November

This is the month of travel for me, so I don't know how much work I'll be able to get done in November. Kinda a sad thought when I realize that December/Holiday/ gift season is almost upon us.

So I will post you a photo of some of the work that's been fun to create.
"Classic Stories" series

Can you guess all the stories that inspired these pieces? This is the game: Comment on the blog with your guesses (left to right, top to bottom) and whoever guesses 7 correctly first will win a package of 4 "Wild Horses" notecards from me. :) Happy guessing!

Titles and work

I'm not going to take the time to write this entry for you, today this is for me so that maybe I can go back to having a productive day.

Finished pieces titles: South of Soledad, Piggy's Price, Into the Wood, Tea Party, Carol & Max, Giant Joust (& 6by6 Kerouac Dreams)

Piece in Progress: Friendship (requested piece), Poulpe du Nemo, Don't Panic (HHGTTG), Mrs. Hudson's Tenants, Jack the Thief

The title of a piece is helpful, but it's the work itself that should speak volumes.

Have many canvases started but due to yesterday's super high humidity I had to wait (and ran out of patience) for them to dry. I have my version of the requested piece sketched out... at least I got that doen while paint dried. I use the phrase "requested" instead of "commissioned" because 1) I haven't taken a cent in payment yet 2)I'm stubborn and going to paint what I see/sketched instead of what they described. It's all the same sentiment, but they see their image in color instead of the monochrome that I'm trying to keep to with this group... and their precise image only works in full color. If tehy don't like it *shrug* I will put it up online for sale or it will become my baby cousin's Christmas gift. When I can see a piece as clearly as this in my mind I am less stressed about it's marketability.

Oh... and the world is crazy... me feeling crazy is just simply me being slightly overwhelmed with the abundance all around me :)

size and scale

So I haven't posted in a while... Did you read the title and description of my blog? Yeah, that pretty much sums up the why. Well, that and my laptop completely died over the summer and didn't get replaced immediately. This new laptop has a year full warrantee... *knocks on wood*

I don't have my camera with me, but I am really excited with the last two little paintings I did and the one I'm working on today. Today is one of those days where my hands are shaky as all hell but I'm working anyway... I couldn't fall asleep right away last night because I had the idea dancing around in my head so I must work on it some today... I just keep taking a ton of breaks.

Working on 6 x6 (or smaller) canvases are a lot of fun while they are physically challenging as well. I find that every stroke counts more the smaller the canvas... but somehow it feels more intimate too. Maybe it's because of the subject matter that ends up on the smaller canvases I paint or maybe because of the restrictions from the size, I don't know ...
The terrible downside to smaller works is that, obviously, they are smaller. They can not thrive well on a large space alone. They get lost in the sea of white (or beige or ecru) that are so prominent in our homes, offices and work places. They are visible in these large overlooked and underused spaces much the same way a blaze orange parking cone is seen in an empty parking lot. We have  a hard time deciding whether we want our attention drawn to such a spot... it's interesting and all but for some reason it's surprise draws a curiousity that we don't feel the desire to sustain.

But... I'm working on 5 by 5 inch canvases this week. Days before the most publicized art weekend of the year here in Lowell. http://lowellopenstudios.org/ I know that the likelihood of these pieces selling this weekend, because of their small scale, is next to nil (and I really REALLY need artwork to sell so I can purchase more supplies at the very least!!!) but I can't help myself. The ideas are there dancing waltzes in my mind and very specifically want to be small scale. And for far they look fantastic this size! It's like a beautiful well behaved child asking for chocolate milk with their lunch... there are better options sure, but I find myself pouring the chocolate milk because it feels right.

There was an article emailed to me a while ago titled "Steal like an Artist"... meaning inspiration. That's how this latest batch came about. A friend is doing a book series of oil paintings right now and we've been talking about that a bunch... so I have books on the brain... but what and how she is doing things with books is very different than what I'm doing with acrylics and these tiny canvasses. I'm sorry, but I don't feel like being more specific about her work. It's incredible but I'm not willing to cut short her time as the "only artist doing this now". I will share after she completes "my" book painting.

Okay... enough resting... time to see if my hands will quit shaking long enough to finish. This third 5 by 5 is titled "Tea Party." #2 is titled "Into the Woods" #1 is "South of Soledad"

First person to comment with the correct books reflected in my current paintings will get a gift. Promise. But you must COMMENT to the blog, not email me.