gatorgirlart

Blue Dog Camp

Posted on July 6, 2012July 6, 2012 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

Summer is sure heating up. Record highs in so many places. I am on a road trip to Memphis. It is an extremely cool town, but I don’t have a travel blog, so I am sharing Maggie’s Blue Dog Art Camp adventure.

Maggie had an opportunity to go to a super well-staffed art camp put on by the Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts. Her class had about seven 3-4 year olds. She had so much fun and learned about different media and techniques.

Maggie at Blue Dog Art Camp — Maggie coloring an alligator.

I sat in the class one day to see how they ran things, secretly hoping George Rodrigue would pop in.

Maggie at Blue Dog Camp — Maggie’s Class on the last day.

Next year, Raffi can apply.

resort life — Resort Life in Uptown New Orleans

I like the grittiness of city life. Kids don’t get too soft or entitled when they only have 8 feet until the sidewalk.

NOLA Groundswell, our non-profit set up to rebuild the parks and green spaces in New Orleans, received an email from the New Orleans Recreational District last week. Samuel Square Park might be chosen for a big grant! I envision a refreshing water area where the kids can play, accessibility for everyone, cool climbing structures, drinking fountains… Dream big if you are going to dream. Why not?

Last, but not least, we are combining a Gator Girl Art Open House with a Nola Groundswell Party in early August. Antonia, a guest from Austria, is a video blogger. She is going to capture the evening on video. Sometimes dreams are bigger than I even dreamed possible.

Until next week,

Take care and stay cool. If you can’t’ stay cool, drink some water.

Unending love,

Gator Girl

Uncategorized

Two Artists I Adore

Posted on June 29, 2012 by gatorgirlart

Good Morning all y’all,

It is heating up fast here in Louisiana. I think it is going to be a hot summer. I was thinking y’all probably read my blog on your email and don’t always go to my website. Today, I am bringing a bit of my website to you. You can find this information on a tab called “Artists I Adore“. I will be adding people as I go.

I recommend that you check out Tamara Laporte of Willowing Arts. She is a talented,open-hearted woman offering a 12 month on-line class with weekly lessons including 12 visiting teachers. I am taking this class. It is called Life Book. It is an art journaling class.

Of course, I like and relate to some lessons more than others, but I have learned something in each lesson. I look forward to Mondays when the new lesson is on-line. Because I am tight with the Cosmic Cowgirls, I have not taken advantage of the Willowing on-line community, but if you are looking for a tribe, Tamara has a good one you can join.

You can use MOONBEAM77 to receive a 10% discount on your first order.

Right now Tamara is offering a mini face class for summer.

You can access Willowing Arts HERE!

If you are looking for a photographer in the New Orleans area, look no further! Dorka of Dorka Photography is wonderful. I love her as a person and as an artistic and knowledgeable photographer.

You can access the amazing Dorka Photography website HERE!

Until next time,

Always in my heart,

Gator Girl

Tribute to Frida Kahlo

Posted on June 21, 2012 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

It is another gorgeous day here in New Orleans. I am having one of my favorite kind of days where I can have time to just ponder, listen and create. I think it is in my goat-nature to plan and execute. I am working on being flexible… loosely woven plans. This is really anti-goat mentality, but worth working on.

For the two or three weeks, I have been painting a picture of Frida Kahlo. She is an inspiration in her fearless portrayal of her pain. She is so obviously someone who wouldn’t have been the person she was without the pain of the polio, the bus accident and Diego. Diego hurt Frida terribly, but he also validated her as an artist. I could write about Frida all day, but there are many books that do a better job. So here is my process.

Before this roughed out painting, I wrote “July 1907 – July 1954 Frida Kahlo” on the canvas, because I wanted to make this a tribute and to feel closer to her. I just happened to have a thin canvas that fit inside the frame.

This picture basically demonstrates that it doesn’t really matter how the painting starts out. Visualizing where the painting wants to go, staying connected, opening your heart, having fun with the paint and the colors is what happens throughout the painting, but really clear here.

This painting is rich with symbols. Starting on the left is a picture reproduced from Frida’s journal. I love it, because she is a skeleton in the picture. Under her journal page are loteria cards of a skeleton and a rose. Below that it says, “mi amor” in my best Frida handwriting from studying her journal. Printed on canvas is a picture of Frida and Diego.

On all 4 corners are tiles that my sister made, just because they look Mexican. Up at the top, you can barely see a photo of Frida in the hospital and a photo of her blue house. On the right side of the painting following her clockwise from the house that she loved are the words, “Painting Saved My Life”. On this side there pictures that you can slightly see of Frida with her monkey and her parrot. Here, there is a blue butterfly symbolizing her freedom.

On the bottom is the word, “FLY”. I don’t believe Frida would want to Rest In Peace. I nailed 3 milagros under the word FLY that I bought at the mission in Carmel, California. One is her leg that caused her so much trouble, starting with polio when she was a small child and ending with amputation shortly before her death, a bird and a heart. Her initials are covered in gold glitter and paint to symbolize the gold that covered her after the bus accident.

Finally, the center of the painting. Hovering above the daisies is an orange and red butterfly symbolizing pain and eventual death that shaped Frida’s life.

I almost hate to be done. Being done with this painting is like being finished with a good book.

To all of you out there, learning and growing from your pain. It’s not in vain. Look to Frida for your strength.

With steadfast love,

Gator Girl

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Between Roots and Wings

Posted on June 15, 2012June 15, 2012 by gatorgirlart

Good morning all y’all!

We are mid-way in the year of the dragon, the year of possibilities. It is kind of overwhelming in an exciting kind of way, don’t you think?

Today, I decided to share the finished Raven Wisdom and the young woman with revolving names. I call her Hopeful Anticipation, but I will explain that later.

I delivered Raven to California last week. I don’t have a picture of him framed. The frame was really cool. I used dark green reclaimed wood from the Green Project. The best part of the frame was a shelf along the bottom to put shiny trinkets, gems and crystals that Raven might like. There are hinge holes on the right-side bottom of the frame where I hung a string of burlap with dangling wing and heart milagras.

I can see my painting becoming more urban. I like it. I offered a contest to name this painting. I liked many ideas. I decided to leave the words off of the original, because I like the painting this way, too. I didn’t want to limit her. Limitless Possibilities? See, her name keeps evolving.

My idea is to send the photo to the print shop for prints and giclees and add different words to the copies. It will make each copy an original. I will post later what that looks like. I will send a print to those people who sent me words that I use. It’s not too late for you!

I am totally engrossed with my new painting of Freida Kahlo as a skeleton. I don’t know if I will make prints, because the frame is totally part of the painting. I will post the process of Freida next week.

Until then,

With an ever expanding heart,

Gator Girl

Uncategorized

Dear Muse

Posted on May 23, 2012 by gatorgirlart

Dear Muse,

I am writing to let you know a few things about myself. I LOVE everything to do with food. When I was in kindergarten the teacher asked us to share what we loved. I went first, and said, “spaghetti”. The girl who went next said, “my mom”. I thought, “damn, I should have said that.” Apparently, my five-year old self was my true self. I love shopping for food, preparing it and most of all eating it. So much so, it is a compulsion. The only times I forget entirely about food is when I am painting. I love to mix colors and paint a picture until I am happy with it. When I start to love the process and the desired form begins to appear, the endorphins really kick in.

I HATE people lying to me. I hate war. I hate stinky things and when guitar players play the same pattern over and over in a really high pitch.

I DESIRE a peaceful existence. I want to paint every day. I want the willingness to turn all of myself over to God. I want a happy family and to travel.

I want to LET GO of entitlement, selfishness, and anger.

BEAUTY brings aliveness, creativity, appreciation of art and nature, appreciation of my family and friends.

The feeling of DESPAIR comes from the hearing about abused children, poor treatment of people with mental illness, despair in other people, war, shopping for clothes.

I LIKE a party. Sitting around a fire pit. Date night if it turns out well.

I WANT recognition of my art.

I am WILLING to let go of my inner critical voice, or at least mute it.

with unending love,

And thanks for listening,

Gator Girl

Really Beyond Excited about Raven!

Good Morning!

When I wrote in my profile that I am living, working and thriving in New Orleans, I am.

I have been painting for Raven Wisdom Studio in Chico. That is my sister’s place. I kept putting Raven aside and working on it little by little. When I started looking at each area of the painting. One of my favorite parts of the painting didn’t please me any more. It looked too dark. Raven’s can be a little dark, themselves, and I didn’t want to portray that. Also, it was lacking whimsy, which I really like.

Today, I could feel the excitement of creating pumping through my veins. I ripped up paper and painted without even a sip of my coffee.

Right now the frame is drying. I don’t love framing, because I am not confident with it yet, or competent. I am too impatient to wait for help so I just push ahead. I am liking this frame.

Part 1 of Raven Wisdom — Part one of Raven Wisdom

After I cut the old wood, I scrub it with soap and water. I love old, but don’t think dirty is good in a house.

This was super fun. I painted the heart, filled it with love, turned it upside-down and sprayed it with water. When I turned it over it looked like flames.

Raven Appears Like a Shadow — Raven appears, timid at first.

I left the wood this color. It looks like old houses I remember fondly. The frame is going to have a shelf to hold Raven’s favorite trinkets.

I painted Raven with a lot of water and rolled the canvas with a roll of paper towels. I learned this technique from Effy Wild. It left the outline dark, and picked up the paint in the middle. Nice effect.

I painted Raven bigger, to be more of the focal point. Along his back is part of a Rumi quote, “be the soul of that place”.

I tried a new technique. I painted black, sparkly embossing powder mixed with acrylic varnish and melted it with a heat gun. It made a nice, black texture. You can see where I added it on the blackest parts of Raven.

The nest is made with corrugated cardboard that my sister insisted I needed to pack when I moved to New Orleans, lichen from the Lake of the Woods, Oregon (our favorite place), a red thread for the sisterhood, a fortune about friendship, and a flaming heart from Mexico.

There are other things making up the nest, like sheet music and journal paper. I added gold, brown, red and black paint for depth and mystery.

I am so sorry that the words do not stay put when I hit “publish”. I will keep working on this.

Thank you for reading about my process. Painting is pretty solitary business if you don’t count spirits chiming in. I appreciate the togetherness of my on-line family.

Where are your thriving in your life? What makes you lose track of time? Where do you feel your heart expand? I would love to hear.

Lovingly,

Gator Girl

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Maggie the Magnificent

Posted on May 9, 2012 by gatorgirlart

Good Morning!

Miss Maggie’s teacher, calls her Maggie the Magnificent. That right there is a sign of an awesome teacher.

Today, I want to share the development Maggie’s painting of Tim Burton‘s Jack Skellington and Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas.

I asked Maggie to finish this while she was still 3 years old. It is almost done, except for glitter and other adornments. She has been patiently waiting to add glitter from the beginning.

Since the last posting, Maggie added a beard on Jack and eyelashes on Sally. She gave Sally a peachy colored face with a purple chin. Her hair is long, purple and teal. There is a purple vine circling them both. On Sally’s side there is a crimson sun in front of her body contraption. On Jack’s side, there is a white sun to his left.

I hope you enjoy following Maggie’s painting. My part has been to hold her palate and ask her to tell me what she is going to do next. Most times she draws it in chalk first so she stays with the concept of product. When she is playing, it is all about process with her. It must be super fun to be 3.

Right here… X… I tried to add a picture of Maggie at Jazz Fest. Uploading didn’t work. I am happy that the main picture uploaded.

With abundant love,

Gator Girl

Uncategorized

Input Invited

Posted on May 9, 2012May 9, 2012 by gatorgirlart

Hi all ya’ll,

I hope I can actually blog today with pictures and all, but my computer is feeling her age. I thought my PC was about 3 years old, but it turns out I bought it in 2005, so that makes 7 years flying by in a flash.

I ordered a flash drive so I can save everything I value on this computer, in the event that it terminally crashes.

Well, Gator friends and agents, you probably guessed it. What computer would you buy today if you needed a new computer?

With loving regards,

Gator Girl

Uncategorized

Life in Progress

Posted on April 20, 2012 by gatorgirlart

Good Morning all y’all!

I hope this Friday finds you well.

I need your help.

I am so excited about the painting that I am doing and am just waiting for some words to find me. I started looking for words and realized that I just need patience.

I started 2 new paintings this week. And the one I am going to show you is the one that grabbed me yesterday and I painted like fire all day.

I started out painting on an old canvas of MMMM’s from when she was one. It is 16 x 20 inches. I printed out mostly black and white photos of my past and applied them with Golden Gel. The pictures are a little random. I have my grandmother and parents which would be expected. But then I have a golden chipmunk from our cabin in Lake of the Woods, Oregon. The catholic church in Red Bluff, because I have wanted to be Catholic since I was 5 when my best friend Carol got to go to catechism classes on Saturday and I had to stay home.

I just went with my intuition and as you will see, it doesn’t matter in the end, because I cover it all up.

When I really got excited and couldn’t paint fast enough was when I saw this bubbly paper in my paper drawer and saw her hair. I cut it into strips, put it on with gel medium and voilà! I love it.

I painted her hair with my favorite Golden Mars Black. It is such a rich and mat color. She has a small nose, because in the beginning, she was a child.

I covered the pictures with paper. Some ripped and some cut with scissors.

The skin color is equal parts cadmium red and yellow oxide, with a little blue to make it a richer brown.

She is almost done. Just a little tending and she is waiting for words. You can see she is waiting expectantly.

And she is willing to make a deal.

If I use your words on the painting, I will send you a free print from my ETSY site.

With exuberant love and anxious expectancy,

Gator Girl

Uncategorized

Gator Girl Art is on Etsy!

Posted on April 12, 2012April 12, 2012 by gatorgirlart

Good Morning all y’all,

If you would like an original Gator Girl painting, but need to wait a while for the opportunity, there are prints available on Etsy. My prints start at $30 and there is a special going on for the month of April. Go ahead and check it out. You can also send me your email address through my email account at nancy@gatorgirlart.com and I will send you an email when I have a new painting, OR you can also see all my paintings in progress by following my blog.

And thank you, thank you for reading my blog!

I have completed 3 paintings.

The original of Monsieur Gator was painted on commission and is not available.

The collector asked for a French Gator. Painted in French around the outside edge of the canvas are the words “Strolling at Sunset, Dreaming of z Camembert”.

I listened to Chante France on the Internet. M. Gator loved the music. It seemed to put him in the mood for a portrait. What an attitude he has!

La Femme Fatal is mixed media, 12 x 36 inches painted on wood. She is standing on the street in the French Quarter after the parades have passed. She still has “it” after all these years. She sells for $800.

The Mardi Gras Muse or as MMMM calls her, Princess Masketier is mixed media on reclaimed wood, with a reclaimed wooden frame. The original is $800. The frame is part of the painting, so a small portion of the frame was also photographed.*

There are words about Mardi Gras running through her hair, and a 3 dimensional king cake baby. She is wearing a raven mask for my sister who owns Raven Wisdom Studio in Chico, California. (She is a clay artist.) The music is from the song “Mardi Gras Mambo”.

Mardi Gras Muse started out clearly in my mind’s eye, but took over a month to complete.

Now that these 3 paintings are complete, I will be starting a new painting from scratch. The options are swirling around me as I type.

Please stay tuned,

All my love from an ever-opening heart,

Gator Girl

*The photography is by the amazing Dorka Photography in New Orleans.

Author: gatorgirlart

Blue Dog Camp

Two Artists I Adore

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Tribute to Frida Kahlo

Between Roots and Wings

Dear Muse

Really Beyond Excited about Raven!

Maggie the Magnificent

Input Invited

Life in Progress

Gator Girl Art is on Etsy!