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Time out for painting, drawing and the arts. This photo is of an old
water cooler. Not sure how it worked but it has sat in my house for years.Kind of summery all year long .. and possibly would make a good painting.. if anyone would like to try it... feel free.
P.S. Some of you have asked me what this is ... so I've posted 2 new photos up close ... I don't know what's missing on it possibly a spout of some sort at the bottom...
It was laying on the ground of a friend about 15 years ago, I admired it and she gave it to me.. It has always been on this table.
Entering the Strawberry Festival Art Show again.. It runs for ten days starting Feb. 26th. It's Statewide and here in Plant City Florida we are famous for Strawberries.. In those ten days half a million people visit from all over this country and abroad.. If it's made with strawberries it's here. Country Music shows every day, lots of exhibits, and of course the art show...
The first 2 years I entered I won awards...This will be my fourth year and my entry is "Party on my Head" .. a mixed media Pencil/Watercolor/Gold Leaf... I finished this piece last year.
Come on down... we are 'live and in color' .
A lot of my paintings come from the copyright free site PMP.
I painted these a while ago, and can't for the life of me remember where I got them from .. I know it was very recent like the past week.. So can't even name the bird... if I find it I'll come back and tell you...
The important thing is that it was taken with my new Nikon S6800... I love, love this camera... easy , simple, great photos.
I cannot have a camera that I have to change lenses... I am camera challenged LOL !!! In other words I'm not a techie , heck I don't even know if I spelled it right..
OK.. Thanks to a fellow blogger Laura I now know the name of this bird, it's called a Eurasian Oytsercatcher .
Laura's watercolors have been my inspiration for as many years as I've been blogging.
Feeling bad for all of you up north, having cold weather .. Even if it's not today you know it will be... Soooo just a warm, colorful painting .
My philosophy is simple. I'm passionate about the art I create.
I don't paint paintings to match someones sofa. I have to love what I'm painting, then be willing to part with it.
Barbra Joan
This painting has recently sold.
Seeing the date on this I realize I felt the same way 22 years ago.
I still have days like that.
This is 'Bob' . I did the painting of him for someone as a commission from my Etsy shop .
His coloring was so white/cream not your usual orange or marmalade cat. Bob passed on some years ago, but as all of us animal lovers know we never forget them.
ok heres' BOB.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
To all my blogging friends that come visit me through the year.
As the year comes to a close, I thought of what exactly did I do this past year. Could I have done better? more?
First of course, what did I do for others? Humans and animals. Well, that would be a personal thing.. so let's leave it at that.
I exhibited in the Strawberry Festival at the beginning of the year..
and finished my Alaska journal from my 2013 trip.
How could I forget my trip to Alaska and the Northwest, the year before. Managed to make a quilt, two actually, one for my dear friend..
Also did some Florida series paintings, after all I do live there.
Forum Challenges, and how could I forget the '30 paintings in 30 days Challenge" ?
It took me a month to recover from that .! lol .
A trip or two to Biloxi,.
Then the 4 day workshop that I took in Sept.. over on St. Pete beach.
The memory of that will last and will do another one this year. Same place different instructor .... after a lifetime of painting I finally got to take a class. !
Opened my Etsy shop and working at it to make it a success.
I've gotten a few commissions from it and that's always nice..made a few sales already... that's good too. !!
Letting any unpleasant instances go, and there are always some.
Life is never without those bumps and bruises...My mom had a saying that 'what doesn't happen in a year, happens in a day'.
We never know. So,... I'll put my foot into the New Year and start walking like I've always done.
Thanks to all of you for your support and encouragement for my art, my health, and my life.
Barbra Joan...
Pirates Gold. Some things are hard to leave behind.
Mom.
Hi everybody, here I am at my art table doing some sketches.
The holidays are upon us and always difficult for me.. I get around it by trying to keep busy.
A very big Italian family and all the traditions have been replaced by mostly dear friends ... if it weren't for them, I would probably go to Tibet and become a monk . lol.
No, not a laughing matter, but I make the best of what I have and try to not think of what I don't.. Life has taken it's courses, people have made their choices, and I get on with my own.
I do want to wish all my blogging friends, a very Merry Christmas,
and the Happiest of New Years. Barbra Joan ...
Somehow without looking for it I've been designated a pet portrait artist. Someone who purchased the 'Naptime' painting has asked me to do 'Josie',
and now another commission for a pet cat..
As long as they are happy, I will comply.
I tried to capture that personality of Josie whom I am told loved playing with that ball above everything. Here is the photo it was taken from ... 'Josie and Her Ball' . What a beautiful girl..
I'm in my 'cat period '.
Painting some different ones for my Etsy shop. Plus I love painting them.. Cats and I go waaaaay back.
Anyone who says "I don't like cats", probably has never had one.
This is the finished painting done on Arches 140 lb CP paper and ready to go into my Etsy shop.. It's in an 8x10" mat.
So I'm in my cat painting mood. People like cats, and I've sold the one of the cat looking out the window. Which BTW was my own cat Jenny... yes, she is a model.. lol
A 20 minute kitty in my sketchbook ... I had a cat like this .. His name was Mickey...oh some of the light spots are from the sun..
You all know what a great ! photographer I'm not....
Just found this piece that I'd started about a year ago... I'd never finished it but now added a few touches this week.. One thing about my photography or editing, I can't seem to lighten my photos . Not that I don't try..... In this one, the paper is white, but it and everything else looks darker.. This about a 16x20".
This was for an art Challenge on a Forum joined years ago.. http://www.jwjonline.net/.
It's a piece of a puzzle and other members have to guess who is the artist... Well this cutie was my piece and they've already guessed it.
So... safe to post it here. Darn she had a flower on her hat and I completely forgot to put it there.. Didn't want to scrub out, but guess I could have..
This is my pencil version of 'Boots 'n Jeans'.
Pencil / graphite seems to be my 'art of choice' for this minute.
I've not been up to serious painting, so
just posting a few quick pen and ink sketches from my sketch book. And that is all I've been able to do in the past weeks.
Yesterday I started to apply some of the lessons learned at the
Joyce Hicks workshop. There is a LOT! First taking a scene either photo or being there, editing, adding and making a pencil value sketch. Something I've never done. Making it your own, your design, your color. Yes, I took notes. LOL ! lots of notes, and actually following them. Doing a small color piece, then finally painting, but referring to that pencil value sketch over and over.
Of course this being my first serious attempt after the classes I missed most of it here, but some of it I DID get in.
Cooler lighter values in the distance, warmer, darker in front.
Balance, harmony, always thinking ahead of the brushstroke, where your going to place it and how.. Texture, warm against cool. Light against dark. Using big brushes loaded with pigment and water. Go For IT!
I like this as I made it my own.! I like the left side, especially behind the cottage, but not the right. Could have cropped it shorter, but then you lose that pathway that leads you in. OK not perfect, but even though I may have only applied 3 or 4 of those learned lessons, I will eventually get to where it will be all of them (ALL in ONE painting.) How good will that be??
A small 8x10" ... I'll always paint flowers. Because that makes me happy ! .. BJ
Well if I could have stayed I would ! The Joyce Hicks workshop was wonderful..From Day 1 to the end I never stopped learning something. Landscapes, and working in transparent watercolors,
and Joyces mantra " Never revisit a brushstroke."
At the end of 4 days she had lots of demos and full paintings, then had a raffle .. Since there were six of us, we all won something.
I was thrilled to get the one below..
As to staying right on the beach what can I say... it was beautiful.
Yes, got some sand in my toes , and thoroughly enjoyed every minute. .. So now I'm back and hope to apply what I've learned to my own paintings.. BJ
A few years back I did a humming bird on a coneflower and it took second place at a local art show..
I like that painting, so decided to paint it again and offer it in my Etsy Shop... This one is smaller 8x10" in the mat.
I seem to be doing a lot of birds lately ? HMMMMM !
Bird-brained. !!!
I've painted this robin several times from photos that a friend in England sent me.. This robin is almost like a pet..
I'm trying to learn how to 'pour' paint, so that's how the branch was done, but it's losing something in the translation... the poured paint is supposed to be a part of all of it ... I'm just not getting it. !
I've written about my upcoming workshop Watercolor Landscapes on my 'Journey' blog and where I'll be staying.
Yesterday I drove there, sort of a 'dry run.' Went to the Suntan Art Center.. where the class is being held. What a great facility. Large light classroom.. even a full kitchen !!! oh you know I'll not be using that. But I peeked in.... LOL !!!
There was a watercolor class going on.. I listened in for a few minutes.. too bad I couldn't have hidden under one of the tables.. It looked like such fun...
Right now painting and wanting to get more stock into my Etsy shop... I've had one sale... and from what I hear,, it takes a long while. I did this once before and it must have been a rare event, as I sold five paintings within a very short time... Well, that's alright I can wait..
Painting this a.m. Actually I've painted just about every day since the 'challenge' ended and I opened the Etsy. I believe it's all about being 'seen'... Unbelievable amount of talented artists out there.
You are like a needle in the haystack...But you know me, I'll paint anyway..
This one above is in an 8x10" mat .. as are all the ones on Etsy.
I now use almost all transparent watercolors.. Once the light bulb went on in my head , I'm finding painting much easier.. I know what mixes with what. Hey ! it only took me 25 years... LOL !
No, I haven't been resting up from the Challenge! Busy opening the Etsy Shop . It's changed a lot (for the better). And that means typing and filling in every little concern for the customer.
The shop, yourself, the item of course, photos, explanations covering shipping, shop policies, payments, on and on.. Well it's open to the public.. I've already sold a painting.. and they are all originals, no prints..
One of the problems about trying to sell on a blog is this....
Think about it ....Everyone who visits your blog is an artist, and if they are like me have tons of artwork of their own.. . I paint for my self as I found I cannot not paint.. if that makes any sense.
The art exhibits and art shows are few and far between where I live.
If you 'd like to see the shop, click on the Etsy button on the right sidebar.
I've just started by listing about a dozen small paintings, all
( I think) from the challenge and I offer them at very reasonable prices.. There will be more added all the time.. as yes, I intend to paint a lot more... BJ
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