Entries Tagged as: animals
Whale Dreams
April 30th, 2010, Comments (11)
My latest painting is called, "Whale Dreams" and somehow it feels just right for the transition into May's Creative Every Day Challenge theme of Intuition. I think it's because whales come up quite a bit in art that I do intuitively. I finished up this painting on the day of the full moon and although it wasn't originally going to have a moon in it, as it came to life, it definitely wanted a moon.
I hope you all have a beautifully creative weekend! I'm planning to enjoy the wish*full art retreat at wishstudio, where I'm leading a workshop, the gorgeous weather, and getting my toes painted with my bff.
If you're looking for more sensory inspiration before the month of Senses comes to an end, check out this post from last Spring about an Intuitive Painting class where I was led through an exercise using my sense of smell. Very cool.
And also be sure to put on your dancing shoes for Jamie's annual Shyne Like a Star Virtual Dance Party tomorrow!
Spring Birds
April 6th, 2010, Comments (9)
This weekend, I was out of town visiting with the hubster's family, and oh my, there was a lot of food! To counter balance the intake, we took a two hour walk through his old neighborhoods, walking by the water, admiring old homes, enjoying the beautiful weather. I had the theme in my mind as I walked, noticing the different ways my senses were inspired.
I had a break in the action to start a painting on Sunday evening, which I finished up today. I think it was inspired in part by Easter eggs, all the birds I saw everywhere, and the feeling of Spring.
Today, on a different walk, I was inspired by bumble bees, crunchy pine cones underfoot, the smell of sunscreen, and rushing water. What's been catching your eye and inspiring your senses lately
Nesting
February 17th, 2010, Comments (17)
.jpg)
The home theme had me thinking about nesting and then little birds, which led to some little birdy sketches. This first one I added some color to with photoshop. The second, I think would make a super cute sticker.
I hope you're all feeling cozy in your nests this week. We just got whopped by another winter storm, which has me wanting to curl up in blankets and drink cocoa til spring!
Itty Bitty Kitty: Laundry Basket
November 24th, 2009, Comments (20)
Another 4"x4" Itty Bitty Kitty today. This orange tabby is napping in a favorite napping spot of all cats, a basket filled with warm laundry. If I were a cat, it would be my favorite napping spot too. Actually, while looking through old photos this weekend, I saw one of myself as a two year old, napping in a pile of freshly cleaned laundry. Heh. Perhaps I was a cat in a past life!
Gray Skies
November 19th, 2009, Comments (41)
Today, in an attempt to clear up some majorly clogged ears, I took a decongestant and now I'm totally fuzzy headed and my ears are still clogged. Oy! lol. Perhaps the fuzzy headedness is where the gray came from today or perhaps it's the gray weather. I took a walk outside before I painted and the sky seemed so heavy with grayness.
I sat down with watercolor paper and a bottle of ink and began to play. I love dropping ink and drawing into little puddles of water on paper. The way the ink flows suggests shapes (today the trees, bird, and clouds.) It was relaxing.
Now, I'm off to take a hot shower, in another attempt to clear up my sinuses, before meeting up with some friends I met doing the Mondo Beyondo class this fall. We're to sit around, eat soup, and read to each other. How lovely is that? I only hope I'll be able to hear them. 
Itty Bitty Kitty Art: Bedtime Cat
November 17th, 2009, Comments (24)
I painted this cute kitty earlier today, but then my camera ran out of batteries, I couldn't find the charger for awhile, and it took some time to charge, but (phew!) it all worked out.
I got these teeny tiny 3"x3" canvases (and a little easel) at Blick Art Supplies last month. The other itty bitty kitty art was 4"x4" and I think these 3"x3" pieces will be as small as they'll go.
My cat Sadie loves to get under the covers and put her head on the pillow like she's a little person, especially when I'm in bed. It's so darn cute that I had to make this little piece in her honor. I'm sure she's not the only cat who does it.
Check in tomorrow morning, when I'll have a great interview with Chris Zydel all about intuitive painting!
Itty Bitty Kitty Art: World Traveler
November 11th, 2009, Comments (11)
The second in my series of itty bitty kitties, this one is a world traveler. Sort of. Well, in reality this orange tabby really just likes to nap in luggage, like all cats do. It's 4"x4" with acrylic and ink on panel. Meow, meow, meow!
Did you ever hear that story about the cat that got accidentally closed into their owner's luggage and went on a wild adventure? It's pretty wild.
Dragonfly Key, Work-In-Progress
November 10th, 2009, Comments (24)
Today was a difficult one, and once again, making art was like therapy for me, helping me feel more grounded. Difficult days are no fun, but having Art Every Day Month to prompt me into doing art even when I'm having a tough day, has been a great lesson in how healing art-making can be.
I started out just playing with paint, laying down layers, drawing, covering things up, turning the paper this way and that. Most of the time I was working on it, it was horizontal, but at the very end, when I thought it was going nowhere and I'd just stop for the day, I turned it on its side and saw a figure. The dragonfly was already there, but it looked like the figure was using the dragonfly like a key. The dragonfly had appeared earlier and I'd almost covered it up because I thought it looked odd, this big dragonfly in the middle of a gold circle, but when the figure appeared, she knew just what do with the dragonfly. I love when things flow together like that.
I say this is a work in progress because it felt like it was time to stop for today, to let it breathe. I like that the figure is ghostly. I'm not sure if this piece will go any further or where it will go or if I'll just put a few finishing touches on it. But I know it was time to stop. (It can be tricky to know when to stop sometimes, but today I knew.) I need some time to reflect on it and sit with it. Do I want to keep the ruffled edge? Do I want a keyhole somewhere? Do I want to bring out the other dragonfly that's already there? Do I leave it alone? But there's no rush. I can let this sit and carry on with other art until I know what the next step is.
Itty Bitty Kitty Art: White Cat
November 8th, 2009, Comments (31)
I've been thinking of doing a series of "itty bitty kitty art" for so long, so I'm glad that Art Every Day Month has prompted me to give it a go! I've done small cat art before, but I'd like to do a whole bunch of them. Plus, I like saying "itty bitty kitty." Hehe.
This little white cat is acrylic and ink on a 4"x4" cradled board. Oh so cute. I needed something light today after the busy weekend of having house guests over night and hosting a baby shower. Phew! It's been busy. But I'm so glad I carved out this art time. It's amazing what we can do when we set our minds to it, isn't it?
And now to kick up my feet and relax a bit. I'm a tad behind on emails, but will return to them tomorrow.
Red Bear
November 6th, 2009, Comments (36)
red bear
Today was frustrating, not because of art, but because of other stuff. And I'm glad it's Art Every Day Month because it gave me a great excuse to get out some of my feelings in paint. I had no clue what I was going to work on when I started. I put some water on watercolor paper and then dropped black ink onto parts which made the ink spread out like dark stars or upset blowfish.
I let that dry, then went forward with red paints, squirting directly onto the paper, moving the paint with a brush and my fingers, then a touch of yellow, turquoise, and purple. Then I let it dry across the room, looking at it occasionally while I did other things. The first thing I saw in it was a bear face at the top. I tried looking for other things, but the bear was so clear, I had to paint it. It was an angry looking bear. I looked up images of bears running to get some inspiration and then I dove back in, adding legs and belly to the bear. And claws. The yellow around the black ink spots looked like dandelions, so I gave them stems.
Somewhere along the way, I noticed a figure in the bear, just a face and shoulders, sort of like a bust (see detail above.) I could have brought her out more, but I decided to let her stay there. I like how she resides right in the spot the heart would be.
While the difficult stuff is still there, I feel so much calmer in my body. And I'm grateful to the bear that showed up today to help me out, and to myself for showing up at the page.
