MPSGS 2009

Today, I spent the afternoon at The Strathmore Mansion in Bethesda, MD.  That's where the opening of the Miniature Painters, Sculptors, Gravers Society of Washington D.C. was.  The show runs through Jan. 2 on the 2nd floor of the mansion, and it is well worth a visit.  Those are my 3 pieces in the lower right of the photo just above these words.  As you can see, while I'm thrilled to have 3 works accepted into this exhibit, there are so many artists I strive to paint more like in this show!

I couldn't photograph all the cases.  There are many, many more.  Bring your own magnifier if you visit.

Baxter

These are two very special commissions of a late dog named Baxter.  He was much loved.

Mother Hen

For Sale Here

I'm calling this piece finished.  I've darkened and lightened, painted and lifted, worked, reworked and manhandled every inch of this piece, under magnifying lenses, and in the true spirit of miniature art.  The funny thing is, I've enjoyed it each step of the way, and I could probably continue playing with the values and tweeking it for eternity, and still never be done.  Some pieces are like that.  The more you play with them, the more you can keep playing, until that little voice inside you screams "ENOUGH ALREADY!!"

Okay.  Nuff said.

WIP

I thought I'd post a current work in progress, because it occurs to me that all of us are WIP's.  I've been spending the last several weeks test marketing ideas and trying to come up with a plan and a focus for how I want to approach my art.  I think things are beginning to solidify a bit.  I'd be really interested to hear any stories from you all about your journeys, and where you think you are on your paths to becoming the artists you want to be!  You can post here, or email me at DebraKeirceArt@yahoo.com.

Thanks so much to Kathy Presley for the photo ref for this piece, and to Sam Dolman for his advice and food for thought!

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!