If They Keep Showing

If they keep showing...I'll keep sharing. More than a dozen showed up today in less than a 9 hour period. These are the best ones I want to share with you.

Only Half

"Friends"
Graphite and watercolor on watercolor paper.
Only half a fortune tonight in my fortune cookie, but some times there is nothing more that need be said. <3

PA to MD and Back Again.

Amazing book find at the Art & Antique Store.
Only $5...I love every page.
From PA to MD and then back home. The CRAB show was fun and it was wonderful to see everyone and their beautiful model horses again. The trip down and back was long, but stopping for breaks was interesting along the way. Rest stops offer a huge variety of people to draw. Having this newly acquired book in hand and the images fresh in my mind, I scoured my purse for paper once I stopped for break and felt inspired to draw.

I've been good recently about keeping small notebooks in each one so I always have paper to draw on when inspiration strikes. Of course my drawings are beyond amateur compared to the amazing drawings within this book, but I know that the important thing is that one keeps trying.

Within the book my favorite plate is on page 35. It's a drawing by Anthony van Dyck from the 1600s. His line quality and mood within just intrigues me. The weight of the line speaks to me. Bottow line, I wish I could draw like that.

Drawing by Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641)
Philippe Le Roy, Lord of Ravels,
state councillor to Philip IV of Spain.

Woman whose hands wouldnt
leave her face. Challenging.

Two women.
Of course, Mr. Van Dyck was most likely trained in the tradition sense with a plain old pencil and lots of paper. He didn't have TV, radio or internet to distract. All he did was draw 24-7. Of course, he also didn't have such challenges in drawing as botoxed lips as I did today. Yes, they are very difficult to draw cause they don't look right. They look puffed and unnatural, especially when one tries to eat. That in itself was a huge distraction.

Overall I did get one sketch I was happy with. Of course, drawing with a tiny ball point novelty pen also has its challenges but at least I had something to draw with when the inspiration struck.

Captured him but its lacking finesse in the line quality.

My favorite from the session.

Repair Table at CRAB

Repair table at CRAB.
The show at CRAB brought many repairs my way today. It was great to see everyone and see their beautiful horses. This particular model horse show is double judged so there is much going on and people constantly moving about from table to table. It seems like no one really gets a break and neither did I. I took on repairs from about 8 am till 5pm straight. Some horses went smoothly, others gave a challenge.

This "Cicso" resin was one of my favorites to work on. Not only was I happy to repair him and bring him back to show status, but I had great fun taking in all his details. The painting artist who painted him did an amazing job. I've been very inspired by him.

Here are the progress shots of his ear repair.

"Cicso" resin with ears waiting for repair.

Ear repair is much easier
when the pieces are included.,

Ears glued using Zap a Gap glue and baking soda.

The finished repair ready for the show ring again!

Repair at CRAB

Prep at the hotel before the show.
Tonight I prepare to take on repairs (and do sales too) at the CRAB show in Maryland tomorrow. Im very excited to offer the service as I really enjoy fixing pieces, especially challenging ones. So if you are coming to the CRAB show in Maryland this weekend be sure to stop by my table have your show horse fixed or spiffied up and even shop a bit for Christmas! See you there!

Happy Thanksgiving

"After the Meal."
Graphite, watercolor and acrylic on watercolor paper.
I hope you all had a blessed and very happy Thanksgiving today.
:)

Patina

The inspiration for the project.
Long ago in a little shop on Long Island I came to find these little patina decorations. They serve no purpose. They just sit there. They are always within my view. I just love patina.

So, when I came into possession of two old mirrors I decided right away that one would be painted in a patina color. This is how I did it using left over house paint and craft acrylics from the fabric store.

Although acrylic paint will scrape away easily with a straight blade, protect the mirror as much as you can with painter's tape to save time in the end. Lay down 1-2 coats of black house paint. Let dry.

The colors I used for this project (overall) were: Olive green, Leaf Green, Sailing Blue, Ultramarine Blue and some light grey house paint. After the main base coat of black is applied the rest of the project is a "dry brush" project. That is, the brush is loaded up with paint then wiped clean of any "wet" paint. Only a bit remains on the brush and then that is lightly applied to the surface. Paint adheres to any raised surface.

After the Olive green dries add the Leaf Green which is a lighter green. Once that dries start adding some blues and some lighter green highlights. At this point it is important to refer back to the reference or patina item that inspired. Even after all this time of repainting and remaking items I always have to look at a sample along the way. Have fun!

Mirror protected from paint.

Cover the entire frame making sure
to get into all grooves with the black.

Fully painted frame.

Apply the Olive green on the entire frame.Mixing paint on a palette. Color used was straight from the tube.,

Blot the brush dry on a dry paper towel.

Paint from dark to light to lightest.
Here Leaf Green is being applied.

Try to avoid cute diversions while working.
Oreo likes to be around when I work.

Compare your inspiration with your progress.

The finished mirror in patina.

Graphite, Decoupage, Acrylic and watercolor on paper.

Finishes.....Lots of Them.

I'm always juggling many projects at once. These are a few of the finishes that I finally completed recently.

Book

"Rain"
Graphite, watercolor and acrylics on watercolor paper.

My new book arrived in the mail today. I can't seem to put it down. There are so many mice images floating about my head now. I loved this poem best tonight.


Love, what a long way, to arrive at a kiss,
what loneliness-in-motion, toward your company!
Rolling with the rain we follow the tracks alone.
In Tiltal there is neither daybreak nor spring.

But you and I, love, we are together
from our clothes down to our roots:
together in the autumn, in water, in hips, until
we can be alone together- only you, only me.

To think of the effort, that the current carried
so many stones, the delta of Boroa water;
to think that you and I, divided by trains and nations,

we had only to love one another;
with all the confusions, the men and the women,
the earth that makes carnations rise, and makes them bloom!
~Pablo Neruda

Repairs at Leesport

Vendor and repair table at the live show.
I've had several opportunities recently to vendor at a few model horse shows. I usually don't show, unless its a specific piece for a client who is looking to try and have a piece qualified for the Nationals. Sitting as a vendor for long hours can get a bit boring while everyone else is having fun running around showing. So a while back I decided to start doing minimal repairs for people at a show just to keep myself from going insane from boredom.

Scratches and simple breaks were repaired for showers on the spot right at the show and since that first time it's turned out to be quite a lot of fun for me. The nice part is I've gotten up close and very personal with many gorgeous horses from people's show strings. The best part though is being able to help people bring their pieces back to show quality quickly and without the hassles of shipping and worry.

I believe I'll be at more shows both vendoring and offering "on the spot" repair service. I took the time to document my most difficult repair yesterday. It seems like an easy fix, but all around matching the paint on this Stone original finish was difficult. I think I might venture next to CRAB. Contemplating.

A gouged and scratched patient.

Sanding down the gouge makes
the repair even larger but it has to be sanded.

Adding first layers of paint.

More layers of paint needed.
At this point there were approx 8 thin layers added.

The finished leg all repaired.