Megan's Mixed Media

Bug Love

2011-11-21T09:24:00.000-06:00

I have a new addiction...bugs. Three so far and more crawling around in my brain waiting to come out. These are done on Fabriano watercolor paper, 10x14"....mostly with Holbein acrylics but also graphite and a bit of colored pencil here and there.

Enjoy!

2011-11-19T11:40:00.000-06:00

BUG

Ornaments Listed

2011-11-17T00:19:00.002-06:00

I have just listed several hand painted ornaments on Ebay...wanted you all to know. They are all unique and "upcycled" on restaurant coasters making them a cool, one-of-a-kind gift for anyone on your artsy fartsy list of artsy fartsy people. Thanks for sticking by me through this little drought. I have some new artwork to share and will post that soon...think BUGS.

Smiles!!

playing with paint

2011-07-10T22:36:00.000-05:00

WE ARE MOVING! We've moved a lot being in the military but compared to some of my friends whose husbands are also military guys, we have had a fairly easy time. Still, it's hard on all of us. I pull away, the kids pull away and before we have moved physically, we've moved mentally. We are all stressed here, trying to show the house to potential renters and trying not to make messes. We don't want to cook but we need to clean out the fridge and freezer. It's summer and the kids want to swim but I need to stay presentable and don't want to be chlorine-y or sweaty! It's a catch in so many ways but I've done this before and we will survive. My art is another thing.

Art is so much a part of me. I absolutely love the smell of paint, the sound of swishing water, the process, the thoughts, the puzzle working, the color choosing, etc. I don't have time right now. Can't make a mess. So much else that needs to be done.

BUT I did indulge a little. I couldn't take it anymore. I just had to. So, here it is. I needed color, blending, playing. I needed shapes, and swirls and fun. I want to share it with you because that is one of the best parts for me. Sharing something colorful and fun...a little sunshine in your day. Something to make you forget your worries, even if only for a second or two.

Enjoy my silly take on a rainbow!

I used black gesso in a multi-media sketchbook. I drew simple lines with a white, water-soluble crayon to divide the page . Then I filled in with acrylic paint, only to the edges of the white lines. I blended a bit of white in each area, making it more interesting- more 3 dimensional. When all areas were dry, I wet the page and wiped away the white dividing lines.

And do you know what? It was fun. IT WAS FUN! It's not a masterpiece. It's not superior use of technique or style or anything outstanding. I don't care. I just needed to paint, so I did.
Don't deny your creative urges. Just do a little something. A doodle. Origami. Glue stuff together. Cut something out. Weave something. Crochet. Whatever. WEAR LIPSTICK if you haven't in a while. Just do it. I'm happy I did...and I wanted you to know! :)

summer break

2011-07-04T21:30:00.002-05:00

I am going to be taking a break from my blog for the summer. We are moving to another state soon and I have very little time to devote to this blog or my art. When I have settled in after the move, and I am creating again, I will let you know and post some pics. Thanks! Smiles!
-Megan

art journal

2011-06-03T13:35:00.000-05:00

SAY YES TO YOU!

2011-05-07T12:07:00.000-05:00

Sometimes as artists, we need to get real with ourselves. Since I haven't been painting much lately, I seem to have to "remember" how to start. I think there is MUCH to be said for "automatism" -- by that I mean if you paint daily, you have a routine. Your water goes in a certain place, your palette may stay similar if you're wanting to work in series, your workstation has an order, etc. etc. These are all GOOD things in my opinion when you are pressed for time. This way, you can step into your studio (or dining room or wherever you create) and just get going. For me, lately, I come in and I'm just grabbing at supplies and feeling "rusty". Hasn't even been that long since I painted but because I don't do it daily, it is not habit and it takes longer to get in the zone.

On the other hand, when you are out of your routine, you may try things you've been thinking about (what else do you do when you're not painting but THINK about painting! LOL!) such as a new technique, or starting off a different way, or adding elements you don't usually add. It was like that for me today. It's these lulls in my creative growth that give me time to reassess myself. I felt like I was missing something each time I painted. The real message I want my work to say is that it's ok to be you. Being yourself is wonderful and we are all perfectly imperfect. I exaggerate features but try to paint them so they are appealling. I often portray limbs and eyes different sizes and different colors to further emphasize imperfection. Many times, I think people miss this part of my art (I mean, the message part, not the way the characters look). I would love to have my pieces "say" that without "saying" it...but sometimes the viewer needs something more to drive home a message. I have used newspaper clippings and cutouts from old books to form sentences in some of my work but not in any that I've done in the last year. So, while lettering isn't new to me, it's something I haven't been including in my work lately.

So this was my change in routine...I chose magazines since I haven't done much with those and I love how thin the paper is. This is a piece that is 11x14 on Fabriano watercolor paper. It had collaged paper on the background and was then painted over. I'd set it aside because I just wasn't sure what to do with it. Then, last week, I grabbed it just to use it to protect my table while I worked on other smaller pieces (layed it underneath and ended up scraping excess paint on it, used it as my pallette, stamped off excess ink on it -- it was really just a catch all scrap piece. I loved the way the background ended up but I was still torn about what to do on top of it. Because I hadn't been painting very much, I've been sketching in my sketchbook. Here is a photo of my sketches:

She's done except for some shading. I like the modern, edginess of the cutout letters next to the funky girl wearing the sweet, girly dress. She is who she is and she is apparently proud and doesn't care what other people think. In fact, she's dancing...dressed up, not afraid to show the world. I hope I can take this message to heart (and hopefully you too!!!) You are beautiful the way you are....say yes to you!!!

Have a beautiful, wonderful Mother's Day whether you are a mother, grandmother, or great grandmother....stepmother, foster mother, adoptive mother....whether you still have your mother with you physically or just in spirit (as it is with my husband's mother -- it's a tough holiday for him), whether she lives with you, near you, or is far, far away...find a way to connect to her, even if it's just reflection on Mother's Days past.

Smiles to you all!

Work in Progress

2011-04-25T09:14:00.000-05:00

New work...Happy Monday!

My First Art "Fair"

2011-04-24T19:41:00.000-05:00

I recently was able to participate in McKinney's annual "ArtWalk" where artists are assigned a storefront in our little downtown and allowed to set up examples and demo if they like. There were over 150 artists and I had to apply for a spot. I was accepted and assigned a health smoothie type place called Lifestyle Nutrition and Shakes (website is down). I had an enormous corner and I set up my own tables and "tent". We initially set up a pegboard which would have been PERFECT if it hadn't been for the wind. It was so blustery, I had a hard time showing any work other than in a plastic bin. At first I was worried but lots of people came right up and began looking through the bin. I was so completely unprepared and I thought I'd share a little about what I learned. Here are ten things to consider: (some are totally obvious but for me, I hadn't thought of them or need to do differently)

1. Bring money to give change...I decided I'm going to buy a little cash drawer so I can have something organized and lockable. I was fully NOT expecting to sell anything and I actually sold quite a few pieces (prints and originals!). I felt foolish when I was giving change from my wallet and then had to run down the stairs to the storefront to get change for a $20 bill. Luckily, the customers didn't care one bit and continued to mention how much they loved the art.

2. Look into the paypal app for iphone or droid. Customers can actually make a payment to your phone if you log in to paypal, send a request, and then hand them your phone to input their info. A customer told me about this and I researched it a little when I got home. Sounds very cool and EASY!!

3. Make lots and lots of business cards and give them out like candy!!! Bring more than you think you'll need!!!

4. DO NOT FORGET YOUR APRON if you are going to demo anything. I spent all morning waiting for my husband to drop off my apron before I really started painting anything.

5. Don't bring too much stuff. You really need very little to show your stuff and demo a little something for people to watch.

6. Don't wear white. Duh. How silly was I to do that???

7. Have a notebook or business binder so you can have paper, pen, and a place to put people's info if they are trying to give you business cards, phone numbers, email addresses, whatever...I threw stuff in my purse and luckily I've found everything but it would have been nice to calmly open a notebook or something and tuck away important info.

8. Eat. Take a break and eat something. Don't deprive yourself because people might see you or you feel "too busy".

9. Label all paintings with purchase price. Leaving one or two tags off and then being asked the cost of something can make you feel on the spot....especially if you're not sure right away.

10. Secure your tent, umbrella, whatever it is you bring so that people feel confident walking into your area. We secured 2 posts of the 4 but it was so windy, the front popped up and nearly hit 2 passersby. YIKES. I felt sick with worry but luckily, no one got hurt and it was near the end of the day! Not sure what we'll do next time but I do know we'll have it figured out before we start.

I know that some of you have done lots of shows so these may seem ridiculously obvious. If you have other tidbits to share, please comment. I'd love to hear what other people have experienced!!

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter (or Passover)...we dyed eggs last night and I always forget how much I LOVE to do that. Here is a quick pic:

"Not a Butterfly Yet"

2011-03-28T16:31:00.000-05:00

"Not a Butterfly Yet"

5x7 on watercolor paper

Can't chat much but wanted to post a little something I finished today. I love changing a few aspects of my art to experiment with different looks. Try it with your own art...if you normally paint eyes a certain way, tweek them a bit by changing the size or shape. If you usually stick to the same color palette, pick one new color and incorporate it somehow. Have fun! I did!!

finished!!! We Share One Moon

2011-03-19T23:03:00.000-05:00

I'm always searching for the reasons why I paint. I'm drawn constantly to my studio to draw or paint and create something where there was previously nothing...this draw sometimes gets me a little nutty since I'm a busy mom of three. I'm balancing the "have tos" with the "i want tos". You know what I mean...the "have tos" include but are not limited to, laundry, dishes, meals, cleaning. referreeing (spelling?), chaperoning, etc. I'm discovering that this need to create will only fester and make me frustrated if I don't listen. It was maybe a whisper for a while but it's heard loudly and very clearly today. It is part of me. It's who I am. I know that I will not create maserpieces on a daily basis but I will create. I will draw and paint and make things that were previously nothing but bits and pieces or paper or canvas. I am not in it for the money or the prestige (a little nod of encouragement is always appreciated but not necessary) and I will keep going even if other people question my subject matter or my methods or the amount of time I devote to what they might see as "silly" or "foolish" or even "a waste of time." I am an artist and I am me. I am a mother but I have layers like everyone else and I refuse to make apologies for what I am passionate about outside of my family. I'm devoted to my family and in that is me...aren't we as moms part of that family we're so devoted to and passionate about? Without taking care of yourself, there is no taking care of anyone else. You must feed your soul...in doing so, you better yourself for everyone else. You show your children that you are self confident, you love yourself, you are ok with you. Maybe that leads to them being ok with themselves, too....we can hope, right?

So, I paint. I draw, I dream, I imagine, and I create. I feel alive when I do and I feel reconnected with the world somehow. This painting has revealed itself recently in light of Japan's horrible circumstances. I hope everyone can relate to the "something bigger than us" concept. Perhaps "she" is Mother Nature, pregnant with new life, preparing to plant new life, holding the moon in her hands. I initially titled this "She Holds the Moon" but I felt like "We Share One Moon" was more appropriate once I added the star painted like the Japanese flag. I hope that when you look at this painting, you feel connected to the people of Japan and that you remember we do share one moon. They are suffering in ways most of us can only imagine. As humans though, we can empathize with their mourning, worrying, crying, dying, weeping, etc. We need to keep them close to our hearts and do what we can even in small ways such as praying. This is what I have done...beyond praying, and I hope it can help somehow.

New Painting in Progress

2011-03-15T21:07:00.000-05:00

This is a gallery wrapped canvas, 16x20 inches. Lots of texture and layered color.

No title yet but she makes me think of Mother Nature...that there is something so much bigger than ourselves.

close up of houses

close up of pockets...soon to hold flowers or stars of some kind.

I'll post more when I'm done...happy early St. Patty's Day!!!

work in progress

2011-03-03T21:19:00.000-06:00

Working only sporadically but love to play with new ideas and materials or techniques. Still loving the faces, textures, shapes and color. This time, I tore paper and traced the unique shape for lips, nose, and eyebrows. I then attached the papers with gel medium. I'm still working on this and I fight myself to leave more of the background showing. I love to blend colors though so it's tough. I also love to use a great deal of scrumbling and my brushes are taking a beating! My favorite thing to do though is to go into some areas with my watercolor pencils to add more dimension. I will take a color that is a shade darker and accent edges, blending the color in with some gel medium to make the color permanent. Sometimes I take a complementary color and add some touches of that to an area to make it pop. The other thing I love to do is use colors other than white for highlights -- light aqua is great for this!!

I wish I could paint for hours...I'll settle for smaller increments of time just to be able to keep my feet wet so to speak.

Enjoy!

art and some of my favorite media

2011-02-03T13:51:00.000-06:00

Not feeling too chatty...plus, we're going on day 3 of all children being home because of weather. I'm going CRAZY!!! Enjoy!

my daughter

2011-01-10T17:48:00.000-06:00

Before After

I painted over the whole canvas on the left and started over. I finally got around to finding a better reference photo. I think I've come a long way since June. I hope Ellie will like it, too.

I'm not finished yet. :) I am taking artistic liberty here by changing what my daughter was wearing and not caring too much whether the painting looks EXACTLY like the photo or not. As long as someone who knows Ellie would come in and say, "Oh, that's Ellie!" I'll be happy. I'm so hard on myself and it really keeps me from soaring sometimes. I HAVE to let go and just paint what I think looks good. She's not finished but I'm liking the way she looks -- she looks like my Ellie :)

winding down

2011-01-03T20:55:00.001-06:00

What should I do with the background? Any thoughts? I think I'm almost done :)

continuing

2011-01-03T15:13:00.000-06:00

still working, building up layers of color with lots of drybrushing...still have button, flower and background to do...having fun and at least able to stretch my painting muscles a bit.

working in some realism

2011-01-03T07:55:00.000-06:00

Latest work in progress...love doing faces and I love the 20s style of hair, hats, etc. I'll post more as I get closer to finishing. This is nothing like what I've been doing for the last year. I'm sure I'm not finished with my bizarre style but it's good to do some realism once in a while. (Not as fun I might add!!)
Happy New Year!!

penguins!

2010-12-17T13:28:00.000-06:00

I've been working on these for what seems like forever!!! They were done on upcycled coasters (the thick ones from bars or restaurants) to be used as ornaments. These are just the images -- I may photograph the actual ornaments but no time right now. I had so many more to do but the rest will have to wait or become something else. I just love penguins and these were a more whimsical, cartoonish, children's bookish style that seems to come out a lot with me. Enjoy!!

Here are the original sketches...feel free to right click and copy (but just for personal use, k?) They are my images but you can print them out for kids to color or to use in your own hand painted art. Oh, there is a mouse, too.
Thanks!

Henry Darger WOW

2010-12-10T14:22:00.008-06:00

Henry Darger was a janitor. What people didn't know about him until he died in 1973 was that he was also a brilliant, self-taught artist and writer. Thousands of pages of writing and hundreds of paintings were found which revealed a very different man than people knew. Learn more about him by clicking on his name and enjoy this video I found on youtube:

Be inspired every day...

work in progress

2010-12-07T20:51:00.000-06:00

work in progress for The Sketchbook Project

I suppose this is some sort of person dragging a wagon that holds her pet bird/dinosaur something or other. I love when these weird things come out of the background. I collaged some tissue paper that had some modern funky flowers on it. Slathered paint in areas, leaving some of the flowers exposed. I kind of just saw these two figures and pulled them out. Like how this is going and it feels AWESOME to be painting something again!!

Have a fun week!

dance with your dog

2010-12-03T19:23:00.000-06:00

This post is really long but it's worth the read I think ;)

I was recently on a trip that included a visit to North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee. Before that, I was at sleep-away camp with my daughter as one of the chaperones. Before that, I was in Cancun with my wonderful hubby for five days. For some people, all of this coming and going might sound exciting. For me, I feel glad to be home. Please don't get me wrong -- I loved each trip for the things that made that trip special. The week in Cancun was almost a second honeymoon for us and we had a fabulous time. Camping with my daughter was so great since I could see and hear and enjoy all of the same things she was getting to do instead of just hearing about it later. Our visit to NC and TN was about family and a 75th birthday, a farewell to the town where my husband grew up, and a reunion of sorts. ALL of the cousins on my husband's side of the family got to hang out, we had two "Thanksgivings". We had a lot of fun! Now that we are home, I realize that an entire month has gone by and I haven't even picked up a paint brush (except for the little kit of watercolor pencils and sketchbook I took to Cancun). I'm having to reacquaint myself with, well myself. I see paintings I did last year and I remember the enthusiasm and raw energy I had for the process. I would get lost in it, and then look at the clock and realize 3 hours had gone by in a blink. Now, a month has gone by in a blink and I've had NO TIME TO PAINT. Isn't that so weird?

Now, I tend to be a pessimistic type of person. I really have to force myself to see the positive in things. The older I get, the easier it gets to do that. So, I'm asking myself to look at all the experiences I've had recently and really focus on the fun, the smiles, the hugs, the visiting, the laughter, the sights, the smells, the food, the music, the uniqueness of each situation. I get hung up sometimes on the preparation like packing for 4 (hubby packs himself), the kenneling of the dog, the care of the other pets, the stress of the airport, how the beds will be different or uncomfortable, how are the kids going to behave, do I have cold medicine with me, what if I get sick from the change of food and water, what if I lose my glasses, what if the plane blows up....do you see how my mind works here? It makes it VERY difficult to simply enjoy the moment that I'm in.

So, I'm writing this post to share with you an "A Ha" moment I had during an outing in Tennessee. I had been anxious and nervous and tired from travelling so much. One of the nights my husband and his family had planned for us to go to a place called "The Carter Fold". (visit the site...it's interesting) It's a famous little shack in the middle of nowhere Virginia (very close to the Tennessee border) that locals flock to on Saturday nights to listen to live blue grass music. Johnny Cash played there many times -- remember his wife's name? June Carter? It's famous in it's own hillbilly way. Anyway, it's not your average teenager's place of choice to hang out and not really a safe place for toddlers to be, considering the stadium seating (which replaced the old telephone poles covered with carpet squares that I sat on during my first visit years ago). Since we had children with us ranging in age from 17 to 3, it was quite a gaggle to keep up with and it was clear they didn't really want to be there. The toddlers actually did have a blast trying to dance and getting popcorn from the concession stand. However, they were anxious after the first hour or so. In the meantime, I danced with my husband (not well) and we "clogged" as is the tradition there. So much so is this tradition that people who frequent the Carter Fold often wear special clogging shoes. They are like tap shoes with metal on the bottom. You could hear some folks climbing the stairs to get back to their seats with their "click clacking". Stay with me here....I'm leading up to my a ha moment. What amazed me and inspired me so much was just how enthusiastically some of these folks clogged. One lady moved her legs and feet so fast, you'd think they somehow weren't attached -- especially since she was at least 70 years old!! I was sitting there watching over the heads of our disappointed pre-teen and teen girls in sheer amazement of these elderly cloggers. Some of them were VERY elderly but they were out there...cutting a rug with their wife or husband. One lady was dancing with her dog -- I mean, in her arms like a person. She didn't have a care in the world other than the music and her canine friend. Again, I was amazed. So many things were running through my head. Like, these folks LOVE what they are doing and it's not weird or corny or out of the ordinary for them. It's just part of them. It's like a subculture -- Carter Fold groupies. They were accepting of any person who wanted to try to dance or get closer to the stage and clap along to the band's music. While I don't necessarily listen to this type of music, I really enjoyed myself tremendously. I wasn't thinking about anything else... Just enjoying the scenery, you know?

So what is this A-Ha you might be asking? Well, here's the best way for me to explain it....and relate it to my art and my life in general. I saw people who were in their element, doing their thing without a care in the world. The lady with the dog was hilariously unaffected by any looks she might have gotten (which mostly came from us I think). I so admired her for being herself and doing her thing. I had been feeling like I was withering as an artist (being away from my studio so much) and then I saw her dancing with that dog. It's so weird but it made me realize that as artists, we must not always think that we have to be producing work to feel creative or energized. We can gather bits of inspiration in our off times when other areas of our life need attention more than our artistic selves. In fact, we must be gatherers of inspiration and experience so when we do have time to produce work, the work will have substance. It's not to say everything in your life has to somehow relate to or find it's way back to your art. Maybe you'll be inspired by something that will allow you more patience with your children or make you spend extra time with your pet or hug your mate a little longer or cook an amazing meal including dessert for a change. Maybe you'll find a little something when you thought you wouldn't. And if you are really struggling with inspiration or living in the moment, dance with your dog (or your cat, or your guinea pig or your python!). It should get you moving in the right direction! (Of course, Bluegrass music is optional!)

Halloween fun

2010-11-10T15:23:00.000-06:00

This is the second year in a row we've hosted a Halloween party for our girls and some of their friends. This year, we did a craft that was a take on Alisa Burke's post on her recycled toilet paper roll monsters (see http://alisaburke.blogspot.com/2010/10/little-monsters-tutorial.html.) I thought this would be something 2nd and 5th graders could do but was worried about drying time for the paint. So I improvised. I let them use duct tape! It was immediate color satisfaction since it was simply peel and stick. They had trouble at first ripping the tape but once they got the hang of it, they went nuts with their ideas. Here are the results of our fun:

Other photos for you to enjoy:

Homemade costume...we bought the hat, wig and tights (already had the shoes) but all else was made. She designed and directed me in the production...so bossy that girl!

a giant oreo!

mini Michael Jackson!

My woodland fairy princess...shoving chocolate in her face.

I did the do...pretty good, eh? I'm not much of a hair stylist but I was quite proud of this one!

I know this post comes late as far as Halloween goes...but my hubby and I went on a trip the day after so I hadn't gotten a chance to post yet. I have more to post from the trip and some venting about moving to do but I'll save that for next time :)

I'm in a Gallery! Yay!!

2010-10-26T21:58:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to repost from Lori Sander's blog...she has a gallery and is featuring several different artists' works and some of them are mine. Yeehaw!! So fun to know my art is in a gallery and people who don't know me might be picking up an original piece, holding it, looking at it, etc. It's a very different feeling than just putting images on facebook or flickr or my blog...exciting but a little scary! :)

Hope to share more of my art with the "real" world as my confidence grows. How did those of you who have featured your art in shows or art fairs get through it the first time? I'm petrified and don't even know where to start. I need a check list!! Help! How do you get "ready" and then how do you know you are "ready" for a show? ARG. If anyone wants to comment, I'd love some feedback on the subject. Any little tidbits of advice will be greatly appreciated!

Have an awesome week!
Smiles!

Witch

2010-10-10T21:31:00.000-05:00

Finally finished this little witch (11x14 on watercolor paper). She's much more stylized and cutesie than I normally would paint but I was in a children's-book-sorta mood. Enjoy!

simple jack o'lantern

2010-10-03T15:35:00.000-05:00

Not feeling well...been in bed for 2 days but I think I'm on the mend. As I sit and listen to my husband sawing away on his coffin creation (we'll use it in our haunted house) and my children laughing, I find myself wishing I had my energy back. Couple more days and I'll feel myself again-- I HATE being sick (it's hard to slow down when you're used to being a busy mom!). Halloween is just around the corner and I always draw a jack o'lantern or two (or 20!). Here's one for you. I hope you are having fun getting ready for Fall. We are -- or at least 4 of us are ;)

Artist on facebook

2010-09-22T08:28:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to share a link to this artist's facebook page...haven't seen a blog or website for her but you can look at her very cool spiritual art on her fb page. Check it out!

http://www.facebook.com/patrice.b.george

still here...adjusting to my Tuesdays and Thursdays

2010-09-16T21:22:00.000-05:00

My son started preschool last week and he had a really rough start. I think he's got the hang of it now and it's such a relief! You'd think with my new found freedom, albeit brief and only twice a week, that I'd be painting like a mad woman here in the studio. NO. I'm working on the house, purging and organizing, hoping that with those things off my brain, I can focus on my art. So, I have no new art to share but for those of you new to my blog, here a few pieces from last fall. These paintings were a distinct shift in my art and set me on my current path. Oh, and some of them are still available as originals or prints. Some of the originals will be in a gallery in Livingston, Tx (as soon as I can get off my booty and package them up to ship!) I've sold a few here and there but I'm not getting back into my ETSY shop until I have more time. Until then, I'll sell when someone shows interest and paint when I can get time. It's so fun to look these pieces now...makes me smile. Hope you'll like looking at them, too.

Yellow Garden Spider (Argiope aurantia)

2010-09-08T08:52:00.000-05:00

It's not very often that you might see such a creature so close to your master bedroom...this lady decided to make her web just outside one of my master windows. It's given us a perfect opportunity to observe her closely without fear of being bitten. My kids have loved looking at her. Isn't she gorgeous? Thought I'd share since so many times we, as artists (as humans really!!) can be inspired by nature. Look at her incredible coloring!! Maybe I'll paint something thinking of her....hope she can inspire you, too!!

2010-08-16T08:54:00.000-05:00

Summer is drawing to a close but some things will never change. Boys toys crack me up. After having two girls, the boy thing is a nice change. We now have Barbies AND superheroes in our home. Spidey can be found all over the house these days. This time...he's resting on my art table.

Also, my sweet hubby helped me keep little people out of my studio long enough to do a painting. Here's a not-so-great photo of it. I'm becoming increasingly interested in the way stitching looks mixed with painting. I've been experimenting and while I love the way real stitching looks, I think I'll keep it simple with drawn stitches. These faces of mine are changing a bit. It makes me think of how focused our society is on the way people look....the efforts we put forth to look "good" and the money spent on augmentation, lifts, and tucks. I don't know what to call this painting...any ideas?

More painting to come! I'll post as I get them done. Smiles!

summer busy-ness

2010-08-03T16:58:00.000-05:00

I don't know if I've painted a single thing this summer other than "Make a Wish" from my previous post. I've worked a little here and there in some of my art journals and also done some sketching but otherwise, we've been busy, busy, busy. Here are some wonderful photos of the things that have kept me away from blogging and my studio -- can't think of anything better to pull me away than my family!!

Happy end of summer days...stay cool!

Smiles!

On top of all of this, we also had Vacation Bible School, a trip to my folks (their patio is pictured above), a trip to my sister's, and the girls had a trip with Tom to Cary, North Carolina. We still have a visit to Schlitterbahn next week -- that should be a blast and a one night visit from friends passing through town. After that, we'll be getting ready for school!!! WHEW.

"Make A Wish"

2010-06-27T10:02:00.000-05:00

Summer months are busy for us. My husband and I have birthdays 5 days apart in June. We have my mother-in-law, 3 nieces, 2 nephews, my brother, and my brother-in-law's birthdays in the summer. If you add in our anniversary, my parents' anniversary and Father's Day, we've got a lot of special occasions all within 3 months. It's NUTS!! With all of these special things going on, I guess I had candles and cake on my brain.

I'm always thinking of new things or new ways to re-invent these characters. I try to stay with my core elements -- the things I love like brilliant color, lots of textural layers, blending and shading, and a childlike quality in the overall feel. I try not to overthink the outlining and I do it quickly the way a child would. I'm still having such a great time creating these "people". I may do more dogs (I have several sketches that I haven't used yet and some new ones I just finished) but I still love doing faces. Kids appeal to me because they have such a wonderful way of looking at the world. My own kids inspire me daily (hourly!!) and they never cease to amaze me with their simple yet profound thoughts on so many subjects.

So, enjoy this little piece...especially if it's your birthday!! And even if it's not your birthday, you can make a wish just the same. Maybe it will come true!!!

Smiles as always!

Artists pay it forward...for charity

2010-06-22T17:40:00.000-05:00

Just an update on the artist project I contributed to recently. The book is completed and is now up for bidding on Ebay...click here to see it. The current bid is up to $510. It's very exciting and it was a great feeling knowing I donated something for a great cause. "A Place to Bark" will benefit from the proceeds, and someone will have an amazing collection of art from many artists on the topic of "heart". I'm posting the painting I donated just for those new to my blog. Here ya' go:

Happy Tuesday!

The Word is Art: Slide Show A Place to Bark Fundraiser Book

2010-06-18T07:47:00.000-05:00

This is worth a look. I feel lucky to have been asked to participate and to be part of a group of amazing artists. I wish I'd had more time to donate a few more paintings. Check it out!!

The Word is Art: Slide Show A Place to Bark Fundraiser Book

Bad blogger, bad blogger!

2010-06-15T16:24:00.017-05:00

I realize that I had promised to share the texture secret from the post before last and forgot to share!! So, here it is.

As many of you know, I adore texture and I'll take it any way I can get it. The best way for me to build up texture is simply by slathering paint on, little by little. (The way a pallette might look if you don't peel off the dried puddles of acrylic paint). A little like this:

Scraping, stamping, smooshing, drybrushing, splattering, dripping, dropping and a whole host of other ways of applying paint can be used. If you apply each layer and allow it to dry before applying the next layer, you will have a lovely, multicolored background with lots of little surprises peeking through (impressions made by stamps with various colors, found object impressions, scraping, dripping -- whatever you did to make the layer). I love how the background can almost have an aged, shabby look, like years of various colors trying to show themselves. HOWEVER, this process can take some time, especially if you don't like using a heat gun (because you might wake up the sleeping toddler in the next room). If you rush, you will make mud. I mean MUD ...brownish, grayish, yuckishness. Yucky. Yuck.

Don't do that. It's just altogether yucky.

So to cheat Father Time, I like to collage bits of various thicknesses of paper. Paper weight paper is great because it requires less gel medium or a lighter weight gel medium. (Like scrapbook paper, one sided). Sometimes I tear up old paintings I didn't like that were done on heavy watercolor paper. That way, I already have painted pieces with lots of variety. I've also been known
to paint whole sheets of watercolor paper to tear up for my characters facial features. Paper is a great way to add texture and variety to your backgrounds.

Knowing this, I became very excited when I came across some old dry wall tape. DRY WALLTAPE?? Yes, you heard me (read me). Dry wall, joint tape. It is glueless, comes on a roll, and is available at any hardware store. It can be painted, gel mediumed if you will, cut up, laid down in strips, whatever. It is very absorbent and it is MEANT to be painted or had joint compound spread over it, so it will hold up to whatever you want to do with it.

So, there you have it. Some of you are sitting there going, "Duh, I so already knew that." But it was new for me and I always want to share my excitement over new things. Here's one of my applications...in a journal. I left the edges uncut -- kind like it that way. So, new for you or not, give it a try. Let me know what you think!

inside my new project

2010-06-10T11:45:00.003-05:00

Fun with recycled board books....these are the first 2 pages. I'll fill each page with a funky portrait. Should be fun! The book is only like 3 and half inches square, so it'll go fast. Painting small helps me feel like I'm getting things done. It's also a mindless, worryless project because it's something I think I'll just keep for ourselves. We'll see, eh?

Newest paintings

2010-06-07T13:14:00.000-05:00

I've been working lately on these three paintings (in addition to the portait of my daughter from my last post). I promised to share the texture secret (it may not be so secret but it's new to me). I'll do that in my next post. Here are the paintings...almost done but still have some details to add to all of them:

Feels great to be painting again!!!

Portrait painting in progress...maybe I'll try me next!

2010-06-04T15:39:00.001-05:00

This is my daughter Ellie. I'm trying to do a portrait of her. I made it easier on myself by blowing up a decent photo and turning it into a black and white. Then I used vellum to trace some of the basic structures of her face and made a "carbon" for myself by rubbing blue watercolor pencil on the back of the vellum. I should've reversed the photo and then when I traced, I could've had pencil marks ready to transfer. Live and learn!

The blue watercolor pencil did not transfer well but left enough of a mark for me to lift up the vellum, look, lay down my tracing, and then sketch over my blue marks with pencil. (I had taped my image onto my canvas). As much as I might feel like a purist at times, wanting to sketch just by looking instead of tracing a black and white copy, I just don't have the luxury of time to sketch these days. I "cheated" with the sketch if you will, so I could just get to the painting! Anyhoo, here's a shot of the vellum. You'll see blue, read and graphite. The blue is on the back (my carbon attempt) and the red was traced over to transfer the image and to let me know where I had already traced. If I had used pencil over pencil, I'd be lost as far as what I needed to trace...make sense?

Here's where I am now with the color photo to reference hair and shadows, etc. I am still working on this and hope to finish this weekend. I'll post more images as I go along. It's a stretch for me since my portraits lately have crazy features!! At some point in my artistic journey, I could sketch realistic faces easily and it felt very natural. BUT if you don't sketch daily, portraiture is tedious. If you LOVE painting realistic faces, sketch, sketch, sketch and paint, paint, paint!!! It is extremely helpful in my view!

I've taken artistic liberty and prettied up the background...you can't really tell but the canvas has a lot of texture. I'll tell you more about that later. It's something I've been experimenting with and you can get it at any hardware store!!! Stay tuned for more info.

Happy painting ya'll!

miles of smiles from Texas to you!

2010-05-26T08:34:00.001-05:00

Still had some more dogs in mind. Just haven't had much time to paint. Plus, I've been doing Mary Ann Moss's Remains of the Day Journal class (http://dispatchfromla.typepad.com/dispatch_from_la/rotdoci.html) which is very time consuming and SLOW for me. While it is VERY cool, I think I will only do one journal. My studio is small and I cannot store tons of paper (beyond what I already have leftover from scrapbooking days).

I found (I shouldn't say found because she's been around for a while and is very prolific) an artist whose work I totally am in love with and her name is Jennifer Mercede. A couple of her pieces can be found in the Land of Nod catalog. Her work is very FUN to look at and has childlike qualities without being childish. It's very charming and I would love to have one of her pieces.

Another artist I'm eyeing lately is Dan Casado. I found him through a friend and I always look for his work to post on his Flickr site (http://www.flickr.com/photos/dan-casado/) His work is amazing and very fresh. I love how he leaves a lot of his background collage work showing through. I need to do more of that since I really do put a lot of effort into my backgrounds. I end up covering most of my layers with more solid color and I'm trying to refrain! It's hard to know when to stop, you know?

Well, I hope all of you are having a very artful morning and if not, MAKE IT SO!!

Smiles!

Homemade Doll

2010-05-19T10:37:00.000-05:00

My oldest daughter, Abby, had an environmental project to do for school. She decided to see if she could make a doll out of materials found around the house. This is the end result.

The arms and legs are toilet paper cores sliced vertically and curled to make them skinnier (her idea). The are attached with duct tape to the body which is made from part of an empty plastic water bottle. We "stuffed" her with plastic bags and attached a plastic egg (small) with masking tape to the top of the water bottle to form her head. Then I suggested covering her completely with masking tape to solidify and "sturdify" her body. The stockings are made from an old sock and the top and skirt are made from flannel receiving blankets. The design on the front of her shirt is from a kleenex box. Her hair is an old sock and her hat is an old mismatched baby sock. My daughter did all of the painting and decorating of the face. Facial features are scraps of paper cut up.

I'm so proud of her. She's only 9 and she did most of the work (minus the sewing of the clothes). Her project was well received by her teacher and although no grades were given on these, I give it an A++!!

Good job Abby! I love you hun!

Here's a picture of Abby (and her friend Udani) with her doll:

This photo was from the "Academy Awards" night where all of the projects (movies and science projects) were shared...hence the dressy attire. They had a great time!

Lastly, here's a cute shot of Abby getting out of the limo they staged outside of the school for photo ops. The organizers of the evening did so much work and many of the kids dressed to the 9s. Abby played along and threw her head back as if she were a famous person...well, she is to me anyway!

Hope you all are enjoying life...I'm enjoying the many blessings in mine!

Blue

2010-04-22T13:35:00.001-05:00

Blue
Originally uploaded by meganhoover

Blue

This mixed media painting on watercolor paper was a donation to Renee Troy who is putting together an art book for charity. Proceeds from the final bid on Ebay will go to A Place to Bark www.aplacetobark.com/index.html and the winner gets to enjoy a homemade book comprised of original art from a variety of talented folks. To see more about the project, visit Renee's blog ... www.reneetroyartonline.com/

Swimmer

2010-04-21T16:45:00.001-05:00

Swimmer
Originally uploaded by meganhoover

Got this one finished during Jack's nap...life is ultra slow artistically when you have little ones so I'm always thrilled to FINISH something!!! Yahoo! One of my secrets to finishing is by doing a lot of backgrounds that will be ready to go when I get a chance like today. I can do backgrounds in short bursts by just scraping some paint or playing with stamps for a few minutes...even while Jack's awake. Then I've got half the job done for the next time I when I might have longer to work.

More Floral Exploring...say that 5 times fast!

2010-04-14T19:04:00.001-05:00

These are small (5x7) and it seems that's all I can get done these days. I worked on them at the same time so even though the colors may not look like it in these eh photos, they do tie together nicely.

I've been thinking of all the things I do to be more efficient with my art. I have only bits of time so I try to have all of my supplies ready. It does help...when I remember to do that!!

One thing I like lately is my new water "system"...I have tons of see through plastic organizers (the kind you might put shoes in to stack in your closet). I'm using one for my water bin! It has a lid so my son doesn't turn it over (or the cat for that matter). I love it because I can see the top of my water and I don't get the handles of my brushes all wet. I read somewhere that you should use shallow water and replace it often. Well, I don't know about replacing it often but I am liking the shallow thing. I don't have as many "oops" with water dripping down my brush because I didn't dry it off enough. It's a small thing but I thought it was cool. Having a lid is great for my able-bodied-toddler situation, too.

Hope you are creating something wonderful...on a canvas, piece of paper, in a flowerbed, in a baking dish, in a journal, or wherever. Happy Spring! Yay!!

Smiles!

First Flowers

2010-04-02T17:54:00.001-05:00

Happy Easter all...this is my first floral in a looooong time...wasn't as whimsical as I had imagined. I wanted the colors more funky and less realistic -- more funky shapes, etc. I think if I do fewer flowers or even singles, then maybe I can get the effect I wanted. It was fun not to do faces for a change. This has more texture than you might imagine...Fabriano paper holds up so well to acrylic paint and other heavier media.

Also, I am working on a list of tips for creative mothers of toddlers. They are things that have been discussed before but I thought I'd lay them out all together in one post or maybe in a video. As I learn more about myself and do art my way, I'm paying more attention to the hows and whys of what I do, when I do them, etc. I love to hear about other people's processes so I'm going to gather that info to share with you also. Some of the things I do have to do with the fact that I have a toddler who is in full discovery mode. He can open things, climb, scoot, run, hit, ESCAPE, and now he's beginning to say everything was just "an accident". So add manipulate to the growing list. He is a very sweet boy and I'm thankful for that because he is running me ragged!! Here's one site I've ventured over to occasionally...for moms: http://www.studiomothers.com/. It's not just for visual artists so if you are into writing or other things, check it out.
Have a blessed Easter...don't eat too much candy!
Smiles!
M

She Wears a Flower

2010-03-23T15:08:00.000-05:00

Experimenting with this style of mine still...I am always playing in my head with proportions, size of limbs, body parts in proportion to other body parts. Then I think, hairstyle? clothing? How DO these people dress or do their hair? I'm trying to imagine all parts of this "world" I've created. The possibilities are endless.

My next project is for a charity in Los Angeles called "A Place to Bark". I was approached on Flickr by a woman who is doing a book of paintings to be auctioned off on Ebay. It's an animal rescue place in L.A. and I'm so excited to be a part of it. I may be doing more than one painting but we'll see!

Have a great Tuesday everyone!

King Comb Over

2010-03-16T09:33:00.001-05:00

King Comb Over
Originally uploaded by meganhoover

Trying to finish up some projects I thought I'd lost. Originally I had him in a striped t-shirt but it didn't look right...of course, he has green hair and maybe that doesn't look "right" either! HA! I don't care. Sometimes I make choices in my art that others would not even think to make and I'm getting more comfortable with that. I'm really focusing on what I think is fun and worrying less about outside influences. I love color, blending, shading, and the unexpected. Enjoy!

I FOUND HER!! I FOUND HER!

2010-03-13T12:30:00.000-06:00

I thought that I had lost this little painting when I went out of town wayyyyy back in November. I was almost finished when I went out of town. When I got back, I could NOT find her. She was stashed with all of my scraps of paper. I'm so happy that I found her and was able to finish this today. It's weird when you work on a painting at two very different times in your art progress....I was painting DAILY back then and now I'm lucky if I get to paint once or twice a week! Daily is way better for your artistic flow. I just can't do it right now. Potty training my son is zapping all of my energy!! Well, enjoy this little lady. I used torn paper, acrylic paint, markers, pigment ink with some stamps, markers, gel pen and GRAPHITE!!
Woo hoo!!

the making of "She Wears a Red Hat" parts 1 and 2

2010-03-09T13:19:00.000-06:00

I posted these to youtube recently...I finally finished editing the darn things! Enjoy!

red hat

2010-03-02T16:52:00.003-06:00

red hat
Originally uploaded by meganhoover

This is so weird but I had to share what I did. I use the little Crystal Light individual drink packets to flavor bottled water sometimes. The box they come in is so cute and tiny and when I went to toss it in the recycling, I thought, "What if this could be turned into a little painting?" Like many of us artsy types, I've painted on cardboard before, but not like this. I stuffed 3 plastic grocery bags in it to fill it up (I figure that's 3 fewer bags in the landfill), sanded the outside, taped off the ends (masking tape) and gessoed the whole thing (except the back). Then I painted a quick face and now I've got a little painting that can stand on a shelf. I thought this was so cool (it's probably nothing new but it's new to me!) I love the upcycling aspect of this more than anything. What do you think?

2010-02-19T13:14:00.000-06:00

This week's Illustration Friday submission for "propagate"

Watering Can mixed media on watercolor paper

Don't Follow the Yellow Brick Road

2010-02-16T20:05:00.001-06:00

Don't Follow the Yellow Brick Road
Originally uploaded by meganhoover

This came from one of my sketches when I was so into drawing all of these bizarre faces. I think I was drawing most freely and consistently during that time (November?) To get my "head" back into it, I dove back into my sketchbook and found something to paint. This is an 8x10 piece of 300 lb Fabriano watercolor paper...I've strictly used quality paint on this one and I think it makes a difference. The better paint covers more with fewer coats and also stays wet a little longer. Plus, you cannot believe the strength of the colors...pure pigment! I don't think I need to use 300 lb. paper so next I'll be buying 140 lb. I did do a random, layered, textured background first. I think I need to start with darker backgrounds...it's working better for me. My new obsession is watercolor pencils...wetting them in some places, blending with paint in some places and letting them be in other places. I've had these for a long, long time but it's so fun to pull out supplies that you either haven't used in a while or have simply forgotten about. I needed to shake things up a bit. My family still thinks these are "weird"...I just can't stop painting them!

Ride Like No One Is Watching

2010-02-14T17:52:00.001-06:00

Ride like no one's watching
Originally uploaded by meganhoover

I'm trying to soften my colors and also experiment with other sky colors. I was tired of such cool colors and felt I needed to warm everything up a bit. I love playing with color! Anyway, this has a lot of texture and was easy to get a somewhat messy look. This time I dragged watercolor pencils around ON TOP of the texture when the painting was just about done. THAT WAS SO FUN AND EASY!!! It gave just the right amount of ???? to the background for me. LOVE it. I'll be doing some more like this!

"Follow Your Heart" (IF submission for ADRIFT)

2010-02-12T11:24:00.002-06:00

This was a mixed media painting I did recently that fits the theme this week. She's ADRIFT but she's following her heart! This was done on watercolor paper with lots and lots of layers of acrylic paint, gel medium, and graphite. It measures 11x14 and smaller sized prints are available in my etsy shop:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/MegansMixedMedia

Thanks for looking!

muddy

2010-02-09T10:13:00.002-06:00

muddy
Originally uploaded by meganhoover

Trying Illustration Friday again after several years.

This was an attempt at a watercolor but turned into mixed media...can't stay away from mixing up watercolor pencils, graphite and such. Anyway, it was just a quick little experiment...300 lb. Fabriano paper, Holbein wcs, Derwent watercolor pencils, graphite and gel pen.

untitled

2010-02-07T16:22:00.001-06:00

untitled
Originally uploaded by meganhoover

This was one I'd started a few weeks ago...she was tough to finish because I just couldn't decide on the balloon. I painted the barn pink with polka dots because I've never seen one like it. I'm feeling a little lost with my painting since I don't seem to be able to get into my studio and get dirty lately. Too much effort goes into set up and clean up and then BOOM, Jack's awake from his nap. After this summer, I'll have 2 mornings to myself or to volunteer at the girls' school occasionally.

quote

2010-02-01T22:01:00.000-06:00

Dwell in possibility. ~Emily Dickinson

New Painting

2010-01-31T09:57:00.000-06:00

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!

Updated Website

2010-01-26T15:06:00.002-06:00

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.

2010-01-25T20:53:00.000-06:00

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!

2010-01-25T14:53:00.000-06:00

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!

The Dream in progress

2010-01-19T20:46:00.001-06:00

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

2010-01-19T20:41:00.001-06:00

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...

Let Love Lift You Up

2010-01-17T14:57:00.001-06:00

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

2010-01-17T08:25:00.001-06:00

faces2
Originally uploaded by meganhoover

Had to get back to some "stream of consciousness" painting -- finding faces and painting what I "saw".

2010-01-15T17:49:00.000-06:00

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

2010-01-15T13:05:00.005-06:00

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

A Cup of Loveliness

2010-01-13T10:04:00.001-06:00

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.

MESSY STUDIO

2010-01-12T17:11:00.002-06:00

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:

Follow Your Heart

2010-01-11T09:57:00.000-06:00

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!~

watering can1

2010-01-07T08:57:00.001-06:00

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!

untitled

2010-01-04T19:34:00.001-06:00

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

2010-01-04T09:38:00.001-06:00

bizarre ornament side view
Originally uploaded by meganhoover

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

2010-01-04T09:37:00.001-06:00

bizarre ornament front
Originally uploaded by meganhoover

Penguin ornament

2010-01-04T09:36:00.001-06:00

Penguin ornament
Originally uploaded by meganhoover

penguin ornament side view

2010-01-04T09:35:00.003-06:00

penguin ornament side view
Originally uploaded by meganhoover

penguin ornament front

2010-01-04T09:35:00.001-06:00

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).

Queen

2010-01-02T19:12:00.001-06:00

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.

2010 Woo Hoo!

2010-01-01T22:19:00.000-06:00

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!

Newest painting...still going with the Bizarres

2009-12-28T09:25:00.000-06:00

I'm still at it with these faces. I'm just trying to spread myself out a little and see if I can be somewhat consistent with some seasonal things. I'm working on some Valentine ideas. I'd like to make the jump to selling on Etsy. Any ideas, tips, help for printing these? I'm worried about packaging and not knowing how or what to do. If anyone has some ideas, please let me know. I'll be googling ase well to see what others have done.

Hope everyone had an awesome Christmas. We actually had a white Christmas -- here in Texas, that is RARE. In fact, it's been almost 90 years since that has happened in north Texas. Here are some amazing photos:

My MOM!!

Me and my two year old, Jack

Amazing blogs/sites to check out

2009-12-20T10:06:00.001-06:00

Forever I have wanted to write (and illustrate) children's books but have put those dreams on hold to take time and sharpen my painting skills. I love mixed media and it's all I have time for right now. Maybe someday it will evolve into something more. I'm happy right now playing with all kinds of paper, paint, gel medium, pencils, etc. In the meantime, I thought I'd share a link to one of the many children's book illustrator's blogs I found really fun to visit. She is so creative and she uses a lot of red and aqua which I LOVE. Her name is Jenny B. Harris and her blog is www.allsorts.typepad.com. Check it out when you get a chance!! The children's book illustrator's world is like a ginormous candy store for the eyes. Although I haven't visited her site in a few years, I'm sure you'll find Holli Conger interesting : www.agirlwhocreates.com. Ok, I'll leave it at that since those two sites will take you forever to peruse. Here's a photo of our GRISWOLD tree. Literally, it's more than 10 feet tall.

I'm off to make a list of the cookies we want to make. Everyone chooses one kind, plus we make and decorate sugar cookies. Two of my favorites are Butterscotch Haystacks (with chow mein noodles) and Chocolate cookies with peanut butter chips -- YUM.

Merry Christmas ya'll!

What's in my sketchbook?

2009-12-14T11:07:00.012-06:00

Thought I'd post what is in my sketchbook. When I first started doing these crazy faces, I went berzerk with a pencil and my sketchbook. I've never drawn so freely before in my life. I'm usually so extremely careful with proportions and perfection -- this is much more relaxing!! If you haven't tried to let go and draw in a more child-like way, I recommend giving it a whirl! Sometimes I watch my children draw and it's humbling to see them create without fear of judgement. I'm striving for that and I hope it will make me a better artist. In turn, maybe that freedom will spill over into other parts of my life.

striped hat

2009-12-12T18:51:00.001-06:00

striped hat
Originally uploaded by meganhoover

This little guy looks sad...all of my pieces are looking that way a bit. Maybe I'll try some happier faces. Still enjoying these...got some "Itty Bitty Bizarres" in the works as part of my "Beauty in the Bizarre" series.

Santa

2009-12-10T17:20:00.001-06:00

004
Originally uploaded by meganhoover

This guy was done on scrap paper but I have since glued him to a less "irregular" piece of watercolor paper. I'll post the new one soon. I think he'd make great Christmas cards!

Catching Up and Breathing

2009-12-08T15:53:00.008-06:00

I've recently uncovered a style to call my own...something I've been trying to achieve for a long time. With the help of Mystele of Little Glimpses Studio (http://www.mystele.com/) and her online "Gut Art" class, I was able to push past some artistic blocks and find me. Don't know how long this will last but I'm having so much fun. My sketchbook is overflowing with ideas for new paintings. It should keep me busy for a long time!

Here's one that is spoken for...she'll be surprised when she gets it. I'll tell you more about that later! I call it "Shared Vision" and it was done on watercolor paper with acrylics, torn paper, and graphite.

Dance

2009-08-13T23:19:00.001-05:00

Dance
Originally uploaded by meganhoover

Still working on this...don't have much time with one child still in diapers. Not sure where to go with this one but i know it's not finished.

Waiting

2009-08-13T23:18:00.001-05:00

Waiting
Originally uploaded by meganhoover

close up

Waiting

2009-08-13T23:17:00.001-05:00

Waiting
Originally uploaded by meganhoover

watercolor paper...acrylic paint, wc pencils and crayons, pens, pencil and antiquing medium.

Angel in progress

2009-07-21T16:47:00.001-05:00

Angel in progress
Originally uploaded by meganhoover

Angel in progress

2009-07-21T16:46:00.001-05:00

Angel in progress
Originally uploaded by meganhoover

more of the figure developing

Angel in progress

2009-07-21T16:45:00.001-05:00

Angel in progress
Originally uploaded by meganhoover

I've been wanting to paint some religious type subjects or angels and this is one that is still in progress. It's about 10 inches by 10 inches on watercolor paper. I've used lots of texture and the paper feels more like leather now!

black haired angel

2009-07-20T14:48:00.001-05:00

black haired angel
Originally uploaded by meganhoover

This was completed last month. It's a small piece on wood (about 3 x 7). I'm still trying to find my style and testing out different ways to do eyes, lips, hair, etc. She didn't start out as an angel but that's where I ended up. While it doesn't seem so at first glance, she has a LOT of layers!

2009-07-20T14:43:00.001-05:00

Farmer’s Market Saturday

2009-07-18T13:53:00.001-05:00

Today we ventured to downtown McKinney where they’ve done a beautiful job restoring many of the old buildings and streets. We took the long way but found the farmers market where we bought some veggies, soap, lavender, and some peach salsa …plus a few treats for the dog. Then we had lunch at a favorite local restaurant called “The Pantry” which included a sampling of their delicious pies. On the way back to the car, I popped into a gallery where I got some info on making prints of my paintings. I’m so excited to get some more work done and finally maybe sell some prints. I’m still in the preparation phase I think…maybe I need to jump! Anyway, we had a great time and before we headed back home, we threw pennies in the fountain and watched Jack run around. He was so happy to be out of that stroller – always fun to see his happy face!

2009-07-18T09:58:00.003-05:00

It's been a looooong time since I posted anything. So much has happened. We're now in Texas -- yeehaw! I'm painting again and it feels great!

PORTRAIT

2006-06-03T13:47:00.000-05:00

CAKE

2006-05-29T21:37:00.000-05:00

I'm rushing with this one... as always. I have so many ideas and no time for execution. Have a great week!

This was done with Photoshop CS and a wacom. I'm getting used to the wacom tablet... it's fun!

UNDER THE SEA

2006-04-30T10:01:00.000-05:00

This was just a quickie...I'll change it up more by adding highlights to the bubbles, maybe some seaweed or shells along the bottom and maybe even changing the color of some of the fish. Just wanted to post quickly in case I didn't get time later this week. Haven't posted in a long time -- the toddlers are keeping me very busy these days! I may be collaborating on a children's book soon. Wish me luck!

TEA

2006-02-27T13:40:00.000-06:00

Just playing around on Photoshop CS. I have a Wacom Tablet. This came about truly by accident...it's not the look I was going for but I thought it was kind of whimsical. The colors are very simple -- again, not what was in my mind at all. I like the irregularity and sketchiness of it though. Well, it is what it is. TEA.

CHAIR

2006-02-04T14:46:00.000-06:00

GLAMOUR

2006-02-02T20:50:00.000-06:00

Three year olds are hilarious (and frustrating). She's quite glamorous in this ensemble... a too big sweater, tights, and feather slippers from Grandma. I added the tiara and wand digitally (and of course played with textures and filters in Photoshop CS.) Enjoy!