Hi, it's me...here's something new

Ok, so it's been ages since I posted and I bet everyone has been chomping at the bit.  Waiting. And waiting.
I flatter myself...hmmm. 
I have been reading other blogs, gaining insights, laughs and good ideas. (Hallie, you are my laugh place, you make my day and mood lighter)  Just laying low, taking a time out, I guess.  Reading. Resting in the winter quiet. It is comforting and soothing to nestle into the dark and cold winter nights with a good book or a movie.  Popcorn, hot tea. 

I have been working on a few paintings and have this one image to post, the others are in different stages of done or not done or going to the paint over pile.

This painting is derived from a photo I took this summer of a row of trees that intrique me.  Every time I drive by, I look at them. Year round. I'm not sure what kind of trees they are; I think they're some type of poplar or willow.  I took artistic license with how they really look and put my own spin on things.  I was going for the light around and behind the trees, which is what grabs me whenever I see these trees.

With a nod and a thank you to Iona, who mentioned "Singing Trees" as a name for my last painting that I posted, I'm calling this "All Singing".

Larry loves Snow and so do I!

It looks like snow is on the way.  Will you put on your red boots?  Let's go out and play.

This is great!  Tail up!

I love SNOW!

                                                                                

                                                                              Masked!

No Name Yet

Oil on Canvas

 30 x 40

I love snow because I got a day off.  I got to play with Larry and finish this painting.  Well, I think it's finished.  It might get a little tweaking here and there.

and What?

This image wouldn't come up for the last post so it's flying solo.

This started as a demo with my AP Studio Art for a media play day using acrylics.  I added some newspaper, inda ink, and oil pastels.  Some areas of the surface are textured with gesso and then parts are scraped away.  All to get the kids to loosen up and play!  Experience the media.  It worked, the students produced some nice, loose images--no preconceived ideas or expectations.

Boxed In, Bobwhite Quail and What?

I call this one Boxed In (how I felt).  This started as a demo piece for Media Play Day in my AP Studio Art class.  We were messing around with acrylics that day, I ended up adding india ink and oil pastels.  What began as shapes, mark making and color applications led to this image.  It had been a very full and hectic couple of weeks and I was beginning to feel boxed in to the point where tension was settling in my shoulder blades---Not good!  Thankfully artmaking is always therapeutic and such a release.  Often revealing the truth!

This afternoon when I took the dog out, we came across four of these beautiful Bobwhite Quail in the yard.  This is only the second time I've seen them on this property in our 14 years here.  Two male, two female. 

When I came inside I got a phone call from a person who had bought one of my paintings several years ago.  He came across my card in his desk, looked up to where my painting was hanging, picked up the phone to call me and tell me how much he enjoys looking at the painting. What a great thing to do and on my end, so nice to hear!

The "and What? " section will have to be a ?. Blogger isn't letting me upload the last image. 

Until next post.....

A Field Trip, an Exhibit at the Local Hospital

 Another teacher and I took a group of students on a field trip to the flats area of Cleveland.  Some were photo students and others were AP Studio Art students.  The kids took photos and did some sketching.  In the spirit of the day, I brought along my camera and played at being a "photographer".

A sampling of my exhibit at Geauga County Hospital.  There are a total of 24 paintings hanging and it looks wonderful.  The work is hanging in a main corridor of the hospital; so it's getting plenty of viewing.  I've gotten positive feedback on the show, so far!

Marblehead, Ohio~~Lakeside

Lake Erie Through the Trees

Oil on Panel  2010

6 x 8

This is the view I painted last Sunday morning at the Marblehead Peninsula during the Ohio Plein Air Society Paintout.  As mentioned in the last post, it took me a while to get in my groove, and I'm not sure if I ever really did.  I loosened up by the time I got to this painting, (after a good night's sleep which helped the head cold turn the corner), but not to where I wanted to be. 

Oh well.  C'est la vie. 

It was still beneficial practice learning to paint the colors of Lake Erie and so great to be with other painters.

HW Farber asked me what cornhole is in reference to the last post.  Ahhh. Cornhole.  How to explain it.  For those of you who don't know what it is and those of you who do and would like some mild enternainment courtesy of my brother then you might like to visit here. 

I'm not entirely sure where the game started, maybe southern Ohio.  Very popular on college campuses, tailgating parties and parties in general.  It is lots of fun, even the atheletically challenged (me) can play.  It's just tossing a bean bag at a board with a hole in it. 1 point if the bag lands on the board, 3 for getting it in the hole.  Play usually goes to 21.

Enjoy the video!

Phew! It's been a long time!

Looking Toward Kelley's Island from Marblehead

Sept. 2010 Oil on Panel

6 x 8

It seems like ages since the last post, well...it has been a long time!  So much has been goin' on that I don't know where to start. 

In my little art world...I've taken a show down and put another one up.  The new show is at our local hospital; Geauga County Hospital.  The show is a part of what is called Art in the Mart which is a partnership between the Geauga Council for Arts and Culture and the hospital, along with a few other locations in the county.  The set up at the hospital is great.  The show space is in a main hallway, it is well lit and the hanging apparatus worked beautifully.  The show went up like a breeze thanks to the wonderful help from the maintenance staff at the hospital.  Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my camera the day the show was hung, I'll get back over there soon, take some pics to share here.  I think it looks great!

I spent this past weekend at the Marblehead Peninsula on Lake Erie where I participated in a Paint Out sponsored by the Ohio Plein Air Society.  I arrived tired and with a head cold.  The first day of painting generated some ho-hum results.  The painting above is the third of the day, I was getting into my groove.  The challenge was working with a new color pallette, Lake Erie isn't my normal subject matter!  But the colors of the water were beautiful....grey greens, orangey yellows, it was fun just to mix the colors, put them down, then look up and see something new, something that had changed.

Sunday morning, I was rested and produced a better painting.  No picture right now, but will take one soon.

OPAS does a great job sponsoring the paintouts.  Lots of recognition for the artists who attended, about 50 or more.  Monetary awards with a nice awards ceremony. I met and re-met a number of other painters. People attended from all over the state and even neighboring states.  Its reassuring to meet others like me! (us!)  Just hangin' out talking paint, easels, pochade boxes, admiring various paintings, you know--art stuff.

 

On the home front, we had our annual party, which entails lots of prep, lots of people, a cornhole tournament, yummy food (last year it was a pig roast), and lots and lots of fun.  This year we turned it into a fundraiser for St. Augustine's Church  which is the church my parents belonged to and several of my siblings are members.  The church is known for its outstanding service to the people of Cleveland.  They run a hunger center, minister to the deaf community, among countless other services to help people.  I'm happy to say we had a great turnout, we threw a raffle into the mix, charged an entry fee, had live music and raised a nice donation for St. Augustine's.

Okay, enough!

Pics of more paintings next time!