THE BRUSHES

THE STUDIO PREVIEW:  The first post of 2011...

THE PAINTS - messy messy

 

A THERMOSTAT!

Yes! GUITAR OUTLET



I can SEE my KITCHEN!
(Adam waves at me sometimes through the window)


I am glad to be back in action after a very distracted and disorganized time while finishing and moving the studio.  I already have a few new pieces for 2011 - hopefully they will end up at Artists at Work in the next week or two.  This is a true blessing for both finances and time with my husband.  I'm so thankful for the friends and family who spent countless hours helping me get this studio equipped for countless hours of art-making.

Sheep!

That's it.  It's really a sheep. 

Bradley Mongold shot it dead.

I painted it.

Experimenting with new subjects is fun so far.

RCCAC Gala

Here is a little preview of the two pieces I have in the Juried Gala Show.  They will be on display at the Randolph County Community Arts Center in September.  Unfortunately, I will not be at the Gala, but I look forward to hearing about who else was juried in and who gets awards.  It is always a great party and an exciting time for area artists to earn a little extra cash with prize and purchase awards.

Brooksville Dusk
Oil on Canvas

Old Crow
Oil on Canvas

The Brooksville piece was created after a visit to Maine last year and depicts the home of a friend's nephew in the middle of a huge blueberry field.  It was one of my favorite photos from the trip.

The Old Crow is a black and white I have been itching to paint for YEARS so, I did.  This old dead crow was hanging on the garden fence at the Burky Family Farm between Helvetia and Pickens.  I suppose it is a great way to ward off live crows.

A Quarter

Who likes to find a parking ticket on your car after a long day?  Not me.  I had the opportunity today to save someone from one of those.  As I was walking downtown I saw the meter man turn the knob on an empty meter (just to double check that the money did not get stuck) and then begin the ticketing process.  For some reason I asked, "Sir, can I put a quarter in for them?" and he let me, voided the ticket, and went on his way.  I only had a dime and a nickel in my bag, but that filled the meter.  I went on with my errands and forgot about the whole incident.  Later in the day, I was walking on a pebbled sidewalk, talking to Adam on the phone, and rummaging in my bag when something shined up at me- a quarter.  "Lucky day" I told Adam, "I just found a quarter" and then I remembered:  I put change in the meter for someone today.  Wow.  That was not luck- I would have NEVER seen that with how distracted I was if the light hadn't reflected exactly right.  In the busyness of life today, God was sending me a message.  Yes, it was just a quarter, but with it came the reminder that it is always a blessing to do good things (big or small) for people and yes, God will reward you in one way or another for kindness and Christ-like actions. 

Barns

I recently got the opportunity to make a monotype for a local farm family of their old red barn.  It is so neat to be surrounded by interesting structures like this one.  The fence and corral area were a bit tricky to pull off, but are such a huge part of the process and production of this sheep farm.  I have a few more barn images in my "inbox" of paintings to do and hope to get to those as soon as possible especially since a few of them are not used and are definitely not in the great shape this family barn is in.  There was an Smithsonian exhibit that traveled through Elkins a few years ago called Barn Again! - barns were and still are important.  If you have not been to a barn dance- you should put that on your list.  I think that is one of the special things about having family roots in Helvetia- I got to participate in and experience things that are definitely not main-stream but give you a window into the past and how creative people were about coming up with ways to entertain within their livelihood.

SHARK!!

EEEEK!  Cardboard Shark!!  Once school is out, I get to work on Vacation Bible School props (this was a pretty enjoyable project).  I think the kids will have fun getting their pictures taken inside a shark's mouth for our "Deep Sea Adventure" this week....or they'll be scared by all of those teeth and pee their pants- who knows?

Studio

Painted! Yes!

Sketches at Dolly Sods

Here are two little watercolor sketches I did today while Adam ran around Dolly Sods.  The top painting is of the view from the South Prong Trail-head and the second is from the road looking at Bear Rocks.  I am trying to practice with a new little portable watercolor palette so I can at least make some sort of art work or "artwork" on the AT next May.  That darn water just sometimes doesn't do what I want it to do- I need to train it a little better!  I enjoyed being able to do plein-aire sketches more easily though (oils are SO messy and delicate) while crewing Adam.  I think this little portable set will work pretty well for the trip (maybe not the most glorious paintings I'll ever make, but it will tide me over for a few months away from my studio).  Enjoy!

Drywall: check

Slowly but surely.  Drywall is finished.  Now for lighting and outlets.

I think some packing is in order soon.  The fun part will be getting two wooden tables up here and then organizing allll of my mess of supplies.  I can hardly wait.

RCCAC monotype

This 4x6 monotype was made as a donation for the Randolph County Community Arts Center's mortgage burning party.  It depicts the steeple of the former St. Brendan's Catholic Church building which is now the home of the Arts Center.  The original monotype was given as a gift to one of the many many people who helped make the completion of the mortgage payments possible.  We are so fortunate to have such a great Arts Center right here in Elkins.  The staff and volunteers are top-notch and the programming and educational opportunities (both in the facility and in Randolph County schools) are such a great addition to the community.  I'm glad I could contribute this way.  This is one of the many reasons why I do what I do.