Peacock finished

I actually accomplished another painting this week...which is totally unusual...so I guess the dry spell is lifting...I am becoming unblocked!

I am entering week 12 of the Artist Way by Julie Cameron...I am here to tell you..her process works...
The first reading of the AW left me cold...I thought yeah right this is a bunch of baloney...she just has this set up like AA...
then I kept reading raves...so I joined a group...I made through about 3 weeks..and I do say the process up to that point was helpful...I got as far as cleaning up the crazimakers...then just thought the rest didn't really apply...to me...

Time rolls on and I am just not the most productive...not as I once was or could be...
so...

Again a friend and I are doing this together...this time things are clicking and I have made such total progress...not to say I am CURED...but I am discovering things that have been hidden
things I have worked through...
I have done the exercises and they are very encouraging and helpful.

If I had to make a guess I would say it has been 15/20 years since I painted 2 or more paintings in 1 week...so I am thrilled!!!!

Here is painting 2

Painted from a photo I took of a local fella's peacock I was lucky to snap of him on the fence...
it is 50x14
canvas on wood
acrylics
varnished

sold

:D

Buffalo Finished...

except for varnishing the buffalo I think is done..I am not sure if i like the nostril breaths..like on a chilly morning...
In the morning I will see how it hits me when I come into the studio...

Now to find another board and prepare it...and see what happens for subject matter..
:D

thanks for looking.

WIP buffalo

My desire to paint is returning, and i am in a buffalo kind of mood.  I found a board I had painted long ago and repainted it a neutral tone.
Then lined in a buffalo

I wanted texture TEXTURE! so I mixed up some plaster.

and added it to the canvas.

while it dried i added some paint to the fellas face and horns..then added some more plaster.

this is how he ended for the first day..
fairly roughed in and as you can see a lot of texture...which made me happy...I had to stop since the children were arriving for mom to go to do the supper shift at the nursing home...but I had a full day...we don't want to over do it just getting back to it..:D

Well Hello...

YES it HAS been a terrible long time since I have posted anything here.  The last knowledge you may have had was i was going to open a gallery in the Town Museum and help them run the museum.   That didn't work out so well, so I bought the building I had originally looked at to buy; which is IN town and in the most perfect location.  I am currently renovating the inside and hope to be opening soon.

I have begun trying to work in my art journal everyday to get practice in and be more in tuned with the processes I like to use...I find it helps me open the channels of creativity and do some exploring not making me pull out a creation just do it.
Currently I am getting down characters from a series of books i enjoy by Diana Galbaldon..

The Higlander series a historical collection for Scotland in the 17 and 1800's and then embarking on settling in America in the mountains of NC.

Claire

Jamie

Bree (daughter to Jamie and Claire)

Wildlife in Platte SD

 Went photo hunting today came back with some wildlife...
The goose family  see the baby up by momma
the dad is HUGE but he has ducked down



In the middle picture is dad and mom baby dove



and in the third shot is a stalking white crane

If  you haven't checked out the page set up for the new gallery please do...it won't hurt my feelings to 'like" the page...:D and stay current to what is going on there..

http://www.facebook.com/stagecoachgallery 

Pheasant Series of 3

I worked up a series depicting Pheasant behaviour on the prairie during the spring.  The work is mixed-media...using a method for transferring images similar to developing film.  The chemicals involved and techniques are from Dass...and the results are amazing.  I use Arches 88 paper for the substrate...my photography...and then I enhance the whole picture using Golden acrylic products.
The first in the series is "The Stand-off"
The second is the dance "Cock-fight"
The third is "Stands Alone"

The colors for their feathers is amazing this time of year.

I have them offered on Etsy.

They would make an awesome addition to any Hunting Lodge...or any decor for that matter..or be perfect for Fathers day.

New Window Display

I have 3 windows (right now) for displaying in.  One is an old entry from when this building was originally build as the Chevy Dealership I think (but need to learn) in the early 1900's.
I hung "Wild Angel"  and placed a displaying table in front of her, hanging from the ceiling are blown glass orbs.

I listed on Etsy today "The Standoff"  two pheasants sizing each other up getting ready to fight.  It is 1 of 3 for a series. http://www.etsy.com/shop/maryhuntstudio?ref=pr_shop

Happy Mother's Day

I have been just terrible about posting these days...or visiting all my friends on the blogroll.
I have missed visiting everyone!

I am beginning to gain (just a little ) in the time department. I opened the store I talked about earlier in the year and there is a LOT to this!...

I am going to begin posting new work as it arrives...explaining the artist and letting everyone see their pieces..they are ALL for sale...just saying... :D

The store will be part of the town museum and updates for their progress will come to the blog pages as well...I sure hope y'all remain interested in what is happening...

Thank you and now to begin catching up seeing what is happening with YOU!

Here is my Logo...we will begin with that...I found a picture of an old stagecoach and sketched it out...

Images of TX

I have been snapping pictures of just about everything I find down here in Texas
there is still a lot of critters indicative to both SD and TX...that being the case a lot of what I am getting pictures of will find their way into future artwork.

Some for paintings be it either canvas or glass and I have a few murals planned for the new store. Here is a shy longhorn calf peeking around momma.


And I KNOW these are bad critters when they grow up
wild pigs get to be 600 and upwards of over 1000 pounds as an adult
and they are destructive and MEAN they WILL kill you
but aren't they cutest little critters as babies.

they stood by the road for the longest time
well until i got the camera ready then they toooook off
and they are FAST too!

I do not know where momma was but i guarantee if i had gotten out of the truck she would have made her presence known!

The BIG Lamp Reveal

Here are the final results of the lampshade and the story I hope to portray.
As you saw in the last post the paint is fired onto the lamp from the inside. This means there is NOTHING painted on the outside of the lamp. You gaze at the image when the lamp is lit. Unlit it just appears as shadows. Lamps are incredibly hard to photograph...and then I went through a gazillion images until I decided on these.
The first image shows life on the trail for the homesteader pioneering west to their piece of land...indicated with a Homestead Ticket..which is shown in the next image.

Along the way many didn't make it...indicated with the memory of a grave marker. Other places on the lamp are snippets of journals, as many pioneers documented their journey.
The grass was tall in these times usually 6 ft!

If you look at the left portion of this image and the right portion of the next image you get a sense of the 4th side..."the sod family" which is being featured in a guest post with Anne Gaal. Until then I promised to show that side (in its entirety)



In the meantime here is side 3 the journey made with the wagon, that often was home a bit longer after they made their destination.

Life as a pioneer was extreme.
Extreme bouts of weather
Extreme losses
Extreme dangers

I live in relative comfort in SD and I can admit I would not have fared well as "pioneer stock"
I probably would have made it some how...but I would have complained a LOT!

Reverse Shade Continued

okay well it has been so long!! I reversed the top and bottom image
the line image is the shade after it has been fired from the matte step and I am now ready to begin adding color

i know it has been forever!
getting to know the new camera has been a challenge for me
that coupled with the Internet issues here in Texas
i have suffered quite the patience curve
we bought a booster antenna and that has helped
some

the color palette is fairly limited that i work with
these low firing paints are extremely expensive
so i chose colors that could be mixed and thus i have a fair palette to work with....

these were the colors i used
the green, pink, orange, white, red and blue
all mix well with squeegee oil that makes a paint like elixir
fired onto the crystal



and you get the top picture
not this one
the painted side fired and ready to look at through the other side!

well I have since finished the lamp
so look for that blog post

i learned that with a slow connection
a person MUST change the size on their pictures

i am spoiled, apparently, in SD to high speed internet
I didn't know

but I have missed y'all and hope you have a good new beginning to another year
:)

Reverse Lampshading Process...

I like the shape of a crystal lampshade, so I purchase them, which this is...lets walk through the process of reverse painting with glass on glass in traditional techniques for museum quality. Using a special mix of paint with fine ground glass and an added amount of flux so the kiln can embed these elixirs at a lower temperature keeping my shades shape, we begin with what is called the line drawing. This is painted on the inside of the shade in the reverse pattern of your intended drawing.

I am showing just 2 sides of the shade. The fist one is a pioneer family in front of their sod house...the second image is on the trail setting up camp for supper...

this becomes the first kiln firing..

Next I totally black matte the inside of the shade.

This shows the inside totally black...then with scrub brushes and picks I gently remove the matted paint to give details to the images.

This takes hours depending on how much detail you wish to portray...I am keeping it simple since the images are not going to have a lot of designs on clothes and that sort of thing they used homespun fabrics and basic basic living utensils

The letters Yous view are portraying a homestead certified ticket which would give the homesteader their location to stop...also a portion of journal recording the trip...here you can see how the scrubbed areas respond to the matte being removed...this is the same portion above "on the trail stopping for supper"

and the pioneer family in front of their sod house...

tomorrow this fires in the kiln and sets the matte process into the glass..next is color!

Last of the Christmas orders...done

these are the last 2 commissions that were to be done for Christmas! the 2 small bevel panels were shipped out today...and will arrive Thursday...close!


then the grandma platters...the first set we chose glass that plainly wanted to misbehave...which had me nervous over the whole project..what if the next glass does this too..(it can happen)

so client came and reselected a different sheet for these granny and Nana platters
the children's hands were traced and then i made a stencil of their hands


first i used frits and powders but the purple and pink colors that were to represent the girls were to close to the base composition of the substrate glass
so i ended up having to use enamels..which still set the tone of the color..even tho the bottom plate looks as if both of the pairs of hands are purple
the bigger hands are pink..just where i took the picture absorbed the true colors
these are lead free enamels

the irregular edge lends to a unique arty appeal that says i ordered this just for you
i think you are special!

done in time for Christmas gifting...


how is that list doing there for you??

ho ho ho...

Favorite Piece

What was my favorite piece of artwork....
that would be this piece
Hannah
done in acrylics
I don't do portaits as much as I used to and Hannah's piece was a limbering exercise...

enjoy the weekend
:>)

Reverse Painted Shade Traditional

"Wave Of Conflict" is a traditionally reverse painted lampshade. (in lit state)
I did this one back in the 90's and it won an award at the Museum show I had it entered. Back in Va.
I am showing you this to prepare you for the next few postings that you can follow along for how I get to the finished product.

First of all, I use finely ground grass with mineral and ores mixed to a texture that is like paint.
With a brush I lay the design onto the inside of the shade.
(think reverse of how you traditionally might paint a picture)
this much is fired in the kiln...for painting a crystal such as this shade I have to use low-firing mixtures..technically more flux is added...the temps I am taking this to are no higher than 1100 or my crystal will cave on me.
(yes it happened)

Next step is I matte the inside of the shade...A black "paint" is mixed up then put totally over the inside of the shade
everything gets covered up...then I slowly brush the matte away with special stippling brushes that will lend the texture and subtle shading to my images
after MANY hours of brush away step...the shade gets fired again.

Then each color I decide to use on the images and backgrounds get scheduled as each color matures at a different temperature. So highest temps first and so on...

The lampshade you will watch grow is about the homesteaders moving west. This shade is designated for a museum showing in OK with the Chisolm Trail group..you can see the link over to the right of this post.
Check it out some mighty fine artist are part of this group.

The show is in March ...so I have some work to be doing and fast...Right after Christmas I leave for Texas...and this needs to be done...or I have to drive my ownself down and back..and I am not much on this chore...
so
I am opting for being DONE!

More explanations will be given for each step as we follow the Homesteaders
along their trail to being a reverse shade...

Have a great week!...and thank you for coming by!

AEDM day 30

I wanted to show you these frames. They are a Polystyrene composit sold at http://www.dickblick.com
this is 1 of 9 styles, called the Metro. Some have mattes as well, I ordered the 11 x 14 for 11.99...to me this is a super price for a really nice looking frame..very sleek and contemporary. Also I mounted the painting to a piece of mixed media composition board I painted to compliment the painting...Keeping a nice light weight framed piece. I hope you like my find :)


then Sunday we put the lights on the out front tree..the extent of my decoration requirements

It was warm Sunday but snowing yesterday. I had to wait for it to be almost dark to get a decent picture.

Happy Holidays...buy original handmade artwork and crafts from your favorite artists...help support your friends and family and not the ready made from wal-mart (and the like)...the gift is better appreciated for a lifetime of admiration...just keep this in mind when you make the decision to purchase your gifts this year and to come...
birthdays/anniversaries/holidays of all kinds and ...special thank yous too!

this is the last day for AEDM the tree is my participation...but I am back in the swing of posting more regular...so keep coming back often.

Thank you for coming by!

AEDM 27-28

This is my final for Julie and Chris's Texture Town class...this was a bit more of a challenge than the last one and this time i am putting in the photo we were given.










here is the photo and my beginning
day.











I have started with some color












putting those braket things in...
and pretty much I am done...

this class is all about texture and how to replicate it..learn MORE about the Golden products...you can only grow in these classes...

thank you for coming by!
have a good week!!

AEDM 25-26

Happy day after thanksgiving!
nothing I have is done enough to post about...I began a commission of a larger canvas with the sea nettles theme...and I have begun my final showdown exam for textures with Julie and Chris-texture town

We spent the evening at sons JR's...Hannah 5 and autistic had created on her own this book (she gifted me) totally her idea to bind it with the paperclips!!! I am an impressed grandma



a few of the pages follow...

























here is the little artist!

AEDM day 22-23

this is my first of two exams to enter into texture town

offered by Chris cozen and Julie prichard

and you can find the information at

http://www.julieprichard.com

(oh and i passed :>) )

any way this is an intense amount of medium used to create the texture part of the painting

so it took around 48 hours to dry...then my process began to replicate a wall that was given to replicate in the lesson

it had old iron scroll work at the top then grime and rust down the stucco wall

or an interpretation of the old wall.

i have new found interest with stencils..but only a few in my possession to choose from

they are widely used in these processes and offer a great amount of relief to the overall look you might be going after in the painting.

so the stencil at the top of my painting is my

interpretation of scrolled iron work

this painting i like...i would buy this painting...rich hues that may not be coming across in the picture

of umber tones which i love..and even though i am not a contemporary fan...i like the contemporary feel to this piece...or maybe i am converting

:)

i came a LONG way from the first lesson offered in this class...

now

i have been "professionally" painting for over 30 years...(in a more traditional style)

if a seasoned professional can gain from Julie and Chris's classes don't you think the novice would...

thank you for looking and enjoy the day

Happy Thanksgiving too

we have a lot to be thankful for!