Sunday, March 28, 2010

Family in Progress


I have been busy working on this portrait of these
four people. I have decided that it is much harder
to draw adults than small children?! I am a lot closer
than I was, and I hope to be finished by Monday.

I will be starting on some watercolors of some garden
scenes soon. I will be painting in the garden during the
garden tour in Shreveport later in the month, and I
want to have some done before I go. (trying to plan
ahead...which is hard for us scatter-brained, impulsive,
artists to do ).

Shreveport Garden Tour: April 24 and 25
For info on pencil portraits: sheltongail@hotmail.com

Friday, March 26, 2010

A Full Day of Art








Lots to do today...first of all, I have to draw that
building, the Huey P. Long Vocational School. They
are going to build a new building, and they would
like a portrait of this old location to hang in their
lobby. I am going to do it in pen and ink wash;
kinda vintage style. So, I took the photos on the way
to work this morning.
Then, I finished my pig for the Hog Dog Festival
competition. It is a BLT Sandwich (as if you couldn't
tell)...anyway, the weather is doing it's best to destroy
our entry. I added the "tulle lettuce", and the large
waterproof tomatoes; hopefully, it will last through the
judging!
Then, late this afternoon, I did another drawing lesson
with Ricky. He is a senior in high school, and participating
in the Senior Project. They have to select a skill they
want to learn, find a mentor to teach them, and complete
a final project along with a presentation at the end of the
semester. He will spend 15 hours with me learning to
draw in pencil. His final project is a portrait of his house.
And then, on my way home, I stopped to photograph this
lovely crabapple tree that is in downtown near the gallery.
I love to see it every spring; the delicate pink blooms make
me smile. I managed to find a bee, busy at work. Me too!
info on private drawing lessons:
$10.00 an hour, ages 10 and up
email me if interested

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Bluebirds and Mountains


The day started outside watching the bluebirds
in my backyard. I knew I needed to try to photograph
them before the trees bud out...which will be any day.
We are having some wierd weather...it snowed all day
Sunday, and then today it was 73 degrees?! That is the
third time this winter that we had some snow. Very
strange for the South...
I am finishing the day working on this mountain
watercolor for my client. I completed the other one
last night, and I will finish this one tonight. I told him
I would give him the choice between them..I might
get lucky, and he will want them both!
Original Watercolor 17 x 23

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

A Day and a View in Alaska


I've been working on this mountain watercolor
tonight. It is just about finished. I took this
photograph in Alaska a couple of years ago. That
is one of the many glaciers we saw during our trip.
We were on our way to Denali National Park on this
day. Our guide wanted us to stop here and see and
photograph this view. It was a beautiful, sunny and
almost warm! day. (I was cold the entire trip...)
Anyway, it brings back memories when I look at it.
I hope the client is pleased with the finished product.
Original Watercolor Painting 17 x 22 $250.00

Sunday, March 21, 2010

A Peak Experience

I got this commission last Friday, and decided to
go ahead and do it quickly. A local man wanted
this watercolor of the mountains, only larger. So,
I am doing it a little bigger for him. It is going to
go in the lobby of his business, and he already had
a frame that he wanted it to fit in. This particular
mountain was in Alaska. He has a condo in Park
City, Utah, and loves the mountain scenery. I
told him I would do a couple for him to choose from.
So here goes the first one..
In watercolor, you put down the light washes first,
and then build up the layers, getting darker in value
as you go. This is on hot pressed Arches paper, which
I really like for landscape. Will post the finished
project soon.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Going out in Joy

These beautiful yellow flowers were in a flower
shop in New York City. I photographed them while
there to sing in Carnegie Hall with my church choir.
We are in the midst of practicing our Easter music
now. Last night we traveled to the quaint city of
Natchitoches to rehearse with the orchestra at the
university. We are doing "The Seven Last Words
of Christ" by Theodore Dubois. It is a really powerful
piece of music, and the rehearsal went well. We will
lead our congregation in this worship experience on
Palm Sunday. I hope we are ready!

Sunday, March 14, 2010

A Spring Sunday


Ahhh...a beautiful spring Sunday; a day to worship,
visit with family, relax, and enjoy being outside.
This is the view out of my front door. Enjoy!
I sent in the CPSA entries: "Pop Art" and "A Wrinkle
in Time" (that was the most popular title). The show is
being held in California this year. It rotates around; different
chapters of the organization host it each time. The show is
held in conjunction with the annual convention. There is a
banquet, workshops, and the opening reception for the show.
I have been to several of the conventions: Brea, California,
Chicago, and Memphis. I received my signature status in
Memphis. I stayed at the Peabody Hotel, and enjoyed
watching the ducks. (if you don't know about them...google
Peabody ducks!!). It was a very important goal for me to
receive the signature status. Hopefully I will get into the
show again this year, and will be able to attend the convention.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Invitations Continued


This is an unusual project: I received this invitation
from a young lady in North Carolina. My daughter
has a friend there, Lynn, that was in my daughter's wedding.
I did Lynn's invitation for her as a wedding gift from
my daughter.
This young lady saw Lynn's, and wanted me to do hers
as a gift for her husband...are you with me so far?
Anyway, here is is! It was a foldover format, so the
top section was the front of the invitation, and the
bottom section was the printed part. She wanted the
colors of the wedding, which were a burgandy red
and champagne. The swirls were already embossed
into the paper, and I just enhanced them. Then I
added the design on the bottom part. Then I cut the
mat to mount them in. I will ship it to her, and she
will get to surprise her husband with it for their one
year anniversary. I love surprises!

For information on painted invitations:
sheltongail@hotmail.com


Friday, March 12, 2010

Another Invitation

Here's another wedding invitation...the theme
is going to be "tropical", so I added the hibiscus.
The groom is from Tonga, and the bride met him
in Hawaii. It ought to be a beautiful affair; the
bride is a lovely girl. I hope they are very
happy.
Painted Wedding Invitations $20-$40

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Blooms and Birds









A few more spring images....spent some time
outside this morning before work. It was a beautiful
day, at last.
I never get tired of seeing the first yellow daffodils.
I think they are jonquils, technically speaking, but I
like the word "daffodil" better. The tulip magnolia is
one of the first things to bloom, too. I planted it several
years ago. The tree itself has never gotten very large,
but it manages to bloom every year. The pear trees are
starting to bloom all over town, and I always enjoy
seeing them, too. And the friendly mockingbird loves
to swoop down on the cats as they walk across the yard.
I believe he is protecting a nest, and he can become
quite testy. But he does provide some great entertainment;
one time I stopped and really listened, and he did 14 different
bird songs before he repeated. quite amazing.
I am still working on the portrait. Will post when I have
something to be proud of!











Competition Bound


These are the two entries for the upcoming
Colored Pencil Society of America's juried
international exhibition. The top one is
"Pop Art", and the bottom one is either
"A Wrinkle in Time" or "Talk to the Horn".
Anyway, if you still have a clever title for me,
you can let me know asap. I will be sending
these entries in on Saturday.
I haven't been accepted into this show for the
last 3 years. It is very competitive. They usually
receive 1000 entries, and only take around 125.
So, maybe the rhino will be lucky, or popcorn is
the judges' favorite snack!

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

"Three" Coins in the Fountain













I mentioned that we were setting up a spring
display in the gallery that includes a fountain.
One of my favorite little people, Molly, visited
us today. And I gave her a penny to toss in the
fountain. Well, one coin wasn't exactly enough,
and she made numerous trips to and from the
cash box to the fountain. If all her wishes come
true, she will be a lucky little girl! adorable...

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Bird Times Two



"Birds sing after a storm. Why shouldn't
people feel as free to delight in whatever
sunlight remains to them." Eunice Shriver
I have always loved birds. My mother
collected them; my aunt fed them; and I have
drawn and painted them for years.
We are setting up a small area in the gallery
with the theme: "Blossoms, Birdhouses, and Bicycles".
These two collages will be part of that small exhibit.
I will try to post some photos of the arrangement.
9 x 12 Collages Green Birds and Orchids $75.00 each

Elements of Design


I am taking a break from the big portrait I am
working on, and I started playing around with
these collage elements. I have the canvases
primed with some gesso for texture, and I
drew the bird shapes onto some printed paper
that I did on my large format printer. The
beautiful green orchids were part of a photograph
taken by my daughter on her recent trip to Fiji.
I am going to combine them all with other papers
and paint, and will try to post the progress.
I want you to look at some really nice work by
an artist named Gwen Fox. I checked out her
website, and I really like what she does. I found
her on LinkedIn..the great place to find other
pros in your field. www.gwenfox.com enjoy!

Sunday, March 7, 2010

sign of the times


In some circles, I am considered a very
accomplished artist. I have been admitted
to juried art competitions all over the nation,
and have won numerous awards for my
work. I have had a couple of one-woman
shows, and have had articles written about
me published in major national magazines. I
am a signature member of an international
art society, and a fellow in a New York City
art association.
And yet, when someone needs a name
painted on a photo album, who else do they
turn to?! When you live in a small rural town,
almost no one really understands what
you do. They just know you paint pretty "pitchers",
and they know you can do just about anything
they ask. When I was teaching at the high school,
I never saw my principal until he needed me to
paint "Must Pay to Re-Enter" on the stadium
signs before football season every year. I actually
believe he thought that was all I was really good for.
Oh well, that part of my life is over, but I am still
doing small jobs for small town people. I guess it
could be worse...

Friday, March 5, 2010

Invitation to Paint

I still do these wedding invitations. I embellish
the original, and custom frame. Lots of people
give them as a wedding gift to the couple.
This one already had the black fleur de lis design
in the corner, so I just added the other little
flourishes and dots. I will put it in a silver
frame, and it will be ready to go to the wedding
tomorrow!
Painted Wedding Invitations
$20.00

Thursday, March 4, 2010

All in the Family


I am going to draw this family portrait for the
mom. They are from my small town, and very
special people. I will try to start on it tonight.
I still haven't found a name for the rhino. I will
wait a couple of more days. I know some of you
can come up with a really witty one.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Untitled, and Sad


I would hate to send this drawing to the
show as "Untitled"...still no suggestions.
And I am just about finished; just some
tweaking to do.
One of my favorite books growing up was
"A Wrinkle in Time"...that could work. Or
"Got Botox?" All artists are interested in
light and shadow...maybe something about
"Into the Light"...I don't know. Nothing is
inspiring me...would love your help. Will
wait a couple more days.