Lessons from the Studio Part 3

Lessons in the Studio

So Wednesday was Part 3 of our 4 part Van Gogh painting. Although Evie was painting in her ballerina princess pajamas, she was actually much more awake for this session. 

We turned on some fun music and lit our summer boardwalk candle and painted our little hearts out. Of course Truffles was once again on the scene... Ev made sure she was in style by dressing her up like one of the ballerinas on her pjs.  : )

Today we will finish up the last part of the series and in the next post we will put all the pieces together and share the final masterpiece!

Until next time...Have a GREAT Day!

Lessons in the Studio

Hi Everyone,

So we are on Part 2. of our 4 part series with Evelyn. Today was another successful day at the easel but I would say there were a few more breaks this time. When you are painting with a 10 year old ya gotta mix things up a bit. She showed up ready to paint in her blue hat and feather boa...as you can see the hat stayed but the boa had to go. Feathers and oil paint just don't mix. : )

She also wanted our dog Truffles to enjoy the experience so she brought (er drug) her along.

As you can see, Truffles was super excited to partake of the lesson! She pretty much stayed in this position the entire time. At one point Evie decided to join her under the desk to "take a rest" for a minute. Towards the end of the lesson she disappeared into the bathroom and returned with red make-up around her eyes and green on her face stating she didn't feel good. Hmmm...I wonder how the next session will go!

Will our painting ever be completed? 

We shall see...

Lessons in the Studio...

Yep, it's officially Summer Break! My daughter Evelyn and I decided that this summer would be a fun filled ART ADVENTURE...

We are kicking things of with a 4 part series of paintings which I will be posting on the blog as we go until we complete the final masterpiece. As you may have already guessed from the photo this will be a reproduction of Evelyn's all time favorite painting from the Van Gogh book she has carried around with her since she was a toddler!

This was her first time using oil paints and she really had a good time. We even broke out the pallet knife!!

Aside from our time in the studio, we will be packing our cameras and hitting the road to take lots of photos for upcoming paintings throughout the summer. The plan will be to create a collection which will be displayed at the end of the summer.

We will keep you posted as our adventure unfolds! : )

                         "Latte Art"

Latte Art

8x8 in Oil on Museum Quality Panel

$350.00

I had to paint this yummy latte from Paul's: A Coffee Bar in Chewelah, WA. 

Made with TLC by Paul himself this is by far the best place to buy a latte in the land! It is a cup of oh so delicious goodness, rich like velvet and buttery smooth...MMMmmmmm.

If you are ever passing through Chewelah Paul's is a definite must! 

Cheers! : )

                       "Venice Bistro"

Venice Bistro

8x8 in Oil on Museum Quality Panel

$350.00

Imagine gliding along on your gondola when you come upon this charming little Bistro. The aroma of fresh baked bread and cappuccino is wafting through the air...inviting you to pull up dockside and step onto the patio for some good food and conversation. Aaaah!

I must confess that last week I slacked off on the painting, but only because I was was taking care of some VERY IMPORTANT business! You see our grandson decided he needed to spend some time with us and there were many items on his list of To Do's...

Like....

Blowing Bubbles

And

Going for a Bike Ride

And

Splashing in the Pool

And

Coloring Pictures

And

Taking Walks in the Mountains

And

Roasting "Mallows"

And

Snuggling with Auntie after a busy week!

As I said we had some very important business to take care of so you can see why easel time was put on hold! Life is so short, be sure to treasure every moment with all of those important people you love!

Have a wonderful week!

                         "Beach Bottle"

Beach Bottle

8x8 in Oil on Museum Quality panel

$350.00

With the snow we got at our house this week I just had to go to a warm sunny place like the beach in my painting. : ) No beach trips planned in my near future but it sure sounds nice!

On another art related topic...

My daughter sent this video this morning so I thought I would share. Bad Art Good Walls..it's a crack up. 

Hope everyone has a Great weekend!

                         "Ooh La La"

Ooh La La

8x8 in Oil on Museum Quality Panel

$350.00

It has been several days since my last painting and I am going through withdrawl..I must be addicted!!! 

I am amazed at how quickly this week passed by since our return from Seattle. Although I have not been at the easel I have been working on art related items like ordering prints, purchasing brand new shiny tubes of paint in yummy colors (can't wait to get my hands on those) and researching new subjects to paint, which can suck up a lot of time on the internet! I also spent some time today listening to Leslie Saeta and Carol Marine on the Artists Helping Artists blog talk radio  show. I had submitted several questions before the show regarding art marketing and how they got started in their careers etc. I was amazed that they actually answered all of my questions and many more. It was a very informative program as always and I would highly recommend it to anyone serious about taking their art career to the next level. 

On another note..

As I promised in my last blog I would give an update and post some photos from the Race for the Cure walk in Seattle. It was such a great experience to share with so many wonderful people. The event overall raised more than 1.1 million dollars! Woo hoo!! 

I also cannot tell you how proud I am of my sister and my cousin who were both in the top 100 for fund raising! They both received yellow capes to wear for the walk..it was too cool. : ) 

At the Space Needle before the start.

I must say that I was not really prepared for how emotional this walk would be. Seeing so many people with different stories coming together in love and support. One minute you are getting a lump in your throat seeing signs with photos in loving memory of a friend or family member and the next you are laughing at the dog walking past wearing a pink bra for a team with a name like "Walkers for Knockers"! But what really choked me up was at the end of the walk as we were nearing the finish line..they made an announcement for the woman in front of us who was a survivor. She stood up from her wheelchair and with the support of her family walked across the finish line with everyone cheering her on. We followed behind as I was in between both of my survivor sisters and our mom walking hand in hand..a gush of emotion and memories sweeping over us in that moment of time. Needless to say there was not a dry eye among us!

Overall the race was a huge success and an experience I was so proud to be a part of. If you ever get the chance to participate in one I would highly recommend it! : )

Have a GREAT evening!

                        "Manito Perennial Garden"

Manito Perennial Garden

8x8 in Oil on Museum Quality Panel

$350

Part 5 in the Manito Park Series.

The Manito Park series has been a fun project so far. I have many great memories of good times spent at Manito. From Saturday afternoons napping on a blanket in the Rose Garden to watching the kids play catch with a ball to enjoying dinner while listening to the Spokane Symphony perform on the lawn outside the formal garden, or gathering with family to celebrate one of our daughters graduation from high school. One of my favorite memories was waking up early on the morning of our wedding anniversary to grab lattes and snuggle up on the bench to watch the sun rise over the fountains of Duncan Garden.  Such wonderful moments and memories I will always cherish!

So while I will be taking a break from the Mantio series, I will be picking it back up again... as there are many more juicy colorful areas for my paint brush to capture!  : )

Another important announcement....

The T-Shirts have arrived and we are heading to Seattle in a couple hours for the Race for the Cure on Sunday! In fact, I've spent so much time on the blog going down memory lane that I need to hurry up and get busy packing!!! But before I log off I just have to say how very proud I am of my baby sister who is currently going through Chemo treatments in her battle with cancer. She has busted her buns to raise money for this event..pulling an all nighter, she created these beautiful, cheery cake pop bouquets and raised over $800 selling them! I see a baking business in her future!

At this point team Hope, Faith & God's Grace has raised over $3,000! Way to go team! Thank you to all who helped support this cause...YOU have made a difference in someones life!

Stay tuned for photos and Have a Great Weekend!  : )