June 2014 – Gator Girl Art

Gator on the Go

Posted on June 29, 2014 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all,

This gator is headed to New York City.

My sweet darlin’ and I have not been away for our anniversary for a while. We decided to go big. Not Europe big, but definitely USA big.

I don’t know if other New Orleanians feel like this, but it is always hard to leave New Orleans even if the destination is fabulous.

There is so much to miss here.

Somewhere around the middle of July, I will be a full-time artist again. Right now, I am only painting enough to keep a small hold on my sanity.

Crow Questioning the Moon is almost complete. I just need to put the wire on the back and varnish it. This painting is small. 12 x 16 inches.

I am not happy with Joan of Arc yet. I think I know where it is going, so I am sticking with it. I planned to paint Joan in her father’s garden hearing the angel for the first time. Then the flames came to mind, lots of red, and words like courage, loyalty and strength.

The painting looks like heaven and hell with the flames and the cross. I like the linen dress that I made out of my grandmother’s table-cloth. I like her up-turned eyes with the sky reflecting in them.

I need to soften the sky, her nose and her chin. The cross is a combination of a sword and cross. This combination seems like too much detail. If I add more orange to the flames or green to the sky the colors will compliment each other better.

Maybe I wanted to paint her for the wrong reasons. I started painting Joan because I like to paint women and I like to paint New Orleans themes. I am not in love with leading soldiers to war. I am not sure I love Joan. I don’t like to judge, but was she crazy?

The light pink areas on the Mardi Gras Indian will have sequins. I bought a variety of sequins to sew on the canvas. I have to finish the painting first. I feel like he is almost done, except for brightening the feathers. I painted a combination of 1/3 lime green acrylic paint with 2/3’s varnish on some of the feathers. I just need to do more of something like that.

The Indian painted himself. I felt like I just uncovered him.

Mardi Gras Indian, in progress, close up

… back to painting Joan.

I wish for you a wonderful summer.

I wish for water in the drought.

I wish ease for the people in crisis.

unending love,

Gator Girl

(Click on the words “Gator Girl” for my website.)

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Move to New Orleans if you want house guests.

Posted on June 10, 2014 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all,

I was explaining to Maggie that it’s not summer yet. A difficult concept when it’s 90 degrees. My little poet said, “I don’t like it when the hot summer puts its heat into the cool spring air.” Word.

My friend, Julie, is coming to visit. She finished the school year teaching in California. I went back and counted the days we have had company on my calendar. Since Mardi Gras, Julie’s visit puts us at 54 days of house guests. When you live in New Orleans, the party comes to you.

I painted Nice Hair for pure fun. I love the two major colors. I think she looks like Kalinda on the Good Wife. I would have added a lot of jewelry, but she is all about her hair.

This is day one of my Mardi Gras Indian. I am going to sew sequins on his outfit. I am not sure what his finished colors will be. I am thinking dreamy background.

This is the access key pad for my studio. If you forget the code, it is underneath.

I am planning on finishing the Mardi Gras Indian this week. Julie is a painter, too, so she won’t mind.

I hope you are all having a great ~~summer~~ spring.

With unconditional, scaly love,

Gator Girl (Click Gator Girl to go to my website)

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My plan for smaller original paintings.

Posted on June 3, 2014 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

Things are heating up around here. It is raining today, but the rest of the week will be dry and 90. (Weather √ ) My sweet darlin’ is barbecuing all day to acquire some kind of pink line in the meat that lets us know he did it perfectly. The barbecue is on auto pilot now while he takes Maggie and Riff Raff to the children’s library. (Next meal √ ). One of the reasons he is my sweet darlin’ is because he takes the kiddos out so I can talk to y’all.

Now, an art update.

I painted a picture of my oldest daughter in oil paints. I found some oil paints that clean up in soap and water. I felt like I wasted a day, but I learned that I hate oil paints. They are creamy and lovely to paint with, but the look is creamy. They take forever to dry. I am spoiled by how quickly acrylic paints dry and how bold they look. I had a thought in the back of my mind that when I was a real artist, I would paint in oils. I don’t know why I thought that. (No more oil paints √ )

I love the way the cowboy hat looks. I didn’t finish the painting. I knew I would never get it right with the oil paints. This is a small canvas, only 12 x 16 inches.

Because the paint was still damp the next day, I covered everything with paper. At the top, there is a Lucky Rooster coaster. Bottom right is a Juan’s Flying Burrito logo. Some bingo paper and little red dots because dots make me happy. Peaking out is my sister and her beau.

I am going to show you what I am painting, but it is still in progress. I photographed the paintings today on the easel, because I don’t like to see my unfinished paintings when I google something. I wonder if people think they are done.

I am half done with this. It is called Crow Talking to the Lucky Moon.

This turtle is also 12 x 16 inches. Pretty much half the size of my go-to canvas. I am going to make a frame for him.Maybe a few more wrinkles on his neck.

I have a small problem with Nice Hair. Maggie wants to buy it. She has $20. When I finish her, I guess she is already sold. I might put some molding paste in her hair and for sure attach some antique embellishments. My plan is to paint flowers in her hair and a butterfly hovering.