Birds Of A Different Sort

 

Trying to paint in a looser style.  So much harder than realism.

Chickadee  6x9 oil on hardboard



Kookaburra oil 9x12 Hardboard

Last Two Weeks of August's Paintings

 Last of August's Paintings! 

I'm going to start grouping my paintings by the month.  With trying to get back to a painting a day routine and starting of festival season I find that I don't post as I should.. 

Most of the paintings were done in just a few hours

 

Painting Again.. July 15th A Pair of Pelicans

 8x10 Oil.  A Pair of Pelicans

Spent a lovely morning painting these two.  I was a bit frazzled by the odd beaks, nothing like the short beaked birds I was used to painting.  The beaks make everything so different in regard to the head shape and body contour of the birds.

Painting Again.. The Beach Horse

 

9x12 Oil.  Took most of the day to finish.
    I'm so glad to be painting a bit more like I was years ago.  Also my eye for drawing is starting to come back a bit.  The drawing part on the canvas was done with a paint brush with a thin wash of burnt umber. 

Painting Again.. May 28th Its All Apples, Grapes, And Bananas

8x10 Oil.   Its All Apples, Grapes, And Bananas 

  This was a challenge!  An afternoon of painting and I'm quite pleased how this one came together.

Painting Again.. May 30th The Poppy

9x14  Oil The Poppy 

A bit out of order..  But what fun this was!

Painting Again.. July 11th. The Dolphin

8x10 oil  The Dolphin 
Started out to be only a value study.. But morphed into a very lovely painting.  Using only a warm blue, a cool blue, ivory back (also a cool blue), and cremnitz white.

Painting Again.. July 11th The Heron

 12x16 Oil The Heron
  (Another thing I forgot, to name my paintings.. Hahaha!)
Two days of second guessing myself..  The Heron was easy, but I need to reacquaint myself with painting reflections.  

Painting Again.. July 4th

 9x12 Oil  A still life from the online course..   I'm happily relearning some of the many things I have had painstakingly had just out of reach in my head.. Gosh the things we forget overtime.  This has not quite been like riding a bike.  I'm still wobbling around the corners a bit. 

Painting Again.. June 7th

  Feeling so much better about painting..
  Oil 12x16.. I had started this years ago and never got close to finishing.  I have put it on an 12x16 and repainted it to the finish.  I've enjoyed this painting so much because the bushes now feel better in my hands.  Also the paint mixing and value shifts were just coming along nicely.  

Painting Again.. June 7th

   8x10 oil still life.  Took about 3 hours.
  Finally I really enjoyed the painting of this still life!  Did not have to think to much about lost edges or values, I just painted!

Painting Again.. June 3rd

 Well the saga continues.  Mostly done using a pallet knife

  9x12 Oil still life.  Not my choice of subject, but decided to take an online course to get some mojo back.  Took about 5 hours to finish.  My drawing is soooo rusty.. But onward I go.

Painting Again.. May 17th

 11x14 Oil.. 2 days to complete.  I really hated the whole process.  I questioned myself the entire time about how hesitant my strokes were.  Just how awkward the painting came together.  Values just seemed to run together and I lost my lightest ones.  Remembering what I should have done after I already put the stroke and color to canvas.
  I should have picked an easier subject, smaller canvas perhaps too. But it is what it is.

Painting Again Timeline May 16th

 Yes I'm hooked..   Gesso arrived, pulled out some canvases, triple primed, and sanded.  Smooth as silk!

  Now I have something to really start painting on!  

Painting Again Time Line.. May 5th..

  Dug out my brushes, oil paints and canvases.. 
 Just canvas with to much tooth since my gesso was not the greatest after being stored for 12 years.  The rough texture was not to my liking at all. Though I was a bit surprised that I even remembered what is to my liking!

8x10 quickly done in about 4 hours.  Testing what I remember and what I need to practice.

Painting... Again! April 22nds Touch Up Started it All!

   Its been a long 12 years with not much painting, well if any painting at all.  Though I really never quit painting in my head, but never put it to canvas.  I started to focus on pottery during the toxic housing crisis because artful pottery that was functional sold well and one has to eat doesn't one?
  So.. a gallery in Sedona declined my work because I was splitting my art time between painting and potting.  I made the decision to go with the pottery and I was told by the gallery that I could not serve two masters, they were right.  It wasn't long before pottery took over my working life and painting fell to the wayside.   I didn't realize how much I have missed it until I again put brush to canvas!

This is the painting that started it all..  Years ago.. Far far away.. I painted this quick 8x10 still life as it was in front of me.  Meaning the right hand corner photo had all the things that should not have been put in artistically.  Soooo.. When I was going through some paintings in storage.. I thought, ugh I need to fix this.  Yep.. started me back on the painting road.

New Glazes!

 It took awhile to get glazes to match what I had at ^10.  But after a year of fiddling I finally got the beachy glazes in hand! 


 Of course photos don't due justice to the mugs.  But I'll get a few better ones posted.

 

Getting Ready To Turn Tests To Glazed Ware!

There are so many choices to make...  :)

Since going to cone 10 I have had to adjust all the glazes.
Its been a chore but well worth it.

 

After having shows canceled due to Milton...

   I've been showing my ware at Marco Island, FL. this year, since so many of my shows have been canceled due to hurricanes.   The trouble with shows canceled at the start of season means that there are not options to get into the bigger juried shows.  So.. I'll be applying to larger weekend shows next year but still plan on keeping the shows in Marco, since they mostly fall on Thursdays and Fridays.
  Here are a few pictures of some of the setups!

Milton Hurricane Update

 Due to Milton I've had to change venues. Hope to have dates and events locked in by the end of January.
   
               Please check back for future updates!

Been a while.. New Updates For Shows!

 Time to update the blog!

  It is now two years since the Ion hurricane and so many things have changed!  I hope that this year will find better attendance at the art shows now that things have settled down.  Though I'm still waiting on contractors to start repairs.. Ugh!

  I've been busy, throwing pots and making the wall hanging fish!  I will be taking orders outside of some of the show venues, so email me if you would like to have my artwork grace your home!

  Also... There will be a new website up for the pottery in the near future.  Just have to get all the details ironed out..

Sanibel is BACK!!  Last year the shows were held inside, but this year the shows will again be held outside.  I will be attending all the shows and I hope to see you all there!

On a different note...  I may be doing one Farmers Market in Estero off of Rte. 41.  So stay tuned and I'll let everyone know what I have decided to do, via this blog and email.

Sanibel Fl. Show in February 2024

 

Indoors at The Sanibel Community Center

It was an interesting show..  There were not many artists or people but those who did show up were delightful!
  I'll be at the Prominade in Bonita Springs  Feb 23, 24, 25th. 

Sanibel Show at the Community Center

 

Sanibel Show..11/24 & 11/25 at 9am till 4/30pm. One of the first festivals since hurricane Ion hit the Island.  While the Island has not recovered from the storm its nice to see that there are signs of revitalization,

Ready for shows 2023-

 Last year, do to the hurricane I didn't do many of the larger shows.  I do hope to have many other show dates to share this year.  Ready to go and I'm looking forward to the new season! 
  I will hope to attend more of the Promenade Shows this year as well as a few of the larger shows that Boulderbrook Art Shows puts on.
                            Will have dates soon!!

Cute Ceramic Wall Hangings And Shows for 2022-2023 Season

 Just a few of the many wall hangings that will be available for the 2022/23 show season!

Most of the early shows were canceled due to the hurricane Ion.  Though I did start showing closer to home at the Promenade.  I was present for every show That Richard of Boulderbrook put on at that site.  I hope to be at all of his shows this year as well.  Boulderbrook Art Show Dates

Crystals for pots- Testing

Crystals in glazing can be difficult, which is why I have avoided adding to my list of sale items.   But now after taking glaze courses from CMW.  I feel very confident about putting the glaze on pots.  This crystal test came out of the kiln today and I'm quite pleased.  The sharper snow flake crystals are my favorite style.  I have some of the test tiles in a vinegar bath now to see how much sharper and stunning the crystals will look when etched. 

Everyone Loves Dolphins!

 

These little sculptures have been fun to make and are just adorable on the wall.  You just have to smile.

Ceramic Wall Art With Dolphins

   I have quite a few wall hangings made of tropical fish.  The one animal I really wanted to put on a wall was a dolphin.  So here are the dolphins.. and I did get a bit off track cause I made quite a few trigger fish too!
   There is a quarter in the photo that shows just how big these are... A real nice size for accents.

Ceramic Decals Created From Scratch

   
  Exploring the ceramic decal. Not all glazes like the iron oxide, but I'm finding that a glaze higher in calcium carb seems to help the iron from burning out at higher temperatures. The plate was fired at ^04 and the decal still is very dark and I think I could fire to ^4 or ^6 and not loose to much the decals coloring.  Testing that premise soon.
  The printer is set to put the toner on heavily. Also the paper setting is for the thickest paper. The thick paper setting slows the printer and allows more toner to be applied to the paper.       I have a use in mind for the RIO decals.  I have been painting with underglaze on the clay and plan to fire the decals over the painting to get the gradations and darker areas. 

 The paper I use doesn't have a covercoat for the waterslide.  I actually add the covercoat to the printed paper by using a silkscreen. The covercoat is what makes the waterslide work.
   
   The decals will be placed over the underglaze painting giving the painting added depth.

Sea Turtle Underglaze Painting

 

A 12" plate where the painting is done with an underglaze.  Finally starting to get the feel of painting on the clay.  I have been trying to get the piece to have the feeling of an oil painting.  It is much harder than what I thought it would be.

Whale of An Underglaze

 

After missing two show seasons due to covid I'm gearing up to get back to shows and hope to have many 'clay paintings available.'

  Since I've had time to play in the clay and explore underglazes I hope to be able to soon be able to give the paintings the look feel of oils.  The process is nothing like what I do with oils on canvas, but I'm getting comfortable with how to blend and using strokes.  Mush more of a challenge.  

Final Glaze Tests... Finally!

 Last of the tests for these three glazes.  Yup.. going to put the glazes into production.  Now on to the other glazes I've been developing.  While I'm happy to just have blues and green teals.. Though some of my customers like other colors too.. Hmm why I don't k now.. 😇😇  But onto the reds and yellows. 

The Paradox of Choice- Yes, it does exist.

   Its a new year...  And hoping it will be a good new year for all.  

   My resolution... I'm going to glaze all the bisque in the studio this month.  I will pick at least 6 glazes from the hundreds of lovely glazes I have made and tested. I will add them to my studio glaze buckets.

Sounds easy, right? Hahaha, no!

Enter in "The Paradox of Choice":
     To pick only certain glazes from a host of really nice glazes creates indecision.  Indecision creates a mental tension and leads to an inability to chose.  The brain keeps one sane by avoiding the act of choosing a glaze to use.  Which leads to just not doing anything in regards to glazing.

So Now I must pick.

Choices.. Choices.. and pictured is only a tiny, tiny, sample of all the lovely glazes.
Yeah.. I'm in trouble already.. 

The Fake Phase Glaze

I have been on the hunt to develop dependable phase separated glazes.  That being said, a tiny chemical change to a glaze can alter the glaze to make it unique from the parent glaze.  So if you want to change from a copper blue to a cobalt blue the wonderful phase can disappear and you get a nice boring blue.  Also any number of other faults can show up.

After six months of testing, looking for phase separation and finding lots of really nice glazes..  I have finally found the glazes I am going to add to my studio.

Pictured below are just a few of the tests I have been working on.  The base glaze formula I have is really working well with producing phase.