Thursday...

Has been a busy day!

Here is a lesson using titan buff mixed with the paint palette
Notice how it softens the hue and gives it a grungy effect at the same time







Here is the sign crew...Craig's brother Billy in the plaid and Jack in the blue coat just arrived today





JR is hidden in the middle and his buddy Keaton



Doing a fine job hanging the sign








Here it is hung...it shrank some but it is still visible enough from the road as they pass by...I am standing in the road to take the picture.

Fuse update...everyone arrived at the same time and it was coincidentally the same moments apparently the glass was readiest to sag
I over sag the piece...if the ripple isn't too top heavy it will make an excellent tub
otherwise not so much it will be too tippy a tip jug...we shall see
it has to anneal 5 hours then tomorrow when it is totally cool I can open the kiln
another huge problem with an over sag is the possibility it won't come off the mold...
we shall see...

XXXXX
fingers crossed it isn't too out of proportion and it lifts off the prop...

thanks for dropping by

:)

Colorful Pallete..

To say the least it is colorful...
other than practicing using waxpaper as the method to apply the paint...
I am not exactly sure what I was after...
But
I was in the studio using paper and paint and I enjoyed the process.

Also fused some glass today which will sagg tomorrow and hopefully if that behaves correctly
I will have a new tip jar for the bar
that looks like a spent shotgun shell...which is what the boss wanted...
this remains to be seen
glass is finickier than paper
and sometimes totally behaves inappropriately
I will know know more on friday about that...

Meantime..thanks for stopping in!

Sign

This is an old antique Exxon gas station sign...only I think it was Esso then...Craig's grandfather started the business in the 1800's...then his Uncle Freddy inherited it....Craig's brother Byrd used it as a sign at the end of the road to announce veggies this way...then we brought it with us in the move to SD.
This is what Craig wanted painted on it to place at the end of our drive entrance.

I would love nothing better than to age its appearance...but he would freak if I was to do anything else to it.

That is BB retrieving a pheasant...Big Reb standing a pheasant and a couple of jumped flying pheasant...grasses and trees.
The rock is Sam gone wrong...he became landscape.

Painted with metal paint..not a forgiving material...but I think it will hold up the best in the elements on a metal sign. There are not a lot of colors to choose from either and mixing the few I could get my hands on was limiting.

The painting itself is done in a minimal detail style...so the brain fills in the missing pieces and the sign will appear fuller as they pass.

It is so far up no one would be able to see individual feather strokes or an eye...

Anyway it is done and ready to hang...

Thanks for visiting..

Journal Project pages

Two simple sketches reflecting nature...I seem to be stuck in that mode.


Suddenly it is...32 degrees
Suddenly fall color on the trees..

Book

This style book is learned from Julie Prichard's class. I liked it so well I made another.






It measures 51/2 x 81/2. With a mixture of collaged pages

and neutral painted pages for background beginnings


I kept the paints soft, but bright.












Here is a photo of the book standing open...(before the cover is added.

A new venue

I am going etsy!

This is the listing I chose to begin things rolling with.

Glass platter gently rippled. the design is "painted" using the old master's techniques of crushed glass fused in the kiln...then the piece is sagged in the kiln...happy dragonflies to cheer up any space!

http://maryhuntstudio.etsy.com

come for a visit

thank you

...TwiSter...

This is "ghost writing" a background technique offered in Julie Prichard's Super Nova class
http://www.julieprichard.com/lostluggage/





I decided that it would make a good beginning for the sketch in the sketchbook4project with my theme...and suddenly...








nothing is more sudden than a twister!!

I have to remember these are sketches...not finished paintings
move through them quickly!

And Suddenly....

Torrential rainstorm!

Living on the Plains lends to a lot of nature drama...INTENSE storms...last week was no exception to her display for a rain shower.

The wind was swirling around and brought the rain coming down in every direction at once...just incredible!!!

in case you can't tell that is the creek filling with the run off water...FASSSST swirl there too!

Here is sketch 3 for sketchproject4 through Art House.

Acrylic washes...

Wild Angel...

As tired as I am after this long weekend of work work work...I went to sleep to just wake up and not be able to get back to sleep after just an hour
so
I had a nap!

Since it will be awhile before I am caught up enough to post anything new that is being worked up on the table at the present,
I bring to you

Wild Angel

I was listening to Martina McBride belting out the tune
Wild Angel and she sprang to mind
she has the blond hair because I imagine her as Hannah (my granddaughter) when she is a teenager.
Hannah is a living angel, but the tribute is hers.

She sports colored wings...a little prankster just having crossed over to receive them.

I doubt this picture enlarges.. or if it does a little you probably won't be able to get the close up view so...
to describe her
I begin with sketching the face on draft paper
so i know where i want the stain highlights...
and then start staining glass and firing in the kiln. (time intensive and many kiln visits)
she is stained on mouth blown antique glass.

Her face isn't blemished...she has a celestial glow and emerald green eyes...with plum and gold shadow...then the gold flecks over her face as well...
It is kind of hard to see without the sun coming through and actually catching the glass from behind and allowing the piece to glow as it should...

This is an example of another panel...

Thank you for stopping in.

Collaged Book Board

Putting those collaged pages to use...the book board is made! Makes an interesting chunky textural journal book!! Ready for covering with journal words or to use in so many other ways...such as background for a picture album!

Shows a page open..

Now...I KNOW better when using acrylic products...just because they are dry doesn't mean they won't stick! Here shows a stuck spot...in collaged work I really don't think it makes that much of a difference...however, in retrospect, I will uses separating pieces before I bind the book together the next time...and alleviate the sticky situation.

Thanks for looking...this is book two of Julie's class, if you didn't take her class you might wish you had...I think you can...I believe her classes are ongoing once they begin.

We are learning the 3rd booklet of the class this week...a fabric book!

Stay tuned, I also need to do another sketch soon or I will be miserably behind.

Collaging Backgrounds...

Collaging can be intimidating...especially when you are careful and exacting in placement...don't.
Pick some complimentary colors...texts what have you and glue it down.

These pages will become a journal...pretty cool if you ask me... I am being inspired by Julie from lost luggage...we take this journal to the next level when part 2 of the class come into play.

We decorate the pages journaling!

I only have 6 of the 12 pages side 1 finished for this afternoon....

Even after i loosened up it is still a fairly time consuming job...it will be worth it though!!!

Her book example is amazing!

I hope I didn't go to dark...I plan to have some lighter pages too to mix into each other.

Thank you for stopping by...I enjoy our visits a lot!

Sketchbookproject #2

Sketch number 2 "and suddenly..." when you turn the last curve of the driveway the view of the building looms quick...this is the window where the computer sits

a really grand view...it is a pretty boring sketch.

We'll see what the next one produces.

Used Golden acrylics as a watercolor and India ink. Onto these horribly thin journal pages from this journal sent by the project.

Thanks for looking...

Three More...

Made 3 more journals from Julie's class.

Inside cover showing I did well with my corners and have better coverage of front and back covering of the book block.

Shown are the pages loose.

I would say it takes 2 days to make the book...but it can be assembly lined...as I did with these 3.

Super easy to make books...if you feel like you would prefer a little guidance take Julie's class at Lost Luggage.

Or if you are the muddle through kinda artist just get in there and make a book!