A new twist

Happy Summer.
Seems it has finally arrived. Warm temps and flowers in bloom everywhere.
Luckily we had a mild winter...so the beautiful plants I placed in the new gardens last year had a great chance to thrive and make it back to spring easily. I'll not have to worry about them come this winter now.
As all things here have settled down and the creative little muse finally found her way back to me (it had been a long journey) I found myself in a bit of a playful mood with my current piece.
Yes...again, a "sea" theme....but with a twist. A whole new "dimension" you might say!
A fish...yes....but it's swimming "off " the canvas.
This was such fun to work on and such a playful way to come back after some very dark time here.
Made me smile the whole time I worked on it.

Not saying I'll do very many of these....but don't be surprised if you see a bit of "off the canvas" Torn Paper Painting every now and then :)

April...really?

Yep....they say it's spring.......not so sure I'd agree right now.
Luckily this latest covering is starting to melt away...and I have managed to return the car to the garage after it not being able to get out of the driveway.

 
 
Yes...it's April and spring is indeed getting here. Just not quickly.

I'm taking the positive approach and getting my spring/summer Torn Paper Paintings ready to take to the Little Beach Gallery soon to freshen up their walls for the upcoming season!!

In that collection of brand new pieces is Otto!!
I just love this guy. For some reason, he makes me smile every time I look at him!! I hope he does the same for some lucky shopper this summer. Something tells me...there will be more of these adorable critters coming up!

Those who have been following along will also know that every month I've been making prayer flags...one for me and one to send to my SIL. Well...the March one is done. The theme...gratitude.
I'm happy for the time that I spend making each of these. They always make me stop and reflect as I move forward with each theme. As for "gratitude"....every day I feel I have plenty to be grateful for.

Behind the Scenes

I recently created a special piece of art as a donation to the National Marine Life Center in Buzzard's Bay.
Much of the funding for the center comes from donations and fund raising events. Their biggest annual event is the Mermaids Ball. This is the one I created the special art for....so it's a mermaid of course!!
As a special treat for the donation, my husband & I were given a little "behind the scenes" tour of the facility by Kate Shaffer, the animal tech. We were able to go into the "hospital" section where the rehab is done and meet some of the patients in person!
Some of the wonderful critters were a bit difficult to take a "still" photo of as you might imagine. So, I decided to take a few quick videos!!
Here are videos of the seals...this is Mary Arnold and these two fellows are Barclay & Belmont.
The loggerhead turtle who's name is Tide was sooo beautiful. If you click on the "green" text, it will take you to the videos. Keep in mind...these are not movie quality by any means...but will give you a feel for these beautiful creatures and what we were so lucky to have seen.
This facility has great plans and the hospital section is still undergoing construction of bigger & better things in order to care for larger creatures such as dolphins & pilot whales.
If you like the idea and would like to help them in their efforts...there are numerous ways you can do this.
Kate...thank you for the tour and all the information. We appreciate all the good work being done!

Tiny Art

Spent this week on a "mini" marathon.
No...not a quick run aound the block...a marathon of making little "mini canvases".
Since all the tiny art that was out in the gallery with their larger counterparts have sold out, it was time to stock up again.
This year, along with the seagulls...I've added little seahorses.
They make darling little holiday gifts when you want to give that something special but a big piece is just too much. The seahorses are 2"x 4" and the seagulls are 3"x 3".
I'm sending this little batch off to The Little Beach Gallery today then making a backup group.
I just love these tiny little canvases!!

Swimming in....

The sealife is swimming into a new season. With summer (hopefully) right around the corner, the sea creatures are filling up the art room.

This seaturtle, 18"x24", is the latest in that collection. Always a challenge to do the first one of anything. It's like having to build the first road map for future pieces. Once the first one is created, it does get easier to some degree with each one of a similiar design.

Yes...there are more new sea creatures ready and waiting for paper...soo....off I go!!! Gotta be ready to jazz up the galleries walls with new and wonderful art.

A Sassy Siren

Having started this piece a while ago, I was delayed in finishing it due to having my back act up for over a week. When I work I like to stand. So, needless to say, I couldn't stand for long periods of time this way.

I'm glad to say that this is on the mend and I finally managed to finish my first mermaid.

I'm really pleased with the way she turned out.

As my husband pointed out...she looks a bit "sassy" with the shorter blonde hair instead of the long flowing hair that is usually associated with mermaids. I have to agree.

I have a feeling there will be other sirens of the sea turning up now and then!

Here it is....

finally!!! My latest torn paper piece!

After doing so many of my water themed pieces with the beaches and the koi, goldfish, etc...I felt I needed to add a new piece to the mix.

I had started this piece earlier this month,but it took me a while to finish him up since I flew out to visit a friend for a week. I do think I needed that break from this guy at that point anyway!

Living on the coast and having to be ready for the summer art shows, I think this guy will fit in just perfectly.

Not sure yet if I'll give him a little tweek here or there...but for now I think he's done. I never step away until it is actually framed....so I'd better get to that part soon....lol