Works in Progress

more wip's here...it seems that is all i have been posting lately.....but i feel the need to post something today...it is hard to do art when i am away from my studio 3days a week taking care of Piper, my 8 month old grand baby......but i manage to tote some art supplies with me each day....i have been doing some "gouache technique" pieces for gifts and thought i would log them here and share with everyone.....they are time consuming, but easy and relaxing for me to do ......most of these are in their beginning stages...today i will be putting the gouache on the ones that need it , then the india ink, and then the final step of washing the ink off and seeing what resulted (the fun part).....then you finish with paint of your choice....fun....

Bragging Again

here i go again going on about my grand kids...this time it is Annie who just has to do art with me when she is off of school and is spending the day with me.....when she saw the studio door i am doing she said, "oh please, nonnie, can i do one too...please please please."......well what is a "nonnie" to do but let her do a door....the studio bathroom door.....talk about 2 big blue eyes lighting up, she was so excited ......and here is her work in progress.....now she is 7yrs old and she did this all by herself with my direction.....great, huh?

Painted &Stamped Book Pages

i was playing late last night...couldn't sleep....made these papers from book pages...used my cheap acrylic paint on them first and then some stamps when the paint dried......then used some distress ink to give them a kind of vintage look..... fun...... when i did return to bed i slept until 8am..... yah

Free Day

i am usually taking care of my 8 month old grand daughter during the week but today i am free...i wanted to post these proofs of them that were taken by a photographer on location at a neighboring farm........i love , love these pictures of piper and annie...

Fall in it's glory

just felt the need to share these pictures.....the ginkgo tree in front of my studio is absolutely beautiful .....against the Carolina blue sky it is breath taking ..... and the hydrangea bush is always gorgeous...they were bright blue this summer...i am always in awe with fall.......

2 more WIP's

this is the outside and inside of my studio door.....what fun this is to do....this is the result of the graffiti chic 2 class i am taking from alisa burke i am really enjoying throwing the paint around.....i am anxious to use some of the stamps i made....i did use the heart already..... ;-)

So Many Classes

I have signed up for so many on-line classes this past year and although my intentions are good and i get so excited, i do not seem to complete the class from beginning to end.....so i have made a commitment to myself not to take anymore classes until i work on the ones i have already paid for......

the photo above is a result of one of alisa burke's classes ....i have tken 4 of her classes... i love her stuff and i sooo enjoy throwing paint around....it is so relaxing....these stamps are made from craft foam and were a blast to do.....can't wait to use them... ;)

Completed ?

all i have done for the last few days is play with and finish this mm piece of art so i can use it to start my jewelry pieces for the class i am taking with sharon and deryn ..... i did travel to saluda nc this past monday and took a class at random arts..... a great time was has there....somehow my pieces that i did in the class got lost between here and saluda...if i find them i will post them..... ugh....

Cards with Suzi Blu stamps

i did these cards with some Suzi Blu stamps that i just had to have.........i really do like them...simple and fun to stamp and color....and i needed some cards ......

Still a WIP

have added a few more things to my houses....mostly butterflies ....love butterflies....not finished yet.....am working on getting as many"sweet spots", as Sharon calls them, on this ... Sharon and Deryn's class has been loads of fun...we are using our painting for the jewelry pieces we are going to make...hop on over to her site ans read all about it.....

WIP

this WIP is for Sharon and Deryn's class,Of Towers and Turrets, over at sharon's ning site. it is going to be so much fun...go check it out.....it is something i have been wanting to do and i am doing it.....

Polymer Clay Again....

Another class I taught.....This time we put together 5 signatures, sewed them to a canvas spine and I designed a pattern for the front and back cover that we then put together.....It was a full 5 hr class and we had more laughs..... so relaxing...

for Annie

i painted this on a re-purposed popcorn box that i covered with brown paper tape....i did it in less than an hour for my grand daughter Annie...she loves the blue star glittery hair....i wanted to give her something special today because she was sooo nervous about attending 2nd grade at a new school..... she looked so cute.. i wish i had taken a picture of her in her new school outfit......they grow sooo fast...

Beads

here are the beads the girls made in the class i taught this past saturday....they loved it and so did i.... i really like how these beads turned out....i don't wear jewelry much but i think i would wear these..... ;)

Playing with Polymer Clay

I am teaching another simple polymer clay class in a few days and this is what we are doing....some beads to use in a necklace or a bracelet.......love playing with clay.....boy my work area is a messy mess......i am now off to clean some romano beans that i just picked from the garden........they are yummy!!!!!

Question...

I have just about finished a 30x40 picture for my grand daughter and would like some suggestions on what i should use as a finishing coat to protect it....It is a mixed media piece....I am not sure what to use....I love the beeswax finish but think this painting is too large for it.....Suggestions please.....

2 Reasons

There are 2 reasons why I am not producing art these days....I was stressing about it but I am over it now....The 2 reasons are pictured here...they are growing so fast, these 2 grand daughters of mine...Piper Jane and Annie Kate.....Summer is almost over and Annie will be returning to school but I will still be caring for Piper during the day for awhile.....

Pink Journal

This is another journal I made from recycled postcards...I had fun doing the "messy swipes" of color on the pages for the journal....very colorful...The cover is hand made paper glued onto Davey board.....It measure 5x7....lays flat when open....nice size to work in....I listed it in my Etsy shop....

Busy with summer stuff...

I have not posted here for a week or more and almost feel guilty...Summer just seems to consume me.....The garden, the grand kids, the heat!!!!

I did manage to put a polymer clay "mokume gane" necklace piece in my etsy shop..Here it is....Still working on the shop!!!! I am taking Sharon's "Face's in Technicolor" class and loving it.....

Find it here http://allnorahsart.blogspot.com/

Beads on Etsy

Yippee, I finally took the plunge and opened my Etsy shop....I have learned a lot today about listing, paypal, etc....I guess you are never to old to learn new tricks......Anyhow, these are the beads I listed and I will be adding more items soon.....

Good Morning

It is 6:55 this beautiful Monday morning ....The humming birds are feeding on a almost empty feeder and the sun is already coming through the trees ...It is 56 degrees out side now and I am loving it....I am off to babysit my grand daughter....She is such a happy baby.....Still can't believe she is 3 months old already.....not a very clear shot of her "not liking" the carrier she is being totted around in......don't you just love the daisy!!!!

Messy Swipes

I am posting 2 more pieces of fabric with "not so" messy swipes....In Alisa Burkes "Graffiti Chic" class she says to be messy but it seems like my messy swipes turnout too "controlled"........I have not added any words or lettering but I do intend to do that........and that is where Martha Lever's "Calligra-fun" class will come in handy.......

It is a beautiful day here in the mountains. Almost too warm....I should be out gardening but I am taking care of a 3month old, Piper Jane, until my daughter gets home from work.....Hard to believe that she is 3months old already.....

Purse in Progress

This piece of canvas that I painted will be a small shoulder bag....The photos show the piece unfolded and then folded in the shoulder bag shape....not sewn yet....and I would like to add a word or two....I am taking Alisa Burke's "Graffiti Chic" and "Adventurous Accessories" classes and I have really been enjoying shoveling craft paint around on fabric......I think I needed the break from drawing for awhile......This is soooo freeing...(lol...is freeing a word???)

Recycled Postcard Book

This book is what "happened" with the re-purposed postcards I mentioned in the post below this one.....I am not sure I am crazy about the binding....Will try another binding on the next book...

Class I Taught

I taught a beginners ploymer clay class on Saturday morning at a "small" paper arts store in our "small" town....I forgot how much fun polymer clay is...I have not worked with it for a long while....I came up with this very simple piece for them to make and the students loved it....

Gift for "Pinkie"

I whipped up this "cross structure" book for a friends birthday.....It is made from mostly recycled materials....A grocery bag and some wrapping paper from a gift I received some time ago are used for the cover....When I saw the pink sheets and the dotted wrapping paper I thought, "how perfect"!!!!! Pinkie will love it.....She loves to journal and is a "glue monkey".....The text sheets will be perfect for her glue stick!!!!

Of cousre my photography is lousy....sorry...I need to work on that..

Beads

A few days ago Martha Lever posted the fabulous beads she made and it reminded me of the ones I did 5 years ago, or more, in a class that I took in Saluda NC with Sherrill Kahn...We painted and stamped fabric, tore it into strips and rolled it around a straw to create these beads...I did hundreds of them and made a few necklaces to sell and the rest of the beads got lost in my studio...I hunted them down after I saw Martha's post.....The photo is of a necklace I made years ago.....I let my daughter wear it yesterday and she sold it right off of her neck...lol......Maybe I will make a few more and start a Etsy shop.....and "maybe" that will happen!!!!!

All Norah's Art class

First, this is not a great photo shot of this piece...In true, it is not as orange as it appears here.......Second, I think I will add some color to the "napkin" florals......But I finally got the chance to finish some of the pieces that I started......I have a couple more to paint for Sharon's (Norah's) class.....I get to play all weekend...Yah!!!!!

Gouache Resist

I did this "gouache resist"technique some time ago and have been hunting through my books/magazines for the artist that did it.....i found it very interesting ...i tried it and really liked it....You draw your picture on watercolor paper....i drew mine with pencil then out lined with pen and then erased the pencil....then i gave it a wash of watercolor just to color the paper.....you then use white gouache (generously) to cover the whole picture except for the lines of the drawing..(time consuming)....let dry and then cover over the gouache and lines with black waterproof ink.....let dry and then take it to the sink and wash the ink and gouache off...gently....I used my fingers .let dry..... you are left with a very interesting piece that you can then color with your medium of choice....My profile picture is done with this technique also....

I would love to credit the artist that I learned this from.....Has anyone seen this article???...Seems to me it was in Cloth Paper Scissors....

By the way, I titled this drawing "Don't You Dare".....

Suzi's Class

I have decided to use these 2 sketches for Suzi's class...I will finish the shading and then put them on wood......I will be home this weekend and will probably be in my studio most of the time ignoring the dust bunnies that are probably everywhere......lol

One more sketch

Another sketch for Suzi Blu's class.......

Another Sketch

This is another sketch for Suzi's Piety and Passion class......

Another WIP

Posting this here so I can remind myself of all the pieces I have going....This is one for Sharon's class that I am enjoying sooo much......It am mostly sketching now because I am not at home, with my supplies, during the week...(it is easy to pack a drawing pad or journal) ...

Progress in Journal

Progress continues on this journal page...I have added a couple more things but still have not finished the "face"....also am not sure about the neck area thingy.....might remove that......I am also working on "Piper's" picture for her room and babysitting at my daughters.....as a result I have not been in my studio much..........I think I am going in too many directions right now...my mind is "so cluttered"........I need to focus!!!!!

Journal entry WIP

I have changed this sooo many times....still not complete.....

Progress on Piper's Picture

I have made some head way on Piper's mixed media picture for her bedroom...Applied most of the flowers ........Of course the birds need wings and the butterfly needs work before the painting will begin......This is a very time consuming venture......and baby comes first.....we all know that "newborns rule"...........

For Piper's Room

I am doing a mixed media painting for my "grand baby's" bedroom......It will hang above her crib....I have never worked on a canvas this large....30x40.....It is in the very beginning stages but I thought I would share the progress here.....The inspirition came from a picture in a pottery barn catalogue......I loved the colors and the birds......It will be perfect in Piper"s room.....