Little Rabbit ~ Symbol of Overcoming Our Fears

"Fear stifles our thinking and actions. 

It creates indecisiveness that results in stagnation. 

I have known talented people who procrastinate 

indefinitely rather than risk failure. 

Lost opportunities 

cause erosion of confidence, 

and so the downward spiral begins."

~ Charles Stanley

Little Tuxedo Rabbit ~ Live With Courage matted view 5.5 x 3.75" Alcohol Ink & Watercolor  Painting on Yupo Paper Signed, Certified, Matted and Framed to 7" x 5"

Little Tuxedo Rabbit ~ Live With Courage

matted view

5.5 x 3.75" Alcohol Ink & Watercolor

 Painting on Yupo Paper

Signed, Certified, Matted and Framed to 7" x 5"

Painting Options

painting only $50.00 USD art matted w/ backing $55.00 USD art matted + Framed - Med. Wood $65.00 USD

Here are some of the steps in creating this piece.

Masking fluid was used.

Alcohol Ink Stamping Technique 

with masking removed

Rabbit and moon painted in watercolor

full frame / uncropped version

As Always, thanks for stopping by. Hoppy creating!

X ♥  O

Happy Valentine's Day!

"Do all things with love."

~ Og Mandino

Thinking of you and wishing you a lovely day!

X ♥  O

Little Owl ~ Symbol of Feminine Energy ~ SOLD

“This life is for loving, sharing, learning, smiling, caring,

 forgiving, laughing, hugging, helping, dancing, wondering, 

healing, and even more loving. I choose to live life this way. 

I want to live my life in such a way that when I get out of bed

in the morning, the devil says, 'aw shit, she's up!”

― Steve Maraboli

After almost a week, I'm finally feeling better. I still don't have much of an appetite or the stamina to charge at the day and work like a horse, but I did feel well enough to paint most of the day yesterday. There was even enough energy left over to take care of the horses without getting winded and weak in the knees. Stamina and strength has returned, just in time to tackle the next snow storm that's headed our way!

Here's one painting I managed to produce over the past few days. I've been experimenting with alcohol inks on smaller versions of some of the more popular animals from last month.

Little Owl ~ Girl Power matted view 5.5 x 3.75" Alcohol Inks on Yupo Paper Signed, Certified, Matted and Framed to 7" x 5"

Little Owl ~ Girl Power

matted view

5.5 x 3.75" Alcohol Inks on Yupo Paper

Signed, Certified, Matted and Framed to 7" x 5"

SOLD

Masking fluid was used.

Stamping method background with
 moon painted and masking removed.

Owl painted using blending fluid and
dipping into inks with fillable pen
full frame / uncropped version

Studio Notes:

In my February 5th post, I shared some of the steps I go through to prepare paintings to be shipped off to their new homes. Here are some of the following steps for completing the task.

Each painting has ID tags adhered and laminated to
 the backing board. For "art only" purchases, these cards are included.

Here's a front view of the paintings with personalized
thank you cards, included with each painting.

Feeling a little lonely, I'm missing all the interaction

 of my online buddies from the 30/30.

Hope you are all well and having a colorful, creative day!

X ♥  O

A New Adventure with Yupo Paper

"Art is the only way to run away 

without leaving home." 

~ Twyla Tharp

Suffering with a bad head cold today, I felt too sick to take on anything mentally or physically strenuous. After a miserable night and feeling like a greasy slug today, I needed something to get involved in to take my mind off of how bad I'm feeling. Since my shipment of alcohol inks and alcohol ink supplies arrived yesterday, it was the perfect opportunity to dig into it. 

Stamping a combination of colors with the felt stamp tool.

Up until recently , the inks were used almost exclusively for crafts; tiles, cards, glass, etc. The Adirondack Ink color chart on the JoAnn Fabrics site was very confusing. Instead of normal artist colors like Alizarine Crimson, Cadmium Yellow and Ultramarine Blue, they have names like Red Pepper, Sunshine Yellow and Sail Boat Blue. (Who names these colors anyway?) They also sell sets of three colors (which are cheaper) that are the same as the ones you can buy separately, but they don't tell you which colors are in the set. To make a long story short, I ordered all the sets and colors they carried. Today I went through them all and am returning 33 bottles. No problem, they already emailed me a pre-paid return slip without me even asking. I must say, I've gotten great customer service from JoAnn Fabrics!

Although they've been around for a while, I know nothing about alcohol inks, so I've been going online and searching for information. Seeing the inks being used in fine art on Yupo paper via the internet for a couple of years now, I've just been waiting for the right opportunity to give it a go! I'm really excited about the new dimension it's going to add to my work. I'll be learning, experimenting and combining the alcohol inks with transparent watercolor. My mind is swimming with ideas in this waterlogged/ head cold state I'm in.

The Adirondack Ink Colors I Chose

I know some of you guys reading this are already working with the inks on Yupo. Any experiences, information or links you could share would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for dropping by!

I always appreciate hearing from you.

Have a great weekend.

X ♥  O

Blue Jay ~ Symbol of Communication and Action

"Effective communication is 20% what you know

and 80% is how you feel about what you know."

~ Jim Rohn

Blue Jay Spirit ~ Finding Your Voice

matted view

Resourcefulness ~ Adaptability ~ Attainment

See painting specifications and price here.

Blue Jay Spirit -  Full frame/ Uncropped

Since posting the PayPal buy links yesterday, four paintings have sold. Yay! I thought you might be interested in the steps involved in getting these guys ready to move to their new homes.

After signing, a couple of light coats of Clear Acrylic (to seal the watercolor to the Yupo paper) are done on cardboard out on the studio porch. 

Each painting is signed and ID'd on the back in permanent ink also.  It's important to write "original watercolor" because somewhere down the line someone just may not know. I also make a color xerox copy of each piece with their ID # and or date on it and file it in the appropriate folder before it leaves the studio.

Next time, I'll share the following steps in finishing these for shipment.

I am missing all my online buddies from the 30/30! 

Hope you are all having a colorful day!

X ♥  O

Thirty New Paintings of Animals I Love

"An animal's eyes have the power 

to speak a great language."

~ Martin Buber

Here are the paintings I completed during the month of January 2014.

Spirit Guides and Animals I Love

8.5" x 6.5" Watercolors On Yupo Paper 

I am very excited to present this collage of artwork which represents my third 30 Paintings In 30 Days Challenge series! Each number and title links to a larger view with painting prices, details and the symbolism associated with each animal. Because I'm envisioning these pieces will make some very interesting groupings, you will receive a discount on original paintings from this series in sets of three or more!  Just place your order through the PayPal shopping cart and I'll happily refund 10% of the total price of the artwork.

I'm also planning on offering prints in various sizes on a few of these images, based on popularity. If you'd be interested in a print of one or more of these paintings, please leave me a comment with the name or number in the comments section here or on the painting's individual blog entry. Some of these images have been tweaked since my first post, so please follow the links to see the current version. I'd really appreciate your input too. It will be very helpful in deciding which ones I may offer as prints.

1. Bison ~ Gratitude    2. Deer ~ Gentleness    3. Cardinal ~ Reincarnation

4.  Rooster ~ Confidence      5. Wolf ~ Family and Protection

6. Eagle ~ Inspiration      7. Frog ~ Abundance     8. Dog ~ Loyalty

9. Cat ~ Independence        10. Elephant ~ Ancient Power

11. Rabbit ~ Instinct      12. Hummingbird ~ Love      13. Turtle ~ Patience

14. Hawk ~ Courage      15. Crow ~ Protection      16. Fox ~ Observation

17. Owl ~ Wisdom      18. Horse ~ Power      19. Moose ~ Strength

20. Butterfly ~ Transformation      21. Bear ~ Knowledge

22. Dolphin ~ Playfulness   23. Unicorn ~ Passion   24. Pig ~ Intelligence

25. Heron ~ Focus    26. Squirrel ~ Foresight      27. Goat ~ Balance

28. Dragonfly ~ Magic    29. Groundhog ~ Dreams      30. Chickadee ~ Joy

"If all the beasts were gone, men would

die from a great loneliness of spirit, 

for whatever happens to the beasts 

also happens to the man.  All things are connected. 

 Whatever befalls the Earth befalls the sons of the Earth. "

 ~ Chief Seattle

See my first 30 Paintings in 30 Days Series,
"Paintings Inspired By Quotes About Trees" 
January 2013.

My second 30 Paintings in 30 Days Series,
"Myths, Folk Tales and Legends" 
September 2013.

Remember, based on popularity, I plan on offering prints 

in various sizes on a few of these new animal paintings. 

Please pick your favorites and voice your opinions!

I appreciate your interest and support very much.

With Heartfelt Thanks,

X ♥  O