I am still not sure that this is a valid use of my time, but I am trusting the process.
Grace is Not
I like the part of journaling where I don’t have to worry about the longevity of my art. If the glue fails… whatever. And I can try new things like what I see Effy Wild and Tam Laporte create. BTW, they are both really fun to watch.
I find it interesting that I chose a word and I am still searching for the meaning of that word. Again, just trusting.
If you look closely, you can see I wrote “sharing what you have” and had to change it to “I“. LOL, that’s telling.
(I am in love with duct tape).
Flip Side of Grace Is
I layered the back page with prayers. I love to put a lot of intent into the page. I put some stamps that my Aunt Ruth gave me because at 93 she is still full of grace and remembers everyone with cards.
Now the best for last. Tonight is the parade of the Muses’s. I am pretty excited about that. Magpie dressed as a muse for preschool today.
Choosing a word for the year has been so powerful for me, I thought WOW, pictures would be incredible. I have never made a vision board before. I always thought that it would take too much time. It’s kind of weird to think that, because I watch television. That should probably be the first thing to go when you think about wasting time.
I am going to show you in pictures step by step my process and what supplies I used. I had little regard for the visual outcome. I stayed loose and had fun. You can watch with me as the reality of the pictures unfold for me during the year.
What 2012 holds in store.
I used a piece a cardboard 26 x 40 inches. I didn’t want to use so much expensive paint to cover the background, so I covered it with spray adhesive (kind of glued my flip-flops to the floor in the process) and applied a piece of fancy red paper from the art store for $2.90. I bordered it with black and white checkered duct tape for about $5.00. I love the tape.
Next, I lit a candle and thought about what I wanted to see in the coming year. I Googled an image. When hundreds of images came up, I chose the one that spoke to me (not literally).
Samuel Square Park
My daughter, Angie and I are adopting Samuel Square Park. You can click on the tab “Give Back” and see pictures of the park as it is today. We have a lot of plans, but are just in the beginning stages of development. We got the OK from Annie at the New Orleans Park Commission to start a booster club.
Selling Art and selling more art
Just saying, there is an uncanny resemblance to Brad Pitt.
My stomachTraveling with David
I drew a hat on David, because the picture had too much hair. I like this picture, because I have a rolling suitcase and David is carrying his. That is just how we like to do it. The picture has so many places to see!
Sister Road Trip and Mac
For our sister road trip, I required a convertible and an open road. I colored the blonde woman’s hair red like my sis.
Powerful, Change-Making DragonCEA-HOW Motto
I have been loving Caran D’Arche water-soluble crayons. You can use them as is, wet them after you apply them or paint with them by rubbing your paint brush against them. I also used acrylic paint. Paint is still my favorite means of expression.
Let me know if you have been inspired to change your life using pictures.
She started adding some detail. Skeleton Jack is on the left and Sally is the pink one on the right. They are using a “contraction” to walk. They don’t have proper feet. On the bottom she put a strip of painter’s tape and then removed it after painting over the tape. She is painting flowers on that strip for Sally.
Skeleton Jack and Sally in ProgressMaggie Painting
No, I don’t understand what you are saying. I only understand you when you agree with me. –Nancy Kimberly
Do you ever wonder how some people just don’t filter what they are saying? I think my word used to be obtuse or maybe entitled or possibly big-baby, but now my word for 2012 is Grace. Words and intention are very important. Last year my word was Action. Choosing the word for the year is a combination of it being time to put something in motion and a desire for change. Choosing the word action accelerated the completion of ideas in 2011.
The problem with my word this year is the multiple meanings. You all can tell by my quote that I am desperately in need of grace. There is the grace that is bestowed on a person by God. There is being physically graceful like Gene Kelly.
Gene Kelly, so physically graceful
There is also a grace that I don’t understand. For my word for 2012, I am going with the 3rd definition of Grace and hope for divine intervention. I am also going with the hope that you don’t have to be born with grace.
The prospect of seeing if a leopard can really change her spots excites me. Or more aptly said, can a gator live in grace?
What’s your word for 2012? It is the auspicious year of the dragon. Time for some timely changes.
You know how it feels when you think you are on the right track, when all the pieces in your life are just falling into place? I feel like that about our move to New Orleans. At my launch party two weeks ago, 2 paintings sold and I was asked to donate a print to the Pussy Footer’s Ball. My friends Heather and Mimi are each putting my name in the drawing for the opportunity to be chosen for the marching krewe.
The Blush Ball is an event for charity. They are raising money for the Metropolitan Center for Women and Children.
This is the painting that I donated for the raffle. I decided on a mixed media original designed for the Ball. I put my mother’s glasses on the person in the painting. I have always loved these glasses from the 50’s. I said “person” because she could be a woman or could be a drag queen. It just depends on how you see her. I love how paintings have their own intentions.
Queen of the Ball
One of the paintings that sold at the party is Eternal Love. Both paintings had to have emergency photos taken at the print shop. The turn around was too quick to have Dorka take the photos.
Eternal Love
These two happy campers are pushing up daisies. The semi-transparent butterflies are emissaries between worlds. I painted this with my husband, David in mind.
I hope that 2012 is starting off fabulously wonderful for y’all.
2012 has started off ridiculously wonderful for everyone I have talked to. My sister-in-law is a brand new citizen of the United States. My daughters both got great LSAT scores. Katy got two job offers and free health care. I hope that 2012 is going the same for you. This will be one of the few times that I might have trouble keeping the blog short and sweet.
The opening of Gator Girl art was a ginormous success. I wanted a reverse retirement party. I wanted to feel viable in the world of art. I believe that celebrations and rituals are important. The act of ritual begins or ends something. I am going to tell you what worked, so you can have your own celebration of whatever you want to begin.
My sister and her boyfriend came from California to New Orleans to help. My brother coincidentally flew from Argentina for a job out of Houma the day before. So already it was amazing. We went to the Green Project to find some reclaimed wood to make frames for 3 of the paintings.
Angie, Jan and me looking at a shutter frame.Framing in my pajamas. An artist perk.Framed Gator in Entry
The above picture is of the entry table. On the right is my bio and artist statement. I put postcards by each painting that talk about the subject. On the piece of wood, sitting on a tiny easel, is a statement saying that 10% of all proceeds from the sale of Gator Girl Art goes to rebuilding parks and green spaces in New Orleans. Next to that is a bamboo box with my business cards. On a pink clipboard is a sign-in sheet for names and emails. Last but not least, is the painting Laughing Out Loud, framed in water-damaged, reclaimed wood. I am happy to say that this gator has a new home in New Orleans. I think it is important to have original art available for sale, so I learned from Shiloh Sophia to offer my original paintings for 1/3 down and you can take it home and pay $100 a month. I like the energy that comes with original art.
We had red beans and rice, seafood gumbo, drinks, king cake and chocolate chip cookies. I bought this really cool cheddar cheese that had sage running through it and made it look like an alligator. There was more food, but this is what I would serve again.
I am working on a new painting to donate to the Pussy Footer’s Ball. I am having so much fun painting it. I will show you very soon, because I am working on a deadline.
Waiting for Dinner, another piece we framedWere You There
I am including Were You There to show how important placement is. I didn’t like this painting as much before I put it up over the fireplace on a light-colored wall. I really like it now. I am going to frame most or all the art that I still have since the launch. I like how the frames look and I think people here, versus people in California like and maybe expect a frame.
That is all for now. I hope if you are celebrating something in your life that you would like to share with the world, this was helpful. If you came to my opening, thank you so much for supporting me. If you are following my blog, it warms my heart.
This is the painting that I gave you a sneak preview of a couple of weeks back. Her dreams kept multiplying and her basket is over-full with eggs ready to be counted. The little chick and the mamas are looking on. The theme is abundance. She is wearing a tiara but is unaware of her Goddess-ness. She is humble and hopeful.
Humble and hopeful is how I am starting the New Year… as well as grateful. I hope all the best to all ya’ll in 2012.
This is a very happy day for teachers and people related to teachers, the holiday begins! Good morning and Happy Saturday. The fabulous Dorka of Dorka Photography took my most recent pictures. I hear that they are in the mail at this moment. I will be able to share what I have been painting right after Christmas.
Today, I just finished embellishing some chairs. When I washed the 50 years of dinner guest magic off of them, the finish came off, too. I am thinking the previous owner, who has passed on, is thrilled with their reincarnation. I can still feel her lovely spirit when I look at them.
I painted this chair eggplant purple. I thought an elephant would fit perfectly into the scroll top of the chair. I had this purple and gold material from making my daughter, Angie, some pants to wear in Turkey. One good thing about creating what you love is you have the materials around because you love them. I also had exactly enough gold fringe.
Ganesh Chair
The next chair I embellished is a little Frieda Kahlo altar. Miss Freida has been my main inspiration for my painting. I love her work and I also love her drive and determination to continue painting even when in great emotional and physical pain. If you have had relationships with other human beings, you can understand her emotional pain, but she was also hit by a bus!
Frieda Chair
Mini Mags helped me with this next chair. I painted the chair blue and put the cool material on it. Then I painted lips and mustaches on the chair back. I didn’t like it and painted the mustaches away with my trusty white paint. Maggie and I decided on black and pinkish. (She always says pink.) While I was explaining that we needed to do something that would go with the material, she walked over to my shelves and picked up 3 clay pieces that my sister, Jan, just sent to me in our Christmas box. I didn’t even know MMMM looked on the shelves. They were perfect. Now I love the chair.
Hurricane Chair
For this last chair, I picked the paint first. I love green. Then I decided on a subtle Mardi Gras theme. My sister sent me a clay fleur de lis that looked great. Then I put a trading card that Jan also made for me on the top. It has her moto on the card, “Wherever you stand, be the soul of that place–Rumi“. On the card is also my King Gator, who is saying, “Wager it all”. This chair to me is New Orleans, but also my sister. Green is her favorite color, too.
Mardi Gras Chair
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Until next week, sending you all of my love with an unreasonably open heart, Gator Girl
I painted light and dark areas, blending into the medium areas. I didn’t worry if the lights were too light or that I can still see the words loving and loyal.
Brook #3
A little more finished here, but looking too sad in her eye and pale.
#4
Here she is almost done. I like the light in her eye, but her tongue is too large and the light on her nose is too white. I painted white over some of her tongue and blended it into the background to sort of start over.
Brook Finished
After this picture, I just did a little touch up like they do with models and made the space where there is no tooth a little smaller. I think she was a little vain and would appreciate the illusion of better teeth.
Gator Girl Art 