Small Acrylic Landscape ~ Art Journal Pages

Small Acrylic Landscape
8" x 8" Ampersand on Gessoboard with 2" deep cradle

The plain birch plywood strips can be used as is but I decided I wanted a light stain on this one. Next time I will make a note to myself to not be in so big a hurry to get to the painting and mask off the area to protect the sides. I got a few drips and splatters but sanded them off. I bought these from a friend and wanted to see if I'd like painting on them. I think they give a nice professional look to a painting.

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What to do when No. 1 son says, "I'm leaving for China Monday?" Play sick or feign a heart attack? All of those options ran through my mind. He was going alone but meeting someone to tour some factories. On Tuesday, that little TUJ inset was a "Thank you Jesus" when he called to say he arrived. Wednesday an eye check and the last one was 2004 and there is a pattern here of not good follow up on my part. I will have cataract surgery on both eyes later, much later. Much needed broom and mop work in prep for a house guest.

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My house guest, Andy, was in for a jewelry workshop. She's the owner of Kickapoo Creek Jewelry and she brought lemons with real leaves from her sister's home. Oh, happy day, we went to DFW to welcome home our Indiana Jones. Monday is time to get away from reality and enjoy TNT's "Saving Grace" about our Oklahoma neighbors. Remember I mentioned a pattern..well here we go again - a teeth cleaning and I got the question "I hope you've been seeing another dentist since your last visit was in 2006." "Well, no. You quit sending me those cards so I quit coming." I did break off a sizeable chunk of a jaw tooth last year but it didn't hurt and I didn't have dental insurance so..and in the p.m. some CBC members hung our show at La Cima.

A slide show about the welcome home at DFW and our CBC paintings hanging at La Cima. Some of the acrylic paintings have a glare as the lighting was not the best and I had to use a flash. Enjoy.

Small Acrylic Landscape ~ Tuscany ~ Art Journal Page

"Tuscany Rental"
9" x 12" acrylic on canvas board
$54.00
This is the second small landscape I painted in the Maureen Brouillette class last week (see previous post). It is loosely based on a photo taken while in Tuscany several years ago. This small colorful acrylic landscape was fun to paint and the next class will be March 10 and it will be all about still life.

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I have been wanting to take a workshop with Anne Bagby for several years and now I'm gathering up supplies for a 3 day with her at the Artists' Showplace Gallery in March. Her just released dvd, Collage: Paper, Patterns and Glazing came yesterday and it was and is a visual treat. Now to gather up more supplies. Anne has a great section on her site about her journal pages that I know you'd enjoy seeing. Her pages generated the idea seen below.
On Saturday after good Texas barbecue, I watched "Changeling" just in time for the Oscar announcements. This is a pencil sketch of Angelina, then I am finally ready to part with my Snow White Barbie and I gave it to a grand daughter that had enjoyed her also, and a jewelry party on Sunday.
I've been thinking about an email friend that was about to throw down her brushes and give up watercolor. Then I remembered what Bob Burridge said in a workshop, "We all want to paint better. The only way to paint better is to paint a lot of bad paintings."
Check out some of these sites for some new inspiration:
A good book with some paint along exercises: Expressive Color
Free art lesson videos to watch: Jerry's
About.com Watercolor and Acrylic Painting
Now go paint some bad paintings to become a great painter - maybe even an art maestro and to see one at work check out Nicholas Simmons. I agree with his statement about a painting having a lot of interest that melds and has elements of abstraction and realism.

Maureen Brouillette Acrylic Landscape Class ~ Art Journal Page

Landscape Blue
8" x 10" Acrylic landscape small on canvas, 3/4" staple edge
This is one of the paintings I finished in Maureen's Fast and Loose class on Tuesday. The next class will focus on a still life and Maureen said "No flowers. Find something in your kitchen to use in a set up."

Maureen with a canvas board and a canvas drawn off but with circulating the room, I don't think she had time to get back to her second project. Maureen comes over from Dallas to teach these classes at the Upstairs Gallery and the next one will be posted on her web site or on the Gallery's site.

Maureen's beautiful finished acrylic 8"x10" painting.

Maryann, a Canvas by Canvas member, and her acrylic landscape. Nice painting with you, mas and Betty was there but got away before I could snap her photo. Betty is our CBC web mistress and has added two new paintings to our CBC site "Cowtown" and "From A to Z with CBC" and we're sold one of the boot paintings, Circle of Friends.

Emiko and her lovely painting and thanks, Emiko for sending me the photograph of the armadillo. I was complaining I had written a story (true) and I needed to paint an armadillo to go along with it and no photo. I've never painted this curious animal before and I've never seen a photograph of one being held like a baby either. He may end up a very impressionistic painting! To the rest of the class I'll try to get your photo next month.

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Me with a really red face at the Tony Saladino Critique, searching and losing stuff and what about as you age you start developing a 3rd eye called "the search eye" to find lost items, a new restaurant at the Highlands, Boudreaux's, and I'll be back, sooo good, tried out my new Raffine sketch book 5.5 x 8.5 with a practice rooster and with it's 100 lb. paper, I like the way it takes a wash, Maureen's class and I tried out Derwents' Inktense ink pencils, and some acrylic mini landscapes I'll post later and they are very bright and colorful and this small watercolor entry looks more like mud. Watch for them. I think I'll call them miniscapes.