Full Speed Ahead--Commissions & the Holidays

Wow, the month of October literally FLEW past for me--I've been busy, busy, busy with commissions and jewelry and trying to squeeze in a few moments for "playing" in the studio.  But I'm nearing crunch time, so I think the playing is going to have to take a back seat for awhile. I have several commissioned portraits in the works and only a week left till Trims & Whims to finish up the jewelry I've been working on.  Yikes!  But I've discovered over the years that I seem to do my best work under pressure--and a deadline!  Reminds me of my college days, when I'd wait until the night before a major paper was due to start writing it.  Guess I enjoy living dangerously!

Back in October, I posted a work-in-progress of 2 beautiful dogs: Prescott and Fallon.  I thought it might be cool to show the progress of this painting.  Here is the initial stage (left) where I just blocked in the shapes and colors on the canvas.
And on the right is the current stage.  I've added in some eye detail, worked on refining the coat on the retriever, and worked in some color on the background.  When I paint, I like to move all over the canvas. It helps tie everything together, plus keeps me from focusing too much on one spot, which can create problems. In the next stage, I will finish up the eyes on both dogs, continue to refine their coats, and finally finish off the background.  I'll post the completed painting next time! 

A couple of weeks ago, I finished the portrait of Kirby(left) for Kitty Key.   This was a birthday gift for her sister. I hope she liked it!

Well, that's it for now. I'll post photos of my new jewelry creations as soon as I can--and of course, the works in progress. I have 2 "people" portraits I'm working on and several more pet portraits coming up.  I love it!!

Hey, Mom--can I have an Easy Bake Oven?

I always wanted one of those Easy Bake ovens....ah well. Now I get to play with the grown-up oven!  Yep, tonight I branched out and experimented with making my own polymer clay beads.  I wasn't content to make simple one-color beads--nope, I jumped right in and swirled two colors together (well, non-colors, actually--black and white), and made bicones and ovals, not just plain ol' round ones!  And here are the results! Not bad for the first time out.  I didn't coat these--just baked 'em and sanded them. (Caution! You might want to warn hungry hubbies that the cute little round thingies on the baking sheet are NOT special candies made just for him!)  They're very lightweight, and easy to make.  I have all sorts of ideas, and I feel like I'm really creating jewelry now! Still working on technique, but definitely making progress.

Good to finally get some rain here, which gave me an excuse to stay inside and play.  I'll be starting on the pet portrait commission this weekend, and will post pics of the work in progress, so come back soon!

Tea and Lemons, Please

I cannot believe I've missed the entire month of June! I guess time really does fly when you're having fun, though I can't say I've been having a lot of fun lately. Mostly I've been doing yard work, pulling those darn weeds that never seem to stop growing, even after soaking them in mega weedkiller! Ah well, it's just another challenge for us wannabe gardeners. 

The White Teacup
9 x 12
Acrylics on claybord

In addition to my never-ending battle with the weeds, I have managed to do some painting. Not as much as I'd like, but here's the most recent one--just finished a few days ago.  This is acrylics on Ampersand claybord. 

I've also been working on my jewelry.  Finished a couple of pairs of earrings and a necklace. I'm getting ready for a small fundraiser in August, where I'll be debuting my jewelry.  Right now most of the pieces are made with inexpensive beads and wire, since I'm still working on design elements, etc.  But I will soon make the switch to sterling silver and gemstones, so stay tuned!  Here are a few samples: 

 I'm still learning about twisting wire and playing around with different techniques and design elements, which is why I'm using the inexpensive materials right now.  But I'm definitely enjoying this new venue--I've actually made jewelry before, but really hadn't considered selling it.  I'm hoping to make my own beads and pendants at some point, too. I guess that's what happens with us creative types--always moving forward and trying new things. That's a good thing, though, isn't it? 

Well, it's time to move outside. The weeds are a-calling!  Later!