This one is sold, but I've been thinking about doing something similar. It's done with dimensional paint as a finish.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
I snapped a photo of this angelic little girl at a show. She looked so precious in her denim jumper! Her mom and I got talking and (long story short) loved the collage idea and picked up the finished piece at my house a few days after the show.
Monday, May 26, 2008
The Java Jive series is very popular. It's a meld of pop art and folk art. The name came from a song by the Manhattan Transfer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pULXnVTRynY The picture was taken against a blue background, so that's not part of the painting.
Friday, May 23, 2008
The Poet goes to Indiana
I'll tell you half a dozen things
that happened to me
in Indiana
when I went that far west to teach.
You tell me if it was worth it.
I lived in the country
with my dog -
part of the bargain of coming,
And there was a pond
with fish from, I think, China.
I felt them sometimes against my feet.
Also, they crept out of the pond, along its edges,
to eat the grass.
I'm not lying.
And I saw coyotes,
two of them, at dawn, running over the seemingly
unenclosed fields,
And once a deer, but a buck, thick-necked, leaped
into to road just - oh, I mean just, in front of my car -
and we both made it home safe.
And once the blacksmith came to care for the four horses,
or the three horses that belonged to the owner of the house,
and I bargained with him, if I could catch the fourth,
he, too, would have hooves trimmed
for the Indiana winter,
and apples did it,
and a rope over the neck did it,
so I won something wonderful;
and there was, one morning,
an owl
flying, oh pale angel, into
the hayloft of a barn,
I see it still;
And there was once, oh wonderful,
a new horse in the pasture,
a tall slim being - a neighbour was keeping her there -
and she put her face against my face,
put her muzzle, her nostrils, soft as violets,
against my mouth and my nose, and breathed me,
to see who I was,
a long quiet minute - minutes -
then she stamped feet and whisked tail
and danced deliciously into the grass away, and came back.
She was saying, so plainly, that I was good, or good enough.
Such a fine time I had teaching in Indiana.
When I first started painting, I used to like to do metaphorical paintings. One of them was a "bouquet of irises" (as in eyes with eyelashes). This painting is done in that same spirit, albiet more traditionally. So I named it similarly, with tongue in cheek.
This is done with lots of thick oil paint and a palette knife. What fun! My husband was watching Joe Satriani play the guitar on a HDTV concert the other day, and I was stunned at his ability. Hubby says all the rockers take lessons from him. Since I appreciate excellence, I used a photo of him as reference for this painting. I love the angle of the photo because it made his hands seem larger.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
This triptych is a fabulous decor piece inspired (once again) by the voluptuous tulips I photographed at Brookgreen gardens this spring. Nature appears in all her loveliness on your wall with this trio. Take some time to "stop and smell the flowers" today.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
My friend Jennifer has told me that some of my horses look "otherworldly." I sold a larger version of this piece to a couple at a show. They had driven halfway home, and came back to buy it. They got talking in the car and said that this horse was calling them. How wonderful, considering that one of my prayers is that my work will "speak" to people. May we all have ears to hear what the Spirit whispered to us...
I am a colorist, I suppose. This means I tend to lean toward color to create my values. I simply adore the creative use of color. Overly realistic art just doesn't stimulate my imagination.
My favorite part about this piece is the drama of it. May the drama in your life be from nature instead of relationships. Grace and peace to you.
What a blast I have working with the acrylic inks. It usually ends up on the walls and in my hair, but the finished product is worth it, don't you think?
Don't forget to "throw a little confetti" in your everyday life, and listen to some good music every day and enjoy it all the way down to your toes - it's a real mood changer!!
I had a tremendous amount of fun painting this window full of veggies. It's an interesting meld of pop art and fine art. Oh, how I love to break the rules! Hubby and I have been eating better lately, so I guess I got inspired to paint veggies. My mom is going to use this for the cover of her cookbook. It's a gluten-free, casien-free cookbook especially for the parents of autistic children. Go mom!!
Remember the freedom of childhood? Wheeeeee!!!!!!!! In choosing a title for this painting, I thought about the many times I've jumped into the water "on the count of three" and also that there were three children.
Whether I'm painting folk art or fine art, I'm having fun, and I hope it shows.
A lovely girl named Kendra stopped by my tent at the Blue Crab Festival. She just graduated from Coastal Carolina University with a degree in art. She thanked me for not doing the same kind of art as everyone else (palm trees and such). Kendra, come join our Waccamaw Arts and Crafts Guild and we'll have so much fun!
Monday, May 19, 2008
Welcome
This weekend was the Blue Crab Festival in Little River, SC. It was a smashing success! It was wonderful to see the Phagan family again. They collect my work and are a true blessing to me because they really "get" what I do. So thanks, Dan, Becky and family!
Yesterday, one of the pieces they purchased from me is entitled
Go Light Your World
SOLD
It was inspired by that old song by Cathy Tracolli: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVSHCbolJew Her dress is a map of some of the western states to which I feel a strong pull.
Bookmark my blog if you'd like to stay posted on my daily creations!
Love and Light,
Peggy