Thursday, April 29, 2010

Scrap Collage- New Orleans





Been working on this assemblage/collage. I am
using some photos I took, and some copies of
some vintage New Orleans postcards that I bought
in Round Top. I am using a large canvas that I
painted black. Then I attached some old tin ceiling
tiles that we salvaged from a building in town. And
I bordered them with some 100 year old beaded
ceiling that we salvaged as well. Then I added the
photos and the postcards, and sealed it all with
ModgePodge. I will tweak it when it is dry, and see
what else it needs. lots of fun....I was sawing with
my jigsaw, and using tin snips on the back porch
at midnight...


Give-Aways








I had these 3 matted 8 x 10 watercolors left
from the garden tour, and I wanted to give them
away to 3 of my followers. I drew the names:
Angela, Amy, and Judi. Congratulations! Since
none of you live here, I will stick these in the mail.
If you want to email me with your current mailing
address, that would be great.


I have been working on some more New Orleans
things at home, and I have a dog portrait to do.
Will try to post (having computer problems) when
I make some progress.


Thanks for following this blog. I know there are
some of you out there that really keep up with my
antics. And I REALLY do appreciate the support of
my work.



Monday, April 26, 2010

In the Garden











I am back from a weekend in the garden, painting
and visiting with the over 1000 visitors that made
the tour. It was delightful weather after the storms
passed through Friday night; cool, sunny, with a
light breeze.
I did some watercolors, and sold some as I painted
them. I also took my pastels, and worked on a large
still life of some beautiful peonies in a vase that the
owner had displayed at the entry way. All in all, it
was a good time. Maybe I will get some visitors to
the gallery that will make the journey down to Winnfield.
I am going to be giving away several of the little
watercolors that I did of the garden. The owner took
2 of them, but I have about 5 left, and thought I would
give them away to my followers. I will draw some names
out, and try to notify you tomorrow. Good Luck!!

Friday, April 23, 2010

Garden Bound




I am still planning to go and paint during the
Le Jardin garden tour in Shreveport this
weekend. (The weather forecast is not too
good...80% thunderstorms?!?) I may take my
pastels, too. This is a photo I took the other day
at the residence of these red geraniums. I decided
to try drawing them tonight in pastel. If it is raining,
I can set up on her back porch (if she wants me to).
And I can alternate between watercolor and pastel.
Hopefully I can at least do some PR for the gallery,
and invite lots of people to come and see my work,
and eat some peas and cornbread!

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Final Pecan Festival Poster


The first weekend in November is the annual
Louisiana Pecan Festival. It takes place in the
small town of Colfax, Louisiana, just about 40
miles from Winnfield. They celebrate all things
"pecan". In fact, the only requirement for the
poster was that it contain a "pecan". I had fun
working on this project, and I am fairly pleased
with the results. I will either deliver it in person,
or ship it down to them before May 1.

Poster Progress

I've been working on this poster project
tonight. I am doing it in acrylic paint on
watercolor paper. I still have the lettering
to do, and lots of black outlines and
details. Will post the results.

Flowers and Frames




I began the day among the blooming iris in the
backyard. I love these flowers. My mother had
planted some in our backyard, and I can remember
enjoying them as a child.
The frame came in for the Trade School portrait, and
I began the process of framing it. They do want to
come and approve before the final assembly. So, it
is sitting behind the frame. Hopefully, I will get the
thumbs up, and can get this project finished.
On to other things...

Monday, April 19, 2010

Louisiana Pecan Festival Poster contest

The deadline for the Louisiana Pecan Festival
Poster is May 1. I have been playing around with
some design ideas. I have never entered before.
I am usually not interested in entering these contests;
I usually think my art is not very applicable, or
the competition is too stiff, and I don't have a chance.
But they have contacted me for the last two years,
and I feel kind of obligated to at least send something
in. I tried looking up past winners, and could only
find one: a very realistic watercolor still life with
pecan products (pecan syrup, pecan pie, a bag of
pecans, etc).
Anyway, I am thinking graphic, with some browns,
blues, and aqua. Will post the progress.
Louisiana Pecan Festival Colfax, LA Fall 2010

Final Exam


This is the finished drawing of the Huey P. Long
Trade School. I used black watercolor to do the
washes over the ink drawing. I will mat and frame
this original, and the Trade School is purchasing
it from me. It will hang in the new school that has
been approved, and will be built in the near future.
I still have to do some tweaking over the main
door; there is an added awning there now that was
not original to the building. I have to see an old
photo to see what was above the door. I will try
to do that tomorrow, and add the finishing touches.

I enjoyed doing this drawing. And I hope they are
pleased with the results.

for info on House Portraits/Architecture Drawings:
sheltongail@hotmail.com

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Promise of the Flowers



I took a long afternoon walk today after a short
spring shower. I came across these blackberry
vines in full bloom. There used to be lots of these
across the back of our pasture. When my daughter
was small, we would walk to the back with buckets,
and pick the berries. There are countless thorns on
the vines, so you had to be careful. But we would
always manage at least part of one bucket before we
gave in. My husband loves blackberry cobbler, and
always told me how his grandmother used to make it
all the time. His grandfather would put it in a mayonnaise
jar and take it with him. I still make him some from time
to time, without the jar, and he still loves it.

I am almost finished with the pen and ink drawing. Will post

the final results soon.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Ink and Watercolor




Been doing a little bit of several things tonight.
I have been working on the pen and ink drawing,
and then taking a break, and dabbling with the
watercolors. I am also doing some work on the
New Orleans collages. (it's kind of a mess around
my desk). But it is fun to see progress on lots
of different things all at once. I can always clean
up later...

Friday, April 16, 2010

Gotta Start Somewhere


Lately it seems like I have had commissions hanging
over my head ( it is really a good problem to have!)
So, while I am doing some garden stuff and also
doing some New Orleans things, I am supposed to be
working on this large pen and ink drawing for the
local Huey P. Long Vocational School.
This is their old historic building,
and they are going to build a new one soon. They
wanted a drawing of the original building to hang in the
lobby of the new school.

I am doing it in ink first, and then I will use an ink
wash and some thin watercolor washes to fill it in
and give it a nostalgic look. I read some great advice
in my new Art Calendar magazine yesterday about
time management: a concept I think all artists struggle
with. It said that if you have a big project to tackle,
work in small available time slots...if you think you are
going to have long, uninterrupted blocks of time to
finish it, you are fooling yourself! So take advantage
of even small amounts of time to get at least something
done. So that's what I did tonight, and I got started
at least. Will try to post progress as I go.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Garden Flower Pots


A couple more little watercolors to sell at the
upcoming Le Jardin Garden Tour. I am trying
to do some ahead of time, so I will have more
things to sell than just the things I can finish
that day.

I have done a lot of painting on location. It is
one of my favorite things to do. I enjoy interacting
with the people, and they are always intrigued to
get to watch an artist at work. I have done it
several times in San Antonio (my home town),
in front of the Alamo and down on the riverwalk.
I have painted in the Grand Canyon, on the Grand
Canal in Venice, in the gardens in Charleston, and
down in the French Quarter. I am always honored
when someone buys my work as soon as I finish it;
it is such a thrill, and such validation (which is
one thing I believe all artists need!) I would love to
hear some of your stories of being an artist out in the
world...email me with some details!

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Painting the Garden



I started painting some small watercolors of the
Rossi garden where I will be in a week and a half.
I hope I will be able to sell some of these during
the tour. When I did the tour before, I realized that
the customers really wanted "garden paintings",
not just "flower paintings". They wanted a garden
element...a statue, a bench, a fence, a birdhouse,
along with the flowers. So maybe these will be more
popular. We'll see!

Monday, April 12, 2010

Signs of Spring





Everyone in the South is familiar with dogwood
trees, and how lovely they are in the spring. I
received an email from an old friend who said he
was bringing a "Yankee" friend with him tomorrow
to the gallery: to eat some good home cooking, and
to see the dogwoods. I am sure he will get the food,
but I am afraid he will have missed the trees.
These photos are from last weekend around my
house, but as of today, most of the blooms are
gone.
I never get tired of spring flowers; I hope you are
not tired of me posting them!!

Another Invitation

I just finished this wedding invitation for a
friend of my daughter's. The flower designs
were embossed into the invitation already,
and I simply colored in the background and
outlined them so they would show up. She is
using those colors in the wedding. I will mat
and frame it, and get it on its' way to the bride.
For info on Painted Wedding Invitations:

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Wild About Azaleas





I received my new copy of Southern Living magazine
the other day, and as I turned the page, I saw a
beautiful photo of one of these wild azaleas. We have
them all along our little creek, and they are blooming
right now.
I have to draw a flower for a competition in Houston
later this year, and I think one of these would be very
striking. They are almost sculptural; so many different
elements...they look like dancers, or maybe fairies...
Dancing spring fairies along our woodland creek...cool.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

In the Garden








































Can't you just see watercolor paintings from these?
This is where I will be in two weeks during the
Le Jardin Garden Tour in Shreveport. They invite
artists to paint in the gardens. This belongs to a
young woman named Daphne, and she has worked
hard on getting it ready. It should be a fun day...
let's pray for good weather!

Colored Pencil Stars



I have spent all evening preparing these images and an
artist's statement for an upcoming publication. I was
informed by Vera Curnow, the founder of the Colored
Pencil Society, that all the signature members are going
to be included in the CPSA Signature Showcase book to
be published this summer. I feel very honored, and I am
excited to be included in such a publication. I selected these
two pieces:
"Girl's Day Out"...the three female mallards in the swirling
water. This piece launched my professional career, and has
been very good to me.
"What Goes Around, Comes Around" these colorful pinwheels
were included in the international exhibition of the CPSA in
Chicago a few years ago.
I was also busy today taking photos in Shreveport of the garden
where I will be painting in two weeks. It is lovely, and I will try
to post some pics of it as well. busy....just the way I like it!
www.cpsa.org for more info on colored pencil

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Onward and Upward


This is an altered photo of the famous Pat O'Brien's
in New Orleans. I am starting on a new series of
New Orleans themes, on canvas, with the hope of
getting them in a gallery down there. I am working
on them while I am drawing on the Trade School
building.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Final Four


I have been able to finally finish this portrait
of this family, while my husband was busy
watching the basketball game! I will try to
contact her today and tell her it is ready.
I have a couple more commissions to do,
and will try to post them as I go.

For info on Pencil Portraits:
sheltongail@hotmail.com

Sunday, April 4, 2010

More Round Top




















This is why the population of Round Top
swells every spring and fall....antiques, and
lots of them. I did buy some things for the
shop, but not until I had looked and shopped
a lot. There is so much to see, you can't
possibly begin to see it all.
There was a definite "look"...the light grey
washed furniture with the printed burlap
upholstery; lots of wire chandeliers; large
lanterns and garden urns; a very urban
chic antique style. There are some blogs
that define this style (I am not sure whose
they are..but I am sure you could find them
if you look). And then there was lots
of the primitive and eclectic antiques that I am
more fond of. "To each his own..." there was
plenty for all!