Another peek into my sketchbook

Hands and feet

I got the ideas for these little sketches in my sketchbook from a Stampington ad - 

and again I'm playing with color

I swear that my hands actually do look like that after I have been painting -

I am incapable of not getting paint on me

I was so fortunate this week to receive a bag of art and craft books, and a bunch of old art and craft magazines - so so happy

just looking through them awes me with the incredible talent of so many artists

I feel so energized by their inspired use of materials and colors

Oh happy day!

Off to the studio!

thanks for reading and hope your day is filled with joy!

Chris

A peek into my sketchbook

Playing with some ideas and images

I got the idea for the sheep from a Soulemama blog post - how to paint a flock of sheep but keep the individuality of each animal 

With the rabbit, I was playing with using unusual colors, but I think they work

And the final piece was inspired by one I remember seeing in a book or magazine - moving from the concrete in the background to the abstract in the foreground

Hope your day is filled with color,

Chris

Fall - in love

It's cooling off a bit here - and the sky is a brilliant blue with few clouds - and the humidity is much less - oh yes, it is finally turning to fall here in southeastern Florida - above is a sketchbook page - all watercolor

vegetable soup - yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

a cup of tea and a good book - by the way, have you read Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn?  I read it in one day BUT I was so disappointed by the ending - anyway, it is totally suspenseful and will suck you right in!

a new type of creative mischief going on in the studio - art dollmaking - it is an experiment for me - not sure how it will turn out ................ I am using lots of my stash - fabrics, yarns, beads, and paints in different ways - it is so tactile and tangible -- so different from watercolor painting or drawing -- depending on the results, I will post my creation in a few days

some things for sale on etsy, ebay, and half.com as I continue to destash and try to make a little money for holiday presents

hope you are having a super day,
Chris

Time for tea

There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.  ~Henry James, The Portrait of a Lady

Just a page from my sketchbook.

Hope your Sunday is special!

Chris

DO

I'm sure that you have seen the old adage "Use it up/Wear it out/Make do/Or do without" and I have tried to follow that much of my life - that is, living within my means and living as green as I can. But just this weekend I saw this adage "Do what you can with what you have where you are", and I think it sums up pretty much where I am right now. A good way to remind yourself (and myself) of the abundance in our lives! I suppose it doesn't help the consumer economy numbers (if you can believe anything you read) but I know that I am happier and healthier doing and living without money or ego problems. Next time you are inspired by a project that you read about in a blog or magazine, stop for a moment and think how you could use that inspiration within the text of what you already own in supplies - you probably already have items that would work beautifully and add your personal touch to the layout, canvas, quilt, or altered item. So far this year (now 5 months in) I haven't bought any scrapping supplies and only 6 tubes of watercolor paint (to replace empties), 4 conte crayons, 2 frames and mats, 8 fat quarters at the quilt show, and a couple of journals for $1 each at the used book store. All totaled to $140.  I have gone through my supply closet and pulled out some UFOs (unfinished objects) so I will be finishing those in the next few months and continuing to create new pieces with what I have.

Here's a sketchbook page that I did this week - as you can see, I was playing with circles (the watercolor wet into wet circle idea came from Water Paper Paint by Heather Smith Jones (from the library) - it's a cool book "exploring creativity with watercolor and mixed media"- lots of cool ideas and written in a  fun style). I was sitting there playing with paint and pen, and realized that the top I was wearing (a Liberty top from Target a couple of years ago - this top was in the children's department) had incredible stylized circular flowers so I just had to draw one. So fun how life and creativity run together sometimes!

Hope you are having a fun and creative week - it is truly summer here - so hot and humid with thunderstorms every afternoon - some in which we get rain and some not. We were supposed to get rain with Beryl but we only got a bit - everything is so dry and brown here but that's pretty normal for this time of year. Summer is really longggggggggggggggggggggggggg in Florida! I am so thankful for our air conditioning and I just hibernate in my little studio cave this time of year.

This afternoon I am going to see The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel with friends - really looking forward to it!

Thanks for stopping by
and hope you find some time to create every day,
Chris