Today in the Studio
Just for fun.
Moons Over Hen House
Susan Lobb Porter
Oil on Canvas
Checkin’ Out da Hood
Paying attention to the signs. Like these:
Trails
Susan Lobb Porter
Encaustic on Cradled Board
Tracks
Susan Lobb Porter
Encaustic on Cradled Board
Trace
Susan Lobb Porter
Encaustic on Cradled Board
I made these encaustic pieces two summers ago. Thought of them this evening when I went out to check the area behind the back gate. We’ve been having a lot of work done lately. Landscaping. Irrigation. The guys have been driving a tractor and truck back and forth, leaving the gate open more often than not. I really don’t want the deer to think of it as an invitation to dine on the new roses.
The area right outside the gate is soft dirt, your basic wilderness bulletin board. I decided to see who’s come a callin’.
Doe, a deer.
Mr. Jack Rabbit.
Rocky Racoon.
Ssssssssnake.
And moi, with a tire tread background.
Funny thing about photographing tracks in the late sun…they give the illusion of being raised up instead of recessed. Go figure.
There’s lots of other critters around here. I think when the workmen are finished I’ll sweep the area clean from time to time and see who comes a calling. In fact, I feel another photo project happening. Stay tuned.
As always my sweetums, I’d love to hear what you have to say in the comments below. And if you’ve stumbled upon some interesting tracks be sure to share that.
xo
Tip O’the Day
Oh my Sweetums, I have just made the MOST FASCINATING discovery in the history of mankind my life this week. And I must share it with you. Simply must.
But you have to wait because first I’ve got a story to tell you.
From time to time, like today for instance, I’ll walk into the studio and get whacked upside the head by a jolt of creativity that fries my common sense. ZAP! Just. Like That. And the next thing I know I’ll be painting. Which normally is a good thing, being that I’m an artist. But I don’t always walk into the studio with the intention of making art. Sometimes I’m just there to gaze.
I’m good at gazing.
On gazing days I don’t come dressed appropriately. I may even be wearing real clothes, garments that have yet to be destroyed by paint. ‘Have yet’ because eventually all my clothes end up sacrificed to da muse.
Today was a gaze day. Had other things to do but couldn’t stay away. And while I was in there some works in progress, juicy wet oils, called to me. I loved on them just a little bit, I swear it only involved a few charcoal lines, but the next thing I know I was wearing bright orange paint. Which sucked because I really like this shirt.
Now, normally I use cooking oil to clean up oil paint, especially on my skin. But this was a shirt and I couldn’t imagine rubbing more oil onto it and then trying to wash it. No way. I went into the kitchen and that’s when I had the all time best ev-ah AHA moment, at least of the day. Because right there on the kitchen sink was a bottle of Dawn. Dawn, you know, the stuff they use to wash the oil off seabirds when there’s a spill.
Lightbulb time, right there in the center of my brain. I whipped off the shirt, poured some Dawn right on the paint and washed it in the kitchen sink. And the paint came out.
All of it.
Then I threw the shirt in the washing machine with some other laundry. It came out as good as new. Like it never happened.
See? It really is but the lighting is different with both photos. Trust me on this.
And that’s the Arty Life Tip o’ the Day. And if you know anyone who paints with oils be a friend and share this info with them. Who knows how much laundry you’ll save.
Da Cure
Oh, my dear most best best BEST beloveds…I had some studio time this week. YAY!!! Handsprings! Backflips! All manner of celebratory jumping up and down. YAY!!! Again. Because a little bit o’paint (oils, in this case), some funky old canvases that needed recycling and a lot o’loud rockin’ out music took me from stressed out to blissed out in a matter of hours.
Best. Medicine. EV-AH!!!
And here they be, just for you. Works-in-progress every one of ’em but far enough along to show. They’re all little guys, 6×6, 8×8. The last one is the biggest at 12×12.
Crooked House with Red Roof
work in progress
Susan Lobb Porter
Dog, Rabbit, Horse
Work in Progress
Susan Lobb Porter
Bunny in a Boat at Sunset
work in progress
Susan Lobb Porter
Love You THIS Much
work in progress
Susan Lobb Porter
Definitely did not have my SERIOUS ARTIST PANTS on for this batch. No indeed. And I’m glad I didn’t. A girl needs some fun in her life, don’t cha know.
As always, I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below. And if you like what you see, go ahead and share with your friends. As much as I love you, I’d love you even MORE if you do. Heart emoticons here, a whole row of ’em.
Oh, and I’m taking part in an August blog challenge…which means I’ll be posting more frequently. Lots more. So be sure to stop back tomorrow and see what’s new here.
xo
Painting by Da Rulz
This week I went waaaay beyond my creative comfort zone. To the place that has rulz.
Rulz? Really??? Mwahahahahaha…YES!!!
I kid you not!
I stayed within the lines. Gasp! Did not drip on the floor. Ohhhhhhhh… No Springsteen, no air guitar, no jumping around with fully charged brush in my hands. WHAT??? And no scribbling. Oh nooooo, say it ain’t sooooo!!!
I was BORED out of my ever lovin’ mind. It was torture. Every minute of it was nothing less than fingernails on the chalkboard painful. It was the ultimate stick-a-fork-in-the–eye experience.
But…and this is a BIG but, a HUGE but…the walls of my bedroom are now painted. YAY!!! They’re clean. And fresh. And some flavor of khaki. Yes, I think you could call it khaki. Sort of.
Even tho the photo looks yellow. Trust me, it’s a more earthy color with a slight gray note. Khaki. Definitely.
Which brings me to my next point…picking the color was whack me upside the head crazy making H.A.R.D. After hours of swatches and samples and indecisive color wheel impotence, I took three paint chips up to the counter and asked the kid behind the register which one he liked best. He looked at them for–oh hell, I don’t think he even looked at them at all, he just pointed to one.
And I said great, I’ll take a couple gallons of that. Even tho it was my LEAST FAVORITE of the three. I took his advice because I went to art school and I can’t pick WALL paint to save my ass.
And I like it just fine. Because now it’s all done I can crank up the music, bounce around the studio and and go back to painting like this.
And make things like this.
Ahhhh…. And I know the perfect wall to hang this on, until the next show, that is.
Parts Is Parts
Sophie is a monkey butt.
Don’t be fooled by that cute little face. Because behind it, somewhere in the ATTITUDE section of her little canine head, is a monkey butt. MONKEY BUTTTTTTTT……
I came in from the studio and caught her on the table today. The dining room table. Like a cat. But she’s not a cat, she’s a D.O.G.
It wasn’t the first time.
Disclaimer: The cat does NOT get on the table. Mostly never. Oh no, she gets on my shoulders while I’m sitting at the table. Like she’s auditioning for a future role as a fur wrap. Which she might be.
I just thought you should know.
And now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s talk about ART!
This week was all about exhaling. About breathing deep and letting go of expectations. And commitments. About taking time for me.
I came home early from work one day, like 10 AM early. Wasn’t feeling well. I stretched out on the sofa and crashed for a couple of hours. When I woke up I put my feet on the coffee table, grabbed a notebook and started sketching.
And yes, the notebook already had notes in it but they were so…yesterday. Or maybe last year. Whatever. They had served their purpose and were talking up paper. So I drew right over them.
From the very first sketch, the one up above, I realized I had NO idea where I was going. I just began making marks. Anatomically incorrect marks involving women with interesting parts.
I’m quite fond of lady parts, especially my own. So I just let it happen as I sketched merrily along.
A day or two later I picked up the notebook again (hereafter referred to as the Art Journal because it sounds so…arty) and decided to take the little sketches further. Thought charcoal for be nice for depth. And then fixative to keep the charcoal from breeding with the other pages. Spray Fix is something I recently discovered that I have cans and cans of, proving it pays to organize the supplies once in awhile.
Well, the charcoal was fun but blah. These suckers needed some punch. So I added pastels. And more fix. And then acrylic markers because they make everything pop. And some collage because why not?
Gaia
Susan Lobb-Porter
Before I knew it these journal entries turned into mini-paintings. Or studies for future paintings that can be developed further, like maybe next week.
Surrender to Love
Susan Lobb-Porter
Oh, my best, best, BEST beloveds…I can see you scratching your heads (heads, yes, you have at least two in my world) scratching your heads and saying but Susan, this is soooo not what you usually do.
And you would be right.
So check back next week and see what happens. You might be surprised.