Paintng inbetween the seconds

If you have read anything I have blogged you realize that time is almost non existent. I have an awesome 12 by 10 foot studio that is an old lawnmower shed but getting out to it at times is a joke. With a girl sleeping for naps, or cooking supper, or the weather is poor I just can not talk myself into it. So I paint on the go. I love to paint but that comes at a cost of time--. I have found some things that help and ways to paint and work.

1. Paint on the go.
I do not mean to paint while you drive but how many times do you wait for your child at music lessons, soccer practice or the likes. Take your stuff with you. (One reason I paint in watercolors.) Yet if you prefer acrylics don't sweat it. They make carrier for wet paintings in progress. Plus acrylics dry pretty fast.

What I have is an old school bag that contains a plastic bottle of water, cup, brushes in a rinsed out Pringles can or modified bamboo roll, a really cool travel paint set that allows me to add my own paints and does not leak, an aquabord panel, and my sketchbook with the image I am working from. Do not forget pencils, pens erasers and a ruler.  Depending on the place I may take my travel easel (found it on ebay with a pretty good deal).

2. Learn to cook in the oven.
Sounds silly but I cook most of my meals in the oven. This allows me and my 3 year old to sit in the breakfast nook and paint for about 20 minutes. The other way to help is to let the dishwasher do all the clean up.

3. Preparation takes the place of Procrastination
I will talk more about this next week but if you will plan three paintings ahead, than when one ends you are already set for the next one.

Well, hope this helps you paint more.  I have painted on the back of trucks in the yard, in a studio... For something new I might try painting in a tractor... well don't think I will get a way with that but hey why not?

Here is my last work of art. Hope you love it as much as I loved painting it.

Click here to go to eBay bids start at a $0.01

Calving Season

I love to see these little guys start their lives. They are so playful and spirited. They kick and butt. Just like my toddler they think they can control the world.

Please realize though, those cute calves are that from far away. I have worked cattle to many times. And just like a cute kid getting into what and where they don't belong. The calves crawled through holes we did not know we had. This calf was supposed to be with the other calves while we sorted the mamas. Well it had a mind of its own. 

I did steal away from farming for another art work. It is on eBay til Thursday Feb. 21

Click Here to go and try your luck.

Well the sun is shining and the weather is getting warmer, farming calls. God Bless

Working with the old A

Well Starting with this sketch of the Old Model A John Deere. I used this sketch to show me where the highlights were and to transfer it to the canvas. My daughter decided this was a good picture to paint herself and used the copy of my sketch to paint her OWN tractor.

Since I am left handed, I try to start from the right side and work left. You do this when you draw and when I paint. The contraption that is on the back of the tractor is a home made rig made by my husband's grandfather to roll up electric fence. Grandpa would roll up the fence to harvest and plant wheat and then put the hot wire down the terrace to spilt the wheat field into about seven areas. He would then rotate the areas where the cows could be.

 


When it was all done it turned out great. A few good washes over all my colors to make it look uniformed. I went in and scrubbed out the tractor to help make it shine. a little.

Click Here to start bidding on it at eBay. Auction start Thursday for only a penny.

Good Luck and God Bless.

Having Barrels of Fun

This week has been busy. I have decided that when I found my water to paint with frozen solid than I would move my painting into my house. The nice thing is that I can slip in a few minutes of painting when no one needs me. The other cool part is that my girl that usually paints in studio with me paints in the house with me. Remember we work in watercolors; I would not venture other type of paint with a toddler in the house.

We were painting and she told me that what she painted was trees and grass. she even tried to put a cow in it. To me it looked like scribbles but it caught me by surprise she had a vision for her art. I thought at that time she just was making pretty colors. Shows what I know about a toddler's mind. That painting went to out Uncle in the hospital.

While she painted on my right knee, I finished this painting for my next on to sale on eBay. It starts at a penny so it is a steal to take home.

 

Click here and go try your luck to win it.

Thinking of Warmer Times

Well it is done. Maybe I am just dreaming of warmer weather but I think it looks great. The slit hint of color just stand out under the gray of the combine.

IT is a 11 by 14 and the auction starts at just a penny. It has six days left so

Click here to go to eBay.

Well Time to start a new one. Sketching is the most important step. Do not let anyone sell you short. The hour or two of sketching saves ten in painting. It is like all things you gotta prep the field to sew the seeds. Above is a value sketch and below is a new style of sketching to me. I have read Laurie Humble's book and learned how to prep for a watercolor drawing.

Well God Bless and Thanks for all

Remember GO by eBay.

Scratching that Itch

Click here

I do not know about you but Christmas is over and it is time to get back to the day job. I am glad to say that I am back painting and loving it. The weather has been cool but my heater keeps me and the dogs warm enough to paint. Sometimes when you just have to work even if it is not perfect but hay it makes me feel better to put paint to a canvas. One that I finished before Christmas I am putting up for auction on eBay. IT is the cow and calf picture above. It is a steal with the auction starting at a penny.

 Click here to go to eBay

Now, the artwork I am painting on right now is of warmer times. It is a Gleaner emptying into a truck. I have some of my underpainting layed out. The colors look bright but will dull when the shadows and grays are layed in.

It is blurry do not adjust your screen but it shows that I worked a little more into the Gleaner and the truck and layed a basic color down for the background and sky.

Well gotta go God Bless

Remember check out my ebay sale.

Life as a river

This year I am trying to plan for this next year. I do not like to call these my resolutions because goal is a nicer word. I try to project what I would like to do. Doing so I set down to think. Let me share

Goals and dreams will present themselves the way they should but I must dream, hope, believe, and have faith that what I want to happen is in God's plans. Life is a challenge of events not plans. Rarely are pregnancy planned and a baby changes everything even when planned. Then Life gets in the way and ten or fifteen years goes by before anyone is the wiser. You then are left with a dusty trail and a dream that never sprouted. Dreams are made when you set that small time aside and work at it. That ten minutes or one TV show can make your dream a oak tree or leave it an acorn.
Life is the river, it does not stop or slow down. It widens, we all do, and sometimes shrinks but keeps going. At times it feels like the speed will drown you; at others it will never change. Unlike that river we choose its path, not the world. We can climb to the top or fall to the bottom. We can crush those around us as we climb or help them with kindness. We are the only person to make the choice.

It easily is drown out by life, kids, spouse, TV, computers, and phones.  Put everyone to bed tonight or have them join you and just write yourself a note, don't worry about what to say write what comes to mind. Put it away until next January and see where the river of life has taken you.