. I bought the T-shirts and tie dyed them in a clorox solution for about 20 minutes. I think I am going to make me one next as well as a tank top for summer.

Another out of focus picture. This is the book that I made for Alana. I gave it to her on Christmas morning. I think she liked it, but it’s hard to compete with an electric guitar and a amp.

This is one that tanked. I spent a week on it, stuck my finger a thousand times so daggonit I’m posting this. This was suppose to be for my sister-in-law Vicki. When I get the energy I will take the beads off and start over.

Well, I think that’s about it. I hope everyone liked their presents.

Catching Up with Christmas

christmas-cookies

Alana and I put up the tree last night and wrapped what gifts we had so far. I have to admit that I do feel a little better about the approaching holidays. This evening we made a bunch of Christmas goodies. We made Peanut Butter Fudge, Brownies, Muddy Buddies, chocolate dipped pretzels, Chocolate chip cookies and oatmeal raisin cookies for David. My house smelled sooo good and I was enjoying the smell of chocolate and peanut butter in the air, but I had to ruin it by making burgers for supper.

I don’t have much to add tonight, but I thought I would share my progress report.

Sweet Dreams…

edm-3-bed-22 EDM #5 Draw your bed

Colored pencil on drawing paper

Nope, my sheets and pillow case doesn’t match. (shhhhhhh don’t tell anyone) I was dreading this challenge so I had been skipping around. But this is finally done! Yippee! It seems like I am dreading alot these days. I don’t have my Christmas tree up, I haven’t finished Christmas shopping, and I don’t have the presents that I actually have even wrapped. I am usually done by now. I am going to have to work double time to catch up. Bah Humbug! I better catch up over the weekend before I get visited by the Ghosts of Christmas past, present and future.

My art Space. . .Free admission

An EDM member wanted to see our artspace, I really didn’t want to. My artspace isn’t as nice as alot I have seen but then I thought what the heck I need something to post anyway and she’s really nice. I like my space, I might as well admit to it. So, welcome to the bat cave. We bought this house a couple of years ago at a time when you didn’t get a bang for your buck or even a mild fizzle. Yep, at the height of real estate prices and a seller’s market. I saw a turtle sell his shell for $200,000 in 3 days. We had just sold a fairly large two-story house from back home and it was way too much for the three of us. Since I hate to clean, can’t afford a housekeeper, and my chick-a-dee will be going off to college in about 5 years I thought a smaller house was the only logical solution. And it is, but I still hate to clean!!!!!

We have a guest room, but the blue couch in my room folds out into another bed. The bookshelves are GREAT and it makes everything easy to find (If I put it back where it is suppose to go.) We will remodel this room, but it will be the last room we do. However, we do plan on mounting the TV on the wall, put new doors up (closet and entry) and getting a smaller desk. I am thinking about instead of getting a desk, getting a kitchen island on cassiters. That way I can move wherever the light is good or wherever the mood stikes me to go. We will have to put vinyl flooring in to protect the wood floor from paint. If we ever decide to sell the house I don’t want the floor to be ruined by paint splatters.

Click on images to make larger

Sorry, one of the labels are wrong on my picture 2nd row pic.1: Watercolor is actually Drawing.

I have lots of ideas for this room, but I keep most of them under my hat. I don’t want to scare hubby to death. I don’t draw in here alot, but I do spend a lot of time in here. . . I am on the computer, I watch a little TV and I like to curl up with coffee and read in here when David’s not trying to use this as a storage room. But when my family is home I like to hang out with them so then my artspace becomes the bed, the living room or the kitchen.

The string you see hanging down is my ceiling fan cord and if you click on the bed picture and look in the bottom right you will see our dog with his head under the bed. Sam (the dog) usually puts his head and front paws way under the bed and his pack paws under the chest of drawers. Most times he gets stuck, and looks like a worm trying to get out. I would help, I mean I should and could, but it’s just too darn funny to watch. Well that’s the end of our tour.

Carol Ottaway

Back to the drawing board…

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