Sunday, September 30, 2012

Sep30Art

Last day of September, we spent a quiet Sunday today. The sunset comes, sooner and sooner these days... we wasted an afternoon watching a very confusing movie called 'Salt'... never could figure out what the heck it was about, and the ending didn't tie it up either... maybe that's why it didn't do well in the theaters.

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Sep29Art

Ron and I looked at computers today, my MacBook Pro is having noise issues again, and I messed up the screen display by picking it up with my thumb on the screen, something inside cracked... and now the display is toast.  Anyway I'm debating another laptop or getting a Mac All-in-one... Ron chose a Samsung all-in-one... really nice, they had to special order it, it'll be here by Thursday next week... maybe by then I'll have made up my mind what I want to do.  I'm thinking I'll go to the Apple store so that they can transfer all my stuff to my new computer for me.

Sep28Art


Burgers at Five Guys for dinner tonight... junk food junkies gotta have junk food every once in a while.
Washed my purse today, my little monkey I was afraid to wash... so I drew him again.. just got creative with the color, he's red in real life.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Sep27Art

This is a lampwork glass bead I've had for several years, I used to make lampwork beads, but my bad back put a halt to that artistic path for me. I gave my torch to a friend in Kentucky, she is making some really stunning beads these days, and from time to time she sends me one to cherish. Her name is Belinda Todd, find her beads on eBay myworld.ebay.com/b-todd/.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Sep26Art

Contour drawing of my hand, not a blind contour and not a continuous line either... just a wonky contour and some color blending thrown in for interest.
First time is a very long time Ron and I were able to have lunch together. I really enjoyed the break in my day and some conversation. Working at home is great in a lot of ways and very lonely in others.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Sep25Art

Rural sketchers week 39 a light bulb... drawing anything that require symmetry is a challenge for me.. so this one, I only drew one side, tried to paint around the 'other' side... didn't quite get it... but closer than I usually do... so progress.

Monday, September 24, 2012

Sep24Art

Cool, clear, cerulean blue sky today.  Dinner meeting tonight at Outback Steak house... yum.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Sep23Art

Lazy Sunday, we haven't done one in a while, breakfast at noon, dinner/lunch at 4:30... now it's almost time to feed the cats and dogs and head off to bed.  Cool weather headed our way next week... I can't wait.

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Sep22Art

After the movie Ron and I tried out the new Italian Restaurant that opened in the same location as our favorite Aunt Bea's... they REALLY changed the inside of the place, and it was excellent food, great service, we were very impressed.  They seem to be doing very well, I hope so, Charleston doesn't have many places for really good Italian food.

Friday, September 21, 2012

Sep21Art

Zebra stripes... and New Gamboge... looks good next to the orange page with the striped glove. Actually, I was going to draw a Zebra head, and then decided that would be too hard... and I wasn't feeling up to it today.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Sep20Art

My laptop is making funny noises again... it drives me crazy when it does this. It does it every time I pack it up and take it on the road, it does not like traveling I guess. 
Check out TSowell.com to read Thomas Sowell's articles... he does have a way with words.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Sep19Art


I was supposed to go to a meeting tonight, unfortunately I ended up at the wrong library and didn't have a phone number for anyone... tried to contact a few folks but couldn't get hold of anyone, so I came home.  When I got home my husband Ron was finishing up a crock pot full of his killer chili... I ate way too much of it... so yummy.
Nobody got more than 50% of the vote yesterday, so there will be a runoff election between the top 2 on Oct 2nd. My candidate is one of those 2,  and got the most votes yesterday, so I'm hopeful he'll win in the end.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Sep18Art


My tiny sea sponge.. that I've drawn many times...fit the bill for this week's Rural sketchers challenge.
SC Senate seat 41 primary election today, there will be a run-off election on Oct 2nd, between the top two, since nobody got 50% of the vote.  Miserable turn out, in my little precinct only 79 people out of 1,200 voted... apathy amazed me, those that do not vote will be the first to complain about whoever gets elected.

Monday, September 17, 2012

Sep17Art

Board meeting tonight, then met my sweetie for dinner at Parson Jacks, one of our favorite local bar & grill places, he makes a killer grilled chicken with an Italian garlic flavor... my favorite. 
We have a primary election tomorrow for a state house Senator in my district. So I get to go vote... final time before the November election.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Sep16Art

Poor Beau, has to wear his cone collar, to keep him from scratching a sore place on his face. He just would not leave it alone, so we had to do it. He is NOT a happy camper now... and of course he's mad at me because I'm the one that put it on him.
Got a lot of work done in the yard today... now that it's dark, I'm ready for bed.

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Sep15Art


Long day today, we worked in the yard this morning until it got too hot. We did all our grocery shopping and errand running... finally cooked some meat on the grill for dinner before dark set in for the night.
Drew my silver spoon watch, I love this watch, it is light weight and easy to read... only draw back is that it sets off metal detectors whenever I have to walk thru one.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Sep14Art

Favorite clothes... I'm a slob at heart, my favorite clothes are jeans and t-shirts, sweat shirts in winter... flip flops for as long as I can wear them without my feet getting cold... any shoe that covers my toes hurts my feet which I endure only when it is cold.(this has been an issue for me for about 5 years now, Dr has no explanation and no cure). I don't even own a dress or skirt any more, I bought one for my daughter's wedding, in 1994... that was the only time I wore it... later I gave it to a shop that provided interview clothes for poor women looking for jobs... I think that was the last pair of panty hose I wore too, 1994, my daughter's wedding... I have some nice pants suits and wear them when dressing up is required, I figure if Hillary Clinton can get away with it so can I... LOL

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Sep13Art

Got carried away with the spatter...  tried my hand at a current events cartoon.  Had to trash my egret painting and start over, when it came time to remove the frisket, it wouldn't come off, rubbed it so hard it damaged the paper... no sense continuing.  So I started over... at least I was able to use the back of the sheet to do some more color blending experiments...it's just paper and paint after all.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Sep12Art

Ambassador Chris Stevens HELPED the people of Libya throw off a dictator, and then yesterday they turned on him like MAD DOGS, killing him and 3 other innocent people.... This is so senseless, so pointless... sad and maddening at the same time.  

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Sep11Art

It was hard to watch the reading of the names this morning... listening to the wives and children especially still has the power to bring me to tears. Such a waste, a horrible waste. God bless them all.

Monday, September 10, 2012

Sep10Art

Long meeting tonight, professor Dr. Robert Freer talked to us about fiscal policy, and a bit of history. It was very informative. Then our state chairman spoke, the man is a power house of energy, so inspiring. Candidates for school board spoke, and before you know it, the clock strikes 9pm... So much going on now, these are interesting times indeed.

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Sep09Art

Last one, well the last one I'm planning to rearrange and draw for the next month or so... I love this plastic palette, it is small, light weight and holds a lot of colors, there is room for 4 more half pans. This box comes set up for whole or half pans, my box is the half pan box, you can see pictures of it here.. flic.kr/p/bQUR84
In that picture you can see my travel brushes in the area that I have now used to add 4 more half pans. Folded up this palette is 4" wide by 5" long, some people have covered the thumb whole and added more paint pans there. While I love having lots of colors to choose from, sometime too many choices leaves me wondering what to use and I end up using the same colors over and over anyway. I am easily influenced by others, so all it takes for me to buy/try a new color or brush is to attend a workshop, or watch a video... and I've gotta have that color. Could be the reason I have so many palettes too.

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Sep08Art

Another day, another pallet... what is the correct spelling anyway... pallet or palette ? This page obviously gave me fits, first I miss counted the row of 6 half pans and drew 7.. then when I started writing in the color names I skipped Cadmium Yellow? Why? I don't know, but I didn't figure it out till I got to the end of the row... and that's also when I noticed I drew 7 boxes instead of six.. Anyway.. here is the Schmincke pallet I got from wet paint, I removed the tray that was supposed to hold the half pans (too heavy), I also removed the flap mixing area... now it is much lighter. I added a few full size pans with some of my favorite can't live without colors like Daniel Smith's New Gamboge, and Schmincke's Brown Madder and their Translucent Orange... the yummiest color ever why it wasn't included in the box of 12 I do not know. Also added Daniel Smith's Cobalt Teal and Holbein's Marine Blue, Verditer Blue, and Mineral Violet. Still room in this box for more colors, but I'm out of empty pans... but I'm not out of pallets.. Is there a support group for watercolor artists that have too many paint boxes... and then there's the brushes...

Friday, September 7, 2012

Sep07Art

Changes in my bijou box, I pulled the divider clips out, rotated the pans to fit 5 across the top and bottom rows and 4 across the middle.  Giving me 14 colors in a box that was sold holding only 8...   I love this little paint box, it's a fit in your pocket pallet that I use almost every day, and carry with me everywhere.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Sep06Art

This is my big pallet, made by Heritage... holds 18 colors... I changed out several colors on this palette besides making room to add my three new ones. I took out opera pink, permanent orange, leaf green, ant. red, cobalt blue, transparent brown and cerulean blue. I these colors Schmincke's Brown Madder PR206, Daniel Smith's Quinacridone Magenta PR202, Holbein's Scarlet Lake PR48, Verditer Blue PB29+PW6, Mineral Violet PV15, and Marine Blue PB16. I also changed paints in my portable pallets too.. I wonder... do I have too many pallets?

Blending colors - Grays

ColorBlending


Mixing grays and/or shadow colors.  The 3 new colors I got yesterday are mixed top left Brown Madder by Schmincke and Verditer Blue and Mineral Violet by Holbein... also on this page is Schmincke Yellow Ochre and Holbein Marine Blue and Permanent Rose... I particularly like the p.Rose blend.  They all turned out nice and I expect I'll use them all from time to time.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Sep05Art

Another crazy hot and humid day today. Got my box from Dick Blick, new pen, new colors, new frisket.... I actually put some paint on my strawberry painting and used the frisket to mask out feathers on my Egret painting. Tomorrow I'll be doing color chart and see what mixes I can get with my new colors...was going to do that today but ran out of time.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Sep04Art

I already drew the lion pencil case, which is the only school supply I bought this year... lots of cool stuff, just not a lot of cool stuff that I thought I could use. So I just drew my pencil 5B that I use for watercolor painting... all my sketchbook drawings are now ink only... thanks to Brenda Swenson... I've broken my addiction to the pencil and embraced my wonky drawings.

Monday, September 3, 2012

Sep03Art

This is the first Labor Day in a long, long time that we did not have a party to go to... so we spent the day doing laundry, cleaning the office, cleaning out closets... too hot to work in the yard, but with all the rain the past week I really need to get out there and mow the lawn, doesn't help that our next door neighbors cut theirs today so it makes us look bad LOL.

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Sep02Art

Hazy, hot, humid... we watched a fellow with tags on his car from Maine get out of his car at the WalMart... he looked very sweaty and hot... not used to the heat down here, we could tell... made us laugh at the poor fellow. Truth is, the heat and humidity will just suck the energy out of you down here... even IF you're used to it. 
I ordered two new colors, Verditer Blue and Mineral Violet. I finally changed my bijou box, so that I can have 14 colors instead of 12... so now I have two empty half pans, waiting for a delivery from Dick Blick some time next week. Used a 50% off coupon to buy an art-o-graph light box from Michael's today... used it to transfer a drawing to 300 lbs paper today, so I am VERY pleased with my new art tool.

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Sep01Art


Egret in take off mode... I'm thinking about doing a painting of this photo I have... also have a pretty good photo of one already in flight... the image gobbled up this page, and still had no room for both his feet. LOL