Watercolor Postcards- Oahu!

We are off to Oahu, Hawaii for a week!  Our son is stationed there- at Pearl Harbor/Hickam AB.  I like to paint watercolor postcards when I go places, and they are fun and quick.  This time, I also ordered some stamps to go on them with beachy themes from some of my watercolors.  I have not ordered personalized stamps before, but it was easy and they arrived in just a few days.

Looking forward to an awesome week with our sons and their wives!  Aloha!

Oahu Beach Triptych- finished!

Oahu Beach Watercolor Triptych

25X23, 50X23, 25X23

After a period of no available time to paint, I got back to this project and finished it.  It was really a lot of fun, even though it stressed me out during the process!  I have no problem painting just for the fun of it, or to put for sale in my Etsy shop- but when I am painting for people I know, I worry the whole time that it will be what they are imagining.

This project was a special request from my daughter in law, and the reference photo is one she took of her beach on Oahu at Pearl Harbor/Hickam AFB.  What she loves most about it is the gorgeous turquoise color of the water, so I really wanted to give her that.  This was definitely a larger scale than I usually paint, so it challenged me and that is a good thing.  The watercolors are now in the mail to Hawaii.

For the past year, I have been irregular at best with my painting and blogging.  A few things came up that required my attention and were more important than painting.  My mom has been in chemo and I go out of town a lot, so I just re-prioritized my life.  Things are settling down a bit so I am going to try to get back to daily (at least weekly) painting.  I have tried to get around to my fellow artists' blogs and see what's going on- but that has been spotty also.  Hope to see what everyone has been painting- and get back in touch!

Oahu Beach Triptych

Section 1 (left side) 23" X 25"

A triptych (/ˈtrɪptɪk/ trip-tik; (from the Greek adjective τρίπτυχοs ("three-fold"), from tri-= "three" + ptysso= "to fold") is a work of art (usually a panel painting) that is divided into three sections.

I am starting a huge project- a watercolor triptych of a beautiful beach on Oahu.  The reference photo was taken by my beautiful daughter in law of the beach she goes to on base (Pearl Harbor/Hickam AFB).  The total width will be 100" across and 23" high. Usually, what I call a large watercolor is 18 X24".  This is definitely a new challenge for me!  I am starting with the end sections to get the feel of it (besides, I am terrified of the 50" wide center piece- reloading my brush in the midst of painting water, etc.).

reference photo - Hickam Beach

Artists and Copyrights

New York Memories

So- I have a question about artists and how copyrights affect our art.  I am VERY careful about not copying art of other artists, and paint my paintings from photos I take myself.  I would hate it if anyone copied my work, and would not do that to another artist EVER.  Well- I have some NYC subway tokens and thought they would make fun charms for my jewelry in my Etsy shop.  I looked around the internet - I saw many jewelry items using subway tokens, so I thought it was okay to use them.  After all, I am not trying to sell them to use on my subway- or saying that I designed them myself.  I am in no way claiming that I am affiliated with the MTA- or selling them as a token, simply as a piece of art.  My question is- how can recycling  a subway token hurt the MTA in any way?  I think I am free to sell these out-of-use tokens on ebay or at an antique store, so why not as a charm?

This necklace has been listed on Etsy for some time and out of the blue, I find out that it infringes on a trademark and I cannot sell it.  My main problem isn't that I cannot sell the necklace, but that MANY items like mine are available with a simple Google search.  Maybe I should have one of these other artists sell my item for me since they are free to sell them.

Water Babies

'Water Babies'

9X12 Watercolor

This watercolor was pure fun to paint!  I loved the photo and was painting it for a friend.  I got the photo from a friend- of her twin grand babies taking a swim.  I loved the perspective- and who doesn't LOVE cute, chubby baby legs?  It reminded me of when my boys were babies, and I enjoyed every minute of this painting.  This watercolor has gone off to a wonderful home, and I am already trying it in a larger size (18X24) just for the fun of it.

Vintage Marbles

Vintage Marbles

Oil on Masonite Panel  6X6

Time to get back to painting.  It seems that since the holidays, there has been a steady (but VERY welcome) stream of house guests!  Now I need to put painting time back into my regular schedule.  I have plenty of new art supplies to keep me busy.  I stocked up on canvas of all sizes and lots of masonite panels- along with a good supply of watercolor paper.  No excuses.

The painting above is a small part of the jar of marbles my mom has from her childhood.  It is times like this that I am so happy that my grandparents had a basement AND the desire to keep so many of these little treasures from long ago!

Sea Glass Jewelry

I have a confession to make.  I have a beach combing addiction.  I cannot walk on the beach without staring at the sand, hoping to find the wonderful little treasures that come from the ocean .  I have mason jars full of shells, and also sea glass.  Every once in a while, I make jewelry out of the sea glass.  I guess I feel that using it justifies me constantly adding to the collection.  Last week, I got the urge to make some jewelry.  I got out my soldering iron and picked through my sea glass.  I had so much fun!

Playing With Chalk Paint Again!

Old leather and wood stools in "Aubusson Blue" 

Weathered wicker chair now covered in "Emperor's Silk"

About a year ago, I painted my antique dining room furniture with blue chalk paint to try it out.  Most people might have started with a smaller project to experiment with, but the dark wood just didn't fit in with the rest of my beach house.  I knew if the chalk paint didn't work out, I would have to strip and sand the old finish off anyway.  Not much to lose really.  I had heard a little about Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint about a year ago, then did some online research.  To tell the truth, I didn't find anything unfavorable about this paint.  I does seem expensive, but now I know first hand that it is worth every penny.  I painted a table, six ladder back chairs, a hutch and a buffet with one quart and still had enough left to paint four of these bar stools.  

Annie Sloan's web site basically says you can use the paint on any surface- without ANY preparation.  My bar stools have been outside on the balcony exposed to sea air and rain for over a year, and were pretty much shot.  I was going to get rid of them anyway, so thought I would try the paint on them.  I painted the wood frames first- then just went for it, and covered the leather areas too.  They have been sat on, and rained on for about 2 weeks and so far, so good!  I bought a can of the red- Emperor's Silk- because I loved the color.  Didn't even know what I would use it on when I ordered it.  My wicker chair on the balcony was starting to look a bit sad, so it was the first red project.  The color is beautiful- and the wicker was a light color, so it just took one coat.  I thinned the paint a bit so it would get between the wicker spaces easier and it was a quick project.

Now, I am going to order three more quarts because I have picked out some shades for inside with  beach glass shades in mind.  Inside, outside- this paint is amazing!  I used the soft wax to seal the dining room set, but for exterior, no wax.  I can't wait to see how it lasts in the damp, ocean air- I am betting it will be great.