amoRAY

Since I haven't been painting or drawing of late and I've been blogging like crazy in a couple of different places along with dating and travelling and since it's the Year of Love for me at the House of Shine, AND because I'm running a little contest called Send Me Some Love over at House of Shine, today I repost: amoRAY!
Whew! That's a lot of ands.

From the Vault - Dragonfly

Ink drawing

Approximately 4" x 6"

Probably drawn in 2004 or 2005

I love this drawing.

Photo: On the Fence Morning

Wimberley, Texas
July 2010

Music Monday - Toes

I was going to try not to feature the same artist twice but I had to include this song for the summer. I mean who doesn't love a song that sings "...ass in the sand..."?

Twenty Sixth Sunday

Change is

the essence of life.

Be willing

to surrender

what you are

for what you

could become.

-unknown

Journal - Jubilee

I was listening to Mary Chapin Carpenter's song Jubilee. I love that word. Jubilee.

From the Vault - Entangled

Ink drawing.
Approximately 4" x 6"
Drawn in November, 2004

Spooning

Ink Drawing
Approximately 4" x 6"
Drawn in November, 2004.
Chica is my nickname.

Ray Wattson

Ray Wattson, BakeRAY, & Special DeliveRAY

I had some more images from the vault to show you but I forgot the memory card at home so I'll just have to save that.

On February 19, 2008, my friend Claudia started her blog Highlowaha. I met Claudia a month later on the weekend of Marcy 15th playing bunco with the neighborhood ladies. I asked Claudia what she did and don't remember exactly what she said but I know the words, "I write a blog." was in the description. My response was, "Funny, I read blogs."

And a friendship was born. I started participating in her blog on a daily basis, having a ton of fun and viewing the world in a new and different light. A more positive and fun light. A more proactive light. And a light that made me want to be creative again.

In July of that year the blog decided we needed a mascot and on July 21st we played Tug of War to decide on the name for the mascot.

Ray Wattson.

His birthday is in a month and we will be celebrating him in July at HouseOfShine.com.

Haiku for You - Celebrating

Celebrating life
The minutes, days, hours go by
Everyday a gift

-cew

Music Monday - Under the Bridge

I love the lyrics of this song and his voice is so smooth. It reminds of living in Austin after college and hanging out with my friend, Johnanna, in her 3rd floor condo. Specifically sitting in the sliding glass doorway with the sun beaming in. Good times.

Twenty Fifth Sunday

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

- Desiderata

Journal - Open Heart

Drawn on October 14th by the date on the page. It was a time of serious reflection for me after yet another failed relationship. But, that's okay, that's okay. I've learned a lot about myself and I really do believe that I am a better person for having experienced the relationship. And, I had a lot of fun. :)

From the Vault - Cockadoodle-doo!

Pencil drawing that looks like it needs some work. Approximate size is 5 x 7". Completed who knows when. It was some time that I lived in Utah so between 1997 and 2006.

From the Vault - Mosaic Flower

This is an ink drawing using Letraset graphic pens. Approximate size is 9 x 11". Completed some time between 2004 and 2005.

Dream, Believe, Achieve #2 - Sold

24 x 36" Acrylic & Collage
Comissioned for a High School Graduate
Sold

I wanted to include two detail photos. I really love how this painting ended up. Inspirational words are spread out throughout the painting including the gallery wrapped sides.

The patron wanted to see some type of strings in the painting so I collaged in some black string I had laying around. Can you also see my signature heart? It's tiny.

I update the post where I showed you the painting below but I thought I would add it here, too. It sold at the party. Happy girl.

Haiku for You - Yabbadabbadoo

I believe in love
Unconditional, strong, true
Yabbadabbadoo

-cew

Music Monday - All Summer Long

I'm not a huge Kid Rock fan but I found a couple of songs off of this album that like and this song is so much fun that I had to share it.

Twenty Fourth Sunday

This above all:

To your own self,

be true.

- William Shakespeare

Journal - Yellow Envelope Project

The Yellow Envelope Project from House of Shine is an easy way for you to make someone elses day brighter and gives you an opportunity to shine as well.

How the page started.

How the page finished.

Join me Monday at House of Shine

I have a series of Yellow Envelope Logos coming up. This one is one of the three original ones I did some time ago. I drew it with Letraset markers, scanned it into Photoshop and did some digital adjustments from there.

The Yellow Envelope Project recently moved from Saturday to Monday. It makes it much easier on me as I keep my supplies at work and pop my Yellow Envelope in the mail first thing Monday mornings.

Consider joining us at House of Shine. It's an easy way to not only recognize someone else for their good deeds but you'll feel better too.

Gratitude will do that for you.

Ayh!

JB's final piece kind of says it for me today. I'm the big yellow face in the middle.

:) I've been focusing on finishing up the guitar pieces that I'm delivering this weekend. My friend is going to let her son decide between two pieces this Saturday. And, I've been enjoying these first days of summer with my boys before they head off for a month.

Below is my abstract painting from the time we painted.


Painting with a 9 and 10 year old leaves a lot of paint on the table. No problem. Whatever was left on the table I used as washes on paper that I've prepared for future painting.

So, I'm all set to paint when I get some free time.

You're going to be really bored with my blog in the next couple of weeks. :)

Saturday Morning Painting

On May 21st, Drew asked if he could paint something. Being that he isn't that interested in the whole artsy craftsy thing (Give him sports anyday) I was pleased that he asked and how could I say no, right?

So, I broke out the cheap paper and asked them what color of paints they wanted and let them go. See where JB is painting below?

That is just a card table covered with constructer plastic. Heavy duty stuff. I've painted there all year long and the paint was starting to build up on the plastic.

To clear off a fresh space for him we peeled up the dried up paint and set it aside. I learned from Bob Burridge that it makes great collage material.

While JB was painting happy faces, Drew painted a guy watching the clouds go by.

I painted the middle cloud per his request.

Below was JB's first happy face that I made him mess up. Leave him alone, Mom! Let him do it! So, I took over on this one though I'm pretty sure I didn't paint the tongue.

JB's other smiley face looks like the one below except later he added another feature. I need to photograph it! I painted something as well but my image was blurry. Check back.

It was a fun morning.

Haiku for You - Gypsy Soul

Charming gypsy soul
Salty, sand blown, long, brown hair
Touching memories

-cew

Music Monday - Beer Man

Summer is starting so how about some drinking songs?

And, I am a Beer Girl! And who better to get us started than the beautiful, Trent Wilmon.

I have funny story about this song.... I got a new elipitical machine for my home and this song would always come up on my iPod when I was exercising. At the end of the song there's the crushing sound of a can. I would look around to see if something rolled under the machine but never saw anything until one day I was working at my office and that crushing can sound played. I looked around real fast to see what it was and low and behold if the light bulb in my brain did not come on! I must have laughed at myself for the next 20 minutes!

Twenty Third Sunday

i will not play at tug o' war.

i'd rather play at hug o' war.

where everyone hugs

instead of tugs,

where everyone giggles

and rolls on the rug,

where everyone kisses,

and everyone grins,

and everyone cuddles,

and everyone wins.

-Shel Silverstein

Journal - Guitar Pools

That is a rough sketch of the pool in my backyard.

Let's see... I was listening to Eric Hutchinson's Rock & Roll, Stevie Nick's Rose Garden and Funkytown by Lipps, Inc.

Dream, Believe, Achieve #1

I have so many projects going on right now I don't know whether I'm coming or going!

You've seen this guitar a 100 times already but this, my friend, is the final photo! Yay.

24 x 36" Acrylic/Collage

SOLD on June 11, 2011

What happened here? Something Good.

Something very good!

Do you remember this painting? It's one I'm working on for a high school graduate. I wasn't feeling anything powerful from it. So, I changed it.

First, I painted a white guitar over the other two. And then, I took the paint peelings from my plastic pallet and collaged them onto the white guitar.

Cool, huh? When you use heavy duty contractor plastic and just let the paint dry on there you create these layers of color. They peel right off the plastic when it gets thick enough.

Then I added the words of wisdom that I put on Cate's piece just scattered througout. The patron purchasing the guitar painting wanted Dream, Believe, Achieve on it so that was added.

Still has some work to go but finishing soon as I'm delivering on June 11th.

Dream, Believe, Achieve in Green

24 x 36" Acrylic & Collage

I have a sneaking feeling that if this one sticks around very long I will add to it. Just trying to live with it at the moment.