ARE YOUR EYES PLAYING TRICKS???

If you looked at this picture and thought you saw cows under a sun umbrella – well – you were right!
I must say that, no matter what else being married to my husband may be – it is not boring!
This is his latest invention! Since the cows are moved on rotational grazing every day they do not have shade in some areas – so now they will! He took one of our old “sunbrellas” and attached a pipe to the side of his water trough that the umbrella can slide into.
He’s convinced he won’t have to put the umbrella down in case of windy weather, but I can foresee a time when a tornadic wind gust may just take it all on a spin to ? ? ? ? I can envision a startled homeowner trying to explain what he’s seeing when this thing lands in his yard!
I think that conversation would be something like this: “Uh, officer, something strange just landed in my front yard. . . . . You want me to describe it??? . . . . Well, uh, it looks like, well – a redneck outdoor bathtub attached to an umbrella! . . . . (slight pause) . . . . Uh, no sir, I haven’t had a drink all day, but I might need one now!!!!”

WELCOME TO MY WORLD!!!!

The "girls" are eating machines!

Here is the water trough with the pipe attached on the left with the umbrella stuck in it!

Here's Rancher Mike talking to one of the girls!

Here's Rancher Mike moving the whole shebang - the water trough with umbrella attached with the mineral feeder attached to that. (Note the straw cowboy hat with purple feather!)And here's our motto: HAPPY COWS ARE TASTY COWS!!!

ACRYLIC PEARS ON CANVAS(ES)

I had picked up these little 2x2 canvases some time ago, didn’t know what I’d ever use them for but they were cute! Then I had my brainstorm – to use them as little pears on a big pear.

Then we had our show coming up with the theme of “seven” so . . . . I painted the little pears . . . . . . . . to be placed on the big pear!
Here is the final piece. Can you figure out how this incorporates “7” and why I call it . . .
Numerical Pears, 12x24, fluid acrylic on canvas

STEVE BLACKBURN WORKSHOP

The above is a photo of Kathy's painting! "By jove, she got it!!!!"

Thursday through Saturday was the Steve Blackburn workshop. I had taken my overhead mirror but, much to my horror, discovered that the ceiling was not high enough for it to be used. However, Steve, the “un”-temperamental artist, was just fine with it, and everything worked out since we were a small group.

Following the evening demo, two full days of information was packed into our tiny artist brains!!! Don’t know about everyone else, but I was EXHAUSTED by Saturday evening! It’s a lot to take in – pouring miskit and paint, composition, drawing, unity, new support, negative painting – but I think we “got it” judging from the paintings I saw completed. Just about everyone had one completed painting and one started which they can complete at home utilizing the skills just learned.

I heard favorable comments and think that everyone learned something, had a good time, and perhaps made a new friend!

My thanks to Steve and Anne! And a super special thanks to Sonya and Sharon!

Here are some photos from the workshop.

Above and below - Steve during the demo.

The next series of photos is Steve's tomato painting.

Here is the sunflower Steve painted.

Here is the class hard at work.

Here are some of the paintings either finished or in process - Day 2 of the workshop.

June's floral.

On the left - Gerri's floral and on the right Pat's tulips.

Sandy's iris - this one should be great when finished - (let me see it please!!!)

Teresa's sunflower - GO SLOW!!!

Cheryl's leaves!!!

Pat again - she and Gerri were prolific painters!

And Gerri's second floral:

READY FOR THE BLACKBURN WORKSHOP

Tomorrow evening is the Steve Blackburn demonstration, then the workshop begins Friday morning.
I'll have a few busy days here, so will not be posting anything (I'm sure you will miss me!!) - but I'll be back soon as I can with some photos of the demo and workshop as well as more of my own work.
See you soon!!!

ART SHOWS GALORE!!! - Part 2

WOMAN’S ART CLUB OF CINCINNATI
For the second year my work has been accepted into the Woman’s Art Club juried show!
The reception was held May 3 with a good turnout and awards given. As I walked in I met the husband of the club’s president who was quick to inform me that unless they had called me, I had not won a prize – thus, I walked in very dejected that I was a Big Loser! (This is a joke – he saw my license plate which is MS LUCKY and then he asked me just how lucky I was – had I won a prize!)

The GCWS was very well represented at the show – Tamara Adams (large portrait, which is her speciality), Susan Grogan (cat on yupo - a surprise to me), Carolyn Hibbard (a beautiful, soft, pastel floral), Susan Hoffheimer (great fun – an older gentleman who has “still got it”!!), Sharon Roeder (a Venice scene on Aquabord - which invited quite a few comments), Ginny Tilbury (stylized figure), Barbara Zentgraf (who won an award for her Maine beach scene in soft, pastel-like colors) and myself. There were quite a few others who I knew who won awards, also.
This show will hang through May 17 and is open Thursday through Sunday from 1-4 p.m. at the WACC “Barn” in Mariemont, OH (6980 Cambridge Avenue).
If you get a chance, go see it – it’s really a great show – lots of diversity in medium, sizes, prices!

Wild Roses, watercolor 21x28

RICHESON 75: STILL LIFE AND FLORAL – 2009
WOW! I’M EXCITED!!
Three of my pieces have been accepted into one of the Richeson 75 shows – Still Life and Floral.
These shows are sponsored by the Jack Richeson Company and the Richeson School of Art and Gallery. The paintings will be hung and juried in their gallery in Kimberly, WI. Then the paintings will appear in their online gallery as well as a catalog published for the show.
I would have been excited to have one accepted, but all three that I entered! Pinch me, I must be dreaming!
Take a look at the show currently “hanging” – (www.richeson75.com) to see Chris Beck’s work (http://chrisbeckstudio.blogspot.com).
I’ll let you know when I see the Still Life and Floral show on line, or you can check the Richeson website in a couple of weeks.

Grandpa's Shaving Mug with Roses, casein, 14x18

Sunlit Pears 2, casein 16x20

Apples on Lace, casein 16x20

ART SHOWS GALORE!!! - Part 1

My painting at the top - not sure who was the other winner here, but it was a great painting also!

SOUTHEASTERN INDIANA ART GUILD SHOW
The reception was held on Saturday, April 25 at the SIAG studios – corner of 2nd and Main in Aurora, IN.
The SIAG partners with several florists in the area who come in before the show opening and pick several paintings to create companion pieces for. This was a large show, well attended, and quite beautiful with the lovely floral arrangements scattered throughout.
The show was juried by Sam Hollingsworth, an artist from Northern Kentucky, who is also in our GCWS group. The work was divided into several groups (pastel, oil, watercolor, acrylic, colored pencil, etc.) and a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place award was given for each category as well as some purchase awards. Some of the winners have greatly improved their skills since I’ve known them and it made me happy to see them rewarded for their hard work. I was also happy that one of my pieces won a 3rd place award and one of my watercolors won 1st Place – Best of Show!

GCWS SHOW
Our show opened Sunday, April 26 with a lovely reception provided by Evergreen. The paintings looked great, having been hung by our hardworking hanging committee headed up by Mary Jane who was assisted by Tamara, Jo, Ron, Kathy and Joan.

Tamara and Mary Jane doing their job hanging the paintings.

Jenny (from Evergreen on the left) and Carol and Jane helping with registration - and having WAY too much fun!

Since this was our 7th annual exhibit we had a theme of 7 and most of the artists were able to keep with the theme – some by including a “7” in their prices, some with their titles, and some with their content.

Marilyn Bishop (http://marilynsartblog.blogspot.com) had the idea of playing a game – visitors looked for 7 paintings that incorporated the theme and then wrote down how the artist had incorporated the idea of 7 into their painting. When they dropped off their papers they won a notecard for participating! Some of the folks really got into the search!
For those of you in the Greater Cincinnati area, the show runs through May 31 at Evergreen Retirement Community, 230 W. Galbraith Road. You can see the show any day – enter at the red awning with our banner hanging and just wander through – this place is gorgeous!!! The paintings are all located on the first floor. Hopefully you will see something you would like to purchase!
On the weekends (noon – 4:00 p.m.) we will be having some of our member artists painting, so it might be fun to drop by then to watch and learn. Check out that information under “Shows” on the right side of my blog.

On a personal note, one of the visitors to the show was someone I grew up with, we had not seen each other for probably 42 or 43 years, and we recognized each other! (Not really sure what that says about us – either we look young now or we looked really, really old as kids!!!) Seriously, it was so cool!

The harpist for the day was Nancy Bick Clark - she not only can play the harp but has a lovely voice and serenaded us several times that day!