31 Days, Owl & ZMA

Lashes

I have officially posted art 31 straight days. I made something new each of those days. Could I keep it up for a year? It’s more work than I imagined.

Got a lot of things done today but most of them weren’t even on my to do list. Made progress on some new technology for importing guitar parts. Didn’t get close to getting my desk in good order by the end of the day though. I did have a wonderful lunch date with my spouse. He made Charlie a doctor’s appointment to check mark the boxes needed for daycare care paperwork and had another soccer lesson with him. Family progress.

David also took a few photos of some recent paintings so I could sign up for an art show at the Zanesville Museum of Art. Nothing I have ever done before, and I have no expectations, but doing things like this motivates me to keep at it. I like the feeling that I keep creating everyday. Things like this help that flow.

We actually spent an hour on the porch as a family and chatted with the neighbors. The warmer weather has me sprouting back out of the dirt. Last night I didn’t want to draw anything out or think too much. I felt content and not compelled. I ended up with a funky owl with lashes and tons of fuzz. Just wanted to smear paint around.

Watercolor Pencils & Sanity

Bucket List Painted Bunting

It’s hard to believe birds like the Painted Bunting exist. I would love to see one in the wild just fluttering around like a rainbow with wings.

The work day was brutal. Sitting in my chair, I didn’t feel like getting up to prep for actual painting so I used the close watercolor pencils and a water filled brushed. David has been home this week and that has been wonderful…even when he gives me pep talks about my mental health. Watercolor pencils are medicine. Sunshine doesn’t hurt either. Going to work on my attitude this week.

Dawes & David

David was home in time for a trip to Dawes Arboretum and Charlie’s first family soccer lesson. Hauled ass from TN to OH before the sun went down. 9 long days without him. We stayed past 7 in the garden and almost had the gates closed on us. Daffodils everywhere.

Daffy Eye
Insomnia Rose
Rainbow Horse Sea

I finished up the sea horse early in the morning. Maybe it was already finished and I should have left it. Exhausted but unable to sleep I made a rose with dirty water.

Leona

Staying at the warehouse tonight. Not so thrilled. Welcome to the opulent life of the entrepreneur. Dirty office full of toys and guitar parts and a pull out microfiber couch that kills my 45 year old back. It means I don’t have to drag my 4 year old at 5am so I am happy to have that choice.

Wanted to go art walk in Zanesville but I seriously didn’t have the energy for it. It was a time to say no. The little energy I had left my kid needed. He wanted me to paint one of his little stuffed TY animals and make him all his favorites for dinner. We spent a few hours at the house doing just that. I love how his little crazy mind spins and how it puts together robot legos. Seahorses can wait.

Early this morning I made a fruit owl for daycare. One of the girls is leaving. We really liked her so it’s a little sad. Fruit owls have to be considered art. I have no idea with our schedule tomorrow how I will make art. Making art everyday is proving harder than I imagined.

Watercolor or Acrylics?

Spent about three hours after dinner painting. Over the past few years I started using acrylics more than watercolors. My favorite place to spend money is Plaza Art in Nashville. In there I found some premium paints called Golden Fluid Acrylics that have brilliant colors but paint more like watercolors. They are popular in the paint pouring world. It really did reshape how I was painting. Over the last few months I have wanted to revisit watercolors. The same company has a watercolor line too called QOR. These watercolors have the crazy vibrancy the acrylics do. They come in tubes. I usually use cheap blocks. I bought a box of 6 of them and a white that totaled around $60.00. Pretty expensive for watercolors….BUT WOW! I am probably going to have to spring for more.

Wanting to make a larger seahorse on a clay board I had to get the acrylics back out. They felt clunky when I started using them the night before last but I was reminded by an internet friend to use more water. The Golden Fluid acrylics don’t loose the color when you do this. Still a lot of work to do on it but this 20″ X 16″ Seahorse is coming along.

Seahorse in Progress

I really want to get better at drawing so I did an aloe study on a plant in the sunroom. Not easy but I thought I had a decent, quick, loose drawing so I painted it with watercolors. Going back and forth on the two paintings and two different paint styles. The aloe didn’t turn out that great but maybe if I do it again I will be able to get a good one. Good practice and a fun and crazy experiment. It did make quite a mess of the sunroom. Of course Charlie had Legos, robots and snacks all over his side of the room all housed in a pillow fort. We left it all as is when it was bath time and even though I said I was the adult and would get us to bed early here it is midnight.

Aloe study
10:45 bath. Blurry but the bubble beard photo has to be preserved.

Work in Progress

Switching back to acrylics for a larger seashore painting on canvas. I honestly thought I would have it almost finished last night but all I managed was a base coat on it. I love how fast and delicate watercolors move. Unforgiving yet somehow free. Maybe it is the size and not the paint. It has been awhile since I made something this large. I like to be able to complete something in one swoop. Let’s see if I go back into this tonight or if it sits propped up somewhere for a year.