Before and After

 

A DAY TO CREATE!

Today was a cloudy day and I needed a little change of pace from painting...clear out those painting cobwebs so as to give me a fresh eye!  So, I pulled out an old yellow sweater that had nothing much going for it... I wanted to add some color and change it somehow from the old lady sweater to something a little different...so I threw in some color in the form of an old Daffy Duck tie I LOVE, but that I just had for just such an occasion!

I began by taking off the boring non color buttons and adding black buttons...Then I cut a flower from several pieces of Daffy (sorry little duck) and added a bit of netting and loose stitching and a button.  I stitched around the neck, sleeves and front and bottom with three randomish rows of black stitching...added the flower and then decided to tuck it in a bit by adding buttons on the front sides.....and one on the back for good measure...

After a few hours I came up with this end result...

Yellow Sweater Remake on a cloudy Saturday afternoon!  

In case anyone out there was wondering...I haven't forgotten that I PROMISED to put some paper casts in my ETSY shop...I HAVEN'T forgotten!!  What happened was THIS...I ran out of cotton linters...which is the stuff you make them out of...so I had to order more...(as there is NO STORE ANYWHERE IN TOWN that carries it!!)  My package of linters FINALLY came today...BUT, I did have enough to make some thin leaves and hearts that would be appropriate for cards and/or scrap booking and/or wax collage or regular collage...:)...So, I was thinkin I might make two separate thicknesses...in case they were to be used for different things...:) Just wanted you to know I haven't been idle!!...I've spent my time exploring the BEST way to ship these delicate items so they would be safe and think I've come up with the safest way...now to make sure it is the MOST cost effective! HA...did anyone out there think it was as easy as makin stuff and mailin it?? HA...I did...but not anymore!! :)

I'm leaving you with this...DARE to IMAGINE that you can...and you WILL!!

HAPPY SATURDAY CREATING!!

"Aspen Hills"

 

"Aspen Hills"

4x4" oil on panel

After letting this little one dry a couple of days I was able to go back in and put some more detail.  I'm getting the hang of this...sort of! HA. 

Tomorrow I will finish awarding my Sunshine blogger awards as today I'm off to volunteer at the school I will be teaching at the rest of the year...so, there were literally just moments to work on this little one.  When I come home I'll decide if it is finished!

HAPPY CREATING!!

ETSY and more!

 

Notice the canvas beads! A fun extra to add!

Today I am preparing some items for my ETSY store which takes time to photograph and measure and, and, and...My newest item is a necklace made from all different sorts of beads INCLUDING the rolled canvas beads made in my workshop last weekend.  I'm also finishing up adding the mini's.  If you have time HOP ON OVER TO MY ETSY SHOP TO SEE THE NEWEST ITEMS BY CLICKING HERE!

I'm in day three of honoring chosen artists with the sunshine blogger award.  As a reminder the rules are:
Put the logo on your blog or within your post.
Pass the award onto 12 bloggers.
Link the nominees within your post.
Let the nominees know they received this award.
Link to the person from whom you received this award.


Today's first award goes to Diane Hoeptner.  Diane's floral work is exquisite.  You have to hop over to see what she does with flowers!


Cathleen Rehfeld's "A Painting a Day" is another artist that I totally admire!  Especially since I've so recently renewed my love of oils.  Her still life work is something you don't want to miss!!


Lastly for today is another oil painter I admire; Nancy Elstad's Art Happenings.  Just love her strokes!!


It's SNOWING again...yeeessshhh!  But pretty...Close your eyes...are you imagining WHITE?  Then, there is your mental visual as to what I am seeing...tee hee!  Tomorrow off to help in the classroom of the teacher I'm long term subbing for...but hopefully I will have time to paint when I get home...hmmm wonder what I'll do..FUN!


HAPPY CREATING!!

Never too old for stuffed animals!!

 

"Bearly There"

4x4" oil on baswood panel

I am one of those people that have worked HARD to find ways to still have stuffed animals in my life!  Since I now have a husband to sleep with I have relegated my stuffed babies to the bed in our guest room, in baskets in my closet, and some close by...like my son's Burt and Ernie, and my daughter's first Pooh Bear (gotta paint those guys soon!!)...This little white bear was just looking at me and smiling today, so I grabbed him and he posed for me...I felt a little whimsical today, and I only had a few minutes, so he just felt like peeking around the corner, thus "Bearly There" came out today!  This is one of our little (but powerful, as stuffed ones are!) 4x4" oil is on baswood panel.  HE will be one of our contest choices and will also be available for sale in my ETSY shop when he is dry...


I want to continue to pass along the Sunshine Blogger Award I received from Dean at Deano's Den.

Just a quick reminder of the rules:

The rules for accepting the award are:
Put the logo on your blog or within your post.
Pass the award onto 12 bloggers.
Link the nominees within your post.
Let the nominees know they received this award.
Link to the person from whom you received this award.

If you haven't visited Nancy Merkle's blog titled Painting Small Impressions you are in for a treat!  Nancy paints a good number of still life but also ventures into wildlife as well as other things.  She works largely in oils.  Stop over and visit Nancy today if you get a minute, you'll leave with a smile!

Jean Lurssen's blog; The Watercolorist is also a wonderful blog that details her life in California as well as when she lived in England and Africa to name a couple of other places.  Her watercolors are a wonderful escape into the places that she details!

ME Chamberlain's Daily Paintings just excited me from the beginning!  Mary paints buildings and structures largely and I find her compositions to be wonderful.  What she does with shadow and structure is FUN.  You've  got to visit Mary's blog to see what I am talking about!

I hope everyone wakes up today feeling creative, and if you didn't I hope you feel a little more like it after visiting with one of my "babies"!

HAPPY CREATING!!

"Poppy and Bud" completed, some GREAT advice, and ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS!

 

"Poppy and Bud"

6 1/2" x 8" oil on gesso board

(will be available on my website when it dries!)

After taking all the wonderful critique comments from you all to heart I made a few tweaks to my oil poppy and decided to call it finished...lessons learned, but definitely MORE to learn, or re-learn about oils...but I'm having FUN!  Thank you again to everyone who critiqued this, who gave me suggestions; they all helped...in fact I've made a list of all the suggestions that were made that I NOW keep by my easel.  I thought I would share this list for anyone out there who may be picking the oils back up again and need some reminders, or for those beginners out there!  The teacher in me just couldn't resist!!
1.  pay attention to the highlights and shadows
2.  sketch the piece and then block in areas of color first
3.  watch for great natural blends...let the oils do their own thing!
4.  try to keep the edges soft until toward the end...then apply the paint in thick strokes at the focal point.  Also that is where you use the highest chroma and value contrast.
5.  timing, process, persistence, and using an alkyd white (faster drying) helps me.
6.  sketch what you want to do on the canvas first, then put the background in first, that way you can be cleaner with the edges of the focus whether you want it hard or soft.  Try to put the darks in first then come back with lights.
7.  when working with acrylics one paints the layers...the same CAN be done with oils but you have to let the painting dry first...like for a week...before you can move on to the next layer...or paint with oils like you would a paint by number...just think flat and paint in all your surfaces...less strokes the better, otherwise mud is all you get!

Isnt' this a great list of advice!!  I hope it helps anyone else out there who is fiddling with oils again, or who may have just started!!

Before I go further, I want to present to you a few wonderfully sunny creative blogs out there that I have passed along my sunshine blogger award to!  I thought to do a few a day so hopefully you could take a few minutes to visit these creative souls!!  Remember the rules...acknowledge the receipt from the one who gave it...pass it along to 12 others...let them know it is theirs...link to them, and link to the giver...that is all there is to it!!

Nicole Smith has a blog called a bunny a day.  Please take a minute to visit her blog and see her wonderfully happy creations!  I love stuffed things, and if you do too...click on over!!

Dana Marie's blog is always full of fun and fanciful work!  Dana has several ventures which I think are quite an asset to the blogging and art world.  If you haven't checked out Inspiration all Around Us or seen her posts on facebook you've missed a lot!  She has also started another challenge blog called Judging a Book by it's Cover, but it is on hold a bit...click over to see how we can get it going if you are looking for something FUN!

Elizabeth W. Seaver Fine Art is another artist blog that I absolutely adore!  Elizabeth's acrylic and collage work is quite fascinating to see.  If you haven't watched her works come to life you are in for a treat!  One of my favorites!

Now to the little 4x4 piece I started yesterday.  I can see I should have had the list of suggestions with me BEFORE I started!  Things I should have been aware of...sketching first...laying in blocks of flat color, keeping edges undefined so I could pull it all together in the end...ALL good advice!  So, what did I do??  I just started with a very simple sketch...layed in color like I do when I am painting with acrylics...thus MUD happened, and I couldn't get my highlights like I wanted...SO, becuase I DID NOT take advice cuz I didn't have my list made yet...I will wait for it to dry before I finish it.  What was the advice...about a week...then I'll post it again, hopefully finished!  STILL LEARNING!  Thank you all again!  FUN STUFF!!

Busy days...SNOWY days...AWARD...

 

Sunshine Award...Thanks DEAN with Deano's Gallery

I am the happy receipient of the sunshine award again thanks to my blogger friend Dean!  I SO appreciate this award, and in coming days hope to pass it along!!  Stay tuned!!

The weekend was a busy time...my first Hobby Lobby jewelry workshop, SNOW and all that goes with it.  The cold weather kept a few of my students from our workshop, but the two brave souls that came had a great time.  These two necklaces are what came out of it for them.  I'm always happy when my students learn something they can take home with them and then have a skill they didn't have before!  HAPPY TEACHER!!  One of my students really touched my heart as her life was a tough one, but she had come through on the other side and was going to use what she learned to make jewelry and sell to her friends and clients as a way to supplement her single mom's income to help her son!!  THAT is what life is about...helping each other any way we can!!  THAT is what made me going ahead with a class that was short in number so worth it! YEA LIFE!!

After class I came home in the snow...YES, I KNOW IT IS FEBRUARY...but really...I am tired a smidge of the cold...and YEP, we had MORE snow yesterday.  I did a bit of work in the studio, but sort of hit a wall so I suppose yesterday was recovery day...so the rest of these pics are what came to visit...SNOW...birds...deer...and finally some SUN! Come on SUN!!

Loved these little visitors yesterday...This baby has never been far from her mom up above!! 

GOTTA LOVE THE SUN!!

HAPPY CREATING EVERYONE!!  Now off to paint!!

AAARRRGGGHHH!!! All you oil painters out there...critique me!!

 

POPPY

6x8" oil on panel

OK all you oil painters out there...a little advice please!  Thought I'd attempt a poppy in oil today cuz I'm SOOOO tired of snow...and, my brain is having a bit of a time translating from how I paint in acrylics to how I SHOULD paint in oils...SO...stroking is different...and I am a little frustrated...so any thoughts on how to best approach parts of this painting differently would be MUCH appreciated!  In acrylics I slap on the background and then begin to quickly slap on color for the flower...what I don't like is easy to adjust...in oils I find if I'm not careful I get mud...of course..After attempting this I realize...perhaps I should start in the middle and go out??...Or, do you do the background first and go in...hmmm....Hopefully you can see what I've done and give me some of your expertise!!  I NEED to paint again with my wonderful artist friend Carol Nelson, but I'm sure she is quite busy with her hubby these days, NOT TO MENTION her portraits she is doing two a day right now!!  SO...HELP!...:)

And, I went to the store and grabbed some pears and grapes for a little photo shoot...thought I'd share one of the pics...any of you out there who want to attempt it...have at it!!

HAPPY CREATING!!  and...thanks in advance from anyone who dares to pick this apart!!  I can take it!  REALLY!!

Green Barn Aspen

 

"Green Barn Aspen"

A few weeks ago I posted photos from an old camp of some aspen against the green walls of these buildings.  "Green Barn Aspen" came from that very cold and yet sunny morning.  I created this on one of my 12x12" cradled painting boards.  The paint is acrylic and the paper is of course the handmade paper I made and wrote about yesterday. 

I painted the shadows from the boards on the side of what I'm calling a barn, painted the covered over window mainly because this piece really needed a horizontal something and it fit the bill! 

Next came the tree placement which was loosely modeled after what was in the photo, and lastly as you know, came the painting of the aspen which is my favorite part!

The end result is very strong as the contrasts are so strong...The light is so poor here today as we are having a bit of a snowstorm, so I will be curious to see if the photograph will show differently in better light...When I get a photo that I feel accurately represents the piece I will be putting it in the collage section of my website...

Interesting thing I noticed yesterday along with a comment I almost deleted, but decided to leave as I, quite honestly didn't really understand it.  The comment came in conjunction with the loss of one of my followers...and I wonder if it was this person that commented that left.  I tried to follow the link of this person but it is in another language, and I didn't see much.  I'm bringing this up because I find it interesting that someone would find it necessary to say something that is not a constructive criticism of my work, but seemingly a rude remark aimed at me...and the way my blog reads??  Confusing...It caused me to feel the need to say, again, along with the words in my profile that this blog was created as a way to showcase my work, but about the processes that I go through to create work, and even further what inspires me in my life that causes me to even want to create anything.  It is me, a teacher, that likes to give information that might help someone somewhere that would benefit from some of the experiments, or failures or, or, or...I do not feel the need to hold information to myself...if I learn something I'm glad to share...If I photograph something anyone is welcome to create from it...Life is too short to hold back!  So, for those of you who get something out of something I post I am glad...

HAPPY CREATING!!

Making paper and other various assundries...

 

MY MESSY KITCHEN...LAB...FACTORY

Today is paper making day! YEA!!  It didn't start out that way, but as I began my next project (an aspen collage) I realized I was dangerously low on my special aspen paper I make...SOOOOO...off to the laboratory/factory...my kitchen! :)

I thought it would be a good idea to show you some of the steps that are involved in paper making.  It isn't a quick trip to the art supply store for sure...but very much pleasing however long the process.

I first blend up my paper I want to use.  Fill a tray with my mixture, dip my mold and deckle...sponge out the water...couch each piece lovingly...iron a bit to get more water out...and then couch and press under books (art books of course) and wait..."patiently" for them to dry flat so I can make trunks and start my collage...WHEW...there went a couple of hours (not counting overnight drying flat)!

There you have it...a quick tour...

I am working on a 12x12 hardboard that is cradled...I first covered my background with a orangy/red mixture and then slathered on the greenish color.  My inspiration was the very COLD day I spent photographing some aspen in front of a green building in my canyon.  I LOVED the way the aspen looked against this building...you may remember the pics I posted with the orange window and the door...well, anyhoo...It is begun...now off to wait for my paper to dry!!

In case you were wondering I haven't forgotten about putting some of my paper casts in my ETSY shop...just got the special screen in...so they will be coming soon!! For real!

HAPPY CREATING EVERYONE!!

 

PS...look closely...this little pinecone fell from the tree and froze to the back of my little bird on the birdfeeder...just a tickle for ya!!

"California Sunset #1"

 

 "California Sunset"

4x4" oil on fiberboard

My wonderful son sent me a photo from San Diego not too long ago of this beautiful sunset.  It came across to me with a brown tone, but I looked really carefully and found other colors.  I think I may do this again in different colors, but today I felt these.  More important than the sunset itself I love this because for a brief moment I could feel how my son must have felt standing by the ocean seeing this...and for a second I almost felt like I was standing next to him.  The fact that he sent me this means a lot...he thinks of me as an artist, and knew I would find the beauty in it like he must have the night he took it!  As you know I love my kids like crazy...and I'm so proud of them.  Today I am missing my son extra...I wanted to connect, so this was my way!  I love you my son!

Here's hoping you all can be touched by something today and will feel compelled to paint it!  Happy Creating!

A big ole bunch of Iris....

 

Happy Valentines Day for REAL everyone!!  This morning we woke up to SNOW (ok...it IS still winter) and I to a beautiful BIG bunch of purple iris!  I ABSOLUTELY LOVE purple iris...you know these slender, delicate ones...AWESOME!! Good husband!! :)  Don't you just love their little faces??  How cool that God made flowers that popped so wonderfully with opposite colors on the color wheel!  An Artist's dream! 

 

Yesterday was my demo for the upcoming jewelry class...FUNNY!  I've done demo's at Hobby Lobby in years past...I laughed at all the people that came up to me and asked me where things were!! HA!  Several showed interest in upcoming class offerings...and I made a necklace and almost finished another...Good day!

I also had time to visit a new gallery of a friend of mine...the Aar River Gallery in old town Westminster here in Colorado...I'm happy to say Becky is doing great!  Beautiful gallery, beautiful work!  Becky asked me if I would be interested in teaching a series of workshops at the gallery this summer...OF COURSE I WILL!! FUN!!

HAPPY CREATING everyone...HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY a little early!

 

"Pink Passion" © Saundra Lane Galloway Fine Art

4x4" wax collage

What better way to say HAPPY VALENTINES DAY than with a heart!  This is one of our contest give-aways...4x4" fiberboard acrylic, paper cast, wax collage! YEA!  I will also be adding this little one to my ETSY shop in the next day or so.  

The day started out awesome until I messed up the little heart I had already for this collage and had to make a new batch...And, a watch cast does NOT dry!!  But I FINALLY got it fixed and added a little bead bling to the top left and a little PASSION just off center and with the acrylic background with a bit of stamping and such and here she is..."Pink Passion" is ready just in time for the holiday...

Speaking of my paper cast wax collages...I was ordering supplies for my casting and saw on the Arnold Grummer website a little Valentine contest, so I entered "The Heart Wants" and was pleasantly surprised that they loved it and want me to write a lesson plan for their site and possibly the Dick Blick, and other art catalogs!!  AWESOME!!

FUN TIMES!!  HAPPY CREATING AND, again, HAPPY VALENTINES DAY a little early...:) 

Mt. Evans through Aspen COMPLETED

 "Mt. Evans through Aspen"

8x10" 1 1/2" gallery wrap  canvas

OIL

This was a great experience...messing up and having to wipe it off, re-doing some...and then WHEN it was dry...THEN adding the aspen.  I suppose I am a bit obvious that I LOVE aspen...so this seemed a great marriage!  I am still getting used to oils again (it's been almost 25 years!), so I was concentrating on fixing my mess more than going wild with the strokes...or a little wild...but I'm gettin there...I find the end result pleasant...I love the aspen.  Perhaps next time I trek up the mountain to photograph Mt. Evans I will do it when there are a LOT of shadows...more sun...but, this is what we see most of the time...:)

The beads...yep...I made em...they are just sittin here til I do the demo on Saturday...and then I'll photograph them with their buddy beads all together!

HAPPY CREATING!!

Today's assignments

 

Mt. Evans in oil in process

8x10 1 1/2" gallery wrap canvas

My oil rendition of Mt. Evans is FINALLY dry enough to paint over, so I'm off and running.  If you look closely you can see the ASPEN trees I've lightly sketched on the painting for placement and I'm ready to begin adding them.  I could have added the pine trees like I did in the collage version, but with the muted colors in the mountain itself I felt it would make a nice impact and have great contrast with aspen trunks in front. This is what I love so much about being an artist...MY OWN INTERPRETATION!!  Years ago when I had just begun I might not have added things like this as I wasn't familiar with the subject matter, but since I've done my fair share of aspen paintings I feel comfortable interpreting this scene from my mind's eye...Hopefully it will turn out...stay tuned to see!

I've also begun to lay out what I'm going to make during my demo at Hobby Lobby this Saturday.  I'm making a necklace with pink...so I painted and stamped canvas in preparation of making canvas beads to go with the interesting beads I bought...FUN STUFF!!

HAPPY CREATING everyone!!

Getting ready for a workshop

This necklace is one piece I've made to get ready for a demonstration before my first Hobby Lobby workshop.  I find jewelry making a relaxing activity...one where my mind can be free to think about things like composition and what I want to paint next and all sorts of creative ventures!  My demo is Saturday with the first class/workshop being the next Saturday. 

It has been snowing steady here for the last few days...and it is C O L D!  I feel a bit trapped in the house when it is this kind of snow as I feel just too cold to go out!  But, today the sun rose... and life begins again!!  I wish I could really show what the snow looks like...You know that fake snow you can buy at the store??  Yep, it looks like that...but my pics just don't show it...But I was smiling at this pic of the two pines covered in it...reminded me of when we get our hair colored...only this is the white that we usually start with before we cover it up! HA

So, off I go to make some paper and canvas beads and hopefully venture out to get a Starbucks!  Here's hoping you all are a bit warmer than we are here in "sunny" Colorado!  We are at a balmy 4 degrees! Whew!