Beautiful Hike

 

 

This is beautiful Cuyamaca Rancho State Park where my husband and I hiked yesterday. The air was crisp and clean and we saw deer, woodpeckers, blue jays and a flock of wild turkeys!

I sketched and painted as we lunched along side the trail to Stonewall Peak which you can see in the above photo.  It was very peaceful as there were only a few other hikers. Stopped on the way back for a piece of Julian's famous apple pie.



San Elijo Arts & Crafts Boutique

I wanted to thank my many wonderful friends who came to the Arts & Crafts Boutique this weekend.  It was a beautiful day (NO rain!) and a successful event.  

You are Invited to the San Elijo Holiday Boutique

Poinsettia & Bird

This is one of the wreaths I will be selling at the San Elijo Holiday Boutique this Saturday from 10am-4pm at the San Elijo Rec Center on 1105 Elfin Forest Rd. in San Marcos. I also will be showing my framed vintage collage collections, corn husk dolls & quilted backpacks made from Balinese sparkle fabric.  Please come & browse, there will be arts & craft vendors, entertainment & food!

More Corn Husk Dolls

Here are more Corn Husk Dolls created this morning!  I use a 1 1/4 inch wooden ball for the head.  I drill a hole large enough for a  long wooden meat skewer to fit in and use a little hot glue to keep it tight. Next I soak corn husks in warm water to soften them.  While they are soaking I use pruning shears to cut the bottom of the skewer so it doesn't show under the corn husk skirt.  The piece I cut off is hot glued to the skewer for arms leaving room for a neck. I then dry the corn husks & trim to length with pinking shears. I attach the husks around the skewer with raffia.  You can use either fabric or corn husk to make the apron in which a slit is cut and pulled over the head. I use raffia to belt the fabric. I then make a square of fabric & fold it in a triangle and attach it with a couple dabs of glue to the head.  You can see that I sometimes add bangs and braids using the raffia or corn silk. I like to individualize the dolls by adding embellishments such as brooms or small found objects to the arms, apron etc.

Corn Husk Dolls for Thanksgiving Table!

 I have been busy today making Corn Husk Dolls for an upcoming Craft Show. The dolls can be placed at each table setting as a decoration & gift for Thanksgiving.  A yogurt cup or short glass is used underneath to keep them upright. They also look great on a wreath or with cuttings from the garden tucked under the skirt and hung on the door as a swag.

 

 

 

 

I baked Holiday Breads for the Craft & Art  Show at the SD Safari Park this week... from left to right - Cranberry Orange, Chocolate-Chocolate Chip, and Banana Walnut.  They were all delicious and I just about sold out!

Flamboyant Flamingos

A little bit of this and a little bit of that! In this watercolor painting I used a wet into wet process on top of gesso in the background. Also, a little alcohol, salt, and negative painting.  You can see a faint hint of stenciling to finish it. I had hoped the colors would be richer but the pastel effect created by the gesso gave it a "flamboyant" feel.

More Collage!

I have been busy creating collages from objects found in thift & vintage stores.  I try to included a piece of my art in each piece. Still looking for a slingshot to put in Red Wagon's pocket!

Red Wagon

Love Letter

Bride & Groom

Breakfast Cocoa

 

Collage with Found Objects & Art

Sweethearts

 

Tea Garden

Kitchen Magic

 

 

 

 

Still Life

Cascading Orchids

I finished this painting yesterday.  It is a watercolor pour with transparent painting on top.  I used a stencil to add an opaque element and make it more 3 dimensional. I again used a 3 color palette but changed my method by pouring first and then drawing the subject. This gave me more freedom picking and choosing the areas of the painting I wanted to emphasize.

Day at the Beach

Hot as Hades here the last couple of days so we decided to take our dog Jack to the beach to cool off. Beautiful breeze & good surf all day. Took  a cooler with drinks and lunch.  There was a low tide so walked for miles. Really nice day!

Warm Orchid

I just finished this painting today (I think!?). It is upside down but I kind of like it.  I drew  orchids on a piece of Arches, then wet the paper and poured Cad. yellow, Opera Rose & Cobalt (in that order) onto the paper. While it was still wet I sprinkled salt & splattered alcohol. After it dried I painted the parts of the flowers that remained.  I then tinted gesso and made the opaque shapes. There is also a bit of stenciling using the tinted gesso. The final step was adding the gold paper geometric shapes.

Contour drawing

Here is a contour drawing in pen of a black and white image which I embellished with pattern. Another neat technique I picked up in my summer journaling class. I viewed the image upside down as I drew trying not to lift my pen (Hard to do!). I then used random words provided by the instructor to compose a poem.

Drifting journey look deeper

Wonder why today is twisted

And yesterday invisible.

What is real now old heart?



Orchid Morph

I took a class this summer and learned some new techniques to make my journal entries more interesting and fun! I started this piece by first painting a page with black gesso (I know, it was the first time I'd ever heard of it too!) Then I tore a white page out & divided it into quarters and drew an orchid. Next I extended the petals onto the black page morphing them to look like ribbons. I really like the way the morphed petals glow on the black page.  Colored pencils are sooooo relaxing!  

Festival of Arts, Laguna Beach, Calif.

I had a great day visiting the Festival of Arts in Laguna Beach, Calif. with a fellow artist &  friend (www.LagunaFestivalofArts.org). This outdoor festival has been going on for 80 years and includes a diverse mix of really exceptional artists. I particularly liked the Mixed Media & Assemblage pieces that used found objects.  This is a photo of part of a watercolor painting that looks like a collage! 

Journal Painting

I walk in a very large and beautiful park close to home.  Here is a quick  journal painting I made sitting by the pond on Saturday.
 It was done as a panoramic view in a small spiral journal with a pan watercolor set.

 

Just returned from the Carlsbad Oceanside Art League (www.coalartgallery.com) Opening & Reception.  Two of my abstract paintings were accepted & one received an Honorable Mention.  Needless to say I was very pleased as this was my first show & award!

Christmas Wreaths

Happy New Year!

I had fun creating the wreaths with purchases I made at the after Christmas sales from Target & Michaels. I am thinking about either selling or gifting them next year!