50 Canvases in 2014: Word Up!

This week has been nuttier than an Almond-Pecan torte!  After my friend Nancy left, my BFF and business partner Sarah arrived, and I think it took me two full days to recover from all of the late nights and the extra glasses of wine.  (Incidentally, I am perfectly happy with the entire aging process except for that part.  What do you mean, four hours of sleep will turn me into a zombie?!  I'm indestructible!  I'm indefatigable!  I'm . . . oh, wait.  I'm 42.  Never mind.  Totally destructible.)

I did manage to do a canvas while Sarah was here, and it was the "word" challenge on wonderstrange - namely, to create a canvas inspired by a word that isn't "hope," "believe," "faith," or any other word you can find on scores of other work.

My word was "both," because that's something I really need to work on.  I can have a day that is BOTH productive AND frustrating.  I can have an experience that is BOTH rewarding AND disappointing.  I do not have to pick one or the other.  I can embrace both.

50 Canvases in 2014: Monochromatic

I didn't think I would have the chance to do a canvas this week, since I was hosting my friend Nancy, whom I have known since the third grade.  As it turned out, however, Nancy really wanted to sit in a comfy chair and veg as much as humanly possible, so we traded stories, marveled at each other's drama, and watched a lot of movies.  Like, I don't even want to tell you how many.  I think the people at the video store thought we were going into an underground bunker for a month.

While the movies played, at any rate, I painted an olive oil bottle (it's on wonderstrange, if you're curious), and I caught up a little on the wonderstrange 50 Canvases Challenge by completing the monochromatic canvas challenge that I missed a few weeks back.

While I was painting this, Nancy would periodically pause the movie and come over to tell me how brilliant it looked.  I have no illusions that I created a Monet or anything, but honestly, it is pretty darn nice to have someone come up and act like you're painting the Sistine Chapel every 30-40 minutes.  I highly recommend it and would consider sharing Nancy with you, except for the fact that I rarely get to see her myself.

I Got Liebstered

I got an award!  I got an award!  It's a Liebster Award, which means there is no accompanying trophy or achievement or anything, but who cares?!  I got one!  Let the cavorting commence! 

Okay, so the fabulously talented and amazing artist Denthe gave me this honor (go look at her blog RIGHT NOW PLEASE, and then come back, please and thank you).

These are the rules for the Liebster Award, which Denthe broke, because she is awesome.

1. Link back to the blogger who nominated you. (DID IT!)
2. Answer the 11 questions given to you by the blogger who nominated you.  (GONNA DO IT SORT OF!)
3. Nominate 11 other bloggers with less than 200 followers.  (OR MAYBE 6, AND I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY FOLLOWERS THEY HAVE)
4. Go to the blogs you nominated and notify them of your nomination.  (SOON!)
5. Give your nominees 11 questions to answer. (SO BOSSY!)

 Denthe (bless her heart) gave me five questions, instead of 11, and there they are:
  
1. Which kind of art do you like and why?

First and foremost, I like the kind of art I can have.  No, for real.  Museum art is every kind of amazing, and El Greco makes me weak in the knees, but after years of trading mail art, I am WARPED.  I want it. I want to hang it in my house.  I want it to be mine.  

Also, I like art with people in it, or animals wearing clothes. (Damn you, The Slumbering Herd).
  
2.  Is there something you really want to do in your life that you haven’t done yet?

I mean, yes.  Of course.  But honestly, I quit my high-paying corporate gig to live the life I wanted to live, so in that sense, I did the most important thing I needed to do to be happy.  Everything else I get to do just feels like a bonus. 

Meanwhile, I am terrified by the idea of real spelunking,but maybe someday, I will get up my nerve.
  
3.  How would your best friend describe you in one word?

She gets one word?  That's it?  There should be more words!

On that note, let's go with "bossypants."
  
4.  Do you do any kind of sports? (just want to see where I stand compared to other people ☺) 

Errummmm.  Let's see.  Does cribbage count?  Magic the Gathering?  It's totally competitive!  There are even tournaments!

Okay, seriously - I walk competitively, which is to say that I judge others who walk with me but can't keep up.

Okay, okay, okay.  I don't do sports.  NO SPORTS.  Sigh.
  
5.  Do you sell your art, or would you like to?

I do!  And I'm always up for selling more!  ;)


I am passing on the award to:

1.  Mellanie, aka Genxster.  http://genxsters.wordpress.com/
2.  Cindy, aka CindyD  http://www.theslumberingherd.com/
3.  Cathy, aka catpratt http://www.catillustrates.com/
4.  Annie, aka Eraserqueen http://eraserqueenstudios.blogspot.com/
5. Leah, aka leahfelicity, http://www.leahlucci.com/starling/
6. Michelle Lydon, aka mlydon http://www.michellelydon.com/my-blah--blah--blog.html


Here are the six questions:

1.  What / who is your favorite thing to draw?

2.  Describe your perfect weather.

3.  What sort of teenager were you?

4.  What sort of oldster do you plan to be?

5.  If you had to pick the five pieces you were most proud of in your entire career, how long would you need?  Would you know instantly?  Could you put them together in a night?  Would you need a week?  Or would you run from the whole question?

6.  If you could have work hanging in one place in the world, what would it be?
  

50 Canvases in 2014: Robot!

This week's wonderstrange canvas challenge was deliciously simple: ROBOTS!  I fell asleep Wednesday night picturing a sexy robot in a boudoir pose on a chaise lounge, but when I woke up Thursday morning, I decided to ditch the chaise in favor of a standing pose and an alluring hat, which is sort of a fun juxtaposition of chastity (it's white, with a veil) and carnality (hey, robots have needs, too!).

Here are the progress pics, starting with a background that I decided right away would be monochromatic:

Wait! That's not monochromatic!

But after a coat of Soft Quinacridone red, it plays that way.

50 Canvases in 2014: Atypical Color Challenge

I am doing the wonderstrange 50 Canvases in 2014 challenge, and last week's prompt called for the use of a color palette you wouldn't normally pick - or at least, that's the way I (mis)remembered it.  As it turns out, the prompt was to use an established palette - that is, to pick a palette before beginning the canvas and stick with it, all the way to the end.  Whoops.  Good thing I did that, too!  I just did it with a color palette I wouldn't normally use.  Seriously, this is so far outside my comfort zone that you need a passport and a long conversation with a customs agent to get from one to the other.

Parlais vous pinky-purple?

Okay, to keep everything else simple simple, I decided to work on a 4x4 black canvas, and I made myself a pensive little alien.  I am pleased to report that I had a ball!

The flash really changes the way the colors look!

Before I painted the background, by the way, I Googled some images from the Hubble telescope.  The image I chose was associated with an article called, "Galaxy 'Spills Its Guts' in Space."  Who can resist a tell-all galaxy?!  Secrets of the Universe, come sit by me!

Fake Saints

There has been a gathering of fake saints in my house.

First up is St. Atarica, patron saint of old school gamers from the days of Pong, Pac Man, and Space Invaders, as well as mothers whose children FIRST want to spend hours playing on the xbox and THEN want to follow them around the house narrating everything that happened.  I pray to St. Atarica on the daily.

Next up is St. Chaotica, patron saint of new parents, people moving across the country, people who get suckered into planning large events, and anyone whose phone never rings - until it rings all night long.

Finally, here is St. Malevica, whose canonization was a long process, fraught with controversy.  While she had divine visions and even seizures, she also stole from the poor (and anyone else who held still for too long).  Malevica is the patron saint of pick pockets, petty thieves, shoplifters, and people who take candy from babies.

Oh, and I should probably add that I made these with Copic markers, Prismacolor pencils, and gel pens - and that I now love Prismacolors.  My wallet is not speaking to me.

50 Canvases in 2014: Song Lyric Prompt

Last weekend, I saw Rhett Miller perform at Radio Radio, and he was super amazing and energetic and adorable, on top of which, he put his arm around me, which shows him to be a man of taste and discernment.  Or a man who was taking a picture with me.  WHATEVER.

Rhett.  You can also see my hair, but the rest of me didn't look so hot.  Hi hair!

Anyway, the whole experience got me extra fired up to paint a canvas for last week's wonderstrange 50 Canvases in 2014 challenge, which was to paint something inspired by a song lyric.  Of all Rhett's many brilliant lines, I chose these:

Happy.  Baby, I'm so happy.  Baby, I'm so.  I got my imaginary friends.

And if you don't love me, would you please pretend?

Here's a parade of progress pics for the mixed media canvas those lyrics inspired:

By the way, those dominoes-style numbers above her head?  They are 4 and 5 (which make 9) and 1 and 6 (which make 7).  Rhett is the lead singer of the Old 97s.  GET IT?  Yes.  Ahem.

Good night.