Sunday, January 31, 2010

New Painting













Here is a new painting.  I've been out of the practice of daily painting and so I feel like my groove has been interrupted somehow. I had gotten out of the habit of putting down collaged paper to dictate the face shapes. I was just "drawing" what could have been a torn paper shape or only using one piece of torn paper in select areas. This was an attempt to get back to painting what was there. I collaged scrapbook paper randomly and let the face come out of the background....using the paper shapes to dictate facial features, clothing, whatever. If you haven't tried doing this, it's really very freeing. Just allow yourself to "see" the possibilities. Why can't someone's tie be standing straight out? Why can't someone's teeth be, uh, well, little circles? I know the result is a little strange but I always try to paint the parts with careful blending and rich colors to make it interesting. Is it a clown? Is it even a person? I've learned that with art, you shouldn't "GIVE" all of the information to the viewer. In fact, when you find yourself looking at art for more than a moment and asking yourself questions about why the artist did what he/she did and for what reasons, then perhaps the artist was successful. I don't know if that's what is happening here but it sure is fun to paint this way. I need to do a video from start to finish. We'll see if that can happen soon. Happy Sunday and as always, SMILES!

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Updated Website

I've been working so hard the last few nights on my website. I think I've got the portfolio section going well and I can add more paintings as I need to...it takes some time to set up roll over effects even with a site that has the option to do so built in! UGH! Anyway, I REALLY need to get back to painting. This sitting and staring at the computer stinks once I've checked all of my accounts. Hope you're having a lovely Tuesday. GET TO PAINTIN'! and send me some motivation to get my patootie in gear!!
Smiles! Check out my site and tell me what you think.

Monday, January 25, 2010

ETSY shop...here's the link: http://www.etsy.com/shop/MegansMixedMedia Wish me luck!

Here's the link to the iprintfromhome site where I am now featured as one of their "Happy Artists" Yay! Go me, go me, go me. (just kidding!)

http://iprintfromhome.com/imagelist.asp?id=163893&pid=25704
If you can't get to it from the link, go to www.iprintfromhome.com and look up Resources to find the Happy Artists section.

Smiles!
Megan

Etsy shop open...phew!

Hi everyone...just letting you know I officially have items in my ETSY shop now. It takes so long to get it all uploaded, described, priced, etc. I'll have more items soon!

Also, I've been asked if I could be featured on the iprintfromhome website in their Happy Artists section with a picture of my painting "Watering Can"...that's so cool!! I'll redirect you there when it actually gets posted. They'll have my website info and everything! So exciting!

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

The Dream in progress


The Dream in progress
Originally uploaded by meganhoover
Here is the painting before I blocked in more color and pulled out the characters. I hope I don't get stuck on this one. It's really weird but fun!

The Dream in progress


The Dream in progress
Originally uploaded by meganhoover
This is so bizarre I know. I started out the way lots of us have been doing (Jane Filer's method of laying down patches of color) and then I saw these three weird things. I'm going to develp this more but it's kind of fun just playing around with what's there. I need to post the before and after...

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Let Love Lift You Up


Let Love lift you up
Originally uploaded by meganhoover
I am finally done! I would have been finished several days ago but I decided to video tape the process. I'll have video 3 up soon. This one is already sold!

faces2


faces2
Originally uploaded by meganhoover
Had to get back to some "stream of consciousness" painting -- finding faces and painting what I "saw".

Friday, January 15, 2010

Feeling defeated!  While ordering pizza for the family tonight, my 2 year old decided the carpet needed to be a new shade of gold.  He used my good Holbein Matte paint and made a HUGE mess on the carpet and himself.  I guess we worked quickly enough because the area seems ok and I got it off of his clothes.  I LOVE working with acrylic paint but it is also a HAZARD with little ones around.  Luckily, he didn't eat any!!  Back to painting or at least thinking about painting...sigh.

New Painting In Progress...part 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJyG1euO9Pw

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

A Cup of Loveliness



I finished this piece this morning.  It's different than what I have been doing but I still tried to apply some of my favorite things like the wobbly pencil lines and not worrying too much about proportions (although my analytical side got the best of me when I was "casting" a shadow -- phooey that analytical stuff). This is an 8x8 chunky gallery wrapped canvas.  While I wanted it to be more quirky, I think I still I like it.  

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

MESSY STUDIO


009 - Copy (2)
Originally uploaded by meganhoover

I feel like a MAD SCIENTIST...BUAH HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!! I've got so many pieces cookin'. I LOVE working on more than one piece at a time. I don't really have the space for it, but I manage. It helps me not to "muddy" my paintings, giving them a chance to dry a little in between layers.

Here are some pieces in progress:






Monday, January 11, 2010

Follow Your Heart


FOLLOW YOUR HEART
11 x 14 on paper

I continue on this journey.  I have some tweaking to do on this one but wanted to post something today.  This was on heavy Fabriano paper (LOVE this paper!)  LOTS of texture makes drybrushing many layers a snap.  I am still "learning" the process that works best and because I can't seem to paint every day, I sometimes have to "re-learn" from mistakes.  I can hear my own words, "Oh, yeah...don't put heavy outlines first -- that makes things muddy."  Or, "ok, be free and loose -- don't overthink the shapes.  WHIMSY, WHIMSY."  Anyway, I hope to make these into cards just in time for Valentine's Day.  Maybe I'll do a few more (sketches are ready for that) and have sets made.  Can't decide if I should have the words "follow your heart" ON the painting.  I'm toying with that idea. 
Happy creating!  ~smiles!~

Thursday, January 07, 2010

watering can1


watering can1
Originally uploaded by meganhoover
The universe for the characters in my series "Beauty in the Bizarre" is widening...I do feel onto something but I also am treading lightly to keep "the look" going for different subject matter and scenarios. I'm sure my art will evolve as I do more pieces. Lots of ideas and paintings to be done. I'm still having fun so I guess that means KEEP GOING!

Monday, January 04, 2010

untitled


untitled
Originally uploaded by meganhoover
I've been posting a lot of little things I started a while ago but just recently finished -- so don't go a'thinkin' I'm over here being totally prolific or something. Just happened to post them one after another. I have more experimenting to do with this style. I'm thinking of doing more full body paintings (not NUDES silly!). My sketchbook is coming to life again with new characters and that usually means painting is around the corner. I'll post those when I have time. Sometimes I wonder if I should be blogging about trying to paint with small children instead of just what I like doing when I get the time to paint. I'll definitely have to write about those woes some time...the guilt of wanting my own thing!! Ahhh. Really, I JUST WANNA PAINT!!!! LOL...smiles to all who happen to venture my way. Happy painting (or crafting, or sewing, or juggling or whatever makes your heart sing!)

bizarre ornament side view

Here's another ornament...don't know how many of these I'll do especially since Christmas is over but they were fun. Just needs a hole drilled and some ribbon or something.

bizarre ornament front


bizarre ornament front
Originally uploaded by meganhoover

Penguin ornament


Penguin ornament
Originally uploaded by meganhoover

penguin ornament side view


penguin ornament front


penguin ornament front
Originally uploaded by meganhoover
finished this a little while ago...just need to drill a hole and slip a ribbon or tie something pretty to it. the back is finished as well -- these take longer even though they are smaller (more details I guess).

Saturday, January 02, 2010

Queen


Queen
Originally uploaded by meganhoover
Most of my pieces are or seem to be boys/men and with two daughters who are always monitoring my art, I had to do a girly one. They'd like me to paint some more "normal" looking faces but these are just too fun! (What is NORMAL anyway??) Ha! I think I need to start selling these. The stack is piling up with no place to go! Sooner or later, you'll see this on ETSY.

Friday, January 01, 2010

2010 Woo Hoo!

Tonight was a milestone for us.  We took ALL of the kids, including Jack (2) to see a movie in the theater.  He was pretty well behaved and didn't really get squirmy until the end.  We saw Alvin and the Chipmunks.  Apparently, the "swirly" scene when Simon gets swished in the toilet had a big impact on him.  He hasn't stopped mentioning "toilet, not nice, eww". 
I managed to carve out a little time to work on this piece.  I've been a little burned out lately and this is me experimenting again with my water soluble pastels and gesso and acrylic paint...no graphite in this one for a change.  Gotta get back to "PLAY" time with my supplies.  Looking foward to more experimenting.  It's sooo relaxing, especially after the toddler goes to bed! 
Hope you all enjoyed the first day of 2010.  It's hard to believe it's already here.  WOWEE.

Here are some shots of the painting I did today.




















This is a close up of the texture...YUMMY texture.  I love working with lots of drybrushing over heavy texture.  It's awesome!

Here's another close up:




















AND another just for fun...




















Have a great weekend!  Smiles!

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