New Orleans Art – Page 9

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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Accepting New Members

Posted on September 8, 2014 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all,

I am inspired by the Waterbeams Synchronized Swimming Group to paint my latest. It is called Accepting New Members.

Love,

Gator Girl

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Embellishing a Giclee’

Posted on August 26, 2014 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

I revisited an old friend this week. That’s what it seemed like when I worked on Expecting Grace again.

I enjoyed painting a giclee’ more than I thought I would. The same woman who bought the original of Feathered Friends asked me to embellish a giclee’ of Expecting Grace. She asked for bubble paper on the hair and pieces of paper in the background like the original.

We both looked for months for the same bubble paper. If I find it again, I will buy a ream. We settled for a similar paper, a little heavier, and not as bubbly. I used the tiny bit of the original paper that I had left over. On the paper background I put a tissue butterfly because the new owner is always going through huge changes brought on by extreme bravery. I added an old stamp from Israel and sheet music. You can’t see any of that any more. I like that it is there.

Embellishing Giclee' — Embellishing Giclee’

I can still tone down the background, but I like it bright today. It is not as white as it looks. It is more of a cream.

I am putting some necklaces in my Etsy store.

I cannot get a picture that looks clear. The necklaces are small prints (30 mm square/ 1.18 inches) of my art. 19/52 of the original paintings made into necklaces. I have been selling necklaces out of my studio and at festivals for $20. A few Pussyfooters have asked for them. This is why I decided to put them on-line. They are easy to put in a padded envelope and stick in the mail.

That’s what’s up this week.

See ya later (alligator),

Gator Girl

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Beading the Mardi Gras Indian

Posted on August 22, 2014 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

I started beading. It is taking longer than painting. I can see why it takes a year to make a costume. I started on the front of the headdress with sequins.

I like the seed beads better. Because they are smaller than the sequins, they are more forgiving. I think they look more traditionally Native American.

On the lower part of his suit I am going to bead a design with seed beads on another piece of material and attach it to the painting with gel medium. I like sewing directly on the canvas, but it is awkward and thick. I can’t sew on the bottom of the canvas because of the stretcher bars. Mardi Gras Indians usually sew the beads on a separate piece of material and attach it to their suit. By the end of this project, I will know what works best for me.

Raffi hasn’t started pre-school yet. While he was over here this week, he worked on his big painting. It is 30 x 40 inches. It is not finished yet. For sure he is going to put a little more paint on Lacy. When he is all finished, he will add goggly eyes.

Lacy is a cat that has a “tail like a raccoon”. Alberta is a Guinea pig. Kenobi is a mix of Great Dane, Lab and maybe Pitbull. The crawfish is John Jones Nixon. When Raffi finishes his painting, I will post photos of the animals.

Until next time.

With scaly love,

Gator Girl

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Back Street Museum

Posted on August 11, 2014 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

Welcome to the dog days of summer. It is hot in New Orleans in August.

I finished Magnolia. Magnolia is blending with the tree by the same name. If you look closely, she has little dots on her tissue crown and in the iris of her eyes, representing the seeds in the magnolia blossom. She is glistening a little from the August heat. She is in the middle of being framed in a dark green recycled screen door. I want to get a photo before I frame her. The magnificent Dorka is back in New Orleans and available to photograph this week!

I started a fun painting inspired by the Waterbeams and their advertisement for new members. I already like the woman on the right edging away from the blissful gator.

I am ready to bead the Mardi Gras Indian. I have some apprehension, because I don’t want to make a mistake. I looked at some photos my sweet darlin’ took on Super Sunday last Mardi Gras.

I looked at many photos on-line. I went to Jefferson Variety to buy gems, beads and talk to the helpful staff. The women showed me photos and told me what they knew about costuming. I talked to a Mardi Gras Indian buying sequins for her costume. She told me that Downtown Indians use more sequins and pin feathers and Uptown Indians used more beads, gems and plume feathers. Now I really didn’t want to blow it.

From there, I was directed to the Backstreet Cultural Museum. I looked at the costumes closely and took my time. It is OK to take pictures at the museum. Here are two. Notice on the first photo, there are sequins, beads and gems.

In this example, the scene is entirely beaded.

At the Backstreet Cultural Museum, I learned the only rule is to start fresh every year. You are not allowed to use part of last years costume.

In my painting, I am going to sew beads, sequins and gems on the parts of the costume that are pinkish red. I cannot sew on the very bottom because of the wood bracing in the back. I am not sure what I am doing there yet.

I have also been making necklaces of my art. I will share that next time.

I appreciate all your support. Thank you for reading my blog.

Ever grateful,

Gator Girl

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Too good not to share!

Posted on July 31, 2014 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

I just heard some great news when dropped off Shotgun Angel at the gallery for White Linen Night.

#1 It is a beautiful gallery in a great location. #2 Shotgun Angel gets to stay there for 6 weeks or until it sells, whichever comes first. #3 The Where Y’Art miracle women have it set up so that you can scan something by my painting and see my entire body of work on your phone… connecting the gallery to our on-line presence.

I am super excited. The energy in the gallery is amazing.

With buckets of love,

Gator Girl

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Some New Art

Posted on July 30, 2014July 30, 2014 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all,

I am happy to be home, but if I had more money I would jet-set around. It was fun going more places this summer. It will be quiet here for a while. The kiddos are on a train to California, my sweet darlin’ starts school next week and there are no visitors on the horizon.

Shotgun Angel will be at the M Gallery on Julia and Baronne for White Linen Night this Saturday.

I have been working on two paintings.

This is painted from a photo of my friend, Christine, of 2 Chicks Walking Tours. She is dressed up like her mother back in the day. I just love this picture and I love a cigarette.

I am not quite done with Magnolia.

I like how the girl is the same colors as the Magnolia flowers. I think she needs something more, like a crown so the middle flower doesn’t look like it is growing out of her head. Her eyes are a little deep-set.

My grand babies are on their way to visit their great-grandparents.

Until next time,

With unwavering love,

Gator Girl

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Joan of Arc

Posted on July 11, 2014 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

How is your summer going? We just got back from New York City. It was fabulous. We did the tourist things and were constantly amazed. This was the longest my sweet darlin’ and I have been away alone and not visiting friends or relatives ever. Prior to this trip, we have only been away for 2 nights.

Before we left, I spent an entire day with Joan of Arc.

The flames and the clouds are on the side of the canvas, too. It is a museum wrap and is 2 inches wide. I wanted to try it, because usually paint on 3/4 inch thick wrapped canvas. I still prefer the thin wrap.

I cut zebra/ glitter paper for the flames and painted on top. Next time, I would just paint flames.

I like the dress. It is linen from my grandmother’s old table-cloth. I put burlap on the shoulders like a shawl, didn’t like the burlap, and pulled it off. I like the texture the burlap made when I removed it.

I started writing on the back of my paintings. I put the size. I find often I have to look at my spread sheet or re-measure. The size is always a question.

I also write the name, date, a few notes (loyalty, courage, passion) and sign it. I will still sign the front after it is photographed.

I started buying canvas that has this structure on the back. I feel like the canvas won’t loosen up. It is like a wooden frame inside a wooden frame.

I found this piece of flour dis lis jewelry in my mom’s stuff. I wanted to incorporate it into the painting.

It physically fits perfectly on the cross of light. I think I like it better without.

My Katy is coming in tonight from California. We are driving to Destin, Florida tomorrow so Katy can see her Godmother and hang out on the beach with Maggie and Raffi. Florida is four hours away from New Orleans and the beaches are beautiful. Five us are squishing in the Prius. Good thing we like each other. Wish us luck with the driving and the sharks.

All of my best summer wishes for you!

Gator Girl

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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.)

My Etsy Store

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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)

My Etsy Store