A bevy of paintings and a surprise

So it is more that half way through June, and I still had to finish putting away "junk" in the 2 art rooms that I occupy.  I am not a particularly neat nor fastidious person, especially in the art rooms, so this was not a job I looked forward to tackling.  But it was such a rainy day today, I just DID it to get it over with.  Blech.

During my cleaning frenzy (read: I'll sort through this later, just chuck all of it into a drawer/cupboard/ shelf) I found a stack of the example paintings I have worked on the last 2 years.  I do not consider myself a painter with a capital P, but I do like to apply to oil to the canvas, and I really love doing that when the kids are working.  That usually doesn't last too long, as they need my help, so they win!  I come in on the weekends and the evening at times to finish off these paintings, cuz they get under my skin.  I have to finish them, unless I am stuck, which is the case of one below.  Total stuck.  Have a vision in my mind but that is not what I see on the canvas.  It is so getting a paint over and try again treatment!

I have here a skeleton sketch with acrylics that I blasted through in about 2 hours.  I started it 8th  hour while the kids were doing some skeleton work and I found myself still at school at 4 :45.  I came back later that night to look again and finish it up... still needs a tad of touch up, but I'm satisfied with it!  The truck is the second old vehicle painting that we did in Advanced art.  I should say, that was my second one, the kids worked very hard on their first one.  It has newspaper car ads glued onto the background, then oil painted, so you have a second dimension to it.  I have some more photos I took recently of old trucks, and I have my oils and canvas.  I am thinking I will be doing more.   I prefer to add more color to a painting than just what is shown in the photo (local color for those of you working on your art vocabulary!) - hence the bright old truck!

Skeleton and old truck 2 - poor iPhone photo

So here are two more paintings that I have alternating opinions of.  The truck ( you have seen this before) was the second oil I had done since probably college, and to me it looks a hair over-worked.  Not quite happy with the perspective, either, but it doesn't suck I guess.  Since I have a very talented student  who keeps begging me to let her buy it (what a goof), I guess I should be pleased and flattered.  But meh, some days I like it better than others.  The tree is what I consider a major fail!  I love trees, and I was trying for something that sort of disappeared into the sky, and all I got was a flat, pathetic, grey tree.  I am going to try that again- I think I have a little more vision about the path I will take on it.

Old truck 1 and pathetic grey tree fail

This last (unfinished) painting is one of an old house in South Dakota; a student of mine took this very cool picture while hunting out there a couple years ago.  He asked me what he could do to make up his art time while being gone for a week.  Instead of trying to think of something meaningless that he probably wouldn't have time to do I told him to take pictures of something beautiful  that he saw- and not a row of dead ducks and a dog!  :)  I know, I know, they may have their beauty-- and I am a fan of dogs, for sure- but I wanted him to look at his surroundings.  He brought back an awesome photograph and he thanked me.  He said if I hadn't assigned him that, he never would have seen some of the sights that were all around him.  His dad told me the same thing at parent teacher conferences......

I love my job.

I have not finished it, as I just haven't gotten to it!  I do like the way it is going.  There are more trees and foreground grass and the like.

Unfinished old house

 So now for the surprise.  When I was putting away things in the elementary school art room today (more shoving into drawers and placing on shelves), I happened to pick something up next to a big table that is in the front of the room.  I can't see under the table, as the table it huge and usually - full!  :)  Anyway, I saw a piece of paper stapled onto the wall sized bulletin board- I hadn't noticed it before.  The kids in the elementary feel that this bulletin board is a place to staple their extra time artwork, so there is always new stuff on it.  Low and behold there is this wonderful drawing of a WI fish boil on the wall UNDER the table!  It just seemed appropriate tucked under there.

 Did I mention how much I love my kids, too??

Fish boil

You gotta love it!

Until next time- be a joy-giver and finder- seek it out!


Speaking of seeking out joy!!!!!

If you are in the greater Park Falls metro area (hahahahahahahaha), and are seeking out some fantastic cookies, go to my friend Tanya's site- The Sunday Baker and consider buying a dozen or two from her and her son Sam.  Sam is traveling with the band this December to Disney (YAY- wish it wasn't a 22 hour bus ride, or I'd go, too) and needs to make some cash!  So he and his mom are partnered in making cookies during the summer and selling them.  I have personally partaken in the delectability- YUM-O!!!  Go visit yon website and enjoy the goodies- you get a choice of stir-ins!!
JOY!!!

Against my better judgement!

So, I've been thinking about blogging for a while now.  I really enjoy reading the ones I subscribe to and "follow".  Sometimes I feel sort of like a stalker!  And against my better judgement, I decided to jump into the proverbial pool tonight..... the last night of our mini vaca...... with 2 weeks of actual work time left before the play at school really begins and exactly 3 weeks before the end of the quarter.  If you are into reading between the lines, see if you can find my mind, because I am sure I lost it somewhere in the last paragraph.

My ever-so-helpful friend, let's call her "Tanya" (Tanya was such a cool name when I was in HS) told me that people would enjoy seeing my artwork and the projects we do at school and all that kind of thing.  I am going to take her word for it and throw a couple of photos up on this page.  My main outlet for creativity these days is photography, and I am getting my hands-on painting fix from the scenery we are preparing for our school musical.  The show is "Honk", which is an updated version of The Ugly Duckling.  Photos may follow on that one!  These are two paintings I did earlier in the school year:

Old Truck- Oil on canvas

Old Truck 2- oil on canvas
And I am going to post a couple photographs that I recently took:

Misty Morning

Past It's Prime

Do you sense a theme?  Why am I showing you so many old trucks?  I am thinking there may be an antique truck number 3 in oil paint in the near future!  I am not necessarily an old truck nut or anything (though there are those who may dispute the nut part), but I love the curves of old vehicles and the lovely patina of the weathered paint and rust.  I think older people (say over 50 or so) should be admired more for their patina!

So, why is the art teacher mad today?  Well, we have to go BACK to school tomorrow, which is enough to drive anyone mad.  But, winter would be boring without the kids.  Until next time...  be a joy giver!

Btw, if you want to see more of my photography, short of hacking into my computer, go to Capture Wisconsin.  You can vote for my pix if you want to!!