Cactus Monday: soft edges

I'm sneaking on here and posting my Cactus Monday on Sunday night. I did this little sketch at the end of my day today before closing up the studio. It's feeling good to be back in the groove at old studio lolo after a short hiatus due to my busy pet schedule. I worked on several projects today and even found time to visit with a few friends and give a budding artist a portfolio critique. It was a good day! So here's my entry for Cactus Monday. I thought I'd soften the edges for this one seeing as they're so feminine.

Happy Cactus Monday fellow cacuteers!

(and by the way, I didn't get the job in Rhode Island, and I'm relieved because I was being a bit hasty. It will happen at the right time.)

IF : Poof !

You'll find my entry for Illustration Friday here, in my Moleskine.

The word is POOF !

Animal Wednesday: "Big Sir" in Big Sur

This guy was the first in my "Purrmaid" series. I call him "Big Sir." Now that I live near Big Sur I get more of a kick out of the fact that I did this before I ever came to California! I'm a sap for tuxedo cats, and even more so when they have Purrmaid tails. He's got that squinty-eyed-paw-curling love goin' on! You can just hear him purr.

Happy Animal Wednesday!

Cactus Monday already??

Man, this day sure sneaks up on me! Today I posted a photo here.

Happy Cactus Monday!

IF : Canned Lights

Luminarias! Punched tin lights.

Just a quick one this week folks, and later than usual too. I hope you enjoy the message of the song.

Have a wonderful week!

Acrylic and colored pencil on patterned card stock

3 Squares show at Lolo!

You can see the post here :)

Animal Wednesday : Full Moon Magic

A few years back I did a series of four "Purrmaids." This one is titled "Molly and the Night Toads." On full-moon nights, Molly would wander off to the lake to await her magical transformation. The Night Toads would cast their spell and for a few magical hours, Molly would be one of the most lovely Purrmaids in the world. Later, when she'd go home her owners often wondered where she wandered off to and how she got so wet. Ssshhhh, it's a secret!

Happy Animal Wednesday!!

Cactus Monday # 12

I had fun with this one! I took acrylic paints and laid down the foundation of a seguaro on patterned paper. I layered colored pencil on it and used a blender pencil to soften the effect. Then I cut it out and mounted it on another piece of the paper, changing the direction of the pattern. Simple, but fun!

Happy Cactus Monday!

IF : Enough Already

I'm warm rain

easing pain

quelling fears, drying tears.

I'm 'end of summer August'

hot and sticky

stormy

threatening

beckoning anyone who'll listen.

Enough already.

Enough.

(Quick poem and collage for Illustration Friday's prompt: Enough. Pity party for poor old, burned out me, feeling a need to replenish my own well.)

Animal Wednesday : Spread Your Wings

Sometimes I have no idea where my collages are going to take me. I can't help being drawn to the images of ravens. I love their mystical, intuitive qualities. They seem so wise and cocky, mocking us every chance they get as if to say they know something we don't. They're just one of many species we have to learn to share this small planet with. In turn, they must learn to share the sky. I think we can learn a lot from each other.

Happy Animal Wednesday, my friends. Spread your wings!

With A Little Help From My Friends...

I was given an award from some of my favorite, most supportive blogger friends, Linda from Sketched Out, Colleen from The Frog Blog and Joss from Forever Young. I hope everyone who's been a regular visitor on my site has jumped over to these places for a visit because if you haven't, well you're really missing some wonderful artsy action! The three of them make me laugh on a daily basis with their pictures and writing. They really have made my blogging experience a total joy and they've become a part of my daily life. Thanks, girls!
I'm supposed to nominate 7 other blogs but I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I want you to take a look at my list of inspiring friends over on the right side of my blog. I nominate every single one of them because if they've made my list that means they've touched me deeply with their art, their writing or a combination of both. And most of the comments I get really touch my heart. So go on, go see those wonderful blogs! I'll be right here waiting for you when you come back.

IF : Foggy

There's nothing like finding a place of solitude to clear your foggy head.

I love painting skies that are moody, like this fog-laden vista on an early autumn morning. This is an 8"x 8" canvas I just finished for my "3 Squares" show opening at Studio Lolo Friday, July 18th. I used acrylic paint, gel medium and gold leaf. This one just happens to fit this week's topic!

Happy weekend everyone!

Animal Wednesday : Yin-Yang Kitties

This is a little old drawing I did a few years back when I was on a kick of sending out images for potential greeting cards. I used to get a lot of "positive rejections" telling me my art was refreshing, but nothing I sent fit anyone's needs at the time. One company (Design-Design) even said he wanted 6 of my images and then changed his mind. That killed me! So, there you go. The life and times of a freelancer. And so it still goes! HAW to all of my animal pals out there! (That's Happy Animal Wednesday to you newbies.)

Cactus Monday...

...is here this week. Happy cactus Monday Cacuteers!

IF : Sour

When life gives you lemons....

This is a very old illustration I did for a greeting card design. Hopefully, I'll find time in my crazy day to get to the studio to paint something new!

Have a happy and safe holiday weekend!

acrylic paint/colored pencil on bristol board

Cactus Monday is....

in my gratitude photos this week!

Come on over!

A Day In The Life Of...Lolo!

I've been tagged by my super funny and talented friend Linda from Sketched Out. The premise of this meme is to show what a typical day is in your life. I did my best not to bore you, but hey...this is my life! Linda's meme is hilarious, as are the others that you'll find the links to. Check em' out! And now it's my duty to choose who I think needs to show us a day in their lives....drum roll....I choose a funny lady I haven't tagged before, Connie Martin!

(P.S., I wasn't sure how to list sketches and words so I did this on another program and scanned it. Sorry for the crappy quality!)

IF : Fierce

My entry is in my Moleskine this week!

Animal Wednesday: Prayer in Motion

When I was seeing what I had on hand for this week, I came across this seagull from a large painting I posted last year called "Centering." I remember walking the beach on a blustery, Winter day and seeing this seagull hover right before my eyes just a few inches from me. I knew it had to be in a painting! I painted him larger than life to give him a sense of a powerful presence. Click to enlarge him so you can see the detail. There is much more to seagulls than we see with a quick glance. So, remember to stop and take a deep breath every now and then in your rushing about, and get centered. Happy Animal Wednesday!

IF : Hoard

One can never have too many lawn flamingoes!

Digital collage for Illustration Friday : Hoard

Animal Wednesday : Creative Wings

Hello my Animal Wednesday pals! I did something in the ol' Moleskine this week, so please take a look here. HAW!!

Cactus Monday #9

Hello fellow cacuteers! You can find my entry here!

IF : Punchline

Okay folks, I'm stumped this week! While I'm thinking of a new image to create for this week's word, I'll leave you with a collage I did last year or so. I believe that the best pet adoption is when the person and the animal really settle into one another's groove. If an adoption is one-sided, it usually doesn't work out and both sides end up feeling a bit disappointed. Certain pets fit certain lifestyles better than others. Luckily for Lola, her rescues are very social creatures and love a good stogie!

For Illustration Friday : Punchline.

Animal Wednesday : Hey, who's that?

I found another image to use for this week while I was looking at my website. I'm often asked to paint client's pets on their walls in life size. Crazy, huh? So this is a Corgi named Tessa I painted in a little girl's room. She was my biggest critic but nodded her approval once it was complete. Woof!

(Please go to my other entry below.)

Happy Animal Wednesday!

Animal Wednesday...in another blog!

Hello Animal Wednesday friends!! Please click here for this week's entry. HAW!!

I was wondering why the others hadn't posted this week and then it dawned on me. It's TUESDAY!!!!! Senior moment :P

Cactus Monday # 8

I often seem to gravitate towards succulents for Cactus Monday. I just love the smooth, rubberyness of them. The soft blue-greens really speak to me, two of my favorite colors rolled into a plant. I always think it's a gift when I stumble upon them. And they remind me of mandalas, too, concentric and meditative. Even their scars and blemishes are beautiful.

Tonight I'm posting early so I can call this evening Succulent Sunday. I enjoyed working on this at the studio today. See what you've started, Teri?

Happy Cactus Monday to all of you on the team!!

Have a fabulous, gentle week.

IF : Forgotten

I've forgotten how something as simple as an old chair can remind you of a loved one from days gone by.

For Illustration Friday's prompt: Forgotten

acrylic on canvas, 4" x 6"

Animal Wednesday : Life's A Breeze

Ah, Summer breezes are starting to blow. Ain't life grand?

Happy Animal Wednesday...just in the knick of time!

(I was so busy today, I almost forgot!)

IF : Baby

I think I'll just let the image and music speak for itself this week.

Have a lovely, peaceful weekend!

Animal Wednesday : An Enviable Position

Here's another crazy card collage of mine, this time using an old idiom. Here's the Wikipedia listing to see it's origin. I'm sure other cats are thinking this is quite an enviable position to be in. The pigeon, not so much!

Happy Animal Wednesday chums!

Cactus Monday # 7

Hello my Cactus Monday friends! I almost didn't have time to do one for this week but I managed to pull off a really quick sketch. After I scanned it I decided to change it to a blue-green tone because the pen and ink drawing was too drab. I guess I'll show you both anyway. I had a lot of visitors and friends stop by the studio yesterday which is why I didn't get to paint the cactus idea I originally had. That's okay! I love it when friends stop by to say hello. Like now, for instance :) Happy Cactus Monday!

A Very Special Award...yay!

I'm very pleased and proud to accept a new award from a fellow bloggerette, Connie Martin. Connie just happened to stop by and was drawn in by my music choices. I guess she also appreciated the sick humor of my collage cards. I'm very touched that she took the time to draw this award and email it to me. She made my day! Thanks, Connie!

IF : Worry

We have a large feral cat population where I live. Sadly, there are a lot of transients here, so when they get their orders to ship out for whatever reason, they feel it's okay to just leave the cats behind. A lot of them were military families who lived in Fort Ord, now an abandoned property with many cats in colonies fighting for survival. But this happens everywhere and by people from all walks of life and I worry about all those innocent, displaced cats. This handsome guy was rescued and has a loving home, but he'll always have trust issues. You can tell from the worried look on his face. So, I beg you, if you can't take your cat with you, please take it to your local shelter or try to find a loving home for it before you leave. Animals are not disposable. Thank you!

Animal Wednesday : Chicken anyone?

That Marthe, she sure does love a good barbeque!

Happy Animal Wednesday, friends!

(Another of my silly collage cards.)

Cactus Monday # 6

Okay, my intention was to try and do a really nice rendition of this cactus on canvas. The day was getting away from me, so instead I thought I'd do a nice pen and ink drawing of it seeing as the day was almost gone. Uh, that would be NO. I overworked it and overworked it until it was a damp, grey piece of paper. I didn't give up! I took out my trusty watercolors and colored pencils and went over the whole thing again. It's no masterpiece, but after all that work I'm posting it! Happy Cactus Monday Cacuteers!!

IF : The Water Is Wide

The water is wide I can't cross over

And neither have I got wings to fly

Give me a boat that can carry two

And both shall row my love and I

For Illustration Friday's prompt : wide.

This is "Summer Storm", the first painting I did in my marsh series. The best version I could find of the song "The Water Is Wide" is being sung by Rory Block, but unfortunately it's not the entire song...so enjoy the first verse! Click to enlarge the painting if you wish.

Animal Wednesday : Owee-Zowee!

This is a collage I did last year or so. Now it's sold as one of my most popular cards at the studio and on Etsy. It's a small example of my sick sense of humor! Happy Animal Wednesday!

IF : Leo Electricity

The storm rages all around me.

Its ferocious intensity intrigues me.

As I warily continue my search,

I find myself part of the storm.

The electricity surrounds me,

Captures me,

Is me.



Lance Larsen



collage from Nat'l Geographic clippings and a dot of red paint for his eye!

Animal Wednesday: Fluffy's Bad Choice

Fluffy realized too late that wine and doughnuts are a bad combination!

Happy Animal Wednesday my friends!

(notecards available in my Etsy shop.)

Seed 2...Replenishing Her Spirit

I had to post this detail from a painting I showed here over a year ago called, "Replenishing Her Spirit." I looked at her and thought what a perfect example of "seed" for this week. She now resides with another artist somewhere in Upstate New York, hopefully bringing the new owner a bit of joy.

You can see my first entry here.

IF : From Seed To Harvest

The word this week for Illustration Friday is seed. This is one of three 4' x 4' mural panels I did for an agricultural company in Salinas, CA., depicting their melon fields. Most people don't have this scene in mind when picking out produce from the supermarkets. Sometimes we forget the migrant workers and locals who work so hard planting the seeds so that we may enjoy the fruits of their labor.

Please see my other entry here.

Click to enlarge the harvest! Acrylic on canvas for Colorful Harvest.

Animal Wednesday: Pug-Love

This is a painting I did for a gallery a couple of years ago. The gallery was having a combination booksigning/art show where each artist was to paint something from the novel. The trouble for me was I had no interest in reading a historical romance, so the gallery owner suggested I paint the two pugs the main character of the book owned. I "Googled" pugs and Victorian furniture and this is what I came up with for a composition. I chose these pugs for their expressions. I just love them! Overall I was pretty pleased with the painting. A lady from San Jose bought it because she loved the dogs...and she doesn't even own pugs!

Happy Animal Wednesday friends!

IF : Wrinkles in nature

I'm one of those people who finds beauty in wrinkles. Not the ones caused from too much sun-bathing or from smoking. I love laugh lines. And an old pair of wrinkled hands holding the hand of a newborn just melts me.
We have these wonderful, weathered trees here that take a beating year after year by the gusting saltwater air as they brace themselves on the cliffs that overlook the ocean. The salt and the sun dry them out, the wind twists and bends them. They stand like sentinals, the elders among the seedlings looking so wise in their wrinkled bodies. I think we still hold the song of our youth in our wrinkled bodies. And I feel the dragon still sings from within the withered tree.

acrylic on canvas with collaged text for Illustration Friday's prompt: wrinkles. Click to enlarge.

The Pico Award

I was given another award by the very sweet and hilarious Forever Young. She makes us all smile with her never-ending humor in her daily "Giggles!" Thanks FY. Lots of warm fuzzies to you!

Now it's my turn to pass it on by following these rules. I have so many favorite blogger pals, but it says to choose only five. Drats!

The Rules:

1) Pick 5 blogs that you feel are deserving of this award based on their creativity, design, interesting material and their contribution to the blogging community, no matter what language.

2) For each award giver, include the name and the link to the blogger so they can be visited.

3) Include the names of the recipients and a link to their blogs so they can be visited. ( rules 2 and 3 seem the same to me.)

4) For both giver and receiver, show the link http://arteypico.blogspot.com/

5) Publish these rules.

Here are my five recipients in no particular order...

1) Carla Kurt at Wings 4 You Coaching. Carla has come up with a new blog to help us all find our inner artist by giving us really wonderful, thought-provoking exercises to inspire us. I've printed out all of them so far, but I haven't found the time to do them. But I will!! Thank you Carla. You put so much heart, soul and time into these lessons.

2) Emily Townsend, another inspiring journaling lady has a wonderful site that encourages us to get down and dirty and messy and just create! She does some amazing, amazing journal work as well as being an inspring woman in many ways. Thank you Em! You can find her at Creative Art Journal.

3) and 4) are two of the funniest ladies in blogland! Not only are their posts always funny, but the comments they leave for me almost always make me pee my pants! They're talented artists as well with imaginations way out there. I just love them, and if you haven't met them yet prepare to be dazzled! They are (drum roll) Ms. Froggie and Sketched Out. Go see what I'm talking about!

5) And finally, the sweet Princess Pepper Cloud! She made a trip to my studio to meet me and I was so honored. Since then she's purchased three of my paintings! That's not why I'm voting for her though. She's getting this award for her creative use of ants. No matter what the topic is over at Illustration Friday, she manages to come up with such clever ant-ics! It's always so much fun to see where her mind takes her and what kind of trouble her ants are getting into! She also has two wonderful cats, and I'm a sucker for animal lovers.

Please stop by and see these folks. You'll thank me later!

Cactus Monday # 5

Hey fellow Cactuteers...the day nearly got away from me! Here's my late entry, pulled from the archives back when I did the blue armadillo. This one's called "Even The Horses Did A Raindance."

And hey, shouldn't we be called "Cactus-eers?"

Happy Cactus Monday!

IF : Primitive

I had to pull from my files for this week, not because I couldn't think of anything but because I'm too busy with work and other commitments right now. But I think this image fits as a primitive portrait. It's a collage I did last year that all came together without a plan. I resonate with nature in a spiritual way. Any time I'm feeling out of balance I go outside to be in touch with something bigger than myself and my problems. I almost always come away feeling reassured and hopeful. I call this collage "My Sacred Self." I hope it resonates with you.

Animal Wednesday : The Eyes Have It

This is a mini painting I did for the gallery and is now the only painting left at my etsy store. I love white kitties with different colored eyes. I'm pretty sure they know how cool they look!

Happy Animal Wednesday!

Cactus Monday 4 : Have a seat...ouch!!

I found this wonderful sofa when I was "Googling" cactus images today. I was going to try to get to the studio to paint one but then thought I'd have fun with this instead! I played around with my greeting card program and added the lizard, bird and flowers. (With apologies and thanks to the folks who created the sofa image. This was just for fun!)

Mr. Chameleon looks comfy on this couch but I don't think I'd last a second! Happy Cactus Monday Cactuteers!

IF : Fail at a new attempt

Today was one of those days that I couldn't stand to be in the room with myself because I was so miserable. Have you ever had one of those days? The day started out okay because it started with animals I had to care for and I love every one of them. After that I was looking forward to some quiet time at the studio to work on my illustration for this week BUT it is the weekend of "Good Old Days" in Pacific Grove which means good luck finding parking anywhere within 10 blocks of the studio and good luck blocking out the NOISE of the bands and the SMELLS of the generators and burnt meat and my studio was right across the street from the NEVER-ENDING-DRUM-SOLOS and honest to God I thought I was going to lose my mind. So I took a deep breath, well, deep enough so as not to be filled up with gasoline and seared pork, and I embarked on a new project. I attempted to paint a mandala because I bought such a beautiful mandala painting this week and I was so inspired to try one. The outside music made my brush go faster than I wanted it to and I felt rushed and disconnected. I tried to get in touch with my "inner music" but couldn't. The more I painted, the more I felt I was messing up. I finally put my hands over my face, took a deep breath ( almost sobbed) and then decided what I painted was finished enough. Then I poured a glass of wine (hey, don't judge, it was beyond five o'clock!) and used my rubber stamps to do another mandala.

I do feel this was a failed attempt for what I was trying to accomplish, but if I find myself afraid to fail, then I'm holding back from trying new things. So here you go. Two mandalas, two approaches.

first mandala: acrylic, watercolor, colored pencil

second mandala: rubber stamps, colored pencil

For Illustration Friday prompt : Fail

Animal Wednesday : Nesting

This is a painting I did a couple of years ago in my very first studio. It was a musty old place with too many spiders in the back of someone's home. But it was my space and I came to love it. One spring I watched a little sparrow carry pieces of straw and other things to help build his nest. I was doing a lot of trompe l'oeil in those days, so I thought how wonderful it would be to paint a bird making an offering to a painted nest because he thought it was real! This is how it turned out. That's also the brush and paint cloth I used that I added to the picture. One of my husband's co-workers bought it for his wife who collects bird paintings. I kind of miss this one because it was a little personal, but it sure makes me happy to share my art. Happy Animal Wednesday...and yay spring!!

Cactus Monday # 3

Directions to my house : Turn left at the blue armadillo.

This is a drawing I did a hundred years ago for a greeting card query. I thought it would be a good fit for Cactus Monday!

IF : Save

"I've saved these beautiful blue things just for you, and perhaps when the moon is full and rises just above the bower we'll have our magical encounter. I'll be right here, waiting. I'll save this spot for you."

Read about Bowerbirds here. If I were a bird I'd totally be attracted to these guys because blue is my favorite color!

For the Illustration Friday prompt: "save."

acrylic and colored pencil on patterned scrapbooking paper

Animal Wednesday : Happy Spring!

Nothing like a few tulips popping up after a long winter to put a spring in your step and a lift in your mood! Yay...warm weather ahead!!