Funkshonal Art: October 2010

Palmer is done. Very happy with it!

So I was able to finish the newest painting and it's amazing because I finished on Halloween. The one day that you would think the kids wouldn't let me finish a painting and it happened.

Here it is. It's 3' x 4'. It's a huge painting but it's beautiful.

Dear God...I feel like my children are conspiring to not let me finish anything.

I painted for about an hour today and then the shit hit the fan. Ax woke up first but that was because, right before falling asleep or just quieting down (really who cares which), his sister woke him up with her whining. She's perfecting that whine more every day.
Anyway, here is the progress of the painting "Palmer". I only have about 20 minutes left to finish it but of course the kids don't let me finish anything when I'm this close.

New painting started "Palmer"

I got bored with the onion painting and couldn't wait to start on this huge canvas. My problem is that I love working big. So I have this canvas that is 3' x 4' and couldn't wait to start it so I put the onion aside for now and started "Palmer". It's a look down our street, Palmer Avenue in the summer time. It was nice lighting with the sun making a very interesting look. I chose to do it in unexpected colors and I really think it's going to be stunning when it's done. The kind of piece I would be really upset to sell....but I will, of course.
Here's what it looks like so far:

"Palmer"-on 10/29/10

I'm bored.

I started the onion painting but now I'm totally not into it so I'm leaving it for a little while. I have a 3' x 4' canvas that I'm dying to start SOMETHING on but don't know what I want to paint on it. I really like how this one came out

so I think I might do something similar. I have a photo I took looking down my street at the sidewalk and some trees. I think I might paint that but in this style. Torn between the following photos to use:

ugh...help.

Mural "Prince and Princess" finished-10/22/10

It's finished. I finished up on 10/21/10 (yesterday). Axton was so much better and now I know he's ready to go into daycare. Cannot wait until Lyla goes to kindergarten next year so we can put him in Lyla's preschool three days a week. I would be able to paint for three days. I don't know what I will do with myself!!
Anyway, here's the pics. I could worked on it for probably another half a day but I had to stop somewhere. I love the way the Disney scenes have so much detail. I think that really separates them from the others. If there are any others. I could have added bunnies and birds and would have loved to added more weeds, as silly as that sounds.
It took me a total of 6 hours to finish it. Pictures are not head on because there is another staircase opposite this one and I couldn't get a really good shot.

Mural called....damn it...i have no name yet.

Half way through the mural now. I will be going back tomorrow to finish it.
The mural is commissioned from the daycare that my daughter goes to. My son isn't enrolled but they told me I could take him and put him in the little ones class while i painted. He didn't like that. He cried about 1/2 the time he was in there. So...what the hell is going to happen tomorrow. Oh, and good news!! There's been a case of lice discovered in Lyla's class....yay!!! Not bad enough that last week, when my husband dropped her off at school, he said that some kid was "hacking" like mad and she got sick 3 days later but lice? really? Oh, and that cold has now spread to my son and myself now as well. Love it! yay!!
Will post pics of the new mural tomorrow...when it's done.

Started a new painting "You Make Me Cry"

I started this new painting called You Make Me Cry. It's a knife through an onion sitting on a counter. I haven't figured out how I'm going to do it yet but I want to make a "tear" out of resin or something else clear like that to put on top of the painting when it's finished.

Ok, it doesn't look like much now but it's going to be fantastic when it's done.

Finished the sketch for the "Prince and Princess" mural

Got a mural job in my daughter's school (pre-school). They are giving me complete creative freedom with it and at first I found this to be like a brick wall. But, as I always do, I started sketching and it sort of came to me. I will post the sketches when I get them scanned. It's going to be a very cute mural. I really do love the children's stuff.
Start painting on Tuesday.

Going into a gallery

I met with a man on Tuesday night who owns a gallery about 5 blocks from my house. I emailed him and asked if we could meet and I can show him my portfolio. He said to come in that night. So we had a 2.5 hour meeting. Nice guy...has no art background but retired and wanted to do something interesting. Have to hand it to him for getting involved with something so out of his comfort zone.
So, in talking, he told me he really needs someone to give him some advice on art. He knows business and he's got lots of marketing ideas but doesn't know art. So I told him if he put some of my pieces in I would help him any way that I could with whatever time I had. He told me he's taking out some pieces of a guy's work who has high prices due to the fact that he doesn't really care if he sells anything. I said, "but YOU do so why keep his stuff in here?". He'll then move some of my work in. Hopefully in the next week or two.
This is truly a huge step for me. I've wanted this for the past few months (years, actually but wasn't doing anything about it prior to getting back into canvas painting). I know it's not a long period of time to wait to get into a gallery but I have no patience.

what to do today...

I don't know. I also have the onion one to start as well. It's a painting of a knife going through an onion on a granite counter top and on the left side of the painting i will be painting a drop to look like a tear drop that is actually on the finished painting (i may play with doing it with resin to make it 2 dimensional) and that will be called "You Make Me Cry".
Then I've got the paintings that I need to start for my doggie children's book called "What does my doggie dream about?".
What to do...what to do...

Finished "Going to Jess and Justin's"-10/12/10

"Going to Jess and Justin's"

Finished this painting as a gift for my cousin, Jess MacNair. She lives in Brooklyn and we went there for the casting call for Bravo's "Work of Art". She said I could stay overnight but that wasn't necessary. I asked her to take Lyla for a few hours (it turned out to be 6 hours!) while we waited in line with Axton. They had a good day that day and I was so grateful that she took her. Lyla would have been a mess waiting with us.
I just hope they like it.
Mailed this out on 10/14/10.

Finished a frame for a friend's daughter-10/10/10

Personalized Princess framed mirror

I had several projects going on at the same time. This was one that I had to get done for this coming weekend for a birthday party. It's for my neighbor/friend's daughter. I painted his daughter, Julia, on the frame as a princess. I know they'll both love it.

"Trapped" is SOLD. So excited that she has found a new home.

I sold this painting a few days ago. So excited!

New painting done "Trapped"

"Trapped"

This is my daughter, Lyla. She will not pose for me but this was interesting for her b/c I asked her to "get into the cabinet" under the bathroom sink, where she likes to hang out sometimes anyway. She obliged but not for too many pictures and then she got annoyed. The picture I used as research was this last one, her being annoyed. I think her face is a little overworked but all-in-all I like it.
BTW, my husband and I found out yesterday that he got the promotion to V.P. of Finance. He's been told that they will make him CFO in January. That's when the salary increase will come and I will be able to put my little boy in preschool (along with my daughter) to free me up to paint and concentrate on my business. I'm very excited.

New painting "On the way to Jess and Justin's"

I started this painting a couple of days ago but think I need to start over. Only have 45 mins invested in it now so not that big of a deal to start over. I just didn't get the right start on it.

Finished painting "Pool of Blue"

This is a new look I'm trying. Little squiggly lines on a black background. After painting the blue pool/pond area I was thinking it's starting to look like Starry Night so I was hoping once the duck went in it started looking different. Now that it's finished I really like the way it looks. Very happy with it.

New Book "What Does My Doggie Dream About?"

Wrote a book tonight called What Does My Doggie Dream About. Will start paintings for it in like 2 weeks. I have a painting to do for a family member as a "thank you" for helping out while Matt and I did the casting call.

Casting Call for Work of Art: The next great Artist

On Saturday, September 25th at 7 am my husband and the kids and I left the house for Brooklyn, NY. The casting call for Bravo's second season of "Work of Art: The Next Great Artist" was from 10 am -2 pm. We got to Brooklyn at my cousin's apartment about 9:30am. I got changed and we said good-bye to Lyla (she was spending the day with Jess) as she cried her little eyes out. We then walked about 5 blocks to the Brooklyn Museum.
It was a cattle call so we got in line and had no idea what we were in for. After about 6 hours in line around the Museum I got my number-716. Shortly after this is where I said good-bye to Matt and Axton and went inside. After 6 hours outside (about 1/3 of it in the sun) it was nice to feel air conditioning! We checked in in groups of 30. Then headed upstairs. I waited in another short line and was then seen by someone(?). A nice girl but I have no idea what her credentials were. I turned in my disk and paperwork and after about 5 minutes of viewing my portfolio I was done. Sent on my way to go home and wait for a phone call.
I was finishing my glass of wine around 10 pm that night (that was the deadline for any callbacks) and just looked at my phone and cried. Matt hugged me and I just sobbed. I really thought I had a chance.
For the next week I just stopped once in a while and started tearing up. It's a difficult thing to explain if you've never been through this kind of thing but it just makes you feel like you're not as good as you thought you were.
I took a week off from painting or sketching or anything.
These are the paintings (originals) that I took with me along with me to the casting call. "Oh, Char" and "Funky Donkey"