Halloween Pumpkin Carving 2010 The Green Man

Having encountered Pumpkin Carving this year - not just a 2D face or scene, but actual 3D sculpture, I decided to take a swing at it! And being ambitious, I chose a Green Man for my subject. Now, the trick is to pick a pumpkin with a thick rind so that you have something to work with...note, this will not work with one of the carvable fake pumpkins. They're not thick enough.

I didn't have the right tools, and the online tutorials were all very helpful, but made one feel very incompetent, given the level of art they were showing! In fact, I have never done any 3D carving or sculpting like this before in my life. So...this is a big step. Here is how it went....

The Pumpkin - you figure out which has the thickest rind by weight - line up a bunch of pumpkins roughly the same size and test the weight - the heaviest one is the one that's the thickest.

Skinned off the outside peel...really needed better tools for this, but I made it work.

Roughed in a face, carving in the deepest parts first, as per tutorials.

Ok...looking pretty good....

Had to try a candle at this point...hmmmnnn. Not too bad!

My favorite picture of the lot - even though it's not finished here...

There's even an acorn!

Loved doing this, had a wonderful learning experience and look forward to doing more and better next Halloween! And intend to practice this summer on watermelon! WaterJacks!

Have a Happy Halloween and a Blessed Samhain!

The Human Figure...

As an artist, my favorite thing to draw or paint is the human figure...right at the moment, I am attempting to get back to just drawing the human form, for no reason other than to be doing so. One of the traps that is easy to fall into when you make your living - such that is is - from art, is that if you are working on something that has nothing to do with sales, you have the uncomfortable feeling that you might be wasting time. However...that is not an accurate measure of ones life as an artist (or singer or writer, or fill in the blank.)

When we put our worth solely in monetary terms we create a trap indeed...we are artists in all forms because we DO...we paint, draw, do computer graphics, sing, play an instrument, write, act, sculpt, throw pottery, make jewelry - and this ACTION is what defines us...not the dollar signs. The passion of our desire to create that which lies within our souls. The act of creation is also what heals us, too.

So, yes, I am working on ideas and work for a show...and it would be nice to see some sales and money - they don't call us starving artists for nothing! However, I am also making space to just do. To just be. To get back to one of my first loves which is drawing and maybe in a bit, painting, the human form. So I will occasionally post here where my wandering brush and pencil are taking me. And you will see me do male figures for a bit...and then switch to female...and if I can, I want to do some that show the dichotomy of being transgender eventually. So this is what I am up to...the pieces here are all mine, oil paint and pencil drawings. Some from life, and some from photographs.

Anybody who wants to comment.

critique or express their thoughts - have at it!

Feed back is always good!

Senior Exhibit Triumph part 1

Celtic Fire NFS from the collection of Cynthia Penn

Walking the Labyrinth
A Painter’s Journey in Acrylic and Oil
Artist's statement

As a mural painter, a narrative painter and an art therapy major, painting is my most invested form of self expression. Comunicating three dimensionally though a medium that is flat is an endless creative challenge; whether it is to portray an object, convey an idea, or express an emotion. Painting is about light and shadow, color and form, but then becomes more than – and is about the vision poured into it.
This act of creation in every painting also becomes a healing process, a form of self care and therapy – cura anima – the care of the soul. This is what gives art therapy its power to aid the human heart.
In this show are images, shapes, forms and feelings that come from my heart and from my painting and from my healing. The paintings seek to interact with the visitor and in doing so, become greater than the sum of their parts. May each person find in these paintings personal meaning as they walk through the gallery, and may they be blessed.

Labyrinth Acrylic on canvas $1200.00

Celtic Knotwork Acrylic on canvas $1000.00
Sold




Candles Acrylic on canvas $300.00





Detail of Candles


Detail of Candles





Detail of Candles





Detail of Candles



Intimitation of Light Acrylic on Canvas $900.00



Detail of Intimatation of Light



Detail of Intimitation of Light











Detail of Intimitation of Light








Dream of the Wood Oil on Canvas $800.00






Figure studies in oil

Figure study one Oil on canvas $75.00

Figure study Two Oil on Canvas $75.00

Figure Study Three Oil on Canvas $75.00

Part two of my posts about my Senior exhibit are pictures of the actual Exhibit reception - which are on the cameras of numerous friends and relatives! As soon as I round up all the pictures from everyone, I will post and tell about that event - it was WONDERFUL!!!

I am very grateful to many, many people for exhaustive help - Dreamweaver, Light and friends who gave way too much of their time to help me hang the show, my teachers - Teresa Prater and Glenn Miller, among others - who nurtured my painting, Resa and JoAnn and the crew they brought in to cater the exhibit - the catering made it a smashing success! And Jennifer, the student worker who helped me take it down. There are more people to thank, and I will include them in the next post.

More to come once I get my hands on the rest of the pictures!

Senior Show going up....Still Alot to Do!

The Light at the End of the Tunnel IS an oncoming Train...

I mentioned I was in my last semester and scrambling - Senior Exhibit is two weeks away, and counting down...a little behind, but catching up admirably, until a rumor passed to me today that we are "required" to have 20 pcs in the show....first I've heard of that! I got some great stuff, but not 20 pcs! I am sternly resisting the urge to panic, and will confirm this rumor when I get to school Monday (can't catch anyone right now - Spring Break). If the rumor is not true, all is well. If it is, then we panic - although I am already stepping up the painting production just in case!!!






This is the latest painting I have just finished - it is a "self portrait", 48 x 36, titled "Dream of the Wood."

This is my latest canvass all set to go, below...

All wishes, hopes and prayers are welcome!

(Not to mention time machines!)

What We Have Been Up To, Lately...

This post has been awhile coming, and is being written in honor of my fabulously creative wife, Dreamweaver, who has been making and selling jewelry for the past weeks at the local flea market.

Here is a shot of our table display from a few weeks back. Note, the display keeps changing as we tweak and fine tune it, so it doesn't look like this every week.

As you can see, she has done an enormous amount of work at her art, creating wonderful necklaces and wearable art for sale to aid our desperate finances. I might point out also, that she loves this process and is happy while doing it - it feeds her soul!

Her designs are infinitely varied, complex and strikingly beautiful and I am incredibly proud of her accomplishments! This picture gives some idea, but it does not remotely do her work justice.

Neither does the flea market venue. It's been a trial and error process, but mostly a trial, since the flea market audience is not really the right target market for her work.

We have worked out several changes in the display and will be changing a few more things - wooden display stands covered in black cloth, rather than the black cardboard stand for instance. Not only will these look more professional, the wind gusting through the stalls will not be taking the display airborne any more! Yeesh! We are also getting some spot lamps to light the display - this will help, because when we put up our back tarp to cut the aforementioned wind on a bad weather day, the jewelry will remain well lit...another good selling point. Also in our favor, we are moving closer and closer to Christmas, and sales are picking up slowly and gathering steam as people become more and more serious about buying gifts!

The latest exciting development has been that Dreamweaver has been making her own beads out of polymer clay. In this picture, the glass focal points are those she ordered on line to create the necklaces around...however, the Beads next to the focal points are ones that she MADE by hand to suit the various designs. IMPRESSIVE!!! Once again, pictures are not doing justice to the beauty she has created here.

The beads have multiple layers and colors of clay worked together, they are rolled and shaped by hand and some tools, and coated with a clear polymer coating to seal them. It is a painstaking process, but well worth it - she sold out the necklaces that had her beads on them this past weekend, proving the value of her work in a very tough critical market. Eventually, she will be making the focal points too, and that's when I think her already talented creativity will truly begin to soar!

She creates while we are vending, laying out beautiful complex designs, which some people are fascinated by, as they watch the process. Kids in particular are drawn to her side, as they seem to retain an innocent joy in watching her create her art.

And me - well...I help out in the booth, and haul beads, boxes and supplies - and friends, beads in these quantities are HEAVY!!!. I provide bathroom breaks and pick up food. I give input on color and design, and am starting on learning the polymer clay processes so I can get in on the creative side of things. And I try to be loving encouragement when sales are down and a supportive presence when the weather is bad. I do my best to be a part of her growing dream, so that it is our dream. I am excited by it! And I think that I, too, will create some wonderful things as I learn more and more about how to do all this.

But make no mistake - It has been Dreamweaver's vision and boldness and talent that has brought this to life and given it power. She is amazing and I am very proud of her. She is talented and has truly found her art. I sit and watch her graceful hands as they create and mold and shape her mental visions into a gorgeous reality. I am honored beyond all words to be a part of this and to know that it is my wife who has created such wonderful things!

One Move Equals two Fires...part One

I am ashamed to say that this was the sad state of affairs of my art studio for quite a while. In it's defense, there was about 3 moves that occurred over time that caused this disaster. Not to mention a long period as it was building up when there was little I could do about it...I was struggling to barely walk with a cane with degenerative arthritis. But awhile back I finally got hip replacement surgery, and it was an enormous success.

Which of course meant that putting off dealing with the disaster lurking behind my studio door was suddenly NOT an option any more. It became something that MUST BE DONE. In the mean time, when I had moved over here some years back - boxes were shoved around. Dreamweaver finally was able to go and rescue stuff in storage from where she lived before - in another state! More - many more - boxes. My ex-husband but still friend over all these years passed away last fall, and we had the final duty of disposing of HIS stuff. More boxes. ( some of all of which went into a storage building on our property, which helped and we had Fiber Geek and GAFilk Friend to help us there with his stuff - and that is the story of part two of this post series! I always seem to be posting events backwards - perhaps that is because that is how life is perceived in memory...) About 3 weeks ago, or there-abouts, my dear friend Light out of the goodness of her heart let us sucker her into helping us finally, for once and for all, dig this out.

She came over on a Thursday night and we began organizing what to do. Friday morning dawned and she and I began moving boxes. First, we pulled everything OUT of the storage building and cleared it, to reorganize. Then we began pulling stuff out of the studio. Now...understand, most of what Dreamweaver and I have in boxes are books...paper back and hard back books. Between us we probably have about 4000 books. (yes, that is 3 zeroes and no, that is not a typo, as Light can now attest.) At first she was excited..."Oh cool! Books" By late Saturday, her joy as a bookworm had degenerated to "Um. Books. Yeah..." The bins with the books are, I might add, heavy. Some heavier than others. Eventually, the studio finally looked like this...some sweeping still to be done, but...we were getting there.By Monday, Lights reaction to me opening a bin and saying "Oh, surprise, books!" went something like this - "&%$@#!!" I now suspect along with paying her way to the GAFilk convention this coming winter - which is how we suckered her into doing this - I now probably owe her several, if not more therapy sessions to deal with her new found condition of Bibliophobia! Late Monday evening she went home. Exhausted, whupped and tongue dragging the ground. I would be more inordinately proud of my 47 year old self wearing out a 20 year old, except that the next day, Tuesday, I made it out of the bed as far as the computer chair in the living room, and then crawled back to bed. That was my excursion for the day! Yeeps.

I am still organizing, finding ways to shift things and arrange things. It's still a little messy, and a work in progress. However - I am painting! Instead of it being a massive jumble of stuff that stops you at the door, it is now a working artists studio, and functional...Most of my work is murals at sites else where. But it is absolutely imperative that I also function in my studio too, to produce work for sale. So, now The Barefoot Arts Studio is up and running...

I am working on a series of "cute animal" pictures based on the illustrative style I have used on the children's wing of a church school. I have been assured they should sell like the proverbial hotcakes. Feed back has been very positive from both the church, which is letting me sell the paintings there without charging a commission (!!!) and from friends and family who have seen the paintings in progress. This is the Panda bear painting - currently am working on Koala bears ( if you look close in the picture above, you can see the Koala bear painting on the easel).
Light, I want to thank you profoundly with all my heart for your cheerful willingness to work your ass off on this project - even though you seem to be very pleased with our offer to pay your way as a fair trade, I say to you, that you are owed so much more than that for your hard work, your unrelenting cheerfulness and your sense of humor which even the weight of 4ooo books could not dim. With Dreamweavers insane work and school schedule, and my own crazy hours and the limitation of some arthritis still, we could NOT have done this with out you, period. So thanks, with all our hearts for your heroic efforts above and beyond the call of duty or even friendship! We are looking forward to GAFilk with you next January! And I am sure we will all remember with fondness (or maybe not) the work we put into this to get there! We love you and never ever doubt it...we owe you, woman!