Kitchen floor mural

Living in California, earthquakes happen.  My kitchen has gotten a long hairline crack down the length of the floor.  The floor isn't very old and I am definitely not ready to tear out all of those travertine tiles just yet.  I am not new at using paint to camouflage things like wine stains on the bar top, and now cracks in tile.  It is kind of a joke in our house that if something needs hiding, I just paint a starfish on it.

I was a little nervous at first, since this isn't just a starfish- it requires more paint and more commitment.  What if I hate it?  How difficult would it be to scrape off?  When I paint a mural on a wall, I am not worried in the least since I can just cover it up.  Well, I decided to just do it.  

I started with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.  I have used this paint on many surfaces and have found that it definitely covers well.  I painted my sand color and then the blue base for the water and now I am too far along to quit.  I will post more photos as it progresses.  I have painted on my floor before but on a smaller scale.  I used clear sealer over it and no matter how much traffic it gets, the original crab I painted on my staircase landing still looks good!

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!

California Dreamin' - Vintage Travel Trailer on Beach Watercolor

California Dreamin" 9X12 Watercolor

When we love to drive along the Pacific Coast Highway, between Santa Barbara and Santa Monica.  It is a beautiful stretch of California coastline and the view is amazing!  One of the main things we notice is that, no matter the time of year, the road is always lined with campers and trailers.

They are often parked only a few feet apart, side-by-side and end-to-end.  There is a wonderful variety of styles in these groupings- from new and shiny to the old and vintage style.  My favorites are the vintage trailers- unfortunately, that shows my age!  They remind me of when I was growing up and bring back nice childhood memories.  Some of these vintage trailers are really restored and creatively styled.  This watercolor is not a painting of a specific trailer I have seen- more a painting of a trailer I put into a fun beach setting.  It was a blast to paint and those are my favorite paintings, the ones that are all fun and no problems!

Sand Dollar Trio- Original Watercolor

9X12 watercolor on 140 lb. cold press

More beach watercoloring- I can't seem to help it with our winter staying in the 60's and 70's.  It just feels like summer! I walk 3-4 miles by the beach every morning and have many photos to paint from.  I feel like I need to paint something different, but this is what motivates me these days.  Soon, I will move on (at least in temporary spurts) and mix in other painting subjects.  I am going to take my artistic motivation wherever I can get it- and these days, it is the beach!  These sand dollars were really fun for me to paint since I really get caught up in the tiny details- that explains all the grains of sand I added. The main challenge for me was to use a light hand to shade these sand dollars- to keep them light in color, but not completely white.

Beaches- small acrylic paintings

Having some fun with small canvases and painting the beach. Sometimes, it is relaxing to just work in a smaller scale.  Somehow, it seems less serious- as if I am under no pressure to create a masterpiece!  That really helps keep the painting relaxed and fun.  I am trying to include people in some of my paintings, but also working on adding people without a lot of detail.  Seems easy, but it isn't for me.  I plan to keep practicing with these until they are easier!

Beach Glass Watercolor - 9X12

Beach Glass Watercolor

140 lb cold press- 9X12

beach glass detail

I am really trying to get back into a painting routine, and think I have finally gotten a start.  I haven't painted much at all since starting the moving/relocation process and I am definitely ready for some creativity!  About a week ago, I got out my palette, and a pad of watercolor paper and got nowhere.  Sometimes, I think the most difficult part of painting is thinking of WHAT to paint and getting focused.  Yesterday I sat down with a plan to just paint a few small watercolors and to paint things I enjoy painting.  Well, with a pile of beach glass and sea shells in front of me- it worked!  Sometimes, artistic mojo and too much thinking just don't mix.  After I relaxed and didn't worry about painting a masterpiece- I just had fun.  Now to find (and keep) my artistic mojo- wherever it may be.