Final work for the month

The pink framed objects I did the first week- I mounted on the black background

Another funky costume jewelry creation-jeweled bee


Yard ornament-bird on a ball

More costume jewelry

Thank you

As Art-a-Day 2 comes to a close I wish to say Thank You! and express my heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you for joining in on the adventure and making this such a great experience - artist, bloggers, followers and guests alike.  You, so, rock!

But wait - there's more!

There is the Art-a-Day show March  4th,5th and 6th.  If you wish to take part in the show send me your contact information so I can keep you updated and informed.  Click my name on the blog and send me an email.  Even if you think I already have it, please send it again.

But wait - there's more! 

It's a bit sad as the blog winds down so feel free to continue sharing your stories, comments and processes as you pull it all together through February.  Seeing the work has been fabulous though I must admit I particularly enjoy hearing about the Art-a-Day experience.  I am repeatedly surprised by it.  How about you?

Looking forward to experiencing the work "live" in March!   Thank you, all.
 o

Day 31 (bw)

Not a very productive art day for this one.  I melted a "tree" and still trying to figure out how to make a wool mask.  I do have some performance/installation art on my studio door window I'd like to share.  Now to find where I put the software for my phone so I can download the images...

Day 31 - Since we all need a break - Beer Garden

And this piece, started, I think, last Sunday is another of the weird get it out of my head sort of thing. This is final piece for Beer Garden, acrylic on 16 x 20. Drink Up.. :)

Day 31 - Stargazer

A lot of you were wondering what this painting was going to become, including me. Started in January, but I don't remember the date, the "Pink thing" is now ... "Stargazer" Acrylic on 24 x 30 Canvas.

Day 31 - Darth Shreddar

Well this is just something to have fun with,,, I give you, finished piece, Darth Shreddar. Acrylic on 18 x 24 Canvas Board. Started on January 8th, I think.

Day 31 - Ocean Scene Final

Started this on January 1st. It is now finished. Acrylic on 24 x 36 Canvas

been making art all weekend!

I too fell off the wagon a couple of days toward the end of the month, so have been working all weekend to compensate. Have started 3 nudes besides this girl.

Speaking of her, one of my biggest struggles is letting go and letting my work be free of old voices telling me what art "must be or it isn't art." So in all her imperfect glory . . . (Ink washes, charcoal, pastel on paper)

I will continue to work on the other 3 and post when they are ready to share.

Great work all! Thanks for the fun ride. S

Day 31- final (Laura gable)

Not much actual art done today, save this sketch of "footprints on the shore". Twas a busy day breakfasting, working on taxes, creating
another calendar for the studio, climbing the hill by my house, and attending to family stuff. Really enjoyed the sunshine today.

Sai-oh-Nara January challenge. Now to put all these sketches on canvas. I think I've got my work cut out for me (February challenge, anyone?)

Last Day!

Make art!

Day 30 (laura gable)

This was actually a 2 day process. Started a smallish canvas a few days ago, sketched in paint (top photo), and then blocked in the color today. It has a ways to go to make it believable (and the oranges are way too strong). Wish I was there again, on the banks of the river at the Sleeping Lady Lodge in Leavenworth. Wouldn't that be fun to be there painting on location?? (perhaps a bit chilly ... but fun, I bet)

January 30 - Beer Garden, still in progress

Well it's Sat Jan 30, and yes I have been painting today, off and on. That makes 30 days in a row, and will probably paint Sunday 31, even though I haven't posted everything I have worked on. Anyhoo here again is Beer Garden. Nothing but small details left. Luckily I have had a little research today.. :)

Day 29 (Laura gable)

Here's a simple sketch of my Dad's old boots for the 29th day of this lovely month (hope to make it into a painting soon). My last post sounded derogatory...like the creative process was drudgery. I'd like to set the record straight and say that's not the case. It's been a very fun and experimental month. At times the art process can seem like a task, but once I settle down and settle in, I'm quickly overcome and absorbed. Aren't we all?? I'm finding it's good to keep the pen moving even if I don't know what I want to "say" artistically that day. It keeps my hand limber... sort of like yoga for the hand (smile).

progress on Emu egg

Emu egg carving, plus completed painting. I will add a satin finish to shine it up a bit, attach it to a stand and call it good. This is a first for me on an emu egg. Need to still polish my skills for this but I am satisfied. At least it didn't break ....yet!

Ostrich Egg Carving

This is one of my other projects I work on besides watercolor. This is a first ever carving on an ostrich egg. The gray area is the part I shade with pencil to tell me what to take out. This is a relief carving.
As you can see this isn't quite finished. This is close to 6 hours of carving.

Putting on finishing touches and washing out residue inside of the egg. Another couple of hours later. ( 8-10 total ) OOPS! I broke it! @#* Oh well..... You go into these projects knowing this will happen. Now back to the drawing board! :-)

Nothing like fresh air to awaken one's creativity..

What a great way to spend a bit of the day, wandering along the river shore. Yesterday I gathered smooth river rock and some waterlogged wood samples for a mosaic-mixed media piece that I have been creating idea by idea in my mind for months and am now finally able to begin to give it form. Here is the beginning rough draft. The final work will be a depiction of Native American platform fishing at Celilo Falls.

Day 29, (bw) Awfully quiet out here!

I'm giving fully over to my inclination to these teensy little boxes and very basic automata mechanisms.  I'm seeing it as a playing out, an exercising of ideas I've been cogitating for a couple years but were too ambitious for my skill and knowledge level.  These are my studies, my samplers.    Beth Parker, when looking at my first little box scene (not one of the Art-a-Day projects) said, "this is your sketchbook!"  What a gift that was.  They are!

Day 28 (bw)

This is my equivalent of adding paint to multiple canvas'.  Components, cut outs, waxes and molds for casting for various works.  I managed the large cut outs (top) without any loss of blood.  :)    The castings are textures to be cast in silver and brass.  Get to try my new-to-me burn-out kiln and try what is called steam-casting; using a wet towel shoved down on a 1300+degree casting and molten metal creating steam to shove the metal deep into the mold.  The old-timey way before vacuum casting.  Like Delia, breathe in...  breathe out...

3 times a charm

This is the 3rd time I've painted this painting. Getting closer to the finished product. I keep finding myself holding my breath each time I lay a new brush stroke. Breath in, Breath out.

day 27 & 28 (laura gable)

Fiddled about in the studio today: sketch, paint, sketch, doodle, paint, eat, chat on phone, eat, sketch, chat with visitors, paint, yawn, go home. (is this month over yet??)

My goodness, so much new content and lovely art!

I'm working on waxes, templates and cuttlebone carving to pour some metal this weekend. These and making some components for the small boxes I'm  enamored with.  I'll start cutting out the wall piece/clock within the next day or two.  Not looking forward to that part.  I'd really like to do something sizable and dimensional but it's just not coming. 

Just spoke with two people, mother and daughter, who committed to Art-a-Day but found life too unyielding.  However!  their awareness of art is there daily because of the commitment.  Even though they can't do the daily thing they have been changed and motivated by the process.  Too cool!   We might hear from them yet. 

Some new stuff

• Costume jewelry #2 and #3 incorporate old jewelry with newer filigree to create some funky necklaces.

• This is a reworking on an old Dooney and Burk(sp?)purse that I did years ago- just a fresh coat of paint and tweak or two
  

• The tile mural after the final firing approximately 12 x 18 inches

Back on the Wagon

I fell off the wagon...well not exactly. I've been busy with work, which is creating art for others, so some days I just couldn't find enough energy to create more. And with three kids, one with special needs, life just has a way of getting in the way. I did this quail egg study last weekend, it still needs some finessing. I painted a ceiling mural, which is where last weeks creative energy went. This week I am working on marble columns, a decorative table and mardi gras masks. which I will post later.

Sketching away........

Why is it that when you're on the road or away from home your creative juices seem to sometimes flow unendingly and you cannot wait to get back to the studio and dive in yet once arriving at home "artist block" greets you at the door? Or is it just me? Or am I rambling? I'm at the end of five days away and my idea notebook and sketchbook are overflowing with great, creative ideas to attempt. My fingers are crossed my enthusiasm follows me in the door. Thank you for all your posts and pictures, they bring inspiration.

Day 25 & 26 (laura gable)

some small efforts as I find a direction for my next series... still seeking.

Only 5 more days!

That's right - only 5 more days in the January Art-a-Day challenge.  I feel I'm just getting warmed up!

 Remember, only works actively part of your January efforts are to be included in the show.   So - go!  Create like the wind!    

er, you get the gist.

Day 24 - 26 (bw)

I've been peeking in here but unable to settle in to blog for couple days.

Sunday & Monday I found a bit of time and tried to figure out how to act on an idea for the Mardi Gras masks being donated for The Reach fundraiser.  Might just have a workable plan.  Verdict still out.   Today was the first back in the studio since Saturday.  With no particular plan and wanting to do something larger than 3"  I looked through old sketches.  I'm translating a piece of jewelry I did years ago into something, maybe a wall clock or simple wall sculpture.  I'll post when there is something to show.

Keep chatting it up!

Jan 25 - O Shen 7

I think "O Shen 7" is pretty much done. Work with crashing water details and all. "O Shen 7" or how about "C Skaype 8" something sci fi ish. This is acrylic on 24 x 36 Canvas

Jan 23 - Keyhole Space Door Thingy

Well I did a little on this one over the weekend. It's coming along, slowly. Detailed the Steps, added the start of some green leafy ivy on the outside walls.

el Pasco Facade

Conceptual and existing facade for downtown Pasco renovation.

Discovery

I just discovered a way to view all the posts created by just one individual. When you are in the posting screen, go to the "Labels for this Post" box, and enter your name. It creates a clickable link on the blog. Once clicked, you can see all the posts that have that specific label (your name). You can refer to any of my posts for an example.

Also, if you're not quite sure how to go back and edit a post you already made, let me know and I can do it for you (since I have this admin POWER that Bobi gave me).

Perhaps everyone already knew this, but I was excited to make the discovery... so just have to share.

Art-a-Day Gallery Show in March

The Art-a-Day show is scheduled for March 4th, 5th and 6th at Studio 17B on Auburn St, in downtown Kennewick, WA.    All works genuinely worked on during the Art-a-Day challenge are eligible.  You have February to complete, frame or otherwise have them ready for show and, ideally, for sale.  More details will follow as they are ironed out.

112 Posts to date

Hi Fellow Bloggers,
Can you believe that we have 112 posts on this blog to date. That's a major accomplishment compared to the 101 total posts for the challenge last year. What an amazing bunch of bloggers we are. Keep the posts coming!!

Day 24 (laura gable)

black and white sketch, colorized in photoshop (taken from a newspaper photo).

Almost done . .

"Burned at the Stake" is a concept that started rattling around in my head years ago. I started this piece last fall, but she got back-burnered when the holidays and a move interrupted progress. Finally got back to her today!
Shell

Valentine Mandala

I can't share pictures yet of what I've spent most of my time creating, as they are commission pieces for a cross stitch magazine and need to be secret until they are published.  The first of the four is actually in the issue on the newsstand right now (the Jan/Feb 2010 issue of Just Cross Stitch) - I've got a picture on my home page, if you want to see it.  They are mandalas for each of the seasons.

Here is a painted mandala I CAN show you.  I was thinking Valentine's Day when I set up the palette.  It is red India ink and watercolor.  (Did you know India comes in colors now?)  This is the first one I have done using a color instead of black ink.

Jan 23 - Beer Garden

This was just done in about 10 minutes. Makes me thristy already.

Beach Kiting on the Moon

Remember Michael's image of last Sunday, what I called my "mind map"?  It was precisely that kind of day.  Much trial and error and some pretty off-the-charts ideas.  I like to think such days are productive but ya just never know.   Still, I hope some of those ideas come to reality.  Fun time but I felt grumpy when I closed shop and came into the house.  Odd.  Better now.  :o)

With such a totally random day I had to stop and complete at least something.  Sticking with the moon theme.  ...and tiny sculpture,  this one is about 3" tall.  Copper, silver, coral.  I'd like to snuggle into the crater with a campfire and watch the stars.

Day 23 (laura gable)

Tweaking an old painting today. Trying to lose the strong yellows in the far background. The more I learn about plein aire techniques, the more inept I feel ... but I have confidence that with practice it will eventually become clear to me. Good resource books are "Carlson's Guide to Landscape Painting" and "Edgar Payne Composition of Outdoor Painting"

Day 22 (laura gable)

My journal entry, from a newspaper photo. (not figuratively accurate, just trying to capture the raw emotion).

Day 20 & 21 (laura gable)

almost finished ... small amount of touchup on the face and then "shadow patrol". For the previous progress on this piece, in this blog. Click HERE.

"Today I will take one small step"

I have been digging through my bins of "findings", glass, porcelain, beads, baubles, pebbles, stones, metals and who knows what else I've tossed in there ...... with anticipation. My hope from the onset of this month of inspiration was to start on an idea in Mosaic-Mixed Media that has been whirring through my head for the last few years. I think today will be that day. The final boost I needed was seeing Bobi's "Crap". What a wonderful piece of imaginative art that is, it just makes you smile. Today I will attempt to begin to create a piece that will make someone smile!

I told Bobi a story tonight and she really wanted me to post it. Well, here it is. I was in the middle of painting when I heard a flipping noise. It was in the middle of the afternoon. Girls were watching Pepter Pan on stage on the computer in the other room. I thought Matt was home early. So I kept painting. Minutes later, more flipping sound occurred. I called out Matt, and no one answered. It got me worried enough to put down my brush and checked. Nothing. I walked around. Still nothing. Then, here it was again, a flipping sound. Still nothing. Nothing in the fish bowl, either.... Wait. Where is the gold fish? I began to look on the counter top where we kept our little fish bowl. Finally, another flip. I looked down, and found out that the fish was laying on the bottom of a mug on the counter, with only a bit of water inside. I looked at it. It seemed to be laying in the mug looking quite cozy. Was it dead? What should I do? I think of the toilet and possible explaination for the girls. Well, maybe I should just give it a try. I pulled the fish into the fish bowl. It sank down....no.... Suddenly, it starts swimming again. I guess, sometimes, I do need to take break while I paint.