Monday, January 31, 2011

Mellow-Dramatic Monday(s)

The first day of each week, I will announce what the painting of the week and the UFO (Unfinished Object) of the week will be. I'll try to keep it very "Mellow" and to not be too "Dramatic" about my announcement. I will be AW45LKKKHJJJJJJJ (that's another word for assisted) by Kitten Cal, who will have to proof read every post AND send them at his discretion. . . . or lack of it. . . . .

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Kittens say the DARNED-est things!

My New Plan for the Week(s)

Our stay at home mothers had a schedule for the week that was something like this:



Monday: Laundry
Tuesday: Ironing
Wednesday: Cleaning
Thursday: Shopping and visiting
Friday: Cooking and sewing
Saturday: Baking
Sunday: Church and resting





I'm going to follow a similar plan and schedule painting each day plus something art-marketing related. The names of the days will help me remember what to focus on, hopefully. This week I'll explain each day as it occurs, starting on Monday, the last day of January.


Mellow-Dramatic Mondays
Tweaky Tuesdays
Welcoming Wednesdays
Task-Oriented Thursdays
Follow Up Fridays
Accountability Saturdays
Snoozy Sundays

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Another Accountability Saturday, already!

And I haven't been very good at my goals for the week. I haven't worked on the painting or the quilt. I think I am putting off the painting because I don't like it and I think I may be able to feel better about it after next week's workshop. I may wait to work on it until Robert Burridge has worked his magic on my mind! The quilt scares me--it's just doing the first row of machine quilting, I think. Can I remember which foot to use? Can I get the huge thing through the machine? But Saturday is still young, as she were--I'm going to try to do ONE row of stitching before I go to bed tonight and see if I can allay my fears of beginning.

The stack of squares (3 sizes) and scraps
The 6" squares on the plastic covered cardboard

On the third goal, 
I'm doing better. 
I have all the sheets of 
300# watercolor paper cut 
into 6", 10" and 12" squares 
plus bookmark sized scraps.







Today, I gessoed the 6" and 12"
squares and all the scraps. The scraps
are 2" X 10" and will just be for testing colors/techniques
etc. though I may use
them for bookmarks eventually. I don't
waste ANYthing, especially when it's
expensive 300# paper.

The scraps/bookmarks (2" X 10")





There are 42 10" squares
and I've done 10. 
So, I need to do 32 more
10" squares and I'll be done 
with the "grunt"part of 
getting ready for the 
workshop.
Yippee!
 
Looks like an abstract painting, doesn't it?

Monday, January 24, 2011

Melodramatic Monday. . . or is it Melancholy Monday?

Or is it Messed Up Monday?

How did I do on last weeks' goals which were as follows:

1. Finish the acrylic painting.  (Nope, didn't touch it.)
2. Start machine quilting the quilt.  (Nope, didn't touch it.)
3. Gather supplies for Robert Burridge's class that starts February 7 and prepare the paper with gesso.
(I have most of the supplies gathered and ready but I still need to gesso the paper and get a few things.)

So, what are this weeks' goals? 

1. Work on the acrylic.  
2. Work on the quilt. 
3. Gesso the paper and get the rest of  the supplies. 

Not a good week for my art goals though I did meet with some of Sisters7 and learn to make fabric paper. That was fun!


Also had 2 aunts pass away within a day of each other and went to 2 memorial services. That was not fun, though seeing my cousins from far far away was.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Accountability Saturday and Melodramatic Monday--all on Monday! :(

"Creativity"--I had a giclee print done this week on canvas. It's 16" X 20", ready to hang just as it is because it's finished on all 4 edges. $225 plus CA tax. A "must have", perhaps, for artists' studios and all creative people.       





Whoops! It's been a busy weekend, with Friday and Saturday as a student and Sunday and Monday, as a teacher. How did I do on my goals?  Not good, on the specific ones I set since I didn't work on the acrylic painting or machine quilting the quilt. I didn't touch either one. But how did I do on creating a new painting and finishing up an old one?

1. I made a beautiful journal for my affirmations in the book class last Friday. I finished up the cards for the pockets today so all I have to do is write on them. I started 2 watercolors on Saturday and did another small abstract yesterday in the class I taught.

2. In terms of finishing an uncompleted project, I caught up on my homework for the "Blast Off" online class and bagged a bunch of greeting cards and worked on straightening up one of my work tables in the studio. I'm emptying a drawer for the unfinished work so that it's all together.

So what are the goals for this week?

1. Finish the acrylic painting.
2. Start machine quilting the quilt.
3. Gather supplies for Robert Burridge's class that starts February 7 and prepare the paper with gesso.

A mixed bag this week--unsuccessful in some ways, productive in others. . . . .  the story of life in general, I guess. . . .

Friday, January 14, 2011

Book and Journal Class by Kim Elia, Three Rivers artist

Today at the Art Stand Gallery, 5 artists gathered to make handmade books and journals with Kim Elia, a member of the gallery along with 4 of the participants. We did these things:  







The outside back of my accordion book

The inside of my book, with pockets


Front cover on the far right--my book. . . . .
Kim Elia, Instructor (and "Mystery Guest"?)
    Measured       
    Folded
    Planned
    Designed
    Printed
    Spritzed
    Blotted
    Painted
    Dried
    Stamped
    Beaded
    Glued
    Photographed
    Pressed
    Embellished
    Admired
    Enjoyed

      Sunday, January 9, 2011

      My first "Accountability Saturday"--on Sunday!

      Whoops! This week has gotten away from me. But I promised to let you know each week how I was doing on my 2 goals of painting something new each week and finishing up something old also. I had them done yesterday but didn't have a chance to post until today.

      GOAL # 1 (New Painting):  I worked on a large acrylic painting this week and am making good progress on it. I finished 3 small origami paper "paintings" that I call "Mini Ori's". Here they are on the table, finished, with the mats and materials next to them and another small painting also.










      They are each priced at $45.00 plus tax and make nice gifts because they are small. The images are 4" X 6" and in the frames, they are each 5" X 7". They have a hanger and a stand so they can either hang or be displayed on a shelf or table.





      I went to Aaron Brothers and bought frames and finished them up and here are photos of 2 of them.

      They are made of beautiful Japanese origami papers, cut and glued in place in symmetrical and/or asymmetical designs. Each one is unique. There is no painting in them because they are all collage.There is some gel pen line work to finish them.

      I also completed another small 4" X 6" painting that I call "Illusions". It is framed to a little larger  8" by 10" and I may enter it in the Clovis Art Guild Miniature Show the end of this month. Here it is in a mat, soon to go into a copper metal frame.It doesn't show up very well on the seat of the kitchen chair but you'll get the idea.


















      GOAL # 2 (UFO or Unfinished Object): For the second goal of the week, I cut a lot of business cards that had been in a pile forever and I painted the edge of a giclee on canvas ("Parallels"--words about women and wine) so that it can be hung without a frame if desired. Price: $140 plus tax.

      Did I meet my goals this week?
      Yes! Could I have done more? Yes!

      Tomorrow is already "Melodramatic Monday" and it's time to pick the projects for the week again. I think I'll choose them now and show them tomorrow. I want to complete the acrylic (Goal #1) and start machine quilting a flannel quilt that I've been putting off getting started on. Photos tomorrow. . . . . 

      Tuesday, January 4, 2011

      My Goals for 2011

      In the coming year, my goals are these:

      1. Paint a new painting of any size each week. Think about it's matting and framing though the painting may need some "resting" time before it actually goes into the frame.

      2. Complete at least one unfinished project from the past each week. It might be a painting, a sewing project, a quilt, a management or publicity task, an organizational project or anything else related to my artistic life.

      3. Blog about my process toward meeting these 2 (above) goals each week.

      Each week on Monday (henceforth to be called "Melodramatic Monday" due to the drama of getting into the studio early Monday or even on Sunday, heaven for bid), the piece of art work and the UFO(s)--unfinished object(s)--for the week will be selected.

      Each week on Saturday (henceforth to be called "Accountability Saturday"), I will blog about my progress toward meeting my painting goal and my UFO goal for the week.


      This week, the painting is a large acrylic (2' X 4') that will be a floral painting to hang in the bedroom and be a "companion" to the flannel quilt that still remains to be machine quilted. I think that will be next weeks' UFO.

      This week, the unfinished object is to complete some small origami collages and find frames for them.