DebJeffrey

How to dress cupcakes in a hurry...

2011-06-03T06:30:00.000-07:00

To learn how to dress cupcakes in a hurry, go to my Cupcake-Stylist blog at:
http://cupcake-stylist.blogspot.com/2011/06/how-to-dress-cupcakes-in-hurry.html

April Showers Bring May Flowers...

2011-05-04T06:30:00.000-07:00

read about it at...
http://cupcake-stylist.blogspot.com/2011/05/april-showers-bring-may-flowers.html

For those of you who keep asking, "Are you still breathing?"

2011-04-28T06:30:00.000-07:00

the answer is, "yes."

A lot of time has passed since my last post, so I can understand the question. Life has a way of continually challenging us to grow. Sometimes we excel in a particular challenge, and sometimes we fail. My response to recent challenges has been to withdraw, re-evaluate and refresh.

Last year provided some great highs, (the children's book I illustrated for Lee White was published), and lows (my husband and I had to make the extremely difficult decision to put down our German Shepherd, Kip, when he could no longer walk or stand, and I had hand surgery)...

I will write more about Kip in Zoe's blog, but wanted to share a little about the hand surgery and the impact it has had on my life...

First, I had injured my hand in what I thought was a very minor household accident. I was on my hands and knees cleaning the floor of the panty and when I went to push up to stand, my hand slipped on the wet floor and my right index finger jammed into something. For the next year I dealt with pain, clicking, minor swelling, and certainly the feeling that something just wasn't right with my finger.

I felt kind of silly even giving it any attention, after all it was just a finger, but after a year of "dealing with it" I contacted a surgeon to have it evaluated. Surgery was scheduled immediately to repair my right index extensor hood and to do a tendon transfer. The surgery was November 3rd. Going into it I thought I'd have the surgery, a few weeks of rehab and then I'd be back to normal with a perfect hand. I learned that my PolyAnna thoughts were just that and it is now almost 6 months later and I still have pain, numbness, swelling and clicking. In fact, I refer to my right hand as the, "the big giant knuckle."

So how has my big giant knuckle impacted me? Well, for someone who has gone through life pretty easy-breezy, my big giant knuckle threw me for a loop! I can't paint currently and that has left me feeling somewhat out of sorts. I am a creative being and not being able to paint has been so difficult. I have withdrawn a bit -- I found I needed time to regroup and re-evaluate. I have been spending more time with my husband, God, and figuring out a way to be creative even with my big giant knuckle = )

You may remember that I took some cake decorating classes last year. I found that I really loved the decorating part, but didn't necessarily like the baking part. I found that working with icing was difficult because it irritated my big giant knuckle even more, but working with fondant was almost like therapy -- it requires kneading and shaping, which seem to actually help my hand a bit. Anyway, as I worked through the process of determining what I could and couldn't do, I found that I could make cake and cupcake decorations out of fondant, that could be used to decorate cakes and cupcakes that OTHER people have made.

...and with those thoughts, the CUPCAKE STYLIST was born = ) As the CUPCAKE STYLIST, I make edible toppers (decorations) out of fondant to stylishly dress YOUR cakes and cupcakes! This allows me to use my artistic and cake decorating skills to create, and it provides you with a means to obtain custom made decorations to complement your theme or party idea, without the time and hassle of making the decorations yourself. It also allows you to say, "I made it myself" when you receive all of the oohs and aahs that are sure to come your way from your family and friends!

I am making designs in four basic categories: Cut-outs, embossed, hand painted and 3D sculpture designs. The designs will be offered on my website (which is currently under construction at http://www.cupcakestylist.com/), and are currently available at http://www.cupcakestylist.etsy.com/ . A Facebook Page is in the works, however I must confess that Facebook pages are still a mystery to me. Once I figure them out I'll add the address/link also.

Each design can be customized to match your particular party theme and color scheme. To give you an example of what is available, please continue...

And so, yes, I'm still alive...still breathing...still creating.

In the midst of my re-evaluation period my husband gave me a little wall hanging that I'll share with you... "Life is not waiting for the storm to pass, it is learning how to dance in the rain." I'm dancing...

INTRODUCING The Family Read-Together Night!

2010-10-11T06:20:00.000-07:00

Much earlier in the year I shared that I was illustrating a children’s book – well the book is FINALLY finished and I can now tell you all about it!

The book was written by Lee White, a retired elementary school librarian. Although the story is based on an actual family read-together night at the Hawthorne School in San Luis Obispo, California, this book will appeal to all elementary school age children and families, interested in sharing the fun and enjoyment that can be had by reading together.

As a reader myself, I love that I can travel the world without leaving home, I can learn about how things work, explore history, or escape into the world of fiction, suspense and drama. The universe and all it contains is open to my exploration – all because I can read!

When I was approached with the opportunity to put images to Lee’s story, I was thrilled. This was a “first book” for both of us, and it sometimes felt like it was the blind leading the blind, but we persevered, learned an incredible amount about publishing, and have a 8-1/2” x 11”, full-color, hard-copy book, ready to share with the world.

Lee is in the process of having a website created, so in the meantime, signed copies of The Family-Read Together Night are available for sale in my Etsy store, located at http://debjeffrey.etsy.com/

Thank you for your support throughout this project – your kind words and encouragement helped get us through – THANK YOU!

All Things Cake!

2010-05-03T06:30:00.000-07:00

That is just what we are learning, thanks to Mary Pallister, our wonderful Wilton cake decorating instructor! Mary has such a passion for what she does...and her enthusiasm spreads throughout the class each week, encouraging us on in our attempts to mimic her flower making and cake decorating skills.

Class 1 involved four 2-hour sessions, each designed to teach us how to bake, level and split a cake, frost it, make buttercream decorations and decorate a cake.

Sounds easy. Well like anything, it takes a lot of practice!

In my last "cake decorating" post I shared my experience with attempting to frost my cake -- well I have finally moved beyond the neanderthal stage and can actually frost a cake a little more smoothly now. I imagine that as time goes by and I frost more cakes, it will become even easier -- oh how I look forward to that day!

In class, we used the practice board and flower nail to learn to make various buttecream flowers and border...

Wilton's site has intructions on making all of the flowers we learned, so rather than reinvent the wheel, I will provide links to the Wilton site for instructions on how to make the... half-rose, leaves, ribbon roses, roses, rosettes, shell border, stars, sweet peas, swirl drop flowers, zigzag border, basketweave, carnations, as well as a few other designs.

And at the end of class 1, session 2, here is my first "decorated" cake...

I know...kind of bland, huh. As we learned to make flowers and borders, we used white frosting.

Well, my hubby and I aren't eating sugar right now, so I knew that this cake would not be in the house long. I also knew that an anemic looking cake wouldn't be well received, so I took the cake home, scraped off the flowers, colored some icing, and redecorated the cake so I could give it away....

it was a hit.

For just picking up piping bags and learning the difference between a #3 round tip and a #18 star tip, Mary had us moving right along. In week three, she asked us to bring some iced cupcakes, marshmallows with a dot of frosting on the flat end, and pocky sticks...

So what do you make with iced cupcakes, icing dottd marshmallows and Pocky sticks? Clowns...of course!

Mary showed us how to paint the face of the clowns using food coloring, (the dot became the clowns nose). Then Mary had us stripe our frosting and pipe out the body of the clown. The painted clown head was attached to the body, by running a Pocky stick through the body. We then piped on the remaining details and ta-dum, here come the clowns!

Mary also taught us how to pipe bears....

for character cupcakes...

A lot of information had been shared between weeks 1 and 3,so our final session for class 1 seemed like "CAKE" = )

We were asked to bring in an iced cake to decorate in class. Mary reviewed some flower-making techniques wth us and turned us loose. So here it is...cake number 2

So there you have it...Wilton Cake Decorating Class 1 completed. Thank you, Mary!

Everyone in the class did a great job, learned lots, and we can't wait for Class II to begin!

House Portrait

2010-04-12T06:30:00.000-07:00

I have to confess that work on the book has been my "art" priority for the past several months. It's almost finished though -- just a few pages to finalize and we'll be on to the next stage.

I did recently take a little break from the book to work on a portrait...

The request came from Margaret. This is a little convoluted, but here's the story...Margaret's husband Bob had contacted me in the fall of 2008 and asked me to paint a traditional watercolor memorial portrait of their beloved dog Shammy, for his wife for Christmas. Bob provided me with photos of Shammy and we spent the next several weeks emailing photos, drawings, drafts, and progress paintings back and forth. In the end, Bob had the portrait framed and presented it to his wife for Christmas.

Margaret contacted me after Christmas and shared the following:

Dear Deborah I just wanted to tell you how much I loved the beautiful painting you painted of my Shammy. You captured his essence, and I feel closer to him each time I look at it. Thank you for all the hard work you put into the painting - I absolutely love it, and it means the world to me! When I received it from Bob, there were many, many tears, but they were good tears. Thanks again, Margaret

Well, fast forward a year and I received an email from Margaret, inquiring about a house portrait -- A surprise painting, to give to a friend who had shared her home when Margaret and Bob were in the process of relocating. Well, Margaret provided me with several photos and a sketch of what she had in mind for the portrait. This portrait had a time constraint, so instead of a traditional watercolor painting, Margaret opted for a digital portrait, so we could speed up the process and not have to wait for paint to dry between layers, and didn't require flattening at the end -- which requires an additional 2-3 days for drying. Anyway, the emails flew between Margaret and I, and photos, drawings, drafts and proofs were exchanged for the next several days. This is probably the fastest portrait I have ever completed, but we got it conceptualized, painted and framed in the matter of a week!

It was very fun working with Margaret -- she knew what she wanted and once again I was happy to be a part of such a special gift. ~Deborah

I HEART You!

2010-04-07T16:42:00.000-07:00

and it's not even February!

This past year has been filled with a number of friends and acquaintences being diagnosed with heart disease -- unfortunately for some, the diagnosis came as a result of their autopsy. Morbid yes, but the reality is heart disease is real -- it impacts our lives, whether directly or indirectly. The good news? There is much we can do to help combat it.

You know what is coming, don't you...yes, with minor modifications to our daily routines, we can make positive changes to help prevent heart disease.

I recently took part in the French Hospital HeartAware program, a FREE cardiovascular risk assessment that took about 7 minutes to complete and:

•Assessed my current cardiovascular health status and identified those medical or lifestyle conditions that may lead to development of the disease.

•Shared what I could do to take action to reduce my level of risk, including making you aware of the many services available through French Hospital Medical Center.

•Offered FREE continuing education via e-mail about my specific cardiovascular health and risk factors, if I so desired.

In addition, at the end of the online assessment, I had the option of obtaining a FREE 1/2 hour consultation with the HeartAware Coordinator. The consultation included a review of my assessment findings, a FREE cholesterol check and the opportunity to have a $99 calcium CT scan to check for any potential problems with my arteries.

At the end of the day, my heart is fine. I have however taken some steps to ensure that my heart stays healthy -- I stopped eating sugar about a month ago, I have cut out my daily caffiene habit, I'm eating a lot more veggies & whole grain foods, and a lot less junk!

So what is next on the road to the healthier me agenda? Walk more! This is where you can help! I (along with my dog Zoe) have joined the FzioPed's HeartWalk team to help raise awareness for Heart Health. The walk will be in October and will benefit the American Heart Association. Until then, Zoe and I will be preparing for the walk and raising funds to help support the cause. If you would like to support us in this endeavor and either walk with, or donate to the cause, please go to our Heart Walk web page. As a special thank you for caring, Zoe and I will be making a special PawPrintArt HEART card that we will send to each person who signs up at Heart Walk web page.

Thank you for your support! ~Deborah & Zoe

Cake Decorating 101

2010-04-01T06:30:00.000-07:00

I shared previously that I attempted to decorate cupcakes for a bridal shower. The cupcakes weren’t bad, but definitely not what I envisioned in my head! So, what to do, what to do…that’s easy, sign up for a cake decorating class! Thankfully my local Michael’s store offers Wilton’s cake decorating classes, so I signed up and spent the last 4 Saturday nights learning the basics of cake decorating.

I purchased the “Class 1 kit”, which included just about everything needed to begin this new endeavor, including:

7 Decorating tips:
Round decorating tips #3 & 12 – these tips are used for outlining, lettering, dots, balls, stringwork, lattice, lacework.
Open Star Decorating Tips #16 & 21 – these tips are used for “star” techniques, drop flowers, borders, and whole host of decorations.
Leaf Decorating Tip #57 – in addition to making leaves, this tip can be used for “shell-motion” borders.
Petal Decorating Tip #104 – used to create realistic flower petals, dramatic ruffles, drapes, swags and bows.
Drop Flower Decorating Tip #2D – used to make….drop flowers.

3 Decorating bags - 2 reusable and 1 disposable. The bags hold the frosting and are MOST important to the decorating process!

2 Standard Couplers - The couplers are made up of two parts the coupler and the coupler ring - the coupler fits inside of the decorating bag. A decorating tip is placed on the outside of the bag, over the coupler, then the coupler ring is screwed on over the decorating tip to hold the tip in place. The couplers make it very handy to change decorating tips without having to use a new bag filled with frosting each time.

1 Flower nail – used to make roses, daisies, carnations and other flowers

1 Practice Board – used for just that, Practice, Practice, Practice! It is a vinyl covered piece of cardboard with a clear vinyl overlay. The overlay lifts so you can place a practice sheet beneath and copy the various shapes and decorations. It is a very handy little tool for testing things out before actually putting icing on the cake!

1 Decorator art brush – used for “brushed embroidery” work

1 Tip Cleaning Brush – essential for getting all of that frosting out of the decorating tips!

1 Straight Spatula – used for mixing, stirring your frosting,. It can also be used for frosting your cake, although a bent spatula is better…and a special Cake Frosting Decorating Tip is even better!

You will notice that I said the kit contained “just about” everything needed to begin cake decorating. Other supplies needed were:

Gel food coloring (I had the liquid type at home, but learned that the liquid thins the icing too much and makes it impossible to use for decorating. So stick with the gel type – you will get MUCH better results!)
Toothpicks – for dipping into your gel food coloring and coloring your frosting. Note, it is important that you use a toothpick only once – you can contaminate your colors AND “mess up” your gel food colorings if you use the same toothpick to get more/another color.
1-1/2” squares of wax paper – these are used to put on top of your flower nail when making flowers
Double stick tape – used to hold the wax paper onto the flower nail
Scissors
an Apron – definitely needed!
Extra couplers and disposable decorating bags
Paper towels
Buttercream frosting…lots of it! The instructor provided us with a recipe, however I must confess that I used Wilton’s premade Decorator icing throughout most of the class!
a Turntable (or lazy susan) – we learned that it is MUCH easier to decorate a cake when you could turn IT rather than have to move your body around it.
Bent spatula (easier to use than the straight spatula when smoothing the frosting on your cake)
Cake boards (to put your cakes on)

And so, with supplies in hand, I showed up for the first class. The instructor passed out the Wilton Class 1 book, which included frosting recipes, cake baking/preparation tips, icing coloring tips, and a number of how to’s for creating lines, dots, borders, flowers, and other fun decorations.

I love it when people are totally into what they do, and this instructor certainly LOVES what she does! She handed out a number of frosting recipes, cake recipes, a pricing sheet so we would know what to charge for the beautiful cakes that we would ONE day create, a sheet which provided the number of servings per cake, popular websites, flavoring company information, etc.

Once we were loaded down with information and everyone was as fired up as the instructor, we began…

She showed us how to cut the tip off of the bag, place a coupler inside, place a tip over the coupler, secure the coupler with the coupler ring, fill the bag with frosting, and finally how to burp the bag. (click here to go to the Wilton site for a visual on how to fill the bag).

With filled bags in hand, we were ready…or so we thought. We quickly learned that there is a right way and a wrong way to hold the bag, and “position” is everything in cake decorating. Rather than fill up more space with the particulars of bag positioning, click here to go to the Wilton site for a visual on proper bag positioning.

With proper bag positioning behind us, we pulled out our practice boards and started in on stars, zig zags, the Fleur de lis, Shell border, and the Basketweave.

Each session is 2 hours long, so after practicing the above, we had just enough time for the instructor to show us how to frost a cake, so we could bring a frosted cake to the next session. She placed the cake on a turntable and showed us two methods for frosting a cake: 1 using a bent spatula, and the other using a special cake icing tip...

I have to confess, I like to take the easy route and when I saw that you could fill a bag with frosting and essentially squeeze out the frosting in three easy steps

and the instructor had that cake frosted in a matter of minutes, I knew this was the method for me! So I went out and bought tip #789, baked my cake, let it cool, leveled it, placed it on a cake board, and put it on my turntable for a "quick" frosting -- HA! What I forgot is that the instructor has YEARS of experience and what took her just a couple of minutes to do BEAUTIFULLY, took me too many minutes to confess here. Have you ever seen that episode of "I Love Lucy" -- where Lucy and Ethyl are working at the candy factory? Well, I felt just like that!

I did eventually get my cake frosted, however it didn't look nearly as smooth (or balanced) as the instructors...

And that was just the cake...I will share more about the actual decorating next time. Until then,

Today's Quote: "I went to the store to buy a candleholder. They didn't have one so I bought a cake." ~Mitch Hedberg

Little Love Session

2010-03-31T06:30:00.000-07:00

What? Yes, today I would like to share about a Little Love Session -- a Valentine's Day photo session of my friends Bob and Linda's granddaughter Claire. Claire is the love of their lives, and she thinks her grandparents are pretty special too! I remember the discussion they held before Claire was even born, asking one another what they wanted to be called. Linda chose "Nana" and Bob chose "Bif" -- for Bob is Fun. I just love those two!

Well as I said Claire is the love of their lives and their home is filled with photos of her, including those of photographer Christan Parreira. Christan takes amazing photographs and he took the following photo of Claire -- along with several others that you can see by going to his blog:

Photograph by Christan Parriera

When I saw the photo I just knew that it would make a great painting, so I contacted Christan and asked permission to paint Claire's portrait. He and his wife so graciously agreed, so here it is...the painting created from Christan's wonderful photograph...

To learn more about Christan or to contact him about a photo session for you, please check out his blog at http://www.christanp.com/index.html

And, if you are interested in having a portrait painted of your favorite person, pet, place or favorite thing, please contact me to discuss.

Today's Quote: "Grandchildren are the dots that connect the lines from generation to generation." ~Lois Wyse

About.Com Graphics Challenge

2010-03-24T06:30:00.000-07:00

For the past several weeks I have participated in the About.com graphics challenges. Each week, a new challenge is made to all levels of individuals, to...

Use your imagination to create an image based on this theme, using any graphics software you like. Then post your completed images as a reply in this thread and tell us a little bit about what software and techniques you used. Remember, some of us are just learning, and would like to know how you did that.

I have found the challenges to be great fun, "challenging", and I am learning quite a bit from my fellow forum members.

The first challenge I participated in was #220. A forum member, Renato (Wyxk), suggested we create a POSTER FOR HAITI, due to the recent devastation in that country. His thoughts of a friendship poster to perhaps lift the spirits and hope of people came from a recent challenge. We were asked to use our imagination to come up with a visual message and perhaps give a glimmer of hope in a time of need. No starting images were provided and this is my submission:

Challenge #221 celebrated aritst JACKSON POLLOCK and encouraged us to discover our inner Jackson Pollock and try out his style of expression. No starting images were provided and this is my tribute to the painter dubbed, "Jack the dripper"...

The next challenge I participated in was #223, a challenge to create a Birthday card to celebrate Photoshops 20th Birthday. No starting images were provided and this is my submission...

(Photoshop is a program that allows you to create your graphics on layers)

Graphics Challenge #224 was a bit of a stretch for me. I grew up near Los Angeles, so I have seen a lot of graffiti in my day, but I have never actually done any "tagging" of my own. This challenge was TAGGING, stating, "Graffiti or tagging has long been a form of expression - it can also get you into trouble. We've set you up with some trouble free starting images for you to tag and cover with graffiti however you wish. Get out those paint cans and have some with it!" And so I downloaded a couple of "graffiti fonts from 1001 Free Fonts and created a couple of images...

and applied them to one of the starting images...

and applied them to one of the starting images to get....

Graphics Challenge #225 was to create VISUAL PUNS. We were encouraged to come up with an image using a literal translation of a product, plant, object, etc. No starting images were provided and these were my submissions....

Sunflower...

and Sand dollar...

The next challenge, #227, was called "Wearing o' the green", in honor of St. Patrick's Day. No starting images were provided, and I introduced a quick Celtic knot painting that was painted entirely out of a special digital paintbrush that I created from Zoe's paw print.

This weeks challenge is to THINK SPRING. No starting images are provided and I am still in the "thinking" stage. As soon as I create an image and make my submission I will post it for all to see.

And so, if you are looking for a challenge, I encourage you to join the forum and participate. It is a great group of people and the challenges keep the mind sharp!

Today's Quote: “I have always grown from my problems and challenges, from the things that don't work out, that's when I've really learned.” ~Carol Burnett

Break Time is Now OVER!

2010-03-17T06:30:00.000-07:00

Not that I’ve actually taken a break in life, but the blog break is officially over. These past couple of months have been busy with work, household chores, the book, family and friends. In other words, LIFE!

My finger is doing better, but I have a feeling it will never fully recover. I have limited strength and an ever-present “pop” every time I bend it. So, I guess I just need to put on my big girl panties and move on!

My jewelry wardrobe continues to grow, as I “experiment” with the whole jewelry-making process. My sister gave me a jewelry making book for Christmas and a charm bracelet book for my Birthday. All my husband has to say about it is, “Oh No!”

Last month I had the pleasure of organizing a bridal shower with a friend, for a friend. It was a small, intimate affair, and so instead of a cake we had cupcakes. I made them, and wouldn’t you know, it led me in another direction. Cake Decorating Classes! In my attempt to make something “pretty” for the shower, I realized I hadn’t the skill to create what I wanted, so I did my best

and signed up for the Wilton Cake Decorating class at my local Michael’s store. You can be sure I will now include cake decorating as a topic for future posts.

Work on the book continues.

Zoe's PawPrintArt will be expanded to include paintings painted with a paw print paintbrush the I made in Corel Painter. The paintbrush was created using an image of Zoe's paw and will be used to paint entire paintings. It's kind of a strange concept, I know, but here is a very fast, very rough painting that I painted so you could see what I'm talking about. It is a Celtic Knot, done in celebration of St. Patrick's Day.

If you look closely, you will see that every bit of this painting was painted using Zoe's PawPrintArt paintbrush that I created in Painter!

Well, I guess that's the past couple of months in a nut shell. I'll be back with regular postings about art, jewelery making, cake decorating, the book, and whatever else I can share with you.

Today's Quote: "Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today." ~James Dean

Are You Living Your Dream?

2010-01-05T18:30:00.000-08:00

It has been quite some time since I've blogged. When I decided to take a break, I thought about all of the things I wanted to do, but today as I sit to write this posting, I realize that I didn't accomplish nearly all of the things that I wanted to...

I hurt my right index finger in mid November. I didn't break it or anything like that, but I injured it nonetheless and it has been weak, swollen and painful just the same. I have come to realize just how much I took my index finger for granted and I am learning to make adjustments and do things differently, but I really hope and pray for a full recovery.

The "injury" has definitely affected my artwork -- holding a brush or art pen has been tough, so I haven't really done much artwork since the injury. I did make some earrings to give as Christmas gifts, and I restrung a necklace for my Mother -- that was quite the learning experience, but I was happy to do it and happy to learn something new in the process.

You may be wondering about my title, "Are You Living Your Dream" -- it came to me when I realized all of my friends and acquaintences who are working "to make money to pay the rent or mortgage" and also doing something on the side that they love -- My sister who works for a carton company during the day, but is a bellydancer by night; my great-niece who is a student by day, but makes beautiful bracelets in her spare time; a physical therapist who is also a beautiful nature photographer; a school teacher who is also a wedding photographer; an at-home mom who opens her home to anyone needing refreshment and encouragement.

My dog's veterinarian (Dr. Stephens) is a fine vet, yet on the side he plays guitar and sings at various venues and events. I asked him if I could purchase a CD of his music and he was kind enough to give me a CD. I listened to it for the first time this week, and the first song on it is Jim Croce's "I Got a Name". Just in case you have never heard the song, the lyrics follow...

Like the pine trees lining the winding road
I've got a name, I've got a name
Like a singing bird and a croaking toad
I've got a name, I've got a name

And I carry it with me like my daddy did
But I'm living with the dream that he kept hid

Movin' me down the highway
Rollin' me down the highway
Movin' ahead so life won't pass me by

Like a north wind whistlin' down the sky
I've got a song, I've got a song
Like a whipoorwill and a baby's cry
I've got a song, I've got a song

And I carry it with me and I sing it loud
If it gets me nowhere, I'll go there proud

Movin' me down the highway
Rollin' me down the highway
Movin' ahead so life won't pass me by

And I'm gonna go there free

Like a fool I am and I'll always be
I've got a dream, I've got a dream
They can change their minds but they can't change me
I've got a dream, I've got a dream

Oh, I know I could share it if you want me to
If you're going my way, I'll go with you

Movin' me down the highway
Rollin' me down the highway
Movin' ahead so life won't pass me by

I especially like the line "I've got a song, I've got a song, And I carry it with me and I sing it loud, If it gets me nowhere, I'll go there proud." I suppose that is how I want to live my life -- doing something I love, yet if it gets me nowhere, I'll go there proud. Life is short -- do what you love!

Today's Quote: "You see things; and you say, "Why?" But I dream things that never were; and I say, "Why not?" ~George Bernard Shaw

Happy New Year!

2010-01-04T06:30:00.000-08:00

It is hard to believe that we are now in Twenty-Ten -- what happened to 2009? Well, I must admit, 2009 was an "interesting" year, and I am thrilled to be entering this new decade.

My art blog will continue...tomorrow. Until then, enjoy your day and may you have a Blessed New Year!!!!

~Deborah

Black Friday and Cyber Monday specials

2009-11-27T15:25:00.000-08:00

Yes, I've boarded the Black Friday/Cyber Monday train, and beginning Friday, November 27, 2009, in my Etsy Shop, I am offering my limited-edition Christmas Tree Ornaments at a discounted price.

In addition, all orders placed between now and December 15th, will include a FREE Holiday Card, as a special Thank you!

I wish you a Very Merry Christmas and Holiday Season!

Deborah
Etsy shop: http://debjeffrey.etsy.com/

Inexpensive holiday gift idea...

2009-11-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but I absolutely love to give and receive gifts of art.

In an attempt to help keep holiday gift giving costs low, I have just posted a number of greeting cards in my Etsy shop (http://debjeffrey.etsy.com/) ...

I know what you are thinking...cards, so what! BUT, did you know that my cards are the same quality Giclee fine art prints as my larger prints, and that they are printed with archival quality inks, on archival quality fine art paper designed to last 100-200 years, when stored and/or framed properly?

So, if you are looking for an inexpensive gift, please consider purchasing a card ($3.15 ea), or cards ($16.00 for six) and frame it/them in either a 4x6 or 5x7 frame and gift someone with a very nice piece of artwork at an economical price!

Time Tells All...

2009-10-27T06:35:00.000-07:00

Or so they say = )

Two weeks ago I started the Zoe-Chronicles: A Dog Blog (http://zoe-chronicles.blogspot.com/). What I have learned is that people would much rather read about a dog than about art! My blog has been on-line for several months, and has hosted a-l-m-o-s-t 500 visitors. Zoe's blog has been on-line for 2 weeks and she has has had almost 300 visitors to her blog. And so, during this holiday season, rather than trying to update two blogs...and do the artwork and make the jewelry to support my art blog entries, I am going to focus on Zoe's blog for the remainder of the year.

I will still offer some art items for sale through my Etsy shop (http://debjeffrey.etsy.com/), so please feel free to stop by and see what is new. And if you would like to keep up with Zoe and her antics, please check in often, to see what our little girl is up to.

If you would like me to contact you once I start updating my blog again, after the first of the year, please email me at djPortraitArtist@aol.com and let me know. Until my next post -- be blessed!

Deborah

Introducing the Zoe Chronicles -- A Dog Blog

2009-10-13T06:30:00.000-07:00

What's on my Easel...

My easel is currently filled with whimsical, dog and animal art work.

Why, you ask? Well, it seems lately my husband and I have been hearing about dogs, horses, animals (and people) who are struggling and in need of assistance. My husband and I decided that through a collaborative effort, we could help support animal (and human) rescue.

So, we've come up with a new "dog blog" featuring our dog Zoe. It is called, "Zoe-Chronicles" and in it, we will share stories about Zoe's life (from her perspective of course), provide training tips, links to animal related sites, and offer Zoe's PAW PRINT ART for sale -- with 30% of all sales profits being donated to animal (and human) rescue.

So, please check out the Zoe-Chronicles at http:zoe-chronicles.blogspot.com/ Tell people about it, and if you have any questions or suggestions, please contact us.

Together we can make a difference!

Today's Quote...
"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." ~Anne Frank

2009-10-06T06:30:00.000-07:00

What's on My Easel...

With the Tribute to Francis painting completed, I decided to try my hand at an animal portrait, of sorts. This drawing is from a photograph I took in the Cal Poly Canyon. The painting is being painted in Corel Painter XI, using the Artists/Impressionist brushes for the underpainting, and Pastel brushes to finalize. The painting will be called, "A Little Bit Country".

Step 1 - the drawing...
Step 2 - underpainting (Artist/Impressionist brushes) and beginning detail on the cow...

Step 3 - work out the colors and detail using Pastel brushes...

From the Jewelry Box...

The jewelry box is filling up fast -- following are a few of the latest designs...

Cover to Cover...

Work on the book continues. The text is divided among the pages and I am working on rough draft sketches. I've been drawing the sketches into a sketchbook in random order and at this point they are just "gist" sketches. I now need to scan them and add them to the text pages to see how they look. Once I have a visual, I can see what sketches need to be "revised" to ensure that some images take up the whole page, some cover a spread of 2 pages, some have a margin around them, some are toned differently, etc. -- in other words, to ensure that they are not all the same. We want to make sure that each page is different and catches the reader by surprise.

Today's Quote...

"One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art." ~ Oscar Wilde

A Tribute to Francis...painting completed!

2009-09-29T06:30:00.000-07:00

What's on my Easel...

Let's start at the very beginning... I met Francis one year at my friend and mentor, Deb Festa's Open Studio Art Tour. Francis was out in Deb's courtyard, greeting everyone and making them feel welcome. I didn't know Francis well, but I know that he was a warm, generous man with a huge heart. Over time, I got to know him better, as Deb would share with me about her Dad. Francis was a very creative man -- he was a photographer, writer, gardener, and he loved making and improving upon things.

Francis is no longer with us on this earth, but his memory lives on today in a single flower -- an iris. Francis evidently had a love for irises, because he had a huge iris garden. After his death, his daughter Deb, dug up some of the irises from his home, and brough them to her home to plant. Deb in her typical generous way, shared some of the irises with my husband and I, and we planted a special iris garden in the front of our home. When the first iris bloomed, it was a beauty. It's funny how a simple flower can spark so much thought and emotion, but it did and I was prompted to paint a special tribute to Francis. I'm thankful for my friend Deb, for her open arms and open heart. I'm thankful for Deb's family -- they truly are an amazing family, and I'm thankful for Deb's Dad, Francis. I think of him and I feel lifted up. He lived fully, encouraged much and was so very warm and kind. This painting is my tribute to Francis...

It was painted on the computer using Corel Painter 11 and a Wacom tablet, following traditional painting methods. the painting started with a line drawing, followed by basic color choices for the finished painting...

Once I had the basic design and color choices made, I started on the background -- yellow, to allow a nice glow to the finished piece, followed by some random squiggles...

I then blended the squiggles, added more color, and blended again to make it look like undefined flowers and leaves in the background...

Then, I started sketching out and detailing the leaves...

The next step was to block in the yellow iris and start detailing it out...

With the yellow iris in, I then blocked in the purple iris and started adding details...

With the background, leaves, yellow and purple irises painted, it was now time to tie it all together. I added some yellow to the purple iris, some purple to the yellow iris, color to the leaves where needed, and darkened the background just below the irises (to ground them).

The completed painting follows:

Memorial paintings are quite an honor to paint, and it was certainly an honor to know Francis and paint this tribute to him.

From the Jewelry Box...

I had fun making this pair of earrings for Samantha, in honor of her 30th Birthday. I needed something special to package her earrings and painted this earring card with watercolor paints on 140# Arches watercolor paper, outlined the painting with a black waterproof marker, then punched two holes to hang the earrings. Happy 30th Samantha!

Today's Quote...

"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives." ~ Anne Dillard

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas...

2009-09-22T06:30:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, Thanksgiving hasn't even been celebrated and I'm already planning for Christmas!

My family draws names for our family gift exchange, and then we purchase or make something for the individuals whose names we have drawn. We all start out with great intentions of buying or making our gifts early, but year after year SOME of us end up in a mad rush. I am so thankful that last year I followed through and got things done early. I was so relaxed and as we gathered together, I was truly able to celebrate the REASON for the season. I like that peace and joy that I was able to experience, and fully intend to get things done early this year also.

What's on my Easel...
I'm amazed at how many people collect snowman "things," but that knowledge helped me focus on this year's offering of handpainted ornaments and Christmas cards. Each ornament is an original, hand signed, miniature painting. Each original painting is framed in a hanging ornament frame, and comes with a certificate of authenticity. Following are some examples of the framed, miniature originals -- they will be added to my Etsy shop tonight, and more will be added throughout the holiday season.

Snowman Christmas Cards will also be offered individually and in sets...

From the Jewelry Box...
Today the jewelry box holds three new simple, but elegant earring sets. Each set is made with Sterling Silver ear wires and Sterling silver, glass, and Swarovski Crystal beads.

Cover to Cover...
The book printers have done an excellent job in providing all of the information we need to move forward. At this stage in the game, I am drawing rough sketches of each page. Once I have a few more done, they will be submitted to the author for comment/suggestions, etc. The rough sketches will then be refined a bit, and once we agree that they tell the story, they will be made into "formal" illustrations.

Today's Quote...
"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." ~ Will Rogers

Thank you!

2009-09-17T06:30:00.000-07:00

To those of you who participated in rating my entry for the Aaron Brothers "Show us Your America" contest, thank you! In the end, over 800 ratings were submitted for my painting, "A Day In Morro Bay", so I am absolutely thrilled, astounded, and humbled by your support.

In the end, I was not one of the 10 selected for the final vote. I have to confess, I was a bit disappointed, but I remain encouraged in the fact that there is so much more to life and my hope and prayer is that I purpose in my heart to live each day to the fullest.

Today's Quote...
"We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have." ~ Frederick Keonig

Show us Your America...

2009-09-15T06:30:00.000-07:00

Hi All:

Today's posting is a little different. I haven't painted all week, but I DID enter the Aaron Brothers "show us your America" contest, and I could use your support. I entered the "Day in Morro Bay Painting" (aka the Morro Bay Collage).

If you would be so kind as to go to my entry at http://showusyouramerica.com/uploads/2068 and rate my painting, it will increase my chance of getting selected to be in the final voting group. The ratings are being accepted through the end of today and the voting will begin tomorrow.

As always, thank you for your support!

From the Jewelry Box...

Although I didn't paint this week, I did make a pair of earrings and a bracelet. They were intended to be made for my husbands niece's wedding, but I didn't complete them in time. The day turned out to be one challenge after another and I ended up attending the wedding without any jewelry at all! Oh well, here's to the simple life!

The earrings and bracelet made this week are silver and red stone (although I don't know what kind of stone).
Quote for Today...
"Nobody says you must laugh, but a sense of humor can help you overlook the unatractive, tolerate the unpleasant, cope with the unexpected, and smile through the day." ~ Ann Landers

A Reason to Celebrate...

2009-09-09T06:30:00.000-07:00

Happy Bodacious Bonza Bottler Day!

Happy WHAT you may ask. Bonza Bottler Day is something we are celebrating today at work. I'd never heard of it before, but evidently it is celebrated once a month when the number of the month coincides with the number of the day (Jan 1 [1/1]; Feb 2 [2/2] etc). When the number of the year also coincides with the number of the day and month, it is called a Bodacious Bonza Bottler Day. Bonza means "super," "great," or "fantastic." "Bottler" is slang for "something excellent," and "Bodacious" means "extraordinary, impressively great in size, or enormous." And since today is 09/09/09, we are celebrating a Bodacious Bonza Bottler Day.

So, how does one celebrate a BBB? Well, today at work we are supposed to wear "something" on our head. You just knew I had to bring "art" into it, so I made a palette hat. I found a melamie plate and acrylic paint set at the dollar store, glued them together and modified a plastic cup for the hat part.

So here I am, prepared to celebrate a Bodacious Bonza Bottler Day...

Quote for the Day...

"Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and celebrate the journey!" ~ Barbara Hoffman

It's Tuesday -- Time for Another Update...

2009-09-08T06:30:00.000-07:00

The U.S. celebrated Labor Day yesterday. I enjoyed the holiday and tried to labor as little as possible = )

Over the holiday weekend, I set up my new computer. Yes, I am one of "those" graphic designers who uses a PC and not a MAC. I purchased a Dell Studio XPS 16 laptop with a high-def. screen, extra memory and a beefier processing system. It is powerful, fast, and is managing my software programs (Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign; Corel Painter II, etc.) quite well. I enjoyed setting it up and my first painting session leads to...

What's on my Easel...

The Tribute to Francis painting is coming along. I now have all of the primary color in and will now start to refine and work towards completion. Deb Festa, you will have your painting before the month is over!

From the Jewelry Box...
My new toy (computer) took all of my free time, so there is nothing new in the jewelry box for today. My husband's niece, Kim, is getting married Saturday, so I'm certain I'll be creating something new to wear to her wedding!

Cover to Cover...
The book is progressing nicely. I met with the author yesterday and we are in the process of deciding on a printer, (there are a few more questions that need clarification before we can make the final decision). We have decided a few things, though: the page size will be 8-1/2" x 11", the format will be landscape (wide), and the illustrations will be drawn and painted on the computer on watercolor textured paper.

The next step is to contact the printers and obtain their layout specifications. Once I have that information we can finalize the overall content of each page and I can start laying out the book and roughing out the illustrations -- yea!

Quote for the day...
"What we learn to do, we learn by doing." ~ Aristotle

Joy is an Inside Job

2009-09-01T06:30:00.000-07:00

I've come to a bit of a realization -- while I was in the gallery in Morro Bay, I painted things that I THOUGHT (hoped) would sell to the "tourists", however I lost somewhat of myself in that. What I love to paint are what I call "Portraits of Life -- of people, pets, places and favorite things" -- in other words, things that are important and special to me and those that commission my paintings.

What's on my Easel...

It is an absolute joy to work on the "Tribute to Francis" painting. As I paint I am able to focus on Francis' life and the impact that he had. I am thankful for the beauty that he graced us with -- for the irises that fill my front garden with beauty, and for the legacy of a family in which he can be proud.

As a reminder, this is where we left off...

The painting is still in process. As I paint small sections, I see other sections that need additional attention -- like the yellow iris. Now that the purple iris is blocked in and partially painted, I see that the yellow iris is too light and doesn't have enough contrast to complement the purple iris.

I will continue working on this painting and provide you with an update next Tuesday.

From the Jewelry Box...

Since I started posting about jewelry making, I have received some requests to share my newly acquired wire wrapping skills. I have to confess, I am still pretty "green", but I love to see that "aha" moment as people learn new things, and am happy to share what I know...or what I think I know... with others. Robin was one who recently asked if I would teach her how to wire wrap. We set up a time and she came to my home, learned the basics of wire wrapping, and she made a lovely pair of reddish orange earrings. Robin is one of those creative sorts, so I can't wait to see what she will create!

I have always loved the ocean and am VERY thankful that we live on California's central coast. My latest necklace and earring design is based on the shells of the ocean and reflection of the sun on the water...

Cover to Cover...
When I started "making art," I learned that there was so much more to it than just standing in a museum or gallery and appreciating the work that someone else had created. There was the inspiration, the planning, the making the work itself. Then there are a multitude of background activities and processes involved in getting the artwork ready for presentation or sale. Well, just as I learned there is more to the artwork than just the finished product, I am learning that there is more to a book than just going to the bookstore, pulling one off of the shelf, reading it, and then setting it aside.

When asked to illustrate a children's book my mind immediately went into process mode and asked...How many illustrations? How many pages? Full color or select colors? Portrait (tall) or landscape (wide)? What is the page size? Will the illustrations go to the edge of page or will there be a margin?

Never having worked on a book before, these are questions the author and I began researching. We contacted publishers and book printers, and the information we received from them caused our heads to spin. Not really, but we realized that there is a lot involved in publishing a book.

At this point, we have determined the number of pages and the page size -- the other questions are yet to be answered. As we continue down the publishing road, I will continue to share what we learn along the way.

Until then, remember...

Quote of the day...
"Joy is not in things; it is in us." -- Richard Wagner

Cover to Cover

2009-08-25T06:30:00.000-07:00

Happy Tuesday to you! I am very excited about today’s posting because I get to tell you about a project that has been on the backburner for a little while now, but it is now something I can share…to a degree. I will be illustrating and formatting a children’s book!

The author is local and this is her first book. The book will be a self-published, 32-page, hardcover, children’s picture book.

Since this is the first book that the author has published, we have been learning about publishing together. Because this is a totally new endeavor for me, I thought I would share the research and process involved in illustrating, laying-out, and publishing a children’s picture book… Starting with my next posting = )

At this time, I would like to thank the individuals who have offered great advice on how to approach this project. Deb Festa, for introducing me to the author of the manuscript, Fay Sirkis, for teaching me how to paint digitally, and for sharing your layout, design and illustration experience; Susan Harrison-Tustain, for teaching me how to paint watercolor portraits and for the advice about how to approach the project and publishing; Karen Sperling, for your advice about self-publishing; Stephanie Roth Sisson, for your advice about illustrating books and publishers; David, Mom and Dad, for your unconditional love and support – THANK YOU!

And now, What’s on my easel…

I have completed the dog portrait. I mentioned before that it ended up being a digital portrait, but I printed it out onto Arches 100% cotton rag watercolor paper and added watercolor paint to it. It is the first time I have attempted this, and I must say, I like it! It added that special touch that makes this a one of a kind portrait!

The Tribute to Francis painting is coming right along. The yellow flower is there, but still needs refinement and finishing touches – these will be done AFTER the purple flower is completed. The purple Iris is started and here are a couple of photos showing the progression…

From the Jewelry Box…

In my last post I mentioned a necklace idea that was inhabiting my brain. Well I must confess, the picture in my brain is not at all how the necklace turned out. I don’t have a photo of it (in it’s current state), but suffice it to say that it WILL be remade!

So as not to leave you wondering if I accomplished anything in the jewelry-making area, I did throw together a pair of black and white earrings to go with another black and white outfit.

I’m not thrilled with the design, but as Thomas Edison once said…

Quote of the day…
"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." ~Thomas Edison

Give me an "E"...Give me a "T...S...Y"

2009-08-18T06:30:00.000-07:00

Yes, I have set up shop and am now on ETSY. For those of you who are unfamiliar with ETSY, it is a website which provides small business entrepreneurs with a way to buy and sell handmade items, including art, photography, clothing, etc. If it is handmade…or vintage, it is eligible for sale on ETSY.

My shop is located at http://www.debjeffrey.etsy.com/ -- Please note that I still have much work to do to my shop – resize photos, add items, etc., but I imagine it will be an ever-evolving site. So, please stop by and let me know what you think – Thank you!

What’s on My Easel…

Well, the dog portrait has become a digital painting. I am almost done and hope to complete it tonight. If I do get permission to share the painting with you, I will include with my next post.

I worked a bit on the The Tribute to Francis. It is still slow going, but I’ll keep you informed of the process nonetheless.

This is where we left off…

And this is where we are now. The flower has been developed a bit more.

Once the basic shading and highlights are added, I will go back and add the veins and other detail.

From the Jewelry Box…

My last posting included a photo of a bracelet I made to help encourage my 11 year-old jewelry-designing niece. Well, we delivered the bracelet, some jewelry making supplies and the following business cards this weekend…
I have blurred her blog and email address -- As soon as she provides me with some photos and details about her jewely, I will provide you with the details about Jewelry Designs by Drina.

I have a necklace design occupying my brain, so by next Tuesday, I hope to have a new necklace to share with you.

Today’s Quote…
“I really have a lot of stuff in my head; if only there were insurance companies for that as there are for so many things.” -Edgar Degas

Create!

2009-08-13T06:30:00.000-07:00

From the Jewelry Box…

I made a pair of shell bead earrings to wear with today’s work outfit, so I thought I would share. I took the photos with my cell phone, so they are not the highest quality, but I think you’ll get the idea…

Also, I completed the bracelet for my great-niece, Drina. Drina is 11 years old and a jewelry designer in her own right. I hope she is encouraged to reach for the stars and “create” jewelry to her heart’s content!

Today’s Quote: It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men. ~Frederick Douglass

Another Blast from the Past...

2009-08-11T06:30:00.000-07:00

I needed a Mom and Dad fix and spent a part of the weekend down in Southern California visiting my parents and sister. The visit was short, but sweet.

Once again my Mom sent me away with something from my past, but I’ll get to that after I share an update on…

What’s on My Easel…

First, the dog commission I have been working on is going rather slowly. There were some revisions made to the basic drawing, and I’m at the point where it will either be completed as a digital painting, or I will have to begin again to make it a traditional watercolor portrait…

I didn’t spend much time on the Tribute to Francis painting, so the progress is going very S-L-O-W-L-Y. I hid the purple flower, in order to work on the yellow one, and this is where I am.

I hope to have more to report on this painting soon!

From the Hope Chest…

I have no idea when I made these clay masterpieces = ) My Mom says there was a kiln at the elementary school I went to, so she is pretty sure I made them at some point during my K-6 years.

I have no idea why I made a dauschund…unless it was a beagle gone wrong. The turtle, I’m pretty sure was influenced by our ever present land turtle named General Patton. He hung out in our backyard and ate hibiscus flowers.

From the Jewelry Box...

It is hard to believe, but I have nothing to report today. I purchased the beads, but I just haven't made the next project yet. It is a bracelet for my great-niece, Drina. I learned that she makes bracelets, so I wanted to make one for her using her favorite light aqua color, and include one or more of the encouraging word beads that are so popular right now. I need to finish it by this weekend, so I'll be sure and post a photo next Tuesday.

Today’s Quote: “It took me four years to paint like raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.” – Pablo Picasso

I Like to Steal Away…

2009-08-06T06:30:00.000-07:00

Well, I thought I did, until I looked up the “proper” definition of Steal Away and found that it means to, “Leave furtively and stealthily - slip away, sneak away, sneak off, sneak out.”

I’m not actually sneaking off – just trying to get away during my lunch hour and read or paint. Anyway, since I just finished my most recent “read,” I decided to take my field painting kit and start a miniature painting.

My kit consists of a small plastic basket that I picked up at the dollar store. It is filled with a set of Watercolor Pencils, a miniature watercolor paint set (filled with my favorite paints), a collapsible brush, two bottles of water (one “clean” and one “dirty”), painter’s tape, a 4x6 pad of watercolor paper, a rag, pencils and waterproof pens, and business cards…(because you never know who you will run in to).

I thought the following tree in one of our local parks was beautiful,

So I sketched out a portion of it and will continue to work on it during my lunch hours until it is finished.
This painting is small, but will probably take awhile to finish – after all, I only have an hour to “steal away”, grab a bite, paint, and get back to the office.

Today’s Quote: “Painting is just another way of keeping a diary.” -- Pablo Picasso

"A Tribute To Francis" update

2009-08-04T06:30:00.000-07:00

What is on my easel...
The acrylic painting, “A Tribute to Francis” is coming right along. Last Thursday’s post showed the background colors being added and blended, the next step is to start building the leaf layers. The leaves are painted onto a separate layer in a flat wash.

Highlight and shadow colors are then added in and all are blended together.

The above technique is used to add the various layers of leaves…

Once the leaves are in, I add a flat wash where the flowers will go…

This is today’s stopping point. Next time I will begin defining the flowers by adding the highlight, shadow and midtone areas.

From the Jewelry box ...

My friend Karen celebrated her ##nd Birthday on Saturday. I put my newly acquired wire-wrap skills into use and made her a sterling silver, Peridot and Apatite necklace. It's funny -- I picked out the stones for her necklace based on the "natural" color clothing she wears. I learned later that Peridot is her birthstone -- I love it when things like that happen!

Okay, by now you should know that I didn't stop there. I made two bracelet and earring sets -- each made with shells and other stones and findings...

Today's Quote: “Painting from nature is not copying the object, it is realizing one’s sensations.” – Paul Cezanne

A Tribute to Francis II

2009-07-30T06:30:00.000-07:00

Back in April I posted a message about the story behind the Irises that were growing in my garden. Well I am finally starting the painting entitled "A Tribute to Francis." This will be a digital acrylic painting and this is what I’ve done so far…

Step 1 – the drawing and composition stage…
First, I drew the irises…

Then I added the leaves, and where they would be placed for a pleasing composition.

Step 2 – the painting stage…
First, I filled the page with a flat wash of yellow (I use yellow as the background color so that it glows through the top layers).

Second, I added random marks on the page, using colors that will be incorporated into the painting at some point.

Third, I added another layer of marks

Then blended those random marks together, for a soft kaleidoscope of color

Next, I added more random marks, this time using shades of purple and yellow, where the irises will be placed.

This is the stopping point for today, but check back again soon for an update.

From the jewelry box…
Uh oh, this jewelry making is becoming addicting. I "whipped up" these earrings a week ago to go with the black and white outfit I wore to the office today!

Today’s Quote: A smile is a curve that sets everything straight. - Anonymous

Introducing: What's on my easel...

2009-07-28T06:30:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my new Tuesday post, "What's on my easel", where I will be sharing about the things that I am working on at the moment.

A commissioned watercolor pet portrait (unfortunately I can’t post an image because I don’t have the owner’s permission). The portrait is being built up layer- by-layer and quite tight.
A non-commissioned pet portrait of a welsh terrior. This is more of a practice piece and is being done in watercolor, following a more direct painting method. I started with a washy background and let it dry, then wet a large area on the dog and added a LOT of paint to it, in 2 to 4 colors (side-by-side or dropped on top of another color) and let it mix on the paper. The sections were divided into tail, hind right leg, front and shoulders, back and belly, and head. There is more to do, so check back for an update…

From the jewelry box…

I just completed a wire-wrapped bracelet for a friend. She has a family home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and she loves all things Southwest, including turquoise jewelry. Sharon, at Beads of Sharon, introduced me to “mosaic turquoise” – it is made from turquoise that has been mined and cut, then the remaining bits of stone are "repurposed" and pressed together (somehow), to form a beautiful mosaic bead. No part of the stone is wasted, and it is really quite beautiful. I thought it was unusual and fit the bill perfectly! Happy Birthday Michelle!

Quote for the day: “Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.” Scott Adams

P-R-I-O-R-I-T-I-E-S

2009-07-27T06:30:00.000-07:00

Personal review
Revealed
Involvement in things
Other than those
Ranking high on my priority list.
I realized it was
Time to make some changes and
Invest in those activites that I
Enjoy and fulfill my personal goals for this
Season of life

And so, I have done some soul searching and have made the following decisions:

First, I have decided to no longer be involved in the Gallery at Marina Square. Don’t get me wrong, the gallery and the people in the gallery are great, I just found that during this season in life, I was spending more time and resources than I could afford at the gallery.

Second, I have signed up to be a “Big Buddy” at church. I don’t know all of the details yet, but when they made an announcement asking for adults with special interests or skills to sign up to share them with a child, I was immediately reminded of the days I taught art in my home and knew I had to sign up. It was a wonderful experience to be able to share the gifts that God has given me and encourage children along the way. I look forward to learning more about the program and can’t wait to meet the child they pair me up with!

Third, I have to confess, I had great intensions when I started this blog, but I made the number one mistake – for me. I didn’t set a schedule. And so, I will commit to blogging regularly on Tuesdays…and irregularly = ) on other days. My Tuesday blog will include a “What’s on my easel” section, so you can see what I am working on at the moment, and other things that I think might be of interest to you.

Now what about you? Is there something that you have wondered about, or are interested in knowing/learning more about? If so, please let me know, either via email or posted as a comment here.

As always, I appreciate you! May you have an absolutely lovely day and may you live your life with your priorities in order and fulfilling those things that are important to you!

It's a Wrap!

2009-07-16T06:30:00.000-07:00

Wire wrap that is! Last night my BFF Saundra and I took a wire wrap jewelry making class. This is our 2nd jewelry making class -- the first was a beginning class taken last fall -- you know the kind, "this is a bead, this is a pair of needle nose pliers," etc. Even though it was a beginner class, we learned enough in one night to complete a necklace, bracelet, and pair of earrings -- and we left feeling comfortable enough with our "skills" that I made earrings for my friends for Christmas 2008.

I love to learn new things and last night's wire wrap class was quite fun. The class was held at BEADS OF SHARON, an unassuming beadshop in San Luis Obispo. The shop is located in an industrial park, so unless you know it's there, you have probably driven by and missed the wonderful inventory, classes, and assistance that Sharon offers. (Also, Sharon is gracious enough to offer my greeting cards, magnets, and miniature original paintings.)

Sharon started the evening by asking us to pick out 10 beads, plus some findings. We selected our beads and findings and she immediately started us on wire wrapping with a copper wire -- evidently copper is a little easier for beginners to use to learn the technique. As we felt comfortable with the process, we abandoned our sample wire and switched to sterling silver wire and set to the task of creating a bracelet and a pair of earrings. In just 3-1/2 hours, Sharon took us from fumbling jewelry maker wanna-bes, to wire wrappers...

The beads in my bracelet are from top left, clockwise: Garnet, Sterling Silver Bead, New Jade, Yellow Turquoise, Glass Pearl, New Jade, a nut, Serpentine, and another Sterling Silver bead. Sharon didn't skimp on the materials she allowed us to use for our first projects, and she made sure each person had a good understanding of the process.

If you ever have the chance, I would recommend visiting the Beads of Sharon shop and/or taking a class. You might even consider a "girls night" out, birthday party or shower there. It is a great opportunity to hang out with a wonderful bunch of ladies, learn something new, and add to your jewelry wardrobe all at the same time!

Morro Bay Collage Update

2009-06-29T06:30:00.000-07:00

You probably thought that I had forgotten about the Morro Bay Collage. Well, I just had several projects that captured my attention, but you'll be happy to know that they are now behind me. I was able to spend some time this weekend working on the Morro Bay Collage.

As I examined the painting, I felt like it was just too blue, so I changed the sky color once again and added some of the colors from the sky to make the painting more cohesive. I'm posting the previous version and the current version so you can compare.

Previous version

Current Version

My goal is to complete this painting this week and get the complimentary Morro Bay Collage cards to those of you who voted for the "light" sky previously.

Oh, I just remembered. I harped on the benefits of painting digitally, but found one "little" problem with the whole thing. As I worked on the painting this weekend I painted, touched up, refined, etc. and then lost all of my work -- you see, I forgot just how important the "SAVE" key is when working digitally. Oh well, lesson learned!

A Blast from the Past

2009-06-25T06:30:00.000-07:00

What were you doing in 1969 -- if you were even born then? Me, I was in the 4th grade and evidently had a school assignment to illustrate a poem. The poem of choice was "Poor Old Lady". If you are unfamiliar with this poem, I have included the words to walk you through the illustrations.

Poor Old Lady
by Anonymous

Poor old lady, she swallowed a fly.
I don't know why she swallowed a fly.
Poor old lady, I think she'll die.

Poor old lady, she swallowed a spider.
It squirmed and wriggled and turned inside her.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.
I don't know why she swallowed a fly.
Poor old lady, I think she'll die.

Poor old lady, she swallowed a bird.
How absurd! She swallowed a bird.
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly,
I don't know why she swallowed a fly.
Poor old lady, I think she'll die.

Poor old lady, she swallowed a cat.
Thank of that! She swallowed a cat.
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird.
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly,
I don't know why she swallowed a fly.
Poor old lady, I think she'll die.

Poor old lady, she swallowed a dog.
She went the whole hog when she swallowed the dog.
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat,
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly,
I don't know why she swallowed a fly.
Poor old lady, I think she'll die.

Poor old lady, she swallowed a cow.
I don't know how she swallowed a cow.
She swallowed the cow to catch the dog,
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat,
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly,
I don't know why she swallowed a fly.
Poor old lady, I think she'll die.

Poor old lady, she swallowed a horse.

She died, of course.

The last time I visited my parents my Mom handed over this 40 year old memory. Thank you Mom, for being so sentimental and for keeping the things that we kids made over the years. I love you and can't wait to see what else you dig out of your hope chest!

A Fathers' Day Surprise

2009-06-23T06:30:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was Fathers' Day. I didn't get to visit with my Dad in person, but did so by phone. I love you, Daddy!

My husband, David, had been wanting to take the "kids" out to the lake, to see if he could start preparing Zoe to surf with him, so we made this our Fathers' Day family event. We went to Lopez Lake and David donned his wetsuit and paddled out quite a ways. Zoe, Kip and I stood at the shore and waited for the call, "Come Zoe!" She ran/swam out to her "daddy" and climbed onto his surfboard. Then I called her from the shore and she swam back to me. We did this several times, so she would see the surfboard as a respite. Doesn't she look content?

The next step is to buy her a doggie life jacket and take her to practice in the surf of the ocean.

Okay, now the surprise.... On the morning of Fathers' Day, I opened up the July/August issue of "Watercolor Artists" Magazine

that I had received in the mail the day before. I sat there reading and realized they had published a "tip" that I had submitted on-line. The tip is actually one that Deb Festa passed on to me, and has become a time and painting saver, so thank you Deb!

When working from a photograph, write down the colors used for the various parts of the painting on the back of the photo. This way you will know exactly what colors you used and you will never have to guess how you accomplished that color mix. Then, keep a completed painting file and include the reference photo with the color notes on the back and a copy of the completed painting.

Anyway, just thought I would share. Have a great day and keep your eyes open for the little surprises that are before you!

Hello Again...Hello.

2009-06-15T06:30:00.000-07:00

Yes, I've let my blog postings lapse a bit. Sadly, I can't really "blame" it on anything. I've been no busier than usual, and I have even been working on a new set of artwork for cards. They are very linear -- drawn with an ink pen and then "colored in" -- some with colored pencils and some on the computer using "digital watercolor."

Does this type image appeal to you? Should I keep going or stop immediately and return to doing something more in line with my "style"?

As always, thanks for your comments, your emails and most of all your support!

Deborah

Creative Challenge #14

2009-06-04T06:30:00.000-07:00

For the last week I’ve been away from my computer, email and painting…well watercolor and digital painting anyway…

My parents went away on vacation and while they were gone, my sister, husband and I did a mini makeover in their home. My husband installed crown molding in their living and dining rooms and we painted the walls taupe, the ceiling off white, and the trim and moldings white. It was a fun project and my parents returned yesterday to find their home not as they left it…. There were a few casualties – I broke their drapery rod, ruined a rug, and broke a blind, but other than that, they were grateful = )

So, I’m back home and thinking that I need to paint…but what? I have so many projects started and I know I need to work on them, but I just received my latest copy of Corel Painter Magazine and there is a challenge posted. There are a number of images and the challenge is to take one or more of the images and make a digital painting. As soon as I saw the images an idea for a painting popped into my head – I’m not sure if it is a good one, but it is an idea nonetheless and now I am working on a challenge painting.

The images I have chosen to incorporate into the painting are:

From the above images, I have created this preliminary image…

and have painted it a bit to develop this painting…so far anyway. What do you think? It is not my “style” at all, but definitely something to stretch me.

Life provides a series of opportunities to learn and grow – I hope I never tire of being willing to try something new.

Mitchell is driving Friday night…

2009-05-21T06:30:00.000-07:00

How could one little statement from a neighbor evoke so many random thoughts?

Mitchell is the younger of the two blond-haired neighbor boys that live down the streeet. My husband and I have always joked that their parents got their names wrong, and instead of “Henry” and “Mitchell”, they should have been named “Dennis” and “Mitchell” – you know, like Dennis Mitchell, aka Dennis the Menace!

These boys are not bad boys, but they do have a lot of energy, love life, and are curious…VERY curious…

Over the years, we have seen their antics played out in so many ways. Please indulge me as I share a few…

Several years ago my husband ran for city council. In his platform he wanted to let people know that he was concerned about preserving neighborhoods – the upkeep, the quaintness, the social aspects, etc. Anyway, he thought it would be good to include some of the neighborhood kids in his brochure. Our friend David Pascolla is a wonderful wedding and portrait photographer and he took some photos of my husband David and the neighborhood kids. When we received the proofs to select the photos to include in the campaign brochure, we realized that Henry and Mitchell had made a different funny face in each of the photos!

Another time, my parents were visiting, so we had moved our truck from the driveway to the street, so my parents could park in the driveway. Anyway, we were all inside visiting when we heard a loud commotion on the street. We all went running outside to find Henry and Mitchell standing next to their wagon that was smashed into the side of our truck. Evidently they had ridden the wagon down the hill and didn’t navigate the turn very well and our truck ended up being their $1800.00 brake!

Yet another time, we saw Mitchell walking down the street with a camera in hand. It was almost as if you could see the creative wheels in his head turning. He would see something that caught his fancy, stop dramatically, position his body to get the perfect photograph, and shoot. As we were observing, our neighbor from across the street came home – evidently she had been out grocery shopping. Anyway, she pulled into her driveway, popped her trunk, leaned in to get a bag of groceries and Mitchell, who just happened to be in front of her house at this point, stopped, turned, lunged into a dramatic photographic stance and snapped a photo… I have no photograph of that occasion, so I illustrated the memory that is etched in my brain.

My husband and I roared with laughter as this little boy took dramatic photo after dramatic photo. We later learned that the camera didn’t have any film in it…in fact it didn’t even work!

And now, Friday night, Mitchell will be driving. I can’t help but think of the wagon smashed into our truck, and I make a mental note to make sure our vehicles are parked in the driveway on Friday night.

What does this posting have to do with art, you might ask? Well, I did design the brochure for my husband’s city council campaign, I also included a link to David Pascolla’s portrait and wedding photography site, and I illustrated the image of Mitchell taking fake photos of our neighbor, but more than anything, I wanted to stress that creativity is expressed in a multitudes of forms. These boys have never failed to live life to the fullest, explore their surroundings, and creatively bring appreciation and laughter to our lives.

Note: I have photos of the boys making funny faces…and standing next to their overturned wagon smashed into the truck, but I couldn’t put my finger on them. As soon as I find them I will add to the post, so keep watch. They are priceless!

Digital Paintings

2009-05-20T06:30:00.000-07:00

I know all seems quiet on the blogging front, but I really have been busy. The Morro Bay Collage is STILL in process, however I want to extend a special thanks to those of you who voted on the light vs. dark sky for the Morro Bay Collage. The light sky won out and Jennifer, Amber, Joel and a fourth person, Robin will all receive a Morro Bay Collage card once the artwork is complete.

I was juried in at a gallery in Morro Bay, to add “digital paintings” as an art medium. Knowing that the Morro Bay Collage still had a long way to go, I painted a couple of fairly quick paintings of some sailboats that I had photographed recently…and a view of Morro Rock, from the Morro Bay Estuary. Both were painted using the methods I detailed previously.

I also did a quick traditional watercolor painting of Morro Rock. I’m learning that at the gallery, you can’t have enough Morro Rock or poppy paintings = )

I hope you are planning on having a memorable Memorial Day weekend…and if you are looking for a place to visit, Morro Bay is always an option!

While I was sweeping...

2009-05-11T06:30:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was Mothers’ Day. My husband and I planned an over night trip down to Southern California, to visit our Moms. This meant leaving our two little angels, Kip and Zoe to be cared for by our friend, Wayne.

After a long week at work, and an artists’ reception at the gallery on Friday night, my house was looking a bit neglected. Knowing that someone would be coming into our home, I thought I had better at least sweep the floors and tidy up a bit. Well, while I was sweeping, I noticed some orange “stuff” on the floor. I couldn’t figure it out, pointed it out to my hubby, and he cleaned it up. Then I noticed some orange “stuff” on the side of Zoe’s paw. I grabbed a doggie wipe and started cleaning it off. I made my way into the family room and found green “stuff” on the carpet. This time I called my hubby over and asked what he thought it could be. Then I noticed that our other dog, Kip had a green paw. I was concerned that someone may have thrown something over the back fence and the dogs had gotten into it. It was too dark outside to go search the grounds, so I waited until the next morning, and before we left for Southern California, I made a search of the grounds – I found nothing!

Well, we set off on our trip and I forgot about the orange and green marks and paws. That is, until Sunday morning when my husband handed me the following…

As soon as I opened the card, I burst out laughing. My "artsy" husband and dogs were at it again, and I am once again reminded that artwork comes in all forms…

I hope you had a very Happy Mothers’ Day! Deborah

Your Opinion Matters

2009-04-30T06:30:00.000-07:00

Work continues on the Morro Bay Collage, but I need your help. I am playing with two sky colors and would like to know which you prefer -- the light sky or the dark sky?

I want you to know that I value your feedback, and the first three people who provide me with their input will receive a FREE Morro Bay Collage card (once the artwork is completed of course.)

As always, thank you for your continued support!

Deborah

How do you eat an elephant?

2009-04-28T06:30:00.000-07:00

One bite at a time...

Well, a few of you have asked how I’m coming along on the Morro Bay Collage. My response is, one dab of paint at a time.

After getting the Gallery at Marina Square up and running, I had some things to catch up on, so painting got pushed to the backburner. Well, I can say that I am now looking forward, instead of behind, and painting is once again in my line of sight. So, I dabbed some digital paint on my digital paper and have an update for you. If you will remember, this is how the collage looked at last posting…

I worked a bit on the woody, the egret reflection, the surfer and the sea otter and here is the latest version…

There is still much to do, but I will continue – one brush stroke at a time. Until my next post, have a great day and remember, “The race is not always to the swift, but to those who keep on running.”

Edible Art

2009-04-27T06:30:00.000-07:00

I just had to post this, because art comes in all forms! Yesterday at church (Shoreline Calvary Chapel in Morro Bay), an announcement was made regarding a cupcake sale to benefit an upcoming China Missions Trip. My husband and I were expecting someone over for lunch, so we thought the cupcakes would make the perfect dessert. When we got out to the cupcake sale table, we saw that the cupcakes were not ordinary in any way –

nope, they truly WERE edible art =)

Gallery at Marina Square

2009-04-24T06:30:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts lately -- I have been working on a new blog for an art gallery in Morro Bay.

There are still a few minor edits to do, but now that the major elements are completed, I will continue working on the Morro Bay Collage and Tribute to Francis.

Stay tuned!

Making Progress (on the Morro Bay Collage)...

2009-04-15T20:30:00.000-07:00

I have now painted the essential elements for the Morro Bay Collage…

- the water/land/sky

- the Egret

- the Surfer
- Morro Rock (& surfboard)
- the Woody

- the stacks
- and the Sea Otter

Each element is painted on a separate layer, so essentially they can be moved around prior to finalizing the painting.

In their current state, each element looks rather cartoony. The next step is to determine the direction of the light and start defining the elements – in other words, add highlights, shadows and detail.

This is where the fun begins! I’m off to paint some more, so I’ll check back with you later!

Todays thought, “Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true.”

The Egret and the Surfer...

2009-04-15T06:30:00.000-07:00

I worked a bit more on the Morro Bay collage painting. I have got a very rough draft of the egret in…

And the surfer…

I decided to get all of the elements in and THEN go back and refine it all.

Keep posted…I’m on a roll!

Morro Bay Collage

2009-04-14T16:30:00.000-07:00

This is to update you on the process of the Morro Bay Collage (see April 6 blog, “Silent No More”). In my head, this collage looks great – in reality, it doesn’t look like much at the moment. I’ve started to lay in the sky, land and water.

Once I’ve refined these a bit more, I will start adding Morro Rock, the Woody, the Power Plant Stacks, the Egret, the Sea Otter and the Surfer. Check back again soon for another update!

Until then, we live our lives one moment at a time...Make the most of every moment!

Deborah

A Tribute to Francis

2009-04-09T06:30:00.000-07:00

I met Francis one year at my friend and mentor, Deb Festa’s Open Studio Art Tour. Francis was out in Deb’s courtyard, greeting everyone and making them feel welcome. I didn’t know Francis well, but I know that he was a warm, generous man with a huge heart. Over time, I got to know him better, as Deb would share with me about her Dad. Francis was a very creative man – he was a photographer, writer, gardener, and he loved making and improving upon things.

Francis is on my heart today, because he is no longer with us on this earth, but his memory lives on today in a single flower – an iris. Francis evidently had a love for irises, because he had a huge iris garden. After his death, his daughter Deb, dug up some of the irises from his home, and brought them to her home to plant. Deb in her typical generous way, shared some of the irises with my husband and I, and we planted a special Iris garden in the front of our home. The first iris just bloomed, and it is a beauty. It’s funny how a simple flower can spark so much thought and emotion. I’m thankful for my friend Deb, for her open arms and open heart. She drew me in and captured my heart. I’m thankful for Deb’s family – they truly are an amazing family, and I’m thankful for Deb’s Dad, Francis. I think of him and I feel lifted up. He lived fully, encouraged much and was so very warm and kind.

I will be painting this iris as a tribute to Francis. As I proceed with the painting, I will post it so you can see it.

For today, I encourage you to express your heart of gratitude to our great God who gives us life…and love.

Deborah

Silent no more...

2009-04-06T06:30:00.000-07:00

I’ve been silent too long! I ended up getting that flu/cold that is going around. It is now week 3 and I’m still battling a fuzzy head…oh yeah, and I still have to complete our taxes...definitely not a great combination!

With numbers dancing in my fuzzy head, I’ve forced myself to think of something pleasant…like making art! I haven’t painted in quite some time now, but I think I would like to take on a digital painting project – it has been awhile since I’ve painted a digital painting and thought it would be the perfect medium for creating a Morro Bay collage painting.

Here is my preliminary drawing…

For those of you who are unfamiliar with digital paintings, I’d like to share the process for making a digital painting.

First, I work with a software paint program called Corel Painter (version 11).

Wikipedia’s defines Corel painter as “a raster-based digital art application created to simulate as accurately as possible the appearance and behavior of traditional media associated with drawing, painting, and printmaking. It is intended to be used in real-time by professional digital artists as a functional creative tool.”

Translation…Corel Painter is a paint program that allows me to paint directly into the computer. I start with a photo reference and my line drawing and paint a painting, just as I would if I were using watercolor paper, brushes and paint. The program offers greater diversity though and I can paint in watercolor, oil, acrylic, pastel, colored pencil, or a number of different mediums. It also offers a number of brushes specific to each medium. There is a palette that allows me to select my colors and paint and mix them directly on the computer screen, or I can mix them prior to application – again, just like if I were painting with paper, brush and paints.

There are three things I absolutely love of about creating digital paintings:
1. I don’t have to wait for the paint to dry between layers.
2. There is an “undo” key, so if I do change my mind (or make a mistake), I can press the undo key and no harm no foul.
3. I can save the painting at different iterations. This allows me to be more experimental with my painting process, and I can try different backgrounds, color schemes, etc.

I could never pull off painting digitally using a mouse – why that would be like trying to paint with a bar of soap! Instead, I use a Wacom Intuoso 3 tablet.

The tablet comes with both a mouse and a stylus, and I use the stylus to draw and paint directly into the computer, via the tablet. The stylus and tablet are sensitive to hand pressure, stroke speed, etc., and it really does mimic the painting experience.

Once the painting is complete, I print out the finished artwork on an Epson R2400 printer. I print onto watercolor paper and the paper and ink are archival quality, with time studies stating that with proper care, the artwork is expected to last 100+ years.

Another advantage to digital painting is that you do have the option of printing additional copies of the finished work, with each “copy” being an exact color and quality replica of the “original.”

I learned how to paint digitally a few years ago, when I took an extended workshop from Fay Sirkis. Fay is a New York artist and she is one of Corel’s Master Painters. She is a wonderful lady and I found her to be very generous and encouraging. Her work is beautiful and I encourage you to check out her website: http://www.faysartstudio.com/.

Well, April 15th is coming soon, so my first priority is getting our taxes done…then it’s on to painting. I’ll post images as I work on the Morro Bay collage painting.

Bye for now…Deborah

Inspiration...

2009-03-23T14:32:00.000-07:00

I believe that each family has one person, who keeps the family together. In my family, next to my Mom and Dad, that person is my sister Marta. Marta is the eldest of 5 children, and she definitely possesses the characteristics of a first-born child. She is very smart, has a great sense of humor, and I believe she can accomplish anything she sets her mind to. She is also very creative -- she is a great singer, interior designer, crafts person, gardener...and even shopper! (She finds great bargains!)

In addition, my sister keeps us all in the loop, organize events, and encourages us to succeed. She is quick to offer assistance whenever needed, and I love and appreciate her so.

Today is my sisters 55th Birthday. I just wanted to take this opportunity to wish Marta a very Happy Birthday, and to thank her for being the person that she is. Marta, you are a lovely woman and I am proud to call you my sister. You are always so encouraging and you inspire me to keep moving forward. Thank you, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Deborah

Genius or idiocy?

2009-03-17T06:30:00.000-07:00

It is 2 AM and I can’t sleep, so I thought I would get in a little painting time. I started these clay board paintings a couple of weeks ago, but haven’t had an opportunity to work on them…until now. I don’t know if it is a good idea to work on a painting at 2AM. I’m awake, but a little groggy…. Oh well, I have to remember, this is all experimentation anyway!

I made what looks like a dark hole on this one, so I will either lighten up the space between the first two flowers, or darken the bottoms of all the flowers and the edges of the pitcher. I'll post the revised version as soon as I've had another painting session...hopefully NOT at 2 AM = )

Keeping in practice...

2009-03-16T06:30:00.000-07:00

I used to play the flute. I say, “used to” because it has been quite some time since I even attempted to play, and without practice, I have forgotten some of the fingerings and my breath control is certainly not what it was.

I don’t want this to happen to my art, so although I haven’t had a chance to paint lately, I am trying to keep in practice by drawing a little something every day. A fellow artist gave me the idea, when he showed me his miniature journal. He is very organized about the process and draws something specific every day. For example, one day he paints “mammals,” another day he paints “reptiles,” another day “flowers”, another day, “sea life” etc. He prepares for the next day’s drawing session, by looking at reference materials the night before, and when he awakens in the morning, draws a somewhat abstract, warm up drawing of whatever his subject is for the day, then he draws a second drawing with more detail. Both drawings are small, about 3” x 3”.

I’ve not gotten so organized yet, but like I said, I have at least picked up a pen and paper and drawn…part of a plant, the ceiling fan, a corner of a table, a doorway...

My drawings are not detailed, but at least they are keeping me in practice until I can paint again….

If You Always Do What You've Always Done...

2009-03-02T17:30:00.000-08:00

You’ll always get what you always got.

I guess I should call this “my experimental phase.” I have always used Arches 100% cotton rag watercolor paper -- 140# cold-pressed in the early days, and 140# hot-pressed and 300# cold-pressed more recently.

About two years ago I heard about clayboard, a clay-coated hardboard panel that is comparable to cold-pressed watercolor paper, but allows color to be lifted back to white easily, while also leaving the richest, most vibrant color possible. The truly amazing thing about clayboard is that finished watercolors can be sealed with a Fixative and displayed without glass!

Okay, so not only did I “hear” about clayboard, I actually bought 4, 4-inch squares to try out. Well, those squares have been sitting in one of my "supply" drawers…until Saturday. When I took a break from my “collage” painting, I was in the mood to paint and found those little squares of clayboard. I grabbed them from the drawer, drew a quick pencil sketch directly onto the board, and started painting. I couldn’t believe my eyes! The surface is very much like painting on cold-pressed paper, BUT there is much more freedom, for people like me who like to work tight and detailed.

The clayboard surface allows you to paint in layers, but the colors are much more vibrant, and I’m sure I used less paint! And the true beauty is that if you make a mistake, I mean, if you change your mind = ), it is easy to lift off and re-work an area.

One painting

Led to another….

There is still work to be done on both, so I will be fine-tuning and re-posting them so you can see the finished product.

Have a good day and try something new!

Out of my comfort zone!

2009-03-02T06:30:00.000-08:00

I’ve painted long enough to know that I prefer using Schminke’s Phthalo Blue over Winsor Newton’s French Ultramarine or Cobalt Blue, so I don't know what possessed me to start a painting with French Ultramarine Blue! Well, I am definitely now, out of my comfort zone!

Let me back up a bit. First, I am learning that to be an artist in a Morro Bay gallery, I need to be sensitive to the fact that many of the people who visit the gallery are tourists, and they want to take home a reminder of their visit to Morro Bay, or California. Armed with that information, I thought I should paint something Morro Bayish. I’ve enjoyed seeing the brown pelicans enjoying life in the Bay, and so I thought I would paint a pelican on a pier piling, with Morro Rock in the background.

I sketched out the drawing, transferred it to my watercolor paper and thought, hmm, it has been a long time since you’ve painted a sky using French Ultramarine Blue. So I did. I painted a rather dark sky, waited until the sheen was gone from my paper, then grabbed a paper towel, wadded it up and tried to lift out clouds. That is when I remembered that French Ultramarine Blue is a staining color and there would be no clouds in this sky. Well, once I realized what I had done, I had a dark sky, in a color that I don’t love, and the rest of the painting before me.

I tried to ignore the sky and focus on the rest of the painting, but the big, dark, blue sky was like a Grace Jones face on a Grace Slick body (see previous post) and I just kept thinking, “well here is one for the trash can.”

If you know me you know that I am not a quitter, and so I thought,“what else can I do with this

painting?” And so I grabbed the scissors and cut the painting in two, and this was the start of a new experiment – a collage!

I haven’t worked out the details of the college yet – I don’t know if I will simply attach another piece of watercolor paper to the back of the pelican/Morro Rock piece and paint in another sky, or if I’ll get crazy with it, but I will keep you informed of the progress. (Don't worry, I'll work on the water too!)

If you have any ideas for finishing the piece, please contact me.

Oh well, I guess I had better get back to the laboratory…I mean studio!

Excuse me, but what's up with your face?

2009-02-24T12:10:00.000-08:00

Last weekend my husband and I drove down to Southern California to visit our families. We spent Saturday night at my parent’s house, which meant I needed to pack an overnight bag. The next morning I got up, got myself together, put on my make-up and we went to church, where my sister introduced me to her friends, etc. After church we went back to my parent's house to say our good-byes. We jumped in the car and headed home. When we got home we played with the dogs, grabbed a light dinner, watched a little TV and went to bed. The next morning I got up, went through the whole morning routine again. Throughout the day I went to work, to the grocery store, and to Starbucks. I talked with numerous people, went home, talked with a friend on the phone, made dinner, took care of some things around the house, went into the bathroom to wash my face, looked in the mirror...looked in the mirror AGAIN and thought what the heck? My face color was very strange indeed. It was then that I realized I must have packed the wrong make-up foundation, and for two days walked around looking like Grace Jones in the face and Grace Slick in the body. You see, I have two make-up shades that I use – medium beige in winter and tan in the summer. Well my face is definitely winter beige right now, so the summer tan is not even close to being the right shade for the season.

I am the kind of person who will tell you if you have lipstick on your teeth, your skirt tucked into your pantyhose, broccoli stuck between your teeth, or mascara on your forehead, etc. And so, I give you permission – if you EVER see me with a brown face and a beige body, please say something (to me = ) about it.

As you can see, today’s blog has nothing to do with art. So let’s lighten things up a bit and you tell me about one of your most embarrassing moments.

Remember, laugh often and don’t take yourself too seriously!

Deborah

The HAPPY Card...

2009-02-23T06:50:00.000-08:00

First, let me say thank you to everyone who voted with your design preference for the Happy Card. The card is now finished and a blank Happy card will be distributed as a special thank you, to those who provided their input prior to the completion of the card.

The second design was the favorite, and the finished card is shown below.

Each card will include the following abbreviated story about how the card came into being –

A special thank you to our friends David and Melba! David and I love you and the girls. Our lives are certainly much richer because of you!

Have a Happy day!

Happy What?

2009-02-20T06:15:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, February 19, 2009, my husband and I received a Christmas card from our friends, David & Melba. The letter enclosed wished us a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Valentine’s Day, Happy St. Paddy’s Day, and then went on and filled us in on the current events. As I read the card and letter I was so happy to receive it and learn what is going on in the lives of my friends. When I finished I just had to say, yeah David & Melba for sending it out…in spite of the fact that it is now the middle of February.

I’m serious. I cannot tell you how many times I have purchased or made cards with the good intentions of sending them out. I’ll even fill them out, but, for some reason, I won’t have stamps, or I don’t make it to the post office, etc. and before you know it, the holiday or occasion has come and gone and I’m too embarrassed to send out my cards.

Well, thanks to yesterday’s out-of-the-blue Christmas card, I hit on an idea. Why not make a somewhat humorous all-occasion card. And so, last night I started drafting my ideas. I came up with two designs – the first is a combination of holidays and occasions rolled into one picture, and the second is a series of holiday and special occasion illustrations. For each of the designs, you wish the person a “Happy…” and then check the appropriate box or boxes.

Design 1

Design 2

The card is still in the design stage, and will be watercolored once the design is finalized. In the meantime, I would love to know what you think of the idea, which design you prefer, and any suggestions that you might have for bringing this all-occasion card idea to completion. You can share your comments by posting a comment or emailing me. I look forward to hearing your comments and will post more photos as the card is “refined”.

Have a happy….

All Systems Go...

2009-02-09T06:30:00.000-08:00

Thank you for your patience while I worked out my computer problem. My computer is back and fully functional -- thanks to the help of the computer wiz at my day job – Thank you, Kane!

Probably the most significant thing that has happened in the past several weeks, artistically speaking, is that I was asked to be part of the Gallery at Marina Square in Morro Bay, California. The Gallery represents approximately 25 artists from the local area. The artists themselves work one or two days a month at the gallery, so when you visit, you are talking with an artist.

My gallery orientation/work-day was Saturday, February 7th. I was paired up with Gregory, a wonderful abstract painter with the patience of Job. Thanks Gregory for the painless training day!

Since it is February, I created some Valentine’s Day cards and some Girly Girl shoe and purse themed art. Each Girly Girl shoe and purse combo is an original watercolor, framed in a cute little purse frame.

I have a number of the Girly Girl originals and Valentine’s Day cards at the Gallery at Marina Square, at the Beads of Sharon Bead Shop in San Luis Obispo, and available direct. Simply contact me at djPortraitArtist@aol.com for more details.

Remember, treasure today for the gift that it is!

Crash and burn!

2009-02-06T06:59:00.000-08:00

Please forgive my lack of posts... My computer hard drive crashed and I am working on getting it fixed. As soon as I'm back on-line I will post again. It shouldn't be long now!

The Teal Dress

2009-01-19T06:30:00.000-08:00

My Grandmother had many talents – sewing was one of them. In the mid 1950’s my grandmother made my mother a teal, velvet dress. The dress had a scalloped neckline, cap sleeves, a narrow 50’s waist and a full skirt. I remember seeing photos of my Mom wearing the dress and I always loved it.

In keeping with my desire to paint portraits of “favorite things,” I decided to paint the teal dress. My Grandma died last year and never saw the painting, but she will always hold a special place in my heart. Thank you Nana, for all the wonderful memories!

The teal dress led to a ...

The dresses are available individually as fine art prints and cards. Contact me for more information.

Why a Chicken?

2009-01-16T06:30:00.000-08:00

Are you wondering why I have a chicken portrait on my blog header? Well, when my husband and I moved into our home 18 years ago, our neighbors gave us two baby chicks as a housewarming gift. Growing up in the city, I had no idea that chickens were for anything other than eating, but these chickens became pets and we loved them dearly.

The first two chickens were named Margaret and Alberta, after my husband’s two spinster aunts. They were wonderful, but eventually chicken heaven called Margaret and we were left with Alberta. We couldn’t have just one chicken, so we got another baby chick and named her Hope. When it was evident that Alberta wasn’t long for this world we got a baby chick and named her Faith. So, there we were with Faith, Hope and Alberta. It turned out that Faith was a sitter and would sit for days on end on her eggs in her nest. Problem was we didn’t have a rooster, so she sat in vain. We decided to “help” the situation out a bit and replace two of her eggs with fertilized eggs. Unfortunately we couldn’t find any so we did the next best thing. We purchased two baby bard rock chicks. That’s when the fun began…

That night, my husband and I went out to the chicken house, removed a couple of Faith’s eggs and replaced them with the baby chicks. Faith slept through the whole thing. The next morning I ran out to the chicken house and waited for Faith to realize that she had two babies. Before long, she felt movement and as only a chicken can do, bawked a welcome to her new babies.

Faith was a great Mom and she and her chicks hold a special place in our hearts.

…and that is the story of the chicken portrait.

Pet Portraits

2009-01-14T06:30:00.000-08:00

Since we are talking pet portraits, I thought I would share a recent commission...

Bob totally surprised his wife by commissioning a memorial portriat of their beloved Shammy. Bob was so excited about giving this gift to his wife, and I was thrilled to be involved in this special project. Bob had the protrait framed and presented the gift to his wife for Christmas. She contacted me after Christmas and her comments follow:

Dear Deborah I just wanted to tell you how much I loved the beautiful painting you painted of my Shammy. You captured his essence, and I feel closer to him each time I look at it. Thank you for all the hard work you put into the painting - I absolutely love it, and it means the world to me! When I received
it from Bob, there were many, many tears, but they were good tears. Thanks again, Margaret

It doesn't get much better than that! I just love painting portraits!

Let's start at the very beginning...

2009-01-13T16:30:00.000-08:00

Since this is my first post, I thought I'd give you a little background. I went through my childhood and early adult years thinking I was artistically challenged. I worked in a job where I had to give presentations, and when it came time to “illustrate” my point, people would always laugh at my attempts to draw on the board. Thankfully I learned about a class called “Drawing for the No Talent Artist” that was being offered at the local Adult School. I signed up for the class and learned to see as an artist. The instructor was wonderful and everyone in the class did really well. That class opened up a door and I have been learning ever since!

I enjoy painting portraits of people, pets, places and favorite things, and have done a number of commissions. Unfortunately, as I began painting commissions, I didn’t realize the importance of keeping photos, so many of my early works exist only in the form of the finished painting.

In 2007 I decided it was time to get serious about my art and I set the goal of getting into a gallery before I turned 50. Well, I met my goal and actually was accepted into two galleries and participated in an art show before that blessed event! In 2008 I participated in “Art in the Park” and “Open Studio” art shows, and learned just how much time and dedication it takes to put your self out there.

My goal in 2009 is to focus once again on portraits. They are what I truly love and I welcome the opportunity to touch people’s hearts and lives with a portrait.

My art blog will be dedicated to my journey as an artist. I will include portraits and paintings…process and thoughts.
I hope you will join me in this journey and check back often!