Paint Party Friday is 7 today!

Congrats to Kristin and Eva

and a big thank you for hosting Paint Party Friday for all these years.

I have been missing these past couple of weeks.  My mojo just up and went.

The new art class I have been taking has really been a challenge.  

That is the bad news.  The good news is that I have learned so much.  I

just am having a hard time figuring out how to apply it.

This is probably 4 layers deep and might get buried this week.  I made myself a stencil of 

stripes and have enjoyed using it in the background.

When all else fails, i go back to an old familiar doodle.
I call it 'floral fiesta' because it reminds me of something I might see in Mexico.
It too is on top of 3 or 4 paintings.  Layers do make the background a bit more interesting.

My orchid this week is outrageous!  Guatamalensis is COVERED in blooms.
Wishing us all a fab Paint Party Friday!

Play

A few weeks ago I did the painting on the left.

And then one afternoon I decided to do my version of "urban petroglyphs"
There are so many layers of paint on this I am
surprised they didn't crack.

We rented studio space at the Art Center and got to play with spider web and water color.
I have no idea what this will become yet but I really like the colors.

And this is a little play after completing a very intense course on using dark colors.
Wishing everyone a Happy PPF



It is going to be 80 degrees today so I have a bit of spring fever.  After the cold
my orchid blooms are few and far between but there is one...or I should say, two.

My husband took this on his morning walk with Harley...Yikes!!!

Winter in Florida???

Yes, this year we have definitely had a winter in Florida.

It sort of comes and goes so that means we haul my orchids in to the house for a few days

and then haul them back out again for a few days...and so on.

Several of them have gotten their leaves burned by the cold winds, one had four buds

that all fell off when I brought it into the dry heat of the house.

I have a new art teacher at our art center.  I have learned more about color and mixing it, 

perspective and composition in the month with her than I have learned in the last 4 years.

We started with specific mixes of color and an assigned picture we were to do using the
right color and value.

Then we used a single persepective point and did this picture, again paying close attention to
colors and value.

I didn't like the brush strokes here but I got the values right.

Our assignment here was to paint a piece of a landscape photo.  I enjoyed finding the section
I was going to paint but found it much more difficult than I had anticipated.  Maybe
one day but landscapes (even simplified) are very difficult for me.  Hopefully the boat is the
focal point here.
Wishing all a very Happy Paint Party Friday!

And blooming on the lanai, inspite of the cold.

Intuitive Art???

My word of the year for 2018  is CHALLENGE

(My husband said he hoped that didn't mean that I would be challenging him more than I already do)

I celebrated my 76th birthday in December so am very much aware that I must do what I love while I am lucky enough to be able to do it.  Every day is a gift.

That said, I decided to try some "intuitive painting."

Another stretch for me, for sure.  I am a controller and very structured.  It is very difficult to "Let Go."

I went to the second hand store to buy the canvases so I wouldn't feel I was  wasting money on a good canvas.  I had to keep telling myself to just go for it, I could throw the canvas away and no one would be the wiser.  

Very similar and I think that the shape of the canvas contributed to that.  Will try to find a
square, used one for my next attempt.  This was fun.  Both canvases have 5 0r 6 layers, not counting
the one they came with.  I also used oil pastels and then sprayed the whole thing with a
fixative when I was done.
Wishing all a Happy PPF

These two beauties are blooming on the lanai inspite of our 40 degree weather.

Wrapping up 2017

At the end of the year I always contemplate where I have been

and where I plan to go.

This year I have focused on retiring, not quite accomplished, but almost.

When our art instructor retired at the Art Center, I was thrown into turmoil which I think

has pushed me into some growth.  Although I had trended toward the abstract, I hadn't 

specifically studied it.  I did that this year.   It is a tough stretch for me.  We will see what develops in the coming year.

Left on my own, I have painted more in a political direction the past couple of weeks.

#ME TOO

Collage and faux encaustic.
I have been so happy to see this #Me Too movement evolve.  I worked in the
construction industry (selling new homes) and I have seen a few scum bags in action.
It isn't just the high profile world, this happens in ALL businesses.
And on a lighter note, this was painted for my two angels, my mom and my sister.

A big thank you to Eva and Kristin for keeping this artsy family together on a weekly basis.
Happy Paint Party Friday

Cattleya orchid

I hear that monkey again

Danny Gregory came up with the perfect name for that noise in our head that doesn't like anything.

He referred to it as a "monkey".

Well, the monkey has been raging in my head lately.

Nothing is "right", what ever "right" is.

So be it, I am a happy camper when I am painting.  The results just aren't "right"

This is the fourth layer...I am serious, there are 3 paintings under this, along with

collage.  The surface is all bumpy.  I have promised myself that I will not bury this.

I have to make it work for something.

This one also has a couple of pictures underneath.

Hopefully when the Holidays are past my usual positive countenance will return.

In the meantime, I will NOT let myself bury any more work until I am in a more positive

state of mind.

Wishing all a Happy Holiday Season 

This beautiful 15 year old orchid blooms every year at Christmas.  The blooms are about 7" across and the plant usually has about 30 blooms by the end of it's blooming.

Spectacular isn't it?

Happy PPF

Decisions

This is my latest abstract attempt, a diptych.  Since I will never frame them,

I show them here on my floor.  

And with these two, I have decided to move on from the very abstract.  My brain just has to work too hard and I am never satisfied with the results.

I got one of my paintings on yupo framed and was delighted with the results.

This is one of the old dogs that I pulled out from under the bed and reworked.

I am quite happy with the results.

We have had a quite spectacular November as far as my orchids are concerned.

I have blooms everywhere and was even able to give away a couple of plants that were duplicates from last years repotting.  I love to give my "babies" away.

Wishing you all a stressless Holiday Season
and Happy PPF