Meeting Catherine, a TON of Sketches and a Sneak Peek at a WIP

Me and Catherine Denton

 Catherine Denton and I met via our blogs last year and she happened to pass through Wichita a few weeks ago.  I was elated when she emailed me to tell me they were coming!  We met at the The Donut Whole here in town where I have a small art show in progress.  She was as sweet and pretty in person as she is on her blog and it seemed we already knew so much about each other.  This was my first time meeting a blog friend and the experience was so awesome!  You can click over to Catherine's blog by clicking name above.  She is a gem and I feel privileged to know her!

Thank you all SO MUCH for the sweet comments and well wishes for my mom.  She is a tough gal and happy to be feeling mostly better.  She has a great attitude and a she is a good example on how to be once you get older and your body is no longer cooperating.  She really has been a trooper through all of this.  I love my mom so much. 

Below are a TON of small works on paper and sketches...most of them are what I call my "sketchbook sweeties" ...those little sketches in a pocket-sized book.  I bought this little sketchbook after seeing one on Lynne Hoppe ' s blog (thank you dearest Lynne).  I didn't think there would be enough room to do anything in something so small, but it's been a joy to use because the sketches take no time and it provides a quick way to do something artsy when there's no time to roll up your sleeves for a serious session of art.  A couple of my little sketches have become paintings which is fun.  Female figures are my favorite thing to draw.  Animals are a new love too.  

The very last photo is a snippet of a 24 x 24 inch oil on wood work in progress.  I am almost done...I think...and will show you the FULL version once it is finished.  

I hope you enjoy the images...

The Wonder of Women
9 x 6 inch papers, gel, acrylic, graphite, pitt pen on canvas paper

Misty
4 x 5" tea bag, acrylic, papers, gel, oil pastel, pastel, gouache on art  Arches Art Board

Crazy Cat
4 x 5 inch papers, gel, gouache, acrylic, pastel and gel pen on Canson Art Board

Sketch Sweetie
graphite

Sketchbook Sweetie
graphite and tinted charcoal pencil

Sketchbook Sweetie
graphite

Sketchbook Sweetie
graphite and colored pencil

Sketchbook Sweeties
graphite

Sketchbook Sweeties
graphite

Sketchbook Sweetie
graphite and colored pencil

Sketchbook Sweetie
Graphite

Sketchbook Sweetie
graphite (I drew a portion of a Whistler painting for this one)

Sketchbook Sweetie
graphite and watercolor pencil

Sketchbook Sweetie
charcoal pencil

Sketchbook Sweetie
graphite and colored pencil

Sketchbook Sweetie
Graphite, colored pencil and pen
this photo was "warmed" quite a bit in Picassa

Sketchbook Sweetie
graphite pencil

Other handmade sketchbook I bought from Rebecca's here in town
graphite and acrylic

Sketchbook Sweetie
graphite pencil

Sketchbook Sweetie
graphite pencil

Sketchbook Sweetie
graphite pencil

Sketchbook Sweetie
graphite pencil

8.5 x 11" Sketchbook
graphite, acrylic and gouache 

Sketchbook Sweeties
graphite pencil

Snippet of 24 x 24 inch oil on wood in progress

Thanks for stopping by!

♥ Lisa

Joon Found a Kitty and A Bit of News About my Mom

Joon Found a Kitty
mixed media on 9 x 12 inch canvas board
available here

This painting was a whole other painting several days ago and I didn't like it at all.  The old version is below and it was NOT working, so I changed the colors and put the kitty in it.   I am loving putting animals into my art work right now.  My animals looked like stuffed toys, so I need to work on that, but stuffed toys have their charm too, right?

The version I didn't like and painted over. It was just too plain or something.
And WHAT is she doing with that hand????????

I apologize I have not visited your blogs.  My mother had another heart attack this week and was in ICU.  Miraculously she is okay and went home today and no further damage was done to her already weakened heart.  She is feeling pretty good...very tired of course.  I am pretty pooped too so off I go.

♥ Lisa

Fear Not and the Sketchbook Sweeties

Fear Not
papers, gel, acrylic, color pencil and Pitt pen
on 9 x 12 inch birch wood panel
available here

Lately almost every evening just before going to bed, I sketch a drawing in a tiny little sketchbook I have.  I call them my "sketchbook sweeties" and if you follow my Facebook page, you have probably seen them there.  

These two below are the inspiration for this newest painting.  Just as I was putting the finishing touches on the painting the words "Fear Not" came to me.  I cannot tell you why...but it seemed right to me so I added the words into the painting.  

"Sketchbook Sweeties"
graphite and acrylic
in pocket-sized sketchbook

I hope you have had a lovely weekend.  

♥ Lisa

Miss Doo Doo Would Rather Wear Plaid

Miss Doo Doo Would Rather Wear Plaid
11 x 14 inch gel, paper and oil on canvas board

I finished Miss Doo Doo and really wanted to name her Miss Doolittle, but there is really only one Miss Doolittle  in my opinion.

I painted this oil painting on top of a canvas board that was covered with scrapbook paper and matte gel medium.  I hope the whole picture doesn't slide off.  The reason I like to cover the canvas surface with the paper is because it makes a very smooth surface to "draw" on.  That is especially important for when I am doing small faces.  

If you've never seen My Fair Lady with Audrey Hepburn (aka Miss Doolittle), you should consider adding it to your list.  It's a classic that is sure to make you smile all the way through.  The video is Audrey singing Wouldn't it be loverly...my favorite from this movie.  Enjoy!  

Sister Siblings

Sister Siblings
acrylic on 9 x 12 inch birch panel
available here

     I finally finished this painting with all the thumb sized faces.  A tedious undertaking, but I took breaks when I needed.  As I painted them, they all seem to be related thus the title.  This particular birch panel I bought is hard to paint on...very rough.  I probably should have sanded it first.  All I did was put gesso on it to prime and then immediately started painting.

     A little history on how this painting started...I saw THIS by Norwegian painter Kristin Vestgard and simply had to paint a group of ladies with a red hat (or two) in the scene.  Had to!  Of course mine doesn't look anything as beautiful as hers, but then I didn't want it to, right?  Because that wouldn't be right. Right?

I put this painting in my online gallery because my Etsy shop is full on one page. I really don't want pages and pages on Etsy.  Plus, Etsy is not getting much online traffic, so I am not even sure I will stay with it. One of my Twitter friends shared an article with me that stated the average online purchase price on Etsy is around $27!  Can that be true?!? Yikes.  If I had to sell my art for my living I would be in serious trouble.   Just thought I would share this for those of you who are doing something similar and selling your creations online.  I know many of you are on Etsy already because I follow your pretty stuff.  I also know many artists who sell very regularly on Etsy and they seem to be pretty successful.  I don't know.  I'm just learning as I go.

It's been a great week...I sold two paintings.  Do you remember these?  Georgey and Esther  and Kansas.    After shipping those off, I went straight out and bought MORE art supplies.  Hobby Lobby was having a clearance sale on their entire line of Daler-Rowney oil paint.  I mean CLEARANCE!  I got $9.99 75 ml tubes of paint for $3.97!  I bought a ton of colors and I was so excited to use them so I started the painting below.  This is just a sneak preview.  Hopefully it will be done in a couple of days.  You will see it entirely in my next post.

snippet of oil painting in progress

Have a great start to the week everyone!  

♥ Lisa

The Art of KC Graham the Classical Pianist

KC's painting
Acrylic on 6 x 8 inch 140 lb cold press paper

 Our son KC was over the other evening for dinner and we decided to do some painting together in the studio (aka his old bedroom).  He loves abstract art.  I was amazed as he instinctively mixed colors and lay them down.  I love his painting. 

Here we are below.

22 year old piano major and his mother painting away...

This is what I painted while we worked.  We had a lot of fun for about two hours.  KC had us listening to some Oscar Peterson music on Pandora and we painted and chatted away.  I never knew who Oscar Peterson was...good stuff.  Jazz.

Flower Picker
6 x 8 inch acrylic on 140 lb cold press paper
available for purchase here.

Check out Mr. Peterson.  He is a musical genius. 

Oscar Peterson video

KC went out yesterday and bought some of his own art supplies.  He wants to do some more painting while on his summer break.  Isn't that great?

Grown Attachment and Some More Thoughts on Selling Art

Grown Attachment
6 x 6 inch acrylic on 140 lb cold press paper
available here

Well hello there!  Boy oh boy has it been a busy and fun few days.  LOTS of family time which is grand. I have made a lot of small works on paper in the evening time, but very little progress has been made on the painting with seven small faces.  

 I have great news...I get to extend my art show at The Donut Whole for another month!  The next artist had to back out for some reason.  My husband and I went there a couple of days ago and hung a whole new show and now it's all fresh for the coming Final Friday art crawl. 

 I remember saying to a dear friend that I am not too crazy about selling art, I just want to paint.  However, things have been happening since the show I did with my brother in-law last Fall.  Opportunities keep knocking on my door and I am trying to be as polite to them as I possible can. I am struggling a little bit though because you see I am very shy and I am very uncomfortable with self promotion (believe it or not).   I am trying to get past it and selling art has FORCED me to work on this area.  One of the shows I am having in August requires you be at a reception on opening night.  Gulp.  "You mean I have to talk to strangers?...about my art?"  Gulp.  Don't laugh.  I am serious.  I am good one on one or in a small group, but put me in a crowd and I FREEZE.  If I were a successful well-known artist like Terry Turrell, I could just skip it altogether.  He doesn't attend his own exhibitions!  I didn't know that was legal.  I don't think I could ever do that though, it just would not feel right.  

Have a great day everyone!
Your comments were all so helpful on the last post about commenting.  Thanks!!!!

♥ Lisa