A DAY IN THE DESERT

I did this piece below on my first Plein aire trip into the desert.  Actually it was my first Plein Aire outing,  period.  I'm a studio Artist and enjoy my studio time so never felt the need to venture outdoors to paint.  (Also, you can't really do collage, which I have mainly done for years, outside.)  While in Ajo I had the opportunity to join a Plein Aire group so I decided to stretch myself a little and joined.  I felt my normal acrylics might dry too fast in the desert heat so I used water based oils. I also used one of my canvas panels that I had already textured and painted black.  Plein Aire is not easy.  Outdoor elements are not always cooperative and this particular day wind was a unhappy factor.  But, we all persevered and this is what I came away with.  I was fairly pleased with the result, especially the colors, but if I went back to the same spot again I'd change my view a bit.  I'm not crazy about the overall composition.  Funny how something can look good to the eye but on paper it has a whole different effect.  

I have a whole new respect for Plein Aire Painters.

A DAY IN THE DESERT

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How about a Raven or two ...

"JUST WHAT ON HER FACE HAD TO DO

WITH CROWS FEET ... ?"

"MAY I HAVE THIS DANCE ...?"

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CLOUDS OF THE DAY  . . .

'AND SHE LAID DOWN HER HEAD AND SLEPT'

Charleen

AT THE MARKET ...

AND A LONG DAY UNDER THE SUN ...

THE BASKET SELLER:

LONG DAY AT THE MARKET

12 x 12" Mixed Media Collage on Canvas

Another of my sisters Series.  Interestingly, when I recently brought some of my newer pieces into one of the Galleries I'm in, the owner was surprised, and pleased, that some of these newer pieces were on white backgrounds.  She had recently been in a Gallery back East and saw some work done on a white background and she said she thought to herself " Why doesn't anyone work on a white background anymore?"   Voila!!  There I was!  :)

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We went camping this past weekend on the St. Joe River here in Idaho.  Overall we had beautiful weather ... a little warm (95ish) and the skies were a little smokey from the fires  :(  in the area, but we had a spot right on the river so why would I complain?!  :)  I did get some great reference photos for future paintings too.  :)  (And for my Artist friends, please feel free to also use them)

This is evening over Black Lake as we headed for the St. Joe.  Smokey, but beautiful nonetheless.

Another scene from Black Lake

This is the old guy in our family.  Well ... in dog years, he's the same age as I am so I guess, really, he's just a Spring Chicken!  :)

I followed this fellow down the River for a while until he could get into places I couldn't!  My presence didn't seem to faze him one bit.

Some flowers from the old Train Depot in Avery, Idaho.  They also have a very nice Fly Fishing tackle shop there that serves the best Ice Cream!  :)

I think the photos over Black Lake can serve as cloud photos for today.  :)

"When I am no longer rapping, I want to open an Ice Cream Parlor 

and call myself Scoop Dogg".

~  Snoop Dogg

CHARLEEN

IN CASE YOU STILL SEND CARDS ...

JUST A FEW SAMPLES OF MY MIDNIGHT SERIES NOTECARDS ...

I am going to be discontinuing my line of Midnight Series NoteCards.  For those of you familiar with my work, then you already know I have two lines of cards ... ArtCards (5 x 7 single panel cards very suitable for framing) and the Midnight Series NoteCards.  The Midnight Series are on black cardstock (white writing space inside) and include Birthday, some Sisters, and other General Occasion themes. These are handmade, and because I will now be spending half my year away from 'this' home, access to doing these will not be readily available. I will miss them ... they've become like extended family.
:( Anyway, I have marked the inventory that I have left down to half price ($2.00 ea.) and when they are gone, they are gone. If you are interested to see the choices left just click  HERE.  They can be purchased right through the Website.

The Midnight Series are also 5 x 7" and can be framed

 

"My spelling is Wobbly.  It's good spelling, but it just Wobbles

and the letters get in the wrong places."

~ a.a. milne

A LITTLE CHANGE FOR FALL ...

I thought I would get my Blog in to the Spirit of Fall.  :) 

It's definitely different than my normal Black Background.  Let me know what you think!

AUTUMN IS A SECOND SPRING, WHERE EVERY LEAF IS A FLOWER.

~ Albert Camus

'THE FIELDS SPEAK THEIR PEACE'

6 x 8" Acrylic on Wood Panel

More information on this Piece can be found HERE

This reminds me of our time living in Mount Vernon, WA.  It was predominantly all farming with miles of beautiful Tulip fields blooming in the Spring.  (It still is that way) 

  http://www.tulipfestival.org/multimedia
photo: Michael Brannan

We moved up there when our oldest daughter was in eighth grade.  At the end of the school year she came home and announced she wanted to go to work in the fields like the rest of her friends.  It seemed that most of the kids her age went to work rogueing spinach, picking beans or gathering bulbs out of the fields.  At 12, she was a year younger than most of her classmates but even at 13, I couldn't imagine her going to work in the fields.  As a New York City girl, work for me at that age was called 'babysitting'.   After much begging, pleading and our investigation, we relented.  Off she went the first day.  Her job was to walk the rows in the tulip fields and pick all the bulbs out of the dirt that had been loosened by the plows.  They got paid by the bulb.  If I remember correctly, it was 2 cents a bulb.  At the end of her first day her friends Mom dropped her off back at home. Covered in mud from head to toe, our daughter was literally unrecognizable.   One or two tears streaked down through the mud on her face and out came the statement "I don't want to go back!" 

After getting cleaned up, having dinner, and with things not looking quite as bad, we sat down and had a talk.  I explained how it cost money for companies to put you on a payroll and train you.  How, if she quit, they would then have to do the same thing all over again with another person.  That wasn't really fair to the company.  Her Dad and I said since she has made this commitment to the company we wanted her to stay for two weeks.  If, after the two weeks she still felt the same way, she could quit.  Besides the obvious moral to this story, I will tell you that at the end of the two weeks, and after having received her FIRST PAYCHECK, there was no longer a hint of her wanting to quit (even at 2 cents a bulb!)  It's always amazing what a little incentive can do!

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CLOUDS OF THE DAY . . .

Can you see the Eagles head just peering out from the clouds on the left? 
This is another one of those that if you look hard enough I'm sure a whole array of
animals would appear.

CHARLEEN

TODAY YOU ARE SHOWERED WITH GOOD LUCK ...

'THEY' SAY IF YOU WALK PAST AN ELEPHANT WHILE HIS TRUNK IS UP YOU WILL BE SHOWERED WITH GOOD LUCK.'

You'll probably get tired of these Front closing Toggle Pieces but it's been fun to see how many different Pieces I can come up with using the same design base.  A point my daughter brought up was how nice they are with long hair.  Your hair doesn't get caught in the Toggle when you are trying to close it.  A point I knew from experience but hadn't thought about out loud.  (make sense?) 

BONATINIEMA  (GOOD LUCK)

Close up showing the Hand Carved Carnelian Elephant
that is part of the Focal.

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'God is really only another artist. He invented the giraffe, the elephant and the cat. He has no real style, He just goes on trying other things.'
~ Pablo Picasso

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I have a wonderful Client who has bought many of my Pieces ~ both Jewelry and Paintings.  She recently saw the Miniature Bunny painting I did and asked if I could also do a small Turtle.  She has two young granddaughters ~ one loves rabbits, the other turtles ~ and she wanted to give each one a small painting for their Birthday.  I thought it was great she was giving them each a piece of Art.  (and of course I would think that!:)  I will tell you though, for some reason I had a hard time with the Turtle.  I had Turtles when I was little and loved them.  But, it was hard (for me) to try and make a reptile fun in a painting for a child. Maybe I need more cloud practice to get my child-like imagination back where it needs to be! 

  

             TRIXIE A. TURTLE                 "WHO ATE MY JELLYBEANS?"

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CLOUDS OF THE DAY ...

I see an alligator getting ready to devour a small fish who is oblivious to the danger.  :(  But then, there is another fish swimming past the other way with a most horrified look on his face!  He knows ...  (I think I need to get past this reptile thing ...)

Charleen

'TODAYS PICK' MAY BE TOMORROWS MEMORIES ...

I think most of the time when we do something different, or a little bit special, we are not really thinking that it will be tomorrows memory but that so often happens, doesn't it.  We pick a few flowers, put them in a jar, and bring them to a neighbor.  She's having a bad day and that small gesture changed the whole day for her.  It totally changed her memory of that day. I 'imagined' that these flowers had a story like that.  :)

'TODAYS PICK'

6 x 8"  Acrylic on Wood Panel

For more information on this Piece Please Click HERE

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CLOUDS OF THE DAY ...

Well, let's see.  I see a Doxie's head.  My Aunt and Uncle had several Dachshunds. When one would pass they'd get another.  They were all named 'Doc'.  And, they all got to eat Pepper steak (made for them) off a Fine China dish.  :)

I also see waves crashing against the shore (Actually reminds me of the Devils Punch Bowl on the coast in Oregon), stormy skies and the sun trying to fight its way through.

“When everything is at risk, good judgment, not haste,
makes the difference between life and death. Panic is the enemy.” 

                                                                                   ~ Greg Iles, The Devil's Punchbowl

Charleen

I COULD USE A LITTLE NIGHTLIFE RIGHT NOW !

The title of this Piece made me realize it's been a while since I've been 'out on the town' (or to dinner ... or to a movie ... hmmm).  I'm starting to become one of those reclusive Artists that we hear about.  :/  Not!   I think its time my 'needs' to be brought up to my hubby. :)

ENJOYING THE NIGHTLIFE

5  x 7" Acrylic on Wood Panel

For more information Please click HERE

Clouds of the Day ...

This reminds me of the Crowds rushing in to Walmart on Black Friday morning!  Best to watch from a distance!

'Actually, my most favorite form of Nightlife is reviewing

the Best parts of my Day'

~  Charleen

21 GOING ON 30 ...

THE CHALLENGE IS OVER ...

I didn't quite make 30 paintings.  There are 21 here.  I actually did a few more but they just didn't make the cut.  For numerous reasons!  :0  But I also did work on 2 more larger pieces that still aren't finished so I have to say it was an accomplishing month overall.  Practice makes perfect they say ... and while I know I'll never see perfect, it's a good goal!

Seeing all these together does anyone see strengths, weaknesses?  I'd love to know your feelings.  All critiques help one way or another.

Now I have to get serious about work ready for Entrée Gallery.  They open Mothers Day weekend and my work has to be there mid April.  Time goes by so fast I know I'll blink and  the work will be due ...


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CLOUDS OF THE DAY ...

I think this is my friend the Smurf back, but from a different angle.  I actually see a Scorpion coming out of the top of the photo ... ready to attack.  Macabre :/  It reminds me though of a painting I did years ago for a Race Car driver.  He raced a Fiat and the cars name was 'Scorpion'.  He wanted me to paint his car on the racetrack.  He provided a photo but it wasn't a very good one of the track.  The day he came to pick up the painting I was definitely anxious to see his reaction.  I knew it was either going to be really good, or really bad.  No in between.  He opened up the covering and I watched the look of stunned silence take over.  there were a few tense moments (in a roomful of people!).  Then he looked at me and said "This is great!!"  He loved it.  It was a real 'Phew!' moment.  I had painted his car in the claws of a Scorpion ...

Don't know that I would do that today ...  :)

LIFE IS FULL OF SURPRISES ...

CHARLEEN

A ROSE TO BRIGHTEN YOUR DAY ...

It is anything but bright here. Rain, rain and more rain.  A change predicted for this afternoon though.  Snow.  :/

IT WAS ALWAYS A YELLOW ROSE II

Small 4 x 4" Acrylic on Wood with stand for Display

More information can be found HERE

This is another in the '30 in 30' Challenge.  Just 2 more days left in the Challenge.  While I won't make all 30 days I will come close.  I took the pressure off myself this time ~ if I didn't make all 30 days it was o.k.  Made it a lot more enjoyable! 

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I included this section below in my monthly Newsletter, but since there are a lot of you that just get my Blogs I thought I would re-post it here too.  Perseverance: Steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc. especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement. Here is a delightful example of perseverance. It's all about how one Womans determination, perseverance, and ... 1500 loaves of homemade banana bread, were able to bring smiles to homeless children in Uganda. To learn more about Jaajabarbs (Grandma Barbs) Home of Angels please click HERE. It's just proof positive that if you want something bad enough, with hard work and determination, just about anything is possible. For more information Please Click HERE  Christmas at the Home  ~  The Balloons are 'ornaments' on the tree  :) ***************************************************************************************** Cloud of the Day ... Now this is a stretch, but a lot of times when I look up into the clouds, it's more about a 'sense' of what I see, than what I actually see.  This time I looked at the photo and had the sense of a Great White Whale coming up out of the ocean.  :) IF SWIMMING IS SUCH A GOOD WAY TO STAY IN SHAPE ... EXPLAIN WHALES. ~ unknown Charleen

FROM THE GARDEN ... SORTA.

A COUPLE OF MORE MINIS. 
THESE ARE BOTH 4 x 4" AND EACH COME WITH A STAND FOR DISPLAY

'PINK POPPY LOVE'

'LADY G'

For more information on either of these Pieces Please Click HERE

'We may think we are nurturing our Garden but of course it is our garden that is really nurturing us.'

~  Jenny Uglow

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I see a Smurf !

Charleen

HERE A PEAR. THERE A PEAR ...

A few more Pears for your consideration ...  :) 
         (still working on the '30 in 30')

'SOMETIMES THREE IS A CROWD'

6  x  6" Acrylic on Wood Panel

'THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL'

6 x 6" Acrylic on Wood Panel

For more information on either of these Pieces Please click HERE

'EAT PEARS, FOR THEY POLISH THE HEART'

~  Iman Ali

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Snow Capped Mountains ...

Charleen