"CHERRIES THREE" ORIGINAL MIXED MEDIA PAINTING OF CHERRIES © SAUNDRA LANE GALLOWAY

"Cherries Three"

4x12" mixed media on gallery wrap canvas

click on the title to go to my website

A fun little pop of color for sure!  The cherries and branches are painted in oil with my cherry stamp peeking through in a place or two!  

I'm under the gun a little today to get a golf themed painting done for a show next week...suffice it to say it will be painted in acrylic...stay tuned to see what in heaven's name I come up with!!

HAPPY CREATING!

More process...and WHY.

 

Mt Evans from the top of our mountain...Thanksgiving Day...not a lot of strong sun...

Sometimes I have people ask me why I work in so many different media.  I used to be confused by this question, before I understood it myself...duh..! HA

My answer is that I have a drive inside me that is probably why I can't be satisfied just doing, but I need to teach as well...I am incredibly curious and driven to find as many ways to describe something that intrigues me as I feel the need to. My curiosity is GIANT! I am curious about life and why people do what they do, I'm curious about painting a mountain and describing a mountain in collage to see it in different ways (and each way is a new revelation!), I'm curious as to how people learn best and that drives me to find ways to reach everyone I come into contact with in a teaching situation. I am also appreciative. I appreciate everything God gave me to see, and I want to see it in as many ways as I feel a need to.  I want to be involved in seeing it in more ways than just with the eye.  I want to feel intuitive about it, I want to experience seeing it! If you think about it doesn't curiosity and appreciation and drive describe all of us in one way or another?

It is awesome when I meet someone who has found that "perfect" way for them to describe their appreciation for the beauty that inspires them to create!  There are a lot of you who have found THAT...and I follow so many and am inspired by YOU ALL! My friend a fellow artist Carol Nelson has found TWO very successful ways to express her creativity and she is very successful at BOTH...click on her name to see her website...

For me, the drive to show my reaction and appreciation to something that inspires me is strongly rooted in having the freedom to express it in various ways.  I don't know how long this will be this way...but I know that if someone tells me I must choose I feel frozen to choose.  For me, right now, it feels like I would if  I had to choose between my children...which is impossible!  I show my love to each of them in the way that is unique to them. I am adult enough to be aware that this drive poses a problem for me in the selling...ahhh sigh...I must seem confusing to some...and that is a hindrance...BUT I won't give up there either...There HAS to be a way.  People are different...perhaps I will appeal to different people with my different approaches...Perhaps...sigh again...

I go through phases...right now I LOVE my oils and I want to work in them all the time...except like yesterday when I went to teach and I was curious about how to describe Mt. Evans in collage.  This is how far I got yesterday.  The high school kids were SO self directed and I had so much time off between classes I was able to do a good amount....

I brought this Mt. Evans collage home and this morning I woke up and BAM...I was hit in the face with the fact that I had put the peak right smack dab in the middle of the panel! AAARRRGGGHHH!!  How many times have I done this when it was my every intention to NOT do it!!  But, no worries...the awesome thing that happens is my mind immediately goes to how I can offset this...with foreground trees on either side (which the photo has) that will make the piece a bit more asymmetrical...hmmmm.....AND, that isn't the only hurdle to overcome...the papers are awesome, but there is snow and shadow (not the best photo for painting)...and values that need to be shown a little more in contrast than the actual photo...hmmmmm....that is an interesting challenge. And, I'm working on the snowy areas...playing with process...as you can see in the detail pic.

I want to paint Mt. Evans in oil as well, but I will also work this to a conclusion.  I am CURIOUS as to how the two will live together within the framework that is me...always curious...sigh...smile...

HAPPY CREATING everyone!!  Now I'm off to work on this challenge I've made for myself.

Mountain Triptych Completed

Colorado Range Triptych (6"x18") collage on cradled panel

Left side...6x6

Center...

Right side...

Side View

I haven't decided on a name for this triptych of a Colorado mountain range yet, but I like the way it came out! The gold you see is gold leaf. The only painted area is the sky, the rest is a combination of papers. If you remember the inspiration for this came from the back of my bathroom door.....(sorry for the glare) I'm showing it here because I'm laughing at how it morphed from inspiration to completion. I STILL want to do a series of trees with the shapes you see...if you can see...but as this piece came together it spoke of a different life, so I gave it one!

I became intrigued at how there are so many layers to the view I have seen so often from my own windows I wanted to emphasize that fact...so perhaps my name should reflect that...hmmmm...giving it some thought!

Wild Blue Aspen

A fun problem to have...my husband named this one. I've done so many aspen paintings I get a little blinded when it comes to naming some. "Wild Blue Aspen" was completed today inspired by Aspen College and my tiny one called Night Aspen. I enjoyed the contrast of the white trunks against the dark blue background so wanted to do one in horizontal format. This collage is 8"x16" on wrap around 3/4" stretched canvas. YES you can do collage over stretched canvas! I don't do collage over a large canvas very often as it is chancy for keeping it stretched tight.

So happy to be so close to another thank you give-away...last I looked we only needed 4 more followers! Welcome to my newest!! Happy Painting!

In Process

This is another aspen piece in process. I loved doing my Aspen Collage with the dark blue so much I wanted to do another with similar colors. The challenge with doing so many tree paintings is keeping things fresh and having variety. I already have the unity in the subject matter! I keep waiting to be tired of the tree, but at this stage in my life I'm not sure that is going to happen. I'm happy!

The first stage was to tint the canvas and next came laying in my papers. I enjoy the unique shape left between the top and bottom papers. Since there is to be a good bit of detail in the trees themselves I left the papers whole instead of tearing them. With the horizontal layout it seemed best to keep the texture to a minimum.

The next step was to lay in trunks with my homemade aspen paper. That is fun in itself to cut the pieces and lay them as I want them. With that very step the possibilities are endless. FUN! I can't say I like one technique more than the other...painting vs. collage...I can only say the one I choose fits the mood of the day...so that is my stance on that...STILL! Arrrggghhh...alas...not the best for marketing...Sigh...But I'm happy in my work thus far...so that struggle is on going.

It was my plan to be finished today...but, with my hubby gone it was time for another small disaster that took some time to get worked out. Today's problem was...trash in garage; car in garage...door won't open! I had to wiggle through a window, and try to release the door opener...couldn't get it to work...wiggle back...get a neighbor, who told me my spring was broken...Call the owner...after much sweat and a bit of a back strain we got the door up and trash and car out...YEA!!...but that took a couple of hours...whew!

The good news is there is always tomorrow!! Happy Painting and welcome to my newest follower. We are only 4 followers away from our next give-away!

Pine Forest Completed

I finally finished my 4x4" contest give-away collage. "Pine Forest" is done like the others on fiberboard and is a combination acrylic and collage. When I do one of these I always feel like I am in a peaceful place. Good place to be especially lately! This painting will be added to the contest choices. Last time I looked we are only five followers away from the next give-away. For those of you who are new to my blog the contest is to thank my followers! When we reach 75 followers I will draw one name from you all and the winner will be given a chance to choose from the contest offerings on my sidebar! That is all there is to it! So, looking forward to getting to do it again soon!

Happy Painting!

Night Aspen

"Night Aspen" is another 4x4" contest give-away choice. Of course it isn't really night...but the dark blue against the white made me think of night. This is a small version of the 24x12" piece done earlier. This little piece is on a fiberboard with dovetail slots for hanging on back, or has its own little easel. As I love to do so often I have mixed acrylic with collage papers. The trunks are from my "special" handmade aspen trunk paper. When we reach 75 followers I will draw from the list and give the winner a choice from the contest choices on my sidebar.

We are still in the middle of the black mold saga. With the offending area cleaned up, removed and sheet rock replaced I am still waiting for testing in other areas of our basement as well as a new toilet to be installed. It feels a little like I have leprosy even though it is in the house. Seems funny to attach that feeling to my person! What all this HAS done is open up the most extensive cleaning jag I've ever been on! We found a leak in the old toilet, so I know it wasn't my housecleaning to blame, but it feels so icky here I just have this need to have it ALL totally clean now...including painting and even looking for new dining room chairs as ours are old and dirty! HA...so...am I going crazy? Don't think so...just waiting on contractors who never show up has left me feeling a bit helpless to get the problem handled as quickly as I would like...so I guess I'm doing what I CAN do...:) Anyone out there relate??

Collage Poppy

Collage Poppy is a 6x6" cradled panel that I've stained on the sides. I used colored papers with acrylic painting here and there. I like using transparent papers as you can build up shadows by overlapping. I am going to look at this again in the morning before I decide if I've finished all I wanted to do, but for now I'm happy with it.

I finally figured out what was wrong with my 4G laptop. It had begun to run very slowly like my old dinosaur laptop and I was very discouraged! All it took was to change from Internet Explorer to Firefox and here I am speeding along like I had hoped in the beginning! YEA! I had to share that as it has taken a HUGE part of my time away from painting and I'm sure all your artists out there can relate!

We are 10 days from the conclusion of the summer contest give-away, so if you have a minute to poke through past posts (say that 3 times in a row without slipping) for photos I have posted and try your hand at one of them!

I think I have another poppy in me before I move along to perhaps another ocean scene! What fun!

Aspen In Collage

"Aspen in Collage" was a couple of days in the making. As I have said before it takes a bit more when working in mixed media, but I LIKE IT! This piece is 24x8" gallery wrapped canvas

11/2" wide. As you can see I worked around the edges. I put this one in my Eye Candy section of my website, but I suspect it won't be long before these different sorts will be my norm...the fun of it is we shall see! I used handmade papers and bought papers and laid in the leaves a bit at a time leaving a darker area at the bottom. The grass is paper and the background is a painted ground of blues, purples and browns. I left the background free of detail so as to make the trees pop against its background. I wanted several layers of papers for "leaves" so as to build up a bit of texture and give the feeling of a bit of depth within.

Trees, as many of you know, hold a special place in my heart. I was raised in these Colorado mountains. As long as I can remember I used to tromp about the woods and was never tired of looking, really looking at these wonderful living statues that I believe God gave us as a present! The tree is a lot like people to me. In that I mean they are all different, yet the same. Each one has different scars and surfaces, but they are all trees. The ones with the most scars are the strongest, they have lived through many storms and natural dissasters. Our scars don't always show like the trees, but the strongest of us continue to survive and grow. And, we are all beautiful and are all wonderful presents from God. I don't seem to be able to paint them all the same. I see a different sort of beauty in every media I use to honor these beautiful presents we have to look at and feel cool under!

So, this is my latest offering. You can find it on my website.

I want to welcome my newest followers. Tomorrow I will remind us all of our summer contest, so the newest of you still have a chance to enter.

"SPRING" is back

"Spring" is my newest addition to my collage pieces. Did we have a spring in Colorado this year?? Ok...I guess the spring I remember is what we will lovingly call from now on...the rainy season! 10+ days in a ROW with tornados! Ahhh Spring in the Rockies. (this year anyway) What makes this collage different is the addition of paper cast leaves. I've been wanting to do something different with my paper casts for awhile, so this came from that desire. "Spring" is a 12"x6" cradled panel that is 3/4" deep. I've stained the sides of this one as well, but I think it would look great with a floater frame! I think I will seal with with a gloss medium to protect the leaves and give a bit of a contemporary look. This collage is available on my website.

My friend Jane Hunt is the latest to accept my painting challenge contest. Her interpretation of the past photograph I posted is so wonderful. She has named it "Lone Pine with Mountains" I love the way she added her own spin with the addition of the mountains! Beautiful work Jane! Her name has been added to the list for the 4x4 give away contest that will end on July 19. For anyone who wishes to join in all you have to do is paint from one of my posted photos and send it to my e-mail. Oh, and be a follower...:) art4life44@hotmail.com

Welsome to my 2 newest followers! It's always great to have you stop by when you have an extra minute!

PHOTO for you and IN PROCESS

Today is a yipee day for me!! YIPEE!! Today I'm meeting my computer expert friend and we are ordering me a NEW COMPUTER!! Months of fighting this old dinosaur and I'm ready!! So, off I go...BUT before I do I wanted to give you all another reference photo for our latest contest. We live in a neighborhood called "Lone Pine Estates". It is funny to me that most of our neighborhood is full of pines all together...so, in my mind this one LONE PINE must be the one that inspired the name for our area. It is the ONLY pineish tree standing alone anywhere I see...So, I took it with full intentions of painting it...but haven't yet...I thought of my friend Jane Hunt...and thought...what a perfect tree for her to paint. Anyway Jane, no pressure!! So, if anyone feels inspired by this one...have at it! Remember our contest goes until July 19...any photo I've posted of late (since right before my visit to my mom's) that tickles your fancy and you paint it AND you send it to my e-mail (art4life44@hotmail.com) AND if you are a follower or become a follower...I will choose from one of you. We have two in the list right now...so try it...You can sell your painting or whatever you wish...I just wanted to do a different sort of contest...:)

The other two are part and parcel of a new collage of, yes, you got it...trees...but a little different...I'm going to see how my little paper casts from the aspen mold I made will make it "specialer"...

ONION completed

"Onion" 6"x6" cradled 3/4" panel collage; $75 on my WEBSITE is my finished offering for the latest DSDF challenge. It was actually a plate of veggies, but I was drawn to the onion. I made paper using onion skin. If I'd had a large enough piece I might have put it on as is...but just had pieces so I made paper from it. What the photograph doesn't show is the texture it has. FUN!

Remember the latest contest...details are on the post below!

CONTEST PHOTO and DSDF ONION

The thing about working in mixed media...collage in particular is that there is more than just adding paint. There are often several steps involved in the process. The onion is a section of the picture from DSDF challenge website that I decided to focus on. Of course I just didn't paint it, NO, I had to make some paper with actual onion skins to add some texture and depth (hopefully) to this piece. So, while the paper is being dried I wanted to show the underpainting so you can see how it changes with the application of the collage elements. Even if it turns out to be a flop I'll show you...I think the exciting and dangerous thing about collage is one never knows for sure...:)

The photo I've added to the collection of other photos I've posted in the past 10 days or so is another reference photo for anyone who may so choose to take the challenge for the current give-away contest. These clouds were so pretty I just had to capture them. So, for you cloud lovers...do with it what you will!

Remember anyone who paints from any of the photographs I've posted these past days and sends me a photograph of your painting/collage...I will add to the list I will draw from and on July 19 will draw from names I have and will give an opportunity for that person to choose from the contest choices for the give-aways! The only catch is you must be a follower to enter. I so love to see what you all do with the photographs I post! What you do with your creation is totally up to you! Send any entries to my e-mail at art4life44@hotmail.com! Enjoy!

Trunks

I've loved trees and our mountains as long as I can remember. When I was old enough to go off on my own, I would tromp about these beautiful surroundings and would find aspen stands and just pause and feel the beauty go into me. The peaceful feelings and the inspiration came even before I began to paint what I was experiencing. I remember one particular time I went up and decided to camp right in the midst of them. I'm so glad I didn't know a bear or mountain lion could come along at any time and grab me up...since then, living in our house up in the trees I've had experiences with both!

"Trunks" is the latest in my ongoing series of aspen trees. It is the final version of the other in process pictures I've posted in recent days. This is a acrylic and collage using some handmade papers as well as a wonderful piece of paper I found that just screamed aspen leaves! I created this one on a 12x12" cradled panel that is 3/4" wide. I've stained the sides so it can be hung as is with a finished look or can also be framed. I love the versitility of the cradled pieces for this very reason.

This is similar to some others I've created as I feel there are so many different color combinations that exist I am on a quest to grab as many as I see at different times of the year. I try to vary the size and shape as I move through the seemingly endless color combinations, so there is variety as well as unity in the aspen series.

A lot of layers went into this piece. I layed in color with paint and then papers were added. I sanded some areas to give a weathered appearance in the background as well as a bit of depth with darker colors showing from underneath. I have to say these are a joy to create and I never know just what the end result will be! For purchase information please click to my WEBSITE.

I am so happy to say we are only one away from the goal of 50 followers! The very next person is going to receive a canvas business card holder just for getting us to that goal! This person will be able to choose from the card holders after my chosen follower chooses what they want from all the contest choices. As soon as we hit 50 I will contact the winner of the random drawing and they will choose and then I will happily contact #50 and let them choose which card holder they wish! I really enjoy saying thank you to my followers just for tuning in! Remember my sidebar location for the contest choices is a bit wonky so I posted everything in the June 9 post, so just scroll down and you can see them all!

Happy painting!

Poppies and Rocks

"Poppy Duo"

"Paper Poppies"

"Crock Poppies"

"Poppy Trio"

My last day with my parents and I'm still snooping! We are off to the airport in a few hours, so I wanted to share a series I did for my parents of poppies. They were completed during a span of a year if I remember correctly. "Poppy Duo" is acrylic on canvas, Next we have my version of collage on a board "Paper Poppies", third down is what I call "Crock Poppies" on stretched canvas and coming last is the "Poppy Trio", also on stretched canvas. Ha, it's 5 a.m.ish and I'm cracking myself up naming these. Gotta say "Crock Poppies" is making me laugh the hardest! Now I'm in the mood to do poppies when I get home...Yipee...Some of the photos have a bit of glare. That is due to the fact that these paintings were sealed. I usually photograph my work before it has that shiny coat on it. This photo for sharing is of some mountain rocks with what I call a trickle stream running down. Last year when my hubby (who I miss like crazy) and I went on a little mini vacationfor a couple of days. Our goal was to do it on one tank of gas, so we made the loop from home to the Royal Gorge and back. This picture was taken somewhere along that loop! The stream running down from them pooled at the bottom and we took our shoes off and played in the water. I remember the bottom was pure sand. It was AWESOME!

I KNOW the values are pretty similar...that will be the challenge for any of you who may choose to take this one and run with it! E-mail me your finished pieces and I PROMISE I'll try to get them posted as soon as I get them! art4life44@hotmail.com

I can't wait to get home to start painting again. But, I have to admit I'm a bit sad to leave my parents...Oh the dilemas!! I have enjoyed seeing artwork from the ones who did it off of my photos...I think I will continue doing that from time to time. I highly recommend it. Something sort of exciting and, I don't know...heady about seeing your photo from someone else's view!

Have an awesome day!

In the Middle and another pic for you

My aspen collage is coming along. After much more collage in the background and some overpainting and the addition of some paper tree trunks I am now set up for the final painting and touch up. It has been raining here AGAIN, so the light is wonky...but we take what we get with the light source these days! This is a 12"x12" cradled piece that I applied gesso over and then began the process. There are so many layers I decided to let this one stand on it's own. For a triptych I will need to apply the background surface all at the same time otherwise it seems just like three separate works side by side. I had no idea when I started this one that I would put so many layers into it.

The picture I am offering you today is for those abstract lovers out there. It is a pic I took at the local aquarium one day. If it appeals to you, have fun with it. If anyone decides to jump on this one, send me what you've done and I'll gladly post it. Just make sure your picture is clear so it will show up nicely. Send any artwork from this to my e-mail at art4life44@hotmail.com

In Process and Something for YOU

The last couple of days have been busy ones at the Galloway house. It is flower time! We've been planting pots and getting our deck in shape for those wonderful summer days and nights in the mountains. I wish I had more hours in the day to get all things done, but alas...not to be. So, I haven't had more than a couple of minutes here or there to work on my art! I love working with my hubby to plant, but I ache to get back to my studio.

I usually have a couple of things going at once. I get bored easily (probably why I love teaching middle school kids cuz I'm so much like em!) so I like a lot going on all at once. The top piece is the beginning of another aspen collage. I found this wonderful paper with colors and shapes that remind me of leaves, so it is the paper that is down so far. The rest is under painting. When I taught my last workshop on collage my students laughed at me as sometimes what I first put down was completely covered over by the end. I like it that way...I like the spontaneous aspects of collage. So, who knows what will show by the end of this piece. I'm considering making it a triptych, but I only have just so much of the aspen leaf looking paper, so we shall see...

The second piece is the beginnings of a beach scene I took while in Florida one year. It will also have papers in it, but for now you just see the beginning painting undercoat.

NOW, for the something for YOU. This is an idea I've wanted to follow through on for some time and I thought while I was at my moms next week I'd post a picture every day or so for you to take and paint in any way you might wish if you feel inspired by any photo's I put up. Of course we have the wonderful blog by Karen Jurick; Different Strokes From Different Folks and Dana Marie's blog, Inspiration All Around Us as the examples for this, so the idea isn't NEW, but it is NEW to me and this blog. The two bottom photos are for you to take and do with what you will if you feel so inclined. The only thing I ask is if you do something with them send me your finished work and I will only be so thrilled to post them! My e-mail address is: art4life44@hotmail.com . Make sure your images are clear so they will look their best. Have fun!

Hawaii...Finished

I decided that the collage elements I added to "Hawaii" made me happier. I had first planned on feathering out the palm leaves either by cutting or painting over, but after I laid down the papers I rather liked the simple lines. They go with the simplicity of the mountains. The foreground I changed to just foliage with some papers. The texture is nice to bring what I wanted to become the secondary focus next to the trees. I really think this is more eye candy, but I'm leaving it at home until I do several more and will let my son choose his favorite.

I'm taking the weekend to play with my husband, to make paper and finish another mold for my next paper cast so I will be on a mini "vacation" from blogging, but will be back after the holiday with a lot of energy and some new work to show. I will, however take moments here and there to check in with all those I follow to see what's up in your world! Can't stay away from the computer totally!

Happy Memorial Day to you all!

Summer Stand

"Summer Stand" is a 6"x12"x3/4" cradled acrylic collage using my handmade papers. To stand amongst the trees with them so thick all around is one of the most peaceful things I can imagine! The colors seem so much illuminated! This is my lighter, brighter version of "Aspen in Blue and Green" done a bit before...It is so much fun to play around with atmosphere!

Welcome to follower #40! This means we are only 10 away from our next give-away!

You can find purchase information on "Summer Stand" on my WEBSITE.

Madison Avenue

"Madison Avenue" (9"x5 7/8"x1/4") canvas on panel acrylic collage) is my contribution to Karin Jurick's Different Strokes from Different Folks blog painting challenge. I do not usually do so much linear perspective, (I love those organically shaped trees!) but it was a challenge and I'm glad I did it. I enjoyed using different papers and mixing it with my acrylics. I found it somewhat restrictive and freeing at the same time. I left some lines, and I applied the papers to the two front cabs in a somewhat haphazard"ish" way. I didn't want any other vehicles to come in sharply, so applied the paint very loosely to those in the middleground.

So, here we go again...it looks like we are only 14 away from the next give-away 4x4 painting or collage. You can see the choices on my sidebar; a new one has already been added! As I said yesterday I am also bringing a new item into the mix. They are canvas card holders...painted and stamped...each one will be totally unique...those are coming very soon, so be watching! I have also decided; since I have several who "follow" by blog by e-mail but either haven't been able to figure out how to sign up as a follower if they don't have a blog, or have chosen this method to include their names as followers and therefore will be added in the drawing. SO, if you are in that category, please e-mail me your name and I will add it to the mix! This means we may hit the number 50 even faster than you may see...I will keep you posted!

"Madison Ave. is available for purchase on my WEBSITE.