Getting back in gear

Sometimes following a show I have a hard time getting back in the normal swing of things. I spend weeks getting everything ready and organized, do the event, and then crash at the end of it. I took part of last week off following Art in the Park the previous weekend. This week has gotten off to a slow, creaking start, but the gears are once again moving. Most of the art from the show is still in boxes or leaning up against the wall, but I have gotten a few things back in place.

Here's another look at that piece in progress that I posted a few weeks ago. I am still loving it, which is good. I am not sure yet what the background should look like. I am leaning towards doing a scene around her, as if she is strolling through town. I think I might do it in muted colors, though, so that the dress doesn't get lost in it.

Any Greenville folks planning to be at the VIP party for Fashion on the Town tomorrow night at The Lazy Goat? I will be at the event painting live. Come see me!

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Fun and Flirty (and 800)

8 1/2"x 11"

Watercolor and ink on cardstock

I found a photo of this dress in a book recently, and fell in love with it. It is from the 1920's, and seems to have an elegance, combined with the fun loving flapper attitude. I imagine this little gal is going to a fancy party that will dissolve into a bit of mischief as the evening wears on.

Oh, and yesterday's post was my 800th. That seemed worth noting.

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Walking Away

8 1/2"x 11"

Watercolor and ink on cardstock

I don't know why anyone decided that a big pouffy extension to a woman's backside would be attractive, but it sure does make for a dramatic exit, doesn't it?

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Already in love

I love this piece already, and it is only a sketch on a canvas. I decided I wanted to do a larger oil paint version of yesterday's walking dress, so I quickly sketched this gal on a 16"x 20" canvas. It makes me nervous, though, when I like paintings this early on in the process. Usually, as long as I am fairly happy with the sketch, I will start the painting, changing things as I go along until I love it. But, when I love a piece from the very beginning, as much as I love this one, I get hesitant to paint over the sketch.

Well, here's to bravely going forward, even if I might mess things up in the process.

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A Dress just for Walking

8 1/2"x 11"

Ink and Watercolor on cardstock

It's too bad we don't have things like walking dresses any more. We just have "jogging clothes" which are not nearly as glamorous. Imagine having a dress specifically for walking around town, perhaps doing some shopping, and calling on your neighbors. I imagine the motion of this skirt around your legs as you strolled through the streets was beautiful.

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Making paint

My great-grandmother used to paint china. She spent most of her last years painting and taking care of my great-grandfather. It is a huge understatement to say that she painted a lot of china. Any of my relatives on that side of the family who may be reading this are probably looking around the room at their own tea sets, lamps, serving pieces, full 12 piece place settings, jewelry boxes, and other pieces, all hand painted by Nana, and are nodding in agreement that, yes, there are a lot of pieces.

I have had Nana's box of powder pigments for years, but never thought of doing anything with them until recently. Today I pulled out the linseed oil and pallet knives and have been playing with mixing the pigments into paints. Here are a few pics from my first mixing experiment, plus a little 2.5" x 3.5" paper doll dress I painted from the results.

Any of you have any experience mixing paints from pigments? Tips or tricks?

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Behind a Mask

6"x 6"

Oil and Acrylic on wood

$85

This is another piece in what I am calling my Masquerade series. I love the black and white dresses, and the mask adds even more to the anonymity. You don't see the girl at all. All you see is her dress and her mask. She could be anyone at all.

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At the Ball

6"x 6"

Oil and Acrylic on wood

$85

I finished reading a book last night (The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. If you haven't read it, you really should!), and my head was filled with images of beautiful flowing ball gowns with huge rustling skirts. I make my paper dolls for a lot of reasons, which I have talked about on occasion, but a big reason I make them is because I love pretty dresses. 

Sometimes I like to escape from my everyday life of work, blogging, teaching, paying bills, jeans and t-shirts, and running errands, and jump instead head first into a world of gorgeous gowns and the unexpected. The girl wearing this dress is not concerned about whether she will have enough time to go to the gas station before class, or about finding the right health insurance. Much more mysterious and beautiful things will happen to her in this dress. (Although, she is probably concerned with not fainting because her corset is too tight, and not knocking down anything with her bustle, but besides that, her life is magical.)

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Queen for a day

This one is just a quick paper doll sketch. I am trying to work out a little more illustrated, storybook style for some of the paper dolls. Many of the pieces I have been doing are very classic, traditional looking paper dolls. Now I want to make them a little different, perhaps a little more odd rather than just pretty.

8 1/2"x 11"

Watercolor and ink on cardstock

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Bonnie's Big Night Out

Bonnie just had an hour before Robert was coming to pick her up for the party. She had to pick out just  the right outfit, because Margaret had spent the week bragging about her new dress AND her new boyfriend. Just wait until Margaret got a look at Bonnie in this purple number as Robert swung her around the dance floor. This would be a night to remember.

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Aloha!

11"x 14"

Watercolor on paper

$100

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Poised and Elegant

11"x 14"

Watercolor on paper

$100

I don't know who invented high heels, but all women owe him a lot.
Marilyn Monroe


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