Rainbow rice

Sorry I have been absent from my blog for awhile. Too distracted I guess, but that's another story. Nothing bad, just changes.  I feel a bit more settled in now and I have sooo much art that you all haven't seen unless you follow me on instagram. I didn't want to just throw it all at you at once so I figured I'd pick out some themes and group them like that. 

So one "type" of painting I have been doing lately is what I have called my rainbow rice paintings. Mostly I have been doing these almost as meditation. They are mindless, mesmerizing and relaxing to paint. A nice way to totally get your mind focused on one thing, and not the thing worrying you! It works for me at least....

I start with a 6 petal pattern but if it goes wonky I don't mind at all. I just let the rice fall ..... 

I had 4 other artists say they tried it and posted pics of their result.... and they all felt the same about doing it as I did. Very calming, just watching paint move on the paper and concentrating on little shapes. 

I also have a notebook with this design on it to give away. Come back after the weekend when I will post the details on how to win! 

And next week I will also try to squeeze in a midweek post with another series of art I have been doing.... fried egg paintings! Really! See you soon!

Addicted to watercolor paints

I didn't plan this.... it just sort of crept up on me... this collecting of watercolor sets! And this can't technically be called a review as I love them all and cannot recommend one over another. The first picture below is a Daler-Rowney travel set I carried everywhere for awhile. It is a good portable size and I love the small brush that came with it. I use that brush even with other paint sets.  

The next set is a set I made up from an empty palette from Michaels and Sakura watercolor tubes that were old and crumbling. The paint is still wonderful and vibrant!! I love the Prussian blue and paynes grey.  

The third set is Jane Davenport's bright watercolor travel set. I love that as well for the cheery bright colors and especially the violets and purples that are not in either prior set. 

 And the last two are handcrafted watercolors, my new obsession. The larger dot card is Redwoodwillow and the small palette I put together from 4 half pans in a mini Altoid tin is from imlothmelui. Both are on Etsy. I am totally enjoying using these earthy colors, and I love both of their sites for photos of paints being ground or mulled. So that is my watercolor stash for now! I recommend them all!!!! 

Happy paint party Friday!

And don't forget you only have  till the 6th to get 50% off anything in my Etsy shop!  Many items will not be relisted after the sale so it will be your last chance.

And a big THANKYOU to those of you that have already taken advantage of the sale and helped me clear out my shop, I can't wait to reorganize and redo it!

Giant sale

 

I really need to reorganize and update my Etsy shop. After so many years of painting almost daily, the art really piles up. I have been wanting to pull my shop together for awhile, discontinue some of the older stuff and put more of my new watercolors in it. I am hoping to make it reflect more of what I am painting now.... 

so to help me clean house I wanted to offer 50 percent off the older original pieces and prints I have in stock, to make room for more new pieces, but instead of selecting certain things to discount,  I just decided to make EVERYTHING 50 percent off ! Starting today!

So if you have liked something... now is the time to get it and at a really low price. And it might be your last chance as most items will not be relisted once they sell or after the sale. For this 2 weeks you can get an original watercolor cheaper than a print would normally be! So don't wait....

I will be listing items all week so you will have to check back if you don't see what you want right away. Many of the items I have never posted or shown or listed before... I am only including them in the sale because they represent a different  path than what I plan for my shop in the future. 

Here's some things that are already listed or will be in the shop soon and on sale.....

 

    

 

   

 

   

 

  

Small magic of unexpected free time

There is an old folk tale, I don't remember the name, that I used to tell to the kids when I was a preK aide, and I used figures on a felt board.  It is about a man who never gets any piece and quiet in his house because  his kids and pets are so loud, and so he asks for advice. He is told to bring a farm animal, his cow, into the house. Of course that makes it worse because the cow moos all night on top of the noise of his kids and pets, but when he asks for advice again he is told to bring one more animal, his pig, into his house, and again it makes it worse because the pig oinks so much.  This goes on until he has all his farm animals in his house and he doesn't get even a wink of sleep. When he goes to ask advise for the last time he is told to take all the farm animals back out of the house so it is just his kids and pets again. He does and he is in heaven because the house seems so quiet, he sleeps better than he has in years. 

I think of this tale a lot because it really works. We don't sleep much at my house due to my son Jace mostly. If I get thinking how bad it is, it inevitably gets worse, and then, when it goes back to the way it was, it "seems" like it is better! And that's really all we need, to feel like things have gotten better. 

It also applies to free time. 5 years ago, jace's autism made him so hyper that I could not even sit down when we were outside. Someone had to stand by him and follow him around at all times because you just never knew what he might do, and he did try to run off or do dangerous things often. Now that he is 14, he is so much calmer, and I can sit in the hammock and just keep an eye on him without having to chase him. It is heaven to relax a bit. It is still not the kind of relaxing others might enjoy who are used to a different kind of free time, but to me it is wonderful because I never thought I would get here. 

I think this applies to whatever your struggles might be.... things keep changing all the time. And once you have had some sort of trouble, you appreciate the good times even more.

And he loves to relax in the hammock now too. I got to paint this watercolor and these ladybugs for my fairy garden while he chilled. 

 

    

Handmade watercolor paints

I was loving my Jane Davenport bright watercolors, especially because my prior set never had a purple, and the colors I had didn't mix a violet that I liked. So the new colors were great for all the abstract rainbow watercolor pieces I have been creating.... I have at least 30 or so to show because I have done one a day. Bit that will have to come another day as what I have to show for today is a new sidetrack)
So anyway, even though I was loving the purples, I just kept thinking about wanting to try to paint with handmade paints, earth pigments, or even hand ground pigments from rocks. I ordered a new tiny, limited color hand made watercolor palette from imlothmelui on Etsy. Handmade watercolors seem to be very hard to come by... 2 of the 3 main Etsy shops I tried to buy them from didn't have any available because they sell out as soon as they are stocked.... but I got 4 colors and even a metallic. Along with a sample dot card to try out other colors and I am happy with these so far. I think it will be a challenge to try to do a painting with just this palette when I take it on vacation. And I am really loving just using the violet hematite alone for this heart, by itself I can get so many shades of pink, violet and almost brown.




















I think I may be addicted to buying watercolors and I am even tempted to start making my own now! Who knows what paths we shall follow?

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The fickle finger of instagram

by Richard John Scarr
(Brighton, East Sussex, England)

If what will be will be.
Then I know it rests with me.
To accept the fact, and do the best I can.
For if it is ordained.
As I think I've just explained. It will be,
because it is part of fate's great plan.
If it is divined.
Then it would be a waste of time.
For me to even think of giving less.
I could just let time go by.
And then not even try.
But fate will still decide the worst or best.
When we're off to catch a plane.
We end up waiting for a train.
And then arrive about an hour late.
It is me who gets the blame,
because we've missed the plane,
But no one points a finger at fickle fate.
I thrust down with the hoe.
Right onto my big toe.
The fickle finger of fate can be malicious.
But I don't stand there and sob.
And watch my big toe throb.
I say: "Thank you finger of fate, that feels delicious!"
There is just one way to go.
And that is with the flow.
Why try to fight intended circumstance?
I'll bide my time instead.
And when it turns its head.
I'll give the finger of fate a good kick up the pants!



As I mentioned before, I have been spending time on instagram. For a quick dose of inspiration it is wonderful. It is also wonderful for a quick bit of reassurance, as I can immediately get 30 "likes" when I post a piece of art, and as on Etsy, I think we all want those elusive yet rewarding 💜's. Just to know someone out there understands and likes what we have created.

That being said, I also need to say I do make my art for me. As do most of the artists I see. That is true for me, and obvious I believe, from how often I paint, (daily) and from my random and frequent side tracks into other subjects to paint. I float to whatever moves me to paint at the moment. Lately that happens to be circles and abstracts because I am simply more interested in watching the paint flow, and in helping the watercolors lightly touch each other and blend, than in the end result. But, at the same time I am hoping the end result will be pleasing, and that others will enjoy seeing it and being inspired by it. Hence the endless pursuit of "likes".

Anyway, part of the reason I am writing this is that those likes are so fickle. I generally get a few comments and about 40 likes and a new follower or two on instagram for every post I make there. And, I am really happy with that.

But then I posted this piece yesterday or the day before...

And I got 3000 views, and 75 new followers so far in one day! GREAT, but Why? This is no better than any of my other paintings, is it?
And now, when my next post doesn't achieve that will I be let down with only one or two followers? I hope not. And I hope to avoid trying to replicate that piece just for "likes". I do plan on doing more bugs, because they were fun, and I had want to design some fabric like that, but I will have to try not to worry about that fickle finger!



  

Been working on an assignment for MATS boot camp assignment to create a rose journal cover. I have done 3 rough drafts but hated the 2nd try and plan to paint over it in my sketchbook as it annoys me to look at it. Some days are like that.
Some of my bad pages I keep in my book to learn from, but others , like the one I am not showing, o just dislike so much I don't want to see them. I don't like to rip pages out so my solution is to either cover them with scrap papers I have drawn on or paint over them with acrylic and sketch over that.

To get started again after that fail I did the "peace" page for fun.

And it has been good bonfire weather here. Just had to share my perfectly roasted mallow....











Happy paintpartyfriday!

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