Shelf Sitters of Homes

- Shelf Sitters -

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Something I've done for decades, but haven't really mentioned much in years.  Realtors have purchased many of them from me for housewarming gifts to their clients.  People have gifted family and friends with them as housewarming presents.  Some folks bought them for themselves as keepsakes. 

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They are about 5.5" tall and a little over an inch deep.  I cut them from wood, and they are painted in acrylic and accented with artist's pen and colored pencil. 

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My fee is $75, and I am accepting commissions.  Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have questions!

So much to paint...so little time

Decision time!  Here are several photo references I've been shuffling around - From my husband's trip to VA, my daughter's debut solo viola performance at our church, our backyard, the reservoir across the street, the winery I passed on the way back from an art show, the cemetery in our neighborhood....so many subjects, so little time!  I want to do a small format piece that I will be able to enter into the Art in the Foothills show come the spring.  I've got a rooster and a cityscape set aside for that show already, so I wanted something with a different subject.  Which one would you choose?

Any of my blogging buddies - feel free to use any of these as photo references for your own works if the spirit moves you too.  I'm a lousy photographer, but the photos I take serve my purpose and you are all welcome to them.

Puzzle Commission

"Guest" is a commission for a friend of mine who own's Lucretia's Pieces, a custom wooden puzzle company in Vermont. For more than 20 years now, I've been creating original art that she mounts to wood, and then applies her own artistic talents to. Her puzzles are incredibly intricate, and so very well made. They don't come with a picture on the box, so these are not for impatient folk like myself. If you want THE most challenging of puzzles, and if you would like to customize it, she can send you a puzzle like no other you've ever seen.

This particular client is an avid dragon fan, and we thought the library would make a fun setting. As with all of Lucretia's diabolical puzzles, there is lots of detail, lots of color, and many repetitious patterns. There are several black lines that she can cut along, so you can't just match up the colors from two pieces to see where they fit. There are blank spaces so she can cut out shapes that relate to something personal about the client. All of these things about the composition make the puzzle so much harder to put back together.

And, we have a few special surprises too. Sometimes we'll make the puzzle two or three layers in some parts. Or, we'll have parts of it vertical and other parts horizontal. I'm not going to share all our little tricks though! Honestly, I don't know how people manage to put these together. I don't think I could!

Over the years, we've created puzzles of new homes, New England towns, Santa Clauses. If you have a concept, Lucretia can turn it into a family heirloom for you!

Baltimore

Joann and Patricia

I think one of the most exciting parts of blogging and being a member of online forums is when you get to meet your online friends in person. I've "known" Joann and Patricia for a few years now, but I only met them this Friday. Here they are at the Rusty Scupper, where we had the best lunch!
After lunch, we headed over to the Gallery of Fells Point. There was a miniature art show there. It closed today. Three pieces of mine were accepted into the show, which I was proud of because it's only the 2nd miniature show I've ever entered. You can imagine how thrilled I was to learn that one of them SOLD! Here are some of the paintings that were in the show. As you can see, there were so many exquisite pieces for sale. To learn more about miniature art and how it is different from small format or other genres, you can visit the Association of Miniature Artists.
After the gallery, Joann took us on a tour of the Visual Arts Museum. This is contemporary art that was mostly created by artists who are struggling with neuropsychological disorders, mental illness, or incareration. It's fascinating to me, because I have always felt there is a strong link between creativity and these conditions. I think creative people tend to experience the world differently. And it was so interesting to see the art, and wonder what the artist was thinking / experiencing as they created it. We could not take pictures inside the museum, but here's one outside of Patricia. She saw this bird, nest and egg, and just couldn't contain herself!
It was such a fun day, because it is a joy to view art with other artists. My husband was a good (albeit bored) sport. And I came away with so many ideas for new projects. One of those is screen painting. This is a Baltimore tradition - who knew? You paint the screen with acrylic, and while you can still see out, people looking in have an obstructed (but more beautiful) view. I definitely want to try this on some of the screens we have in our windows here!

Happy Halloween everyone!

Hello Blogger Friends!

I have been away from the blog scene for awhile. I thought you might be interested to know that I have been working to set up enough merchandise to display (and hopefully sell) at 5 table fairs that I have coming up in the next month. This is the set up I've been working on in my basement...



The venues are two wineries, a middle school, a high school, and an open house at a friend's house. I haven't tried to sell my fine art at table fairs before, although I have been a vendor at several before. I'm curious to see if the price points drive away customers who typically do not want to spend more than $20 at these events. So, I've experimented with painting some glasses and creating some bookmarks, cards, etc. just to have some lower priced items to offer.

Anyone with experience selling their art at table fairs - I'd love any advice and constructive criticisms you'd be willing to share!

Number 9 and Rooftops

"Number 9" is a 3" square mixed media piece on 300 lb Arches watercolor paper.

There are a number of trains that run through PA, so I thought this would be the perfect subject for the last of my entries to The Cider Painters Show. I had to get them into the post today though, and trains are notorious for their detail and precision. So, I worked hard, and am now punchy and sleep deprived. But, YES! I got these mailed off, and I can now take a breath, and figure out a strategy for the spring art shows, which I should start painting for next week, so as not to become a crazy hermit lady with paint on her nails and in her hair, like what I've done for the last 2 months! Of course, I have a commission to finish and table fairs to make craft merchandise for....ahhhh....I'm doomed to be a crazy lady, I'm afraid!

"Rooftops" is 2.5"x3.25" mixed media on gesso board

Every time I think of or am on a rooftop, I think of Mary Poppins - can't help it. I didn't have a carpet bag or umbrella while I painted this, but I thought of them!

American Scarecrow

"American Scarecrow" is 3"x4" mixed media on 300 lb watercolor paper

This piece is inspired by a scene I get to view every school day, twice a day, for 35 min. It is a flagpole on the side of the house adjacent to the crosswalk I'm a crossing guard at. (Being a crossing guard pays for my art career, which my kids find absolutely hilarious.)

There's something so Americana about a flagpole, and I couldn't resist painting this one when the owner set up these two scarecrows. We had some heavy winds last week, and they blew down, but they are happily reinstated now. I may paint this again with holiday decorations!