ART AND THE COLORS OF "HAPPY"

Window on Canyon Road, Santa Fe New Mexico
Paula - 2008

ACRYLIC GLAZE - ART IN THE SLOW LANE

Every now and then I come across someone who talks about slowing down.

Slower food,
slower fun,
slower life in general.

My recent fun with acrylic glazes really illuminated that
"slow"
concept for me.

When using such a thick glaze, getting impatient and
quickly stirring the mixture creates air bubbles.

Then the pouring is slow,
slowly spreading,
tilting,
waiting
for gravity to work it's magic.

Back to those air bubbles,
figuring out how to eliminate them
during
the pour
requires some patience
but I've found that if you use a pallet knife
you can scoop up a bit that has dripped off
and deposit it back on the surface
and
actually drag the air bubbles off the surface.
It takes patience.

Then there is the drying time.

So after all this,
I still have to sit back and look at what I've created,
not satisfied
and trying to decide
what should happen next
and whether I'll like the out come.

I'm not a time waster
so I want to be sure
before I go to all the trouble
to repeat the previous process !

And there is more about this
SLOOOOOOOWWWWWWW
concept ~

The other day I was laying in the grass looking up into the trees while I talked to my daughter-in-law on the phone.
Looking up,
looking up,
more looking up........
looking up for quite a while
when suddenly I realize what I'm seeing.
A pair of hummingbirds and their nest !!!!
Oh my god,
I was astounded !!!!

Hummingbird Mommy !

(bad photo but the best I could do on a windy day with my little camera)
Paula - 2008

What do we miss when
we are in an everyday sort of rush to get there,
get it done,
move on to the next thing
on our to-do list?

Just something to think about on these
warm,
lazy,
summer afternoons.

Is there a tree nearby?
Can you take some time to stretch out and just watch ????

I highly recommend it.

CRAZY FOR GLAZE ??????????

TO GLAZE OR NOT TO GLAZE (click for a larger image)
PAULA - 2008

Top photo - nearly no glaze at all

Bottom photo - super thick, poured on glaze
made from soft gloss gel, matte gel, water,
fine gold and interference blue (a la Nancy Reyner).

Aside from the fact that the bottom
one was a bear to photograph, I *think*
I like it.

I'm not so sure how a person
would take adequate photos
to represent and sell online, this seems
to be a more in-person
presentation.

I've been having lots of fun with glazes
and playing with some small 4 x 4
canvas covered boards. They do have
a faux encaustic look without having to
run out and stock a whole studio wtih
encaustic supplies, not to mention the
durability factor increases dramatically with
the acrylic glazes.

Kim uses a lot of glazes in her work and so
is the main inspiration for me trying out this process.

LIFE IS ART - LIVE IT LIKE A MASTERPIECE

Santa Fe
Paula - 2008

So I'm wandering around Santa Fe.
Just a couple of blocks off the plaza,
taking photos.
There is so much to see -
a visual paradise.

When I stop dead in my tracks

This just can't be.........

I see a sign posted over a shop door
that says
"No Photographs"

Too bad,
beautiful building.

Are they just being cranky?
Too many tourists?
Maybe it is time to get
out of the business.
I sure hope these folks
don't track me down for
taking this photo, I did it before I saw
the sign.......(I'm sorry)

Like I said,
too bad.

Life is art,
live it like a
masterpiece!


Keep It Simple
and
Be Nice

ACRYLIC GLAZES

Acrylic glaze on 4 x 6 postcard stock
Paula - 2008

OK folks, I've looked at Kim's work over at
Creating Space
a million times.
Read her posts about
layer upon layer
of glaze.

Why I didn't act sooner is a mystery to me.

Why do you want something,
have all the resources to make it happen
and still not act?

My husband once said
"well I can understand why you
might think you aren't good enough to have that"
(he really knows how to push the buttons).

I've always believed that we are our own worst enemy
so last night I decided to get the heck out of my own way
and ...............
crack open the bottle of glaze and have a go at it.

What fun !

I didn't get too wild, but as least I got started.
This is going to be a fun weekend.
I can just feel it !!!!!!!!!!!!

What about you?
Are you good enough?
Will you satisfy some
inner urge you've
been resisting for
some unknown reason?

Go for it !

AN ARTIST AT A STOP LIGHT.................

Bernalillo, New Mexico
Paula - 2008

Where are you going?

What are your plans?

Do you live life on the fly
or are you a planner?

I'm a little bit of both.

I took this photo as kind
of a study in perspective
but later it held many
thoughts for me,
~as an artist, what do I want~
~what do I want to convey in my work~
~how will I know what to do next~

The road for me isn't clear,
I don't think it is for anyone,
.................really....................

For today though,
I hope your road
leads to joy, love,
satisfaction
and
whatever is most
dear to you!

Studio Photos and Creative Thoughts

Santa Fe Eggplants - Violet
14 x 18 gallery wrap canvas
Paula ~ 2008
(click image to enlarge)

I like showing you my art with photos
from my studio - it just
seems more natural and creative
to display them on the easel

I'm on a bit of a roll here with these
acrylic on canvas abstracts

The blue one in the background
was my first installment
in this series

What do you think?

What feelings arise in you
when you view this art?

Am I out to lunch?

Have I tilted in the wind
just a bit too far?

For some reason these paintings
help me to relax and just let
my creativity flow.

And, on the topic of
creativity.......

Just yesterday Kim over at
Creating Space
were exchanging emails and
she really got me to thinking about
creativity - a lot of questions came up for me

Where does creativity originate?
What is creativity? Just art, or maybe also
cooking, science, music, mowing your lawn?
Who epitomizes creativity for you?
Jackson Pollack, Salvadore Dali,
Tiger Woods,
Bill Gates?

I can't begin to know the answers
but I'd sure love to know what
your thoughts are on the subject
of creativity !!!

Maybe it is the idea of so
few rules, maybe it is the
idea of "fun"...........

Comments?
I'd like to know
what you think!

GOURD BIRDHOUSES !!!!

So here are the birdhouses made
from gourds. I don't know how
well they'll hold up in the weather,
but they are cheerful and I like them.

A friend asked me if I thought birds
would really use them. Heck, I don't know,
I just like the way they look !!!

Now just need to get them positioned
in the yard.

I think if you click on the image
you can see it enlarged.

THE ARTISTS ADVENTURE

Gate On Rio Grande Paula - 2008

The artist ran away from her day job
and along the winding road
it came to be that she
encountered a wall with a gate

She wondered what could be
beyond that gate
it seemed formidable
so whatever was on the other
side must be of great value

Would it be
fortune?

Would it be fame?

Stardust from heaven
instead of rain?

And then she saw the lock
and all hopes
were dashed.

That night she dreamt
she could click her heels
and float over the wall,
but just when the other side
came into view
she awoke.

Fortunes don't live behind
a wall waiting to be discovered.

Fame isn't all it's cracked up
to be and in reality
who needs fame anyway, you
just end up on the front of
scandal magazines.

And as my friend Annie
reminded me,
we are all made of
stardust.

GOLDEN PAINT DEMO

Artisan's Art Supply Demo Room

Albuquerque, New Mexico
Paula ~ 2008

This past Saturday I attended a Golden Paint/Product
demo at my local Artisans Art Supply store.
Nancy Reyner is a local (Santa Fe) artist who also does these demos for Golden.
Nancy is an amazing artist
she oozes creativity
and at this demo she was a great inspiration for me.
I love painting with acrylics and in particular
their line of heavy body matte paints.
They give the look of tempera or gouache
which I am partial to.

I was particularly encouraged that
I actually
understood most of what
Nancy talked about !!!

Sometimes we don't give ourselves the credit we are due.
~doesn't matter what area of life ~
you are a smart and creative individual
and I encourage you to give yourself a
BIG pat on the back !!!!!!


Go ahead,
Live large,
Even if it is small (believe me, it's still large),
What little positive affirmation
will you bestow upon your soul
today?

4803 - New Mexico

Paula ~ 2008

I love the tiles surrounding this address.
Here in New Mexico many folks have an address set up like this.
It always presents such a mystery to me ~ what is behind those walls??????
A wonderful garden with large trees?
A big weed patch?
Plain old gravel?

What does your imagination tell you about what might be behind these walls?
Where does your creativity take you?
Do you have a vivid imagination?
How does that develop or do we have plenty of it
as kids
and then it fades as we get older,
or it is always there,
we just teach ourselves to ignore it?

Let's play a game !
What is behind this wall !!!!!!!!!!!!!
There will be no winner of course,
because even I don't know what is there,
but it would be fun to play.
What is your guess?
Where does your imagination take you?

THE ARTIST'S GARDEN

Canyon Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Paula - 2008

Here it is in summer.
Simply beautiful.
Surely a garden fit for an old master artist,
don't you think?
I don't know who's garden this is
but I do love it.

Some of you may remember this beautiful
Canyon Road, New Mexico
garden scene from a few months ago.

Below is the view from MY patio.
Not quite as shady, secluded, cool and inviting.
My yard is fairly new and a fair number of the plantings are
still babies so I'll post again later in the summer
so you can all see how it is coming.
I love my yard.

My Garden

Paula - 2008

WHO ARE YOU ????

North Valley Residence, New Mexico
Paula - 2008
click to enlarge

Out driving around on my lunch hour.
I love to just drive around and take photos
when something just catches my eye.

These folks have a wonderful plaque of
Our Lady of Guadalupe
next to their front door.
I'm impressed that they boldly proclaim their love for
"our lady".
These folks have their heart in the right place.

Other folks put little ceramic pigs in their front yards,
funky fountains,
whirllybird garden decorations,
flags, etc.

What does your home say about you
when someone passes by?

WHO ARE YOU????

A BUCKET FULL OF FORTUNATE

A Bucket Full of Fortunate
(click to enlarge)
Canyon Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Paula ~ 2008

How great to sit on your porch.
Rocking away next to your bucket of "Fortune".
The world passes you by.
Not noticing.
You have a bucket full of fortune.

I have a bucket full of fortune.

Do you?

NEW ART - SANTA FE EGGPLANTS

Santa Fe Eggplants

14 x 18 acrylic on canvas
click image to enlarge

So ................... this is waaaaaaaaaaaaay
off the beaten path for anything I've ever done.

I really enjoyed the process.

Looking for some feedback here, positive and constructive ~