Where Have You Been?

Most recently a friend asked where I had been since my blog had been dead. It was apparent from his note that he truly missed reading my words. I took his note to heart and let his words sink in. "Where have you been?"

Where have I been?

I have been holed away in my studio trying hard to hone my skills. Skills I feel are terribly childish and lacking even after all this time of trying. Skills sacrificed to daily life and the tantalizing pull and glamor of multi media outlets. Skills that seem to drain me to the core on a daily basis. Skills that, when contain my blood and very soul, elicit a reaction from a potential client of, "Meh, it's okay."

Skills that find me tired at the end of a long work day wanting to watch some of God's skills instead of dweling on mine. Skills that want nothing to do with the world of tv or politics or any other creative ventures I need to follow. But, I must confess that writing is a part of this artist's soul and without it I do loose a piece of who I am personally and find I need to write.

Where have I been?

I have been here.....

I painted them....
and I painted this....
....and this too


And when no one was really paying attention I also put my hand to this gorgeous sculpted piece posted below. I painted it with all my heart. It finally found a good home but not without me worrying if I had done a good job painting it. The days of non sale made me question IF I should be selling any of my art at all. Yes, even after 37 years of painting and trying to make my art look as good as possibe, I question if I should even be making art.

It's true, I was unfamiliar
with the braid color but never the less put my heart into
the entire painting of this piece.

There have been more pieces since the last post. I will leave you with the very last piece I painted and has left me wondering what I could do better. It has left me wondering many things personally. Ultimately, it has left me wondering where I have been.

Breyer CM to a customized "Bobby Jo" sculpt.
She is for sale. $495 ppd in USA.
Full view of this horse.
Im personally so pleased with her.

A Storm On The Horizon

AA Chaney finished as a roan Appy.
Commission NFS.
Apparently, there is a March storm on the horizon for the Northeast. It's all everyone talked about this afternoon. They spoke so much about it that it inspired me to pop my latest finish, a Donna Chaney AA sm sized drafter in roan Appaloosa, into a pretty snowy scene.

Decided to share a few others I have finished in the past and had fun taking photos of in winter scenes.

Of course, I couldn't help but share one basking in the warm sun. Wishful thinking that sun will be on the forecast after the storms of March pass.

When A Straight Line Is Needed

"The Coal Barron"
1:9 Scale Limited Edition Artist Resin
Photoshoot taken in the strip mines of NEPA.

The painting production on this beautifully sculpted resin was going very well, until I hit some of the more tricky details.

After painting the primitive leg markings on this gelding, I was uncertain how I would handle the dorsal stripe. Dorsal stripes are normally seen on grulla colored horses and leaving it out was not an option.

I wanted the stripe to be pronounced, crisp, and straight. Using an airbrush for this detail in the past left me with a bit of a sprayed mess to clean up and touch up. I couldn't keep my hand from shaking and in turn, the line was wobbly. Also, the end result was not crisp enough for me, so I decided to use a simple mask to create the stripe this time around.

I was concerned when coming up with a mask for the task. Tape seemed too sticky and could pull up my base painting. Glues or a wet mask was out of the question. In the end, I chose to try some PostIt Notes. I'm happy to say that this idea worked and worked very well. I documented the idea.


After many layers of base coat
Tricky details like leg markings and a dorsal
stripe need to be added.


The PostIt notes worked beautifully!

I decided that tape would probably stick too firmly onto the horse and ruin the base coat so I tried some PostIt Notes and they worked out perfectly! They stuck to the body and did not lift when the airbrush was sprayed. They offered a crisp clean line and best of all, they came off easily without ruining my work.


The careful removal of the notes.


A successful reveal!

Medallion Award Creation

Starts off as a sketch
First week of January and I'm off and running with sculptures, in particular creating medallions and cookies.

I just started sketching the one night and it took off and two sketches stood out as nice prospects for awards or cookies for the equine miniatures industry. One thing led to another and as I progressed I took photos of the process to share.


Monster Clay sculpts beautifully
and doesn't stick to the hands like Chavant.


Legos help create a
perfect and custom molding box.

I prefer Smooth-On products
to help create molds.

Very pleased with the finished product.
Nice clean resin ready for paint.

Sorta Like Potato Chips

They are sorta like potato chips....
Most women can't resist shoes. Some artists can't resist art supplies. I sorta can't resist airbrushes now. Each one works just a little different than the next.

Out of all the brands I've tried Iwata is my personal favorite. Although I use my airbrushes mostly for first layers, they all must go the distance and withstand heavy wear and tear. I'm terrible with my art supplies and the Iwata seems to be the airbrush to go the distance with a heavy hand. Its the little Sherman Tank of airbrushes in my opinion.

Not As Planned....Bubble & Spatter

Tiny bubbles pouring forth
from my airbrush.

Today did NOT go as planned. Before finishing my new mouse sculpture I decided to get a head start on a color idea on a Breyer Wixom mold. I saw a vision of a beautiful Sugarbush Draft Appaloosa on her and fired up the airbrush.

Unending spatter from my airbrush today.
Fired it up to find it bubbling and spattering with chaos all around the darned machine! It was apparent it did not want to be working today. It was still on Christmas vacation and I, in turn, spent most of my studio time trying to get it to work to no avail.

After a few frustrating hours, and no working airbrush, I decided to just finish tweaking the new bias relief I started last week.

You never know when a frustrating day will push your wits and will to the limit. No matter what stage of art one is at, such days still exist.


Newest sculpture in progress
A pony bias relief

My Studio Mascot

My studio mascot: Daisy.
In my old life I was married.

When the marriage dissolved an unpleasant death many, if not all, of the relationships I held in Brooklyn with former family and friends also dissolved. Almost all ended, but one. My relationship with a little bird who belonged to my former niece found it's way into my life again.


Curiously perched on my rolling cart
while I draw.
I was annoyed to find that no one wanted her in my x husband's family and she was being discarded. She looked healthy and good and wasn't a pest and I questioned why anyone would want to get rid of her. She's beautiful.

I've long since stopped trying to figure out humans and their desire to discard things and relationships when they no longer seem to "serve" them well. I took the unnamed bird and quickly named her because after almost 15 plus years (as far as I can calculate) she has never had a name and should have a pretty one. "Daisy" was perfect.

She is a quiet, but very present little companion during my studio time. I plan on creating a sculpture of her. She's inspiring me because our journeys seem to parallel one another in a strange way. As the new year begins she has brought a quiet closure to some unresolved thoughts and feelings I had with some aspects of my old married life. I'm glad for the closure.

Raising a fresh hot cup of morning coffee and a sweet coo to a great new year!
Happy New Year!


Ever curious and supportive.