Laurelines

I take it back...

I said last week you could bop me if I had not posted a certain 'newly completed' painting by the end of this week. Well, I haven't and you can't, because.....  it's NOT NEWLY COMPLETED! It's not oldly completed. It's not... completed at all.  It's not that I haven't worked on it because I HAVE. Do NOT ask me why it's taking so long--- because how should I know???  

However, it's getting there---- in its own bleepin' good time. And to make matters so much easier (ha!), I decided to restart work on ANOTHER unfinished painting that had been glaring at me from the painting shelf in my studio.  

And these I must finish before I can turn to making large fish paintings! And I will. Have faith. Don't get disgusted and quit these parts forever. There's a LOT going on behind the scenes here, I promise. It will erupt soonish. For instance, I'm going somewhere wonderful next week ;D. So I have GOT to finish those paintings!!!!!! Plus, the koi are calling!

In the interim, I'm finally posting some photos of my studio that a cyber buddy and fellow artist Deborah Lowe had asked me to do weeks ago. Here's a whole post I did on this subject a while back. And I'm showing you my very favorite paintbrush, which cost maybe $4.95 at the house paint department at Lowe's. It is old and hoary now (stop sniggering) but it is a miraculously wonderful thing. I've got to find a replacement for Old Brushy, as you can plainly see. 

Okay, and here's a sketch I did yesterday at a local paper store called Salutations. Click here to read the post about Laurelines they did this week. Unless you're just totally fed up with me and my slowness and have vowed to ignore me forever or until I finish the paintings, whichever comes first.

In fishy heaven!

Yesterday I finally made it to Lotus Land Koi Farm for some sketching! I was in heaven the whole time I was there--- the colors, the movement, the shapes of Brady Brandwood's magnificent creatures open up a new chapter for me in my water themed painting project, now in its second year. These sketches and those posted by me at Watermarks are just the rough beginnings---I'm getting the gestalt of koi in water and I'm having SO much fun!

I  have to finish a water-related painting I've been working on for oh, forever before I can turn to making new paintings from my koi sketches and photos. If I don't finish that painting and post it THIS week, I give you permission to come bop me on the head. One can take painstaking too far, you know. 

Here, though, are the new sketches!

More sketches and a photo of the fish on site at Watermarks---check it out!

Rained out!

This is the fourth straight day of rain and high temps only in the 30s or 40s. Not that I'm NOT grateful for it and not that I would normally mind, BUT....I had a painting trip scheduled this past Saturday to the most INCREDIBLE place (for me, the painter in search of water) but I had to postpone, due to said rain. I'd been so looking forward to the colors and shapes and movement this place will afford me, mais non. So I hope to go sometime this week.

Cooped up indoors, I drew my husband and our dog. My husband read, our dog lolled. (Click on image for more detail.) My dear friend Kate Johnson posted a similar sketch of HER husband reading with an animal. Here's the link.

And then, to keep cabin fever at bay, and wanting to do SOMETHING fishy, I sketched some shells from Hawaii--just to remind myself that, somewhere, *sniff, sniff*, the sun is shining on the sea ;D.

Up the creek with pens and paints

This time last week it was icy and gray. Today it is warm and blue. Such is life in March. I felt the sea calling me. It called in vain. The nearest body of water is little Bolin Creek, so there I went with pens and paint to study the movement of water.

On Friday, I sketched my friend Crystal cutting hair. Please go to Urban Sketchers and see---and, if the spirit moves you, leave a comment. It couldn't hurt ;D.

Austin does its thing

I haven't seen such laid-back joie de vivre since I was last in the south of France. Those Austinians (is that what they're called?) sure know how to live.

While I was drawing the car, a very nice photographer came up and started taking photos of it. We introduced ourselves (he's Craig Snyder from New York and you know who I am ;D), traded email addresses and he sent me this link to his amazing HDR photo, which kind of blows my sketch out of the water. I mean, HDR, people!! Cut me some slack! He told me his wife was interviewing for a job. I hope she got it!