A new friend from my tap dance class has asked if I would donate a piece to the silent auction for the Down's Syndrome Association. I chose this portrait of Blanche and Mani at the beach. There is a discrepancy in their fish catching talents, but they are nonetheless comfortable with each other and pleased with the day.
This is acrylic on black paper. Mounted on paper covered wood, measuring 12"x 11", covered in plexiglass with nickel covered nailheads.
Copyright 2010 by Beth Crews Rommel.

Sunday afternoon I invited three friends with creative leanings to come over for collage time. My dear friends did not know each other, but soon the studio was bubbling with artistic juices. There would be quiet moments where we were each in our own worlds trying to figure out what spring meant to us. Beautiful papers and intriguing materials came in and joined in the mix. We stated this was a no apology zone. Most artists have moments of self criticism and feel the need to say they are sorry to any viewer. This made our afternoon more joyful and liberating, can't say you are sorry.
What I remember more than anything was the huge smile of each participant as they looked at their finished pieces. They were truly beautiful and filled with heartfelt ingredients whether tangible or emotional. Thank you Laural, Nanci and MK for a great afternoon.

Winging away is the wingback

The Chair 4 Charity for the Mustard Seed auction is complete. I have cut out more little birds than I ever thought imaginable. I must say until I added the bird lady on the seat I wasn't satisfied with the direction my zippy chair was headed. I am so driven by color and balancing the weight of color in a composition that my eye wasn't happy. The bright lady and her avian friends help the chairs with their Florida hued gams stand straighter and together as a picture worth taking. The pillow has taken its structured shape with an actual chair cushion filling out its interior with little hand painted ties to keep it in place when a more serious tone is desired. How can turquoise birds on a hot pink pillow be the serious side?
Sealed in polyurethane my friend the chair is ready to go to his next home. We have had a good time challenging each other, it will be a fond farewell.
Ciao chair...the wingback takes flight.

What a pretty furry girl.

I am taking a little break from the chair and thought I would lighten things up a bit. This is Scratch our 19 year old cat in her bathing attire, a brightly colored bathing suit and pink floral cover-up with matching slippers for trips to the pool. To celebrate your pet in a similar fashion you can contact me at beth@niftyartgirl.com. All of those years of drawing fashion designs in school can be put to work for your pet's glamour do moment.

all artwork copyrighted by Beth Rommel 2010

Step 4 in the chair for charity

Step 4 in the chair transformation is what I have pictured to the left. The first shot is the beginning of the painting I am doing for a chair cushion. I found the pillow at Ross for $6.99. There were pillows in a variety of shapes and colors. I was drawn to the bright Florida colors in this polyester, shiny fabric. The acrylic paint was absorbed to some degree, but once it was sated the extra color dried on the surface giving an illusion of depth. A few more coats for that. The chair is now sporting lots of birds and some bright paint. I will begin to incorporate my paint style into the chair itself. Acrylic paint and small brushes to the rescue.

"Is it a wingback?" he so glibly asked.

Step 3 in the makeover for my handsome chair for the Chairs 4 Charity Auction. I have spent countless hours in front of HGTV trimming little birds from the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America. I am using small scrapbook scissors with a blade that makes the pieces look as if they have been torn. Using Mod Podge I am adhering the birds to the chair in what I like to think are artful arrangements. You can see in the top photo an arm with winged creatures in flight. The other photo is the back of the chair with a series of buntings. I am stretching the confines of the Florida border and adding a few feathered fellows from other states in our great American continent.

Speaking of birds, the highlight of our morning walks has become the farm with the cheerful belled goats and their guinea hens and lone rooster. This is a living illustration of the barnyard friends. They literally run together and I swear, they play together.

Till next time and step 4.

Chair step 2

As the weather has warmed up my dear chair and I have moved inside. An open door invited a buzzing friend to fly in so we are now inside in air condition mode and ready for the next step in my friend's transformation. A bright yellow green or as Craft Smart paint says,"citron" is now gracing my wooden friend's visage. I am busy culling through National Geographic's Field Guide to the Birds of North America. This was a bargain purchase at Borders, $5.99 for 552 pages of beautiful color illustrations. My first thought was to use a book of maps I found the same day, but something about birds, especially those of Florida was more intriguing.

Stay tuned to see where those birds are going to land.