"In the Field III"
Graphite, Watercolor and Acrylic on watercolor paper.

Had The Power All Along

Kilns waiting for use.
My kilns were shut off and unplugged a few years ago when things sorta changed in my life. I packed them (and their kiln guardians) up for the big move, moved them into their new space, and they have since collected cobwebs and lots of dust down in my basement studio.

I'm not one for making New Years Resolutions, but this year I made an exception. This year I made a promise to myself that at some point I'd have both my kilns, "Starbuck" and "Spanky" fully functional. I gave myself till December 2013.

An opportunity came about this week to talk to my father about my kilns and the possibility of running a 220 line into the house. I figured I'd just throw that idea of getting things started to him so we could both plan to tackle this. I figured by the summer we'd be involved in the project. He was over the next day to assess the kilns and the volts and amps and all that technical stuff. His assessment? Just plug it in.
I apparently had the power to use the kilns as is all along. So this weekend, at some point, I'll have the big "plug in" and test fire something cause Lord knows I've forgotten my times and firing temps and calculations for this color and that. I should have written that all down, but no matter, all I have to do is plug them in.

Three of my favorite pieces.

Raku clay and raku glaze.

Raku clay and raku glaze.

Pioneer clay harvested in the woods near my
home. Raku glazes which did strange things. A
true OOAK cause I don't even know how these effects happened.

Dapples

After the base coat has dried a layer of the darkest
coat color is placed on the body.
Dapples.
There are many ways to approach this coat pattern on a horse when painting. This technique is just one of many a painter can use. Each picture contains a description. Hope the visuals help those that might be struggling with dappling.

By the way, I am using mixed media on this "Dante" resin. The base color is primarily pastels and pigments and the dappling color is oils.

Using a "wipe out" tool primarily used in ceramics
Slowly wipe out little circles along the barrel.

Continue and follow the natural hairing pattern.

Finish the barrel and then let dry for 24-48 hours.
Do the same on the other side.

Working Girl....A Finish

Slowly making progress on visiting commissions in the studio. Feeling lost for words so I'll just let the pictures talk today. The "Working Girl" resin by Sarah Rose has become one of my favorites to paint. I just love everything about her, especially the sculpting of her head. It's so delicate.

Freezing & Kissy Spots

A lethal thing of beauty.
It's been absolutely freezing in the Northeast this last week. School closings and delays have been welcome though as such events gave me a bit more time in the studio as my son dove into massive adventures with his toys.

My focus this week has been on a Sarah Rose "Working Girl" resin. Her details have been particularly fun to paint and I documented her "kissy" spots as I felt it might be interesting to see, especially for newbie painters. The general concept is really quite simple but sometimes seeing the steps is better than any description. Enjoy! And if you're in a cold area of the world, stay warm!

Working Girl resin with pink muzzle.
She's ready for some kissy spots.

Two colors used on her. Mars Black and Titanium White

Mix a small dab of black into the white.

Add the lightest grey color on the muzzle.

Take a darker version of the light grey and
add on top of of the light grey.
Leave a light grey edge around entire spot.

Another view of the spots when finished.

In January...

Hand drawn ornament created by my son.
My favorite of all the ones he's created.
By the first week of January my Christmas tree is normally taken down and put away, but this year I wanted to enjoy it just a couple more weeks. Sometimes inspiration comes by just being still and enjoying a view. For me two of my favorite ornaments brought a good deal of inspiration. One that my son created for me brought the realization that I need to draw more and return to my illustrations soon. I miss illustrating on a more serious scale.

The other that inspired was an ornament created for me by the very talented Lesli Kathman. It reminded me that I miss clay and I need to get back to it this year, if only on a very small scale.

Earthenware ornament created by Lesli Kathman.
My favorite ornament of all.

"Working Girl" in progress.

Progress on a Snow Day

"Snow Day"
Graphite and acrylics on canvas paper.
It snowed last night which produced a beautiful day off from school for my son. Snow days are definitely one of the perks of living in Pennsylvania as compared to Brooklyn.

I happily welcomed the extra full day in the studio today and was able to spend a good amount of time on quite a few projects, including visiting resins like the "Dante" resin. The best part is that the day is still young!

Thinking about having that resin painted? My commission books are currently open! For more information and to check out two recently finished pieces be sure to check out my page on MHSP. Thanks!

Commissioned "Dante" resin before
adding dapples.

Couldn't resist this shot early this morning.