Another on Aquabord

Here's another one on the Aquabord. It's also got gold webbing spray. I really like the way it absorbs water and how the pigments blend when working wet in wet. Going larger on this for sure.

Trying out Aquabord

These are little 6x6 abstracts done on Aquabord. I've wanted to try it and it's pretty cool. Lifts quite well with a scrubber.

I used some cheesecloth on the first one and the webbing spray (way too thick in the one spot) on the other.

Making progress

Well we're finally making some progress. Lukey, aka Big Fat Boo Boo, has been warming up to the kittens all week. Today Gil walked into the bedroom and found them like this. Now if only Moses would come out of his snit. He's still hissing...not that the kittens care! They so don't!

So I take Lily and Abigail to the SPCA yesterday, along with their other sister to be spayed. Go to pick them up and the guy said there's been some changes. I said 'what' ??? He said there were not 3 girls, there were 2 boys and 1 girl! EEEK!!!! Who are the boys????

Meet Billy...the kitten formerly known as Lily!

This was all pretty embarrassing because I worked as a vet tech for many years and have lots of experience sexing cats. Had them for a week and a half and just never looked! Took the word of the woman I got them from at her word. She was surprised when I brought her home a boy! What a day! LOL!

More Texture Experiments

I tried to paint with the kittens tonight for the first time and it was just not happening! Impossible! Had to kick them out of the studio.

I got some new Daniel Smith Primateks (just love how they granulate) and the new DB Sand and Surf Triad. Thought some might look good with the white web spray. I also used a sheet I already had sprayed with black and gold web spray...used too much spray on that one, but it's just an experiment, so it's ok. :) Used some cheesecloth and waxed paper on the last ones too. Here are full pics and some close ups.

A group of artists from the USA and the UK have pooled our resources and started a new art forum called Painting Friends. All of us have had experiences with various forums, some good and some, unfortunately, not very good.

We’ve learned lots from those experiences and have created a forum where we try to encourage each other to advance to the next level in our art, have demonstrations on techniques, offer serious but sensitive critique and get to know each other as friends. We’re not bogged down by unnecessary rules or expectations that we believe stifles creativity.

In the short time we’ve been online, we’ve grown into a warm, peaceful community where artists are having fun sharing their knowledge and stepping out of their comfort zones! Sound good? You’re welcome to join us!

Texture Experiments

Last night I was playing with cheese cloth, seeing how it responded laying it on while the paper is wet. Some I spritzed with water, some I dropped in more color. Some I washed away more color by spritzing when it was dry.
These were inspired by Karlyn Holman's book Watercolor-The Spirit of Spontaneity, which I just love. It's full of fantastic ideas.

I really like all the effects and I think they'll be really cool in a large landscape and mixed with other things like waxed paper and web spray. Because the cheese cloth is such a loose weave, I'll be able to move the fibers around into cool shapes, which I didn't do here. Think I'm going to try a landscape on a half sheet later today and see what happens!

Let's Paint!

There's nothing like kittens!!! A total distraction!!! This morning the girls discovered my studio. When I wouldn't let them paint, or at least chew on my expensive brushes, they sulked away to the box! LOL!

My girls in action!

Lily and Abigail are insanely playful and Gil and I are having so much fun with them. Here's a shot of them in action with a box I had today. Excuse the background noise...The View, talking about HIV/AIDS.

Imagine my surprise when I came home from church today and found Lily sleeping in almost the exact position as my Annie used to sleep, as round as she could be. She's a real cutie and woke me up this morning buy swatting my nose.


This afternoon as Gil and I enjoyed a movie, Lily and Abigail got comfy on the back of the couch. Every now and then they would rearrange a bit and fall right back asleep. I have a feeling they're so well rested that I won't get any sleep tonight! LOL!

They are getting more brave with the boys, who are still in a bit of a snit. There's less hissing and growling today, so that's good. Lily actually went nose to nose with both Lukey and Moses. Luke let out a huge hiss and Lily just sat right there and didn't budge. The guys are in for a challenging time, I think!

Meet my new girls....

Lily is in the front and Abigail is behind her. Both are about they same size and they're sisters. The boys are in quite a snit but they'll get over it! :)

Lily is very sweet and purrs a lot. Abigail is sweet too, but she's also tough and I see her as ruling the roost once they all get past the initial struggles and she tames the boys.

Right now they're sticking close to Gil, their new daddy. He's playing his xBox and they're sitting behind him and peeking out to check out the guys. It'll be a fun adventure! I was pretty sure I wouldn't get another black and white kitten because it would be too much like my Annie, but Lily really grabbed my heart today, so here we are! And I had asked Gil the other day about what if I wanted two! He said,"TWO!" Then he said, "I don't care!" He's such a sucker! LOL!

Getting my brushes wet....finally

Yesterday was 4 weeks since my Annie died. It's really hard to believe how fast time goes sometimes. I miss her so and still am not sleeping very well. The boys are trying to fill the void, but it's not the same and never will be.

I am trying to get on with life and have had a welcome distraction in the past couple of weeks. Some friends and I have started an art website called Painting Friends. I did most of the technical stuff setting it up and it was a huge learning curve for me, but fun. Most of us are into watercolor but any medium is welcome. We have some good demonstrations and challenges and we're having fun. If you have any interest, it's http://paintingfriends.com/.

I finally got my brushes wet on Sunday for the first time since before Annie died. It felt very good. I finished a painting I had started and did another one, both dandelion clocks. Ruth put a wonderful demo on Painting Friends and it was so helpful. I'm working on a few other paintings as well.