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Sunday, July 25, 2021
Extreme Sparkle--great metallic paints!
Thursday, July 22, 2021
50 Too Many
Good bloggers are supposed to keep things cheery and upbeat. Guess I'm already going to step out of line. What I have to say here is far from cute or catchy.
I should not have needed to paint this painting.
This girl was beautiful. And only 17. And murdered.
She never got to fulfil her potential. We will never even know what that might have been. She might have been a teacher. A mother. A scientist. An artist. She might have become someone famous whose portrait would be painted many times over. Instead, she became our community's fiftieth murder victim. Some yet unknown person stole this girl's future.
I painted her as an angel, because I felt compelled to put something on canvas in her memory. I had the painting sent to her family. I never met them or their child. I just hurt with them.
I made the background purple because my church dresses the altar in purple to symbolize mourning. I later found out she loved the color. Maybe my hand was getting guidance from somewhere else on that. I painted white lillies in the painting, as a symbol of rebirth and resurrection, because I do believe we pass from this world into another. And I painted a small necklace around her neck with a broken heart showing the number 50, because that is how many families had had their hearts broken by the murder of a loved one in our town this year. Fifty too many. That was a week ago.
There have been more since.
This town is not any different from any other town this size. It's the same everywhere. People are walking around shooting each other like life was just a big video game.
For God's sake, just stop. Stop. Stop!
Wednesday, July 21, 2021
Flock of Flamingoes is a Family Affair
When my four-year-old granddaughter wanted me to paint pink flamingoes, there was no way to refuse. She and her mother and I took over the dining table, got out the pink paints, and had at it.
Tuesday, July 20, 2021
Brush addiction
I bought a few paintbrushes yesterday.
Well, actually, about sixteen. I couldn't help it. Paintbrushes are vital to creating paintings. They wear out. These were on the clearance rack. No-brainer, right?After all, I need large brushes, small brushes, flat and round brushes, fan brushes, rake and comb brushes, spotter brushes, and all manner of other specialty brushes handy at all times. Just can't do those beards on big yard gnomes without a huge comb brush. Plus a smaller one for the detailed areas, with multiple sizes of script liners for touch ups.And then there's the inevitable jar of "scruffy" brushes. In all sizes and shapes. You never know when one of those thoroughly disreputable, splayed-out old brushes will be just perfect for foliage. Or something. Better keep them all.I have discovered that those carousel type holders for kitchen utensils make a super brush holder for on your painting table. They hold a lot and turn for easy access. On top of that you can usually pick them up dirt cheap at garage sales. I am up to three of them on my painting table currently. That doesn't include the four shoeboxes of yet unused brushes on the shelf.But enough of that. I have a busy day ahead of me. And I just got an email from thebrushguys.com. Seems they have a big sale...
I''m MELTING, MELTING! But painting anyway...
Well, it is time to be selling Halloween and Fall items while painting Christmas items (and I am doing some for Kwanzaa and Hannukah as well...
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My mother hoarded art materials. But she would postpone painting them. She was firmly convinced that painting was a fun activity, only des...
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Wow. Christmas came and went. And New Year's. And Mardi Gras. And Valentines and St. Patrick's and Easter and probably a world ...
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Whether you are hitting a creative wall, or charged up with ambition, or just wanting to try something out, take a risk! Get out of your c...