Poppy Field

I never did like the paintings I did of Mt. Timpanogos for my sister, LaNell, so I never gave them to her.  I just finished this poppy field for her that I like much better.  I'll deliver it to her when I go to Utah next month to get Meredith from school and into the Missionary Training Center.  She's going on a mission to Norway!

An Exhibit in a Hurry

I was scheduled to exhibit for the LCAA in March, but I really did not have enough pieces ready.  So, I thought," I'll add photography."  I have been taking some pictures around town for a book project, so I digitally manipulated some of them, added pastels (so now they are multimedia pieces!), and put them with some paintings I had or have been working on, and I had an exhibit featuring Leavenworth.  It was too easy.

So Many New Things to Learn

I did another painting based on a photograph from the Hubble Telescope because I saw some that Mark Weber did and hoped that  he could teach me how to see it his way.  I learned so much about applying a ground, under-painting, applying paint thickly to the surface, and brush stokes.  I wish I had a picture of the gesso-ed ground, but here is the under painting and the finished work.

I Just Kept Doodling

I kept thinking of all the things that I could doodle on, and I ended up with a "collection" that I am going to put in the shop at Scrivners.  I have gift tags, cards, a bowl and I framed a couple of the original pieces. It was fun, and will be a little experiment in marketing.

I've Been Doodling

2013

This year started almost exactly as last year.  The kids left after Christmas--including Meredith who went back to school--I was was left wondering what to do with myself.  This time it is for real because Joseph and Megan--and Matthew--all have jobs that will keep them busy where they are, and Meredith will be going on a mission to Norway for 18 months as soon as the semester is over.  That means I cleaned out the basement, again, and organized my workspace so I could start all over again in the new year.

 I'm working on two very different paintings right now.  Neither of them is finished, but I'll post them in progress just to see what I've got going.

I'm working on the Pineapple Gate in Charleston, SC, for my class in Kansas City,

and I've started an abstract painting in a workshop that Lynette Hayes (from the local artists association) is offering.

Hopefully, I'll be able to post the finished works soon.

I've Been Painting. . .

But I've been working a bit more slowly as I learn to look more closely and paint more deliberately.  I've finished a couple of Charleston paintings.

Kiawah Marsh

Angel Oak

I've also been experimenting with drawing on plates.

And finally, I end the year with an art award from the LCAA Holiday Art Show (where I sold the space painting last year--at a loss)  I won the "Theme  Award" for my painting Freesia.  (The theme was "Joy.")

This painting had been hanging up in the Heritage Center for the month of November, and I was intending to pick it up to take home when I was there helping accept art for the show.  I found out that because I had gotten more than two sponsors for the show (I got three), I could enter one painting for free.  The easiest thing to do was to just enter this one.  And, voila, I'm an award-winning artist without even really trying.  There is a lesson in there somewhere.  It came with a $50.00 award, so this year, I came out ahead.