Chocolate and Wonderland and On!

I had to go and check my blog to see what I had and hadn't posted, and found that I just hadn't posted. UGH! Well, I have actually gotten some art done, so let me hit that right now!

The first painting I completed for 2019 is one that I had been dragging my heels on for a while. I have been wanting to close out Alice for a long time, but I had a special collector who wanted two last pieces done. The biggie is Queen Alice:

Queen Alice, 18x24, acrylic on stretched canvas. (sold)

 And then a small little piece for her collection of the drink and cakes from Wonderland. Forgive the photo, I only snapped this one with my phone - I don't know why I didn't get a proper scan - but perhaps it was because I knew I wasn't going to offer prints of it or anything, and it was just quickly on its way to its owner:

Drink me/Eat me, 8x10, acrylic on stretched canvas

 The reason I found this one so hard was because in order for it to fit the collection, I needed to paint in my old style. But artists evolve, and I definitely have. Here is most of the Alice series I did (missing only a couple little pieces):

 My figures changed, my colors changed, etc. I didn't realize how MUCH until I was working on Queen Alice, and I just found it so hard to switch back. Still, I was happy to complete this series and leave Alice behind!

My next deadline was for a group show and the theme was "children's story reimagined". I chose the 12 Dancing Princesses. My take on it was that the princesses were often portrayed as unfeeling and awful creatures delighting in tricking everyone while they danced the night away. BUT... how happy and delighted would YOU be to be forced to dance every night, ALL night, until you had worn clean through your brand new dancing shoes?

People, there is no amount of coffee in the world that would help that situation. So, I painted five of them (because 12 in one painting looks more like a pile-up at a football game) quite exhausted, in the underground jeweled forest:

"After the Dance" 14x18, acrylic on stretched canvas. (sold, prints available)

I think it's clear that my Alice painting mind-set had a bit of influence over this piece. Somewhere in between my old style and my current one.

I then was free of obligations, having said no to commissions and such so I could clear the decks, my mind, whatever else, and just PAINT for a while. It was around Valentine's Day, so I painted some small chocolates:

"Chocolates and Strawberries" 4x6 inches, acrylic on canvas panel. Available

"Truffles" 4x6 inches, acrylic on canvas panel. Available

I knew from years past that I enjoy painting chocolate. It's so easy to make them look real (when they're square. The truffles were a nightmare.) However, I had such awful cravings! I ate boxes and boxes of strawberries after the top one. I also went out and bought a ton of clearance Valentine's Day chocolate to take my own reference photos (these were referenced from Pixabay.)

Do you know what multiple pounds of chocolate smells like under studio lights when you're snapping pictures? I think I gained five pounds just because of the aroma. Good grief!

Yeah, and then I ate them. *head*desk* Not helping me lose the 20lbs I have gained since I moved back to Vermont! Although, I feel like I could kinda get away with the strawberries. They're healthy! Oh sure, I know, I know... moderation is the key. *dramatic sigh*

I really liked painting the chocolates, and I have good reference photos, but I realized I'm kind of in the mood to do more still-lifes, so I bought some other produce and used some left over wine, and snapped a bunch of photos I plan on using soon as well. I've been thinking about that though.

While I am enjoying doing basic still-life paintings, I want to add a few elements that make them more *me*, and not just any old still-life. If you have any suggestions, let me know! At the moment, I'm contemplating small animals (Duckling? Bunny? I thought of a mouse, but people get freaked out by mice by food, so maybe not. Chipmunk, maybe?)

Lastly, this week I finished this piece:

"Tempus" 11x14, acrylic on gallery deep wooden panel

I started this piece while staying in a hotel room during a family crisis a year ago. I set it aside and occasionally worked on it, but I never had a good vision with it. Over the last week, I picked it back up again and finally settled on this. It's strange that I finished it a year later, and being able to reflect on my life then and now. I won't say everything is better, because it's not. Life is forever changed.

But I'm here. Time did pass. Things have changed. And that means something!

Moving forward, I'm hoping to start producing more. But then, that's always my goal! PAINT FASTER!!! And better. Always trying to improve my techniques! I need to switch back over into my oils, but I think I've been waiting on the warmer weather so I can have the windows open.

Oh, lastly, I turned 44 in February.

That's me, on my birthday, just like I do every year. Next year, if life is good to me and my family and they're healthy and I am too, I should be an "empty nester". It'll be an interesting phase in my life! Gotta get there first, though!

Off to paint! I think I'm in the mood for landscape experimentation at the moment!

Back to the Art-side

A long absence has certainly given me a lot to share, both personally and art-wise! I'm going to go a bit lighter today.

As it's December, I thought I would share my official 2016 Holiday painting (this is a different painting that I create each year with the intent to release as a holiday card for myself and others to order, etc.) I got my neighbor's daughter to be my model, and I actually think it turned out rather well:

"Sequor" (original is sold, prints and LE canvas prints available)
11x14 Oil on Canvas Panel

I was happy I completed this painting this year, as I sort of failed that goal last year what with only moving into the house in October and not being settled at all. This year, my studio is set-up very nicely. In fact, I recently was able to attend Art of the Carolinas for the first time ever! I didn't participate in any workshops, but the art supply trade show is a DREAM.

I was able to get my hands on all sorts of things at a huge discount. One of the people there told me that many artists save up all year and then do all their buying at the show. I can see why, and I'll likely start doing that myself. 

I was able to purchase HUGE canvas panels for the first time ever. I always had to order stuff in Vermont and the shipping was often the same or more than the panel, and the panel was pricey too so I never went for a big one! At the show I was able to get canvases over 60 inches for less than $60. If you know your canvas, you know that's a big savings! I was giddy at the trade show! I even got a new easel. It's an art supply wonderland for me!

My poor husband endured it pretty well. I figure it's payback for all that time spent in fishing stores, or in the home improvement stores when he's "just browsing" and I get to the point where I'm eyeing the stacks of plywood and thinking "I could nap on that, right? No one would notice..."

I was also able to paw through wood panels. I have started painting on these now and again. I'm kind of on the fence with them. The ones I had were plate-smooth and this actually made it hard to paint on. I felt like the paint was slipping off, and this surprised me because I often feel like I'm fighting the tooth of normal canvases. Still, I got this one to turn out when others had failed me (or I failed them):

"Sunset" 5x7x1" oil on cradled wooden panel, available

I found some gessoed panels at the show that actually had some texture to them, and I'm going to try them and see how they work. I like the idea of painting on wood, but I have a lot of canvas to use up if that's the way I go. I also, a few months ago, found gesso (Prima) that reduces the tooth without sanding and this was a huge find for me.

Let's see. More art that has happened, and has started me really thinking about my studio and my direction:

I painted "Dawn" on a black ground, and this was a new experience for me. One that I really liked, and intend to explore more. It took me longer than necessary because I was new to it, but here is a time-lapse I shot on my phone of the painting:

This is one of the paintings that has got me thinking about my studio and "voice" which I'll touch on in another post. Until then, here is more art from this year that I haven't shared:

I just finished "Ringmaster" on 12/1. I had to turn him around in about 24 hours. I'm pleased with how he turned out! He's another little one: 5x7" oil on canvas panel.

Envy, oil on 6x6 canvas panel (available)

I have been playing with abstracts again:

"Stardust" is a large piece at 24x36x1.5, acrylic/silver leafing/gems on stretched canvas (available)

"Lark" is 9x12, acrylic/gold leafing on stretched canvas (framed, 14x17, available)

Didn't name this one, but same dimensions and info except I used silver leafing (sold)

I've completed other paintings, but that's probably enough for now. And honestly, I haven't been creating a lot this year. I know I originally had this huge plan, but I will say that I failed that. I've been thinking a lot about why, but that is for yet another day!

Stuff!

I have mentioned before that I have hijacked my kitchen table for my art. We have a dining room table where everyone has been eating, but I feel really bad about having a kitchen table that no one ever actually eats at. The real problem is that my studio is too small. I have it in the spare bedroom, and it's approximately 8x8 feet.

Since my studio is a business, I have a lot of "stuff" and fitting it into that room is very hard. Oh, I can do it, but then I'll be sitting there and say to myself "I'd like to do a watercolor" or "I need to make prints of a painting, and I need to photograph it" and then suddenly my studio turns into this (and I'm totally embarrassed):

Under the black cloth is another huge stack of various sizes of blank canvases, and to the left of the shelving unit, close to the window is another one.

I have shelves in the closet, and they are filled to the brim when I put everything away, which is why when I take ANYTHING out, I have to take EVERYTHING out.

Drawing desk, covered in prints, cards, magnets and in-progress work

Normally every spot on the wall is covered with drying canvases, but I've been working on other things lately, and photographing work, (hence the studio lights being out.) That pillow on the floor is actually for my feet while I work at the easel, because I rest on the wood and... OW!

All my shipping and packing supplies are actually in the basement, so this is just studio stuff.

This is impossible to work in. Even when everything is organized, there is simply no room! However, I was recently inspired to take a good look at some of the furniture around my house and see if I can't repurpose some of it in my studio. The thought of adding another piece of furniture in there is enough to make my head hurt, but if it worked and created more space for me to actually work IN my studio instead of it being a storage unit, that would be a wonderful thing!

I have been through all of my supplies, and the truth is that I use all of it. Not all the time, but eventually I circle back to it and use it. I recently gave away my good colored pencils (a very expensive tin) to a student of mine, thinking that I didn't use them, and sure enough a couple months later I needed them. It was very frustrating. So, I know I cannot whittle down my supplies. Instead, I need to get smart about them. I need to figure out a way to store and access them without it turning into a TLC hoarders show waiting to happen.

Also, I need to be able to see what I have. So much inspiration can come from simply looking at a box of supplies, say pastels, and suddenly having the urge to make something wonderful with them. But if you never see them and remember that they're there? It's an opportunity lost.

Along that same line, I have things that make me happy. Things that we artists collect because they nurture our artist soul. The only one that's out and visible is my owl on a moon, hanging from the ceiling. Oh, and my purple sequined curtains that I took from my daughter's room when she decided she had grown out of them (who grows out of purple and glitter, I ask you!?!) My other little bits of lovelies are MIA. They're there... somewhere... I think.

So, I'm in full on processing mode. I'm trying to figure out how to make this work. How can I reclaim my studio space as my working space? How can I make it inviting, instead of feeling like I need to get out of it as soon as possible?

I have the urge to cover every square inch with shelving, but I don't think that's the answer. I'm trying to make do with what I have on hand. So, cross your fingers for me! Hopefully I'll have a nice new update to share soon!

Clean-Up

I've been doing a lot of thinking about my studio space lately. It's been amazing to see other artists' spaces, and then to take a second look at my own. My studio space used to be in the basement, but I found the darkness a dreary and draining sort of heaviness that I couldn't stand, no matter how many lights I brought in. So, I ended up moving my studio into one of the bedrooms upstairs.

It originally was my daughter's old bedroom, and it used to be two different shades of Pepto Bismal pink. I'm sure you can imagine my panic need to paint it something else as quickly as possible! It's a very small room (about 9' x 10' at best) and thus any color on the walls can be problematic when painting, because they can change the tones of what I'm working on. I went with something just a touch off-white, to try to avoid the color refraction problem. I cannot tell you the relief I experienced when the vibrant pink was finally covered up! However, this is now the only room in my house with white walls. I'm simply addicted to color, so it's strange to think that where I work is the most lacking in it. Still, it seemed the only solution.

With such a small space, I tend to "leak" into the other areas of the house. I had recently set up my studio table in the family room to accommodate both my need to feel less isolated, and also have access to the television (I simply love shows playing while I work. It's hard for me to sit still and watch anything without finding most television shows annoying, but I can paint through them and follow the stories just fine!) I also had shipments working off the dining room table, and other canvases and prints stacked in other areas. My poor family was tiptoeing around my work, which seemed to have exploded into almost every area of the house!

I reorganized and cleaned up this week, pulling my studio back into my studio space. I have to be constantly vigilant with my space due to its size, otherwise my small space becomes a disaster area! It's all clean, but I'm realizing how... cold it all feels.

This is on the door:

A friendly face to greeeeeet you!

Several years ago, I helped with an elementary production of Alice in Wonderland (before I ever started my current series). I created the Cheshire Cat costume by painting this on fabric (which took forever, having not painted on unprimed fabric before, it was a multi-layer process), and it went on one child's chest. The costume took three kids, all dressed in black. The second had a black cylinder spiraled with bright teal fur, the third had painted legs, fur and tail on them. We set them up in a dark area with a black light on them, and it allowed the Cheshire to come apart or go back together, and really turned out very cool! I kept his face when we were through, although I'm not sure why. I just kind of like him. As I develop my Cheshire for my series, I expect him to be VERY different, but this one will always be my first!

Looking through the door (you can see how Lily has grown!  compared with the photo below?) She's still rambunctious at 6 months old, but she immediately settles down the moment we set foot in my studio. She's my studio dog!

Puppy Lily! Just for reference. 

Art table, brought back up and set up to look out at the mountains (it's a bit dark this morning!)

Without drying racks (or space for one), I've been using my walls. I hang paintings over every spare inch of space (away from my easel, because of the splashing) and I think that I hadn't noticed how barren everything was because I had so many hanging for the Alice show. Since I released them for sale and shipped everything out, suddenly everything is stark once again and I realize I don't like it. 

When I had envisioned my studio, I always thought about collecting things that I enjoy around me, and that inspire. Yet, I didn't do that. I'm not sure why. Space is certainly an issue. I've already proven I can fill up an entire house with my space needs! So bringing it down to such a small space makes it tricky. Maybe if I put in shelves, I can start collecting stuff. I also have a collection of work from other artists and some friends that I'd like to put up, to have around me. I have purchased prints and such, but haven't hung any because I can't figure out how to pull that off. 

In my head, I have a lovely cottage in the woods, with flowers blooming in boxes out the windows which are swung open to let the light in. There are bits of things on shelves and tables, sparkly finds, and more. There is room for everything. Drying racks, a table for shipping, a supply room, a sink. Cabinets, and fluffy chairs. 

Ahhh, some day, perhaps! (If you post or have posted a picture of your studio/workspace, I'd love to see it!)

In other news I didn't get my Halloween painting finished because I was pulling my studio back together and out of the rest of the house, but I did finally start in on the boot! Working on the checkered squares, I think I learned something that will help me go forward in acrylic painting with more speed... I hope. 

Current progress on Halloween kittens painting. 

I layered and then walked away. When I came back hours later, I realized I loved the effect. This is important because I'm a mixer. I want to smooth everything out to get it to work, and layering feels choppy. Yet, with something like acrylics where the drying time is dramatically different from oils, mixing is simply asking for a migraine. I do it, but I know this is what is holding up my progress and costing me so much time. I like the way the checkers came out. If I can sort of adapt to layering and being OK with the choppy nature of it, I may finally be able to speed up my own process. Wouldn't that be grand?

 I hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween!

Moody

I've been working on trying to put my studio time into the week, like a normal job. The tricky thing about creating artwork is that sometimes it's just not up to me when I create it. Mood matters!

I suppose mood matters for everyone, but I can't imagine a doctor going to work and saying "You know, I just don't feel the whole heart transplant thing today. Maybe in a few weeks, or who knows? Maybe a good night's sleep and that'll do the trick! But hey, that appendectomy sounds like SO much fun, I must do one right now!" Not to say that painting is like surgery. Well, at least my painting isn't like surgery. There have been some that I've seen that I've wondered about...

Anyway, one of the tricky parts about running your own business is in knowing that you are most likely not going to work just 40 hours a week. Running any business usually means you're going to be working 80 hours a week or more. It's simply the nature of the beast. If you are in art, it feels like creativity swings on so many things that you simply can't predict it. Instead, you have to take advantage of it when it presents itself!

I've been working on my Alice in Wonderland series, slowly. I still have my painting of the White Rabbit on my easel, and I have full intentions of finishing it. However, there are just some days (sometimes many days) that the mood isn't right. If I force it, the painting takes twice as long and is often not up to the quality I want it to be. It's hard to admit, but sometimes the best creative choice is to walk away until another day.

The upside to all of that is that on those days I can sit down and work on the business-business side of my art business. Last week was tough on the creative front because my dad had to come over every day and use our Internet for his job because his new house wasn't set up with it yet. He didn't bother me at all, but there was something about being off routine and having another person who usually isn't there in my space. So, I ran numbers and created spreadsheets, and made sure all my accounting forms were completed (also known as "the extremely boring stuff".)

This coming week I am looking forward to having my house back to myself (since my studio is in my house, this is key!) I know I'm going to work on the white rabbit. I know it so well, I thought about going into my studio today, but something was just off. I thought about it for a while, and then I realized that the reason is that I have been feeling a lot of pull to do some Halloween and Autumn paintings! Everyone wants me to finish the rabbit painting, I do too, but deep down I'm really feeling drawn to the more seasonal ones!

So, that's what I sketched out today:

new Halloween painting all sketched out! It's 8" x 16", stretched canvas

It's a bit cutesy, but I like it. We'll see how it all comes together. I figure I'll be in between this Halloween painting and the white rabbit painting this week. All I need now is the right mood!

September, Start it up!

I'm so happy to have my children back in school. They may not say it out loud, but I'm pretty sure they're happier in school as well. They get to see all their friends every day, and I get more time in my studio!

I'm working hard on finishing my white rabbit painting (I'm calling it "I'm Late!") over the next week, and I'm going to be able to put up another time-lapse video of this from start to finish. I've also been considering doing some videos from my studio where I am actually in them. Me, talking... on camera. It looks like it will happen!

I've also been thrilled that I've been able to start working on my holiday paintings! I'm all about Halloween right now, but I'm even thinking ahead to the winter holidays! I love any excuse to paint fun holiday themed paintings!

I put up a collection of paintings at a shop in Montpelier, VT called Inspired Creations. The shop is owned by two artisans (potter and jewelry), and is only a few months old. I brought them 18 of my paintings up there, and a slew of prints, and I got to visit the area which I hadn't seen in a while. It really is such a cute town up there, but I admit I had a hard time resisting the idea that the Ben & Jerry's factory wasn't too far away. I think ice cream may be my very favorite treat!

I'm doing more work on my Fairy series as well, and since it's open ended I can visit it whenever I want! I finished this painting of mushroom townhouses:

"Townies" by Kyra Wilson, Acrylic on 6x6x0.75 stretched canvas $115 (including shipping in the USA & Canada)

I started working a bit on a mini-canvas of a fairy, but I'm not certain I like it. I may have to switch to my oils so I can really capture the fairies I am envisioning (not to mention, work on a bigger canvas!) I always have a million ideas, and canvases lined up to be painted. The only thing I seem to lack is time!

I'm going to be paying more attention to this blog, because I think it allows for me to post more updates, with perhaps a bit more interesting content in them as I process different things and work on different projects. Facebook is still my go-to spot for updates, but it's not a good thing to be so long-winded on it. Here, however? I can explore all sorts of ideas! My posts will probably get a lot more specific and seem less like an update overall. I also know I'm going to start writing about the business side of things, because I think if you're an artist trying to figure out this business stuff, any information can help. And if you're in the business, writing it out can help too!

Off to the easel...