Paint On A Canvas

I finished the palette knife impasto oil painting.  I really enjoyed doing it.  It was a completely different style for me.  I always know when I'm finished with a piece.  It isn't something I can explain.  Just know.  But then again, I can go back another time and change something if I want (and I can see some things 'I want'.)

The name of the painting is Lipstick On Her Reefer.  Don't be shocked.  I was a hippie once.  The title comes from a Laura Nyro song (one of two of my all time favorite singer/songwriters.)  One of the lyrics "lipstick on her reefer," is from the song Blackpatch.  

Haven't had time to work on anything since the sale/purchase of houses and my husband's illnesses et al.  Hopefully, soon, I can move all my art supplies to the new house.  An empty room is waiting.  I have many things I want to work on, including some very large canvasses. 

Caw Caw Cawing

If you've read my blog for any length of time, you'll know how I love birds.  Crows in particular hold a fascination for me.  Don't know why.  Be that as it may, I've been feeding the crows lately and they are coming to eat.  There is a post in the field that I leave dog food and trinkets on.  Then, I go back home and call them, sounding like a mad lady, cawing loudly.  They come, though I wonder what they think of my poor imitation.  The above crow is carved from wood as a decoy.

Above is an oil painting I did called The Crow Picnic.

This young crow is made of paper mache and holds on to the bucking life-sized horse in my dining room.

The above is a wool wall hanging I purchased hung over a doorway.

Not matter what I did, I could not photograph this gouache I painted.  Guess it is the convex glass in the old frame.

Another old crow decoy.

A photo I took of a Parisian crow last trip to France.  Wonder if city crows are more sophisticated than my country crows?

Here is a crow feather.  Crows are supposed to be very intelligent, but this one wasn't.  He and a friend were fighting and teasing an owl in the trees out front.  Next morning, I found a dead crow on the ground where the fight took place.

Native Americans are very superstitious about crows and ravens.  The mean old woman down the lane shoots them and hangs them upside down in her trees, I guess as a way to scare crows away.

But, as I type this, a crow is cawing loudly out my backdoor, which has never happened.  Seems maybe, they are calling me.

Artsy Fartsy

Toilet paper roll art by a French artist - Junior Jacquet.  By definition, it is art.  So many definitions of the word, one would have to look at the etymology of the word art.  Let's just go with the Latin definition of art as a skill or craft.  

Artists have been creating since the dawn of man; containers used to hold paints date back 100,000 years.  I've read companies are doing away with the toilet paper rolls.  Guess this art will really be a rarity in eons to come. They'll be studying and describing it as a time when the world was wasteful which deeply touched the artist...

photograph taken by Mattieu Geichet

Field Sculpture

We go years without snow and this is what we've had for so long, I can't remember when the ground wasn't covered.  It will be melting by the weekend.  I will be in Tulsa or I would go outside naked to feel the warm sunshine on my skin.  

I made these armillary spheres (not quite finished) from old rusty wheel forms (don't know if that is what they are called).  They were used to hold wooden wheel pieces or wagon wheels.  We have tons and I figured they would work as field art. By the way, armillary spheres were early celestial globes. Wish I could find an old airplane to put out in the field.  A rocket perhaps?

The Funny Farm

Banana In Snow

"They're coming to take me away ha ha

They're coming to take me away ha ha, ho ho, he he,

To the funny farm 

Where life is beautiful all the time".

(And warm?)

 The first use of the term, Funny Farm, was used in John Knowles 1959 novel, A SEPARATE PEACE, set in New Hampshire (no wonder).

"You might start to believe it, then I'd have to make a reservation for you at the Funny Farm."

Well, they don't call it the funny farm for nothing.  This winter is killing me.  Going to go try and work on a painting, but I'm afraid my muse is frozen outside somewhere on my Peaceable Hill Farm which is why I put a banana in the snow (a lame attempt at an art installation piece/joke). Pitiful.

Chicken Art

I love this modern art oil painting.  I got it years ago at a flea market.  Signed by North in 1957, I find it amazing though obviously not professionally done.  From the oval shape in the center to the diamond shaped ground and seeds; the composition intrigues me.  It was probably done as a class study.  I would love to take classes in modern art. My brain would rail against it, but oh, what fun.

Breathtaking Sculpture At The Louvre

Though I love the two dimension art at the Louvre, I was especially drawn to the 3D sculpture hall.  Just walked around, awed by the works in marble.  When you sculpt with clay, you can mold it by adding the clay or taking it away.  After drying the clay, you can then carve into it. I can not imagine working with stone and a chisel and making this look so beautiful.  Don't remember her name nor the artist's name, but she was stunning, and hardly anyone was around.

The Louvre Visit

Went to the Louvre. Breathtaking art. Happened upon this large, gorgeous canvas. What was the lady doing to the doves? Pulling them apart or instigating copulation? ??? Adjusted my glasses and saw the wooden plaque, Venus, from the 1500's. Frames are art at the Louvre. Unbelievable works. While we did see lots of paintings, this time I got to see more sculpture. I will share more of it later.

This Man Has the Best Job Ever

Keith Johnson does have the best job ever. He is the head buyer for Anthropologie and travels the world for iconic pieces of art, furniture, textiles and on and on. His show, MAN SHOPS GLOBE, is on Wednesday nights on the Sundance Channel at 9 central time. The things he finds are really incredible, but oftentimes, he shrugs them off (he says he's jaded) till he finds the thing that speaks to him. I love this show. If this clip won't play straight through, you can watch others at youtube. Meanwhile, don't miss tonight's show. It is that good. By the way, just heard Tulsa is getting a new Antropologie store at Utica Square. Yes!

THINGS THAT GO BOOMP IN THE NIGHT

This Cecropia Moth (Hyalophora Cecropia) fluttered down to my farm in May. A giant silk moth, it is the largest moth in North America. She has a full 6 inch wingspan and is a beauty. Or, was. They have no mouth parts and can not eat: they are here for only 7 - 10 days; their raison d'etre is to mate and lay eggs before they go where moths go to die (it is in my drawer in this instance, that is, post mortem). The offspring, huge green caterpillars, spend all their time eating, I suspect, on hickory leaves, before spinning a cocoon then waiting out the winter to repeat the life cycle.

This is a close up of Cecropia. The males have larger antennae and the females, larger bodies. I painted her in gouache and am going to sell prints in my etsy shop. This life sized print is the first in a series of flora and fauna paintings I will be doing - and of course insects too. It measures 9 x 12 and is printed on ivory colored card stock paper. The print will be signed and numbered and sell for $18.00. PS ~ as an aside, may I comment that this print looks so much better than I have been able to photograph. I have tried every setting on my camera and not been able to get a decent reproduction of this print. Does anyone have suggestions? I have a Nikon Coolpix S630.

DOG ART

Some of you might have noticed the red dog on the right side of my blog and wondered, what in the world? Well, he is one of my mixed-media life-sized paper art sculptures. This dog's name is Picasso Can't Have A Dog. The text in the spiral is where he got his name. I wrote around the spiral like the 'Beats' did in a stream of consciousness style. The text says "Picasso can't have a dog, no Siddhartha he. Manipulator, manipulated, whatever..." Hence the name.

Some of you might have heard that recently, a painting by Picasso sold for a million billion dollars. Picasso was a prodigy/genius, but could be cruel (and kind too, I know). His vanity knew no bounds. Don't get me wrong, I love Picasso, but I don't think he deserved a dog. When I was almost finished with this piece, a book came out about him and his beloved dachshund. Who knew?

This piece has a goldfish, feather, clock, a sundial, an eye, a vulva...and so much more. And, its tail wiggles. This was no small fete for me. I am interested in automatons, but after some research, I couldn't get past the basic physics (pulleys and levers). You have to be an engineer to figure it out and I am too old, er, young to start a new career. I will have to take a pic of his rear end. There is a cameo painted in blue and white, of an elderly Picasso, seated and looking in a mirror...

A million billion anyone?

Go Green

Do you have a stack or two of old painted shelves lying about? I've got a million projects I'll finish someday. One of those projects was to recycle one of said painted shelves. I simply did a reverse scratching on the paint and came up with different countries and continents. This shelf is above my bed and hopefully fills my head with exotic locales and dreams that rarely come.

Vintage Madonna Print

Isn't this a pretty interpretation of the Madonna? A young woman seated with a book; a small village past her in the distance. The period of her clothing, seated on a rag or hooked rug, is reminiscent to me of a pioneer Madonna. This print was originally painted by a German artist so I guess maybe her clothes are from the time it was painted in Germany. Just thought you'd like to see it. It is different. It's for sale in my etsy shop. I might like to keep it but for the need in this period of my life to simplify, clean out, I'm not sure, whatever.

PASSING

I just recently learned of the passing of a beloved artist and writer. Stephen Huneck died on January 7th of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He had been depressed and despondent; he feared he might lose his mountaintop farm home and studios, dubbed Dog Mountain, over the recent economic downturn. The Dog Chapel, which has been featured in many publications, was built to honor his own Sally, a Labrador. Inside the chapel, visitors have left notes and pictures of their own beloved pets.

I guess I am surprised by his passing and sad. One would think that by 60 years of age, you'd finally have it down enough that you wouldn't resort to killing yourself over life's disappointments. I guess not. The reality is, depression is lethal sometimes. Stephen's art and contributions will be missed.

GOURD ART

I've been away for the holidays though it seems not everyone has. I won't ever be able to read all the posts that you have written. Me, I got nada. I am still not over 3 days of cooking and cleaning while a two years old hangs on my legs with her arms up, "I hold you Nonna. Hold you."

And did I mention fighting the crowds after Thanksgiving on Fri. and Sat? Okay, I won't mention it. Okay. Here are two gourds I grew and inlaid turquoise into them. I have done many; some have been sold at various stores in Tulsa and at the Gilcrease Museum, also in Tulsa. Most of the turquoise inlay gourds have been western-themed. I also drew and burned birds and animals on them which sold well. Also oil painted a few. After I had done just about everything I could do to a gourd, I tired of making them. It really galled me to have to sell wholesale to the stores and retail outlets. Haven't tried ebay, etsy, etc. So this is what I post today. Nada lot, but something anyway.

CUBISM

I love this oil painting on canvas board of a rooster overseeing his hens eating scratch. It is an older piece; Picassoesque if you will and I think they had to have drawn this out before painting because it would have been too complex to paint otherwise. I never used to like 'modern art', but have become a big fan in the past few years.If you click on the painting, you can see the signature and date. Does anyone know if I made a great buy; enough to sell the farm and get a facelift, boob job (from a DD down to an A cup) and a tummy tuck? OR, maybe meet and take all my bloggy friends on a trip around the world? And then when we get back, have enough left to start an animal sanctuary and zoo? My life would be complete.

GIVEAWAY FRIDAY

The time for the giveaway has come. This Friday, April 24th at 9:00pm CST, the first three followers to answer a question about a previous post, will receive the above artwork. The first item is a painting I did in gouache, of a horse in a vintage frame. The second item is a necklace made of snowflake obsidian with a silver cowboy hat charm at the closure. The red cowboy boots are also a gouache I painted. The third item is a necklace of champagne pearls with a tiny gouache floral arrangement.

So, all you have to do is become a follower. Just click on the followers icon to follow my blog. Next, Friday night at 8:30 pm CST, I will ask a question about a previous post. Be the first to answer the question (and second and third) in the comment section at 9:00pm CST and voila! Hope you win!

Where Have All The Cowgirls Gone

Here is a picture I painted in gouache on a brown grocery sack. Back in the days of the early rodeo, cowgirls were tough as old boots. They even rode bucking broncos and bulls; did everything the men did. I don't know why it didn't carry over to rodeos of today.

100th Post Giveaway Coming Up

It will be my 100th post in the not too distant future. I read in blogland that there are contests and giveaways to mark the occasion. So, here is a gouache of a horse I painted on a grocery sack. It comes with the vintage carved frame. I have some other goodies too; some jewelry I made; necklaces with a tiny (1") hand painted gouache painting. I call it wearable art. As the time looms closer, I will post more about this. Meanwhile, all you have to do to be in the running is to become a follower. On the day of the giveaway, I will ask a question about one of my earlier posts and the first 3 that answer it in the comments will win. Easy?

Here is one of the necklaces for the giveaway. It is made of snowflake obsidian which doesn't show up well. There is a greater contrast in the beads; more light gray shows up. I had a devil of a time shooting these for some reason. The glass on the frame reflected everything and/or the colors looked darker than they are. The frame is silver. Also, notice in the first necklace pic, the sterling cowboy hat charm at the closure. Did you have a child in your family that wore red cowboy boots? My son did for years; wouldn't take them off. That's why I painted them in gouache.

This is the other necklace. It is strung with champagne pearls. The gouache painting, under glass, is a one inch still life; it's a glass bowl filled with white flowers. Who knows, I might just come up with more stuff to make the odds better. Why? Because my followers are the most incredible bunch of people and I am so glad to have met them!

Flea Market Find

I found this large oil painting this past weekend at the flea market. It's probably from the 40's or 50's as it does have a little crackling. It also needs a good cleaning. I have had several barn paintings and they differ depending on what part of the country they come from. I liked the overall green tones of this one and it was larger than most. I don't even know where I will hang it - the mark of a hopeless collector. I needed this like I need another hole in my head. Just thought I'd share it with you.