Art in My World

This picture is an exercise in painting a French Harbor Scene. This group of painters has a challenge each month set out by Richard Robinson of the Complete Artist Website.  Several months ago, after cleaning out my office and trying to find room for all the paintings I had accumulated, I ordered a large roll of canvas to cut up and paint on instead of buying panels. I enjoyed painting on this canvas for the first time and I love the fact that, unless I want to frame it, it lies flat taking up little space.  It was a nice surface, so less expensive, portable...win, win. Painting this scene was fun too, following along with the video and learning...

It has been a very busy summer, but unfortunately not with much painting practice. As my life settles down, just a little, I am finding new times to fit in a little painting. Life never takes paths that you would expect, there are always curves and bumps and detours, but thankfully, you adjust, find new paths, and move forward. I hope to do that with my painting in the next few weeks...I hope to move forward with brush in hand.  In the painting above, a subject I hope to revisit, because there is much to explore, not only in re-adjusting the color, but in capturing the glow in the water, is a first attempt at some fall inspiration. This picture is a snippet of what is out my mom's back door in the month of November. I little swampy at times and a little rough and choppy at others, but the colors keep calling me back. One Fall I captured this scene all so beautiful in its bronze glory, but alas, I lost those pictures in a computer crash. It is the bane of the computer age, no n...

Trying to get back into painting these past few weeks, before my husband and I head to Glacier National Park in August. I would like to take my paints with me, watercolor seems an easier choice than oils or acrylics. I will save them for studio work when I get back with all my source photos! So, I started back with this watercolor teacher from England, (yes, internet is great for this kind of thing) and the lesson I left off of , was painting sheep and rock walls. Now, down here in the south, we don't have sheep. Cows yes, but sheep and rock walls no, but again, the internet and all the pictures we have access too... I found some great pictures that I hope to turn into landscape abstracts one day and one of all these rolling hills and beautiful colors. It looked easy, but I could never quite get the looseness I wanted. I gave it a try though, and I think I got better? To the left was my third try, below are my first two attempts. One example of some wonderful watercolor pai...

My sister started me buying this flour about a year ago. I had tried several homemade flour blends trying to achieve an easy sandwich bread for my son. For two years I kept trying to perfect a bread machine gluten free bread, but they never quite achieved the height I thought it should and they were too dense.  The bread flour for this company did say you can use it in a bread machine, but it never turned out like I felt it should: it didn't rise enough and again too dense. Then I bought some wonderful 8 by 4 inch bread pans from King Author flour. I had read, that if you used this size and created a foil collar to allow the bread to rise above the pans the bread would turn out beautifully. So I gave it a try...and it worked! So my method was this: I make the dough using the recipe on the bag. I don't use the mixer method, but I put all the ingredients in my bread machine and set it on the dough setting. So I let the bread machine do the work. I don't run it through ...

Several months back I painted the large middle part of this triptych, but thought, it needs something. I knew the wall I wanted to hang it on and it was a large wall. So, it was back to the drawing board to add two more parts to this colorful piece. Matching the colors and style was a bit difficult, but with a bit of trial and error it didn't turn out all that bad.  These type of paintings are all about the color of the paint. This style appeals to me, because it isn't about the exact replica of an object, but about the color and texture and movement of the paint. I want to pursue more of these this year, particularly some abstract landscape. Painting simply, with large blocks of color will be the goal.  Karen Hale is wonderful abstract artist who has some interesting landscapes. I enjoy her use of color, texture and simple shapes. The beauty of this type of work is worth the study, and study I hope to do in the near future. This type of painting catches my eye. I am n...

A few weeks ago, while looking through several cookbooks, I came across one that looked interesting. Interesting because of my struggle with eating as clean as possible, without chemicals or preservatives.  My family has always loved tortillas, but I have always been bothered by something: what causes store bought tortillas to last months and months in their plastic bags? They never seem to grow mold or stale. And of course with my household trying to get rid of wheat, I saw a recipe cookbook: Against the Grain that basically uses just tapioca flour for making tortillas...so I bought the cookbook and a tortilla press. This recipe turned out wonderful and I now keep these in our freezer, ready to microwave for 10 seconds and fill. They are soft, stretchy and roll without cracking.  Flour Tortillas 2 3/4 tapioca starch {the original recipe called for only 1 3/4 cups of tapioca starch, but it was too runny and I could not make it work) 1/4 cup canola oil 1 teaspoon sa...

YES! I finally finished my first shawl! These are now my knitting obsession, not only because they are beautiful, fun to knit, but they are lovely to wear over sleeveless dresses at church or out to a dinner date. This was my fourth try. One of my shawls I got all the way to the end and I was trying a new binding off method, accidentally slipped a stitch, and the it all began to unravel. Oh the frustration!  I have bought some wonderful colors of yarn to try my hand at a few more designs. There are two books by Jen Lucas that have some easy to follow instructions on making what she calls Sock Yarn Shawls. All 15 shawls in each book are beautiful; I could spend the year making each one. These books are so worth the price if you are interested in the journey of knitting shawls. If it weren't for the fact that you have to block the shawl after washing it each time, I would love to give them as gifts. In the picture above I am blocking it on my carpeted floor in my office. It is a...