PPF - sleeping piece

Hi all at PPF! Here is another of the pieces Jimbo and I do - as usual, I draw the image with a woodburning tool, and he paints it. It is a collaborative process!

As can be seen, there are many shapes and drawings, as such the piece is hard to mount.

There's also a verse, though I forget exactly what the verse is at the moment. But this one also sold. In fact, this is a photo of it before it was carted away. THis one was actually one of my fave pieces - I really liked how the moon came out! I remember I was watching Twin Peaks on Netflix while I was drawing the moon. I'd never seen it before!

I want to thank everyone who went to visit my brother's silent auction last week! They were very excited about all the traffic they received. As well, they have raised a whopping $26,000!!

I myself got in on the action, by pledging for 3 pairs of toe socks and a lovely polymer clay rose brooch that apparently retails for $50, which I was able to get for $10.

Hope all have a great day!

Creative Tuesdays - Forest

Hi all at Creative Tuesday!

I live in a very wooded area, so I definitely appreciate the theme this week! Seems everywhere I go, there is a forest.

THis mini sketch was made at a friends' backyard - I was trying to write something in a journal, killing time, and found nothing to write! So I drew the trees instead. Funny when I think of how many weeks of my life went into writing long, rambling, self-involved journals, and now I can barely think of what to write when i feel like I might wish to! ha ha

Hope all have had a good August thus far!

SS - sketches from the past

Hi all at Sunday Sketches!

I haven't been back for awhile - partly because I havent' been doing a lot of freeform just-for-me sketching.

So I found this old sketchbook from 2009, from when I used to live in the Atlanta area - this was a day I was making a sign yard while drinking lots of stuff - or maybe it's that I never got around to taking stuff to the dishwasher LOL!

Also wanted to mention that today is the last day to bid on either a photo, or a wooden sculpture, for a silent auction my brother is hosting. They are seeking to raise funds to cover steep adoption fees for 2 Eastern European orphans. Many other things being auctioned as well - 100% of proceeds go to the cause. More info on their site or yesterday's post.

I'm really proud of what they're doing and if I can contribute to their success in any way I will be thrilled.

Hope all are having a great day!

PPF - sharing some wood pieces + silent auction announcement

Hey everybody at Paint Party Friday!! I haven't come to the party for a while, so I thought I'd stop by :D This is a brief example of some of the wood pieces that Jimbo and I make. The turnover is somewhat quick, so this one was briefly photoed before being whisked off by its new owner! We prefer it that way...

Also briefly wanted to share about a silent auction my brother and his wife have organized, expiring August 5th. They are raising $30,000 to adopt 2 orphans from Eastern Europe. This decision fills me with great pride, for I have always sustained that the value of the world will increase exponentially the more we take care of lonely, unloved children. I feel fortunate to know someone close who can do such a generous thing.

 Thus, I am happy to assist by donating 2 items to their silent auction. One is a print of a beautiful waterfall, the other is one of our many wooden sculptures. This is one of many products that we sell for $50 generally, but here it can be had for as little as $10! 100% of proceeds go to the adoption fees. Many other items being auctioned as well.

Auction live until August 5th!!

Please take a look if you're interested in acquiring some art for cheap + a good cause. In general, information on the adoption and other ways to become involved show up on the website, including a breakdown of the costs.

 Nice to see everyone again!

Creative Tuesdays - Ships

 Hi all at Creative Tuesdays!

This year has not been the year for blogging I'm afraid - but when I happened upon the CT blog after months, I noticed the theme - yay!!!!

If there's one thing I still have plenty of in the old sketch reservoirs, it's sketches of boats & ships of all sorts, from the huge painting project i FINALLY FINISHED sometime in June. People can look at it in the post below this one, in case it hasnt' been seen yet.

Another  issue for me has been being away from the house a lot and finding out that, unfortunately, not all my spiffy technology saves me while interacting with Blogger. Sigh...

In any event will y'all a great Tuesday and hope to see y'all soon! Happy summer.

PPF - Ocean painting - finally!!!

Hi everyone at Paint Party Friday!

As always so sorry to have been gone for so long  but I did want to share that finally I managed to finish the giant ocean painting I had been talking about for a full year!!! This is a picture of it.

I actually finished it like a month ago (or maybe it was only a week? hard to keep track!!) but for some reason once you lose the thread of blogging it's hard going back. In any event, here it is.

Some lovely painting people I have on FB and G+ may have already seen this, and the WIP process. The process was fun! I began weirdly not committing to technique, with some weird garish alizarin crimson and olive green in the ocean and somehow, using linseed oil, managed to turn it into an indirect painting, which is what I wanted from the getgo. The only real impasto parts are the waves/froth of the ocean and some in the details re. the castles and such. And it is a real place called Vina del Mar from Chile. A nice town to visit. Got to view lots of photos to reaquaint myself!

Here is a link of the WIP from a Facebook album for all so inclined - if you do stop by do say hello!

I'm happy to be back! I'm sorry to have less time for this nowadays but I will strive to visit as many as I can, and will always 100% guaranteed visit/comment back on everyone who here visits.

PFF - more boats!

Rio valdivia my version

Hi all at PPF! As they say, 'stop me if you've seen this one har har///'

I went through a many paintings painting phase a month or so ago and still have not shared them all with the lovely PPFers so, here it is!

This is modeled on a painting by a CHilean famous painter called Arturo Pacheco Altamirano. As you can see, the painting I did is basically an identical study of that one. Not sure why I felt the need to do it save I was looking for styles and I have ALWAYS loved his style most of all! It is so wonderful and speaks of long-lost landscapes.

I would def. say his was crisper and better, heaps better, but to be fair the one I did above is in a really small canvas and I sought to finish in record time - don't remember how long it took now, but less than 2 hours.

Rio valdivia Arturo Pacheco Altamirano

Hope everyone is having a great weekend! Fun to be back amongst the peoples again, even if only once in a blue moon. We are spending lots of time selling our wood relics, going to different fairs, etc. It takes a lot of time and energy but at least we sell something, LOL!

here is a facebook page of 'Marshall Arts', the pieces I make and sell with my husband Jim.

There today again! Wish me luck, all

(Connecting to Paint party Friday)

SS- Quick Sketch of Mountain Magnolia Inn

Hi all at Sunday Sketches!

On Saturday we are usually in the town of Hot Springs, NC, selling arts and crafts - we are in fact here today as well.

I like to go on walks around, and one of my favorite places is the Mountain Magnolia Inn.  Please visit this place!! Whether virtually only, or in person, it is definitely worth it!

Occasionally I like to sketch the Victorian mansion when I'm there, and Saturday was no exception. It was a quick sketch with ink on notebook - doesn't compare to the original building of course! Full of gables and balconies and all sorts of great things (photo taken with cell phone, hence poor quality). Am including the original so that folks can see below:

This image shows the opposite direction of where I was drawing.

Have a great day y'all!

Creative Tuesdays - Newborn

HI all at Creative Tuesday! It's good to be back after my generalized global blogging hiatus which, weirdly enough, coincided with my giving up coffee for all of Lent.

 Speaking of Lent (and the theme 'newborn'), I recently had a chance to see O Brother Where Art Thou for the 358th time and I recalled the great scene of the baptism happened and for some reason it completely reminded me of the theme 'newborn' - because, truly, for these religious occassions, one is said to be 'newly born'. I am really (I mean, really) not that religious at all but I have always been fascinated by the rituals, disciplines, and even beliefs that religious people have. I also lived in the deep SOuth for almost 10 years so this sort of thing is familiar to me.

 I actually really dig the concept of being 'born again'. Clean slate. Newly born. To have a chance to wash off all the slime, lies, trauma,distortions, prejudices, and general BS we all mentally/psychologically accumulate (no matter how 'good' we've been & no matter how 'functional' our families). What could be better! A concept not alone to charismatic Christian traditions, but Hindu/Buddhist notions of Karma/meditation have it as well - that you can wash your spirit clean.

Please excuse the ink pen & notebook paper - I was out all day selling arts but I did want to participate!
Hope all have a great week!

SS -

Hi all! For Sunday Sketches today, I'd like to share an oldie but goodie - I may have shared this with some people in the past but I don't remember plus, I would like everybody's honest opinion about this piece, because it sparked some controversy recently.

It is made with tempera and enviro tex on top.

So, if you care to participate, please let me know your impartial & sincere opinion! Some sample questions are:

1. Do you like this piece?

2. What feelings does it evoke?

3. Would you purchase this, for yourself or somebody else?

4. What opinion would you have of someone if you saw this hanging in their house?

Thanks for playing! and in any event have a great Sunday!

PPF - Canal Magdalena

Hi all at Paint party Friday! I am sharing a mini oil painting on Canal Magdalena, one of the many I worked on pre my big ocean painting. I really worked hard here to convey the true colours of the water and the somewhat stormy sky - or at least the mood, lacking that. It sure is hard catching the right tone, isn't it?

The place itself is a channel in the stormy cold South of Chile, near Puerto Williams and other such places. It was such a beautiful photo even though online I see nothing really about it, though apparently there's a rock band (from Chile) named after it! Who knew?

Have a great time!

ss - happy Easter!

happiness is coffee after 40 days without!

hello to all at Sunday Sketches and Happy Easter to all! I have taken a long blogging Sabbatical which coincided with the rather odd choice to take a 40 day coffee sabbatical -- I gave up coffee for Lent!!! Full disclosure: I grew up Catholic but am not particularly formally religious though I do love the doctrine & discipline which religious experiences grant. Hence, coffee.

 I've done this for the past 4 years - one year giving up cooked foods (IE going 'raw), the next year sweets, the year following cigarettes, and this year... coffee.

Weirdly, of all the things I've given up, coffee has been the worst! Re. foods, a lot in my diet is raw anyway, and re. sweets & smokes there;s always the sense that the stuff is no earthly good for you anyway (in fact, thanks to doing it last year I pretty much gave up cigaretes altogether!) But coffee, it just seemed so cruel and unusual and unesesary - and it really took its toll in weird ways, like losing all desire to blog.

Re the drawing for Sunday Sketches, this is one thing I did manage to accomplish - finish a drawing I had been owing people for ages now (LOL!!) still have to cut it up and mail it, though! It's the sort of drawing that coulda taken another 5 years to complete, so I finally decided to just give up the ghost & call it DONE.

Hope all are having a magnificent weekend!

PpF - Valparaiso

hi all at paint party friday! its good to be back. i took a global blogging sabbatical but now would like to get back with it. Generallywhen i get so overwhelmed that i lose the komentum or inclination to visit other bloggers, I take a break. then, when i get the desireto see what everyone else is up to, i log back in.

this piece is called Valparaiso which is the best place in the whole world. No exceptions. I would go onbut am postung from a keyboardless tablet which is kind of a pain ha ha! this painting is just a draft whichI may or may not improve Hope everybody is grear!

Creative Tuesdays - Voyage

Hi all at Creative Tuesday!

what better homage to Voyage than a wonderful ocean landscape sketch?

I am here continuing my studies for the large painting that it seems, at this time, will never actually be started, am having so much fun with the preliminaries!

This is a sketch I made of an oil painting by the British born painter THomas Somerscales who, by a weird twist of fate, spent virtually all of his career in little-known Chile, south America. As such, he is no doubt not nearly as famous as he probably deserves to be. Here is a wiki link in English, which says practically nothing. The Wiki entry in Spanish is more forthcoming.

The circumstance of Voyage is, of course, represented by the boats. As well, it is represented in the life of a British painter, through some random voyage, having come to inhabit and belong to as different a place as you can, if you're from England (probably). At least a handful of British artists and other sorts decided to migrate to Chile, though, so it can't have been that lonely.

original by Somerscales

Speaking of voyage, Chile is actually sort of rife with it. Heaps of people either coming and going - Chile has, bizarrely enough, the 3rd largest population of Croatians in the world - Chile also has a huge percentage of expat Greeks. Also a large collection of Palestinians, Armenians, Swiss, Italians, Hungarians, Russians, Spaniards, British, as well as any number of native Amerindians and travellers from other places. From the 1840s on, a large percentage of Germans went over, and this group has largely contributed to the cultural & ethnic genotype of what one might call Chilean society ever since. During WWII you get the curious phenomenom of Jews fleeing Hitler, and some 10 or 20 years later you get the phenomenom of ex Nazis fleeing a post Nurenberg Trial Europe. What a confused mishmash! I wonder if they all ever met in the streets of Valdivia and if so, what did they say to each other....

Same thing happened in Sweden and nearby countries. Elite CHileans fled the communist elected president Allende in 1970, and 3 years later, Allende's advocates fled when the wheels of history turned against them. What did a 'facho' anti Allende say to an Allende advocate whenever they happened to meet at the market somewhere in Östermalm?
Here, an art critic's rendition of Somerscales' contribution to ocean landscapes:

Nos instalan en alta mar. Ahí respiramos ráfagas de humedad salada, en tanto que consiguiéndose así el acorde cromático preciso con los azules intensos del abismo acuático. Están "Fuera de Valparaíso";"Homeward Bound", el gran lienzo del Congreso Nacional, etc. Para sus versiones de "El Estrecho de Magallanes" cambia la paleta: verdes y azulosos se contraponen a picachos nevados y a cielos henchidos de nubes lluviosas. Unos y otros rescates del mar nuestro, por supuesto, transmiten la circunstancia climática de latitudes diferentes.

a rough translation would be:

The best moments of Somerscales take us to the high seas. There we breathe bursts of salty moisture, insomuch as the winds blow up voluminous quantities of orange, managing thus the correct chromatic precision with the intense blues of the aquatic abyss. There are "Outside Valparaiso", "Homeward Bound", the great canvas at the National Congress, etc. For his version of "THe Strait of Magellan' he changes his pallete: greens and blues are counterpoint to snowy peaks and skies swollen with rain-soaked clouds. One or another rendition of our ocean, of course, transmit the climactic circumstance of different latitudes.
I really like Somerscales work in general, from what I've seen. Doesn't have quite the scope of Turner (but then, who does) but he does make some magnificent, dramatic seascapes.
Hope all y'all having a good one!

ppf - studies of oceans and waterways various

Hi all at PPF!

Here I am continuing on beachy themes, all which I have mostly developed already on charcoal. THe one here is a beach in the northern town of Iquique in Chile - an interesting place way up north, near Peru, and very near one of the dryest deserts in the world, the Atacama. It's oil on some crazy oil painting paper I got for Xmas which seems to work out OK though is somewhat drying.

This one is the oil painting rendition of a sketch I had already composed in charcoal, and which I had posted for Creative Tuesdays and can be seen - in terms of info on the piece and the town it represents - here. BTW, Creative Tuesdays is a greatly fun blogging co-op! Biweekly challenges/prompts are given and we are then prompted to channel all our ideas into a common theme. Visit here for more. The piece is done on oils on a gessoed wood panel, reministent of my last year's painting project.

Hope all are having a great weekend! Will strive to look at everyone by end of Sunday.

Sunday Sketches - Last Fiverr piece

Hi all at Sunday Sketches!!

This is the last installment on the Fiverr Sherlock Holmes story. As seen, an elderly woman on a bed is supposed to be lying on a bed sleeping while an empty bottle of wine lies at her side. The doctor and our spying friends look on, puzzled.

These were all completely done at the 'client's' behest and, as stated earlier, I do not know fully the whole story behind it all. All I DO know is that, after this, I am taking that gig down. It gets a bit too much to handle after a while!

I want to know if anyone had any New Year's Resolution? I don't know if I officially had one, but I have been becoming fitter, All really since Jan 13th vs Jan 1st - all just in time for that Saturn Venus transit as it turns out! Doing it by exercising once a day for a 1/2 hour, looking at Jillian Michaels videos on YouTube.  Ha ha, I never though I would resort to that but the weather does not allow for long walks. And it's been neat I mean, I had never managed to do real bloody push-ups in my life--- till right now!! Got to count for something..... have also given up most carbs, something which has been easy - except for right this second. For some reason. We'll see how it goes.....

Hope all are well!

Creative Tuesday - Lighthouse

Hi all at Creative Tuesdays! Nice to be back!

It's always hard for me to calibrate everything between one year and the next, which is why I'm so pleased that this week's theme is in alignment with my current project!

This is a sketch of Viña del Mar, one of the most famous and popular balnearios in Chile. It is home to a fairly popular international Latin American music festival we all like to make fun of, a casino, and a couple of castles and lighthouses.

Yes, I used to hang out a lot there back in the day, but if I remember correctly, all people ever did was gripe about how "all those Argentines" came up over the mountains to take over all the good stuff. Ungrateful beneficiaries of a tourist economy, I say! What would Walt Disney say!?!

Anyway below the tall tree is a place called Wolff Castle with its lighthouse which is some sort of museum, and somewhere beyond that is the aformentioned Casino where, it is said, ruined gamblers would on occasion take their lives by casting themselves into the surf.

Lately I like to listen to Magical Mystery Tour whenever working (for whatever reason) so I leave everyone with this great little Busby Berkeley inspired number:

have a great week y'all!

Sunday Sketches - Fiverr Holmes piece

Hello all at Sunday Sketches!

THis is another of the fiverr installment pieces - another piece for the Sherlock Holmes.

It's not exactly a collaboration - an author contacted me via the site fiverr to see if I would do these few illustrations for her book which I assume she's going to self-publish. I have been asked to do 5 in total, and this is the 3rd.

As can be seen here, the indefatigable friends are wandering through a cemetery, and see a mausoleum with the statue of a fellow with an outstretched arm on top.

While making this I had a chance to view a fun old movie by the Beatles - you can see the whole thing elsewhere but meanwhile, here's  a segment -

Hope all are having a great Sunday!

PPF - painting binge

Greetings PPFers!

I undertook the 4 above oil paintings within less than 48 hours. That's almost 3 times my painting level during my Epic Painting Project of last year!

They are all the ocean, as can be seen, very specifically, the same wave, as seen here (last image on page). What I was seeking was to see how the colours showed up, regarding choice. 

So the bottom one is made with only blues, the one above that adds greens, the one above that adds yellows to blues and greens, and the last one adds purple, oranges, yellow, greens and blues. This last one is probably the weakest - but that's why I do this now, so as not to get stuck with some ugly-ass thing when the time comes to do it for reals. (this is still referring to a painting commission I received almost 6 months ago... wow!)

hope all have a groovy day!

Sunday Sketches - Fiverr, Holmes playing Violin

Hi everyone at Sunday Sketches!!

This week I wanted to share one of my Fiverr pieces. Every once in a while the gig is dormant, but every once in a while I will still get them in.

These are apparently to go towards a book about Sherlock Holmes - have already done 2 and possibly will do more.

As can be seen, this scene shows a standard view of Sherlock playing the violin while his sidekick Watson reads a paper nearby.

Speaking of which, does anyone know the relationship or deal with Watson and Holmes? How did they get to be friends? What do they do aside from solve random mysteries? What's the back story there? I have never actually read any of the books - maybe I will someday.

have a great weekend!