Wednesday, April 30, 2014

MONTHLY RECAP -- What I've Been Up To in April

Wow!  April was a creative AND successful month!  Let's see . . . finished and SOLD the Prickly Pear Mosaic on the same day, finished and framed the "Fire" painting, received a commission to paint a bridal bouquet, finalized dates for three workshops in 2014, acquired two new mentoring students, and took lots of pictures, including photos from a camping trip to Valley of the Gods, in Utah.



PRICKLY PEAR MOSAIC

Prickly Pear Sunset, 30" x 22" watercolor on Aquabord -- SOLD

This set a record -- for me, anyway.  Alyson Kinkade, my friend and owner of Columbine Gallery in Loveland, Colorado, saw the painting when I posted it, sent a photo to a client, and BOOYA!  SOLD!
Can you tell I'm excited?  As all of you fellow artists know, selling your artwork is usually not that easy -- it certainly isn't for me.  So, I'm very grateful to Alyson for being proactive, on my behalf.

And, no, I don't teach, or even demonstrate, this technique -- it is such slow going that it would put everyone to sleep.



"FIRE" PAINTING


Finally finished.  I realized that it is more difficult (for me, anyway) to try to recreate one of my own paintings, than to paint it the first time.




and framed . . .







NEW COMMISSION PAINTING -- BRIDAL BOUQUET

Just received this commission, so I haven't even started -- except for preparing the paper.  But, here's the picture of the gorgeous bouquet.  I hope I do it justice, and make this couple happy.  The husband commissioned me to do this, to give to his wife on their first anniversary.  Very sweet . . . 







PHOTOS FOR THIS MONTH'S PHOTO CHALLENGES


The Neighborhood








Mellow Yellow






Old Bones









Valley of the Gods  (this is a place in southeastern Utah -- not as famous as the Grand Canyon or Monument Valley, but just as awesome)















It's a Lizard-Eat-Lizard World out There in the Desert









Pastels in My Kitchen









































8 comments:

  1. Love the photos. Quite a neighborhood you've got there!

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  2. The mosaic is stunning. It's no wonder it sold quickly! And it is all paint, correct? It must have taken a lot of time. Do you like working on the Aquaboard?

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    1. Thank you, Laura! And, yes, it is all just paint -- and no masking. It does take a lot of time, but I enjoy painting this way, as long as I'm not rushed for any reason. It's sort of like sewing a quilt by hand, stitch by stitch. I used to hate Aquabord -- mainly because I was trying to paint on it the same way I paint on paper -- layering and glazing. Frustrating. For some reason, I kept trying different things until I figured it out. Now, I love it! The colors stay brighter, and you can lift out color easily.

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  3. Lovely! Congrats on selling the mosaic! It is lovely. :)

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  4. That mosaic painting is just AWESOME! I love your mosaic technique. Don't know many people who would have the patience to do it - I hope you got a really big check. :)
    The "fire" painting came out wonderful too. I'm sure that the owner is thrilled to have it. And I can already envision how beautiful that bridal bouquet will be. Congrats on a great artistic month!

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    1. Thank you, Michelle -- I appreciate your comments. Getting a check is nice! As long as I don't figure out how much per hour I'm making. Hahaha! With that mosaic technique, it would be a pretty darn tiny amount! But, hey, who's counting? (By the way, the bridal bouquet turned out great, and they were thrilled. Pix to follow at end of month.)

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