ElectriKolor World

Day 31: Red Barn

2012-02-01T12:10:00.001-06:00

January 31, 2012

Red Barn, a soft pastel on 9.5x9.5 slate gray PastelMat.

1. I scumbled in all of the primary shapes with NuPastels.

2. After switching out to the Great American pastel set, I built out the outbuildings, barn, house, and trees. I really like the sky at this point, and wish I had left it more like this. But NOOOO, sometimes I do not leave well-enough alone!

3. For the windows and doors on the barn and the house and the shading of the silos, I used subtle pastel pencil marks. I wanted to keep the corn field between the viewer and the horizon filled with a hint of the winds swirling around. I don't like the amount of turquoise that I used in the sky, so I'll be fixing that in the next step.

4. Here, I've brightened the sky, covering over most of the turquoise that was overwhelming the mood. I can't wait to go back and shoot photos of all of these pieces under optimum lighting conditions!

Day 30: Sailboat

2012-02-01T12:07:00.002-06:00

from January 30, 2012

Sailboat, a soft pastel on 9.5x7.5 inch yellow/cream PastelMat.

1. All of the composition thus far was built with NuPastels and finger-blending. My main goals in today's piece are to get the architecture of the boat (mostly) correct based on abstracting the single boat from a sea of docked vessels and to make sure that I don't get bogged down in all the minute details, but rather the afternoon lighting.

2. Adding in the greenery surrounding the dock area helped define the negative space around the boat and turns the cream into a color perceived by the viewer as a bright white.

3. After making the draping on the sail feel believable, I wanted to add in the fenders and the railings on which they were hanged.

4. After building the fenders, their shadows needed to be cast onto the boat and in the reflections in the water.

5. After refining the details in the fenders and the engine, I added in the ladder. I used pastel pencils to refine the fine-line details, and did a little restructuring of the shape of the stern.

Day 29: Japanese Garden

2012-01-30T14:48:00.004-06:00

from January 29, 2012

Japanese Garden, a soft pastel on 8x10 sage-colored Sabretooth sanded and textured surface.

1. I decided to challenge myself again with the Sabretooth surface. The focal point of my piece is the Pagoda statue, but the three groomed bushes in the foreground became my supporting players throughout the composition.

2. I added the pathway in the background to bring the viewers following the deep shadows back into the piece, and continued building the 3D structures of the statue and the triplet of bushes.

3. I used by silicone blender to push the pastel into the crevices of the paper. In many ways, this turns everything thus far in the painting back inot an underpainting.

4. Time to bring in the highlights, enrich the shadows, and fine-tune the needle details on the piney juniper tree. I added reddish shadows on the top of the triplet bushes, fully intending to adjust them in the next layer.

5. This is the final piece, with a new spattering of highlights on the bush trio and the foreground stones. Ultimately I had forgotten the shadow that would be cast by the juniper tree. While this piece looks fantabulous from across the room as the colors blend, the broken color formed by the pitted surface is still NOT my favorite surface on which to work. On the other hand, using the near-perfect groomed foliage in a Japanese garden allowed me to work on creating wonderful ovoids and their shadows.

Day 28: Volo Bog

2012-01-30T14:44:00.001-06:00

from January 28, 2012

Volo Bog, a soft pastel on 8x10 tan Mi-Tientes Touch.

1. After a quick sketch with a Conte pencil, I blocked in the water, grassy masses, and the dead tree in the foreground.

2. The second layer involved adding a few bare tree branches, scumbling strokes to build the masses, and extension of the grass patches.

3. As the tooth of this Touch paper fills up quickly, follow-on strokes ultimately need to be quite intentional and heavy. My tendency is to build a piece up in all areas relatively equally, and for this step, I was working at filling in midtones.

4. Following the midtone application, I applied a few more of the darker and lighter values to build up depth. I also opted to use stippling to create the foreground leafy foliage that carries the full range of fall colors and the glancing rays of sunlight.

5. To finish out the composition, I added in more tassels on the tops of the grasses, a few more colors spattered around the composition to tie it together, and more heavy stipples in the foreground brush.

Day 27: Chicago Harbor

2012-01-30T14:42:00.001-06:00

from January 27, 2012

Chicago Harbor, a soft pastel on 7x10 blue Colourfix sanded pastel paper.

1. Today, I just took the NuPastels to paper without a sketch, using the side of the pastel to sketch in the breakwater and the waves on the containing side of the wall.

2. To build up higher whitecaps, I switched out to strokes with the tip of much softer pastels with a little bit of finishing work with pastel pencils, primarily for the finer details of the lighthouse. I miss living in Chicago (but not driving there).

Day 26: The Opening

2012-01-26T23:02:00.001-06:00

from January 26, 2012

The Opening, a soft pastel on 6x6 white Wallis professional sanded paper.

1. Despite an injured thumb (that is wrapped in tape and protected from moisture and dust by a little finger condom-or cot, if you prefer the real name), I must create and complete a pastel today! Here I've blocked in a close-up view of a pink tulip showing the translucence of the petals and how the overlap decreases that capacity.

2. I really was having difficulty after laying in the first layer, as I used the softer pastels to accomplish that, which quickly fill up the tooth of the paper. Having a stubborn streak a mile wide helps me get to places where I can ultimately overcome those issues. Saturating the composition with SpectraFix certainly helps settle the particles into the crevices and gives me a chance to add more pastel.

3. I pulled out some of my NuPastels to add some light dusting of a variety of colors and stick-based blending. As I built up the color patterns on the petals, I used my little finger to accomplish the soft blending I wanted to achieve in each of the petals. I also worked in the reproductive organs of the tulip with both soft and hard pastels, as well as a few pollen granules that have fallen into the cup of the flower.

4. After only a few touches of color here and there in the petals, I applied heavy dabbles of color as the pollen granules and repaired some of the value issues in the center of the flower. I needed the brightness this flower brings on (yet another) dark day.

Day 25: Barn Life

2012-01-26T12:57:00.003-06:00

from January 25, 2012

Barn Life, a soft pastel on 5x10 olive Colourfix sanded paper.

1. I've been using photo references for everything I've done in this series, and RARELY compose anything entirely from imagination or memory, so I assumed that perspective for today's project. I grew up in a barn. Yes, really, from age 4 to 18, I lived in a barn that my paternal grandfather converted into a duplex, where my family lived in the bigger half that included a third floor (where I spent most of my teenage years), and tenants lived on the other half. While we lived in the village of New Tripoli, we were kind of isolated on our own acreage away from the town. If I were a bird, flying in for some food always provided by my mother, I imagine this as the kind of viewpoint that I'd see.

2. It's quite different drawing from memory than from photos and in a much looser, albeit perhaps a more primative style. It feels way, way more creative and less restrictive. Back to the story of the house (also see part 1 description). The shed out in the back left was on the property where our family lived before we moved to *the barn*, so my older siblings have great memories of life there. The blue foreground area represents the constantly replenished loads of crushed blue stones that dad brought home in his truck to groom our driveway. I never fully understood the integration of a metal spiral blue staircase on the enclosed porch side of the house, but realistically, this was ultimately was the main entrance (which was extremely dangerous in the winter). The top and left sides of the extra large yard butted up against corn or hay fields in the summer, and the little white birch tree (there were 2 evenly spaced ones) has since grown large. The dark green patch is where the garden was planted--there used to be a building there, so it never fully matched into the yard. Thanks for indulging my PA Dutch girl memories...

Day 24: Colombus

2012-01-26T12:54:00.003-06:00

from January 24, 2012

Colombus, a soft pastel on 6x6 white Pastelbord.

1. The first step of my process is either a color block in, or, as I've done repeatedly, just a quick sketch in with anatomical reference points for this colombus monkey.

2. I blocked colors in first with Great American pastels, and then did a little "hair flipping" with a silicone-tipped blender. The main planes and contours of the face began to shape nicely into a primate. I used a Carbothello violet pencil to bring in the deep shadows on the left side of this critter's face. The vacant eyes here are actually interesting enough to think about using in the future.

3. I used the zoo *branches* to set a triangular frame around the monkey. Note that the colors in the face are more purple than my camera can capture under indoor light. I continued using a side stroke with the pastel pencils to create the smooth transitions in the contours of the face, and the tip to push and pull the hairs framing the face. Ultimately, I tackled the eyes, having them look directly back at the viewer. The zoo discourages visitors from direct eye contact with these monkeys, as they consider it a sign of aggression. While I was shooting reference photos, I figured it was okay to look with just one eye through the camera's eyepiece because my lens wouldn't look like a normal eye. To be honest, I didn't realize how closely this one was tracking me until I was processing the reference photos in Photoshop. Back to the pastel-of-the-day: I generally don't necessarily connect well with people, but truly appreciate the affinity that I have for animals (and usually they for me). This is just one small way I show my respect for these amazing creatures.

Day 23: Right Field

2012-01-26T12:50:00.002-06:00

From January 23, 2012

Right Field, a soft pastel on 6x9 brick Colourfix sanded paper.

1. After working and reworking my white Conte pencil sketch of this composition, I blocked in colors. Initially, I really, really wanted to love this "as is" as an abstraction. I could do it for the left half with just the purple tree (it probably looks blue on your screen) or for just the right half. I think if I had more time on which to work and ponder, I might have been able to regroup overnight and figure out a way to leave this as an abstraction. I do think that I'll come back and do just that another day, after I've had time for iterative versions.

2. I began trying to extend the abstract plan to the trees by using just a few colors to create depth, and then trying to build something that would work as an overgrown shore line next to the meandering stream.

3. One of the main aspects of the composition for this piece was the foreshortened oval field and the concentric ovals contained within the stream edge in the foreground and the dense foliage in the background. I continued to build the shore structure and reflections in the water with colors to match.

4. At this point, I settled in to this piece not necessarily remaining as an abstraction. I did want to keep the very warm field colors, as this was summer in the South, where only a few patches of grass remained for the cow. The water is beginning to look like it flows, and little tick marks of bright green at the top of the composition give the impression of a canopy of leaves high above with part of a cast shadow affecting the colors in the midground.

5. I continued to refine and enhance my tic-style mark-making, with some rich green plants spilling over the shore line into the water and solidifying the background foliage. The composition and field structure ultimately took on the feeling of a baseball infield, and hence I named the piece Right Field.

Day 22: Footprints

2012-01-23T10:55:00.002-06:00

from January 22, 2012

Footprints, a soft pastel on 9x12 buttercup PastelMat.

1. After a quick sketch of the composition in white Conte pencil, I began blocking in the piece with the same palette used in yesterday's composition--with the exception of the addition of two blues for the clear skies I saw in yesterday's snowshoe adventure. The vantage point is different, but the water tower at Badger Prairie Park in Verona still plays a prominent role in the horizon.

2. The snows are deep enough to cover the grassy areas and the bike trails, but not the longer prairie grasses and leftovers from the summer's foliage. I intentionally left a few bare spots in the leaves of the tree for the leaves that are catching the most sun of the day.

3. At this point, I began concentrating on the snow in the foreground, including the wavy and tiny wind sculptures.

4. Each time I sprayed the snowy areas with SpectraFix, I wanted the spatter pattern to be retained. To accomplish something similar, I pulled out a cotton swab and daubed it with some of the older, gunkier fixative that I retained for a future project. Little did I know, that "player-to-be-named-later" project was today's. No time like the present, I believe, to try something new!

Day 21: Badger Prairie

2012-01-23T10:51:00.002-06:00

from January 21, 2012

Badger Prairie, a soft pastel on 6x10 white Wallis professional sanded paper.

1. I used the side of two sticks to sketch in the undulating horizon and the ominous sky, then used the brush end of a pastel blending tool to push the color into the tooth of the paper.

2. I wanted this to have a painterly feel, so my "brush" strokes, as applied with stick pastels had to be inconsistent and applied in a variety of stick positions...side, end, spattering, on-paper blending, tick marks, and a broad swath or two. The sky is actually more violet (see part 3 and 4 photos for images closer to reality.

3. I continued working the strokes in the sky, trying to get the clouds to swirl and hold their masses, lights and darks, and ominous qualities.

4. Here I've applied just a few corrections to the composition, add detailed foreground marks, clean up around the road, and a little more play in the sky. All-in-all, this is representative of my mood for the evening...a little dark with some light on the horizon.

Day 20: Retrieving (another oil pastel)

2012-01-20T20:25:00.004-06:00

Retrieving, an oil pastel on 8x10 Art Spectrum Colourfix paper.

1. I blocked in the primary structure by using the flat end of the Holbein oil pastels in a range of tans and reds, then built up the shadows in the hair and began adding the waves to the water.

2. I loved the reflection of the ball in the water in the source image, so I've brought that broken reflection into the idealized waves. I continue to build and correct the anatomy of this happy little golden retriever.

3. I've fixed the lip of the dog so that it better overhangs the ball and work on the forehead. I continued adding variety to the colors in the water, being sure to leave the paper color show through and work with smooth strokes to match the fluidity of the waves.

4. In this part, I brought in the canine's canines (I HAD to write that) and a couple molars in the back of its mouth, as well as adding structure to its gums, lips, nose, end eye. If you're never seen (or heard) a retriever breathing as it swims back to shore with it's lovely tennis ball prize, it sounds a lot like an steam engine, so as it exhales, there is water spritz.

5. I added back some of the shadows for the tennis ball and the reflections from the dog's coat. I'll leave this sit for a little while before coming back to it and doing some final touches, but I had a lot of fun creating this little piece. Woof-woof!

6. In this final part, I focused on correcting anatomical and perspective sniglets. The lower canines were originally placed too close together, the nostrils needed some adjustments, the slope of the snout was slightly off, and the eye was a little wonky. In making those corrections, I also noticed that the wet hair needed to carry a little more weight and get a little bit curly around the ears. Subtle, yes, but necessary! Can you imagine this happy guy bringing the ball back, coming out of the lake, and totally shaking all that water off? I can!

Day 19: Ballerina Tulip (an oil pastel)

2012-01-20T20:17:00.003-06:00

From January 19, 2012

Ballerina Tulip, an oil pastel on 8x10 navy Canson Mi-Tientes Touch.

1. After a quick sketch of the petals in white Conte pencil, I began blocking in hues.

2. Here, I've added this tulip's stem and one for its taller neighbor as well filling up the rest of the petals.

3. I was convinced I needed to do something more interesting with the background than the the original paper blue, so I went a little nuts with the tints of the colors used in the composition thus far. After I was finished with this part, I decided, no, no, no, this is too busy and too complex.

4. I pulled out my Turpenoid and a brush, to gently smoosh (yes, that is the technical term) the colors together. Needless to say, I still was not pleased with the background.

5. Here I opted to darken the shadows , refine some of the contours, and pull the Turpenoid out again to meld the background. My reference photo has a poorly lit white wall behind it, and ultimately this mixture well represents the value of the wall. Unfortunately, it feels way to flat for me. After all, it's a bit of pebbly, irregular surface.

6. For this final adjustment to the background, I used light, irregular scribbles, again with the tints of hues used in this composition plus white. It almost carries the glowing characteristics of a frosted glass window. It was fun to pull out the oil pastels as a slight change of pace for the day after several weeks of working solely with soft pastels. I am a little rusty with the oil pastels, but I like their feel and forgiveness.

Day 18: Daffodil

2012-01-18T21:04:00.001-06:00

January 18, 2012

Daffodil, soft pastel on 8x10 pale yellow Sabretooth sanded paper

1. I used the Sofft tools to apply PanPastels to the paper after a brief sketch with a white Conte pencil.

2. I rarely use grays in a pastel, but in this instance, I used several tints of Payne's gray to build up the shadows on the petals and several greens to build the depth of the leaves and the interior of the flower's trumpet.

3. I continute building up the shadows and hues of the flower, still working solely with PanPastels.

4. Here I began stroking in some of the veining on the petals with a variety of PanPastel tints.

5. Now that the entire structure of the flower is built, I whipped out the white Conte pencil to firm up the points and highlights on the petals and a few sticks to manage some of the kinds of strokes that I just can't (yet) achieve with PanPastels.

6. I extended one of the large blade leaves up above the flower, and continued using pastel pencils to firm up the fringed edge of the trumpet closest to the viewer and add some veining to the interior of the trumpet.

7. Here I worked on some of the shadows and the structure of the trumpet.

8. My shadows were too harsh and too gray on the back petals, so I used a white PanPastel over the top, and did a little corrections on the interior of the trumpet. The flat background was just too flat for the piece, so I added some shades of the same color in a fanned structure to mimic the shadows that might be cast on a wall behing--and to add a little more energy to the piece.

Pastel-a-Day Number 17: Chilly Sunset

2012-01-17T19:46:00.002-06:00

January 17, 2012

Chilly Sunset, a soft pastel on peach-colored 7x10 sheet of Saint-Armand Sabretooth sanded pastel surface.

1. I did a quick scumbled sketch with the sides of pastel sticks before finger-blending to tone the paper. This surface has bigger spacing between the hills and valleys of the structure, which is typically the kind of surface I avoid...

2. I erased some of the blue in the sky to help reveal the native color of the paper, to try to give the richest oranges and peach colors in the sky. Because of the extreme texture of this paper, I continued to finger-blend colors to try to minimize the dappled effect. Isn't it ironic that I dislike the stippled effect when it gets generated by the paper, but am so proud of it when I create it with my strokes?

3. I began bringing in tree and brush between the individual fields with just simple vertical strokes in a variety of colors, and enriching the structure of the out buildings on this little farm, working to get the silo to lean less to the left.

4. After focusing on the ground for a little while, it was time to get back to brightening the sky and adding more variegated colors to the tree line in the distance.

5. With each additional layer and Spectrfix spray, the buildings in the foreground reveal more and more of the texture of the paper. In this case, it sure looks live I've spent hours stippling that roof.

6. I came back with some more pure hue in the sky, including the addition of darker blues higher up in the sky, making the oranges and yellows regain their glowing characteristics that have been cast in color onto the snow-covered fields. I'm going to let this sit for a little bit before I decide on adding another layer or calling this one done. For my eyes, this is a piece that definitely looks better from a distance than close up.

7. I used a few PanPastels in the sky and the snow, and completely worked the tree on the right side (cheating with pastel pencils to go back to bare limb basics. There isn't enough tooth left on the surface to put in more details, so I have to count this one as "done", and a lesson on using Sabretooth!

16: A sandhill crane study in soft pastel

2012-01-16T19:33:00.004-06:00

January 16, 2012

Sandhills, a soft pastel on a 6x6 sage-colored Canson Mi-Tientes Touch, a new sanded surface.

1. Using a white Conte pastel pencil, I sketched in in outlines of the main characters in today's production.

2. To ensure that I didn't overfill the tooth of this new paper (especially for the birds), I did some initial terrain contouring with NuPastels, using the side of the sticks to lay down just touches of color.

3. Here I began adding in the main structural details for the birds, building up shadows and working to retain the late afternoon highlights. Almost as soon as the red went in on the head, these critters started to take over the composition, as intended.

4. Because I have no interruptions coming through today,I was able to step back from the piece at regular intervals to do value checks, which were essential to build these birds into the terrain while still retaining a bit of their natural camouflage characteristics.

5. With yet another composition based on harsh afternoon sun, I also wanted to make sure that some of the longer grasses were well-represented as being well lit by the sun, including the yummy piece that the lead Sandhill carries in its beak.

6. I used a silicone shaper to do a little blending on the birds to minimize the chunks that tend to disrupt their natural curvatures. I also wanted to pull in some very thin grasses in the foreground, using careful strokes of the Great American sticks.

7. Here, I've resurrected the vibrance of the highlights and darkened a few of the shadows to bring more dimension to the pieces (better exposure of the digital image also helps). I am apparently getting more efficient with each passing day, which means that I can now turn a little piece like this out in about 2.5 hours. I guess that sounds amazing to me, since I usually don't have that big a block of time on any one given day to devote to this pursuit. I most definitely envy those of you who can spend every day in their studio immersed in their art!

Day 15: Moonscape abstract

2012-01-16T19:30:00.002-06:00

From January 15, 2012

Moonscape, a soft pastel on 9x12 black Colourfix Suede

1. I sketched the moon, the focal tree, and the terrain in with a white Conte pencil.

2. This photo represents two layers of PanPastels applied primarily with the palette-knife-type Sofft tools. Using a limited palette that included white, yellow, turquoise, violet, tints of magenta and ultramarine, and a shade of violet, coupled with the white Conte pencil, vine charcoal, and a little bit of black Sharpie, I worked out today's simplified abstract composition.

3. I dabbled more blue into the sky using scumbline on the left half and light sketching between the tree branches. I finished the piece with a few touches of ultra light blues and purples in the snow and dark purples at the contour interfaces.

14: Abandoned, a soft pastel

2012-01-16T19:13:00.002-06:00

From January 14, 2012

Abandoned a soft pastel on 9x12 terra cotta Richeson Premium Pastel Hardboard.

1. Using the terra cotta of the surface, I left the rooftop as the "paper color" and brought back a rich red tree trunk on this late afternoon composition. I've mostly used just the side of the pastel stick to block in the initial structures, allowing the structural buildings to bleed through the overgrown trees.

2. One of the interesting tidbits about this house is the year-round faded wreath on the front door, which I've added in here. I've built up the shadowed textures, the weathered wood panels on the front of the house, the terra cotta roof tiles, and the overgrown lilies in the front. A few more details to add, and I can call it a day!

3. I've built up the foreground tree, using mish-mashed strokes of the sticks, pushing as much of the end of the stick onto the paper as it would take. I really like being able to get the light to dance off the foliage, and feel like the values are quite good. I could probably lighten the value just a touch more on the front of the house if I wanted it to match the color of the reference photo, but my memory of the house on that day is that the building in the back was getting direct sunlight and the front of the house getting some filtered light, so this may be closer to the details of the day.

Thirteen: Dual Ring Ceremony

2012-01-13T22:00:00.004-06:00

Dual Ring Ceremony, a soft pastel on 5x7 charcoal grey Clairfontaine PastelMat.

1. Today, I'm sticking with a mostly neutral palette to capture a snowy day in Verona. I've quickly blocked in the angular snow-covered roof structure, the stone wall facing the viewer, and the bell tower structure in the foreground.

2. In the second step, I corrected some of the structural angles and used the side of a stick to scumble in a pale aqua sky, taking care to allow some of the background gray to peek through.

3. I chose a few more higher values to add more variety to the sky, using angular strokes and a few stipples to show the falling snow. I left some of the dark of the paper bleed through around the stiles of the bell tower and in the shadow areas of the building structure. Ultimately, I pulled out a white, black, gray, and dark brown pastel pencil to firm out the structure of the bells. I used my SpectraFix fixative again today after several days without it's use. I need to repair the extra wide swath of cream under the second bell.

4. To finalize this piece, I made a few minor corrections to some of the snow-covered areas and to the flakes falling under a mild, but constant wind. I ever so rarely work with pastels in mostly neutrals, but the way snow mutes everything, this seemed like the perfect approach.

Day 12: The Apple

2012-01-13T00:17:00.002-06:00

January 12, 2012

The Apple, a soft pastel with Conte pencil sketch and watercolor and gouache underpainting on 6x6 Art Spectrum Colourfix sanded brick red paper.

1. In today's adventure, I wanted to do more of a value/hue underpainting with pigment that soaked into the surface of the paper before I began filling it up with pastels. I really like how this underpainting looks, especially for the apple and the two main leaves. The highlights are just about as light s they need to be, and there's an opportunity to lay in some rich darks to get the background to recede.

2. I got in "the zone" working on this without taking lots of photos along the way, but making tremendous progress. To build the structure of the apple, I did lots of blended layers, working to get both the matte and shiny portions of the apple to come to life and retain the itty bitty spot across the lit and shadowy portions. The tree branches in the background are heavily laden with lichens, which is an interesting texture to try to represent. There are parts of this that are absolutely finished and some that are less so. My left brain wants to take all of them to completion and my right brain is screaming no, no, NO, leave it alone just as it is! I believe today I will happily defer to the right brain.

More Catch-up: Day 11 > Attention Seeker

2012-01-13T00:08:00.004-06:00

from January 11, 2012

Attention Seeker, a soft pastel on 5x7 royal blue (navy) Art Spectrum Colourfix sanded paper.

1. The intent here is to create and retain some majorly fluffy, massive, ethereal clouds in the background. The paper color is shown in the upper right, a mass of green was layed in for the foreground grasses, and a combination of blues and violets were used to rough in the clouds before blending with my finger. I'm starting to get really smooth fingertips.

2. Here I've lightened the rest of the sky so that more of the wispier clouds will ultimately retain this pale blue color. I've sketched in a singular coneflower, a little patch of Bee Balm, and additional texture for the foreground grasses.

3. Here I've darkened the main portion of the sky to a middle cyan blue, added the structural highlights and shadows to the coneflower, and added more mass to the foreground grasses. Thus far, this piece, too, has been created without the use of a fixative. I've used up a lot of tooth and might have some issues getting more details in the foreground. Might have to come up with an interesting solution... I want to enrich the sky color to a deeper blue, closer to the original blue of the paper. Here's an instance where I wish I had purchased the Art Spectrum pastels that match the paper colors. I'm off to a dinner party, so I won't get back to this until later tonight. Crazy for me to be attending 3 major social events in the same week. Cuts in to the creative time...

4. I've followed through on my plan to enrich the color of the sky and add some other enhancements to the clouds. Primarily I used a warm, pale peach to add in a few highlights. I came back quite exhausted after tonight's dinner party, which means that my tiredness plays a role in how far I can take this piece. I have committed to finishing each piece on the calendar day on which it was started. At the very least, this means that I'm not allowing myself to do any reworking or further enhancements until the Pastel-a-Day journey completes. Tomorrow, as they say, is another day!

Catching up: Day 10 > Fuschia

2012-01-12T23:48:00.004-06:00

from January 10, 2012

Fuschia, a soft pastel on 6x6 Art Spectrum Colourfix sanded paper.

1. I didn't have trouble choosing subject matter tonight, but did have some motivational issues after running around on a bunch of errands today. Sometimes it's hard to collect creative energy when it feels like much of it for the day has already been spent. Using a white Conte pencil, I sketched in the two flowers an a little dangling leftover after the bloom.

2. I blocked colors in from light to dark in the flowers, scumbled some colors into the background, and then worked to blend the background into the tooth of the paper with my fingers. By this point in the day, it appeared that working on my art began to invigorate me, so my energy level increased with the warmth of the image.

3. I continued to use finger-blending on the background areas and silicone blending tools on the more detailed petals to fully fill the tooth of the paper (with only minor exceptions where I used the dark brown of the paper as parts of the shadow and shape delimiters. After yesterday's fixative issues, I decided to work this piece to completion without spraying fixative.

4. As I darkened the background with successive layers of pastel pushed into the paper by finger and silicon blender, I was able to achieve a very painterly background. I bumped up the value for the highlights and enhanced the contours of the petals. Ultimately I completed the structure of the plant with the addition of the anthers, letting them shine in the glow of the afternoon sun. From start-to-finish, I was able to complete this piece in just under 2 hours. Not bad considering that I thought I wouldn't have enough energy to create something--and certainly didn't think I'd be able to create something this vibrant. I'm shamelessly pleased with myself today!

Day 9: The Sky IS Falling

2012-01-10T00:19:00.002-06:00

from January 9, 2012

Ribbons, a soft pastel on Wallis paper

1. I whipped up this quick starter sketch with vine charcoal during our monthly pastel group meeting.

2. I began blocking in the main shapes with NuPastels.

3. In this step, the main contours are completely blocked in with NuPastels and have been pinky-finger-blended into the tooth of the paper to hide the cream color of the paper.

4. I've had my first major fixative incident with SpectraFix. I had a gooey, spotty area appear in the middle of the sky, and began seeing significant darkening of the image. I'm now wondering how long the shelf life is for the concentrate of the fixative. On the other hand, I kind of like and can live with the kind of spotting that occurred in the foreground (I did cover some of it up). Think, think, think about corrections for the sky...

5. The only real change between Part 4 and this image is that i applied Golden Pastel ground medium by brush to the sky portion of the image and dried it with a hair dryer. I hope that this turns a bad spray incident into a positive learning experience.

6. I was able to repair the sky goobers with the pastel ground medium (WHEW!), which gave me the opportunity to rebuild a gradient sky and then build up for foreground structure and make some adjustments to the near farm buildings. I added some more Everclear (grain alcohol) to my diluted SpectraFix and decided to respray, intentionally going for a spatter-spray effect. Why not learn how to use odd chemistry in a positive way?

7. I needed to use a higher value highlight as using fixative on this piece has progressively darkened more of the colors than I've ever seen, and have opted to NOT spray a final layer of fixative here. While this piece is finished as far as I will take it in this daily painting format, I will work to revisit this composition again later with a fresh batch of fixative. I am pleased that I was able to get some more tooth back on the surface with the acrylic ground for pastels from Golden (I'm counting it as a lifesaver) without losing all of the details underneath the coating (translucent/transparent overcoat).

Today's OOPS art-venture included a "learning experience" that I tried to turn back from an "oh *!" to an "okay, I can fix that" scenario. Essentially my ever-so-reliable SpectraFix fixative seemed to have an excessively gummy-gooey kind of day. This meant as I was trying to do some final blending on my sky, there was a Henny Penny moment where parts of the sky fell off. After initially freaking out, I pulled out my Golden Acrylic Ground for Pastels, painted it over the whole sky area, dried it with my hair dryer, and reapplied a graduated sky. I diluted the SpectraFix with a little more alcohol and decided to use its misbehavior characteristic for the day as part of the picture, opting to let some new spots/granulation to be left in the painting. Today's piece counts a bit more as a learning experience than an awesome finished piece.

Day 8: Faux Color, Real Value

2012-01-09T00:22:00.003-06:00

from January 8, 2011

Feeling Sheepish, a soft pastel on 6x6 tan PastelMat

1. I used vine charcoal to sketch in mom and her two lambs and their deep shadow.

2. Using faux color but near value, I stippled in the bodies of the sheep.

3. Here I dashed in the grassy undergrowth in blue, green, and pink, and continued to refine the extreme highlights on the sheep. There are a couple of corrections that I still need to make before calling it the end of day 8.

4. I made some mark-making adjustments to the far grassy area and adjustments to both of the lamb's faces and several highlight areas. I feel like I've captured the bright morning light and the wooly textures of these docile creatures.

Day 7: An Exercise in Softness: the Iris

2012-01-09T00:09:00.003-06:00

From January 7, 2012

Iris, a soft pastel on 6x6 pale blue Colourfix Suede

1. I blocked in the shape for the iris by using white PanPastel applied with Sofft tools applicator. Since Suede officially says that it's well suited for a softer touch, that's what I wanted to use throughout for this piece.

2. I needed to refine the shape of the petals, and after spraying with Spectrafix, I was able to apply more PanPastel to the surface. This Suede surface carries the "nappy" features of fabric, so as the foam applicator for the PanPastel is pulled across the surface, you can see a reorientation of the fibers in the surface. It makes creation with the PanPastels carry another dimension.

3. After a second splash of fixative, I opted to use standard soft pastel sticks to add the veined details of the petals and the curved nature of the petals using lost/found strokes. I ran up against a time constraint here (after going out for some uncharacteristic socializing), but am pleased with the final presentation of this piece.

Day 6: Looking into the Canyon

2012-01-07T10:18:00.004-06:00

from January 6, 2012
Looking into the Canyon, a soft pastel on 6x6 royal blue Colourfix Suede.

1. Today's piece is a really late starter for the day, where I set up at the easel beginning at 9 PM. I'm using a new surface today: Art Spectrum's Colourfix Suede, a surface similar to PastelMat, but on a thicker stock. There is a bit of pebbling of the surface (especially visible in areas where you use blending techniques), but so far with my successively built layering style the paper is performing well.

2. I've worked on the rock structures on this vista of Bryce Canyon in Utah, and brought in an self portrait figurative element into the piece. I'm not sure how much further I can take this piece in the next 20 minutes, but will give it a shot to make some minor adjustments before I officially call it the end of day 6.

3. Due to official time constraints, I added just a few touches of light values here and there, including on the near rock viewpoint and the foliage in the foreground. I've filled the tooth of this paper, so I can't do much correction to the figure. I believe that I'll have to revisit this composition in the future as a full-fledged larger image.

This was ultimately a test of being able to "put your pastels down" at a specified time. : )

Day 5: Little Blue Table

2012-01-07T09:55:00.004-06:00

From January 5, 2012

Little Blue Table, a soft pastel on 6x6 Pastelbord.

1. He's the quick rough starter sketch executed primarily in local colors with Prismacolor hard sticks.

2. I got deeper and deeper into the creative zone as I began to take the rough shape sketch into what was meant to be only a shape-filling exercise. I began simply enough, and haven't used the harder pastels to take an underpainting this far in a very long time. I attribute that to a love/hate relationship with the harder pastels--they really need to have the right surface to perform well in my hands. Anyway, I had fun creating contour shading in the well-weathered couch and creating the rippled surface on the ceramic vase in the background. I'm still deciding whether I want to build the brocade surface on the couch or the tiled pattern on the table. Must be time for a late lunch break!

3. I whipped out the softer pastels to enrich shadows, create the wood grain on the pottery shelves, and build the tiled pattern on the table. I need to deepen the shadows below the potter shelf and the table (on the side of the wooden shelf). I'm not completely used to painting from indoor photos shot with a heavy-duty flash...a number of things are lit far more intensely than they would be under natural (or unnatural) room lighting.

4. I updated shadows and grout lines on the table. There are some perspective issues on the pottery shelf, but I've overworked the Pastelbord in that area, so there limitations to corrections that I can make there. I'll try on more correction and then accept it "as is".

5. The corrections done here surrounded the shape of the pottery, corrections to the perspective of the shelf, and some adjustments to the tile tabletop. I know that I'll revisit this topic and focus on the brocade of the couch!

Neglecting my blog, but not my artventure...

2012-01-07T09:46:00.004-06:00

My initial posts about my Pastel-a-Day adventures are posted on Facebook on my artist page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Edna-M-Kunkel-Art-and-Photography/102775209831438). This means that although I've not posted my art from day 5 or 6 on the days that they were created HERE yet on my blog, new information has been posted there. I'll catch up on posts this weekend, but if you're a reader and a Facebook member, feel free to *Like* my artist page and follow progress there.

A few things that I didn't really think of when I planned my Pastel-a-Day adventure:

I might not be able to work on a big or complicated piece
My normal style is to have things spill across several days, with a fresh perspective on each piece as the morning arrives
I promised myself to NOT rework a piece at least until after February 1, which means if I notice something that I can definitely repair or alter, it's a sniggly thought in the back of my head
I enjoy having to choose a subject matter and just build a piece. Like the work part of my life, getting a piece going (after I get past the motivational threshold) and moving isn't difficult. I struggle with that, likening that aspect of my ethic to that of a technician rather than the creative artist that I want to be.
Looking for subject matter that's inspirational for a given day takes time and usually has me wandering through a boatload of old photos to determine "where will I go today?"

Number 4: Snow Fall

2012-01-04T21:03:00.006-06:00

Day 4 of my Pastel-a-Day endeavor involved getting myself totally in an undistracted creative mode, pulling out my favorite surface, and finding a good snow photo to serve as the reference. It's been much of a snowflakeless winter thus far in Wisconsin, which is a big disappointment for me.

Snow Fall, a soft pastel on 6x6 Pastelbord.

1. After choosing my reference photo and using mat board corners to create a square composition, I used vine charcoal on one of my favorite surfaces to quickly sketch in the main details: a foreground tree and branches and a tree line.

2. I blocked in three higher value colors for the foreground snow-covered grasses (a blue-violet, a gray-green, and a red-violet), sketched the main tree structure in with a grayish teal and a pale pink, and drew in a tree line, initially in just a dark blue-green, and filled the sky holes in with a pale greenish blue. I added a few more details by tucking in some grasses, some color variety in the distant trees, and shadows around the tree trunk and limbs.

3. Continuing with a limited palette, I've added some more texture to the side of the tree that was hit by the horizontal snowfall and the snow-covered grasses in the foreground.

4. Adding a few more variety into the tree line in the distance, higher value near whites, and a smattering of leaves on the tree and a few on the ground brings this composition to near completion. I like that I've been able to give the impression of some bright whites while using only extremely high value color and neutral sticks. My eyes are a little tired today, so I'm glad that I was able to work relatively quickly in a well-focused creative zone.

5 (finished). After an hour break at the grocery store, I repaired the sunlight on the row of trees in the background and added variety and bigger leaves to the tree in the foreground.

Day three of my pastelista journey

2012-01-03T22:09:00.004-06:00

Today I worked on a still life, dealing with the floral masses of hydrangea and its floral heads. This one required a little bit of scrubbing and problem-solving to get to this final piece. Rough patches seem to respond well to innovative solutions. I'm betting this piece will look so much better to me after a perspective-inducing good night's sleep.

Hydrangea Still Life, soft pastel on 5.25 x 8.24 Wallis sanded paper.

1. The starting sketch looks a little bit like a very simplified duck (left) and a rabbit (right). : )

2. To tone the off-white paper, I quickly blocked in the base colors.

3. I used a brush and Turpenoid to suspend the soft pastel pigments into a liquid and brushed them into the crevices of the sanded surface.

4. I blocked in the flowers that I wanted to retain structurally throughout the composition.

5. This part involved more structural development of the focal point flowers and expanding the range of values.

6. The yellow background wasn't working for me, so I swapped it into a purple-black, which allowed me to enrich the shadow portions of the piece and do some negative shape adjustments. I became a bit frustrated at this point, cursing my choice of flower!

7. After a little rant and a subsequent break, I intentionally pulled out a blue stick that I thought was totally *wrong* for the color palette, and was thereby able to use it as a tool to better see the petals and opted to use a deep blue violet to do some more negative shape modeling of the petals. I rarely use an outlining technique like this, but it seems to work well in a complicated mass like this. Ultimately I will bring in some brighter highlights and turn some of these extremely dark outlines to thinner, broken lines.

8. With some lighter lights, the hydrangea ball in the foreground is looking pretty good. I added some more vibrant hues to the young mass at the left. I've deleted some of the mass from the ball in the background. Still not sure about that part, though. A part of me wants to make it completely disappear...

9. I wiped out the back hydrangea mass with a dark pastel, some Turpenoid, and additional cover strokes to turn it into a consistent backdrop. I then added in the curly wood of the bouquet at intentional diagonals and did some updates to the bud-ball.

10. (Finished). The bud-ball needed to go back to more of a bright green mass, so I reworked that area and did a touch or two around the painting to ensure that the colors tie together throughout the composition. I'll add a signature later and take a final photo in the sunlight. The biggest things I learned today: examine and learn a little more about the anatomy of a particular flower family before beginning the painting part and always remember to simplify things for each painting that I want to finish in a single day. Things that I've learned previously and applied today: mist flowers throughout their studio session whenever artificial lighting is used.

A second day of pastel...

2012-01-02T20:21:00.005-06:00

Lacy Resting Places. Part 1, soft pastel on 7 x 9 storm green sanded paper (Richeson Premium). I often start by jumping right in from a photo reference and putting everything in to the piece. Here, I've selected some prominent oval shapes to include. I wiped out a few things that were misplaced with an eraser and a stiff-bristled brush. My primary goal for today is to keep things a bit more loose than I did in yesterday's project and use the paper color untouched as background color.

Part 2, soft pastel on 7 x 9 storm green sanded paper (Richeson Premium). Here I've taken advantage of my tendency to create patterns by using the inherently patterned Queen Anne's Lace flower as my focal point. It's smaller clusters occur in natural hexagon shapes, which means I can use randomized pointillism within an foreshortened hexagon to build it's structure. The companion flowers in this prairie are wild bergamot. These flowers are more like my hair--wild and curly, sticking up here and there at will--and are the controlled chaos portion of this piece.

Part 3, soft pastel on 7 x 9 storm green sanded paper (Richeson Premium). Here I've expanded on the structures of the background flowers and added some darker marks to represent some of the shadows inside the depth of the lace. The biggest plan for the next step is to increase the contras between the Bergamots and the background. I have a couple of choices here--to go toward darker values in the undergrowth or toward lighter values in the flowers. Because I really want the "lace" to be the primary focal point, I'm going to opt for adding shades. I might also use a few highlights on a couple of the purple flowers later.

Part 4, soft pastel on 7 x 9 storm green sanded paper (Richeson Premium). Darkening the undergrowth was a great way to increase the contrast between the wiry petals of the Bergamot flowers and the "storm green" of the sanded paper.

Part 5, soft pastel on 7 x 9 storm green sanded paper (Richeson Premium). In this step, I turned up the sun...bringing in brighter highlights onto the Queen Anne's lace and onto the frills of the purples flowers (plus this photo is slightly overexposed!). I'll need to cast a few shadows onto those two Bergamots tucked in under lace umbrella.

Part 6, soft pastel on 7 x 9 storm green sanded paper (Richeson Premium). I've enhanced the 3 Bergamots at the right with lighter value highlights and de-emphasized the other by using darker values, at least on the petals. I still need go a little darker for the ones under the "umbrella". Only a few more tweaks, and I can count this one as being finished.

Part 7, soft pastel on 7 x 9 storm green sanded paper (Richeson Premium). Ultimately this piece is finished (although it still needs a signature). Day 2 of my Pastel-a-Day completed! Yay-rah!

31-day-pastel-a-thon begins...

2012-01-01T21:17:00.011-06:00

The first piece is a soft pastel composed on a sanded surface with the Smoky Mountains as my subject. Below are a set of 7 images and text that describes my progress.

Smoky Mountains. Part 1, 5.5 x 9 soft pastel on Storm (see near foreground green), a sanded Premium Pastel Surface from Richeson. I did a quick line sketch with white charcoal pencil, filled in the main shapes, and used Turpenoid and a cheap paint brush to spread color into the tooth of the paper, and used some of the pigment left on the brush to pull down some color into the background evergreen tree line (near ground triangle). The disadvantage of using white charcoal to sketch in the lines is that they remain unless you do a bit of scrubbing with the wet brush. Off to build the next layer!

Part 2, 5.5 x 9 soft pastel on Storm (see near foreground green), a sanded Premium Pastel Surface from Richeson. I've added wispy clouds to the sky and dappled in the tree-covered mountains the recede into the distance. I also realized that the peaks on my far mountains should be much less varied in height. After all, these are very old mountains! So much more work to do, and sometimes things get a little ugly before they make a turn for the beautiful. This piece is in that nether space at the moment. I've used SpectraFix to set the pigments in place. Back to the drawing board...literally!

Part 3, 5.5 x 9 soft pastel on Storm (see near foreground green), a sanded Premium Pastel Surface from Richeson. I've repaired the distant mountain contour and added colors in to the contours in between. I still need to make some atmospheric perspective adjustments, as these are the Smoky Mountains, known for a hazy appearance as the hills recede in the distance. What will the next step in the process show?

Part 4, 5.5 x 9 soft pastel on Storm (a bluish green), a sanded Premium Pastel Surface from Richeson. The foreground trees are shaping up nicely now, and the atmospheric perspective is helping push the hills further into the distance. I think I need a dinner break before continuing. Back in a bit.

Part 5, 5.5 x 9 soft pastel on Storm (a bluish green), a sanded Premium Pastel Surface from Richeson. While I had the cooler colors in the far hills, I had them too saturated. Here I've desaturated the hills in the distance with blues and purples and increased the saturation of the near hills with pure greens and yellow-greens. Because of the pointillist technique used in the mountains, this is a piece that looks better across the room than up close. After a little more tree work, I can count the first of my Pastel-a-Day pieces as finished!

Part 6, 5.5 x 9 soft pastel on Storm (a bluish green), a sanded Premium Pastel Surface from Richeson. I've reworked the trees to get them to look less like groomed holiday trees (yes, I said it) and a little more scraggly and irregular. Of course, creating irregularities is something that the pattern-based logic part of my brain fights me on every time. I've also made some minor adjustments to the far hills by using a brush to lightly blend and push the pastels into the tooth of the paper. I'm almost pleased enough to sign this one.

Finished (Part 7), 5.5 x 9 soft pastel on Storm (a bluish green), a sanded Premium Pastel Surface from Richeson. I added a couple of tweaks to the clouds, then signed this piece and am calling it a successful first piece for my 31-day-pastel-a-thon!

I count this as a good first day!

Running Into the Wind

2011-12-30T13:27:00.003-06:00

Here's one of my practice pieces for my upcoming Pastel-a-Day adventure. See progress from start to finish on my Facebook page. More to come here, too!

Following My Pastel-A-Day Progress...

2011-12-29T19:57:00.003-06:00

I've been doing exercises to get in shape! Read more here on this blog, follow me on Twitter (@electrikolor), and also on Facebook.

A Pastel a Day

2011-12-28T18:38:00.002-06:00

Dear Edna,

You have the opportunity to enhance your artistic skills in a unique way during the month of January. Come rain, snow, sleet, or (apparently) 40-degree dry days, you are hereby challenged to create one pastel painting every day of the month.

You can choose the size of the painting, and whether it will be a soft pastel or an oil pastel composition -- or even a mixed media composition that uses pastel in a non-traditional manner.

You are encouraged to prepare well in advance for this adventure, or, in this case, make the decision just a few days before embarking.

You have been chosen for this activity because you are known to have supplies sufficient to take you through a month (or a year) of paintings, the desire to try new things, and the need to express yourself on paper and step away from the computer when you're not processing your digital photographs.

You are encouraged to attempt some plein air painting (perhaps from wind-protected insides of a car) and choose topics that you do not naturally gravitate towards (such as still life, for which you claim to have a certain distaste, but not an inability).

Since you have chosen to accept this challenge, be sure to do your warm up exercises for the next several days. We do not want you straining any creative part along the way.

Most of all, remember to enjoy, learn, and share your results.

Sincerely,

Your right brain

Letters to the Editor: Fostering A Safe Place to Recall Walker

2011-12-11T09:54:00.004-06:00

Once upon a time, letters to the editor were published in newspapers when they represented a sincere opinion that affected the community. These days, of course, they have to meet the needs of editorial policy. Sometimes I agree with those policies, other times I don't. In this instance, I feel that not publishing something by a local business owner because she is running for a county office is not really a great policy.

On the other hand, this is MY blog, and I do not have the same editorial policy. Therefore, the letter below, originally sent to the Verona Press for publication, is being circulated here and on other blogs to illuminate why the shop is also allowing Recall Walker petitions to be circulated. Simply put, Erika Hotchksis believes in social justice...

Since the beginning of the recall effort in Verona I have received many messages and phone calls both in support and in opposition to Tuvalu’s participation in the recall effort. I would like to take a moment to clarify why I have made the decision to involve my local business in this issue.

Tuvalu Coffeehouse & Gallery has, since it’s opening, been all about social justice. Everything I do I do with the thought of how it will affect our community, our children, and quite honestly our world. I have set out to make a place in Verona that educates consumers and offers a family friendly environment and a socially conscious choice within our community.

I feel strongly that what is happening to the people of our state and the divisiveness that we see at the Capitol is, at its core, a social justice issue. I have, therefore, provided the recall Walker organizers in Verona a place to collect signatures where they can sit out of the cold at a table in the corner and be safe, and the people who want to sign the recall petition can sign it knowing that they are signing in a place where they and their signatures are also safe. The recall group has been very respectful of our business and our customers. They sit quietly at a table with their petitions waiting for people to come to them if they so choose.

As a customer recently wrote to me “Some might think that putting politics into your business is risky… Sometimes, separating the two is the least authentic choice. We must all go to bed at night knowing we are measured by the positions we take on a daily basis. I applaud the transparency and I know you sleep well.”

No matter the outcome, I wouldn’t change a thing. As a longtime resident of Verona, a mother to three wonderful kids, and a small business owner I have to make the best choices I am able to every day. I love that we have a safe place in Verona for people to sign. I love that I am able to stand up for what’s right with integrity and feel empowered and supported by this wonderful community! I have never been silent when I see injustice and misuse of power no matter the risk. I truly would walk away from anything where I was not able to be authentic to who I am and what I believe. This is what Tuvalu is at its core… it’s more than just a place to get a great cup of coffee.

Thank you all and Happy Holidays!

Erika Hotchkiss

Yes, I have signed the recall petitions for both Walker and Kleefish. I did it over at Tuvalu. Tuvalu has been the only place in Verona that literally reached out to me as a local artist and Verona resident to ever get involved in anything, which, in my world makes not only the business unique, but Erika's vision for the community something that I strongly support. I only wish more places in Verona would be more accepting and supportive of their respective beliefs.

It is because of who Erika is and what she believes in that I volunteered to help her campaign for Dane County Board Supervisor. Am I biased in my opinion? Yes, I am, and proud of it!

Edna

Winter Festival - Glacier Edge - Sat Dec 3 - 7 am till noon

2011-12-02T19:33:00.001-06:00

Pancakes, books, and crafts! Saturday, December 3. 7 am to noon.

Glacier Edge Elementary School (800 Kimball Lane, Verona, WI, essentially down the street from Gray's Tied House) is hosting their Second Annual Winter Festival on Saturday, December 3rd from 7 am to noon.

Come and shop a huge Scholastic Book Fair, see and purchase crafts from local vendors and learn more about product lines available through small businesses.

A kid's craft and movie area will be staffed with adults so you can shop for the holidays. I'll be there with some goodies suitable as teacher gifts!

7th Annual Holiday Sale - Saturday November 12 only - 11 am to 4 pm

2011-11-06T11:48:00.005-06:00

You’re invited to the Seventh Annual Holiday Sale, a new event for me. This one-day event takes place next Saturday, November 12 from 11 am to 4 pm at the Stark Realty building, located at the corner of High Point and Old Sauk Roads, Madison. Join us and enjoy complimentary coffee, wine, hot cider, appetizers and sweet treats while you shop in a relaxing atmosphere for family and friends (or find something wonderful just for yourself).

Here’s what our artistic gang has to share at this event, with most items priced under $25:

Jennifer Blassing Hand woven scarves, belts & bags in gorgeous jewel colors.

Rose Halik Texile designs that include quilted fabric bowls in batik fabrics, sling purses & bracelets.

Gail Gladding-Pullara Wonderful jams & chocolate hazelnut Kahlua sauce plus tiny bird cottages covered with seed for your feathered friends.

Linnea Phillips “Naystalgia” is whimsical pieces made with flea market finds; bird feeders from old ash trays, mittens from recycled sweaters, candles in antique tea cups & decoupage switch plate covers.

Narra Smith Cox Versatile & beautiful pottery vases, platters, bowls & wine coasters with unusual glazes.

Debby Royston-Statz Earrings, one-of-a-kind beaded table runners, holiday table decorations.

Amy Statz Cheerful and beautifully crafted all occasion greeting cards and gift enclosures.

Edna Kunkel Pastels and enhanced digital photography compositions on blank cards, hand-dyed marble coasters and trivets, gift boxes, sticky-note packs & more.

Bonnie Wanta Bonnie’s Cottage Boutique’s pretty & practical placemats, potholders, wine cozies, aprons, baby blankets and more, all with artists touches and gorgeous fabrics.

Kathleen Ward Aunty K crochets Guyz, whimsical & colorful yarn creatures with big personalities: googly eyes, freckles, kinky curls & hand-painted eyes, so they’re all unique.

Ray Weigand Blockhead solid wood bowls, candle sticks, coasters and trays are lovingly crafted from many unusual woods such as catalpa and exotic cherry, in linear and even basket patterns.

Kris Woestman Unique crocheted women’s hats, fingerless gloves, neckwarmers, children’s hats & more. She also makes a line of hand-made soaps, lotion bars, lip balms & scented body butter.

Heidi Miller Hand woven on an old sock loom, warm children’s to adults size socks in colorful designs.

Jennifer Zarrinnam “Twinkle Toes” handmade hair lovelies, jewelry fashioned from vintage collections.

Ed Lanerud Hand crafted rustic reindeer, bears & lamps.

Bonnie Lubet “Our Three Arts” Paoli, exquisite semi-precious stone jewelry.

Giving Back to the Community

We are hosting a “Share Your Strength Bake/Nut Sale” all proceeds going to provide meals for hungry children in our area. In the spirit of the holidays and good will, we would greatly appreciate if you can donate a non-perishable food item to the St. Vincent de Paul food pantry.

More Info

The street address is 702 North High Point Road, Madison, WI 53717 (see Google Map) and has FREE parking in the back of the building. This event features a single check-out process that accepts cash and checks only.

Note

I will not be at the From Our House to Yours event this year as a vendor, but have a number of friends there, so let me know if you need details about the event (occurs the weekend after this one). The next event notices you will see from me will take place in December in the Verona area.

If you think government should run like business...

2011-09-17T19:38:00.003-05:00

...what kind of business should it run like?

Generally, businesses are bipartisan. There may be some turnover when a person in a leadership position moves on, but usually the goal is to minimize disruption.

In many ways, government already runs like business. Albeit one that doesn't gross a 50% margin on everything. Think about how much more people would bitch if their taxes were proportional to the business worth of services that they received.

Some folks think that things would be more efficient and less prone to error. I've held jobs in the academic sector (private and state universities), in large multi-national companies, in family-owned businesses, in retail organizations, in banking-related industries, for myself, and a few more scenarios. What I've learned is that each organization has both strengths and weaknesses...not unlike each coworker I've known. Further, each person's motivation is individualized: they work for economic stability and for economic freedom, they work to keep their families together or their traveling lifestyle, they work to keep from being bored and they work to learn new things, they work because they need to be a part of a something big and noble or small and efficient, they work to create something that's never been done before or build a better mousetrap, they work to be the best or they work to be their best.

Company cultures vary as much as the individuals and groups that comprise them. Excellence, consistency, teamwork, individuality, hierarchical, egalitarian, top-down, bottom-up, and so many more business cultures thrive. And fail. Let's not forget that businesses fail. They're especially vulnerable when they have to undergo rapid change.

I'm sure at least some of you watch professional sports or have been on some kind of team before. Sometimes the combination of people turns into a stellar example of the sum of the whole is well worth more than the sum of the individual parts. Granted, this is what most companies who tout their team atmosphere want all of us to believe. But we all know that there are, have been, and will be teams that are successful because of the exquisite skills of just one or two people, and because the rest of the team is uniquely qualified to support them or because the stars would be successful regardless of whether they're partnered with a nincompoop or a genius.

Yes, the business of government has issues, but who is willing to pay someone to evaluate what works and what doesn't? You know, people with expertise at revamping business, not just the regular person standing in front of you with an opinion...

Opinions are most definitely way to easy to give...and those that are spewed out without data are the worst kind, at least in my opinion.
: )

I used to NOT express my opinion, primarily because it represented just my viewpoint. Over the years, of course, I've learned that my opinion is valuable, often because it's based more on logic and facts than on emotion and history. However, this doesn't make it any more valuable than anyone else's opinion.

So, think again about how exactly you think the government can be streamlined, identify the services that you believe can be eliminated, and then find some random person on the street and see if their opinion is a carbon-copy match for yours. We all have ideas of how things could be better, but in a good business, brainstorming is only the first part of the business process...

Let's defund the arts, they say...

2011-03-23T11:50:00.005-05:00

No one needs the "frivolousness" of the arts, they say.

Do "they" believe that the arts are not a part of their lives? Do "they" not read? Do "they" not watch movies or TV? Do "they" not listen to music?

Are there NOT private and public businesses generating revenue from the arts?

"Oh, no," they say, "we value the arts, just we see no value in anything that's associated with our country or state that uses tax money."

"It's no big deal," they say, "private organizations and foundations have more than enough money to keeps the arts going."

"I could easily live without all this art stuff," they say.

"Oh, really?" I say with a raised brow. "Let's do it. Let's make the arts disappear. Poof! No more arts."

"They" applaud, and I sadly walk away.

The next day, all cameras disappear, in that images are art and art is frivolous. No longer can "they" celebrate their weddings with photographic memories, and they seem surprised that their cell phones no longer transmit images. As "they" browse the internet, images begin to disappear and there are boxes with big red "Xs" everywhere.

The day after, all their touch-screen devices lose the frivolous illustrated icons that help them identify the apps that they want to use. They go home and turn on their TV. Although the screen is black as now all moving images have disappearred, they can still hear the sounds.

Their phones all sound off with the same ringtone, but try as they might, they cannot find a single musical ringtone. They check their music device and are shocked when they see no files. This truly becomes the day that music died, but no one seems to remember the classic lyrics to the song that once was.

They enter the office and boot up their computer and are greeted by an eerie green screen with a c:>> prompt repeatedly mocking them to do something that they had once (or never) knew. They walk around the building to commiserate with their coworkers, but all are frantically trying to prepare for the critical meetings coming up in a few minutes and have no idea how to make a presentation without PowerPoint.

No worries, the clients for whom the presentation was intended, have gotten lost as their GPS unit can no longer guide them to their destination without map images. The clients eventually arrive so close to lunchtime, that everyone decides to change the meeting into a lunch discussion, knowing that the good food that they've ordered should make everyone feel more at ease.

The only problem is that the caterer lost all frivolously creative recipes last night, and all they could do was stop at the grocers for supplies, which they unloaded and left in the office kitchen hours ago. The group grazed some of the raw veggies and fruit, but weren't the least bit sated.

The workers pulled a verbal presentation together, but without the ability to diagram out the complexities of the concept, the clients left unimpressed and pulled the contract for the job.

They go home, dejected, to a house where kids literally have "nothing to do" except run around, play word games, or read . You know, in books or on the internet. There is no TV, TiVO or cable, video games, music, or even books with pictures in them. Of course, there is no homework, because along with those frivolous arts go all those unnecessary textbooks and overeducated teachers.

Ah, yes, the benefits of a world without arts.

Public funding for the arts offers opportunities that are valuable to all. Just because "they" don't realize the full ramifications is no reason to go toward an unnecessarily austere lifestyle...any loss of the arts affects lives in more ways than conservative politicians can fathom.

Countdown to 2011

2010-11-28T23:01:00.002-06:00

And so it is that there are now only 33/32 days (depending on your time zone) until the next New Year reigns. How is that possible?

Intellectually, I know that time continues to pass at the same rate every day. Yet, year after year, months blend into what seems like just weeks, and each year passes in a whirlwind. Football season just started a couple of weeks ago, right, and now the bowl season is just around the corner. Halloween was just yesterday...nope that was Thanksgiving, and a couple of days have passed.

I don't feel like my life is so very routine that the days run into each other. I still feel like I accomplish a full range of tasks every day. But, the more things I jam into a day, the faster the day seems to fly. Even lazy days vaporize.

Where does the time go? I feel like life increments by a warp unit with each passing decade. I'm beginning to believe that "youth is wasted on the youth"...

Foiled morning adventure(s)

2010-09-26T11:54:00.002-05:00

Those who know me realize that I am, without a doubt, not-a-morning person. So when I make it up and get out of the house before noon (especially on weekends), it qualifies as a major accomplishment.

So when I woke up this morning and realized that today would be a perfect day to shoot some morning photos, I flipped a virtual coin to decide whether to go back to Olbrich (after being there last weekend for an art class) or go to Vilas Zoo for the first time. Preferring to opt for something new, I chose the zoo. New animal photos with my long lens would make me really happy, right?

So proud of myself, I ensured that I had two potential routes over to the zoo. After taking the most direct route and running into an eventual roadblock because of a race, I turned around and began my approach from my alternate route. Despite a couple of orange cones, it looked clear. So despite a couple of what appeared to be annoyed looks from pedestrians, I continued toward the Zoo, primarily because I was following another vehicle. Then, as I made my final approach to the zoo, I saw the racers running toward me. Surprisingly, there weren't any race officials out there telling me to move or get off the route of the annual Zoo Run Run. They really should put up signs along the route and actually block traffic...as much as I'm sure they didn't like me on the route, I ultimately was on a one-way road that didn't exactly allow me to turn around.

So now I've spend an hour-and-a-half navigating to and around someplace that was too populated to take good photos, and decided that I'd just head home and try to shoot some local shots at my neighborhood Badger Prairie Park. Yes, I had moments of indecision where I thought about heading over to Olbrich or maybe down to Blue Mounds State Park, but those thoughts disappeared when I realized I was both a bit hungry and thirsty. So I stop at the local park and start rigging up my gear when I realize that neither my gorilla-type tripod nor my monopod were in my car. Since I'm compulsive about locking my car, I didn't think they had been stolen. After all, why would someone steal a monopod and not a more expensive tripod. Anyway, that sealed it for me. The photo gods were not smiling on me this morning, and I came home. There, on the floor where I left it after the Ironman Triathlon a couple of weeks ago was my monopod, and my little flexible tripod was in my art bag.

I've eaten a brief snack, gotten a little bit of liquid in me to wet my whistle, and will grab a sandwich before venturing out again. This next adventure, of course, will be more successful, in that it will naturally be an afternoon adventure...

You see only part of me

2010-08-16T21:01:00.002-05:00

As I walked outside this evening to a luminous half moon, I thought that what others see and know of me is not unlike the half-phase moon. What we see is far less than what's illuminated, and all that we're capable of seeing from our position here on terra firma is limited to half of a whole.

I'm one of those dorky pessimists who admits to having a dark side. I probably relish the dark side more than the light side because I enjoy the thinking being, and I'm more contemplative when the emotions flow freely in response to the outside world. These are the moments where inspiration flows, the muses take possession of my soul, and I must express these thoughts and feelings immediately. Rarely do I find these kinds of inspiration in the company of any people. Fortunately there are other reasons to enjoy the company of people, but I find myself more and more content as I become more and more reclusive.

This does not apply to the company of my faithful companion, Crash, however. I can gain perspective from this sweet, tough, frightened, regal, and goofy creature. I write and create with this flawed and awesome life by my side. I've found that my dogs provide essential support in the most trying times and without that support, I am lost. This is one of the reasons that I don't much like to travel...

I'd rather move someplace new with my dog than travel around the world alone. How sad others think I am. But with my dog, I am a part of pack. We become an insurmountable foe and can do anything. We can go anywhere with our heads held high or run away with our tails tucked in, as the situation warrants. Collectively, we know each others moves, and sense whatever else we need. It is an awesome collaboration that continues to strengthen with time, and differs with each dog.

I wonder whether if reopening my life in a new place will help remove the sense of unsettled that I feel here in Wisconsin. I felt this before in Tennessee, but not in Pittsburgh or Chicago. I need to relocate that sense of grounding and peace. Where next will that be?

I hurt myself tying my shoe!

2010-08-01T21:52:00.004-05:00

So, I wake up this morning knowing that it will turn into a pretty toasty day outside, and not being much of a morning person, I consider it an accomplishment to get out of the house before 11 am on a weekend day. All well and good. I figure out my shopping list for Home Depot, and I'm ready to leave the house at 10:30 as soon as I put on my sneakers.

Or so I thought...I sit on my loveseat and tie up my sneakers, and then get up to a wincing pain in the knee. No warning. No popping. No obvious weirdness. I pull out the cane that I acquired a couple of years ago for a popped calf tendon, and hobble around the house, grabbing the ice bag as I inch along.

Eventually I did make it out to the Depot...they didn't have the glass tiles that I wanted, but I was able to grab some replacement louvers for the vertical blinds in my living room, a potted orchid, a potted Gerbera daisy, and an oak dowel. I successfully work my way through the self-check out, but inadvertently miss ringing up the dowel. So I proceed to do the second transaction for the dowel, grab my receipt, and walk (or should I say limp?) out to the car. As I place my items in the car, I realize that I don't have the dowel, so I walk back in to the store and get the wayward wood. Sometimes it seems as though very interesting forces are at work. Even as I typed this, I realized that I momentarily could not locate that same dowel...

As I was driving home, I figured I could stop for about 10 minutes to shoot some pictures. The car had been air conditioned for awhile, and the plants would be fine, right? I grab a few quick shots, head back home, and pull all the goodies and wayward goodies out of the car (yes, I really did put the dowel in the house...it's on a chair next to the sliding glass door). To my dismay, the daisies all had wilted. Now I'm not a gardener by any means, but I do buy live plants as photographic and artistic subject matter. Sometimes they survive for weeks, even months before I completely neglect them. This one didn't even make it home before the blooms were toast. Right now, I've snipped the 3 flowers off the main foliage, and they're partially reconstituted in a large bowl of water...but certainly not the subject matter that I had intended.

I've rested, elevated, and iced that knee several more times today, but it's still misbehaving. I really don't want to add a knee brace to my arsenal of home medical supplies. As I noted before, I have a cane. I also have a sling (woosy shoulders), an array of ace bandages, a thigh wrap, several first aid kits, finger and wrist splints, ankle and elbow supports, and sundry other supplies...Most of these have been very useful over the years of minor sprains and strains associated with athletic endeavors. I can even peacefully justify their use when I move in some way that my body isn't accustomed. But when it comes down to things like "I must have slept in a bad position" or "I was just standing up"...I find it a bit annoying.

I started competitive athletics at age 8. Along the way, the list of sports has included softball, basketball, volleyball, field hockey, soccer, tennis, racquetball, and a little bit of gold. I used to lift weights and do strengthening with all the lovely gym equipment. Then I hit 35, and my dominant shoulder started screaming at me daily. I did physical therapy rehab twice and continued to be in pain every day. Ice was my best friend and Ibuprofen was my second best friend. My orthopedists gave me a variety of exercises that I did religiously and I found friends willing to give up their lunch hour to help me do the 100 throws a day pitching regimen, just to keep going.

A number of things were going on in my life, and depression hit big time. I gave up all athletic endeavors and crawled into a quiet, safe place. As I SLOWLY emerged from this depression months down the line, I realized that my shoulder didn't hurt. My docs had always told me to keep working, strengthening, playing. My body had decided otherwise. So technically I mostly retired from any competitive athletics...for about 8 years before playing softball and volleyball again. I still goofed around a bit and hiked and did other active things, and really payed for damages whenever a bowling ball was involved...I went from using an 11-12 pound ball down to an 8 pound ball and that was still NOT light enough for the shoulder [I did, however, have the tendency to hold on to the light ball a bit longer than I should, and did a softball pitch THUNK down the lane].

Anyway, I'm not the gal who generally stops if something hurts (usually only when forced to do so), but to have giant twinges of pain for NO APPARENT reason really chips me off. So, as I close this story to add ice to injury (again), sign all of my joints as well older than my years...

Walking in the Path of Others

2010-07-30T22:01:00.003-05:00

I often feel that I walk outside the main stream. Realistically, I should say that I've always felt that way, and my feelings are reinforced generally at least once a day...

My actions were influenced (often most severely) by what I perceived as consequences of other people's actions. Part of this is rooted in being the youngest child in a set of five and an "observer" personality type. I watched my older siblings get into a lot of things--or heard about them as the punishments were doled out. I probably learned more from their mistakes than actually by my own--at least in my early years.

When I went off to college, I really was on my own to make a bucketful of mistakes, or in the vernacular of the marketing spin-doctoring, "learning experiences". Of course, some of the responsibility for these errors in judgment can be shared with others, but some were clearly my own lapses or naivetes.

I've been told that if I'm living my life "right", then I should be able to do so without regrets. Since I have regrets, some may say that the converse is true: I'm living my life "wrong". I believe instead that my sequence of life-changing events has played out according to someone else's script. The character in that script was slated to be far more resilient, confident, and thicker-skinned than I.

Rather than resilience, I have determination to pick myself up by the bootstraps. I can envision myself attempting this type of maneuver: falling first flat onto my face and then back on my keister in a farcical, repetitive sequence. I also can see the Acme logo on the side of the bootstraps and hear the roadrunner mockingly beep-beeping.

Confidence, or self-esteem, is an interesting concept to my internal observer. It has absolutely nothing to do with talent or ability. It often has no grounding in reality. It is clearly a state of believing "I can". I used to believe that I could do or be anything. I no longer believe this, but also do not perceive this as a bad thing.

Functionally, I might be able to learn and retain enough information to be a FILL-IN-THE-BLANK-HERE. I'm intelligent enough to put the pieces together and curious enough to learn on my own or from a mentor. But, realistically, there are some things that "I can't" do. There are other things that I won't do. There are things that I've not been able to do; and I'm not ashamed to own up to them. Perhaps that, too, is something heinous to admit...it often seems to me that many need to tell themselves that they can to help them feel better.

I have no problem saying that I've never done something before; fortunately that doesn't prevent me from trying it, succeeding, failing, liking, or disliking it. Self-esteem seems to present itself in me as an accomplishment reward rather than a precursor to an activity.

My freckled skin seems to shed light on the permeability or thickness factor. I have tons of teeny tiny freckles, maybe constituting 5% of the surface area, separated by large patches of unpigmented areas. If I'm prepared and slather on SPF100 lotion every quarter hour or so, I can handle a limited amount of damage. On the other hand, if I'm caught unprotected, I'm going to burn quickly and severely across the huge majority. I take all of my creative endeavors personally--and that includes both my art and work. I'm more passionate about my art, but I'm still fully vested in my work!

My wise and powerful introversion gene down-regulated my expression today, which is why my fingers need to take care of releasing bits tonight.

> 140 characters...

2010-01-29T23:07:00.002-06:00

I've been off spending time on Facebook and Twitter trying to catch up with friends and family in the past year, and tonight I feel the need to write a longer passage. I'm having a temporary case of severe cynicism...

I'm struggling with the fact that the Palin twit continues to find a voice and listeners. I'm dismayed that there is so much political polarization running amuck rather than doing something productive. It's disturbing that people with the biggest egos are out there in roles of managers, executives, and other powerful positions. Luckily, I suppose, for them, their egos seem to be enough; unluckily, for the rest of us, I think we'd prefer real substance, strategy, and commitment.

Then again, maybe we don't care about real substance. We watch staged reality shows. We pay attention the the trails behind people like Heidi/Barbie. We see spin-doctoring come into play to repaint bad choices into uncontrollable addictions. We think Simon's the bad guy because he tells people that can't sing exactly that.

We hide our real feelings, or, apparently, many of us eat our real feelings to spare those of others. We fill our lives with so many activities, and then need to fill them with other activities to alleviate the stress that we're under. We hate the actual wars that go on and spend endless hours manipulating electronics in virtual war games.

We need to know the news at every given second, and with microblogging, we don't seem to question the credibility of the source. We can't leave the house without knowing the weather prediction for the day and we accept those unreliable predictions that seem only marginally better than bursitis in a shoulder. Secretly, we all wish we could have the weather person's job where we could make mistakes over and over again, and it was considered acceptable. News flash: life, in general, is not an exact science; humans are quite fallible.

There are, of course, parts of life that are pretty wonderful and, honestly, I find human foibles and flaws far more interesting than the more perfect aspects (whatever the heck those are). On those days where real life just doesn't seem enough to clear the senses, I can fall inside a book or a painting and gain new perspective. I know tonight's melancholy and cynicism can be attributed to the evils of caffeine and insufficient sleep. I can hope that tonight will be filled with a restful sleep...and tomorrow will start anew first with a big wet kiss from buddy, Crash. Definitely one of the few parts of morning that I enjoy. To bed. To sleep.

socially inept?

2009-12-30T23:20:00.000-06:00

Now on Twitter, too. Look for ElectriKolor to follow...

30th Annual Holiday Craft Boutique

2009-11-01T19:03:00.002-06:00

Been hanging out on Facebook...

2009-05-28T23:36:00.003-05:00

and en plein air...

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=15291&id=1649853106&l=3d2ae30ebb

: )

More sailing...

2009-02-23T20:07:00.002-06:00

I think I'm done. Now all I need is a good title.

Sailing through February

2009-02-22T15:53:00.009-06:00

1
23456789

Drat, it seems that I can't get an animated GIF to work here or on Facebook. The set of images above represents the progress I've made on an oil pastel piece that I've temporarily titled "Sailboats", which I've also been featuring on my Facebook page.

Whooping Wade

2009-01-25T17:15:00.003-06:00

Here is "Whooping Wade", an 18 x 24 inch oil pastel painting on a canvas panel, finished earlier today. This is one of three images that I'm hoping to have on display at Overture Center later this year as part of the Mount Horeb Area Artists Association.

I've been cited for blog neglect...

2009-01-22T21:30:00.001-06:00

...or should have been.

Rather than dash everyone's holiday spirits, I went into hibernation for a few months. Great for the artistic creativity, and I was able to pass the holidays--plus there have been plenty of opportunities to play in the wintry weather.

The snow has been piling up again this year, and just before the second big snowstorm of the year, a lovely little snow blower joined my arsenal of home and garden tools. Whew! It's saved me hours and hours of labor and offered some abominable snowman moments. No one tells you that some days it really doesn't matter what direction the exit chute is pointing, the wind tends to whip it right back at you or over the path you just cleared.

Another clipper is headed our way over the weekend. After last week's sub-zero temperatures and -40 wind chills, this week has felt downright balmy--and it's just approaching 32 degrees!

My latest online adventure has been getting bamboozled into playing on Facebook. Friends out there anywhere?

: )

29th Annual Holiday Craft Boutique

2008-10-25T12:31:00.003-05:00

Again this year I'm showing pieces at the 29th Annual Holiday Craft Boutique, a home show out in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin that my good friend Stephanie Funck alerted me about several years ago. It's a good way to get the jump on fun holiday shopping without the crowds.

Jan Dorner opens her home for three successive weekends to a group of artists who provide a broad range of art and craft items for the holidays and gift-giving throughout the year.

Snowmen. Reindeer. Dried and pressed flowers. Dolls. Wreaths. Soaps. Glass work. Hand painted wood. Ornaments. Purses. Handwoven Baskets. Baked sweets and treats. Quilted pieces. Garden stones. AND much, much more.

The show is open from 10 am to 5 pm
• Friday, October 17 and Saturday, October 28
• Friday, October 24 and Saturday, October 25
• Friday, October 31
and from 10 am to 3 pm
• Saturday, November 1

Map your way to 829 Davis Street in Sun Prairie.

Some of the proceeds from the show go to The Empty Stocking Club.

New Website FINALLY Launched!

2008-06-15T12:33:00.002-05:00

I've been promising it for months, and here it is! I'm proud to introduce the new ElectrKolor.com, which contains online shops for photography and sticky note packs. No need to visit another venue to shop!

Too few posts?

2008-05-07T18:13:00.004-05:00

I have to admit that I've been too busy with other things to post as regularly as I'd like. I keep trying to "step away from the computer" more and more, especially now that I'm back working full-time as a contractor. I continue working on my pastel craft, and the grape hyacinths and brick wall shown here are the subjects of my next drawing. I hope to show some decent progress on it later this week.
I've been woefully neglectful of officially finishing my new ElectriKolor website, and have let all Etsy store items expire without replacement. I feel like I'm going to be heading toward dealing mostly in pastels from this point forward, so I'm pondering the possibilities.

In search of...

2008-04-04T21:39:00.003-05:00

...a good photo opp...sometimes results in something totally different...Last Saturday morning, my intent was to shoot a GOOD photo of the "mystery bird" that, in the bright morning sun and from a distance, looked pretty much like an inverted bald eagle--a dark head and a stark white body. It's sad to say that I was disappointed in the fact that it was simply a large, healthy red-tailed hawk. He or she did not appreciate my stalking methods, and I was able to shoot only three frames of it before it continued its hunt elsewhere.

Undaunted, I went out on a local photo safari, catching some local residents in action--horses and cows mostly, although there were a few frisky geese working on repopulating the species...I did run across a pregnant cow with what were probably her yearlings, and they were curious about the gal across the street in the car with the funny-looking mechanical device...after a bunch of reference photos, this time intended as reference materials for some pastel work, I headed back to the homestead, and after a day of thought, began this pastel on PastelBord, which I put the finishing touches to on Thursday.

Today was a day off work, so I finally shot a photo of the finished cow to share with my blog audience. Enjoy!

I'm pretending that it's really spring...

2008-03-24T19:30:00.004-05:00

Yes, another snowstorm passed through here the 2nd day of spring. Much of the piles of previous precipitation had already melted, and the temperatures are creeping up above freezing during the days, so this won't last long. We did, however, break the 100 inch milestone for winter snowfall records, and it wouldn't be unprecedented to have a few more measureable inches of snow before all is said and done.

The owls have returned--I haven't seen them in the trees, but have heard them and seen them flying around and about--I believe celebrating the rites of spring...Even I, winter-lover that I am, have become a bit weary of this winter. Of course, that doesn't mean that I look forward at all to tornado season...

Warm-up Exercises

2008-03-08T18:25:00.005-06:00

I start a pastel class again tomorrow, and decided that I should make sure that I'm not too rusty to draw...since having been in writing mode now for months in the contracting world. Yup, it looks like I still have a few neurons firing in the tips of the old arthritic fingers...in this 11x14 inch piece with a working title of Raven Haired Beauty. Granted it's a composition based on someone else's photograph--and wouldn't qualify as a totally accurate portrait, but it works for me all the same.

This is a 3-day class spread over three Sundays, one each in March, April, and May, and I took it last year as a "beginner". I'm coming in this year as an "intermediate" student, I guess. Last time I wrote about the surfaces that I most like for working with pastel, I was becoming a big fan of working directly on canvas. The piece shown in this post is on PastelBord, which could also fast become a favorite surface, and I've got some of the Colourfix paper from Art Spectrum to try too. Both have really toothy surfaces...akin to sandpaper. I have to admit that I love the way the pastels just crawl into the crevices. On the other hand, my blending fingers feel like I've been rubbing them on sandpaper--smooth and a little sore!

I look forward to learning something new...and to getting out of the house this weekend to meet a few new people. Now that volleyball season is all over, and the snow frequency has finally dropped to maybe once a week...with maybe just a flurry or two this week...there's more time to do things other than move snow around!

Parting with Artistic Donations

2008-03-02T18:21:00.005-06:00

For whatever reason, the post that I wrote yesterday got lost in space. So, I'm here again writing about the donation that I made to Wisconsin Public Television for its annual Arts & Antiques auction to be held in May.

There's something even more difficult about parting with a one-of-a-kind pastel than with a print of a photo...and it's even more disconcerting NOT knowing what kind of home will display the piece. If I sell a piece directly to a person, I can at least do a preliminary evaluation of the adoptive parents...

Here's the description that they'll read "on air" for the piece:

This Giant Panda, drawn in a realistic style using soft pastel on a canvas panel, gazes wistfully off to his left while nestled comfortably in a tree.

Rendered primarily in shades of navy and cream, the panda rests against a pale blue-green sky and tealy-green undergrowth in the distance.

Unlike most pastels, this piece has been protected from the elements with a clear layer of acrylic gel medium and UV fixative, enabling display without the need to hide behind glass. The piece is framed by a rich brown leatherette mat glazed with acrylic in a simple square lacquer-coated birch frame.

It was a cold, dark night...

2008-02-21T22:10:00.004-06:00

...and it wasn't snowing. Yes, the sky was absolutely clear last night for the glorious lunar eclipse.

I watched as much as I could in the early stages, and then caught up with it again after the last volleyball game of the season.

Crazy gal that I am, I really was outside for several 15-minute stints in sub-zero weather trying to get a decent photo of the event...both to warm my camera and myself. It always seems more troublesome for the camera and my glasses with the fogging factors than it seems to be for me.

I was able to watch a little more of the progress of the eclipse from my bedroom window, and even removed the screen and poked my head out the window to try a few more photographic attempts, but they were less successful than the earlier ones. Sometimes it's really better to just stop while you're ahead!

Thank goodness for the ecliptical distraction...otherwise I'd have been even more bummed about the volleyball loss. Since it's single elimination tournament time, it's quite disappointing. Even more annoying is our 3rd ranked team losing to a team that we easily won over a few weeks ago and that was ranked in 11th place.

I really appreciate the subs who popped in to play for our players who are recovering from a sprained ankle and working to achieve success in a finance class. I'm also disappointed in a particular team member who gives up well before the match is over, but that's their chosen lot in life, I guess.

Me, I've been involved in athletics too long to know that the outcome of the game isn't over until they throw us off the field or court or rink or track. I honestly don't mind losing if the game was well-played...or, at least, can get over the loss with a good night's sleep.

On the other hand, if players aren't playing the whole game or don't put forth effort when it's the stuff they don't like to do, that's another story entirely. There are parts of having been a competitive athlete in high school and college that seem to follow me FORevA. I want to win...but I want the team to do well and work well together as a unit. I don't think there's room on teams for prima donas, whether the team is an athletic one or a business one. It always has an adverse effect...

Waiting on my new dryer...

2008-02-14T09:22:00.003-06:00

and, again for the next round of snow to start. Yes, Wisconsin has already had a record-breaking amount of snow for the 2007-2008 winter. I believe the statistics have noted that there have been 42 days so far with significant snowfall. And generally that means that my blogging, creative, and relaxation times have been significantly impacted by the piles of white stuff that remain outside. This is the first winter that really feels like the winters I remember as a kid. Of course the big differerce is that my energy gets expended moving snow around rather than moving around on the snow...

I'm home this morning for my perfunctory 3-hour time window appliance delivery. In theory, they actually will call my cell phone an hour before they're scheduled to get here. And with almost every-other-day snow shoveling activities, I have a few moments to blog after a teeny-tiny house cleaning. Crash, of course, would prefer that I be spending this time playing with him (he's not being neglected...he's got his lovely spitty squeaky toy that he drops at my feet every 70 characters or so...that I kindly toss in return as soon as I'm sure I won't forget my immediate train of thought. He's even tried to help with the writing, but he's more likely to type something from the numpad than the main portion of the keyboard...he's definitely got his own way to communicate. ; )

This 3-hour time window is today between 9am and noon. Back in the days when I was a permanent employee, taking time off like this was no biggie. It's different when it means that I'm losing billable hours during this wait time. Yes, I could have driven over to the office this morning and came back when they called to tell me they'd be here in an hour, but with the original snow prediction from last night, I expected that I'd not only be doing a little straightening up, but also taking care of some snow removal. Instead, I have a few minutes to breathe...and in my infinite wisdom, got caught up in finishing a novel before turning in last night, and pretty much am ready to take a nap rather than do anything productive. I just can't get by with 4 hours of sleep like I used to live on as a college student. Heck, I'll be in sleep debt probably through the weekend all for needing to finish a leisurely read. Yet some things remain comfortably the same: I love reading at night, have trouble putting books down, and still hate mornings.

PS. The delivery is on it's way. Yippee! Better yet, my new website is officially available for test viewing. See it now!

Getting the new website ready

2008-02-03T18:15:00.000-06:00

I've been developing new content and a whole new style for my ElectriKolor website, and am about a week shy of re-launching the site. The writing part has been easy, the design part has been relatively easy, and the most difficult part yet to complete is the online transaction processing part. But I'll get that done soon enough.

Last year around this time, I began immersing my online efforts into Etsy, which was supposed to primarily be an online venue for handmade goods. If the truth is told, the major portion of the site's sales come from supplies, which are mostly commercial items being resold by online members. Of course, this is an excellent business model, in which Etsy itself profits from the transactions of creative sellers buying from their online "friends" instead of evil big box stores. It's apparently not a big deal if the individual seller sells things at a hefty mark-up, though...

The organization of Etsy itself is benefitting from those of us trying online selling for the first time, touting itself as a great community, and using the most successful sellers there as their model citizens. Of course, most of the listed "seller" members of Etsy now have shops that are either empty or haven't been updated in months. Many of the buyers are actually sellers, who love taking whatever money ends up in their PayPal account as sales proceeds and going right back and spending the money on something cute on Etsy. Again, this is an excellent business plan for Etsy. Get people in to the organization listing their items and relisting their items to gain exposure on the site, and while they're off waiting for customers to come into their store, ensure that they go off and tell other sellers just exactly how much they ♥ the other folks shops. If the hearts actually translated into sales, then that would be of interest to me...

The other parts of Etsy that I find to be most problematic are their totally FUBAR search engine and the fact that as a seller, you're expected to bring your customers to their site, but once you do, you really don't have easy and direct access to the members that you brought in. That is, unless you communicate outside of Etsy. Yes, Etsy does allow members to "convo" each other...but don't do it too often or include information that might seem repetitive. Heck, even cutting and pasting a common thank you note to your buyer can reduce your "convo" privileges. Heaven forbid if you want to contact the customers who have shown any interest in your products by marking them as their favorites...that's considered spam. No, you can't offer your customers or potential customers opt in/opt out permissions for your portion of the site.

If I were to go into more of a rant, I'd talk about the fact that the folks who are pumping the ideas into the site don't know jack about business and have been losing sellers who become successful or who just get "fed up" with the kinds of toys that they keep adding to the site. Yes, I love Flash as a tool for delivering online content, but if you don't have the simple site basics running like a well-oiled machine, what the heck do you need another shiny new useless tool that customers won't use? Etsy would benefit from a visit from a usability expert. Heaven knows they refuse to pay attention to the sellers and buyers who've been identifying their pain points for at least the last year that I've been trying to make sense of things over there.

End Etsy rant for now...

I guess I'm just a flake-lover...

2008-01-12T14:22:00.000-06:00

Sweet goodness of nature...it's back below freezing and a nice new white blanket of snowcover has restored my faith in the elements!

Those 40+ degree days did a lot of melting of our December snows, but now things are getting back to being where they should be for a Wisconsin Winter. For a few days there, I was having Nashville winter flashbacks...not a pretty scenario. It's wonderful that global warming hasn't yet destroyed the entire planet.

: )

-7 to >40 degrees is just downright crazy...

2008-01-03T22:34:00.000-06:00

Okay, okay, I love the cold weather and the fact that we almost set the biggest snowfall record in the month of December. Last night actual temperatures dropped below -7°F and today reached a balmy 20°F. That part is fine. We've still got a compacted snow cover outside and on many of the roofs of the well-insulated houses.
But...there's a darn warm front headed this way. Enough to pop the temps up another 20 degrees, and melt enough of the snow to have to consider things like flooding (all the storm drains are pretty much frozen solid with snow and ice right now) and yards that turn into extra large super slushies. Can you tell that I'd prefer things stay frozen for a little while longer?

I Still Don't Like the Holidays...

2007-12-24T12:05:00.000-06:00

...and never really have since I was a little girl. Although I was brought up in a family with Christian beliefs, they never really transferred to me. I just don't believe.

I went through the religious and confirmation processes as a courtesy for my family. I went through more religious training so that my ex-husband could get married in the Catholic church. I celebrated the holidays when my son was younger--just for him--and along the way if I happened to be involved in a relationship with someone else during the season as a sign of respect for them, which means I have also celebrated Hannukah.

But I've always felt like a hypocrite, so in the last ten years or so, I just stopped celebrating--except for some events at work with former coworkers, again out of respect. I still don't believe. I don't believe that people should go crazy to fit all the events and material things into a short period of time. I'm more of a give-a-gift-when-I-feel-like-it and sometimes for-no-reason-other-than-I-care kind of person. Sometimes the gift will be in the food family, sometimes it will be a handmade item, and sometimes it will be something that I saw in a store that would be just right for a person. Or at least, that used to be how I worked. Now I'm pretty cynical, and don't give so freely...

A couple of years ago, a friend started inviting me to her family holiday celebrations, and I often go see them, but not always. It depends on whether I'm feeling social or antisocial, if the weather is good or crappy, and sometimes for no good reason other than today I just don't want to...

I am, however, quite tired of answering questions why I don't spend more time with my family during the holidays. My siblings and I are not a tightly-knit group. My mother and I have always seemed to be from somewhat different planets. My father died in 1999, and visits "home" for me have been non-existent since then. My relationship with my son is what is definitely classified as "estranged", and that's all of the family that is truly important to me. So I have a dog who actually seems to enjoy my company and doesn't want me to be someone that I'm not or better than the person that I am. The unconditional love of dogs is probably what has kept me from falling into long-term inconsolable depressive states throughout the roughest times of my life. There is something undeniably therapeutic about unconditional love and needing to do something for another being that helps pull one back from a variety of dangerous brinks.

I really don't think I'm all that bad a person, but I'm basing that on comparisons to the other people I know and have been close to in relationships. I do the best I can and try to do better when I learn other approaches. I don't always succeed: I try to not let me feel like a failure, but sometimes these personal demons DO get to me. Especially when I'm feeling ill or overly tired. At least I don't fight against insomnia like I used to, so that even if I'm getting really down on myself, a good night's sleep helps put things back into perspective.

Guess What? More Snow...

2007-12-09T10:14:00.000-06:00

Yes, officially it's still fall, but the snow continues to accumulate. A few inches fell last night--it's great to get a refreshing white layer on top. Just ask my dog, Crash. The snow tastes great AND is less filling! We definitely like taking our evening walks in the snow, even with the few icy spots that hide underneath the latest flakes. I'm always amazed at how quickly folks become home-bound once the snow hits, and as the temperature becomes even less inviting outside, folks tend to walk less. But that's okay by me, because then Crash and I wind up sharing the most peaceful and quiet walks that we can have.
I find the walks with Crash to be very rejuvenating, even when I'm exhausted. I know some people have suggested that I swap out to a morning walk for Crash, but that's just not going to happen. Nope, mornings are for the fenced back yard. With only a few rare exceptions, I go out with Crash and walk around the yard in the mornings too. Can't have him mistakenly thinking that the yard is all his, you know? Plus it's part of our connection. On the days where the tennis balls don't get buried in the snow, we're out there playing every morning, and sometimes move the tennis ball game indoors to the long hallway between the living room and the bedrooms. Okay, it's not that long, but it's long enough for him to run a little bit, slide to a stop, grab the ball, and come back for more--without crashing into anything other than the doorways and the walls.
As I've said before, Crash is turning into a find dog and companion. He still has moments where he needs to be strongly encouraged to reduce his enthusiasm a little bit and can be difficult to get his attention, but he's still in his late teenage years...

Snow again...every other day!

2007-12-07T13:20:00.000-06:00

Add 4-6 inches here and 4-6 inches there...jump the drifts in the back yard...keep those shovels close at hand! Fortunately there are some good Samaritans around driving little Bobcats...if only I could get my neighbors to park somewhere on the street other than just about directly in front of my mailbox. The sun just came out a little while ago, so the snow is still glistening, and with temps well enough below freezing, it's not going anywhere soon, and is likely to be added on sometime on Saturday or Sunday of this week.

I landed a new technical writing contract that begins Monday of next week...this is exciting...and represents excellent timing! I had been going out on some lower-paying temp jobs just to help cover the costs of living. This gig will run out until April-ish of 2008 at one of the companies here in Madison's version of Research Park (not to be confused with Research Triangle Park in NC, but definitely a technology incubator wannabe). Of course, I'm NOT from Madison...or a UW-Madison graduate...so that means the world revolves around its own axis, not south-central Wisconsin. It's an interesting alumni-rich community around here. I can't imaging hanging out at Skibo (the closest Carnegie-Mellon had to a Student Union at the time) 25 years after graduating, but for UW-Madison, graduation seems to NOT be much of a rite of passage, but rather just another strong tie to being a Badger for life...

Snow Day...

2007-12-01T19:05:00.000-06:00

...today in Wisconsin (and Minnesota, and Iowa, and apparently a bunch of other places). It started out as the tiny pellet snow and continues to get icier as the day progresses. Now that the ice is turning the top layer into a crust, walking (and driving I suppose) is becoming more and more hazardous. Crash and I have been back from our evening walk and are warmed up again nicely. It will, however, take some time for the boots to dry off. Thank goodness I have more than one pair of boots!

I love when snow is on the ground--especially for the evening doggie walks. The illumination provided by the snow is a special bonus for us...it certainly improves my "iffy" night vision...and I would assume also improves the theoretical grayscale vision of dogs. Of course, I prefer the soft fluffy snow, but I've never been in control of the weather.

The "Girls Night Out" event mentioned a couple of days ago in this post went well. Again, the sticky note packs were quite popular (I'm glad I created more). I'm hoping that these will take off as a saleable item on Etsy, too, and with a couple of initial orders already, that might be the case. I'm promoting them like crazy on their online forums. Of course, "promoting like crazy" is a relative term...I'm looking for discussion threads that are actually relevant. These would make great stocking stuffers or gifts for teachers. Heck, even some teenagers might find them to be a fun addition to their backpack. And, yes, business folks who bring work home with them might like to add a pack or two to their briefcase. I now have 17 designs listed in the Sticky Note Pack section over on Etsy.

What to say today?

2007-11-29T09:48:00.000-06:00

It's a wind chilling Thursday here in Wisconsin. The locals are struggling with the isolated television coverage for tonight's Green Bay Packers football game. I'm preparing for tonight's Girls Night Out event at Indigo Coffee & Tea. Crash, the dog, is reclined on the floor next to me with a tennis ball in his mouth--hoping that he'll get some more play time in before he goes to his crate-based den for the rest of my workday here at home.

Crash is starting to turn into a much more mellow guy than when he first came home with me in August 2006. He's a beautiful German Shepherd rescue dog who spent quite awhile as an abandoned dog in an apartment in Milwaukee. As a truly emaciated guy, he was brought into a foster home that worked really hard at getting his physical health back in shape, but his mental health wasn't great and his manners, well, he didn't have many. As a nearly full-grown 2-year-old, he was mouthing things (like my arm) as though he was still an itty bitty furball. He was completely unaware of things around him (hence his name change from the foster name of Malachi to Crash), and had to be led to the water bowl to get him to drink. Everything was too much stimulation for him. The TV. People (especially men). Dogs. Bikes.

I honestly didn't think we'd make as much progress as I now realize we have made. The first 6 months were really difficult, but eventually we learned enough about each other to work through the toughest times and reach understanding. Two of the best things that have worked with Crash are ample exercise time and for me to learn how to act as the alpha dog to a dominant dog who had been master of his own domain for such a long time. Plus, learn to be the alpha dog even on days when I feel vulnerable, tired, or ill.

I know that I used to practice these things when my son was much younger and living with me...but I also know that upholding the alpha position day in and day out is extremely stressful for me, and with outside stressors on top of that, I know that I lost the alpha position from time to time, and sometimes for extended periods of time. Now my buddy Crash can deal with a lot of things, but this summer as a guy rode his bike out in front of my home as he was running a dog on his leash, Crash still perceived this triple combo as a bit of a threat. But, relatively speaking, barking for a minute at something that is a known trigger is soooooo much better than a 5-minute anxiety attack.

Thanks again to Crash for bringing a little bit of spark back to my life and for challenging me back from some extremely difficult and depressing times. I think he's got a bit of Bittersweet spirit in him...

The Sticky Note Packs are now selling online!

2007-11-25T09:47:00.001-06:00

All now available from my Sticky Note Pack section of my Etsy store.

Waiting to Croak...

2007-11-20T19:26:00.000-06:00

...is the title of my latest ACEO. This lovely green frog is rendered in soft pastels featuring a somewhat Christmas holiday color palette. Have I mentioned lately that I've really enjoyed getting my hands dirty with pastel dust?

Most of my ACEO drawings have been (at least at one time) placed on eBay for sale. The most popular items are the (nude) figure studies, but they're great practice for me in terms of composition and improving my life drawing skills. One of the classes that I REALLY wanted to take when I went back to art school was life drawing, which was part of the curriculum when I enrolled, but got dropped out of the requirements a few quarters after enrollment, so I feel that is the biggest part of formal art education that I've not yet had. Someday...I'll take that class...somewhere. Until then, I'll keep practicing!

They Loved the Post-it Purse Packs!

2007-11-18T21:06:00.000-06:00

Yippee! Another successful home show this weekend. We like the events where hundreds of people come to events and bring $ along with them. Patrons of these events are especially generous when they're looking for stocking-stuffer gifts, and my artwork reduced to a 2 inch square Post-it note cover with an elastic band closure sure went quickly. I came home with only a few, and practically none of the original alcohol ink versions of these made it back. Happy holidays to all!

On Making Donations of Art

2007-11-15T17:46:00.000-06:00

I love being able to donate art pieces to help others raise funds--it's a great way to translate my talent into something useful for others. This year, I've supported Wisconsin Public Television, the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Madison Area Open Art Studios, and others, and now have chosen to honor former Mount Horeb High School student Sara Hime, who recently passed away after a long-term battle with cystic fibrosis. Other local artists have made donations, as have members of the Mount Horeb High School Art Club.

The DECA Silent Art Auction for Sara Hime will raise money for the Ronald MacDonald House that helped Sara and her family. The event will take place at Sole Sapori, 304 Main Street, Mount Horeb on Friday November 16, 2007 from 5 to 9 PM. Read more and watch local TV spot.

On Being the Lioness

2007-11-14T17:41:00.000-06:00

I am born under the sun sign of Leo. Therefore, I "jump headfirst...without worrying", possess a "great need...to create" and a "natural pride and stubborn streak". I am "very independent", will "make a difference in the workplace and help to keep the parts moving in sync and iron out any problems before they arise", love "the new and extraordinary". "Some Leos even have hair resembling the thick mane of the Lion"...well, that certainly explains my hair! "What you see is what you get" also happens to be one of my mantras. Yes, there are many characteristics of my sun sign that I am proud to own--even if they happen to annoy others.

Yippee--I Finished a Website Design today!

2007-11-13T17:51:00.000-06:00

I love it when something gets "finished." Yes, of course, a website is NEVER finished, in that it is meant to be a dynamic entity that will reflect the changes of whatever it represents. However, putting it out there in virtual space still offers a bit of excitement and leaves me feeling a sense of accomplishment.

The website is for Indigo Coffee & Tea, a local Fair Trade coffeehouse and gallery where I also display eclectic pieces of my art. I've mentioned them in this blog a number of times...and, since having artwork over there has been a positive consignment adventure for me, as have my interactions with the owners of the shop, how can I NOT do whatever I can to promote them?

: )

From Our House to Yours

2007-11-12T16:29:00.000-06:00

It's that time again. Saturday, November 17 from 10 am to 5 pm and Sunday November 18 from noon to 5 pm is the 17th annual From Our House to Yours event!

Great art. Great crafts. Lane Bacon, Woodworker; Jimmy Balwit, Potter; Dorothy Davenport, Basketmaker; Diane Fleming, Fused Glass; Stephanie Funck, Basketmaker; Sandra Haspl, Painter; Lois Jarvis, Fiber Artist; Cynthia Koshalek, Jewelry & Mixed Media; Edna M. Kunkel, Mixed media; Barb Lazaris, Photographer; Laura Nordstrom, Handbags; Pholt Studio, Clay Artist; Rick Raschick, Potter; Rebecca Reed, Weaver; Barb Taber, Gourmet Desserts. Hmmm, did you say desserts? Yumm! Can you say great unique gifts for the holidays or any other day of the year? You betcha!

Great house on the hill in the University Heights area. Great architecture and history. Map your way there: 166 Prospect Avenue, Madison, WI

Preparing for another in home tour...

2007-11-12T15:48:00.000-06:00

...but this one's not in my home, so I can work on art like my latest ACEO Dalmation titled Waiting to Play instead of working on cleaning, shopping, cooking, and reorganizing!

This upcoming weekend is the annual From Our House to Yours event, one that brings a group of talented artists, artisans, and craftspeople together to share their wares in a lovely antique house in the hills of Madison.

I've been completing three new quadrivet sets, purse post-it packs, miniature hand-bound book/journals, and gathering some other articles from the home studio storage space, including earrings, coaster sets, and larger art journals. This year, I'll be taking along some ACEOs, to see whether there's interest in this wonderful form of minature art, along with some of my photographic pieces. Of course, I'll take some boxes of my original Christmas cards and coordinating gift tags. Since this was the best show I participated in last year, I'm hoping for similar (or even better) results this year.

UGH Daylight Savings Time

2007-11-08T17:23:00.000-06:00

People used to wonder why I didn't like to travel. Among other things, my body is extremely slow at adjusting to time zone differences. And, with the recent time change, I'm again out of kilter, as is my dog, Crash. He's pestering me to get out of bed earlier in the morning and wanting to go out on his evening walk as soon as it starts to turn dark. Fortunately for him, I've been working from home and can still accomodate a late afternoon tennis ball chase game, otherwise he'd be absolutely unbearable!

We'll work it out though, we always do. And, with the writer's strike that's crippled the late night talk show circuit, going to sleep an hour earlier isn't such a big deal. That is, for those of us who live without cable or satellite TV services, whatever travels through the air waves is what we see.

So, you see, it will be time again to produce more and more art. The creation of miniature art in the form of ACEOs (artist cards, editions and originals) continues. And, the pieces are beginning to sell on eBay, so I'm VERY encouraged. The Bird of Paradise card is shown here, a creation with Pitt art brush markers and metallic Prismacolor pencils.

On Taking Good Notes

2007-11-01T17:57:00.000-05:00

When I know what kind of document I'm going to write, and have a general table of contents, I can write until my heart's content. I woke up today in a "must write" kind of mood, and so, that's exactly what I did. Collect research materials off the web. Print them. Read them. Write notes. Organize thoughts. Percolate. And now, for another important step: sleep on it, and start again tomorrow.

Much remains unread, and so I'm hoping for a similarily productive day tomorrow, and perhaps throughout the weekend...I can't quite decide if it's true inspiration, a visit from one of those invisible muses, or just a headache-free day after a week of on-again, off-again sinus/migraine style headaches. I could actually process a real thought...or two or three hundred.

I do take creative breaks when I'm doing intense technical writing. It's like a mental time-out that involves primarily using the "other" side of the brain. This doesn't always work, though. There are some days where it just switches the productivity from technical to creative, and then I need to throw in a sleep cycle to reboot.

Artist Cards, Editions and Originals (aka ACEOs)

2007-10-30T14:25:00.000-05:00

I am getting back into making ACEOs, trading card size art for the masses! What fun. I especially enjoy the small format for some subjects and feel that this is a way to reach a much broader artistic market at a lower price point. The piece below is a scenic image from Bryce Canyon and Rainbow Point.

On the same road trip, I passed a lovely group of four horses enjoying a hot afternoon graze next to a rest stop in Iowa. I captured my favorite of those horses here in this simple composition, Munch a Bunch. Both of these pieces (or perhaps new pieces if you're looking after November 6) are currently up for auction on eBay...so get your bids in now!

Getting Back to Basics

2007-10-29T16:16:00.000-05:00

I did mention previously that my eBay experience has been a positive one. This morning, I spent a few minutes putting the finishing touches on sending out 6 packages of items that are getting re-cycled to others who will find more use for them than I have. Sadly, this does include all of my Winsor Pilates DVDs. No, I'm not sad for sending them off to a new home...but sad that I brought them into my home in the first place. Granted, I did have good intentions...but they were not realistic ones. I have never been a good candidate for Pilates or Aerobics or any other event that seems like an exercise version of cheerleading...actually it's not the activity itself, but rather the fact that you need to have a group mentality "buy in" to get into these kinds of activities. I don't mind being an active player on a volleyball or softball team, which involves chasing around some kind of ball and includes scoring (and winning), but am the least likely to go to an exercise class, and even think that trying to do the home exercise class is too much of a stretch. What's missing in my psyche? Is this something that the rest of you also feel--or is the best part of an exercise class for you part of taking part as a member of the group?

Thank goodness that the fall/winter volleyball season has started up again, and that I have a lovely German Shepherd with boundless energy that encourages me to stay active in other ways! How can I refuse this guy's mug when he wants something--he's gorgeous!

Square and loving it!

2007-10-28T12:03:00.000-05:00

Today in southern Wisconsin is an absolutely gorgeous fall day. A day filled with brilliant golden orange reds amid a group of trees that remain stubbornly full in green. Amazingly, at the end of October, there are still a few swarms of gnats and a blooming thistle outside, and a pesky housefly that seems to adore my computer screen. I love the fall, but it's not been a "normal" fall this year. And, so, this lovely maple tree in full transition is my way of making fall "just right" again. Transition and change, as I've stated often, is good!

On Being Square

2007-10-27T17:11:00.000-05:00

I've been working on a series of 8" square pastels on canvas. This panda is the first that I'm sharing on this blog.

For now, I have to admit that canvas is my favorite surface for pastels. There is this ethereal softness that you can achieve as the pigment becomes enmeshed into the fibers of the canvas itself that I have not been able to achieve with any of the paper surfaces that I've tried. I like that the weave of the fabric remains an integral part of the composition, even though it makes some of the finer details more difficult to achieve (at least at this small a scale).

I've not signed this piece yet (digitally yes, for this presentation, but not on the original piece). What that means is that I've also not settled in on a title for the work, but I'm leaning toward Tree Hugger. I generally don't take them, but if you're reading and have a good suggestion, please add it as a comment.

Writing and the Analytical Side of Me

2007-10-26T12:05:00.000-05:00

This is the year of self-discovery for me, and there are some very valuable lessons I've learned, and some others that have just re-iterated what I've known about myself for what seems like FOREVER.

I am an introvert. Don't get me wrong...I can be extremely extroverted in situations where I feel very comfortable...and actually love being the occasional center of attention. But my recovery and re-centering process requires regenerative alone time.

I love things that change. Technology. Life. People. Interests. I'm not so fond of stagnation. Old-school and old-boys networks. Some people.

There are days for mindless, days for intensive thought, and days for absolute creativity. It seems difficult for me to shift between these three modes without an overnight sleep.

Respect is something that I no longer give freely--it is only offered to those who earn it through their actions, including those who treat me well as a human being. Lies and deceit do not sit well with me, and I perceive those who "tell me what they think I want to hear" as folks who are not honest. Those who break my trust are going to have to work really hard to regain it. Does that mean I'm tough? Yup. Does that mean I'm unforgiving? Yes and no. Does that mean I don't like people? Certainly not.

I don't like everybody. There are certain values that need to be in place before I find myself truly liking a person. I certainly prefer depth of character to superficialities. I prefer a dry, witty, and sarcastic sense of humor to the prankster, jokester, and purveyor of silliness. I don't aspire to the mantra of "can't we all just get along?" but prefer something more like "can't we tolerate our differences and recognize and accept that there are differences?"

I am not a joiner. Hanging out in packs sharing one thread of commonality is not exactly my cup of tea. I'm not a party girl. Even personality profiles make that statement about me. I can be in a party mood from time to time, but it's based on mood and not on who invited me to the event. It can, however, be related to who will be at the party...

I like to write. I prefer writing and consolidating information to editing the words of others. When put in the position of editing the words of others, I actually want to retain the voice and sentiment of the original author. I believe that there are some grammar conventions that should almost always be followed...yet the violation of some of these is also what makes writing interesting and styled after the author.

Despite the fact that I have a strong analytical side and the ability to understand logic, I don't want to always be placed in the analytical, responsible role. I've worked in environments where others were given leeway because they were considered "creative types." Since I'm only considered a mildly creative type (despite volumes of artwork and compositions) because of my career choices, I have been expected to behave more professionally. I do wish I had been tagged a creative type earlier in my life...but, then again, my personality would have forced me to learn to compensate for my weaknessses to survive in whatever career I would have chosen.

There are a number of theories, practices, and things that people get away with that I think are pure bull-excrement. I try not to laugh in the face of those who believe these things, but when they try to apply them to me, I resist. Vehemently. They're not right for me.

As I get older, there are words that escape me, especially nouns when I'm speaking with some sleep deprivation. I will search and search for the right word, and if pressured to respond immediately, will find that sometimes the brain database returns the wrong result. At least, for now, I know that it's the wrong result. Others, of course, have been less forgiving of the incorrect word choice. Thank goodness that this is almost non-existent when I'm writing!

Some may classify me as a difficult person. I think I'm really no more difficult than many others who have crossed my path, and actually less difficult than those who either don't know themselves or work so hard to portray a kind of personna that is considered far more acceptable...or more feminine. I've had to work hard for everything that I have, every accomplishment that I've made, and I'm proud that includes a certain sense of competitiveness, a demand for excellence, the ability to know when things are good enough, and the sense to recognize some of the red and yellow flags that get raised along the way. It's been a journey to learn to pay attention to (and not ignore) the instincts that I possess. This acceptance has been life saving and affirming.

ebaY fun

2007-10-21T15:22:00.000-05:00

I now have a few items up for sale on ebaY. I've decided to give ebaY a shot for selling some things that I no longer need...and for trying to sell some of my artistic creations. For now, I will continue to list items on CafePress, Etsy, and Mintd, but am planning on making the transition so that my work will primarily be available online in only one venue.

I find that listing items on ebaY is quite simple and intuitive, and offers more complex listing options if you want more details in your listings. I've found this to be a welcome change from some of the other venues, and don't mind the listing fees, which run in accordance to the items you're selling and the options that you choose. The best part, which is missing on several other sites, is the shipping calculator...which definitely helps quickly evaluate the costs of shipping! The first artistic item that I'm listing at ebaY is Looking Westward into the Sun, a fine photographic archival print on canvas with artist-designed frame. This shot is from a drive out West to La Jolla Cove and a tour from Miss G. You can almost smell the ocean, feel the wind in your face, and hear the gulls and pelicans!

Holiday Craft Boutique

2007-10-18T13:07:00.000-05:00

Last night I dropped pieces off at the 28th Annual Holiday Craft Boutique, a home show out in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin that my good friend Stephanie Funck alerted me about several years ago.

Jan Dorner opens her home for three successive weekends to a group of artists who provide a broad range of art and craft items for the holidays and gift-giving throughout the year.

Snowmen. Reindeer. Dried and pressed flowers. Dolls. Wreaths. Soaps. Glass work. Hand painted wood. Ornaments. Purses. Handwoven Baskets. Baked sweets and treats. Quilted pieces. Garden stones. AND much, much more.

The show is open from 10 am to 5 pm
• Friday, October 19 and Saturday, October 20
• Friday, October 26 and Saturday, October 27
• Friday, November 2
and from 10 am to 3 pm
• Saturday, November 3

Map your way to 829 Davis Street in Sun Prairie.

Some of the proceeds from the show go to The Empty Stocking Club.

And now, introducing the...

2007-10-14T17:24:00.000-05:00

Quadrivet! "What's that?," you say. It's a combination set of 4 marble coasters stacked in a convenient tray that also serves as a "trivet." Ingenious! I doubt that you'll want to hide this in a drawer when it's not in use, but it's small enough to conveniently tuck into a kitchen drawer. I would instead keep it displayed on a table in my living room or den--so that the coasters might actually get used. Think of it as a multi-purpose surface protector!
There are versions that use relatively smooth tumbled marble tiles for the abstract coasters as shown in the blue-green version, but I have to admit a fondness for the decidedly pockmarked tiles. With the dying process that I use, the crevices take on a variety of colors in a faux geode appearance. It's a pleasure to integrate multi-dimensional colors into these tiles, albeit quite a messy process as the ink seeps through all the pores! Needless to say, I've got some tabletops here that have been inadvertently dyed, and I'm often seen with dyed fingernails (no, it is most definitely NOT nail polish).

Designing for the holidays...

2007-10-11T19:14:00.000-05:00

Today was the day to design holiday cards, so I pulled out a design that I've been noodling with for about 7 years or so. It was great to see the piece grow from a sketch into a final product, which is now available from my CafePress shop as regular size greeting cards and notecards. Notecards are also available locally from Indigo Coffee and Tea and at the 28th Annual Holiday Craft Boutique.

Leggy Study

2007-10-10T17:48:00.000-05:00

Last week, the weather remained quite warm here in South Central Wisconsin. As I finished my pastel demonstration at the Verona Public Library and began my very short drive home, I noticed this Great Egret among the gaggles of geese resting at Silent Street Pond. This pond has definitely helped me reconnect with the natural elements of the neighborhood and appreciate the local wildlife.

I grew up in a rural area of Pennsylvania with a pond on our property. The biggest wildlife in the pond seemed to be the muskrats, and only occasional visits from a pair of ducks. Here in Wisconsin, we seem to be in some major flight patterns, and with all of the lakes in the Madison area, the waterfowl are plentiful.

The adjoining cemetery had been home for a pair of nesting owls and their offspring. Despite a number of photographic attempts, I was able to only capture a few fuzzy silhouettes of the adult pair, and some underexposed shots of a fledgling, all at dusk. I haven't heard their hoo-hoo-hoos in over a month, so I hope they're settled somewhere else for the cooler season. It's been a great year for birdwatching!

Slow Day in the Studio...

2007-10-06T20:22:00.000-05:00

Today was the first day of Madison Area Open Art Studios. As usual, I've been frantically working at cleaning and organizing the home studio so that it's a welcoming environment for the outside world. As a self-proclaimed cleaning-challenged individual, these kinds of events place a lot of stress on the system...and rearranging the dust particles just wreaks havoc on the sinuses.

As somewhat of a starving artist, I had high hopes that this weekend would bring a bunch of people out to Verona to check out the new works of art. I believe that everyone MUST be waiting until Sunday. I'm hoping that today was slow because it was an unusually warm October Saturday--and all were off doing whatever pleasing outside fun they could muster.

On the flip side, I loved seeing old friend Elaine and her daughter, Christine. It is fun to get together with college chums--there is something revitalizing about it--must be the great field hockey experiences we shared. And it was good to spend time talking about some art ideas with Stephanie and Kara. After brainstorming for a few minutes about a new trivet idea I have in the works, the suggestion of using the wonder-tool known as Velcro came into play, and, by George, I think it's an absolutely WONDERFUL solution! Now it's back to the prototype drawing board to produce the item. No doubt that I'll be back with examples of the finished product sometime soon.

The day did end on a high note with some real customers looking to stock up on small gifts for friends and family. Thanks Lois and Tom!

Life in Pastels

2007-09-25T13:33:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I'm not fond of wearing those light pastel colors, but, now drawing in pastels--that's a whole different beast. And, oh, what a beast...

This lovely snow leopard had just woken up from a summer day's zoo nap when I first photographed him. I'm not quite sure what he saw or heard up above--likely some kind of plane or bird flying above. I love the ability to build a drawing in layers that allows some forgiveness and corrections. Definitely an advantage to developing a more accurate representation of the 3-dimensional structure for a big cat like this.

There are parts of me that forgot how pleasurable it is to draw (or paint) depending on what you consider pastels to be. I consider this image more as a drawing than a painting, but that's just me. I have covered the entire surface of the paper with medium, so according to my past instructor, I'm definitely painting...But, then again, that instructor said that getting a good painting on a dark field was difficult and just not as attractive. On the other hand, I love the dark charcoal Fabriano Tiziano surface, and I think I covered it quite nicely. I've also used fixative throughout the process, which many pastelists don't like because it often darkens the colors too much. I have to say that I've become a really big fan of Sennelier's Latour fixative, which really darkens things only slightly (and often only temporarily).

Madison Area Open Art Studios 2007

2007-09-13T10:58:00.001-05:00

This is the fourth year I'll be participating in the Madison Area Open Art Studios fall tour. This is the time of year where I open my home studio to everyone so that you can see all of the wonderful creations I make which range from crocheted and beaded jewelry to handbags to my photography, marble coasters, and pastel images. See where I make and refurbish frames, mat my images, print, and how I integrate art into my lifestyle. Click the image below to view this event's full size postcard in JPEG form, download the PDF, or read all about the studio tour at www.maoas.com .

Another Fowl Day

2007-09-12T18:20:00.000-05:00

I pulled out the pastels again to re-draw my buddy, the heron. This drawing has the leggy guy looking into the sunset and is significantly smaller (7x8 in) than the one I drew in August (18x20 in). I love the blues and greens in this version, and the curve of his neck! Almost makes me want to hang out in the pond up to the top of my calves...
The days here are getting too short way too quickly. My dog now thinks that our evening walk should begin as soon as the sun drops, and since that seemingly has changed from 8:30 to 7:30 in a couple of weeks, his sense of urgency has definitely increased. On the other hand, doing an earlier walk has messed with my internal clock and has me heading off to bed shortly after the walk. I'm sure that anyone who knows me would be shocked that I'm getting to sleep BEFORE midnight...and even getting out of bed in what others actually consider the real lovely part of the morning.

: )

Going Postal

2007-09-09T09:54:00.000-05:00

When I volunteered to paint a mailbox, I wasn't quite sure how far I'd go. It's been quite awhile since I've painted anything, let alone on a curved metal surface that's exposed to the elements. Then, of course, I began to think about what I'd paint on the mailbox, and began coming up with some designs.
My first source for designs is my photo archive, and since this house has become a recurring nesting ground for robins, it was easy to select a lovely red-breasted beauty. The ever vigilant parents were great guardians for the little ones, and became increasingly courageous around me, my camera, and my lovely German Shepherd.
My next design was a reprisal of a purple coneflower drawn on a smaller scale (2.5 x 3.5 inches) that I enlarged to about twice that size. Rather than working with a broad, pre-mixed palette, I mixed a pleasant set of secondary colors, all from the basic source bottles of primaries red, yellow, and blue, plus black and white.
Final touches include street address numbers, and some birds flying in the sky. The boxes have already brought compliments and many smiles of their own. And, of course, since the name of my neighbor's eldercare facility is Sonrisas, that's just what I like to see! : )
Kathy, the director of Sonrisas, had initially suggested a happy face as a starting point. I wanted to integrate it into a bright sun...so that through whatever weather comes our way, there would be at least a little bit of sunshine on our street. So each mailbox has a smiling sun on one side and either a robin or a coneflower on the other side of the box.

Each box was painted with weatherproof metal paint and sealed against the major elements, and I have plans to refinish the old mailboxes to new life with great new colorful designs. I can't wait for the next inspiration to hit!

Local Wildlife

2007-08-28T14:54:00.000-05:00

I've been very fortunate this summer, especially with respect to the local avian residents. Across from our local library is a lovely area, coincidentally named Silent Street Pond, that has served as a nesting and resting area for a number of wading birds. Of course the ducks and geese love the area too, but their presence isn't nearly as calming as the visits by the long-legged wading birds. I've had the fortune of spending hours watching and photographing the lovely Great Blue Herons and Sandhill Cranes that fish in this little water hole.

Earlier this year, I enrolled in pastel class, primarily to bring all of those drawing skills back up to a respectable level--and use some of those lovely art supplies I've been investing in over the course of a lifetime. The misfortune of the class was that I sprained my hand such that most of my drawing dexterity was pretty much unavailable for months, including 2 of the 3 day-long classes. After a number of months of continued pain, reduced range of motion, and constant swelling, I made my appointment with an expert orthopedist. He was definitely an "old-school" orthopedist, who pretty much told me that all I needed to do was to do some pretty harsh "massaging" and stretching, and I'd be good to go (bedside manner is, of course, NOT his specialty). Frankly, I'd have loved to hear that kind of diagnosis about 2 months earlier, because the hand would have pretty much been completely healed by now. Anyway, after suffering the twinges from the massaging and stretching, the hand no longer looks nor operates like a claw.

And now, again, I've dusted off the pastel box and chosen to render the Great Blue Heron wading in Silent Street Pond. I love that I was able to once again execute the detailed portion of the drawing, but also able to render some of the more subtle shading and coloring needed to make the water flow around the bird. As I sit here composing this blog, I look over at the original, and it reminds that those things that trouble me can result in very productive and beautiful pieces of art that, in turn, help me re-center and regain my spirits and my self.

Back Again?

2007-08-26T19:37:00.000-05:00

Well, well, this summer has definitely been filled with ups and downs. I've just finished setting up a CafePress storefront under my lovely ElectriKolor identity. CafePress is an interesting venue that enables one-off printed pieces. So I can select one of my lovely images, and it can be printed on a tote bag...or another image that can be printed on a lovely coffee mug...or create a calendar of 12 amazing images that will help you keep track of things in 2008!

Go to www.cafepress.com/electrikolor and see my first product--a tote bag featuring this lovely bouquet of calla lilies--in a never-wilting format!

I have not dropped off...

2007-07-09T12:43:00.000-05:00

...the face of the earth.

There have been a lot of things going on this summmer--some good, some not-so-good. For now, I'll just write about the good things.

I pulled together a 40+ piece show that is currently on display at Alicia Ashman Library, here in Middleton. I wanted to mount each piece on something lightweight, but that had the same kind of bulk as the wood and plywood sources. This brought me to Gator Board (or Gatorfoam, if you prefer).

It's a wonderful medium that has a foam core and thin layers of wood on both flat surfaces. I had been forewarned that cutting this was a major chore, and that IS true--if you're trying to cut the pieces by hand. If, however, you use the recommended power tools, it cuts like butter, and the edges sand down nicely with a power sander. I had initially planned on routing the edges of the pieces to round them over, but instead wound up purchasing quarter round molding at the local big-box hardware store, cutting with my miter saw, and assembling everything, then wrapping my artwork that has been printed on either canvas, photo paper, velvet paper, or whatever surface I created onto each of the boards.

This was my thought on creating a kind of glassless, frameless presentation piece, which in reality has an integral frame as part of the structure of the art. Granted, if a piece goes home with someone and they actually want to reframe the piece, that option is always available, but for me, I love the piece rising out of the wall.

I need to head back to the library to take some photos of the show, but if you're in the Madison area and want to visit the show between 9-9 Monday through Friday or 9-5 on Saturday, you can find the library, read my artist's statement, and learn more about this show from the description below:

FLORA AND FAUNA
“Flora and Fauna” is a nearly a half-century collaborative effort between Mother Nature and me. Mother Nature has kindly provided all of the subject matter and offered the unique opportunity to perform the perennial treasure hunt to discover what She wishes to share, and in so capturing, enables me to also share these riches with you.

The Flora portion of this show features a broad spectrum of flowers, leaves, and trees, the Fauna portion of the show features a variety of animal species, and both subjects are presented in my altered state versions. Although neither botanist nor zoologist, I am, however, thoroughly enamored with the efforts of Mother Nature and others who instigate and nurture these types of growth.

I always respect Mother Nature’s design sense as it relates to her organic forms and elements, and allow those to remain in their true, natural states. On the other hand, there are times when I disagree with Her choice of colors and choose to alter them to states of super saturation, enhanced contrast, and elevated mood. In that She has not yet struck me with a bolt of lightening, I like to believe She approves of these alterations. Our one disagreement involved large hail, but that has long melted into a refreshing stream, and I have not crossed those waters since. I believe in the strength and permanence of our collaboration.

Friday Happy Hour™ Sales at Etsy

2007-05-25T13:16:00.000-05:00

View the specific details of each shop in this forum thread.

I'm participating in tonight's sale too: Friday Happy Hour: 4-9 PM EDT, Friday, May 25. Buy one photographic print, get the second one at 50% of its regular price. Mention "Friday Happy Hour" in the notes to seller, wait to pay, and I will send an adjusted invoice through PayPal. Visit my electrikolor Etsy shop to see what's currently available.

Have a great Friday!