Derby Event

I know....this is certainly not the usual subject matter for me...but there is a good reason for this one.
Late last year I was contacted and asked about the possibility of making a donation of a Torn Paper Painting for a good cause. I've certainly gotten my share of requests like this before, and honestly, as an artist you do have to make hard decisions as to which of these you will to do.
This particular one didn't take long to decide on.

The cause is the Children’s Advocacy Center of Bristol County in Fall River, Ma. They are a non-profit who serve the needs of children and families who are victims of abuse.

The event they are holding to raise money is a Derby Day event.....hence the theme of this piece. (Information for this event in May can be found on the centers FaceBook page.) There was no theme need for the donation of the art...but I was inspired by the whole "derby" idea. Gave me a chance to work on something a bit out of my comfort zone. Doing this every now and then can do nothing but teach you new things. While it certainly was a challenge...it was worth it.

I've added a few detail shots (click to enlarge) so that those of you who will not have the chance to look at it up close and personal can see some the the work that went into it....and some of the special text.
I can not even begin to count the pieces of paper that went into the making of this one.

Vangy...thanks for inspiring a challenge....and I hope the fundraiser is a huge success!!!

Mabel

Finally. Poor Mabel was in the underpainting stage for quite a long time.

I'd had a request ages ago from a customer who already owned a couple of my pieces to please make a cow for her sometime.

I'd only done one cow previously for a certain show...and it sold right away. You'd have thought I'd make more, but I get most requests for coastal creations due to being in coastal New England. There is however an awful lot of farmland around here too as most good New Englanders know. Soo...a cow is not such an odd request.
I decided that I'd make this one during slow periods...but luckily, there were not too many slow times.

This past week however...after looking at that underpainting for sooo long, I decided it was time for Mabel to come to life.


Mabel - details

Sometimes you just have to wait until the spark happens...and fortunately it did.
Mabel is now promised to go off to her new home soon. She'll be in the company of a koi & a frog (Bill) that were earlier purchases.
I'm soo delighted my work is going to someone who really appreciates it.


Mabel - detail

Thank you Kate.


Startiing with Zen

It's the start of a brand new year and as the excitement and rushing around from the just past holidays starts to fade....it's time to sit, pause, and relax a bit.
To do this, I find that a bit of doodleing is the answer. Some call it "zentangles", and yes, while it looks much like it, I'm not one of those "certified zentangle folks", so for me it's just elaborate doodles. Did them all the time growing up......who knew!
Whatever you call them, it's a lovely way to slowly get your creative juices flowing again. Before you know it you're in a zone and the right brain is in charge.
I just did this little piece, a bookmark, for my online art group. Doesn't have to be something big.
Yes....I'm still doing my Torn Paper Paintings....and in fact I've got new ones in the works...but every now and then you need to do a little something different to clear the webs and shake things up.
Gets all the creativity going again.
Go ahead....doodle a while!!