Pussyfooters – Page 2 – Gator Girl Art

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Mardi Gras and a Gator

Posted on February 26, 2014 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all,

We are in the full swing of Mardi Gras come rain or come shine.

Day 2 Mardi Gras, last weekend — Saturday, February 22nd, 2014

Last Saturday, the weather was beautiful, the crowds were there, but in a gentler, roomier way.

It rained all night.

Sunday, started out muddy and fun. Then the deluge. Only the hardcore monsters of Mardi Gras stuck it out.

Pussyfooters put on a happy face.

I am working on a new painting called Gator in the Hen House. It could symbolize government corruption. I really wanted to paint it because chickens can be so colorful. I wanted a challenge. This painting is pushing me to experiment with proportions, movement and design. I am just going to take my time.

So far, it is only acrylic paint.

My plan is to add some ink behind the chicken wire for depth and color. Then, chicken wire made with medium gel gloss using rabbit wire as a stencil. I want to add paint to molding paste and put some of the feathers on with a palette knife. Finally, many more layers of paint.

All of this will occur after Mardi Gras.

I am already liking the Gator’s swashbuckling attitude.

That’s what’s happening in my neighborhood. What’s going on in yours?

Happy Mardi Gras,

In abundant love,

Gator Girl

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Women of Mardi Gras

Posted on February 18, 2014 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

The Carnival season is upon us. Do you know how the longer you are in a situation, the more you see?… like the unfolding of a map. I feel like I am understanding Mardi Gras a little more this year.

I just noticed that many women are in more than one parading group. What bad ass women. I have never been much of an athlete and this would require that kind of energy.

There are many women’s troupes. I will only touch of a few. Give you a taste of what you might not know.

Of course the Pussyfooters.

“First and foremost, it is said that Pussyfooters are on this earth to raise the consciousness of all women everywhere. Sisters from the Mothership work to support and empower women globally and locally. We honor our imperfections and dance out of love and non-judgement. We are–each and everyone of us–shiny diamonds.” —Camille Baldassar, founder.

The Pussyfooters raised $34,000 for Metropolitan Center for Women and Children this year.

The Bearded Oysters. The Bearded Oysters is an organization devoted to sisterhood, fun, art, and personal growth. Over 700 women.

The Muff-a-lottas are a dance troupe filled with New Orleans ladies ready to strut their Muff Stuff down the nearest parade route.

Cosmonaughties are Celestial bodies in motion! The Star-Steppin’ Cosmonaughties are the official dance team of Krewe de Lune. Born during the 2011 Carnival season, the Cosmonaughties have been rocking their unique, fun style in Mardi Gras parades and events year-round ever since.

I am hella excited about the Glambeaux‘s debut this year. Talk about bad ass. Flambeauxs are heavy. These flambeauxs are a hiking backpack’s frame supporting a propane tank fueling 4 burners on top of a pole.

Historically, the flambeaux was carried on the parade route to illuminate an otherwise dark street. Historically, carried by a man. It is customary to tip the flambeaux carrier. The Glambeaux donate their tips to Woman with a Vision.

14 days until Mardi Gras! The parades have already started.

Love to y’all!

Gator Girl

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Walking to New Orleans

Posted on January 28, 2014 by gatorgirlart

Good morning all y’all!

New to me stuff going on in New Orleans. The schools, government offices and many other businesses are closed for two days because of a storm coming in. The grocery and Red Box were crowded with people yesterday, like before a hurricane. The low tonight will be 27. It is 36 as I write this. The roads will be icy. Some bridges will be closed. For this transplanted me, this preparedness seems over the top. Maybe I will be educated.

The Blush Ball was last Saturday. There is a great video on Facebook of our dance, but I can’t get it to transfer out of Facebook. At least you can see our costumes and our awesomeness. We raised $30,000 for the Metropolitan Center of Women and Children.

That is me in the very middle in a short pink, curly wig.

Walking to New Orleans, because I have been thinking about alligators and skyline.

I have a nice old frame that I acquired at an estate sale. My sweet darlin’ cut a piece of wood to fit in the frame. It measures 15.5 x 28 inches. Usually, when I do a background, I start haphazardly, intention mixed with wild abandon. Most of it gets covered up. This time, I thought it would be cool to paint the land and sky the same colors. I started painting land and sky (with intention and abandon).

I cut out maps, music, and decorative paper for the buildings and paper that looks like French writing for the foliage. I outlined the skyline in black paint and painted a much finer line around the buildings.

I am waiting for Golden self-leveling gel to arrive in the mail. It will be shiny and totally protect the paper. I think people will be drawn to touch the buildings, so I want to protect them.

The Chinese New Year begins this Friday. The year of the horse. Symbolically, I plan to dust the house before then. I like to take a small part of another culture’s ritual and make it my own. Especially, if many cultures share the same ritual.

“Horse year is a time of fast victories, unexpected adventures, and surprising romance. Energy is high and production is rewarded. We’Moon 2014

Looking at the rain. Shaking my head. I believe we will be open again on Thursday.

Last but not least, our own Fats Domino.

Love you all,

Gator Girl

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Here Come the Girls

Posted on November 6, 2013November 6, 2013 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

Here is some music to listen to as you read my blog this morning. I love this song.

Here Come the Girls is one of the songs we march to during Carnival. Sometimes, my sweet darlin’ acts as a Pussy Handler and sweeps the beads off of the street, straddles horse poop, and holds the crowds back. He says the parade watchers see us coming and start shouting, “The Pussyfooters are coming!”. This is a rather fantastic explanation. Even hard for me to believe. The entirety of this explanation is the motivation for my painting. And I just wanted to say, “Pussy Handler”.

The Blush Ball is put on by the Pussyfooters. We are raising $30,000 this year for the Metropolitan Center for Women and Children. I am donating the original painting to the raffle.

I always donate when asked. I usually donate prints and giclee’s. For tax purposes, you can only write off the painting supplies that you used. Time and talent are not considered. Crazy. For the Ball, I am making an exception.

Writing the blog this morning is clearing something up for me. In the beginning of October, I decided I wanted to take my art to a festival or two. This idea and the following actions threw me into a head spin. I am starting to recover. I made jewelry with images of my paintings. I ordered extra prints, many extra prints, and some giclee’s. My inventory was starting to overwhelm me. I started to lose faith. I went into a mind cave.

Danielle Laporte whispered to me through my Kindle, “You’ve never been where you are going. You’ll figure it out. You’re the only one who can.”

Crawling out, I see the light. I am back on my path.

Here are the finished flags for my booth. My supportive sister sewed them together.

Putting one foot in front of the other.

Thanks for being here.

With unrelenting love,

Gator Girl

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That’s what friends are for.

Posted on October 2, 2013October 2, 2013 by gatorgirlart

Good Morning all y’all,

Hansen’s closed for the season yesterday. The last snoball of 2013 feels like a passage. It is walking through a doorway from Summer to Fall.

Saying good-bye to summer is bitter-sweet. The light is softer. The air is cooling down.

Things are picking up. Everyone is discussing Halloween costumes. Halloween costumes are either put together at a costume shop, ETSY shops, or are handmade. That is one reason when October 1 rolls around, you have to be on it.

My talented and beautiful friend, Mimi, made her family’s costumes.

The list of festivities grows. Now we have to choose, because there are choices.

Pussyfooter practice starts in October with mandatory attendance. We all look toward the Carnival season with anticipation.

You can feel the Saints victories as palatable, like a physical happiness in the air we breathe… breathe in 4, breathe out 0.

Everything seems possible.

Today, I am sharing the completion of Friends.

The frame is old. I bought it at the estate sale of an artist. Accidentally, the colors of the pelican and the colors of the frame are amazing together. I painted this on a board cut to fit inside this frame. Maybe the color matching was subconscious, but I gasped when I saw the painting in the frame.

There is only about a quarter-inch of the painting covered up by the frame. Unfortunately it covered up the cat tail along the side.

There is plenty of carbon black and bone black in the painting lest we forget the oil spill. The gold near the top is the hope we hold for the future.

I swear this will make you cry. (Just click on the blue sentence.)

In abundance and gratitude,

Holding hope for our future,

Gator Girl

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Girl Power

Posted on September 6, 2013September 6, 2013 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all,

While I am impatiently waiting for a delivery of art supplies, I started a fun painting.

I used a free-cycle canvas (the background was already on the canvas) and a photo of Maggie in California for inspiration. I made grid lines with chalk to get an idea of proportion.

I Googled “bubbles” to see how other people painted bubbles. I combined a couple of ideas.

This idea came from a one minute video that I found on You Tube. I went to Home Depot and bought some spray paint. I went to the grocery and bought some paper cups.

OK…

First, I cut the bottom off of the cups.

2. I sprayed a small amount of silver spray paint in the cup, aiming at one edge.

3. I took that same cup and ran the rim through some white acrylic paint. I used this to make a whiter edge.

4. I didn’t like the whiter edge and muted it with LuminArte’ paint. Now looking at the photos, I think the white edge makes it look more 3 D. I am going to add some white back in. I am also going to add some white highlights where the light is hitting. My highlights are too subtle.

5. I looked at photos of bubbles on Google as a reference and added some colors that were already in the painting. I used LuminArte’ because it is so delicate and luminous.

What is working for me:

the topic, Girl Power

the childhood symbols of bubbles, a marble circle, and hopscotch

the brilliant colors.

I want her hair more flow-y, add shoelaces, and darken some of her features, because the background is so dark.

Incase you are wondering what happened to the other cups…

Last weekend at Southern Decadence…

Decadence Parade with Paddy

It is so easy to make friends in New Orleans.

Until later,

with alligator kisses,

Gator Girl

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Mostly a cat costume

Posted on August 31, 2013 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

Happy 3 day weekend!

My intention is to be accepted as a vendor at The Bayou Boogaloo this May. I am working on a banner. Each letter will be on fabric measuring 8.5 x 11 inches, then sewn on a sturdier fabric, probably the weight of denim, so the letters will hang nicely. Lastly, embellished and strung like prayer flags.

10 flags.

GATOR GIRL ART. “Art” will be on one flag.

The space is 10 feet across. I am going to buy a 10 x 10 white easy-up.

The beginning of "G" — The beginning of “G”

I printed the G on material; but it is still in progress.

While I was playing with the banner, Maggie came by with some plans of her own. Literally.

We are all having a going away barbecue on Monday for some friends who are moving to Hawaii. Maggie wanted her cat to have a party outfit. (Sorry about the shadows.) Maggie chose the purple outfit, but in a different color.

Maggie did the cutting and sewed the grey ribbons on by hand.

Lacey was willing to wear the cape, but did not cooperate with the shoes.

I am working on two paintings. I need a little time with the turtle and pelican.

And I am waiting for supplies to complete my Pussyfooters painting. I ordered a brighter orange acrylic, some small brushes, and Liquitex paint pens. The Pussyfooters volunteer all year, but the season picks up speed in the fall. Practices start next week. I am Pussyfooting in Southern Decadence tomorrow. I haven’t been to their parade before, but it sounds like fun.

Until next time,

With unending love,

Gator Girl

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I call this style “Mine”.

Posted on August 10, 2013 by gatorgirlart

Good morning all y’all!

Glitter and Glam is complete. I think will paint a sequel that expresses the Pussyfooter party energy.

What I like about her the most is the use of real jewelry. Her necklace and earring were added after she was painted. The pearls are painted on and the jewel is from an earring. I sewed sequins on her dress. I ordered them from a majorette website, so they wouldn’t be the thin, flimsy kind. I definitely will sew on canvas again. What inspired me to paint this was this beautiful color, Old Holland Iridescent Carmin. I used this color throughout, adding white, orange, black, brown or whatever to change it up.

I framed “I am enough”. She is suspended with eye hooks and copper wire just inside the frame. My sister made the clay embellishments along the top.

My new painting is on wood. I put three coats of Gesso on the wood, two white coats and one black. If you skimp on the Gesso, it makes it harder to paint. Wood without Gesso, or not enough Gesso, grabs the paint and makes it difficult to spread and mix with other colors.

This painting is called, “That’s what friends are for.” I had the song running through my head while I was painting. Something like, “In good times and oil spills, I’ll be on your side forever more…”

If anyone can make the words flow with oil spill better, I would love to hear from you.

That's what friends are for. 4 or so hours in. — That’s what friends are for. 4 or so hours in.

FYI, there are thirty species of turtles, tortoises and terrapins in Louisiana. See, not just bugs.

Although we do have stinging caterpillars that drop out of trees making August even more enjoyable. They are deceivingly cute.

Maggie made this cool picture.

On the left is Paw Paw’s house. On the right is my more beautiful house (my words). In between is a river and Paw Paw in a kayak coming to see me. The window at the top left of my house is open, so I can watch him coming. I totally love this painting/ idea. Frida Kahlo lived in a similar style. Diego and Frida had separate houses with a walkway across. I am thinking that this would be an idea women would favor and men not so much. Maybe we should take a poll.

Wishing you all a happy day.

love,

Gator Girl

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Baby, I got this.

Posted on July 26, 2013 by gatorgirlart

Hi All y’all,

Writing to you from the deep south in the deep summer, and loving it. My mother-in-law grew up here without air conditioning. I’m not sure I would be loving that.

The angel put on a white button up shirt. The painting is called, “Baby, I got this.” So please don’t worry about your problems. They are being handled on an angelic plane.

The angel is standing in the midst of many easily handled problems.

Note: In the south, “baby” is a term of endearment, containing no disrespect.

I started a painting of a Pussyfooter to give to the Blush Ball this year. Last year they raised 22,000 for the Metropolitan Center for Women and Children.

The painting is about half done.

A wig that I saw at Fifi Mahony’s in the French Quarter was my inspiration.

I am thinking about sewing sequins on her dress.

She is going to have lots of sparkle,

but first I need to love her and she is not quite there.

I am sure she is going to say something meaningful. We Pussyfooters are not just glam and sparkle. 🙂

I was the guest speaker on the Cosmic Cowgirl phone call last night. The Cowgirls asked me to tell my story, how I went from teaching children in California to New Orleans artist. It made me remember how dreams materialize. Seriously, it is pretty magical how things work out.

Maybe I will share my story with all y’all next week.

Wishing you happily ever after,

Gator Girl

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Justice in Progress

Posted on January 19, 2013January 19, 2013 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

Carnival is upon us. 7 days until I sashay down St. Charles with the Pussyfooters. I am so lucky to be a part of this fabulous group of women.

Today, I am sharing a process. I painted this on Bristol paper. It was a little frustrating for me because I usually paint, paint again, paint over… I had to be a little more gentle with the paper. There are aspects that I like, and things I want to change.

I am painting a version of this same idea on a canvas.

What I wanted originally were hearts. It is a painting about love and our justice system. The new painting is making me happy with so many hearts. You might not see any hearts in the completed painting. It is important that they are there. I especially like the heart that the two women make with their bodies.

I found this quote, “The moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” —Theodore Parker. Mr. Parker was an abolitionist who lived and died in the 19th century. I think he would be honored to be a proponent of marriage equality.

I will somehow put his quote on the painting. Right now, I am imagining it written on the arc of the rainbow.

I just wanted to check in. I don’t like to miss a week.

Next time I post, it will be my vision board for 2013. Miss Maggie is helping me with it. Her words are perfect.

With abundant love,

Gator Girl