Tag: New Orleans

Posted in Uncategorized

Lil Wayne

Posted on by gatorgirlart

Good morning all y’all!

A Lil Wayne painting was a request from my lil daughter. He was fun to paint. I nailed the dreadlocks. I was anxious to get the face tattoos right, but then I didn’t have to worry because I wasn’t selling him.

Lil Wayne has a “C” tattooed above his eyes for his mom. I changed it to a “D” for Dom. I put a heart with mom on his forehead instead of signing the painting.

Anyway, I had a lot of fun and she loved her gift.

I normally would have chosen a black background to accentuate his dreads. I started covering the back with what was on my brush and I love the color. His teeth were ordered from Amazon and applied one by one with clear Gorilla Glue.

The painting is large, 30×40 inches. It is going in their music room.

Thank you for reading and I hope you have a happy 2025,

Gator Girl

Posted in stained glass

Rainbow Crow

Posted on by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

I have been doing more stained glass than painting. Stained glass has taken a priority because it takes me so long to finish a piece. I chose a pattern that someone else designed with a lot of curvy feathers. A little beyond my experience. The main thing I learned while doing this piece is that foil takes up more room than you think. I need to cut the individual pieces even smaller next time.

I made the pattern about 50% larger than the original pattern. I did this mainly because small pieces are hard to hold. The inside pieces are foil wrapped and soldered. I put lead came around the outside edge. I had never used lead came before, so I was worried. Adding the came turned out better than expected. Rainbow Crow was a ton of practice and I do love her now, so all good.

I am closing my etsy shop for a while. When I come back, I plan to sell only originals. We are leaving home more and more often camping or escaping this city for a different city. It makes it hard to fill orders. If you want something special, just message me.

Thanks for reading and following my art journey.

Vote like someone’s marriage, life, planet depends on it.

Love to you and yours,

Gator Girl

Posted in Uncategorized

I’m Back.

Posted on by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

I haven’t painted much lately. I have been working in the yard and out in the workshop. I have been learning stained glass. Mostly by YouTube videos and trial and error. Sometimes I phone a friend. There is definitely a learning curve. Also, if you are considering making stained glass, it is expensive, especially to start up. The learning has mostly been OK. I can see the light at the end of the journey. I feel, just like painting, it comes down to the hours of practice.

With my first piece I bought a pattern on Etsy. I wanted to learn circles and have it look mid century to go with my living room. The edges are tinned.

My second piece is part of my painting, Heading North. I made the pattern. It got a little wonky, but I persevered. I put a zinc frame on this one.

I bought a pattern for my next piece. It is going to be a crow. I am using the small bits that are cut off to make a mosaic along the side of my porch. Because I have a contrary neighbor, I am going to mosaic some stealth protection symbols along the side of the porch. It makes me feel like I am addressing the problem without addressing the problem. lol

I am painting again. I am totally in love with the painting currently on my easel. I am toying with the idea of only selling originals and giving up the print business.

Nova Colors

Anyway, that’s what’s going on over here right now. I feel like Nero fiddling while Rome burned. Boy the world feels small. I also feel hopeful for the future.

Remember to vote like your life depends on it. Somebody’s does.

Gator Girl

Posted in Mermaids

Taking Up Space

Posted on by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

I am excited about this painting. I feel like it is gorgeous in the way The Kiss is gorgeous. I have carried this frame all around the country for more than 20 years. I think my mom picked it up in an estate sale. It seems very old.

One of the reasons that the painting turned out well is because I planned the painting. I know, wild, right?

I chose thin plywood, painted on 2 coats of black gesso, then marked the solder lines with chalk. I think this preplanning is key to the painting’s success.

The second reason I believe it turned out well is some kind of painting magic. I have had this painting in my head for a while. I knew I wanted her arms and hands out stretched. I wanted her strong with a few visible muscles and not super thin. The colors were important.

The magic part seemed to happen with the colors in her tail. They kind of painted themselves. I like how her hair floats with a tiny suggestion of light and a few bubbles.

Well, that is a lot of description.

Not the best photographs, but trust me.

I put words on the painting under her outstretched arms, “Take Up Space”. It’s a message to women who were never taught that it is OK to take up space. It is necessary to consciously think about this if it seems hard to do. Do you step to the side when people pass you on the sidewalk or is it mutual respect? Do you become small in a group?

This painting was fun. I have loved this frame for quite a while.

Take care. Remember to vote.

Gator Girl

Posted in alligators

Take My Picture!

Posted on by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

I was going to paint Maw Maw Gator years ago. Then, Paw Paw Gator went to my brother. He had an uncanny ability to recognize family in my paintings.

This is Paw Paw. That’s Southern for grandpa.

Since Paw Paw was in the wind, Maw Maw was placed on hold. Also, the matriarch didn’t have to be complimentary to Paw Paw hanging on the wall.

Maw Maw is a little more flamboyant In contrast to Paw Paw’s Southern sensibilities.

(Kate for comparison. But don’t.)

I call this “Take My Picture”. She is wearing a knock off dress and hat that she saw Princess Kate wearing. It’s not fair to ask, “Who wore it better”, because Maw Maw’s is a copy. Her pearls are imitation. You can ask, “Who is more excited to show it off”. Valid question. Maw Maw has genuine pearls, but she thought these over-sized plastic pearls would be more fun. They are the kind you can pop together and pull apart. Remember those plastic wigs that kids had in the 1960’s? Forgive me. I digress.

These are the wigs I had. It would be a great memory, except that I have always had a gigantic head and they squeezed.

Trying to live with this insanely hot weather.

Concerned for the planet.

Love to all y’all.

Gator Girl

Posted in Uncategorized

Nutria, a swamp rat

Posted on by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

I was planning to paint a series of animals wearing glasses. I ended up liking the nutria without glasses. I feel like his orange teeth are enough. Also, he has too many problems to also deal with glasses.

Nutria are native to South America. They were sent to Louisiana (and lots of other places) as a way to monetize their pelts. As with other get rich schemes, people gave up on their nutria dream and released them into the bayous and swamps. Now they are an invasive species destroying our wetlands. If you kill a nutria (people like to say harvest) in Louisiana, you can get $6 for his tail. It is always open season. If you want to take a deep dive, there is lots of information about nutrias.

Here is a link to a short video.

I recommend the video, especially if you don’t have dinner plans.

I don’t know if any nutria have had a chance to eat watermelon, but I am sure they would like it. If I saw a nutria and had watermelon with me, I would definitely share.

Their teeth are orange because of a high concentration of iron in their tooth enamel.

Nutria Hat

Nutria Fur Fedora Hat for Sale in Brown

Stay cool,

Gator Girl

Posted in Winny the Boxer

Maharaja Booker

Posted on by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

The last (for a while) Winny the Boxer painting is finished. After the six paintings are photographed, I am putting them in an old 6 pane window that we took out of our house. I don’t have anywhere to hang the window in our house right now, so if you have been looking into ordering a large painting, hit me up.

Just like the other 5 paintings, she is painted on canvas paper and glued onto the background. I downloaded the background from Canva using their free service. I have to change the quality of the print in Photoshop because it is the free version on Canva. It is a fun program. If I were doing more of this style, I would definitely subscribe.

Have a great rest of your day!

Gator Girl

Posted in Winny the Boxer

2 More Winifreds

Posted on by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

We have been driving the US for a month, and I am home now. I guess I needed a lot of visual stimuli to feel like creating again. I have had a productive week of Winny art.

Amish Winny

I am doing a series of Boxers with photographs as part of the background. I love the look of the combined media. I am going to incorporate my own photos into my art in the near future. I am excited about it.

Mademoiselle Winny

I am pretty happy with the way her beret looks like cashmere.

One more Winny to go. I think it might be Whistler’s Boxer.

Love. best wishes, and believe in climate change,

Gator Girl

Posted in Uncategorized

Speakeasy Winny

Posted on by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

I think that I finished Speakeasy Winny. I won’t sell prints because I don’t have the rights to use the photo of the bartender. It was featured in The New Yorker, taken by Matthias Clamer, who seems quite famous.

I printed the background on Strathmore Canvas Paper. I painted Winny on a separate sheet of canvas paper. I cut out Winny and glued her to the surface. I’ve always liked photographs paired with paintings. The first time I saw this was 30 years ago in Perche No! in Chico, California. Sisko (David Sisk) was having a show. He sometimes used a photo as a billboard and painted the background or vice versa. I vividly remember showing my girls the paintings and talking about them. I think they were 2 and 4.

Speakeasy Winny is #2 of 6 paintings.

Singing those summertime blues,

Gator Girl Art