Abstract Watercolor

I have been experimenting for a couple of weeks with watercolors, trying to paint abstractly. This has been a difficult journey, and I find that fact very fascinating. I work abstractly in other mediums, but I have always painted realistically in watercolor. I think my mental roadblock comes from "that is the way I learned to paint with watercolors". It sounds cliche, but I honestly think that is the issue.

In the last couple of days I finally finished an abstract watercolor that I love. The colors and shapes in this painting are evocative of the seasonal creek at my artist residency in Texas in March --- the leaves floating down the creek, the rocks just barely below the surface of the water, and the sunlight playing on all the surfaces. I feel a huge sense of accomplishment. It's almost like I have been painting in my instructor's shadow all this time, and now I have finally made the medium mine.

Review of My Work

A month or so ago, John Hopper from The Textile Blog asked if he could use some images of my work for an article on his blog. After perusing The Textile Blog, I readily agreed. John is reviewing some of the top textile artists, and his reviews are in depth and accurate.

Today I received an email notification that his article about my work was posted to The Textile Blog. I am appreciative of this opportunity, and I am flattered by his comments about my work and his understanding of my work, especially my series work. The link is below if you would like to read the article.

The Textile Blog

Frustration and Inspiration

Yesterday was not a successful day in the studio. I am struggling with technical difficulties on my new series of leaf pieces, and I'm not sure what to try next. I have this vision in my head though, and I'm not ready to give up on it.

Instead, I decided to take a break and "fill the well". When I am stymied in the studio, I switch gears, and usually photography is my favorite friend. We went out to the farm last night to pick sweet corn, and I brought my camera. The layers of greens in the fields were glorious, and I came home refreshed and renewed and ready to work in the studio again this morning.

Chili's New Toy

A puppy and her stick, no other explanation necessary....

We are fostering Chili, and she is available for adoption through Helping Hand 4 Animals. She's almost 9 months old, weighs 3.5 pounds, spayed, microchipped, housebroken, crate trained, and totally up-to-date on all of her shots. Plus she is so adorable!

A Little Braver

5" x 5"

On this watercolor I got a little braver with the black ink. I used it for the shadows and to outline the leaves, stems, and veins. Then I added some stippling on the leaves, and then I splattered some on the background. About that time, I stepped back and decided I was getting carried away, and it was time to stop. This has a different look than the first one, but I like it just the same.

I have one more watercolor of these leaves on my work table, and then I think I am ready to move on. I have 10 square pieces of hardboard that are calling my name for some mixed media work.

New Work

Glimpses.1

12" x 12"

Members of the Nebraska region of SAQA are hard at work in their studios, creating new work for an exhibition. The exhibition will feature 3 pieces from each artist, and the artwork will be about Nebraska. This is my first piece, and it shares glimpses from Nebraska as I know it --- the land of windmills, corn, grain bins, fields, trees, and a sea of red on football Saturdays. I also included snippets of a letter to Dad, who was born here, and some numbers, because I received my accounting degree here.

Surviving the Storms

This morning, in between rain showers, I had the dogs outside, and this little fledgling cardinal showed up on the back fence. I think it was probably sunning itself, trying to get dried off before the next shower hit.

We usually have several pairs of cardinals that nest in our yard, but it is hard to catch the fledglings on camera when they are this young.

New Technique

5" x 5"

Jane LaFazio does most of her journaling by drawing with a black marker, then adding watercolor to the drawing. While I like the look of what she does, I was not brave enough to tackle that technique yet. There is something inside me that is still afraid that the marker will bleed when I add the watercolors. So ... I did a watercolor of some dead leaves on the patio, then added the black marker after the watercolors were dry. It gives it a different look --- not better or worse, just different. I do like the definition that it gave to the leaf edges and veins though.

Mystery Lily?

I have had this plant in one of my gardens for two years, and all it has ever produced is leaves. I wasn't sure if it was a variety of iris or lily. This year it has finally bloomed, and the blossoms look like a lily. But I am still clueless as to the variety. The flowers are fairly small, maybe 2" across, and they seem to either close at night or only bloom for one day. If anyone knows what this is, please leave me a comment. Thanks!

UPDATE: The overwhelming majority of responders have identified this as a blackberry lily, which is actually a member of the iris family. I will know for sure once the seed pods form and break open to reveal the "blackberry" --- actually a cluster of shiny black seeds.

I am a certified softie............

This is our new foster puppy. Chili is a little 3# chihuahua, only 8 months old. I had not planned on fostering any dogs right now, but....... a rescue needed a foster home for Chili to recover from major surgery, and I had to say yes. It broke my heart to think of her recuperating in a shelter kennel. She's a little cuddler, and I hope she finds a fabulous home when she is healed.

Beneath The Surface Book

The book for the Beneath The Surface exhibition is now available on Blurb. It measures 6.75" square and includes an interview with each artist and a full page image of their work in the exhibition. Kudos to Loris Bogue for putting the book together and to Iris Karp for designing the wrap-around cover!

New Series of Artwork

Yesterday I finished a new series of small pieces of art. I am participating in an upcoming gallery exhibition that features only ACEOs (Artist Cards, Editions and Originals). These are small pieces of art that measure 3.5" x 2.5", and they allow collectors on small budgets to be able to afford original art. The piece above is the first in a series of six pieces from my new Visions series. Click here to see the entire series.

P.S. It is not as easy as you might think to work this small!

Empty Nest

It appears that our baby robins have fledged this morning. This one has made itself at home on my new adirondack chairs. While I am glad to see them all healthy and starting out on their own, it also means I have a watchful few days ahead of me. Mya (our new puppy) is a terrier, and she loves nothing more than chasing birds in the backyard. Unfortunately, she is extremely adept at catching fledgling birds. So she will be on a leash for a few days until the fledglings are strong enough to fly away from her.

The Babies Are Growing

I am thoroughly enjoying watching the little robins in this nest as they grow more and more each day. Now their eyes are open, and they are starting to move around in the nest, jockeying for the best position. I have spent hours photographing them and the parents with them. When they finally fledge, I am going to be sad to see them go.

A Trip Around The World

No, unfortunately I haven't won the lottery and booked a ticket around the world. Instead, this little guy, "Cute Potatoe", is going to travel the world, and he will be making a stop in the midwest. Artist Beate Knappe, in Dusseldorf Germany, created this guy, and she asked for volunteer hostesses for his travel around the world. Beate is a friend, so of course I volunteered to host him for a while. I plan to show him the sights in the midwest USA before sending him off to Australia for the next leg of his journey. I don't know how long he plans to travel, but I do know that I am envious of his itinerary.

Photoshop Magic

The more I play with Photoshop, the more great features I figure out how to use! This little tip is thanks to my son.

Here's my original photo......

Same photo in black & white......

And the magic......

The best part is that this whole process took about 5 minutes!

Wren Fascination

I am so fascinated with these little wrens. I love listening to them sing, hearing them scold me when I get too close with my camera, and watching them flit from limb to limb. These are a few of a series of photos I shot yesterday of a pair of wrens going in and out feeding their babies inside the gourd.

Our Newest Tenant

This has really been the year for us when it comes to birds in the yard. We've had our first ever Baltimore oriole at the feeder; our first ever wrens nesting in the wren houses; our first ever pair of downy woodpeckers and hairy woodpeckers at the suet feeder; and now, this is the first time we have had a robin nesting in the gutter crevice. I'm surprised that we haven't had more robins nesting in our yard before, but we seem to have finally reached the point where the birds consider our yard to be an attractive habitat this year. And we would have to agree with their assessment, as we just bought some adirondack chairs, solely so we could sit out under the trees in the yard.

It's Official!

Today we officially adopted little Mya and made her a permanent member of our family. We could not be more thrilled! We started fostering her on May 22nd, and it has taken this long for her to get healthy enough to be spayed, and thus available for adoption from the rescue. She is the little princess in our house, and Zeke is totally in love with her!

Beneath The Surface

Blind Views

48" x 36"

I'm pleased that Blind Views was juried into the Beneath The Surface exhibition. This exhibition will premier in Long Beach, California, and then travel to Houston, Texas.

International Quilt Festival

July 23-25, 2010

Long Beach, California

International Quilt Festival

November 4-7, 2010

Houston, Texas

For more information, click here.