Posted in Winny the Boxer

Not Going to Reverse Paint After All

Posted on by gatorgirlart

Long story short, I could never paint well enough to be happy with my work by painting in reverse on glass. Reverse and glass are two words you won’t hear me say again.

This is my latest and last attempt.

I decided to do mixed media on canvas paper, then put it behind the glass. I am still doing 6 versions of Winny.

This is Boxer in Pearl Earring. What you see at the top is my latest attempt at crackling the background like an old Vermeer. Paint a coat of white glue, any brand, and while it is tacky, paint over it with paint. When it dries, it looks crackled, but mostly in one direction no mater how I paint the undercoat. I say good enough. This is my plan for the background.

I was thinking of an over-all name for the piece. Maybe Tiny Boxer like the Tiny Dancer song. Maybe she will be wearing Elton John sunglasses. The words for the song fit her perfectly. 

     Hold me closer, tiny boxer
     Count the headlights on the highway (like on a road trip)
     Lay me down in sheets of linen (in our bed)
     You had a busy day today (watching walkers by)

That's all for now. I have a way forward that I am happy with. 
May I wish that for you. 

Gator Girl
Posted in Winny the Boxer

Reverse Painting on Glass

Posted on by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

This one small plane of glass might be 2 blogs. It is interesting to try to figure this method out. Reverse Glass Painting has been used all over the world since the 1500’s. I fell into it because we replaced a 6 pane window with a door in the back of our house.

The painting has to be well thought out. I immediately did not think this through. I just figured I could learn as I go. I sort of can, but the first thing I had to learn was how to take the paint off.

This is the prototype. It’s called Boxer with Pearl Earring. I put this collage behind the glass panel. The tricky part is painting in reverse. If I make a mistake, I have to take the paint off down to the glass. It is important to look at the back of the glass often. That is cumbersome if you have a heavy, old 6 pane window. The first time I forgot her pupils.

The following image is the side of the glass that I am painting. I tried putting glass beads in the black paint to make it look crackled like an old painting. That didn’t work. I need to order some stuff called Crackle from Blick. This attempt is sort of basic, but not too bad. Just wait…

This is the viewing side. I put on so much paint to make it opaque.

This is where I am now.

I took off the most offensive paint with nail polish remover. I learned this handy information from a YouTube educator. Kayla Bame The entire research I did was watching this young woman’s video; 7 things to know about Reversed Glass Painting.

I am ordering Crackle. And I am trying to not start all the way over. Stay tuned.

XOXO, Gator Girl

Posted in Uncategorized

Skeptical of Bird’s Advice

Posted on by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

I painted this right after the world began to open up after the first wave of the pandemic. I wasn’t quite myself after staying inside my house for so many months. My enthusiasm for painting was low. Mostly, I was painting with on line prompts using someone else’s enthusiasm to spring board off. This was the first attempt I made to paint on my own.

I liked having bird around to give me questionable advice. Today, I decided to offer her to the world. There is one caveat. Take her advice with a grain of salt, or a grain of bird seed in this case.

Skeptical of Bird’s advice is an original painting. 16 x 20 inches. Acrylic, gold leaf, and varnish on canvas. Right now, I am offering her through etsy.com/shop/gatorgirlart and Where y’Art Works.

Thanks for reading!

Wishing you all the best in this holiday season, 2023, and beyond.

XOXO, Gator Girl

Posted in Uncategorized

Black Girl Magic

Posted on by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

I’ve decided that I paint my best when I chose exactly what I want to paint and paint exactly how I want. This is Black Girl Magic.

I found a board in the garage and a frame that I got at an estate sale of a local artist who passed a few years ago. The frame had some damage to a paper coating, that I knew paint wouldn’t cover. I ordered some party napkins that were black with gold dots. I separated the layers, cut them in strips and adhered to the frame with Liquitex Gloss Medium.

I love painting on a board, because it is recycling. It is very different than canvas. It has little absorbency. Board is not as forgiving.

I am including 6 stages of the painting. First, I painted 2 layers of black gesso and 2 layers of black acrylic ink. I drew her face with chalk. I tried out some transparent brown paint. At this step, I sprayed the painting with Grumbacher Matte Varnish to hold the chalk in place.

Next, I painted layers of transparent red and transparent yellow. I didn’t mix the paint. I used transparent blue for the shadows. (I am loving transparent paint.) I highlighted with titanium white on a dry brush.

Then, more layers of red, yellow and blue. Trying out some hair and a large bead necklace. I can see her personality now.

Feeling confident. Her and I.

I thought I was finished, but decided I didn’t like the stylized highlights that worked on Booker.

Finished, probably. I might darken her eyelashes a little. I never know how far to go with lashes.

Black Girl Magic

I am pretty happy with her.

I hope you are finding a way to keep cool.

Love, Gator Girl

Posted in alligators

Shopping in the French Quarter for Pretty Things

Posted on by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

I just finished, sealed and varnished a new painting. I got my idea from a photo on line of Ruthie the Duck Girl. She is a New Orleans icon. When she was a child, her mother put her hair in ringlets to look like Shirley Temple. She sent her out on roller skates with her pet duck and charged for photos. Ruthie continued to walk/roll around the Quarter all of her life often in a wedding dress. She sold postcards and posed for photos. She was born in 1934 and passed away in 2008. I love this story and that people in New Orleans supported her and her eccentric behavior.

So, I was looking at photos of Ruthie and wanted to paint her. I thought to myself or maybe out loud, “I wish I liked to paint ducks.”.

Shopping reminds me of going to a parade or to a girls lunch on a warm, humidish Saturday. They are both fixed up and wearing their pink nail polish. Best friends excited to be out during a pandemic lull.

The painting is 24 x 30 inches, acrylic paint, charcoal and varnish.

My favorite thing about this painting is the plaster wall. I think I nailed it. My next favorite thing is their relationship.

Wishing you all the best! Stay safe.

Gator Girl

Posted in alligators

A Girl and Her Gator

Posted on by gatorgirlart

Good Afternoon all y’all!

Remember me? It’s been a year since I painted anything to share. I think it was a combination of painting too many commissions and the world wide pandemic. Painting started to feel less creative and more like work. The never leaving my house part of the pandemic was not stimulating.

I feel like painting again and also feel like sharing.

Jazz Fest is going on in New Orleans right now. It is especially wonderful because it has been 2 years. Everyone is so happy to be out eating great food, seeing excellent art and watching amazing musicians. It’s hot. Sometimes very hot. If you pace yourself, rest and hydrate, it is all enjoyable.

When in doubt, I paint an alligator. This one is a happy baby. I love his baby teeth. I am not sure why the girl is a little startled. Maybe she is surprised by her new pet.

I am close to finishing another painting. I will share it as soon as next week. It’s called, Shopping for Pretty Things in the French Quarter.

All the best. Pray for Ukraine, Roe Vs. Wade, our world any way that you do.

Love, Gator Girl

Posted in Uncategorized

Vermont

Posted on by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

In an attempt to put some carefree fun into painting, I veered from the usual Louisiana art. I think I was inspired by the Bernie memes, LOL. Maybe this is the start of a journey through the states. New Orleans has been and will be my main painting focus.

Or will it?

My scanner is a little bit smaller than my paper. I will adjust for this in the future.

I’m sharing this painting because I tried some new techniques. In the top right I made the cool music notes by spraying ink through a stencil. On the left, I painted with black gesso because it is a solid, creamy black. Then I added white Posca paint pen dots.

The parts I really like are in her face and hair. There are snowflakes in her eyelashes. The blue and red combination in her face makes her look so cold.

I don’t like to bore anyone with too much detail. If you have any questions, let me know. I withhold nothing.

Better days ahead,

Gator Girl

Posted in Uncategorized

Playing with Ink

Posted on by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

I have been rekindling my love of painting with a block of Arches watercolor paper. I haven’t painted on paper in many years and have never painted on a block of paper. My goal is to start painting as a practice not as a product. My expectations for myself were out of control.

I love using the block of paper. It wasn’t the most expensive, but it was about $40. You can saturate the paper until it looks like a mess and swells a bit. The next morning it is flat and feels lovely. It feels like smooth cotton. When it is completely dry, you cut off the top piece with a palette knife.

I also have really nice Schmincke watercolors now. Both the paper and the watercolors make a world of difference.

I am using watercolors, ink, paint pens, and acrylic paint. I am loving the ink. The ink bleeds through all of the top layers. That is cool for a while, then I spray matte varnish on the painting to stop the bleed and place highlights.

The Inks are Dylusions Postbox Red and and Vibrant Turquoise. The red puddled in the hair in the shape of butterflies, so I encouraged them. In the end, there were so many layers that I decided to sand the surface. It left some scratch marks that I really like. I smoothed her face with a stiff brush and Golden Titanium White.

It seems she has a lot to think about, but I’m not sure what.

All the best. Stay safe!

Gator Girl

Posted in Uncategorized

Life’s a Compromise

Posted on by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

We are in the process of selling our beautiful house to first time home buyers. It feels like they might be trying to be extra careful not to be taken advantage of. Or maybe super cautious compared to us. I am reaching the bottom of my ability to give, so I painted this.

I tried something new that I love for brown skin and I will definitely use this method again. I usually mix equal parts yellow and red, then add blue to make a beautiful brown. Then I add some black or white to lighten and darken it for shadows and highlights. It is a difficult method to bend it just right.

I bought some Golden High Flow Transparent colors in Hansa Yellow Medium, Naphthol Red Light and Phthalo Blue. Also, Transparent Brown Iron Oxide for the darkest shadows and regular Golden Fluid Acrylic in Titanium White for the brightest highlights. I didn’t mix any of the colors. I layered yellow, red, then blue. I added the brown and white to contour as I saw fit. I really like the outcome. I think she glows. I painted 3 coats of the red in her hair and used it again in her lips.

Those are my good pearls hanging from her ears. LOL

After all of the stressful house stuff is done, I might paint the words over in black gesso. It is kind of like chalkboard paint that way. Acrylics are so forgiving.

Take care and stay safe.

love,

Gator Girl

Posted in Uncategorized

2021

Posted on by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all,

Crazy New Year. It has been quite a struggle to find my happy place. This last year, that will not be named, was difficult. Some people had it worse and some better. I think I fell somewhere in the middle. I painted 2 paintings. I didn’t love either one. Painting just felt like work. I talked to other people occasionally and heard some of the same lack of motivation for making their art.

I enrolled in one of my favorite classes, Life Book at Willowing.org. I have just started the first lesson. It is all about fun. Fun is what is what was missing in my art. I started each painting like it should be better than my best. I took myself back to the practice of art with less care about the outcome.

If you go to Tam’s website, there are 4 weeks of free lessons. You will need some supplies, but no previous experience.

Around Thanksgiving I got a Peloton. I 100 percent recommend it. I don’t know if I will ever go back to the gym and I needed some way to move my body at home. Also, it’s like having friends.

I usually scoff at New Year’s resolutions, but I have made some changes. The Peloton, every vitamin (not really) that Costco offers, and painting for fun. This has been a very serious effort to not feel sad.

Politically, there is hope. Soon, I won’t feel like I need to check the news immediately upon waking.

There is still a pandemic. New Orleans is at 10 percent Covid again. This means we are suppose to only gather with those people that we live with.

Immunization is right around the corner.

What a roller coaster.

When I write again, I plan on sharing my art. I’m hopeful. And I am taking the steps to happiness. I hear that happiness is an inside job.

I wish the best for all of you.

Stay safe,

Gator Girl