A Chair for Charity

Pictured are two photos of a chair I am preparing for the Mustard Seed Chairs 4 Charity event in May. Chairs are being transformed by artists from the community. The finished pieces will be auctioned to fund the Mustard Seed.
I have photographed said chair. I chose it from the warehouse at the Mustard Seed facility in Eatonville. There were lounge chairs, upholstered chairs, royal chairs, kitchen chairs, this is a strong chair. It is sturdy, functional, practical, and has character, and impeccable values. It started as a new wooden chair. Then it became a nice, sanded, smoothed, primed, white chair.
You can watch it through the next few weeks, step by step as it takes on a new life and becomes a chair of a different character.

I have deep friends for sale.

To paint another beach person follow the steps in the aforementioned post. If you are having trouble coming up with subject matter or how to paint them look in your photo album. Photos from the beach often have other beachgoers in the background, lots of inspiration.
Come see these beach people and a whole collection of pithy fish at Artistree Co-op on Saturday. Prices for these originals start at $20, matted and hermetically sealed. Not even a print, an original painting.
Hope to see you there, I will be there with my two dimensional friends who are really quite deep.

Gentleman at the beach

This gentleman is going to be attending the Artistree Co-op Spring for Handmade sale this Saturday, March 27. Join us from 10-4 to see some new work. I am having so much fun with my new famiy of little old"er" people on the beach.
Start with artagain black paper. Sketch with a pencil. Just in case use a kneaded eraser. This will leave a shiny spot, but can be covered later with paint. Paint in the gentle beach people's skin and clothing, etc. It will be dry in a matter of minutes. You now have a treasure. Enjoy.
Hope to see you Saturday. I will be sharing a tent with clay master Dawn Ferguson who also teaches at Trinity Prep.

Little fish steps

Steps in this fellow's transformation.
1. Paint watercolor paper with a variety of washes of acrylic paint. Whatever is leftover on the palette is a good place to start.
2. Sketch some fun cartoony fish. Don't forget the teeth and the eyes and a few fins. Shape can be as creative as you like.
3. Fill in bodies, leave the eyes and teeth unpainted, with a color of your choosing. I love the blue background and orange fish contrast.
4. When paint is dry, acrylic is pretty quick, 5 minutes on watercolor paper, paint white teeth and whites of eyes.
5. Begin to add patterns, white really stands out. Drawing the fish and putting in detail is what I enjoy. Hint: these little details can hide mistakes. Use a tiny liner brush for control. Add water or acrylic medium to your paint to get the viscosity you can manage.
There you have it. A step by step to the creation of a fun painting for all ages. Coming up soon: I will add one more step when I mount these fellows for display.

It took a family effort.

I am now having fun getting ready for the approaching Spring for Handmade Art sale at Artistree Co-op on March 27. This fishy character is one of several in the process of becoming a niftyartgirl original. I was in a slump as far as creating some new images. My son was home for a few days. Yesterday he spent the afternoon working on a wooden sign for his fraternity in my studio. Having his energy and peaceful nature in the room with me was a catalyst to creating again. The sense of humor my family has shared for generations woke up again.
Look for this new cast of characters and their pithy sayings at this fun outdoor event in College Park. I will post several on etsy in a few weeks also.

A good time was had by all.

Here is a photo from Saturday night. Pictured from left Cat Saunders, jeweler extraordinaire, Laural Schmidt, Beth Rommel, and Catherine Hinman. A great time it was.....

The Ladies Share their Messages Without Me

My two friends "Lady of the Stars" and "Protector of the Night Sailors" have found new homes. They were part of the opening at Artistree Co-op last Saturday evening. The rest of their friends can be viewed for the month of March at 1600 Edgewater.
Years ago I saw a PBS special called Genesis by Bill Moyers. He had a very interesting take on creating art. He, not I, compared it to Adam and Eve and God. The idea that an artist creates a piece and molds it to communicate his message was nothing new. Sending the piece out into the world to meet new people, new challenges, and to deliver its own message without its creator was a fresh take. I would never be so bold as to compare myself or any artist to God. As I metphorically wave good-bye to these two ladies I am a little wistful. I enjoyed their presence and the stories they created on their own after I had put my brush away.

Lady of the Daytime Worries

This Lady of the Daytime Worries is going to be at Artistree Co-op Saturday night. Come find her. Here she is cropped from one of my new paintings. Hope you can join us from 6:30-8:30 at the co-op in College Park at 1600 Edgewater next door to Infusion Tea.
I will also be showing some studies for the future Hurricane, My Memories show. This show will be a personal view of hurricanes not a political statement. Stay tuned for more information about this event.

Fine Fellow will Join Us Saturday

This fine fellow is cropped from the painting Protector of the Night Sailors. See if you can find him this Saturday night, March 6 from 6:30-8:30at Artistree Co-op. There will be an opening to share my new artwork with friends and the art faithful. The work will be up for the month of March. Infusion Tea is part of this affair so have dinner with them while you enjoy the festive evening. We will have Van's homebrew on tap for those who want to enjoy its magical powers. You know who you are:)

The little black things.

At the left is one of the paintings I have hung at Artistree Co-op for this week's opening. This pensive woman is the Lady of the Night Mind. She is letting the concerns of the day fly to the night winds with the fireflies. At some point we all have the sleepless nocturnal hours where our heads are spinning like gerbils on a wheel. My late dad whose birthday was yesterday used to call these,"the little black things that sit at the foot of the bed."
Lady has been fortunate enough to learn the secret to a peaceful, restorative sleep. She can put the little black things in a locked attic and retake the night hours.