ARE YOU A FRIDA-PHILE?

Wanted to share with all you Frida-philes the new book I got. 

This large, hardback book uses photos from the Museo Frida Kahlo in Mexico City.  When Frida died, Diego Rivera had her dressing room and bedroom closed off - for 50 years.  When the opened the rooms, they discovered treasures of dresses, skirts, blouses, ribbons, etc. and made a book out of it.

What I find interesting is you can see the outfits Frida wears in many of her self-portraits or her photographs.  And you get a bit of history of the Mexican women who wore those outfits.  If you're a Frida-phile, you'll enjoy perusing this and reading a bit about the clothing.  Frida was only 5'2" tall and wore the long dresses to cover her damaged leg but also as a statement of her culture and history as a Mexican woman.

Here are some photos from the book:

It's a must for any of those who are into Frida and want to know more - great photos in the book, too, that I'd not seen before.


This afternoon, I take my painting of crows to the Women's Art Club of Cincinnati and try to get it in their juried show.  Won't know either way until April so I've got to keep my fingers crossed until then - and it's very hard to paint when your fingers are crossed!

MORE SNOW?

My echocardiogram was scheduled for this morning - but they called and canceled it.  Apparently, their tech for this isn't very reliable - he was away last week when I was scheduled for this, too.  Oh, well.  I don't have to do anything today but paint, and some laundry, and watch some tennis, and...whatever.

We are having more snow today.  Honestly!  Doesn't Mother Nature know it's almost April and this is not supposed to be happening now south of the Ohio River?? 

All right - who ticked her off??  Fess up and take your punishment so we can really, truly get into spring and get some warm weather and get out and enjoy what tried to bloom when we had 2 days of 70F weather last week.


 

JUST THE TWO OF US x 2 - WHAT??

Here's where the peeps stand in this one - the same peeps x 2 :)

This one is finished.  I like the green but am not crazy about the Lunar Black behind them - I think the bg should be smoothe to offset the texture on the peeps - and I'll make sure I do that with the next one. 

This one is on 140# Arches cold press paper, 9" x 11"







This one is not finished (obviously).  It's on Twinrocker 140# cold press paper, 7" x 7"

It has a pale pale Verditer Blue wash all around that you can't see - it just looks white here.  I will leave that as the background but will think about another color for the foreground and shadows. 

You can really see the texture in this one.

JUST THE TWO OF US - USING POPCORN SALT FOR TEXTURE

Started another peeps painting.  This one is smaller and I'm working on the texture by putting down the pigment and then sprinkling on popcorn salt.  I don't usually like salt for texture but it seems the only way to get the look of these peeps = that crystalized sugar look.  So I'm playing with it.

Here is a close-up of the texture you get when the salt is on.  Of course, you have to let it dry completely and then scrape or rub the salt off the paper so there's no residue left.  Then do it again, each time getting darker and darker in values and closer to the final effect.

This one is on Arches 140# cold press paper.










Then I got the idea that maybe I could use this as my entry into the Magnitude Seven show at Manifest Gallery (http://www.manifestgallery.org/seven11/).  So I tore a piece of Twinrocker paper (yes, I still have my order of 5 sheets that I didn't want to use because it's "too good" to waste!) down to a 7.25" x 7.25" size and put the same two peeps on there.  And here's a close-up of that, showing the texture.  The color is more saturated because I intentionally got it darker on the first pass so I don't have to keep getting the salt off and putting it on with each layer.




There is something so nice about this Twinrocker paper - the feel of it in your hand, the way it takes the pigment and water.  Maybe it's just that it's so precious that you feel like a real artist when you're working on it?

In both paintings, I prewet each peep and then dropped in the color and moved in around, lifting a bit as it dried.  Then put the salt on.

Have you used salt to get texture in your paintings?  Did you like the effect?

SUNDAY SHARING + A POEM

Sunday is for sharing the blogs of the followers I've attracted.  I usually wait until I have 3 new followers before I do this and since I just got another, it's time to share!

1.  Newton Avelino, from Brazil, wowed me with this work - so full of life and color and great design.  Pop over and see what I'm talking about - this is very original and very interesting work!

2.  Carol Flatt has been on my sidebar for a while now, and I want to share her blog with you all.  Carol does some lovely work in pastel and oil.  I like all of her paintings but her pastels are my favorites, maybe because they seem more fun with interesting twists on the usual still lifes - and she also creates beauty in simple things like a stack of white bowls.  You'll love visiting and checking out her work.

3.  Judy of De Draad (The Thread) works in watercolor and creates beautiful, soft flowers that make me envious of her touch.  She lives in the Netherlands so I'm not surprised she paints flowers!

And now, a poem for those who are actually having spring...

The Enkindled Spring

by D. H. Lawrence


This spring as it comes bursts up in bonfires green,
Wild puffing of emerald trees, and flame-filled bushes,
Thorn-blossom lifting in wreaths of smoke between
Where the wood fumes up and the watery, flickering rushes.


I am amazed at this spring, this conflagration
Of green fires lit on the soil of the earth, this blaze
Of growing, and sparks that puff in wild gyration,
Faces of people streaming across my gaze.


And I, what fountain of fire am I among
This leaping combustion of spring? My spirit is tossed
About like a shadow buffeted in the throng
Of flames, ashadow that's gone astray, and is lost.

WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO ABOUT HER? - STAGE 2

Worked a bit more on the painting of the peeps.  I'm enjoying this - how could you not enjoy the colors and all?  I think it's done - or pretty close to it.  I would like to get that sugared look to the birds - maybe wet and drop in fine popcorn salt?

Half sheet (15" x 22") Fabriano hotpress 140# paper.




And for those who asked about the new haircut, I've had Sweetie take some photos of the cut and showing off the new glasses.  You can tell how thick my glasses are by the distortion on the side of the face :(  No getting over it - every 2 years  the bifocals must be stronger...aging, but not always gracefully!



 My hair is not red - I think it showed up that way because of the white balance on the camera.  He changed it and used a flash later but I like the one smiling better than those not smiling. 
(Although, honestly, I'm getting to the stage where I really don't want to look at photos of myself so the bottom photo is the best! ha ha)

WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO ABOUT HER?

Last year about this time I took some photos of peeps in all their colors.  I then did some set-ups for photos but never painted them.

So I found those on the computer and thought it might be fun to paint some.




This one's called What Are We Gonna Do About Her?
A group of yellow peeps in a box with one lone pink peep on her own - perhaps she's too flamboyant, not traditional enough, maybe she wears her skirts too short or the yellow peeps just don't like pink? 

PENGUIN PALOOZA AT THE NEWPORT AQUARIUM

Well, yesterday was a busy day.  I did get my stress test over and it was interesting.  The techs were friendly and explained things.  Got my heart rate up to 163 which is good and I didn't feel like I was going to fall over.  I didn't notice that I glowed last night with the lights out (from the radioactive isotopes they injected into me twice); and I had 2 separate MRI scans so they should know all about my heart now (or as soon as my cardio reads the reports and sees the scans and everything else).

I feel fine - but tired.

Went to the Newport Aquarium's opening of their new penguin exhibit last night - called Penguin Palooza.  Interesting and entertaining short "show" about the penguins and lots of kids and families and volunteers (it was open for volunteers and their families last night as a thank you for the help at the aquarium).  They have Rockhoppers, Kings and Gentoos and Chin Strap penguins so if you like penguins, visit if you're in the area.  It's in Newport, KY.


And today, I get a new cut and color to make me feel like spring - except it's <40F today and spitting snow!!!




I softened some edges in Tweets and Red Faced so they are both done.  Tweets have eyes, too - and that always makes a pet or person come alive in a painting.  So they are both DONE!

More to share later of a new painting I've started - something silly.

RED FACED + TWEETS

A touch more on the Red Faced painting of the Japanese Macaque by modeling the face a bit more.  I think it still needs some softening around the face blending in to the hair and then it will be done.






I put in the background for the Tweets and will finish that by softening around the edges of their bodies, too - and putting in the the eyes, of course.

It's been such a busy month and April doesn't look any less busy.  I don't like being busy.  That's why I'm retired!  But sometimes life happens.

TWEETS AT UGLY STAGE + RED FACED MONKEY

Most people won't show you the ugly stage of their work.  So you don't know that it's okay to have an ugly stage - and that you can get past it.  But there are always times when we think we've ruined a painting and we just don't push through past the ugly stage.  The next stage of the Tweets will look better (I hope! ha ha)




And while that ugly stage was waiting for the next stage, I started another small painting of a red-faced macaque.

Putting in the eyes and shaping the face made this one look much better than the ugly stage (which you didn't get to see on this one).  A bit more shaping and he'll be done.  These are the monkeys you see in the hot springs in Japan.  I've only seen them in zoos and that's where this photo was taken.

ART AUCTION FOR JAPAN GOING ON

If you don't want to check all the individual artists' blogs for their current auctions, you can go over to the Daily Paintworks.  They are having a large auction of art with the proceeds going to the Japanese Red Cross for disaster relief.  Take a look and see if you find something you want that can also benefit the people of Japan.  And kudos to all the artists who have joined this challenge!  Auctions start this afternoon.

I've read that donations coming in for Japan are much less than the donations sent for the Haiti relief efforts the first weeks.  Let's help out the Japanese people, if we can.  There are many individual stories there of total loss and I cannot imagine the stress they are living under every single day since this earthquake and tsunami happened. 

TRISTATE PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY SHOW

The TriState Photographic Society's show at Sharon Woods begins today, March 19, and runs through Sunday, March 27th.  The gallery in the Sharon Woods Visitor Center is open daily from 10-4 except Monday.  The reception is Sunday, 1 pm - 4 pm.

If you're in the Sharonville area, stop by and see the show.  They have a nice gallery and there will be plenty of colorful photos to see as well as cards and small prints for sale from many of the TriState members.  Jerry will have some photos of George (our red-eyed tree frog), other critters (owls, hawks, herons, egrets) and landscape/nature shots.  

Here's some info from the postcard for the show:

TWEETS

Using a different photo of two parakeets, I've started another small painting.  This one is 1/4 sheet (11" x 15").  This is called Tweets - before the word meant something completely different :)


Hope you are having a sunny day.

EVERYONE'S IRISH TODAY

I sure am seeing a lot of green clothing around today.  Green has never been my favorite color but I have been to Ireland and seen the unbelievable green hillsides - and been in the rain that makes all those hillsides so lush and green. 

For St. Patrick's Day, instead of green, I'll share a white-washed cottage in the Irish hillsides.  Painted on rice paper and then glued to watercolor paper.  This was done a few year's ago.  I think it would be pretty to have green in the foreground and around the cottage against that violet (got a bit carried away with the violet and you know you can't lift that out of rice paper!). 

The photo was shared on a Yahoo group and several of us painted this - but I can't remember whose photo it was.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

(Stay away from the green beer.)

DON'T PAINT WHEN YOU'RE TIRED

I'm tired.  But I don't know why. 

I could blame it on Daylight Savings Time and losing that hour that you never get back.  Or maybe it's the after effects of the allergy tests Monday and the fact that I still have large raised red welts on my arms from several of those tiny injections under the skin of things I am definitely allergic to (ragweed, tree pollens like Sugar Maple and American Beech, and house dust).  Those raised red welts are hot to the touch, too, so I'm nice and warm :) 

It could be the rain and dreary cold days coming after a bright, sunny, warm day. 
Or maybe it's the incredible sadness of the earthquake and tsunami that plundered Japan; seeing those people suffering and not being sure what is true and what is not true about what they are being told about the radiation leaking added to the little bit of food they are getting, no heat or light, and little comfort of any kind.

I pushed myself to work on something today and ruined the blueberries that were looking good.  That will be a do-over.  I was trying to use watercolor pencils like in Deb Ward's demos she's been sharing, but I rushed them and didn't pay attention to shape and color.  So now I have a bunch of muddy looking blue-violet round things in a nice basket.  Not Deb's fault.  Her demo looks great.  I should know not to paint when I'm feeling tired :(

But tomorrow is another day. 

FIGURE IN BLACK AND RED - MORE

I worked a bit more on this painting.  I see where I've thinned her hips too much - doesn't look natural right now.  I may have to go in with fluid acrylics and make some changes at this point and get more vibrant colors but this is a good base for the painting, I think.  It has possibility.










I get to go to the allergy doc's today and get pricked with things that are supposed to make me have an allergic reaction.  Just a checkup and retesting that happens every few years but not the most fun thing I've done :)  I'll take a good book with me to read while waiting for reactions.

SUNDAY SHARING

I have some new followers :)  So I have some more blogs to check out and share with you today.

1.  Okay, first, say his name:  Carlos Alberto Arellano.  Lovely! 
You can just imagine the man who has this name, yes?  But I digress! ha ha  Now go over to his blog and check out his work - it fascinates me.  I've got to figure out my way around and, honestly, Microsoft translate sucks - what a mishmash of words that make no sense whatsoever when I'm translating to English.  So just look at the artwork - bold, dark, humorous (darkly humorous?)  I like it.  Even if I don't know what Maqui Duende means - something about machinery...

2.  Julie Hill shows her work in several blogs with Daily Painters groups and she has her own blog.  I'm afraid I got overwhelmed with Daily Painters and don't stop by often anymore - so many great artists are there but then I spend time chasing one's work and seeing that and then another and before you know it, well, you get the idea.  Don't worry.  Just go to Julie Hill's blog and check out her lovely watercolors.  You'll enjoy it and you will come away refreshed and happy.

3.  John Brisson lives and works in Big Bear Lake, California.  How lucky can you get?  He studied art and photography in high school and college and now paints in acrylics and does woodcuts.  Interesting stuff, there - go over and take a look.  I love that painting of the cabin and want to live there (if I can't live on the beach, I want to live in a log cabin in the woods).  John's art can be found at Downstairs Creations (because his studio is the whole downstairs of their cabin).

I'll be sharing some more next Sunday, but for now, go over and visit these artists.  There is a nice variety of styles, mediums and techniques to keep you busy on a slow Sunday afternoon.

TAKE A MOMENT

Take a moment today in your busy life and think about the people in Japan who are suffering and living without so much.  So many people affected by the earth shaking off the coast of Tokyo and causing such devastation!   Estimates are that more than 10,000 are dead in one prefecture alone in northern Japan.  10,000 people.  And that's just an estimate because there is no way of knowing yet what that final number will be. 

Take a moment and send a prayer, a positive thought, a wish for healing...

Just take a moment.

If you have the means and the inclination, you can send money to the Japanese Red Cross.  You can even bid on paintings by Keiko Tanabe and Tom Schaller at their blogs and the money raised will be sent to the Japanese Red Cross. 

BOX 'O BERRIES

This is another small painting - 7" x 9"
I often do a couple of small ones when I'm working on the SWAP painting so
I have some to hold in reserve.  I began this one, using a postcard from our
local grocery (promoting a grand opening event) - nice blueberries in
a wooden "box."  I'll have to get the
deep colors in there and leave the
whites and pales to show shine.  It
makes me happy, working with blues
and violets - I guess it's calming for me. And I'm getting more used to using complementary colors in things I paint to have some visual pop.

Today, a friend and member of the Greater Cincinnati Watercolor Society, Susan Grogan, is taking part in a show at the Miami Township Civic Center (6101 Meijer Drive) from 10 am - 4 pm.  She has a booth there to show and sell her watercolors (and she is very good!!).  I'm hoping to get to visit for a while today.


Tonight, the TriState Photographic Society is having their annual year-end award banquet.  Lots of good food, good people and fantastic photos to see :)  Sweetie may even win some more ribbons and/or plaques this year.


Tomorrow, I hope to visit the Women's Art Center of Cincnnati (The Barn) second Sunday show as well as the current show that's been there a while in a second gallery (it's called Oil and Water).  I want to check out the space since our watercolor society will be having a show there in June (and I'm coordinating the registrations and accepting the paintings and $ on the drop off day).  

I'm also going to try to get a painting into the WACC annual juried show (sent in the forms and $ already but will still have to hand deliver the painting at the end of this month).  

PARAKEETS FLYING

I finished the Parakeet Pair.  They will go flying to their new home (as a SWAP painting) today.  Since it's a SWAP painting, this is small - only 7" x 9" so it's easy to mail.

I hope my secret partner likes them :)