And It’s August Again

A peak at a new digital painting I am working on.

Taking a break on the patio. It’s been a rather stressful week and I just needed to relax for awhile, so as I sat down, I noticed the antique bottle I had left out on the table yesterday.

I love these old bottles, the way the light reflects off of them, the soft muted colors and the way they make me feel nostalgic. Like dear old friends!

This bottle belonged to Aunt Margie and I know she would love the fact that I found such an unusual use for it.

Cleaned up my messy studio. Whew! Organized my acrylics, brushes and art journals.

Organic lettuce, homemade balsamic honey dressing, add some wine and good company and you have the makings for a perfect meal.

At the end of the day …

Nothing left to say …

Watching the sun go down over the hill … xo

Morning Digital Art Warm up

Cityscape – Digital Painting – Soft Charcoal, Soft Pastel, Dirty Marker Pen & Gritty Charcoal Variant of Charcoal -5 x 5 inches

This morning I grabbed a cup of tea and sat down at my computer and began painting. I used  Painter 7 along with my walcom tablet and pen.

The inspiration for this painting was a cityscape. I started with the dirty pen variant of felt pens, then I applied rich layers of color using the soft charcoal variant of charcoal and the gritty charcoal variant, lastly I added more texture with the dirty pen variant.

My daily morning warm ups  gives me the opportunity to play, explore and try new techniques, mediums and ideas with wild abandon. No worries about wasted paint or canvasses. If I decide I don’t like what I’ve done,  I just hit the delete button. No fuss, no mess!

The abstract painting above is my interpretation of  what a city looks and feels like.

“All that a city will ever allow you is an angle on it — an oblique, indirect sample of what it contains, or what passes through it; a point of view.”
- Peter Conrad

The Heart of Gaia

The Heart of Gaia – Digital Painting – Soft pastel variant of pastels & Soft charcoal variant of charcoal – 8 x 8.5 inches

I started this painting a couple of weeks ago and finally finished it yesterday.

The painting is about touching the earth, listening to her heartbeat and being filled by the mysteriousness of all life. Gaia whispers, Heaven is right here. Can’t you see it?”

During my walks down by the creek near our home I am always filled with wonder and love for all the beautiful flowers and creatures which inhabit the area.  There are oak trees, willow trees, alder trees, blackberry bushes and wild flowers along the dirt trail near the creek. Everywhere you look Mother Nature has touched the Earth with her paint brush.

Last week I watched a Snowy Egret bathing in the creek. It was so beautiful with it’s  fine delicate feathers glowing and shimmering in the reflected sunlight. It was such a magical moment I added an Egret to the painting as a symbol of resurrection, regeneration and renewal.

Within the heart area of the painting, the Goddess Gaia watches over a Snowy Egret. She is the primal Mother Goddess of the Earth, complete in herself.

The Snowy Egret which is a small white Heron is said to be a Spirit Guide. The Heron was considered to be sacred by the Greeks and was believed to be one of Athena’s divine messengers. In China, the Heron stands for strength, purity, patience and longevity. In Egypt the Heron is a symbol of creation.

Full Moon Tonight

The full moon in May is known as Milk Moon, Corn Planting Moon, Flower Moon and Hare’s Moon.  Best of all the full moon is  in my sun sign Sagittarius!

All day I had to keep reminding myself to slow down and breathe. When the moon is in Sagittarius I usually have so much energy I can hardly stand still. lol

I think I was driving my husband a little crazy!

The image above was painted with Painter 7.  I usually begin with a sketch but today I decided to just start adding paint to the canvas. My goal was to create a painting  in an hour without over thinking the whole process. It actually  helped me to loosen up and get back into the flow. No expectations except to have a good time.

I used the Soft Charcoal variant of Dry Media to paint the face, hair and background and then added the Artist Pastel Charcoal variant to the background.

Dream Heart

Dream Heart – Digital Painting – Soft pastel variant of pastels & Soft charcoal variant of charcoal – 6 x 7 inches

I had no other desire or plan for this painting except for creating a heart with a spiral inside it. All the rest came from somewhere within my subconscious mind, where half glimpsed worlds of strange beings flitted past the corner of my eye and brilliant bold colors begged to be splashed onto the canvas.

I worked for two straight days on this piece and all I want to do right now is sleep.

For the past couple of nights I’ve had strange dreams, the one dream image which stands out from the others, is where I find myself standing on a hillside overlooking a valley where hundreds of women and children are gathered together, carrying buckets and rags.

Everywhere I looked,  I saw oil seeping up out of the earth.

I used Painter 7 and Painter IX to paint Dream Heart.

Sacred Spirals

Lady of the Sacred Spirals - 4 x 5 inches – Mixed Media

I created this digital painting from an acrylic mixed medium painting of mine. First I made the mask and then attached it to a canvas.

After it had dried I applied a thick coat of  acrylic medium and then sculpted the feathers and the drape over the head, next I applied wool for the hair and various kinds of art paper to give the image more texture. It took almost two weeks for the piece to dry. lol

It was painted using golden acrylics, watercolor and inks. When it was finished I took a bunch of photos and selected one to scan into photo shop. I used Painter 7 to create the final painting you see now. The original canvas was 22 x 28 inches and has already found a home.

I really let my child out to play on this one and the whole process was way too much fun! I may have to do this again once the sun comes out again.

Raining Blue

Here is another digital morning warm up exercise.

This time I used digital liquid ink on hot press paper. I did several 4 x 5  inch paintings, and each one turned out a little different.

I sometimes use these as a point of reference for traditional paintings. This way I can experiment with new ideas without the expense of purchasing new canvases, and if I don’t like what I ‘ve created I can hit the delete button.

This also allows me to  play around with several different compositions before choosing one, and helps me to figure out what medium would work best for each new painting.

As an example, lets say I wanted to turn this one into a traditional painting. I would probably use acrylics, collage elements, gesso, crackle paste, and light modeling paste on canvas.

Raining Blue – Digital Painting – 4 x 5 inches – Digital Liquid ink on hot press paper.

thought for the day;

“if you want to get better at painting or making art, then do it everyday (passionately/religiously) as if there is no tomorrow. Let go of the judge within, and be surrounded by positive, supportive people. Be gentle on yourself and others. Give. Never hold back. ” – Nancy Davis Bilbro

Lughnasa

I started out my morning with my usual daily warm up exercises. Instead of working with traditional mediums today, I did my morning warm ups using Corel Painter IX. 5.

My inspiration for the day came from the word “Lughnasa,” which is one of the four main festivals of the Medieval Irish Calendar, celebrating the beginning of the Harvest season.

It’s that time of the year when blackberry bushes are heavy with ripened fruit, and there are subtle changes in the light, a golden haze that seems to wrap itself around everything.

I love this time of the year even though there is a lingering sadness as summer comes to an end.

Lughnasa – Digital Painting – Oils – 4 x 5 – on heavy hand made paper

quote for the day;

“Whilst August yet wears her golden crown,
Ripening fields lush- bright with promise;
Summer waxes long, then wanes, quietly passing
Her fading green glory on to riotous Autumn.”
-  Michelle L. Thieme, August’s Crown

Star Of The Sea

Star Of The Sea – Mixed Media – 5 x 7 inches – Work in progress

This morning I started working on an idea I had for a painting inspired by seashells I found in a box while rummaging through our garage.

There were tiny starfish no bigger than the tip of my little finger and seashells of every shape and color imaginable. I also found sea glass, tiny round stones, dried sea grass and a cornucopia of treasures I had gathered on one of our seaside visits.

I felt like a little girl who had found a magical treasure box!

Over the years I have found beautiful pieces of driftwood, and an odd assortment of sea shells, and sea onions for art projects, and as reference material for sketches.

I love the way sea onions look when dried and they are great for making rattles and little wizened magical creatures.

thoughts for the day;

“Every time we walk along a beach some ancient urge disturbs us so that we find ourselves shedding shoes and garments or scavenging among seaweed and whitened timbers like the homesick refugees of a long war.” -Loren Eiseley

“Why do we love the sea?  It is because it has some potent power to make us think things we like to think.” – Robert Henri

The Butterfly

The Blue Butterfly – Mixed Media – 10 x 13 inches

This painting/collage was inspired by an encounter with a white butterfly yesterday.

While I was weeding in the garden I saw a white butterfly come  into the garden and  land on a nearby plant. I took a minute to admire it  and then continued on with my weeding.

Suddenly I noticed a fluttering next to my cheek. It was the butterfly! I remained perfectly still, completely surprised that it had landed on my hair. Several minutes passed before it flew away.

Butterflies are powerful symbols for transformation and change.

It is believed that when we encounter butterflies in our daily life they are a reminder to embrace change, joy and love, within the dance of life.

The dance of the butterfly teaches us not to take things too seriously. If we look closely at what the butterfly is trying to teach, we will discover it is that all change is good. It may not seem like it at the time but change is the never ending cycle of self transformation and is necessary for growth and accomplishment.

When we believe that change is too difficult, we invite stagnation and soul loss. We lose our courage to embrace life and transform into the beautiful, loving, powerful beings we are meant to become.

Drink deeply of the magic that the butterfly has to offer and taste the sweetness of life. – Rose Arizmendi

quote for the day;

“May the wings of the butterfly kiss the sun, and find your shoulder to light on  To bring you luck, happiness and riches today, tomorrow and beyond.” – Irish Blessing

The Hopi perform a sacred ceremonial butterfly dance in August and early September which they perform to petition for rain, good health, and a long life for all living things.

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