Susan Lobb Porter, Author at Oolala the Arty Life

Still Painting Ponies

Continued from yesterday.

First came the layers.

Then came the idea. But first you have to flip the layers around.

Here it is almost finished. Almost. I’m looking at the photo and thinking ohhh, I could do this. And this. So don’t be surprised if I come back next week with an other edition. It’s all about evolving. And experimenting. And having fun with it.

Technical info: 3’X4′, acrylic on canvas. Seems like acrylic brings out the whimsey in me. Not sure why. My absolute favorite part? The two horses running along the top right. Got a loosey-goosey feel to them that I want to pursue.

Painting Ponies

by Susan Lobb Porter | Art | 2 comments

Yesterday I was brave.

I didn’t want to be. Because I was stuck. So I spent way too much time online. On facebook. Avoiding the studio until I couldn’t avoid it any longer. Then I went down and picked up the big canvas, the 3’X4′ canvas with lots of layers. Some interesting marks. And some not so interesting.

And I was still stuck.

I was NOT fond of this canvas. Too much energy. Had a frantic feel. So I took a couple of brushes and wrote on it. That’s right, wrote. As in words. Love. Joy. Happy. Peace. Over and over because it needed some better mojo. Then I sprayed it with water and watched half the words melt away, leaving behind some interesting remains.

But I still couldn’t get a handle on it. Still couldn’t see the painting within the painting. I turned it every which way but the only part I even remotely liked was the edge that runs up the left side of the photo above. So I went there first. I popped it out with some blue and black paint. Then I turned it every which way again. Gave it the squint test. Tried to see what it wanted to be.

Sometimes you just gotta step away. So I went back on facebook. Fed the horses. When I came back I saw another part I liked and then…a horse appeared. And then another and another and….

Crap.

I like horses. I really do. I’m barn slave to three of ’em. Well, two and a half, depending on what you call the donkey. But I like ’em, you know. And there is a market for horse paintings. So what’s the big deal?

I just did one, that’s the big deal. Am I getting myself into a horse series?

Umm…probably yes.

Today I put in over eight hours. Standing on my feet. Painting. Dancing. I’m so close to being finished but I had to stop. It was dark and the studio lights are all wrong for painting. Something that will be corrected in the new studio.

So where’s the photo? Sorry my sweetums, you’ll have to wait. Probably tomorrow, depending how much painting time I can squeeze in while helping Mr. Spouse do construction things. I will tell you the almost finished painting looks nothing like the ones above. I’m really liking it.

But if you want to see a photo of something deliciously wonderful that I did finish tonight…

…this was dinner. Fresh spinach. Raviolis. Oil, parmesan cheese, garlic and tiny tomatoes.

It was wonderful.

TGIF Bliss

by Susan Lobb Porter | Life | 2 comments

It’s cold outside. Gray sky, snow on the ground. A taste of the winter that hasn’t happened yet this year. Been snowing for two days. And, at this elevation, raining too. So not much accumulation at the Porterosa. We’re in the canyon, headed down towards the river. But five minutes away, headed uphill…fuhgedaboutit. Schools are closed. Aliens have landed. Storm troopers are skiing off of roof tops. It’s hell out there.

Go up an hour and they got four FEET. That’s feet. Which is why we live down here.

But I’m inside. School’s closed, remember. No work today. I’ve got a fire to warm my toes. A couple of PUPPIES to warm my lap. Tea. Chocolate.

What’s not to bliss about that?

Weather

by Susan Lobb Porter | Uncategorized | 4 comments

Now that March is here and the daffodils are up, winter has finally decided to arrive. Snow. High winds. Which means I might be without power and or internet connection for a few days. Just one of the perks of rural living.

Just giving you a heads up.

So if Arty Life suddenly becomes Arty-Where-the-Hell-Is-She, don’t dispair. It only means I’m huddling by the fire, reading books with a flashlight, and, except for the twice daily trudge through the snow to feed the ponies, thoroughly enjoying myself.

Random Acts of Art Wednesday

by Susan Lobb Porter | Random Acts of Art | 8 comments

Changing the world one little arty bit at a time…because we can. And it’s FUN!

Well sweetums, it’s WEDNEDSAY! Ta-ta…And you know what THAT means, right? It’s time to share our Random Acts of Art. Now if you’re new here and not familier with Random Acts of Art Wednesday (RAAW), the rules are simple. Make a little something. Put some luv into it. Lots of luvvvv. Then hide it where someone can find it and take a photo. Your little gift might make a stranger’s day. If you have a blog, post the photos and add your link below. If you don’t have a blog, send me the photos by Tuesday and I’ll add them to my Wednesday post. If I get too many, don’t worry. I’ll make a slideshow for them ALL.

My personal RAAW goal? Hiding one every day. But you can make whatever goal you want. Trust me, once you start doing it you won’t want to stop.

Sister Marjorie Ellen has joined in the fun. Since she lives in Norway where there’s LOTS of rocks she decided to do rocks too. Just chunks of quartz picked up off the ground. And gold leafed. And decorated with tags from Yogi tea.

Really, wouldn’t YOU want to find one of these beauties? Well you can…if you live in Norway.

And go to the library looking for the book Heart of Darkness. Because if you’re looking for that you definitely need a happy rock.

Now blurry is part of the deal here. When you’re sneaking around leaving little gifties and have to snap a photo you don’t always have time to get things in focus. Even auto focus. This one was at her doctor’s office.

The grocery store. Margie loves kitties. Has three of ’em.

And after a long day of hiding her Random Acts of Art, time to head over to the wine store. Buy a bottle, leave a rock. Works for me.

I was walking in town the other night and couldn’t resist this window ledge. Do you know how hard it is to photograph neon? The sign was actually red. Go figure.