Family reunion

This is me and my boys at my husband's grandmother's wake. We traveled to RI and had 2 family reunions. My husband's and then my own. It is unusual to be all together anymore since my older boys are in college and my younger are still at home. This was just pure pleasure to be all together! My oldest is graduating from college with an art degree this year. I haven't been doing anything...

so uninspired :(

Narragansett Art Fair

You can't imagine all the lovely pieces of art that were to be found strolling through the tents. All these wonderful artists exhibiting their work for all to see and comment on...SCARY!!!

Mike Bryce

This is Mike Bryce, the artist of my newest (and only to date) piece of original art. I have purchased prints before, and LOVE them. I have a gorgeous mermaid print by Flor Larios titled "Venus Mermaid"

However...there is something really special in owning a piece of canvas that is an actual original painting...you can see brush strokes, pencil lines, drips and drops...yum! Don't I look happy!?

I asked Mike how he felt when he sold a canvas; if he was sad a bit to see them go. He told me that it was sad because he loves all his "ladies" (his mermaids). I told him that the one I bought would be taken care of and cherished.

And it will!

I have included a small picture of my brother's painting also by Mike that I stumbled upon a few days later at his house.

Isn't it gorgeous?

I bought a beautiful mermaid painting!

I recently went on vacation to Rhode Island. While in Narragansett I stumbled upon a large outdoor art show (Narragansett Art Festival)! What a blast! The artist Mike Bryce was in attendance and lookie what I got!This beautiful painting is the cover of his new book. I bought another smaller painting for my son Connor and when I got to my sister in law's home, she had a tiny little mermaid painting from Mike as well! Love of mermaids just runs in the family I guess!

...some details of this lovely painting....I adore the way he painted the noses on the starfish, the smiling seaguls and the flowing hair of this sweet creature.

I just love the loose quality of the pencil marks...still visible...

This is just a serene painting. I will post a picture of me with the artist if I can get it off my phone...I will also show my son's painting and the painting from my sister in law's home tomorrow. All on my naughty phone which is defying me!

I have really missed blogging!!!!!

Little Squigerine under the deep blue sea

I thought my little copyright squid needed to be down deep in her element...Maybe this would be funnier if she was screaming with shock and surprise, trying to hide, as if a submarine just stumbled upon her...

Illustration Friday...unfold

This little flower is unfolding from it's nighttime rest, in the light of a very full moon!

A little winter loving penguin

Just a little drawing from a long time ago. I colored it up on PhotoDraw...I like her little skirt!

Portugal...The Azores Some additional photos.

I thought the flowers and scenery were magnificent...everywhere you went on the island you could see flowers, stretches of gorgeous grass meadows and views of the ocean!

Illustration Friday...adapt

..."Birds fly over the rainbow, why then, oh why can't I?"

Visiting some friends...

I am in Massachusetts visiting some wonderful friends; Liz and Erik. Early this year they experienced an ice storm and my friend Liz took some amazing pictures. I just thought I'd share one.

What I loved about this photo was the green grass and blue sky opposed to the ice covered trees that look like glass! Amazing!

The pinwheel photo was taken during my visit. Liz has gorgeous gardens. Her young son added his own ornament to his Mom's design.

I thought this was so cute.

I'm just a busy Mom these days...

I have to confess, I have been so busy...with my boys. It's either after,before, or during school activities...LOL!

Between moving my older sons back into our home from college, and getting my younger ones out to school, sports or extra curricular end of the year events...

I'm pooped!

I haven't drawn anything except a hot bath!

So I am just going to take a little blog break, and enjoy all the end of the year entertainment, and running around!

Who knows, I might just get some inspiration for a drawing!

Hope you are all well. Love to hear from you! See you in a week or two.

Love, Diane

Illustration Friday Parade

Yipes! I have been so busy!!!

I have just been so busy lately, with housework, sports, and school activities that I haven't posted much! I am working on a larger painting, and I really am liking it, only I cannot get a good photo of it since my camera...stinks! So until I can take a good picture, I will just show you a little watercolor I did a while back...

Here is the funny guy I created earlier. I used him on my Illustration Friday for impossible... I like this guy, he is so reminiscent of RI to me. He is going quahogging...but he isn't in too much of a hurry...

A little painting

Just another little landscape exercise...this little birdy has visited this site before... But I love him!

I have been crazy busy!! Hope you are all doing well.

Illustration Friday...Theater

Who hasn't had to don a silly costume and recite lines?

Something new...

Ah yes, I am at it again. Gave myself a little project; paint three small connected paintings. Got them almost done...but trip, trip, trip at the finish line...

Anyway, what tripped me us was some idea swimming around in my head...and I just started painting away at some larger 36x36 " painting.

I've done the basic "thing" before, but I am trying it with different colors... We'll see if I finish this one. :) The colors are nicer in real life and a bit of the all around border is cut off.

I photoshoped the leaves in, they aren't painted in yet, and I might not...we'll see....

Creating a piece of art is such fun!!!!!!

Fraktur III incomplete...so far

Once again I gave myself a little project; to paint up three little flowers. Two down and one to go almost at the finish line and...

Blam! The gesso is flying, staple guns going off, canvas's all over the dining room and I am painting up a storm of larger pictures!

I really don't know what it is with me that makes it so difficult to stay on task...

Well, I am still going to complete this last little flower today,(if it kills me :O) here it is so far... I primed the little canvas with black, chalk in the design and painted over in multiple layers...I touch up the black outline between the colors after I am done with the flower itself. You know, I really like this type of look, (fraktur) done in watercolors best.

I got a few comments on working with acrylics...honestly, I don't know if they are harder to work with than other mediums. It's been all I have used (besides watercolors and pastels) since they are affordable and require less drying time between layers... What do you all think? Do you like them? What do you prefer?

I would love to learn how to use oils...

Little Fraktur flower painting II

This is the second little flower.

I tried to correct my misspellings of Fraktur...if you find any more Please let me know!

The flower left is the original, the one to the right is the altered version. When I first drew and painted these, I had done them in watercolors...they were so delicate and soft. This attribute is lost when I try to paint them onto the canvas in acrylics. Hmm, maybe I should do these all in watercolors.

Hope you all have a wonderful new week...

The first of three new little paintings...

I love the "fraktur" look. You know, those beautiful flowers and animals etc that accompany those old drawn and colored works done in the 17 and 1800's. I read this book called; This Teaching I Present, by Hershey, and drew up quite a few of each. I use them periodically for other works, including portions of this blog.

ANYWAY...I am doing a series of little paintings of fraktur flowers...what fun! The one above is the original, the one to the right is the painting scanned and maniupulated with PhotoDraw with accented edges...I like them both.

I'm sure into orange, green and blue lately, huh?

Illustration Friday: Impossible

In order to obtain the impossible, one must attempt the absurd.

This weeks Illustration Friday offered this quote. I had already created this fellow, only he was walking on the beach carrying a bull rake, obviously going quahogging. When I got the Illustration Friday theme in my e-mail, I thought, what could be more appropriate then this fellow with a rather less than fabulous exterior, giving thought to attempting the absurd? Perhaps he is a man with a tremendously strong sense of self esteem.

Portugal...The Azores

My mother came to visit me over the Easter holiday. We took out an old photo album of pictures from a 2004 trip

to the Azores, Portugal. This is where my mother grew up and immigrated at 18. I can't believe

it has been almost five years since that

trip. Here are some of my favorites.

Sing a song of sixpence...

I was thinking about nursery rhymes and all the little images that pop into your head as you hear the words...

"four and twenty black birds baked in a pie!!!" Yuck!

Except, at the end, the birds began to sing! Hooray!

Illustration Friday ...Fleeting

This weeks theme is fleeting. I thought of a few things...but all of them made me sad.

When this popped into my head it gave me a laugh...

We all need that!

Easter Joy!

To my dear readers,

I realize that not all of you that read this blog are celebrating Easter, and peace to you!

However, this is a particularly special holiday for me. I have such wonderful memories of Easter, waking up with a basket of goodies by the bed, a special outfit for church, and the beautiful flowers; tulips, and little grape hyacinths blooming all around.

I can remember going to church, and coming home later to play with my toys. We went a few times to an Easter egg hunt held at a local school and my memories are vague yet I remember the fun of searching!

Now that I am older, the concept of Easter is one of joy and thankfulness, less of candy and new clothes... (ok, ok...excepting any type of chocolate goodie!)

But, as spring celebrates new birth for the earth with all those glorious blooms rising out of a "dead" garden, I see Easter as a celebration of new birth for my soul...

So here is my Easter egg, to the earth. Such a beautiful planet, such a wonderful piece of art given to all of us, I believe, by God to remind us that He is the consummate artist!

A very tiny painting.

I was rummaging around the attic, where I threw all my art stuff a while ago. I found this tiny little canvas, it is 3"x 3". I thought that since I had such fun painting yesterday's little canvas, I would paint up this one too.

I am really enjoying painting over a very dark background.

In this case I painted the entire canvas black, including the sides, and then layered color on top.

It is actually a bit brighter in person. My scanner made it appear much darker.

A little painting

I painted this yesterday, instead of working on the pattern...LOL I mean, why break from my usual pattern of doing things?!

1. Make a plan.

2. Get completely distracted by something else...

3. Forget original idea...

4. Do something totally different!

Oh, well...

Creating a repeating pattern...

I love the idea of creating a repeating pattern on a stamp. I visited a blog archive at Design*Sponge and learned how to do this. She gives a beautiful example with terrific photos (she is quite talented!).

It is really quite fun and the resulting image matches up on all sides so you can just stamp away or...

You can create a full sized design to fill an entire sheet (8x10) of paper, and match up several sheets to perhaps line a book shelf or cover a larger object. I am going to take my uncolored fraktur design from Feb. and create a repeating pattern.

Well, that's the plan...today is going to be so busy and there are about 6 baskets of laundry to put away! :)

Illustration Friday

My first attempt at Illustration Friday...Talisman In Irish tradition the Shamrock or Three-leaf Clover represents the Holy Trinity: one leaf for the Father, one for the Son and one for the Holy Spirit. When a Shamrock is found with the fourth leaf, it represents God's Grace.
Well now, that's a talisman for me...grace...I need all I can get!!!

Happy Birthday to you ....

Today is my second son, Erik's, birthday! He is away at college and I miss him! So here is a great big kiss and hug from your Mommy to you! And

Happy 20th birthday!

Where did the time go?