Atered Art

My friend Debbie, who is also an artist, saw this great idea on line; to make a “Halloween Box.” We found little shelf/cupboards at resale, and gathered everything that we needed for this project. This was one of the most enjoyable projects we've done together – Debbie is very creative. Here is the result of all our planning. This is the front, back, and inside of my Halloween Box.

Oil Paintings

I am fortunate that my husband and my son, Demian, take such
beautiful photographs, I often use them for my paintings.

Oil Paintings

Other times, an idea for a painting can come right out of your head.

Oil Paintings

Inspiration can come from anywhere, a picture in a magazine,
a photograph, or even a scene outside the car window.

Oil Paintings

Sometimes I struggle for an idea for a painting. Other times the ideas start lining up in my head. We had a quiet summer up north with no big projects, so I had a lot of time to paint.

I got in a nostalgic mood and painted these shoes and the tricycle - I love little shoes.

Oil Paintings

Two oil paintings I did in May. Every time I purchase a bunch of sun flowers I can’t resist painting them. The trees were inspired by a scene I passed on highway M-115 in northern Michigan, the trees were so thick that not an once of sunlight passed through. It was beautiful.

Altered Art

Old wooden wall décor- that I altered to look like a bird nest lined with steel wool.
I’m still working on the title but leaning toward There’s No Thriving in a Steel Wool Nest.
Different views of the same piece.

Altered Art

This is an altered drawer, I’m guessing it’s from a child’s cupboard. I placed coral that I found on the beach in Key West, FL. The legs are made from Scrabble racks.

Altered Art

This used to be an oatmeal box. I altered it, building all of these little niches around the box, 15 in all, filling them with natural things that I gathered on trips, at the beach and in the yard. These are different angles of the same box.

Altered Art

I can’t bear to waist paint, especially oil paint, it’s so expensive and what’s left on the pallet is disposed of into the environment. I am an avid recycler. So when there is paint left over on my pallet as well as my husbands, I paint something else – I must use up the paint. Here are a few items that I have painted with the extra paint. I really like the way the oil colors show up on the wood.

Watercolor

I love to paint when we vacation. You’re not tied to the phone. There’s nothing you have to do, or some place you have to be. You loose track of the time and date. It’s the perfect condition for painting.

Watercolor

We have been visiting Florida for about 30 years now. We love it. It’s a real get-away, a place where you can paint till your hearts content. Here are some of the paintings, mostly watercolor, some acrylics that I’ve done while on holiday in Florida. Many are “Florida” inspired, meaning the foliage, the flowers, the trees, etc...

Altered Art

Somerset Studio magazine is a publication dedicated to the art of paper and mixed media. I love this magazine, it’s all about handmade art. It inspires me to make creative and interesting pieces of altered/mixed media art and art dolls. I have been submitting pieces for about four years; I am pleased to say that I have been published in the May/June 2010 issue.

I submitted four pieces for the Impressionist theme. Two were selected, Van Gogh Loved Yellow and Light In a Tube.

Fence Post Sculpture

Had this four foot piece of fence post (the bottom half of the post I used for the Garden Angel, go back a few pages to see her), so I made this Uncle Sam Fence Post, with a little help from my friends. John Kownacki made the hat brim, the stand and the arms, he did an excellent job, John is a talented carpenter and designer. My Husband, Frank, made the nose, which really pumped up the “cute” factor. Very time consuming, lots of detail.

Oil Painting

Cute little 6”x6” oil painting. I call it Cabbage in the Pea Patch.

Oil Paintings

I continue my painting frenzy. I usually paint with acrylics, but love oils. I'm so messy that acrylics work better for me because of the clean-up. But with oils the blending is far superior. Here are a few more paintings that I just completed.

Oil Paintings

Oil Paintings

2010 started out in a painting frenzy for me. My granddaughters started coming over to do paintings for their bedrooms. Because I was helping them with composition, color, ideas, design, keeping the brushes clean; I wasn’t able to paint with them. This threw me into a mania to paint, and the paintings poured out like water escaping a colander.

Oil Painting

I saw a painting in an antique mall that I was so taken with that I had to go visit it. But since it was $800 dollars, I figured I would have to paint my own. My oil painting is not like the one in the mall, but it is similar in color and composition.

Oil Paintings

On New Years Eve 2009 we had a blue moon, this occurs when there is a second full moon in the same month. That blue moon was the inspiration for these two paintings. The one on the top is an acrylic, the other an oil.

Oil Painting

On January 30th we had a Wolf Moon. That is the first full moon of a new decade. It is brighter, closer, taller and wider. That was the inspiration for this oil painting.

Oil Painting

I was looking through a photo album of pictures that my husband took in Spain. The column trees inspired me to paint this colorful little oil painting.

Oil Painting

Simple oil painting, with a limited color pallet. I love to paint little fish.

Confessions of an Artist

I did not want to enter the New Year without making an entry in my art journal, but that is indeed what happened. I am not happy to say that I have been distracted from my passion to paint, although it is always on my mind, “on my mind” does not get brush to canvas.

What has occupied my time has been altered art, mixed media, and holiday/seasonal art (or crafts depending on who’s defining what I’ve made).

I love to make things. I love to gather materials. I love to “think out of the box” and push myself to make unique, one-of-a-kind pieces. I love to find things on the ground that I can use in something I’m working on. I have no pride, I will pickup just about anything that catches my eye.
So, just to let you know that I have not abandoned my art, only my blog, I am going to share some of the pieces that are complete or close to being finished.

Altered Art

Work in progress, a little stalled on this one. Don’t have a name, several considerations, and a few more details needed to complete.

Altered Art

This is a one of a kind Sergeant Pepper Santa, lots of detail, all hand sewn, love his shoes.

Fence Post Sculpture

This is the first Garden Angel I’ve made. I hope to make more.