Finally- A New Post!

 how I've been spending most of my time.

how I'd rather be spending my time.

I have been away from my blog for about a month for two main reasons.  

ONE: No painting has been going on, so really nothing to post.

TWO:  Moving, so I spend most of my time looking for a place to live- and the dreaded packing of the house and trying to sort out what should get boxed up and moved!

Usually, my husband's work involves him commuting weekly by plane to wherever the current contract is located.  This time it involves us relocating.  Hopefully, it will be worth all the trouble- by way of a home located very near the ocean!

I really need to make some time for painting or just spending all of my time packing will make me crazy.  I rarely go this long without painting- even though it is technically work, it is my relaxation.  SO- at least once a week, hopefully, I will get into my studio and paint!  And, needless to say, the studio will be the last room I box up.

Thankfully, I have two really large orders of soldered charms (seahorses, sand dollars, and starfish) to get finished.  That means I have to take a break from packing up, and get these charms soldered.  It will be a VERY welcome break.  I also need to get up to date on visiting the blogs of my fellow artists and see what everybody has been doing!

So Ready For Spring!

I am so ready for Spring!  I start to run out of patience at this time of year, due mainly to those few gorgeous days that get thrown in among the cold, rainy ones!  After I get a few nice days in a row, I start to get fooled into warm weather thinking.  I love to garden and spend many hours outside during the non-winter months.  One of the main reasons I like gardening and being in the yard, is the never ending supply of painting subjects and motivation!  First, I have plenty of clean up to do out there due to basically ignoring the flower beds and vegetable garden for months.  After the pruning and cleaning and adding a new layer of mulch- its off to the nursery.  I love to go to the nursery and happen to have one that I love very nearby.  I do not need any more plants, but that never stops me from filling up my jeep with as much as it will hold. Even though I recently got a fun (but small) convertible- my gardening habit insures my jeep a spot in the driveway for as long as it runs.  There are always spots for new plants, and they are all possible future watercolors!  

Studio Makeover

My art studio has been set up since we moved into our new house over two years ago. Sometimes, I choose to paint downstairs because it is like an oven in my west-facing studio in the afternoons about half of the year. I do not want to double my power bill just to be cool upstairs in the late afternoon. The other reason my studio has not gotten much use (except as an art supply room) is that I wasn't happy painting in there, but wasn't sure what to change.

Saturday morning, we were watching a movie on TV and my husband mentioned that the woman in the movie was crazy to have her desk situated so her back was to the door. Creepy. I mentioned that my studio was set up that way (to have a view of the park out the window). My easel faces the door (just by chance), so it is okay! That got us discussing the ways we could improve my painting space. Within an hour, we were off to Costco. We bought more of the great metal bakery type shelves on wheels- like I had in New York. When we moved to California, the movers loaded them on the truck put together instead of taken apart and they weigh too much to be dragged upstairs to my studio. I settled for bookcases which were easier to move. Sometimes it just isn't good to settle. Now, two years later, we did what we should have done in the first place. We also moved my desk/work table into the middle of the room.

It just seemed right to put it in front of the window before without really thinking. Now, my desk is in the middle of the studio and all of my art supplies and all the fun things (like sand pails and painting ideas) are around me instead of behind me. I can see all of my supplies - paints (oils, watercolors, acrylics, and glass paints) all in separate baskets with labels. My soldering stuff is also organized and easy to find. I put all of my gazillions of art books and magazines into baskets so they are contained, at least. My scrapbooking stuff, well, at least it is in baskets even if it doesn't look exactly neat and tidy.

Everything is perfect now. I guess some artists have studios with everything out of sight into cabinets, but I really like seeing all of my art "stuff". It keeps me motivated. I have two cork boards to tack up ideas, and a huge chalk board to scribble on also. I guess I fall into the messy artist category, but I love it! Now, back to painting.

Thanks for looking,

Sheryl

First Thursday ArtSplash on Etsy

Tomorrow, October 7, it is time again for First Thursday ArtSplash on Etsy! The first Thursday of each month is ArtSplash- a perfect time to go over and check out the wonderful variety of fine art available in shops on Etsy. There are many artists involved and it showcases original fine art. You will find oil, watercolor and acrylic paintings as well as drawings, pen and ink, and mixed media- just about anything that can be classified as fine art. Just go to http://artsplashonetsy.blogspot.com or click on the ArtSplash button in the side bar, and take a look.

My vineyard watercolor was put on pause yesterday due to an unexpected soldering problem. I recently changed to a new bottle of flux in soldering my silver art charms. There are many variables to look at when trying to figure out exactly what is causing my problem. The solder? Doubtful. The flux? Also doubtful. The foil? No. The flux brush? Maybe- it is a new and different brush. The method of cleaning flux residue off my charms? Very possible- I used to just wipe them with a damp cloth (for many years) and, lately I have been using the same (ammonia free) glass cleaner I use to clean my solder lines on my stained glass windows. The flux is a different brand, and the glass cleaner is also different. For whatever reason, a few of my charms have had flux making a return appearance even after cleaning and much polishing. I am guessing that something about this new flux makes it harder to remove and it isn't completely gone even when I think it is. I will now start using the flux remover that for years I didn't see a need for- and until recently had no real need for. I have charms and ornaments that I soldered 10 years ago and never had a problem with. Now, I will have to use the process of elimination to find out why I am suddenly having a flux issue. Fortunately, super-fine steel wool takes care of the problem. So, no watercolors today- just soldering and looking for answers.

Can't wait to get back to my vineyard painting!

Thanks for looking,

Sheryl

Using Art as a Teaching Tool

Literacyhead is an online magazine that uses art to help with teaching reading and writing. I just found out about it a few weeks ago when they asked about using one of my paintings in an upcoming issue. That upcoming issue is now! The site, Literacyhead.com, is really a good looking website and I am so happy to have my painting "Fire Island Deer" be included! I love that art can be used to teach- and they have some beautiful artwork on the site. They have used the art of many Etsy artists, so there is a lot of variety. Variety in painting subjects, as well as painting styles. Anyway, it looks like a wonderful resource for teachers, and I am excited to be a small part of it! I have included the link so you can take a look if you'd like.

http://www.literacyhead.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3499:write-starts&catid=355

Thanks for looking!

Sheryl

Garden Art

When you love art, it tends to extend to the yard and garden also. There are so many ways to include art outside. I guess one of my first outside art projects was painting a deer on my fence in New York. The deer were frequent visitors and diners in my garden, so it just made sense for a deer to be a permanent fixture in the yard. The rough texture of the fencing is a challenge-I used acrylic paints and it is time consuming due to the porous and rough texture (and wears out the brushes), but worth it when you are done!

Another one of my favorite ways to bring art outside is painting on old windows with outdoor acrylic paints- "glossies". My husband would love it if I didn't save all of these items, like old windows, until I found a use for them! These paintings can be amazingly durable, even with sprinklers and winter weather (snow and ice) abusing the painted surface. Eventually, they start to show their age, but you can just scrape off the old paint and start over on a new one.

I enjoy mosaics and mosaic is a perfect outdoor element. I did a table top - Mermaid- and she took many different sessions with all the breaking tile, gluing and grouting. The birdbath is a concrete birdbath from Home Depot underneath.

When we moved back to California and bought a new house, we had an empty dirt area to start with. We had stamped concrete poured for walkways, and patios. Another painting surface! I like to use garden and art quotations outside. Outdoor acrylic paints again.

It has been so hot outside lately, that I have been really slacking on the yard work. I spend less time in my garden when the temps hit the 100's- A/C wins over weeding and pruning. Having a sprinkler system almost makes it possible to totally ignore the garden, but there are the many pots scattered around that need watering. When I was outside watering pots yesterday, I took photos of some of my garden art- then hurried back inside to the A/C!

Thanks for looking!

Sheryl

Welcome to Mermaid's Palette!

I am starting this blog in the hopes that it will keep me on track and focused since I will feel like something is keeping me accountable. I was going to make a goal of a painting a day- then thought better of it since I get a little crazy when I don't finish my "to-do" lists. I am going to stick with creating every day, and see where that gets me!

I read somewhere that a "mermaid's palette" is an old term sailors sometimes used to describe a spectacular sunset. It seemed a perfect name for my Etsy shop since it speaks to art and all things beachy. My Etsy shop has been open for almost two years now and since I am starting to get the hang of the ups and downs of selling online- it is time to tackle the next thing I have been putting off- blogging. Getting a blog set up is much more work than I thought it would be, and I am sure I have lots to learn as I go along.

Let the fun begin!