Lemons and Blue Glass

Finished! This one will be in our Studio Exhibit coming up in November.

"Lemons and Blue Glass" 12 x 18 pastel on Wallis paper

(You can click on the picture to see a close up of the strokes)

Pastel Class Setup

Thought you might like to see my setup in class. The group rents a space in an office bldg and it is petitioned into smaller spaces with black drapes. We have a small kitchen and a bathroom along with space to store still life items. I took in my taboret that I was using at home and it's a great place to put my art supplies. It also works to put my pastels on as I'm working. Cool still life stands are available to each of us.

The group is planning an exhibit in November to run through mid January.

I finished this piece tonight and will photograph it tomorrow. I"ll be having it framed and will be part of the exhibit.

Note my Starbucks coffee made it into the picture!

Newest Fiber Art ACEO

"Bubbles" 2.5" x 3.5" Fiber Art ACEO

August has been such a busy month, five birthdays (including mine), two wedding anniversaries (including ours), and just general ramping up after taking a week off for the CPSA Convention in Atlanta.

My sewing room/art area was being considered for an episode on A&E's "Hoarders" until this last weekend when my sweet hubby goaded me into cleaning. I hate cleaning but it always gives me such energy. Enough so that I could finish "Bubbles".

The other great news is I am returning to pastel class on Thursday nights, and will be able to paint in my new space anytime I want. So I hope to be able to work more on pastels and get back into the swing of entering exhibits, and more blog posts.

Thanks to you all for following along on my artistic journey!

ACEO Fall Art Show

Ah, the first of September!

To celebrate the coming fall, our 1000Markets.com ACEO Market has put together it's first Art Show.

I have two pieces in the show, "Autumn Leaves" and "Copper and Jade".

Enjoy the show, and read the blog post about how one artist displays her ACEO's.

Fiber Art Demo

Last Saturday we had our final Breakfast Demo for the year. A wonderful continental breakfast was served at 9am. We ate, talked, laughed and got creative, and finished up by 10am.


Kathy's Introduction of Me and My Starbucks!

I presented the topic of the demonstration which was painting on fiber with Neocolor II Watersoluble Crayons, Inktense pencils and acrylic paint. I brought some examples of finished fiber art in different sizes, and we had a good discussion about ATC (Artist Trading Cards), ACEO's (Artist Cards Editions and Originals), miniatures (general guideline is 1:6 scale), Inchies (1 sq in), and Plus Size Inchies (1.5 - 2 sq in).


Using My W/C Brush to Add Water to the Neocolor II's

The demo included painting on cotton fabric and quilt batting, sandwiching the fabric with a stabilizer, embellishing with beads and yarn, and finishing the pieces into fiber art.

Thanks to Kate Cissell for taking photos at the Breakfast Demo!


Finished Fiber Art "Thru Emma's Eyes" 3.5 x 2.5" (ACEO sized)

For other examples of my finished fiber art work, visit my 1000Markets.com store,
Littleton Studio.

Artist's Reception for CPSA 17th Annual Intl Exhibit

Wow! What a week. I left the hotel at 4:30am this morning, flight left at 6:30 and arrived at my house at 9:30am. So glad to be home, to be able to decompress and spend some time with my hubby. He was such a sport to hold down the house while I was gone.

Thought I would share some pictures from the artist's reception yesterday afternoon.

Entrance to Jacqueline C. Hudgens Center for the Arts, Duluth, Georgia

Going into the main gallery

Artwork in the main gallery

It was a beautiful venue, and the Gallery Manager said it was the best show they have hosted at the gallery.

The Artist's Reception yesterday from 3pm-5pm

Across the street driveway from the gallery

This particular shot is our Ways and Means Director, Melissa Miller Nece, and our Corporate Image Director, Barbara Gleason, at our private showing on Tuesday night before the Board and District Chapter Forum dinner.

Now that I am home I need to start on my colored pencil/mixed media piece for the ET!6 Exhibit. Propectus should be available at the CPSA website on September 1. I also need to start on my 100% colored pencil piece for the Mar 31, 2010 deadline for the 18th Annual International Exhibit in Silicon Valley next summer.

Tuesday in Georgia

Meetings all day today...who knew there was so much business to discuss around a colored pencil.

At 4:15 we all piled into our assigned cars and took off for a private showing at the gallery, Jacqueline Hutchens Art Center in Duluth, GA. The show is amazing. My artist friend, Dorothy, is representing the Denver District Chapter at the President's Forum. We just stood in awe at being selected to hang in the exhibit.

After a tour through the exhibit we had dinner at the Loafing Leprechaun....I kid you not, that was the name of the restaurant. The name was more entertaining than the food, but it was good company! Sat at a table with Toni from AZ, Beth from AR, and CJ from WA.

Tomorrow is the second day of Board meeting and then the horde starts to arrive with the Hospitality Suite opening tomorrow afternoon. Always love Wed nite when you see old friends and the bidding starts on the Silent Auction! Great fun.

CPSA Convention

I'm in beautiful Duluth, GA (north and east of downtown) at the Marriott for the Colored Pencil Society of America Convention and Exhibit.

I'll be in Board meetings Tuesday and Wednesday, then the actual convention begins...which is just a hoot.

I've got my flash card so I'll try to get some pics...

Returning home on August 2nd. Wish you all could be here!!

Update on Blue Glass & Lemons

Blue Glass & Lemons, Pastel on Wallis, 12" x 18" (unfinished)

You can click on the photo to see more detail.

I have been working on this piece in class, where the lighting and setup are consistent. This project has been about training my eye to see in real life...not from a photo. So much more difficult than it sounds. Some of you know...move your head an inch...and the reflections change.
The painting can be classified as a "study" rather than a "finished painting", althought it will be finished at some point.

Also learning to edit what I see...I don't need to record everything...see it and decide if I need it.

The majority of my work for the last couple of classes has been on the blue glass and it's relationship to the clear glass cruet...as well as every other color, object, edge in the still life.
It's like balancing and spinning plates!

You may think my lemons look pasty and white...they are. Once I get all the glass done, the lemons will be the last thing I work on...especially the two on the right.

Been reading David Leffel's exerpt from his new Self-Portraits book found in the July/Aug 2009 issue of American Artist Magazine. It's an excellent article, a lot of info about edges..my main focus of study right now....as if you can study just one area...not!

Thru Emma's Eyes

Moon Flower ACEO Sized 2.5" x 3.5" Hand Beaded and Embroidered

Thru Emma's Eyes ACEO Sized 2.5" x 3.5" Hand Beaded and Embroidered

Two new ACEO's that were inspired by my newest little granddaughter, Emma, who is 4 mos old. Her little face just lights up when she sees you and this last Friday I started teaching her to howl...so we can howl at the moon when she's a little older. She really was trying!!

In Emma's world everything is clear, bright, colorful, full of contrast...she hasn't learned to filter out so much of the noise we live with on a day to day basis.

I'm working on a new one, also with a moon in it...maybe I need to howl at the moon?