Another 6" pastel- Paris Street Scenes

I also have this posted on my other blog, Desiree's Designs, but wanted to also share here. I took so many great photos in Paris and want to paint them all, this is one and I did it in pastels and only 6"!

Tomorrow I meet with the people for the commission piece, keep your fingers crossed!

A series for the next 6" show

Randy Higbee's Gallery had their 6" show, it was amazing. I missed the deadline by a day and was just sick over it. This time I will be ready. They are supposed to have another around fall sometime. I am working on a series of small paintings that will also be available for sale on my other blog, desiree's designs , so keep you eyes open as I will be offering new pieces all the time. Here is my latest series called Vineyard Gold. Pastel 6"x6". The photo is a bit blurry, my phones photo quality seems to be slipping!!

From postcard to notecards!

As some of you know, I am doing a postcard exchange with some very talented artists all over the world! I found it nerve racking when I started painting my postcards though, I didn't know if the rest would send their actual postcards or do more of a completed painting. It has turned out to be a mixed bag, some staying relaxed and confident enough to send great sketched cards, while others are taking more time and producing a more finished piece. I was just confused as to what to paint, the first card I did was painted at the rehab hospital where Jennifer has therapy. Its a beautiful, Mediterranean building with beautiful grounds. I painted it and sent it to Katherine in London. I guess the hospital has a Google alert set up and when Katherine put it on the "Postcard Blog" Casa Colina was notified and I got an email asking me if they could use the painting for note cards for the hospital!! I was happy to be able to give back to a place that has given us so much, so here are the finished note cards which have my contact info on the back.

The funny thing about this story is that I am there twice a week, for the past ten years and I have painted and sketched the area many times. It took one postcard traveling to London to get them to see my blog! If you haven't checked out the blog on our postcard exchange scroll down a little ways and on the right side you will see the cute walking postcard graphic that will take you to the blog!

High Tea

High Tea, a photo by ddhabicht on Flickr.

Dawn, Marta and I had High Tea Friday at the Mission Inn. Although the event was disappointing the visiting with friends was worth every cent. We had a great time after getting our spa treatments and sitting in the spa. Perfect weather, perfect company, perfect day!

Chicken Feathers

Don't you just seem to have days like this!? I know I have gotten up and this has been my reflection in the mirror! This was the daily painting challenge and it is a 8"x10" pastel on suede mat board.
Bid on this now! I have restarted my other blog to post paintings only. I hope you will visit and sign up to follow!! I hope to post paintings almost daily that are available for sale.


Desiree's Designs Daily Painting Blog

My sketchbook journaling class

My sketchbook journaling class, a photo by ddhabicht on Flickr.

Today was the first in a series of ongoing sketching classes. Today we discussed the different kinds of journals, styles, text, and layout. Everyone got their brushes wet as we tackled strawberries! We ate our props at the end, well some of us couldn't wait!
I finished my painting and cropped it

Some of my new patterns for Spring market

Working on some small quiltlets for the spring market in Salt Lake. I wont have a new fabric line at this show and I need to introduce some new quilts so I will be busy with that until May12th. I seem to start off behind! LOL These are 12"X12" and designed to hang on a decorative wire hanger or as a wall hanging. This is my Seasonal Scarecrow Series. More to come

Pastel Show 2011

Our Pastel society, the Pastel Society of Southern California, held their annual members show. It was a juried show and Sally Strands was the juror.  I was thrilled to have both of my pieces accepted into the show! On March 26th we had the opening reception which had a wonderful turn out. Members and guest were able to vote on their favorite paintings and I heard that there were over 400 votes. Lots of great food, conversation and then prizes. I was honored to have won in the still life catagory for my painting of Patti's kitchen counter called " Hotel Herdell". Here are some of the pictures from that night. I am looking forward to painting some of the people examining the artwork!

My sketch to quilt class projects!

Friday and Saturday I taught a fun class called "Sketch to Quilt". I give the students a few basic drawing tips and some simple instructions and then I turn them loose to sketch some simple still lifes I have set up. I am always amazed how well they all seem to do with a few sketching secrets. After they have sketched a bunch of quick drawing they can combine them or just use the one they like best and they transfer it to watercolor paper. At that time I gave a painting and collage demo and then they were off painting up a storm and adding empherma! The original paintings turn out fabulous but then  I take them home and transfer to fabric via my computer. The next day they add more color, text and even do some discharging. What they end up with is an amazing little quilt block that they can add to and make larger or they can make a small wall artquilt. Here are some of my students amazing little paintings and fabric transfered pieces, can you tell which is which?

I had a few students that managed to sneak out before I could photograph them. I hop they will send me their finished photos. Congratulations to my talented students for creating such amazing pieces of artwork!

Fun day tie dying!

Friday my artquilt group had a playday at my house. We had seen a piece of fabric that someone had dyed using a method in the Quilting arts magazine and loved it so we decided to try it ourselves. It calls for 5-6 mens silk ties and a aluminum pot and some vinegar. The article went through the whole wrapping and dying process and we decided it would make a fun playday, so we all began to gather ties from our local thrift stores and met last Friday. Kay brought some wonderful extra pieces of silk and we ended up all sharing pieces of our ties. The fabric turned out amazing, I even liked the muslin that we wrapped our silk in so much I am keeping that too. The day turned out perfect, the weather, the food, the friends all were perfect. I love this group of women, they are all so talented and supportive to each other! Here are some of the pictures from our day together. We wrapped up our silk fabric and ties into long sausage like bundles and stuck them into a pot of water, then boiled it with vinegar for about 20 minutes. We then rinsed them and let them cool to touch, just enough so we could open up the bundles to see what awaited us inside! Picture #3 is just the pile of ties and silks we used to dye our silk fabric.

<> </>

One of my dyed pieces, I added some details with a pen, see the houses and the cars and the fish?



My crazy life

I find that life seems to come in waves of my time verses everyone elses time. As moms and wives and working women it seems as though our lives are a constant wave of juggling. We put our needs on the backburner as we attempt to make sure everyone elses needs are met. Right now, I find that I am pulled in so many different directions that I have lost my ability to do it all! Its amazing how we have this juggling act going on to get it all done and when a new, often unexpected event happens it causes all the spinning plates to fall to the ground. Trying to regroup and start the plates again but need a day without interuption! Is there such a thing??? I am not complaining mind you, I am just sad when I am unable to do all the things I have promised to do. Can I hear an AMEN!

Plain air paint out reception

Tonight was the opening reception and award ceremony. I only had one painting in the show but it managed to get an honorable mention! I was so surprised considering how many wonderful paintings were there! Thank you judges! I guess I will have to keep practicing! I won cash and a gift certificate for frames! Awesome

Plein Air Paint Out -Day 7

Today we were at Fairmont park, its a beautiful park with lakes and wonderful trails covered by mature trees. The weather has taken a turn for the COLDER! Brrr, we have a storm coming in and the temps are supposed to drop into the 40's again for the daytime high! We all made a good college try at a painting but once the drizzle started most packed it up. I worked in watercolor too but it wasn't drying to well concidering. Jennifer and Chloe came with me today, even with her little pink sweater, Chloe never did stop shivering.

Tomorrow is the Quick draw and a crique of some of the painting we have produced this week. Should be fun, most have decided to paint in their cars since we are expecting a few inches of rain. I can't wait to see what we produce in our cars!

Plein Air Paint Out- Day 6

I had forgotten to mention that at Jurupa park I ended up with a fan, he happened to be Canadian goose that followed me around the lake all day. Then someone actually fell into the lake trying to get to close. Plein air is not for the faint of heart! We went to the Oak Quarry Golf Course again. It turned out to be a beautiful day to paint. We started early and then stopped to have lunch in the club house. In the afternoon the sun came out and created beautiful light. The golfers are amazed to see so many people painting the golf course instead of playing on it. We have had a lot of buzz about the paint out. CBS news was out doing a story on plein air artists and then the local paper was out taking photos. The group is wonderful, so many amazing artists and everyone is warm and fuzzy!

Plein Air Paint Out- Day 5

Jurupa Regional Park

I am posting these all on one day as I have been feeling defeated and tired when I get home. The sun, the pressure and the concentration are making me feel like giving up. Everyone keeps telling me how horrible their first paintings were when they started painting Plein air and not to give up, so I am telling myself everyday is a new day. Really!? Why does it feel like everyday is worse than the one before! LOL Today we went to Jurupa Regional Park which is also a camping site. They have beautiful lakes for fishing and more bike trails and you can have dogs so Chloe came along for the ride. I decided to paint smaller, bite sized paintings since one of the hardest parts of Plein air is editing what to paint. It becomes a sensory overload as you take in the surroundings and then have to choose what to paint. I find that the biggest problem is trying to capture too much information on your canvas, dah, thats for sure. I have been analyzing myself and I have also started talking to myself! This could be a bad sign.  During one of these episodes I told myself if I painted smaller canvases it would be more like my sketchbook.  Therefore forcing me to crop and edit what I would paint. WRONG!  I crammed 3 palm trees, background trees, midground brush, shoreline, lake and reflections on a 5"x7" LOL I am hopeless! It was a better day though since I did have to leave off the gazebo and the fallen log.  I managed to get three smaller pieces done. Today was also cloudy and cold, we heard that a new storm is coming our way. Tomorrow we are back at the Oak Quarry in our down jackets and I hope to make myself settle in and get something painted!

Day 3&4 - Plein Air Paint Out

Day 3 and 4 were harder days that left me frustrated and tired. Martha McLean Park was nice and I started a pastel of the train bridge going over the water. I didn't finish it and my finger was so sore from sanding off all my fingerprints from blending the pastels on that sanded paper. We took Chloe and as we were on our way home the painting slid off the back seat and onto Chloe's bed which smeared all the pastels. Sorry no post for that day unless I get it fixed inbetween. The Oak Quarry Golf course was beautiful but I just had a hard time settling in. We were all scattered across dirt hills and on the deck of the country club restaurant. It was empty when I arrived and I started painting and was fighting with my set up and paints etc when I turned around to see a restaurant full of people watching us paint. AHHHH I just wasn't ready for that, I decided to move again and then just left. Thursday will be another day there so hopefully it will go better. I got my new Pentel Pocket pen and decided to play a bit, here is my poor excuse of a painting or sketch. I am sharing everything, good and bad, mosty bad at this point. Plein air is challenging!

Day 2- Plein Air Paint out

Today I was a bit later than yesterday, about 9:00, the continental breakfast was over and they were all on there way out to grab their sites for the day. My little support group and I drove around looking for an area to paint and I decided on the Coffee Depot. It was a part of the original train station that was built in 1904. It closed in 1971 and remained closed about 30 years until Geof Gaines purchased it and renovated it for the Coffee Depot. It was much more than just a coffee house, as it was also a theater, concert venue, etc. Read more by following the links provided. Anyway, I love this building and when it closed on Dec. 26, 2010 it saddened the community. It still sits vacant and I decided to ignore the giant "For Lease" sign, the Coffee Depot truck and painted it.

I spent a few hours on this and I realize I need lots of practice painting plein aire. It was a beautiful day but when that wind blew it was so cold. It is supposed to be warming up and the rain is gone, I am keeping my fingers crossed. Jennifer managed to get a sunburn with her sunglasses on, she looks like a racoon now!

Day 1- Plein Air Paint Out

En Plein air is the french expression that means "in the open air" and is used to discribe painting outdoors. Today was the first of 9 days in which the Plein air artists of Riverside, or PAAR, will paint at different locations around our city. I am the newest member of the group and I am hoping to learn more about painting plein air and not just sketching plein air. Last week the weather was perfect, this week rain storms are expected. The weather paused today long enough for the opening ceremony and for us to paint. Today we are painting the Mission Inn, tomorrow we will paint the area around the Inn. I managed to get this one painted before I got too cold and the rain started.  Tomorrow may prove to be more challenging.  It is nerve racking and exciting all at the same time. Although very chilly, people had come out for the Farmers Market so there was a lot of interest in what we were doing. More tomorrow, I am looking for some fingerless gloves!
    Since I haven't done a lot of plein air painting I am a bit nervous on how much painting I will actually be able to do on site. I can't even decide if I want to paint in pastel or watercolor. There are some wonderful artists in our local plein air group so the pressure is on to perform, but all self imposed. Plein air painting also required me to figure out what I will wear in an attempt to stay warm enough to paint. I must admit the weather was constantly changing the lighting and the temperature, much different than studio painting. But there is something exhilarating about standing out in weather and painting. You become part of the street activity as well as an observer and recorder. It is wonderful to see artists in the streets painting, it reminded me of Paris and all the wonderful artists that filled the streets, selling and painting. We don't see that very often here in the states, sadly. But today I was comforting to see others out painting, filling the sidewalks and courtyards with easels and umbrellas. Randy was kind enough to cover me with the umbrella when the rains started and helped me shuffle supplies and equipment to and from the car. I am not accustomed to hauling art supplies around town so I look like an amateur. Jennifer stayed with me too, only leaving to shop the farmers market, my own little support team.

Finishing up my SAQA Auction Quilt for 2011

Every year the SAQA, Society of Art Quilters Association, holds an amazing auction. It is filled with hundreds of mini quilts from famous and well known art quilters. They begin with an amount which continues to drop over the week if the quilt does not sell. Read more on their blog, the auction is in Sept. I find that most of the quilts go very quickly. I love the whole auction process, the excitement of seeing if my bid has won. I hope you will mark your calendars.  This little mini quilt is done with bleach discharging, pen, hand painted silk and threads. Does the butterfly look like its floating about the wood?

I have so many projects on my work table I can't see straight. I am trying to finish them up so I can get back to doing some artwork for my portfolio. I love the whole process of being creative, what are you working on today?

Saturday is the first day of a nine day plein air paint out and its supposed to be pouring rain. Should be interesting and I think I need to rethink my materials and medium. Randy has offered to be my umbrella holder! LOL

Happy Valentines Day!

Friday my Art Quilters Group, Sub Q, met for our monthly meeting. Being so close to Valentines day we each brought a valentines gift or card we had made, sealed in a brown bag. After a musical chairs type pass around the bags ended up at their final destination and we each took turns opening our gifts. I made a bookmark out of the cut off edge of a quilt I just sent to SAQA's " this is a quilt". I had micro stipled the background of my painted, inked fabric and added some embroidery and beading for detail. After trimming it to the proper size I had some wonderful scraps left over. I satin stitched around all the edges and then around a few flowers for detail.I cut out around the top flower and I even took my new white fabric marker and added some highlights here and there. Here is the bookmark that Nancy recieved on Friday from me. I received a beautiful little quiltlet/card from Ann T, thanks Ann I love it!  Remember to tell those you love how special they are to you and make the time to appreciate your family. Happy Valentines day!

The Postcard from my walk

I belong to an amazing group of artist that enjoy painting plein aire and exersizing so they combine it in a group called "sketchersize". We have decided to do a postcard exchange as I mentioned in a privious post. There are 13 of us and from all over the world, it should be such fun recieving a postcard each month from a different country.  Mine was posted today, you should come over and see the amazing artwork that has been put up so far. Its exciting to be a part of such a talented group of people. My postcard went to Katherine in London, hers came to me but I wont be able to share until the 20th. Check back then to see her amazing work. 

Descanso gardens

Descanso gardens
Originally uploaded by ddhabicht

We had a photo Meetup at Descanso Gardens today. It started off a bit chilly but turned into a perfect day for the gardens. Most of the camelias are in full bloom right now making the gardens a must see if you are in the area.
Randy decided about a year ago, to join a photo meet up group in an attempt to learn more about photography and meet some like minded people. One of the things I enjoy about belonging to the group is exploring some of the amazing areas that I never knew exsisted! Some of these areas are right under my nose!  Its so true that we often will travel for days to go sight seeing when we haven't even visited the sites closest to our own homes! These day trips are perfect for us as we can include Jennifer who loves to explore.  Although we have been to the Decanso many times but it was fun to explore with a camera and a paint brush. You begin to see things you have never seen or noticed before. You begin to pay special attention to lighting and shadows when you are painting or photographing.

 Today at the gardens was "fairy day" and all the little girls were dressed up as fairies, it was just too cute! I am posting my sketches now but I will add some photos of these little pixies in the next day or two.
                            
After the gardens we were invited to have lunch at a very dear friend's home who lived close by. After a perfect lunch and some great conversation we headed home! What a perfect Saturday excursion! What did you do today?