by Susan Lobb Porter | Art |
Oh my sweetums…something SO ECXITING is happening in Arty Life Land. Yes, EXCITING!
It’s called Comment Luv.
Allow me to explain. Those of you who already know about CL, well…go put on a cuppa tea or something. But do come back to look at the pictures. The rest of you gather round because I have something to tell you. Important something.
It’s about sharing your luvvv on Arty Life. And building community. You know that comment box down below, the one that encourages you to share your two cents? Some of you do, some don’t. And that’s okay. I love you all, even when you read ‘n run.
But now if you write a comment and click on the Comment Love box right under the little box you write your comment in, you do that and this AMAZING little plugin will dash over to your blog, retrieve the link from your latest post and invite readers to check it out.
Comment Luv will put in a plug for you right here on my blog!!! Should I repeat that? RIGHT HERE!!! Is that a community builder or what?
So be sure to leave a comment.
And now, YO! Tea drinkers– come back and check out what I made this weekend.
I began with a work in progress that had been languishing, languishing, on a shelf. This is acrylic, by the way.
Got all finger painty until I read the label on Golden’s liquid Bone Black. The label that said blah blah blah cancer. So I washed my hands and put on gloves.
And then I cut up paper. Threw on some more color and began writing with a regular graphite pencil. Just because I could.
More paint. More writing. More stuff. This is not the final version. But you have to wait to see that. I’m writing a guest post for Michele Bergh and the painting will be part of it. I’ll let you know when it happens.
And now I think I’m going to sit back and have a cuppa tea.
by Susan Lobb Porter | Art |
Oh my sweetums, I have been away. Not away away, like needing a ticket or a boarding pass, the kind of away that would require me to bring home souvenirs like little plastic Eiffel Towers or sea shells with ‘Florida’ painted in flowery script across the smooth side. With glitter pen. By someone in China.
No. No. No. Not that kind of away. Trust me, I would’ve sent you all postcards from Paris. Or Milan. Or sweet Jesus save my soul…MIAMI.
I have been away in my mind…engrossed in every day workaday life. Tired of week after week where the temperature hit 100 degrees every day. Maxed out on fruit popsicles. In short, I was in the summer away place…August.
I do NOT like August, even though it is the birthday month for three nephews and one dearly departed dog. Oh wait, the dog died in August. Which goes to prove my point about the month. It sucks. Except for the nephews, of course.
Even my laptop went belly up in August. Last week.
But butbutbut BUT THAT’S ENOUGH WHINING!!!
It’s ten degrees cooler. I have a new computer. AND I PAINTED TODAY!!!
YAY!! Handspring time, I’m BACK!!!
So I was in the studio today and I pulled out one of my layer canvases. Think it’s 24 X 30 inches. You’ll have to trust me, I didn’t measure it.
I took a look and decided I saw a face on the right. I decided to make a painting based on the image from the art journal I showed a couple weeks ago, the one up above. It was uber popular on FaceBook. So I made a few marks, blocked in the figures and let the party begin.
Oh, having so much fun! So GOOD to be painting again. I just had to document it. Look, here I am, paint brush in one hand, camera in the other. And yes, I’m a lefty. Like Leonardo.
Another detail. Added some text which may or may not get painted over as part of the back ground.
Here’s where I left it tonight. Lot of work to do still but I probably won’t get back to it before next week. Have a day job, y’know. And this upcoming weekend is all about concrete. Friday Mr. Spouse and friends will be pouring the walkway around the new studio, which means no access for me.
But I’m doing concrete too! No, no…not concrete…cement. But close enough sez she who knows NOTHING about either one. AKA moi. Friday night, Saturday and Sunday I’m going to be learning cement sculpture at a workshop by Deborah Bridges. You have to check out her site, her work is AMAZING. We’re going to be making ‘orbs’ in this workshop. YAY! I’m so excited about that! OMG, can’t wait to show you guys. I should have something to show you Monday.
by Susan Lobb Porter | Studio |
My latest canvas…
The new! improved! Studio Grande!!!
Sheetrock’s up. Taped and textured. Next step is priming. And then painting. First I have to pick the paint. White. But which one? There may be fifty shades of gray but there are approximately fifty thousand hundred million Shades Of. WHITE!!!
AAACK!
But the door will be painted red. Red I can do.
This view is from the door. Cabinets will run the length of both walls under the windows. We’re picking them up at Ikea this Saturday.By Monday they’ll be built and in place, waiting for the concrete counters that Mr. Spouse will pour the following week.
Cross your fingers, girls and boys…the counters WILL be poured next week! Yes. They. Will.
Going to put a vent fan on the back wall between the two windows. That will be where I do encaustics and spray stinky stuff.
Another view of the wall o’windows. I just love this wall.
And a view from the encaustic area towards the front.
Still have to take the tarps off the skylights.
Still have to do a lot of things. But we’re getting closer. And I’m thinking knowing my art is going to blossom in here!
by Susan Lobb Porter | Art |
Last week I promised a painting would be finished. The contrived kitty would morph into something...else… with da muse.
Here it is, the contrived kitty. Gag me…playing safe. Being coy. Aarugh…da muse was not impressed.
So I dove right in. Took a plunge off the deep end, paintbrush in hand. Holy crap! The creative waters were COLD! Cold enough to take my breath away.But when I came up for air…oh man, it felt sooooooo good. So good I said (without consulting with da muse), Hey everyone! Look at me, yoo-hoo…over here. I’m on fire! And I’m gonna have this baby done by Wednesday. Hold. Me. To. It.
Promises are not a good idea when it comes to predicting the creative process. As soon as da muse heard the dreaded P word she curled up with some chocolates and a good book and told me I was on my own.
Which was fine by me. I was on fire, right?
Umm…no. I was so NOT on fire, I even began cleaning the house.
And then a discussion began in my Random Acts of Art Facebook group. The group that morphed from the RAA Wednesdays blog hop. It’s a happening bunch of creatives, let me tell you. In 10 days it’s grown to 192 people from around the world, every one of them hiding little pieces of art in public. Come on over and join the party.
But I digress…the discussion evolved around signing or not signing our names on the art we leave out and about. As I’ve explained to the group, there’s no right or wrong answer to this. It’s a personal decision. For the record, I don’t sign mine. I’m releasing something I made out into the world with NO expectations for the outcome.
Just letting it go.
Today I decided to jump start da muse by applying that same philosophy to the creating process. Just. Let. It. Go.
Ohhhhh…she liked that! Especially when helped along with Springsteen and Paul Simon.
So here’s where Catholic Girls Wear Plaid is now. Still not finished. And most definitely a crappy photo alert. I don’t know why the black is so washed out. But you can get an idea of where it’s heading.
Maybe I’ll get around to finishing this week. But I know better than to make a promise. Till then, my sweetums…may your days be filled with peace, love and chocolate!
by Susan Lobb Porter | Art, Random Acts of Art |
I WILL write my post tonight. I will. I will. But there are SO MANY bright shiny objects distracting me in a good way…ahhhh…
So lemme tell you about my day. Holy crap, it was AWESOME!!! Bright and shiny awesome.
If you haven’t read Friday’s post yet, go ahead and do it. Because that’s what kicked my day into high gear. Okay, I’m standing here, arms folded, tapping my left foot. I’m waaaaaaiting for you to read all about my SHINY SPANKIN’ NEW RANDOM ACTS OF ART FACEBOOK GROUP. Ta-da…
Join it. Join it NOW because it’s so much fun! Just follow the arrow that’s not there. But if it WAS there, it would be pointing to the laughing Buddha to the right.
He’s laughing because he found one of my arty tokens. He’s laughing because he’s feelin’ the luvvvvv.
You don’t have to be an artist to join. You just need a spirit of adventure and generosity. And the desire to make a stranger’s day.
I started the group Friday and today the FaceBook faries sent all sorts of magical people knocking at the door. I spent most of the day on the computer…aawk…will have to get a handle on that, yes indeed. But I was meeting new people and, in my mind, each and every one of them was a bright and shiny distraction.
I finally tore myself away and went down to Studio Grande. I didn’t have a clue what I was going to do. I picked up a new canvas because preliminary layers are a no brainer. But I was feeling so good I figured, what the hell…I had the power, y’know…I could take on…THE CAT.
Crappy photo alert, both of ’em.
I hated the cat so much I don’t even have a photo of its nearly finished self. Just this, which is nowhere near where I left it. It was all w.r.o.n.g. Contrived. Uninspired. NOT ME.
Something I did because I thought it could sell. And it probably would have. But it didn’t feel right.
Guess I’ve been reading too much of that authenticity crap stuff.
So I was brave. Bold. Turned it upside down so it wouldn’t look so much like a cat. Then I loaded a two inch brush with black acrylic and had at it. Then I took a rag and wiped some of that away. Then I grabbed some colored paper and started cutting. And collaging.
All this time rockin’ out to Springsteen. Da Boss.
Which is probably why the first image that evolved was Catholic Girls Wear Plaid. I’m sure he must have a song about that somewhere.
What the—??? This is SO unlike what I’ve been doing. But…but…it feels RIGHT! Right for me now.
And then another cat entered the picture and …and…well, it’s still not done but I am SO EXCITED about this. I have an idea where I’m taking it. Which doesn’t necessarily mean that’s where it’s going to go. But I have an idea.
So come back Wednesday. It will be done by then. IT WILL. It will it will it will. Well, come back and see if it is.
And if it isn’t, hold me accountable!
In fact, you can begin that right now in the comments below.
And by the way, tell all your friends about the FaceBook group. The more the merrier.
