Sketchbook Work and Inspiration

sketchbook work in acrylic
inspired by front porches in Riverside

I have been working in my sketchbooks and lately I am loving houses and noticing especially front porches.  I have seen some lovely spaces that are so inviting.  You just want to take your cup of coffee and book and sit for a spell.

I also am working with vintage photos again and the photo below is a composition using three different photographs as inspiration.

I also have the 5th Finding Faith work planned out. Katie and I just need to work out a convenient time we can do the filming and photo shoot.  Her dress is so pretty.  I can't wait to paint it.  Stay tuned.

sketchbook work - acrylic and watercolor
inspired by vintage photos

See you soon.

♥ Lisa

Three Still Life Paintings, A Portrait, A Sketch and Scenes from Riverside

This week I painted three still life paintings.  It all started with this jar.  My aunt had it in her apartment and when I commented on how it was pretty enough to paint, she gave it to me.  This is the way of the elderly in my family.  My grandmother used to say at every single visit, "now when Granny croaks, be sure and take that music box" or "that vase", etc.  I'm not kidding.

Terracotta Keepsake Pot
acrylic on paper 6 x 6 inch

The scan of the terracotta pot came out very yellowy, but it is actually olive green. 

Carafe With Two Cups
acrylic on paper 6 x 6 inch

 The carafe painting was inspired by an espresso machine ad.  Go figure.  It is how my mind works.

Clay Pitcher With Two Roses
acrylic on paper 6 x 6 inch

The clay pitcher was a gem I purchased at an estate sale near our home. The couple of the estate owned 7 houses and the sale was the compilation of those homes. The husband passed away 4 years ago and the wife was planning to settle in one of the houses with hired caregivers. This clay pitcher was one of the beautiful gems I found at the sale. I wish I knew its story and from which of the 7 houses it came. 

Young Mabel Musser
acrylic and ink on paper
4 x 6 inch

Young Mabel Musser was inspired by a vintage photo that had Musser and also Harrisburg printed on it. The photo was not dated, but looked to be around early 1900's.  This sort of thing always leads to a google search and in that search I learned there were several prominent "Mussers" living in Pennsylvania.  I found an interesting family photo while searching.  So I picked the youngest girl in the photo (who was named Mabel) and voila!  I had a title.  

sketchbook sweetie
graphite in a tiny Moleskin

My art instructor loaned me his book titled From Van Eyck to Bruegel:  Early Netherlandish Painting in The Metropolitan Museum of Art  and I love to do sketches from this book.  The above is my simple pencil sketch of Gerard David's Four Heads (about 1495) which is a "metalpoint over traces of black chalk on prepared paper"...whatever that means.  All I thought was that it was beautiful.  Not the head in the upper right though.  That one is plain scary.

That is all I have accomplished this week artwise.  I am still pecking away at my 9 x 12 inch oil painting of six people.  I have only been working on that one in my class though, which is why it is not done.  Soon!  The above paintings are in my Etsy shop if you are interested in purchasing.

Scenes from Riverside This Week

Forget-Me-Nots on the riverbank

These are photos taken on my daily walks.  I still walk two to four miles every day and my love for this activity is renewed with our new surroundings and this lovely, vibrant season.

Arkansas River on a gorgeous Spring day

I hope you have a beautiful weekend!  Thank you for visiting!

♥ Lisa

Around Here Lately

Sketchbook 8.5 x 11"

acrylic

Working in sketchbooks a bit lately to try out some ideas.  I love interior paintings and would like to do a few of them.  

Hurley at home

The above photo was the inspiration.  It sure is difficult to paint light.  

graphite and pastels in 8.5 x 11 inch sketchbook

I have also started some sketches, but left them unfinished.  I became bored with this one.

sketchbook sweetie

graphite and tinted graphite in tiny moleskin

Very few sweetie sketches these days.  I swear I am still pretty worn out from our move in December.  It feels like I am in recovery.  All I really feel like doing is taking walks and watching movies.  Of course that's not all I do, but if I could I would.

sketchbook sweeties

graphite

These are scribbled ideas for paintings inspired by Riverside, the neighborhood we now live in.  I also bought a HUGE canvas to paint a Riverside theme for our house to go above the couch.  I have no clue exactly what I will paint, but the canvas will be waiting for me when I finally decide.  It may take a year to make up my mind though.

acrylic and pastel on 6 x 8 inch linen

Of course it just wouldn't be winter without a girl in a beanie and mittens.
:)

 photo edited with distressedfx
View of trees on the Arkansas River
pronounced Ar-Kansas not Ar-Kan-Saw

I walk every day for at least two miles.  Lately though it's been more like three or four because I don't want it to end.  The sunsets have been so nice to watch from the walking paths and parks nearby.  One night I saw a fox.  I called my husband to ask if they were dangerous because I didn't know.  I wanted to get a picture of him, but by the time I finished my call he had run off.  Beautiful red creature!  I learned they are common in this area.

photo edited with distressedfx
bike path along the Arkansas

This photo was taken on a warmer day and just after I snapped this picture a family of four passed by on their bikes, and I also passed two joggers.  I just love all the activity here!  What's nice is that there are certain times of day when it's very quiet and you see very few people, it goes both ways.

 new palette

I finally broke down and bought a Masterson's Sta-Wet Palette that I saw last year on Gillian Lee Smith's blog.  This photo is day four and my acrylic paints are still wet!  The palette does water them down a bit, but if you blob on a lot of paint, then not so much as you can see in the titanium white pile.  I should have bought one ages ago.  The lid has compartments for watercolors with three mixing areas.

 current state of my art studio

I really should straighten up my work area today, but I don't feel like it so it probably won't get done.

 Hurley

The animals have adjusted nicely to their new surroundings as you can see.  I don't have a photo of our other cat Peet, however he seems to like it here too.

growing Mitsou

Mitsou thinks this blanket is her mommy.  She sucks on it and then curls up and falls asleep.  She cracks us up.  She is quite the mischief right now.  I will be glad when she matures.  I am constantly picking up after her...knocked over plants, spilled water, broken coasters, I even found her dangling from the window shade the other day.  She is an absolute mess, but she's extra sweet when she is calm.

moon glow out the studio window 2 weeks ago

I have also been organizing my photos on the computer.  I take so many pictures with my cell phone these days and there isn't any rhyme or reason to them.  So I simplified and put them into folders labeled family, friends, pets, scenery, artsy, videos, and misc.  That is at least a start, right?

I hope whatever you have been doing lately has been all that you find inspiring and good.  Until next time...

♥ Lisa

The Flower Petalers and How the Move Went

The Flower Petalers

mixed media on cradled wood panel 8 x 8 inch

SOLD

Hello friends!  I am back after a chaotic couple of weeks of moving to our new house. I have taken some time to paint, but not too much.  Above is my newest finished piece.

 The move went well for having been settled in the old home for 15 years.  You accumulate a lot of stuff in that amount of time! I should have counted boxes as I am sure the number would have been impressive.  Oh my!  

Anyways, you would probably like to see photos rather than read babble, so here you go...

                               

Above is my favorite picture.  It captures the beauty and some of the character of this old house we now live in.  It was built in 1930 and comes complete with glass doorknobs and drafty window panes.  We absolutely love it. 

                                

My studio is really really great.  I have lots of storage and it even has a sink in it because the previous owner had a manicure business.  The light coming from the north and west windows makes me want to be like a cat and lay on the floor basking in the sun.  

                           

This is the view from my west studio windows.  I think I am going to have to paint every one of those houses at some point.  They are so pretty...and HUGE.  Our house is quite a bit smaller than those.  

                          

This is the best part about our new house...it's in Riverside and there is so much to see in this special area of town.  The river always inspires...

                            

it's a great place to see Christmas lights on foot...

                            

and ooooo and aaaaaahhhh at how they reflect on the water.

                             

And now that we live here I was able to walk less than two blocks the next morning after a beautiful snowfall the night before...

                                 

and see this park blanketed in white...

                                 

and the footprints of the locals...

                              

and chuckle at how the geese just hang out in the streets.  Do you see them?  They are everywhere in this neighborhood.  They cross the streets (and take their sweet time), hang out on lawns, walk up the sidewalks.  They squawk and honk at each other like they are discussing plans for afternoon tea.  

This evening I made pumpkin bread and plopped into this chair to write to you all.  It's the same chair that started my art journey years ago...the one I drew just for the heck of it.  The same funky pillow is there too.  And you may also recognize the painting on the wall, Candela's Light.  

My family said that our furniture looks like it belongs in this house and that my paintings are like I was painting them specifically for this house.  Maybe they are right.  I wonder how long we will be here.  We are told we are only the fifth family to live here, which we found amazing.  The family previous to the family that sold it to us was here 36 years.  I can't imagine staying anywhere for 36 years.  But who knows?

Have a beautiful weekend.

♥ Lisa