What we did this weekend...

I painted but some over-zealous gardening led to complete exhaustion... so I didn't post this last night.

Getting closer to the finish line... in many ways! I can't believe there are only a couple of days left in May - how have you all been doing in your Every Day endeavors?

Again - yesterday's painting progress. You can hardly see the hair, phooey!

Before I paint tonight, I'm going to do a little photoshop work to test things out before I go in and paint. That was the gist of my main computer class in college - not the classes for Quark and Illustrator and all that, but for art on the computer - that the computer was a tool and did not have to be the last word. I like to step back and do just that from time to time, use it as a tool to quickly try out new colors and effects before I do them for real in paint. My final project for the class was a puppet I had made (for my puppetry class) that I had sketched into the computer, photographed and changed colors on the computer before deciding to paint him red, and tried out several different wardrobe changes before committing to the final outfit. So - you who work on computers all day - remember that they are merely tools to bring about your creativity. I promise you'll look at your work a different way.

Okay, so this is yesterday's bit of painting, as it was wet yesterday when I had time to scan. Some days I can paint in the morning, but lately it's gone back to when-everyone's-in-bed-time. That's fine too.

It's hard to see in this scan, but the new bit is in the upper left quadrant. I think the paint is so much more reflective than watercolour, the scanner just isn't picking it up properly (as watercolor is not shiny). I'm looking at the painting from across the room and there's so much more contrast there. Foo! I'll have to mess with the settings, I guess.

I am retooling an old painting that's never seemed quite finished to me. The only thing is, it's acrylic and it's still wet right now! So for now you get to see the way it looked in 2007, and you'll have to wait till tomorrow to see the rework-in-progress. It's getting outlines and details of dark brown/raw umber. I also want to take a pic of Sophie's face to get it just right (it's not Sophie, but she will have the right face for it.)

Done! I wasn't finished for Christmas, but the girl who requested this turns 6 tomorrow and I'm going to try to see if I can make a special delivery. :)

XFCO (extreme faery closeup):

I think tomorrow will be the last day on this... I don't want to overwork it!

Tomorrow Sophie and the Daisy Scouts will be marching in the Memorial Day Parade! I'm crocheting her a daisy bracelet to wear for it. I can't wait! And wait till you see the photos of the fairy house we've been building in the backyard... :)

People have asked what blues are in that background, and I am embarrassed to say I have no idea! Some of the blues are from my Windsor Newton tiny palette box, and I didn't fill them so I'm not certain what they are. And I really like the one because it gets very grainy very fast on the paper - not sure how to explain it, but it's a neat look. I'm also adding in touches little bits of a blue that's almost a peacock blue, and splashes of brown and purple. Oh - I might have thrown in some green too! See - I'm no good at this. I just sort of wing it. I am really enjoying (and I will try to take slices of each to compare) how in the last 3 paintings I've worked on, the backgrounds are predominantly blue and all of them are very different.

Today would have been my boss and friend Rich's 53rd birthday. I got up early and watched the sunrise, and sent much love his way. My heart is full. :)

Today was Peter and Angela's last day at St. Paul's. They are kindergartners now! Where in the world did the time go?!

The last of the belated Christmas paintings. This young lady very specifically asked for a white lace dress, hanging on a blue wardrobe. The fairy peeking out was my idea.

And for those who care, tonight was The! Last! Night! Of! Recitals! (And there was much rejoicing.) Two out of my three kids performed, and it was a magical night. And, yea, verily, we are all exhausted and nigh incoherent so I bid you all goodnight.

Done-done-done-DONE! Done-done-done-DOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNEEEEE!

Soooooooooooooooo close.

Another day, indeed.

I wasn't even going to bother posting today's effort, since i only had about 5 minutes to paint today. I'm very disappointed. And while I was painting, I had Peter asking me a million questions about why I was doing what I was doing with the paint, and Sophie trying to see and breathing on me and getting her head in front of me so I couldn't see. Not to mention the table-jostling. Not saying that the kids are the reason I didn't paint, but some days the process is smooth and other days it's soooo choppy. Tomorrow's another day.

Day one of recitals is done: lots of driving, cooking, cleaning, and organizing (which also doesn't leave much room for painting in the mix either). A hand slammed in the bathroom door (mine, right hand too) and after much ice applied and tears shed later, I figured today I just wasn't meant to paint. At least I tried.

I'm really hoping I finish this one tomorrow, but as it's day one of Recital Week, we'll see what happens. Today I also:

• Finished knitting my legwarmers! And tomorrow is cold enough to wear them! :)
• Set up three tents in the cavernously empty living room and dining room for adventurers and their fluffies to play in - they will get taken down before recitals, no fear
• Cleaned the porch and planted several containers of impatients
• Read the kids a few chapters of Little House in the Big Woods (their favorite part is where Ma slaps the bear)
• Made chocolate chip pancakes
• Snuggled on the couch and watched some Old School Sesame Street

It doesn't get any better than that. Really.

Tomorrow, we paint! But first Peter's arm gets redrawn so he's not about to backhand Wendy.

Remember all those special paintings-by-request I did for Christmas presents? Well, believe it or not, I still have two to go (and very forgiving and patient friends who are content to wait for an original painting). This one is for a 3-year-old who asked for, you got it, Peter Pan, Wendy, and Tinkerbell.

I got up super-early this morning to draw because I knew my evening would be full - Paul's high school students came over for a coffeehouse/party tonight, and the house was filled with music and creativity and lots of laughter. Just the way we like it.

And we're done! I'm quite pleased with this one! Tomorrow's picture is going to definitely be something comPLEEEEEEEEEEEEtely different. I also might be working on two paintings at the same time.... so stay tuned!

More surface work (notice I had to move the box on the right to see)! I am so close to finishing this... I think tomorrow may be the last work on it. I'm happy with the way it's come out.

Veerrrrrrrrrry subtle changes today. Working more on the surface of the water.

It was remarked upon at this year's Mother's Retreat that the verse in Paul's letter to Timothy that says "you will be saved through bearing children" could be interpreted a new way. Because of your children and all the things you do for them (show patience, minister to the sick, clothe the naked, feed the hungry, etc.) you are fulfilling the very things Jesus asks us to do. And as a Mom (or Dad, for that matter) you do it every single day. Helps me put things in perspective on crazy days.

Happy Mother's Day, all you creative mamas! Hope your day today has been a lovely one.

Closeups:

I know this doesn't look like it, but I worked for about an hour on this so far today. I'm working with washes that are sort of subtle, I guess. Maybe I should post some closeups?

I mentioned previously that I've been painting in the morning, and it's worked out very well. My routine is this: I get up early, pray, try to do the Mass readings for the day (this doesn't always happen), sort out things the kids want/need for the morning, grab some coffee in my favorite blue mug, and hit the paints. Some days I've been out on the porch, but the past few days have been so depressingly rainy I've stayed up in my studio. I find that the quiet songs in my Somedays mix are very satisfying to paint to, and I've started to get into sort of a trance/groove/meditation/what have you. By the time I get to "Love's In Need of Love Today" I'm usually on my feet, painting and dancing and singing at the same time. If you don't know the song, please give it a listen - this version is especially lovely.

I'm finding that I have to paint first thing in the morning - it sets the tone for the whole day. Hooray for golden morning fish. :)

I may come back to my frog-haired friend another day, but for now, it's time for a change. Remember I said that I hoped to finish off old paintings? Well, two years ago in EDiM, I painted this, and you can see the original photo I was working from here. Allyson, remember, when this one is done, it's yours! Sorry you had to wait so long....

Today was one of those "Mama said they're be days like these" days. Painted anyway.

At LAST I got to the whole reason I wanted to do this painting in the first place. Way more detail (and creatures) tomorrow, and then I might be done with this painting and able to move on to a new one.

Lots more work on the face today. I've been especially enjoying this book - I'm working through the "painting eyes" exercise as this isn't from a photo, just off the top of my head. The next painting's gonna be using some photos for reference again, that's for certain. :)

More work on the hair and the eyes, and I decided it needed a wash of background color. In real life you should do the background first, but this is so not about perfection. I wanted to spend way more time on this today, but duty (in the form of chocolate-chip pancake making) called. Who am I to resist?

The beginning of a new painting. I actually had one that I've been working on that might have been finished today, but I didn't want to scare people off. Plus, it's May first. I wanted to start off fresh just like everyone else.

I'm hoping that this May I will:

• Explore new (for me) ways to paint. I have some awesome watercolour books I am dying to try out
• Finish up some paintings that have been hanging around my studio forever and a day
• Have tons of fun!

“Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.” ~ Goethe

Check out what other people are creating today on the Every Day In May flickr group. There's even a site feed!