Project Finished

The chest is finally finished and delivered.

Before:

Clients Sketch:

After:

One More Day

I really thought I'd get this done yesterday, but not quite.  I have to go out and work today so this will get finished up tomorrow.

I need to do more work on the leaves and add the male goldfinch.  The male will go above and to the left a little bit of the female and will be in flight, then I can seal this sucker and take it to its home.

Chest Is Almost Finished and My Splurge For The Month

I'm still working on the chest but hoping to finish it up today, if not certainly on Wednesday.

I'm in the process of adding the branches/leaves and their detail and then I'll add two goldfinches (birds I see a lot at this clients backyard bird feeder).

Isn't this a cute top........

Old Navy fifteen bucks (online).  I love the simplicity of t-shirts and now that I've dropped 18 lbs I can stop hiding behind big blousey shirts and get back to a more fitted (but still concealing ;-) look.  I only ordered one for now cause I only have $30 left after I pay my rent at the end of the month.......my splurge for the month.

A Change Is In The Air

The meeting at the hospital for the mural work went well, although they are looking at several options (and artists) so I'm not sure this is one I'll get.  Odd thing is I'm not sure I care, when I think about going to do this mural work I'm not excited, it feels more like dread.  I'm beginning to realize I'm not enjoying painting much anymore and I'm thinking about putting away the brushes and looking at other ways to earn additional income.
An option I'm looking at is becoming a professional organizer, organizing small spaces is something that I've always had an interest in and I think I do well.  Its already part of what I do when I go into homes to clean......open a closet door to put towels/linen away and find a jumbled mess I'm not going to  just add to it, I fix it.  And its a lot of what I did on my job in NY.
Its not like this is going to be some big major change, I mean how much art work have I had lately anyway........not so much.  But I think it is important for me to stop using the title of 'artist' when it comes to introducing myself so that I can move on and find work that will satisfy me and perhaps become successful in.......wouldn't that be nice.
I'm going to spend this weekend getting this chest done and delivered and then will shift my energy in a new direction.
I'll be closing this blog down (or at least not adding to it anymore) by the end of the month, perhaps begin a new one with a new focus, we'll see.

Happy Client, Happy Me

Well good news...the client is happy with the direction of the trunk/chest so far so I can press on.
More good news,  I was beginning to feel like I could qualify to be on the Biggest Loser so I started a diet and exercise program on June 5th and to date I've lost 15 lbs!!....whew who!!  I'm eating nothing but veggies and protein  and exercising to a walking video I downloaded from exercisetv.com luckily before they ended their website.  It sounds simple but its equivalent to a 3 mile walk done in 45 minutes and trust me you sweat!  I'm doing it twice a day, once after breakfast and again after dinner.
How ironic that yesterday I decided to stop stressing about mural work and today I get an email and phone call from another Philadelphia hospital wanting to meet to discuss doing a mural for them.....amazing.  I meet with them tomorrow afternoon.

Dog Portrait Finally Finished!

Finally finished the dog portrait and will get that sent out tomorrow.  Now to that chest!  I'm not happy with the way its going so I need to make some changes.  First way too much pink so that'll change...then I need more depth to the water and a little more variation in color on the lily pads.......sigh.
I just wrote a letter to a friend telling her that I've decided not to actively pursue art projects anymore, I'm just going to paint what I want, no more ads on Craigslist or perusing the internet for opportunities.  I finally see that since I haven't been able to change the way I do or manage things that I'm just going to continue to get the same frustrating results, so lesson learned......finally lol.  I keep remembering when my son was pursuing a music career with his band how I secretly wished he'd move on to something more realistic and he eventually did......guess its just taken me a little longer to see the light.  Not everyone is meant to be what they'd dream they would be.  One definition of dream in the dictionary...... 'an unrealistic or self-deluding fantasy'. 

I'll post some progress pictures of this chest in a day or two.
OK.........here's just quick (unfinished) changes I made to see if felt any better to me without all the pink.......I'm still not sure if this is the way to go with this piece and I'm basing that on having been in their home and seeing their taste in design.  I'm checking with them.

Macrocosm Melody/Acrylic on canvas by German artist Joerg Schlichtholz

Trunk/Chest Update

Here's how the chest is coming along........

I'm out all day tomorrow and Friday I want to finish up that small dog portrait so I can get that sent out, work will resume on this over the weekend.

EarthCam - Rick's Cafe Cam, Jamaica

Yesterday I spent the day in Negril, Jamaica via EarthCam while I was painting and listening to reggae on itunes....soooo relaxing hearing the sound of the ocean and watching the brave souls jumping into the beautiful blue/green water.
 EarthCam - Rick's Cafe Cam, Jamaica

Today I'm having lunch with the folks at the Hogs Breath Saloon in Key West via their live bar webcam while I paint.  Later I'll check in on their live stage webcam to see if there's a show to watch.  Tomorrow I think I'll go to Paris.

Here's how the chest is coming......not looking too sweet yet is it :-)  Its a process.

Painted Chest Project

Well the pet portrait is coming along but as you can see it isn't finished yet.

I've been focused on getting this chest underway for another client.

Based on what the clients told me they wanted (or liked) I zeroed in on an oriental theme.  They actually like several different styles but when they mentioned oriental being one of them and the Mr of this couple had mentioned to me before that he was having trouble keeping Koi fish in his pond (something had been snacking on them) I decided to go this route.
I started looking for images online and showed these to the clients to narrow things down.

They wanted a design that would cover the majority of the chest including the top.  We all like this tree.  Then I found these two gorgeous photos of a lily pond and knew I they were my inspiration for the lower part of the chest.

I put together a quick sketch and discussed more of the details with them and things were a go.

My first attempt to get this underway was aborted when the water based primer I normally use began to crackle as soon as it hit the wood.  I'd never seen that happen before on a stripped down piece of furniture and I hadn't a clue as to what kind of wood this was.....all I knew is that they bought it many years ago in Mexico and that over the years the previous artwork on it slowly flaked off.  Perhaps an untreated pine?.......I don't know, its very light weight.  Regardless I went out and got some shellac based primer and started over.  Two coats of primer and two coats of base coat and we're ready for the artwork.  That's my project for today.

Paintings At A Pet Hospital

I finally met with the Pet Hospital folks and left two paintings for them to display in hopes of scaring up some pet portrait work.

They're getting ready to update the waiting room so the pictures will be hung in a week or two.
Meanwhile I started on a pet portrait for a client in Florida....this is my subject.........

How cute is he!