Where did I go?

Greetings friends! I cannot believe it has been SO LONG since I blogged. What happened and where did I go you ask? Including lots of traveling the short and simple story is this: Most of you I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes a couple years ago but I definitely felt I was not winning the battle. My health and weight took a turn for the worse and I wasn't happy with that. So I began to look in to making some big changes and doing things differently. What I found was changing the way I eat to a Low Carb High (Healthy) Fat (LCHF) and that meant I needed time to learn about that, more about my disease and how to do it in the best manner possible for me. The learning curve was steep! I think I have finally come through that and have a good handle on my diabetes and new way of eating. And now I am ready to get back to my art and creativity once again! 

Here's what I'm working on...
I started a weekly art journaling group that focuses on diabetes. I am enjoying the process of creating the prompts and the pages. I'm still trying to remember to take the step out photos for the instructions as I go along! It always amazes me how creative people get despite saying they aren't artistic and how cathartic these prompts end up being for people! Its so gratifying to provide this workshop for people. 

I just finished salvaging an old Japanese painting. This was an old punctured and torn up Japanese horizontal framed painting my mom found. I removed the layers of paper and salvaged chunks of the painting (for another project) only to find the wood grid underneath! I painted that black, then hand cut all the silhouettes from the antique black paper layer I found on the backside. I added layers of white shoji-like paper to it, attached hangers to it and voila! A beautiful new vertical Japanese screen. It will be available for purchase through a silent auction if you are interested! 

Today I started painting little kokeshi doll heads to use in a project I'm doing for a group my mom is involved with. Along with those I am hand writing inspirational words on stones for her to use in approximately 200 "goodie bags"

And of course, we've been doing everyday life and preparing fr the holidays as well. I hope that this finds you well and blessed beyond measure! Here's to more regular blog posting in 2016!

What's On My Work Table

Not sure where I am going with this if anywhere. This piece was born at New Moon Art Gallery this past Saturday. I did it in my collage journal using a stencil, green acrylic paint and my fingers. While that was still wet, I added a dark blue acrylic around the edges and smooshed it in with my fingers in a circular fashion. It came out darker than I wanted so I wiped it off with a damp paper towel still in a circular design. I added white acrylic with my finger and didn't blend it in as well as the blue then again wiped it with the damp paper towel (which had the blue all over it too. I don't worry about that stuff.) I added bits of white by thinning down the white paint and flicking it from the brush I had. Finding it too light I remixed with less water and applied it again. That's it! 

Interesting that tonight is a lunar eclipse. Maybe I will be motivated to do something more with it after tonight's celestial exhibit!

Quote of the Week

Faces 26, 27 28 and 29

Before I begin any projects for October, I just want to take time for posting the remainder of my 29 Faces.

#26

#27

#28

As these are merely  index cards and can be basically studies for other work I am more than happy with them. So I am FINISHED! I made it! 29 faces in September! YAY me! And congrats to everyone else that participated in the event. I learned SO much from you guys. See you next time!

OH WAIT!...wondering where number 29 is? I saved it. It is also my 100th Face in my collection.

I reached 100!

Faces that is!

This is my 100th face that I have  drawn since I started keeping track. 

(Even though it is only my 26th face for 29Faces I'm calling it done. I think its a good place to stop.) 

It is the face of our youngest daughter. I worked from a cropped image she gave me via facebook. 

I tried some different techniques with this one and I am super stoked about the results. I am working on a step out tutorial so won't go into details right now. Specifically I'm excited about the skin tones, the texture in her hat and sweater, the reflections in her eyes, the texture in her lips. And those eyebrows! Normally she spends more time on her eyebrows than I do drawing them. Not this time. There are at least five layers of pencil work on each one! I think it was totally worth it. 

This was a birthday gift for my husband by the way. It took me one week to complete it. The best part was being able to stare at her face all week long. 

Pages of my Life - Sept 22-28

1) Gelli plate background (Acrylics)

2) Printed quote and glued it on

3) Added key words from quote and doodled

4) Lived with it for a few days as is

5) Glued on the bag from my Aveda "Comforting" tea

6) Cut out a flower doodle from a gelli printed piece of paper I found laying around. Aimlessly drew around it, on it. And around the tea bag envelope. 7) Hated it. 8) Took my favorite color paint and wiped it all over the non-glued portion using my finger. 9) Liked it better. For a day or two. 10) Outlined the key words from the quote with white ink. 

                         
                                                                                          11) Happily moved on!

#s 22, 23, 24, 25 of 29 And Lessons Learned from 29 Faces

I'm finding it challenging to keep up with this project on a daily basis with everything else I am working on. At this point it is determination that is driving me and little else. BUT this is GOOD because there is a lesson in it! It applies to life as an artist or just life in general, doesn't it? You start out excited about a new project and are sure you can do it. You are committed to it. Truly. And then stuff creeps in and life happens. Parts of it don't turn out the way you wanted them to. You get frustrated. A new project comes along that you would rather be working on. And all the details of the project (in this case taking pix, uploading, posting and blogging) begin to slip from your control and you are tempted to just toss in the towel.

I can see the light at the end of this tunnel though. And I have learned SO MUCH. There are techniques I've picked up that I am excited to keep improving in. I'm learning (still) to be okay with a less than a quality image just for the practice of daily face drawing. I'm learning that I do have a distinct style in my portraits. And that I can evolve in further. I've learned (again!) quality materials have their place. I've learned that out of a larger body of work (my 100 Faces project) there are certain pieces I like more than others and that applies to all works. Not every one is going to be worthy of more than a second glance. But they are all in me and deserve to come out. Some deserve more time than others. Some deserve a second go. Others not so much. I've learned practice, practice, practice makes improvement versus perfect.

And that is good. Very good.

What have you learned from this project?

On My Work Table

Just in case you are wondering...I call it "on my work table" because my easel is over at the gallery. And technically, these were on my small easel but whatever! 

These are 8x10 canvases. Acrylics. Apparently I am feeling dotty or like I'm going in circles?

This one came about after a discussion with one of the other members of the gallery (Geoff) about being centered and staying on true north and how we are both intrigued by compasses, maps, globes, etc. I purposely did not want it to be like a clock or symmetrical which is kind of surprising for me. But as a symbol of where I am at in life; there are so many directions to go and one path might lead to another one in reality. Regardless of the choices though I always come back to what is at the center of my life. 

Available for sale at New Moon Gallery, Waimea, Big Island or contact me directly!

     

On My Work Table (Yeah its a MESS!)

Yes! I have ALL kinds of stuff and projects piled up on my table. Although last week was a fun week with gallery tours, lunch dates and hanging with a new friend it was hectic. I don't do well with hectic. I need time to process things in order to keep a handle on my life. I have piles of notes to be filed, contacts and info for getting prints made of my work (my goal for this week!), projects I'm thinking about, my artist statement I'm composing for the gallery and my 29Faces are way behind. The faces are done I just haven't posted them. So here we go!

When last we visited this project we were with Maori Man # 8/29 and 82/100. I was feeling rushed so grabbed my sketch and wash pencil and made quick faces.

 

Then my mood got weird for a couple days....don;t ask because I don't know either. 

 

 A somewhat normal person's face; still using the sketch and wash pencil

Then I saw a tweet from Tam over at willowing and decided to be inspired by her style without putting much effort in to them because it was pretty late each night before I got around to drawing. 

 

Based on a photo of an online friend who I won't name because it doesn't do her justice. At this point I am totally frustrated with the index cards and wondering why I am torturing myself with using them. I overworked the mouth and the index card DOES NOT allow that. 

Last night's...yes this makes #21. I'm reluctant to tell you this is my child because again it does her NO justice. I am counting it because I want to keep going with the challenge plus I'm using it as a study for another drawing of her today. 

21/29 and 95/100

That's it! I'm caught up in posting my faces!

I am officially working on REAL paper today. Not sure I will finish the index card idea. Tune in again to see. 

Quote of the Week

I love Eddie.
Just saying.