FINISHED!

(click to biggify)

Whew! Well, with one day to spare, I finished my submission to our hospital art gallery Juried Art Exhibition. This year the theme is "Healing", so I chose to do a collage of Magnolia stamped Get Well cards. I found the perfect collage of nine 5 X 7 frames all attached into one display way back in February when I first had the idea to do this. Over the next four months, I ordered the stamps and started to plan what I was going to do. Some cards had to be landscape, some portrait. I wanted a variety of colour schemes and designs. I also wanted to vary the techniques and embellishments...

For awhile there I thought I would never finish on time. But I did! Last night I completed the final card and attached each one to their own frame; using the Scor-Tape to securely adhere them to the front of the glass frames so the cards can be opened.

Here are all the cards in the frame, including an inside peek at each (if they have an inside that is!) as some were slightly altered since previously posting them. (Click on the images to biggify)

Tomorrow morning I hand it in and my fingers are crossed that it will pass the approval process; if so, it will be on exhibit in the hospital art gallery from June to September along with about 50 other pieces created by medical staff.

After months of work, I hope it makes it in. Wish me luck...

Dragon Drawing

When I was in school (many, many years ago) a friend of mine and I would love to draw dragons togeter. He was a wonderful artist and I was amazed at his imagination. It's been way too long since I have drawn a dragon, so I took out some Copics and tried this first attempt.

Yeah, that was fun, so I know there will be more...

Copics used:

First Copic Drawing

My first real drawing with my new Copic pens... if you don't count a small cartoon Reindeer I coloured in for a greeting card.

I created it for my other blog I'd Rather Be Blogging to illustrate a close encounter I had with four does on the way to work early the other morning.

I started with a pencil drawing, outlined it in 0.3 black Multiliner, and coloured it in with E11, E21, E25, E29, E57 and E49. Shadows were coloured with W1, W5 and W7.

I'm still learning, but already am in love with using these markers!

Harley And Daisy

One of my most favorite blogs to visit is Daisy The Curly Cat. I love reading about Daisy and her "brother" Harley and their adventures in sunny Florida. Well, Daisy won my first-ever blog contest over at I'd Rather Be Blogging, so I sent her two sketches of my favorite cats (after my own, of course ;) ).


I do hope they like them!

Bird Watching

It's hard to draw cats when they won't sit still for long... so the other day when I was in our craft room and all three of them joined me, I pulled out my moleskine book and pencils.

This time Tawnee obliged me as she sat upon the shelf at the window.

Preoccupied with bird watching, at least she kept still long enough to pose.

For a little while at least.

Open For Business

I've finally done something I was asked to do last year... yes, I DO procrastinate, don't I?

What did I do?

Well, I finally opened some shops at CafePress, creating some products with my original artwork on them.

I doubt I shall get any many sales, but that's okay. The main reason I wanted to try it is to create some items for myself, and perhaps a few trinkets for future bloggy giveaways.

I'm going to add more with older artwork and some of my photographs... so we'll see how it goes. You can window shop here:

MAUREEN'S GALLERIES AT CAFE PRESS

Moleskine Sketches

A few weeks back, I finally got myself something I've wanted for awhile; a small pocket "Moleskine" and a set of good sketching pencils. I made a case to carry them in my purse, so I can draw wherever and whenever I please.

Here are two of my first drawings. I hope to fill the entire book one day!


My first sketch...

done in our living room while Sheba, our oldest cat slept on her favorite recliner.

When she woke up, she sat with me and I did a closeup of her beautiful green eye.
















My second page, a sketch from a photo this time...

of the little Fledgling Robin

(you can read the story on my Rather Be Blogging Blog here).

Cute and scruffy all in one.

Happy Halloween!

Every Halloween we carve a few real pumpkins to set on our doorstep. I illuminate them with electric lights so we don't have to worry about candles and the kids love them.

Oh, and I LOVE toasting the pumpkin seeds too.

But for the past few years, I've also done foam ones so we can keep them to reuse year to year. Hey, if I am going to spend hours on these suckers, I want to keep them longer than 1 day.

From 2006: I did this Jack Sparrow pumpkin from my own design. I'm posting it especially for Jay 'cause she's a Johnny Depp freak er, FAN like me (okay even MORE than me, if that's possible):


Okay, maybe it's for moi as well....

Last year I did another Jack.

Jack Skellington, that is. This one I am posting for my niece, Ashley... cause we are both Nightmare Before Christmas lovers:

Now if youll excuse me, I have to figure out what the hell I am going to do this year. I have no idea yet.

Good thing I took tomorrow off as a vacation day...

Good Friday Traditions

I really look forward to Easter... and no, it's not because I'm what you'd call Religious per se.

Unless you consider strictly adhering to two traditons a Religion, though.

Then I am. Oh yeah.

No, my giddiness involves two activites our family has upheld for years:

1) Painting Easter eggs.

A full-day affair; for we don't simply dip each egg in solid colors.

Oh no. I have to make it complicated, messy and time-consuming.

Daughter and I go full-out: I carefully blow out real chicken eggs for our Ukranian style decoration, using melted beeswax and six highly-stainable food dye colors.

All the while, futilely attempting to keep little feline paws OUT of the six highly-stainable food dye colors.

Each year I also hand-draw and paint a few eggs; using an airbrush, acrylic or even oil paint. I have done Star Wars eggs, Captain Jack Sparrow and cartoon eggs, whichever obsession er theme I decide upon that year.

Yup, they are works of art that I haul out of storage each year to display with pride.

Unless of course, they become sad victims of Feline Abuse... stealthly abducted from their basket on the table and batted about the floor until they are smashed into hundreds of tiny eggshell shards.

The other tradition?

2) Watching Jesus Christ Superstar.

Whilst trying, in vain, to NOT sing along to each and every line I know by heart.

At full volume.

To my family's horror.

I fell in love with this movie (and Ted Neeley) back in the early 70's when I first saw it in the theatre.

And since both daughter and I met "Jesus" after the stage show in 2007, it's a movie we hold near and dear to our hearts.

Actually, last year was my second time meeting Ted... back in the 90's I was ushered backstage to meet both he and Carl Anderson (RIP, Judas) too.


And I even admitted to him that during the show, I was singing along with every word.

At full volume.

Much to my family's horror.

Again.

Trapped in the past

Let's continue on this journey back in time, shall we? Yet more artwork from years ago (I guess I'd better get to drawing NEW stuff soon...)

In the eighties and early nineties I was asked to serve on the Board of Directors at our local zoo. Well, I was quite honored and worked there in my spare time for a few years, until I had my daughter. I got behind-the-scenes tours, special up close "meet and greets" and developed a whole new appreciation for the facility.

My most prized contribution was the running of the Animal Adoption program. We brought in thousands of dollars to the Zoo, and I had the pleasure of doing promotional artwork for it too. The item above was a decal we handed out. I also did drawings of many of the adopted animals, but so far I can't find any left... Oh well, but it sure was a great feeling to be in charge of such a successful program to help the Zoo and its inhabitants.

Set the WABAC Machine to 1978, Sherman...

How fun to go back through the old yearbooks and find something you have long forgotten about.

While in high school, I did a few art projects with our "Lion" mascot. One was the banner for our Grade 12 pep rally. Yeah, that's me holding on to it in front of the whole gym. It was also "Hat Day" (hence the visor)....


I also did a mural for our sports teams. That's it behind the volleyball player.

Wow, wierd to see these old projects again... too bad the yearbooks back then were only in black and white.

More old stuff

Another page from my old sketchbook... probably nearly 30 years ago. Not the best technically, but I obviously had an affinity for doing wildlife and scenery.

More old artwork

Another drawing I found in an old sketchbook... I used to have a rabbit, although this looks more like a hare, which I probably copied from a photograph:


Again, I can't remember how long ago I did this.

Digging up the past

What fun it is to uncover a piece of your own history. Today I came across some drawings I did years and years ago; glad I kept my old sketchbook. I will have to force myself to use it more often in the future.

Here's a pointsettia I did (obviously during Christmas) in oil pastel, but I can't for the life of me remember when. Definitely over 20 years ago:

3 Cards and a Layout

It's been a few weeks since daughter and I have been to cropping night, so yesterday we returned to our favorite scrapbooking store and got some projects done. I was able to get three simple cards finished; 2 birthday cards (the same), and an anniversary card. I love the new papers they had, as well as some nice "Springy" metal embellishements. I hand-painted the flower on the anniversary card metal tag to match the paper.

Birthday card

Anniversary card

I also finsihed a very simple page about the evolution of my painting an oil portrait of Ted Neeley. Called the "Evolution of (a) Man" I hand-painted the title and used some great Basic Grey paper that was just perfect. Bazzil cardstock and silver eyelets finished off this simple page.

Day 5, and finished

I've put down my brushes; my oil painting of Ted Neeley is done after 5 days (I actually took a few days off as I was not in an artistic mood).

I think I like this one better than my first:

I really struggled about how to do his hair; then it hit me today to shadow it... I think it worked.

Painting, Day 4

A lot more work yet to do on the hair and beard... but it's coming along, albeit slowly:

Painting Day 3

Just a bit of work done yesterday; touching up more on the face, adding some finer details to the mustache, beard and starting on the hair. Lots yet to do, but here it is as of yesterday:

Painting Day 2

Just had a short time to work today; a bit of work on the face, and blocked in the background and hair. I need to let this set before I actually paint the hair with details. I also have yet to do the beard and overall details. But here it is so far:


Lots of work left to do, but I don't want to rush it.

At it again

Don't know why, but when I came across this photo, I knew I just HAD to paint it... so here it is, so far this first night painting: