Mixed media – Gator Girl Art

Not Going to Reverse Paint After All

Posted on March 30, 2023 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

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Skeptical of Bird’s Advice

Posted on December 12, 2022 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

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Playing with Ink

Posted on February 9, 2021February 9, 2021 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

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Zèle NOLA Move In!

Posted on August 18, 2016 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

Gator Girl Art moved into Zèle NOLA yesterday! It is on Magazine Street, the block between Community Coffee and Starbucks.

Zèle is the first of its kind in the New Orleans area. It’s not a co-op or a flea market. Zèle is a Multivendor Art Market. NOLA has several outdoor art markets offered monthly, but we do not have any permanent indoor markets where our local artists can display and have their extraordinary work sold for them.
This is exactly what Zèle offers, a place for and by NOLA’s own!

My 8 by 8 foot wall!

Let me know if you stop by. 🙂

Gratefully yours,

Gator Girl

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This Weekend on Royal Street

Posted on August 12, 2016August 12, 2016 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

This weekend Lulu White and NOT FOR SALE will be at the gallery at 1901 Royal Street for Dirty Linen Night. I will be there, too!

My friend, Christine from Two Chicks Walking Tours is the best tour guide. You can listen to her being interviewed about the Garden District.

Tales of the New Orleans Garden District

That’s all folks!

Gator Girl

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Distraction

Posted on December 8, 2014December 8, 2014 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

Welcome to super busy December.

Jingle Parade 2014, photo by Karen Ocker

The Jingle Parade is super fun. You can tell by how many Pussyfooter’s wanted to do it. Mr. Bingle is the snowman in the middle.

Mr. Bingle is famous in New Orleans.

Among many distractions, I finished “Distraction”, my first duo painting. The women are in a coffee shop at different tables. One woman is distracted by the humming-bird hovering over the flowers in the second woman’s hair.

Distracted

I just entered them in a mixed media competition.

I used a ton of mixed media… acrylic paint, Silks Acrylic Paint, foil, paper, lace, thread, gesso, matte gel, Gilders Paste, charcoal pencil, varnish on reclaimed cabinet doors. The competition is to tell a story with your painting. Click on the logo if you want to enter.

Here are close-ups of my favorite parts. I had this lace collar since I was maybe 12. It has been in my sewing basket for more than 40 years. I trimmed it and inserted it into her sweater using matte gel.

I painted embossed paper. Then I top-stitched it on my sewing machine. Sewing on paper is one of my all time favorite activities.

It is also a great way to mount children’s art on construction paper to make a quick frame.

The hummingbird has pieces of gold and blue foil applied with matte gel. I painted over the foil about 50% to push the foil back and make it seem more part of the bird. I painted several coats of Acrylic Silks over the humming-bird.

Now, the picture of the day. I think this would be a great cover for a coffee table book.

Pussyfooter eating cereal the morning after. Clearly not ready for the party to be over — Pussyfooter the next morning eating cereal. Clearly not ready for the party to be over.

My goal in Spark this month is to paint. The other two things I am balancing December with are getting out and enjoying New Orleans and celebrating a bit of Christmas in our house every day. Balance is sometimes difficult and Spark helps.

Spreading Christmas Joy,

Gator Girl

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Amy, Rene, a sheep, a goat and Justice for All!

Posted on October 14, 2014 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

This crazy cool thing happened this week.

Let me back track.

In February 2013 I painted Justice in honor of marriage equality. I felt strongly that these two women existed out in the world. I put it out there over and over, “Does anyone know a couple that looks like this painting?” I offered a print in exchange for a photo.

Here they are.

I saw this photo and thought, “Wow! Except for the blonde hair this is them!”.

Rene (short for Irene) said, “How did you know Amy’s original hair color is red?”.

Seriously, how cool is this?

For an added bonus…

The quote that I have on my painting is, “The moral arc of the universe bends towards justice”- Theodore Parker. We see this is true when we watch state after state passing marriage equality laws. The full title of the painting is And Justice for All. Kind of gives me chills.

Loving the world,

Gator Girl

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Power Tools

Posted on October 9, 2014 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

It has been a while. I think I had a virus. I hope you are doing well. I am much better.

October is the beginning of the time of year when we have to start choosing activities. Things begin to over-lap… This weekend we are choosing the Louisiana Seafood Festival in City Park.

I embellished another Expecting Grace. This one I am donating to an auction to raise money for St. Andrew’s Village in Abita Springs, Louisiana.

It is much easier to make something to sell or give away. When someone has pre-ordered, I always worry if they will like it. This one has nice depth and texture. I felt bold with the colors. So far, I am not tired of Grace. I love to spend a couple of days with her.

I am taking a little jump-start class with Cosmic Cowgirls, called Spark. We make a plan for the month. It is something we want to accomplish that takes 10 or 15 minutes a day. They offer it every month, but I haven’t signed up for about a year. My goal in October is to live my art. With a side note of using power tools. I have a habit of waiting until I can ask my sweet darlin’ to hang pictures, drill holes, cut wood… I am perusing my house, moving paintings, and using power tools to build and improve things. It has been a physical 8 days.

I made this frame from wood I bought at the salvage place.

Those mitered corners are hard. I think I did a good job.

I am re-visiting Magnolia. I hope I will be happy with her soon.

She looks much more alive. I am going to bring her hair forward over her ears a little and add magnolia earrings. I cropped and resized the two magnolia flowers on the left and printed them on paper to make her earrings.

More power tool use…

Cabinet doors prior to sanding. — Cabinet doors before sanding.

I wish I took a photo of the doors when I brought them home. They looked like they had sat in dirt of years. I washed them outside with dish soap and a sponge. Then I put them in the bathtub for a day soaking in Charlie Soap and washing them over and over.

I sanded them with my Craftsman Mouse Sander. The sandpaper is peel and stick. The sander has a little nose that gets into corners. I am going to paint on the panels. I plan on them hanging together. Maybe a woman and her flowers or a woman looking at another woman. I don’t know yet.

Wishing you abundance and joy,

Gator Girl

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Life in Progress

Posted on March 25, 2014March 25, 2014 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

I have a to do list as long as my arm, but my studio is quiet and here I am.

Just a little update today.

Company is coming to New Orleans in waves. And why not? New Orleans in the Spring is the best.

Raffi is beginning a large painting of his pets. He wants it to go with his 3-year-old painting of his family.

I gave him some student quality paints for the first layer. Besides the color, the paints themselves look drab. I ordered him some Liquitex paints for the next layers. They aren’t Golden, but they are nice.

My Gator in the Hen House is still in progress. I have spent many hours on this. I will continue to paint it until I am happy with every inch.

Gator in the Hen House, still in progress

This is why I am a little late with my list today.

This is super fun. I have painted the darks. I think her hair will be full of fun stuff. Maybe butterflies, bugs, a bird? I don’t know yet.

She seems to welcome Spring.

Maggie lost her tooth. Too cute.

Gotta run.

Until next week my loves,

Gator Girl

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You Stole My Heart

Posted on December 20, 2013 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

The holidays are here. Soon to say good-bye to 2013.

I have been thinking back on the year. It was a good year for me. I tried to work hard. Be kind. Practice gratitude. My sweet darlin’ aways says that you can only control your own attitude and effort. I tried.

On my vision board from last year I see that NOLA Groundswell is now a non-profit business. That’s it so far. I applied for a few grants, but I think money is a little tight. No grants yet. I do love Maggie’s input…Good Luck, celebrations and love. My word for the year was VISIBLE. I am heading in that direction.

My last painting for 2013 is competed.

I wanted to paint the love between a mother and daughter. I like the words because they can be spoken by either person. I used a few of my favorite icons… the blue bird of happiness, the home, daisies and a sun. I like the fanciful childlike renderings.

I have some Shasta daisies in my front yard that I planted 30 years ago in Sacramento at our first home. Every time we moved I divided a few plants and moved them with us. 5 moves. I think that is why I put daisies in so many of my paintings.

The sky and the sun are tissue paper, decroative paper and paint. The words are chip board that I painted white.

I hope you like it.

I am off to visit the in-laws in California.

Have you been thinking about your 2013? I would love to hear.

In hopeful anticipation of 2014,

love,

Gator Girl