Art in Hand Playing Cards...

A while ago I was contacted about a project called Art in Hand.  It is a unique set-up whereby many different artists are contacted and asked to produce art for one specicific card in a deck of playing cards.  The art is collected and an interesting deck of cards is produced with lots of different styles and types of art represented.  The first decks were produced featuring art of specific cities...Charlotte, Portland and Washington, D.C.  They had such success with the city projects that they decided to produce a nationwide deck featuring one artist from each of the 50 states, plus D.C. and 3 U.S. territories.   

One day I got an email asking me if I would like to be the artist to represent Mississippi.  It was so random and out of the blue and to this day I still don't know where they saw me (I am supposing it was this little ole blog) or how they chose me.  But after researching the city projects and seeing how well done they were and what a success they had been I decided to jump on in.  Even though the timing was less than ideal (there were grandbabies being born and lots of important stuff to do) I did enjoy participating.

You can view the entire deck (and even order one of your own) at the link above.  Just go to the USA Project on the home page and it will bring up the entire 54 cards.  I am the 9 of spades.  Your card was supposed to represent your state and your art.  I think mine does. 

Thanks for looking.

Fine Wines by commission....

Fine Wines.....24 x 30 .......Oil on Canvas.....Commission

This is a commission for a nice couple up in Tennessee.  They visited me at the Double Decker festival last year and then the wife contacted me later to do this painting for her husband as a surprise for his birthday.  She took photos of their favorite wines and sent them to me.  Then I combined them into this one composition and painted them for her.

What a sweet wife and what a great surprise!  

Workshop is in the "Success" column....

 Here is a photo of me with "my kids" as Carol Marine calls them.  These are the luscious ladies that took on the challenge to "let loose and let go" at my pallet knife workshop in Fairhope, AL.  The Eastern Shore Art Center was a wonderful place to have a workshop and the participants were awesome!  We had a great time and they tell me they learned a lot. 

We definitely learned more about getting "bold, loose, funky, chunky!"  And  they even got to meet my new grandbaby!  (Did I mention that I have a new grandbaby?)

This is the timed demo I did to illustrate the benefits of setting a timer to make you hurry up and make spontaneous decisions in order to loosen up.  Thank goodness this one was a success, because I sort of crashed and burned on the crab demo.

I want to thank all of the ladies that were so willing to do whatever came up and who made my first workshop a personal success.  I also want to thank those in my past that I drew inspriation from...Claudia Swager (my junior high art teacher),  Bob Tompkins, Carol Marine, and mostly Julie McCartney.  It was amazing, when I thought back to the tips and tricks that I use every day, to think back to the source of that information.  Thanks to all!  I will live to teach again, I hope!

Back from the hiatus....

Drennan Reed Malone

I know excuses are bad, but as excuses go, I think this one is pretty darn cute!  My newest grandchild was born in Feb. and he, as well as a thousand other things, are the reason I have not posted in a while.  But he is the cutest(and most important), so that's why his picture got featured.  Life is good!

I have been painting...commissions and work for my galleries and for the (quickly) upcoming spring outdoor shows.  Plus I taught a workshop in Fairhope, AL.  So over the next few days I hope to get caught up with the news and show some of the new stuff....some of it I just LOVE!!!!!

But for today, let's just realize that that little miracle you see if such a gift from God and should not have to share his post with any old paintings!

Extra Olives Please...Oil Painting

Extra Olives, Please.....10x20....oil.....(sold)

My family loves olives!  I have had great success painting them.  It's not a subject you see ordinarily, but they always get comments when I have them displayed.  That particular color of green is really hard to mix.  Maybe that's why you don't see them a lot.

Out Standing.....oil painting

12x24.....oil on canvas......SOLD

This is obviously a bird.  It is out standing by the water.  Need I say more?

The Supporting Cast.....oil painting

12x24.....oil on canvas.......SOLD


The usual cast of characters for any good meal here at our house.  This painting was in the "lost file" that never got published so you are seeing it now for the first time, even though it has already been sold.  Commisions for "similar but different" paintings are most definitely a possibility.

Three Amigos....oil painting

12x24........oil on canvas.......SOLD

This is one of my paintings that was supposed to be published and got left in the bin as a "draft" without my knowledge.  Although this particular painting has been sold, I do have more paint and more canvases.  I have had great success lately doing commissions featuring a person's own favorite brands of wine.  So if you are interested, let me know.
Here are the comments as I wrote them originally:
I love it when I paint glass and it really comes out looking like you are seeing through it.  And if anyone is familiar with the Ferrari-Carano lable...well, I think this painting pretty much captured the real thing.  I'm happy with this one.

Workshop Announcement...

 

The time has come to announce my first workshop!  When I was in Fairhope this past fall, the fine folks at the Eastern Shore Art Center spoke with me about doing a workshop.  Plans have been in the works since then and now that things are final I can direct you to their web page where you can view the details:

esartcenter.com

The class will be a two-day workshop held on April 12 and 13, 2012 at the Eastern Shore Art Center in Fairhope, AL.  Melinda Hicks (251-928-2288 X107) is the contact person and she can answer your questions.  You can sign up online (look at the top for Classes and Workshops) or through Melinda.

You may be able to tell by the paintings above what the focus of the class will be.  We will deal mainly with ins and outs of my style of palette knife painting and how to create your own masterpiece with this technique.  The class is open to painters of all levels. 

Release the artist inside of you!  It is my firm belief that everyone has more talent than they give themselves credit for.  Relax in this no-pressure environment and just see what might happen!

Hope to see you there!

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Friday Jan, 20, 2012...This is and addendum to the workshop announcement...It has come to my attention that the workshop info will not appear on the esartcenter.com site until sometime later today.  So starting Saturday, Jan. 21, it should be there for sure.  Sorry for the change in info.
******

Achieving a Balance....Oil Painting

This is a cup stack that I painted recently.  I really like how it turned out.  I always like for my artwork to imply movement and I think these cup stacks do that really well.  They make me think they may topple over any minute.  But no actual cups were harmed in the painting of this painting.