jean m. canavan

A little Oil and Garlic

2012-02-11T21:03:00.001-05:00

Jean Canavan watercolor 9"x12"

Just a little watercolor painted wet into wet...wet paint into wet paper, that is. I had painted this subject in a large painting, and then thought I wanted to do it again, more loose and impressionistic. I feel as though I am still trying to find the right balance in my painting, not as tight as I used to be, and not as loose as I can be. Capturing the light in a way that makes you feel it is my goal at the moment. Every now and then I hit it on the mark. Not sure this is it, but I just keep trying.

Finally finished

2012-01-09T21:54:00.000-05:00

Jean Canavan TBDBITL Memories Watercolor

Started this painting for my husband as his Christmas gift. Keeping it a secret as I worked on it was a challenge since he was working from home! I think he was surprised!

London Times

2011-11-19T09:33:00.000-05:00

Jean Canavan watercolor 9x11

A little corner of The tower of London from a trip we took a few years ago. I liked how the ivy framed the window and the fancy railing in the background.

University Of Michigan C.S. Mott's Children's and Women's Hospital

2011-11-07T08:23:00.000-05:00

I was really pleased to have a number of my pieces chosen to be reproduced and hung in the brand new University of Michigan C.S. Mott's Children and Women's Hospital. Carol, Pat and I went to the Open House yesterday and toured the building. After looking in many rooms and hallways we found several of Carols and this one of mine. There are 12 floors and not all of them were open.

There's a small plaque in the front lobby that recognizes the Michigan artists who participated in the project. That's Carol and me reflected in the plaque. It was great to see other 212 artists on the list and to see their works hanging. We are very well represented.

Here's Carol with her beautiful Tulip painting. It was nice to see where the paintings were hung and hope they brighten someones day!

Artwalk 2011

2011-11-01T21:51:00.000-04:00

A fun video that captures Saline Artwalk this year. Created by Orin Cassill.

Sunshine and Seashells

2011-10-26T16:37:00.000-04:00

Jean Canavan watercolor 22"x30"

Artwalk is over and done with and was a very nice weekend event. Thanks to everyone who came to Stone Arch! It was a beautiful weekend with lovely fall sunshine. The light through the stained glass windows just shimmered. May be a painting there in all of the photos I shot. As you can see, light is one of my favorite subjects. Anything to get me through the long grey winter in Michigan! What do you paint to get through winter?

Artwalk this weekend!

2011-10-18T21:37:00.000-04:00

Come visit for some yummy treats and a wonderful variety of art!!

Little Italy

2011-10-11T22:06:00.000-04:00

Jean M. Canavan Little Italy

I'm in love with dramatic lighting-can't seem to get enough of painting scenes with backlighting and drama.The city is a good place to capture that feeling. Here the sun was returning after a long day of quite heavy rain and we were on our way to a small italian restaurant for a good dinner and a glass of chianti! Perfect!

House of Art

2011-09-26T20:25:00.001-04:00

This last week was pretty busy with my regular classes that I teach and take, and I added a new one! Follow this link to TwoTwelve's site to see the adorable Houses of Art that my talented students made on tuesday! It was so much fun!
http://twotwelveartscenter.blogspot.com/2011/09/houses-of-art.html

Here it is...Wednesday again!

2011-09-21T07:58:00.000-04:00

You know what that means?? Watercolors!!!! How about this wild one? Inspired by black and white drawings of Microscopic Life forms, this was in a show at 212 in the spring. Oh, and part of the requirements were to include something found or recycled in the painting. So, I painted over an old, lifeless, painting and added a bit of collage, and a few rusty bits that I love to pick up when I see them. This felt so out of my comfort zone to paint...but I really enjoy the finished piece. How about you? What have you painted that steps away from your usual style?

Watercolor Wednesday!

2011-09-14T07:35:00.000-04:00

Jean Canavan watercolor

It that time again...my watercolor classes start at 212 for the fall. I'm so excited! We have a lot of fun learning about watercolor ! These 2 little paintings are demos from last springs class. I always love painting pears and the mug below is painted of one of the many beautiful pottery pieces that hang around 212. It's one of my favorites! What do you think? What is your favorite thing to paint?

Jean Canavan watercolor

Little Beach

2011-08-31T22:24:00.000-04:00

Jean Canavan Little Beach oil 5x5"

A fun view of a beach on Cape Cod. I was not there this summer, but I love to pull out my old photos and paint from them. It takes me right back to the moment.

Lake Charleviox

2011-08-19T10:48:00.000-04:00

Jean Canavan watercolor 4x6"

Sausilito

2011-08-15T09:44:00.000-04:00

Jean Canavan oil 5"x5"

On a recent trip to SanFrancisco we ate at a little Italian restaurant on the bay in Sausilito. Out the open doorway I could see this sailboat against the SF skyline.

Saline Summerfest

2011-08-04T11:56:00.000-04:00

Jean M. Canavan 5"x5" oil
OBX series

Did I mention before that we went on a delightful kayak trip ? I think I did. Obviously I loved it because here is another rendition of the sound. I've been painting little oils to sell at Saline Summerfest. I'll be in the TwoTwelve Art tent, so come say hello!

Another day at the Outer Banks

2011-08-01T13:31:00.000-04:00

Jean Canavan watercolor 9x11"

The big skies on the coast always inspire me to try to capture them. This was the first attempt to get the sense of space and atmosphere down on a larger scale than my sketchbook.

OBX

2011-07-27T15:15:00.000-04:00

Jean M. Canavan Oil 10x10

So, Maybe you could tell by my lack of posting, my family and I took a vacation to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. If you love the beach and ocean, as I do, OBX is the place to go. You are surrounded by beautiful scenery with lots of relaxing things to do. One morning we went on a kayak tour on the sound side. I just loved it! I painted this from some photos I took out on the water.

The Knitting Lesson

2011-07-24T15:47:00.000-04:00

Jean M. Canavan watercolor 20"x20"

I meet with several of my friends at a small local coffee shop every week. We like to bring our latest projects and share them with each other. Karen always has her knitting with her and is usually creating something wonderful! You can stop by her blog, Heartfelt, and see!

Mill Pond Park Series

2011-06-27T13:10:00.002-04:00

Jean Canavan Oil 10x10

Every now and then I like to stray into my other mediums...this addition to my Mill Pond Park Series was painted in Karen Blackwood's Oil Painting Workshop in early June. It was a wonderful workshop. Karen is such a wonderful artist and so willing to share her wealth of knowledge. I really enjoyed the 2 days of just painting. My daughter, Meghan took the workshop with me and painted a wonderful oil painting of Castle Hill that I will show you when I have a pix of it!
ps. I do LOVE it when my kids call me! :)

Travel sketches

2011-06-21T14:27:00.000-04:00

We had a fun visit in Evanston, Il this past weekend. My daughter, katie canavan was in her first ever craft show. While keeping her company I painted these small sketches in my travel sketchbook. I used a watercolor pencil to sketch and then my schminke travel set to paint. It is so convenient for on-the go paintings! The top sketch looks a little wobbly...and we didn't even have a drink until later!

Chicago

2011-06-05T22:06:00.000-04:00

In April we visited my daughter, Katie, in Chicago. We took a chilly boat ride in the harbor. The fog was lifting and the sun was glinting off the Chicago skyline creating a beautiful glow!

A plate of tomatoes and asparagus made a great impromptu sketch! Nothing says spring like asparagus. I love it grilled! How about you?

Ta-daa!

2011-05-26T16:13:00.000-04:00

The finished version. Or at least, the wall is done. I was talking with Carla today and we think it would be fun to paint the door with chalkboard paint. Then the Kids Corner people could write messages or things like their open times, etc. right on the door!! How cool is that? One thing i realized today is one of the fun things about painting the welcoming doorway to this room is that my now 24 year old daughter used to go play in this room many years ago! The Saline Rec Center is celebrating their 20th anniversary in June, so my family has been going there a looong time! What a great place!

Ive been busy painting

2011-05-17T22:52:00.000-04:00

on a really BIG scale recently. This is the before photo:

and this is what I've been working on:

So, stop by the Saline Rec Center and see what else I've added!

More to come...

Happy Mothers Day!

2011-05-08T22:26:00.000-04:00

A few little watercolors from my sketchbook. I haven't been keeping up with it like I did last year. Time to get moving on it. It is definately easier when I work on a small sketch or watercolor on a daily basis. And fun to look back on!

Peaches

2011-04-06T21:11:00.001-04:00

Jean Canavan watercolor 6"x8"

More fruit. This time a summer favorite, Peaches. I painted these right before I canned them! It is so easy to do and I've enjoyed them all winter.

Three's company

2011-03-31T22:01:00.001-04:00

Jean Canavan watercolor 8"x10"

An oldie, but one I am still not tired of! There is just something about pears that is so fun to paint. What is your favorite fruit to paint?

Sunny

2011-03-16T21:01:00.000-04:00

Jean Canavan "Sunny Day" 11x14 Watercolor

It seems like spring is in the air. At least for a few days! We have had so many grey, snowy days this winter that a sunny one puts everyone in a good mood! I love to paint sunflowers. I'm sure I've said that before!! They make me feel as though the sun is shining all of the time!

Bicycle and Buoys

2011-03-10T15:31:00.000-05:00

Jean Canavan Watercolor 8"x12"

Well, Here it is March, already! How time flies when you are busy painting! I have several more to show you, but they are hanging in an exhibit at the University, so I'll show you when I get them back. This one is from a visit to Cape Cod. I fell in love with all the colorful buoys hanging on the fence contrasted with bike and the misty grey day. I'm thinking about doing a large painting of this one!

Happy New Year to you all!

2011-01-01T17:09:00.000-05:00

Jean Canavan watercolor 11x14

Welcome

2010-12-23T22:46:00.000-05:00

new bloggers! It's great to see so many new followers(and always great to see my old followers!) who
have joined my site!How did you find me?I'd love to hear about you.

I've been sick with the flu the last 2 weeks, so I apologize about the lack of posting...I hope to get back at it soon! Meanwhile, I hope you have a wonderful Holiday season and a Happy and prosperous 2011

Tis the season...

2010-12-12T21:30:00.000-05:00

Pointsettias Jean Canavan watercolor 3"x11"

I'm getting in the spirit for Christmas here! With a beautiful snowfall outside and twinkling lights to put me in a Holiday mood! The Holiday Sale at Two Twelve Art Center is going well with lots of fun, creative gift items for sale. If you are in the neighborhood, stop by! I've sold several charms and all of my music ornaments that I made! I'll have to make more!!

Hope you are in the Holiday spirit, too!!!

Studybreak

2010-11-22T20:34:00.001-05:00

Art school is tiring!!! Just ask this girl! This was so much fun to paint. The lighting was perfect and a nap in the sun looked so inviting!! I started this painting with light underwashes of Winsor yellow and indigo. after that dried, I then painted with a limited palette of just 3 colors, Indigo, Quinacridone scarlet and Yellow ochre. I loved just having the 3 colors to choose from. Decisions were easier to make and it really unified the painting.

En plein air

2010-11-15T21:00:00.000-05:00

Jean Canavan "Across the Fields" watercolor 11x9

Tonight we had the first meeting of the Saline Plein Air Painters. According to www.wikipedia.org
En plein air is a french expression which means "in the open air", and is particularily used to describe the act of painting outdoors. We discussed plans for the coming year and our now annual calendar. It promises to be an exciting year! I'll keep you posted.

Donna Zagotta Workshop

2010-11-06T14:00:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned in my last post, I took a workshop this week with Donna Zagotta. The workshop was wonderfully organized by www.buddingartideas.com .
What a great workshop! Donna taught us about design and composition and the elements of art. She shared her process of painting and her experienced eye. She had something for everyone. I enjoyed learning all that was shared and watching a master teacher at work! If you have a chance definately sign up for one of Donna's workshops. They are listed on her blog, www.donnazagotta.com and also at www.buddingarts.com

These are my paintings this week. The medium is opaque watercolor. The first was an exercise in color and in painting more opaquely.The second was after an interesting discussion about the use of values and an aha moment! (I get it now!) The third was the 2nd in my series of painting number one using values, line and patterning! I am quite happy with the way my work progressed and plan to continue on a series and see what happens!!
Which one is your favorite? Why?

All the leaves are gone...

2010-10-30T21:47:00.000-04:00

Jean M. Canavan watercolor 11x14 A big wind blew our way this week. It was so sad to see all the beautiful colors blowing away!
Luckily, I captured a bit of them in this painting of the stream at a local park! It is always so picturesque down by the millpond.
I'll be taking a workshop this next week with Donna Zagotta. I am really looking forward to it! I have admired Donna's paintings for years and am so excited that she is teaching a workshop right here! Check back next week to see what I paint!

Artwalk

2010-10-25T16:27:00.000-04:00

Jean Canavan 22"x22" watercolor

This weekend was Artwalk here. 15 local artists gathered at a beautiful local venue, Stone Arch-Arts & Events, and painted, sold, and visited with the many who came to see us. It was such a lovely weekend for art!
Thanks to all who stopped by!

"Pinecone" above, was painted from a small section of a life-sized graphite drawing. The 1.5"x1.5" section was blown up onto Arches cold press watercolor paper.

Any guesses

2010-10-18T21:16:00.000-04:00

Jean M. Canavan watercolor 11x14

what this is a painting of???

ArtPrize and Chihuly exhibit at Frederic Meijer Gardens

2010-10-09T09:40:00.000-04:00

Wednesday was a beautiful day for a trip to the Meijer Gardens. The fall colors really showed off the artwork and it wasn't too crowded in the middle of the week! I'd love to go back for another visit. We didn't get to see the Artprize entries that were in town. But there were about a dozen at the gardens. Such inspiration!

painting eggs...

2010-10-05T17:58:00.000-04:00

and then we painted apples. Three different ways. Light to dark, dark to light, and warms to cools. Mostly not the way I've been used to doing it, so it was definately a learning experience. Then we did clouds, which was my favorite of the three exercises. I've been busy with my watercolor class at EMU, and then there was Harvest of the arts...Thanks to all who came out on that dreary day! October promises to be just as busy! It's a good time for art!

Harvest of the Arts

2010-09-24T08:41:00.000-04:00

Jean Canavan "Beach Path" oil 9"x12"

Harvest of the Arts is tomorrow, Saturday, September 24th in downtown Saline. There's going to be lots of food, music, and ART!! I'll be there, both in the 212 Arts booth with my necklaces, and at our Saline Plein Air Painters booth with paintings. Stop in and say hello!!!

This little oil painting is the last of my first series of oils. It's from a reference I took of a warm, sunny, little cove I found on a walk in Cape Cod. I can almost feel the warm sand between my toes!

OBX

2010-09-04T21:21:00.000-04:00

Jean Canavan "Jesse on the Beach" oil 9x11

We have spent many enjoyable summer vacations on the beaches of North Carolina with family and friends. Glad the hurricane missed it this week!

Charming!

2010-08-30T18:08:00.000-04:00

Today I've been catching up on some orders that have come my way in the last couple of weeks. How do you like these new charms? I have one more to make.... These aren't painting, (although that is a bit of watercolors you see in all of them) but it was nice to do something a little different. There will be plenty of painting this fall! It's not fall yet is it? At 90 degrees out, I don't think so!

Beach Cottage

2010-08-28T23:24:00.000-04:00

Jean Canavan 9x12 oil

another...

2010-08-20T21:48:00.000-04:00

watercolor travel sketchbook begins! This one is made of very thick handmade watercolor paper. No idea where I got it or who it is made by. It is taking some getting used to on our week at Lake Michigan. I am experimenting with technique...drawing first...painting first, using pencil, or pen....Not sure what will work best! Don't you want me to come along on your vacation so I can paint it??? Especially if you love water like I do!

Little Beach

2010-08-17T12:03:00.000-04:00

Jean Canavan Little Beach oil 9x11

It's always enjoyable to paint from photos from a favorite vacation. This one took me right back to the late afternoon after a long grey rainy day on Cape Cod, when the sun came out. The light was so warm in contrast to the blue shadows. And I do love boats!

Curtis Mansion

2010-08-03T23:23:00.000-04:00

jean canavan watercolor 11"x7"

One of our local treasures, The Curtis Mansion stands on the edge of Saline and is usually viewed from the street. The mansion is a beautiful Victorian and the grounds are lovely with large old trees and beautiful flowering bushes.The Saline Plein Air Painters were lucky enough to be allowed to paint in late May. It was a lovely early summer day!

Narragansett Rocks

2010-07-27T22:35:00.000-04:00

pastel 11x14

What a crazy weekend it has been... Friday there was a severe windstorm/tornado that came through town and blew down trees all over the place! Despite the lack of power we still managed to celebrate the upcoming marriage of a good friends' daughter and the marriage of another! It was quite the adventure!

2010-07-17T17:48:00.000-04:00

Check out my friend Anne's new blog. She has just joined the blogging world!
Anne creates wonderful assemblages and lately is expanding her repetoire with pastels and watercolors!
www.sewcolormepaint.blogspot.com

And since I can't post without a painting, here you go!

Karen Blackwood Oil Painting Workshop

2010-07-15T15:44:00.000-04:00

I had a wonderful learning experience this week...I took and Oil Painting Workshop from artist Karen Blackwood. It was a challenge as I had never used oils before, but I learned so much and now that I got my first painting out of the way, I am anxious to get going on a few more ideas I have. I may even do this subject again. I loved painting it. I felt like I was at the beach with the waves crashing on the sands!! Time to get out my photos! I am sorry the workshop is over. Luckily, Karen is coming back in October to teach another workshop. I am ready to sign up! Check out her work. It's so inspiring! http://karenblackwoodfineart.com/

California!

2010-06-14T11:07:00.000-04:00

This past week we spent some time in California. We started off in San Francisco, sightseeing. We then had dinner in Sausalito at a little Italian restaurant that overlooked the bay and this beautiful sailboat. Then we drove to our hotel in St. Helena, which is in Napa Valley. The scenery along the way inspired me to record a bit of it in my sketch journal. The winery, Clos Pegase had this beautiful fountain outside. It was fun to sketch under the olive trees!

Lake Charlevoix

2010-05-21T23:08:00.000-04:00

Last week, I was fortunate to visit beautiful Lake Charlevoix, thanks to a friend!! This is the first of my paintings from the 3 day vacation! Even though it rained on the way up and the way home, we were blessed with a beautiful wednesday to shop in Petoskey and drive around enjoying the glittery lake!

Painted canvas Table Runner

2010-05-10T15:32:00.000-04:00

This week, Margie asked me to paint her another fun table runner to match one she had purchased from me last summer. She had the brilliant idea to hang them vertically on the wall behind two twin beds in her lovely home up north! I can't wait to see them in place!!
Floorcloths are actually made to go on your floor. They are painted on artist canvas with acrylics. I seal them with several layers of polyurathene spray and then put a clear wax on top of that! I also enjoy the bit of color they bring to my Diningroom table! They're great because they aren't harmed by spills(wipe them up, of course!) and you can clean them with a soapy cloth and wipe dry! Let me know if you are interested in one!

Saline Mills

2010-04-28T22:42:00.000-04:00

It was a gorgeous spring day full of light and sweet spring air full of birdsong, sheep baaing and a rooster crowing. What a special place. If I could capture even the teeniest bit of that I would be happy.

2010-04-26T16:10:00.000-04:00

Thought you'd like an image to go with the last post! Thie one is...watercolor 10x10

Accountant-world is safe

2010-04-26T16:01:00.000-04:00

The Poppy painting is hanging at the Eaglecrest Conference Center on Whittaker Rd. with 5 other paintings of mine and several other peoples work. Katie( http:/katiesredumbrella.blogspot.com) asked for 12 more for her walls...Thanks Katie for the love!!! And I said I was ready to become an accountant, because for me that would be verrrrrry painful!! and that painting had some painful moments!! But I do think it came out nicely in the end! And I learned to just hold on through the pain. So the accountant world is safe from me for now!! :0) Thanks for the comments!

Poppies

2010-04-20T19:53:00.000-04:00

So, I was asked to participate in a show, and as you know, most of my paintings are still hanging at My Favorite Cafe. The ones I have left at home are either my very favorites, or needed a little help. I committed myself by picking out the number needed and then , of course, decided they needed a bit of sprucing up. My poppy painting really needed something I couldn't quite pull off...so of course I decided to do a whole new one!! I painted and painted...this is on Arches Hot Press paper, and the color kept soaking in and looked not much better than the old one. After I left it alone, to age :) I came back today and am finally quite happy with the result. Thank goodness!

Magic

2010-04-14T21:10:00.000-04:00

A little something to look at until I get some artwork photographed! Our first steps into the Magic Kingdom and I was greeted by a handsome prince!!! How fun is that??? More to come in this fairytale...!

Front Porch

2010-03-26T17:17:00.000-04:00

Front Porch

watercolor

6"x9'

It's almost time to be able to sit out on my front porch and enjoy a glass of tea! The geraniums are looking good and the sun is nice and warm!!

Plein Aire

2010-03-20T11:52:00.000-04:00

The Lane

11x14

Watercolor

Sold!

I know I told you, but this fall I started painting Plein Aire with a couple of talented artists here in Saline. (which means- "painting in the open air"" ) I am so excited that spring is here and we will be starting up again. There are plans for exhibits and other opportunities. I am looking right now to find the perfect set-up. I have always painted in my travel journals on the go, but not with the idea of a whole painting. It will interesting to work it all out. I'm always open for suggestions of what has worked for you!

Sharon's Cake

2010-03-17T14:26:00.000-04:00

This is the cake that my friend Sharon made at the Zingerman's Bake class. As you can see, her cake was a birthday cake!!! I loved how she got her roses to be that pretty soft pink. It was fun to take the class together!

Cake Decorating

2010-03-14T13:06:00.000-04:00

This week I took a class at Zingermans in AnnArbor. We learned how to frost a cake, make fondant, attach it to the cake, and then make little decorations to embellish. The fondant was easy to make. Mostly because the wonderful people there had all the ingredients measured out for us. After kneading it to the right point we rolled out the fondant and quickly put it on top of the already frosted cake. The frosting helps the fondant to stick. Then you carefully and quickly smooth it all around. Alejandro demonstrated how to make the little flowers, leaves and the roping that goes around the bottom. We were all able to create our own designs. It was tricky to use the fondant, but there was plenty of guidance. It was a well-run, very informative class! We then ate a piece of cake and other Zingermans treats. We got to take home our cake and a whole other batch of fondant to practice with. What a DELICIOUS class!

Come visit My Favorite Cafe!!!

2010-03-09T10:08:00.000-05:00

My Favorite Cafe Show-March-April

2010-03-03T21:06:00.000-05:00

"Pom" Watercolor 11x14
This Sunday, Meghan and I hung up our show at My Favorite Cafe in Saline. It will be up throughout March and April. The Cafe is a warm and inviting place and makes a wonderful gallery. "Pom" is one of many new paintings I have up. Meghan has a nice variety of her photographs up, too. It was fun to see our work hanging together. Also, interesting that our color and texture choices are so similar. How many mothers and daughters can say that? Or maybe they can. Maybe the color choices that we make in our homes and our clothing really do have a profound effect on our children. Hmmmm. That must mean Harvest Gold runs in my blood....yikes! What do you think?

Snowy Lane

2010-02-25T18:21:00.000-05:00

Watercolor 8x10
We've had a lot of snow the past two weeks...I think winter is still going strong! This view is from Willis Road looking up the lane.

Braun Farm -Looking east

2010-02-24T15:41:00.000-05:00

Watercolor 11x14
The Braun Farm Exhibit, which has been at My Favorite Cafe in Saline for the last 2 months, will be moving to the Saline Library this weekend. Because a large number of paintings have sold those participating were asked for more paintings. This view is from way out by the barn that is on the lane. I can almost hear the wind rustling the dry corn stalks behind me!

Priscilla's Tulips

2010-02-15T15:31:00.000-05:00

A friend brought these beautiful tulips to our watercolor class this past wednesday at TwoTwelve Art Center. We had a great class using them for inspiration and then I brought them home and painted them.I just love tulips. They are such a happy flower! They made my studio feel like spring!!
This bit of springtime will be for sale(along with more of my watercolors) at My Favorite Cafe in Saline starting March 1. I will be the featured artist there along with my daughter Meghan who will have some of her photography for sale. Stop by March 1 through April 30th.

Queen of Hearts

2010-02-07T10:16:00.000-05:00

I was so taken with this book cover of a book about Paul Klee, I wanted to try my own interpretation. I had started to make some Valentines that were the perfect first layer for the Queen. I then glazed on many successive layers. It was fun!

Walk in the woods

2010-02-02T13:24:00.000-05:00

watercolor on aquaboard 16"x20"
I painted this while following a demo on artistnetwork. It was very easy to follow and I enjoyed it so much I made several paintings using a negative painting technique. Its interesting! The aquaboard was an interesting surface to work on. It is chalky and so sucks up the paint very quickly. I was surprised that I was able to somewhat paint wet-on-wet with it. I definately had to move fast!

Last Poinsettia

2010-01-28T12:52:00.000-05:00

watercolor 9'x11"
Just when I thought I was soo done with pointsettias for the year...this beautiful pink and cream one just begged to be painted! I cut the blooms off the sad, bedraggled plant, put them in water and almost all of them revived!! The background is sprinkled with a little kosher salt for an interesting effect.

Castle Hill

2010-01-22T15:57:00.000-05:00

Watercolor 10"x12"

Castle Hill Inn is a beautiful spot on Ocean Drive in Newport, Rhode Island. We stopped there for a bit of refreshment on a hot day! I painted this from a photo I took on the way out.

Honorable Mention

2010-01-19T09:19:00.000-05:00

I am so pleased that my watercolor "All the Ends" won an honorable mention. There are so many wonderful works of art in the exhibit, I am honored!!! Congratulations to all the winners! And to Kat for coming up with, cheering us on, and organizing the whole thing! Check out Kat Campau's blog at katcampau.blogspot.com
for pictures of the rest of the winners...

Earth Challenge

2010-01-15T16:19:00.000-05:00

Inspired by Nicolas Cheethams book "Earth-A New Perspective" thirty two artists were challenged to create their visions of Earth. Come and see this wonderfully diverse show. It is up for the month of January. Artist Reception is this evening, Friday, January 15 from 7-9 at TwoTwelve Arts Center in Saline. This is one of my interpretations. "All the Ends..." Watercolor 9"x12" $125

2010-01-09T14:41:00.000-05:00

One of my goals for the new year is to try to paint much more frequently. I started out with this scene of my backyard in the snow. I am enjoying the beautiful shadows...now lets see if I can get them on paper!

A sampling of Soldered Charms

2010-01-04T19:26:00.000-05:00

These are a selection of my soldered charms. I am currently making the 1"x1" charms and have ball-chain necklaces to go with. Please let me know color preferences, letter style, and wording, if any, on back. The cost is $35.00 with necklace.

Braun Farm Exhibit

2010-01-04T07:12:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!! It is already a busy 2010, with getting ready for two exciting exhibits that are up this week! The first is The Earth Challenge at TwoTwelve Art Center with the artist reception Jan. 15th from 7-9 and the second is a Retrospective of The Braun Farm in Saline. That exhibit is at My Favorite Cafe in Saline, Jan-Feb with the artist reception this friday Jan 8 from 7-9.They both are fabulous with a lot of talented artists participating! I hope you'll come!

Holiday Art Sale at 212

2009-12-03T21:56:00.000-05:00

These fun little quilts and much, much more are available for sale at TwoTwelve Art Center in Saline starting Saturday morning. Come and find the perfect gift for someone special!!

Pastel class at 212

2009-10-21T14:42:00.000-04:00

Kat spent a day last week showing me how to do improvisational quilting.I then machine quilted it at home. I made a table runner with Kaffe Fassett fabrics. It looks like fall in my dining room now!

I am taking Linda Klenczar's pastel class at TwoTwelve. She is such a good teacher. She is so encouraging and full of good information. The drawing is from the first class and the pastel from yesterday, the second class.

ArtWalk in Saline

2009-10-09T23:17:00.000-04:00

ArtWalk is going on this weekend. Kat Campau and I are displayed in Mac's Restaurant in Saline. Tomorrow we will be there from 12-5. There are also artists at Brecon Grill, My Favorite Cafe, and The Spotted Dog. Come visit us!!

beads,beads,beads

2009-10-04T14:15:00.000-04:00

These rainy days have been perfect for digging out my bead stash and making some bracelets
that have been waiting a long while to be made! I love these chunky silver ones!

The one on the right is orange and black. The perfect Halloween accessory!

Two Socks!!

2009-09-16T21:55:00.000-04:00

The second sock is finished! It is much nicer fitting than the first, so I frogged the first and am re-knitting it. I know, it seems sad to tear it apart, but I know the third sock will be even better than the second.
Sophie came to visit us this past weekend. She was lots of fun and kept us busy in the back yard hitting tennis balls for her to chase. She also found at least 3 baseballs and an old tennis ball in our bushes. It was nice to have a dog in the house again!
This was another visitor...rather unwanted, though. I heard someone tapping on my door(I thought) and when I opened it something flew away. I watched through the window and sure enough, it was a woodpecker who was drilling a few holes in the front of my porch. How the heck do I get rid of a woodpecker? Anyone have any ideas?

2009-09-08T10:50:00.000-04:00

In a last fling of summer, Sue and Alina and Casimir came over for an afternoon of art and movies. The kids watched the movies and Sue and I worked on jewelry hangers. (anyone have a good name for these things?)Although I see I took the picture of mine before I added my "hangers". Just imagine them there!!Sue's has a fish theme...surprise!! I love the underwatery feel of it, don't you? That's a copper pin she used for her focal point and some special shells and sea glass.
This is Alina. She decided enough with the movies, it's time to paint!!! Her work of art has a beautiful sunshine on it, just like her sunny personality!
We had a fun afternoon!!

Look at my sock!

2009-08-21T21:06:00.000-04:00

The last 2 weeks we took a road trip out east. It was a good opportunity to get some serious knitting time in. I haven't dared socks before, but since I bought some wonderful sock yarn at Threadbear in Lansing, I just had to give it a try. I knit most of the cuff on the way from Michigan to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The rest had to wait for our car ride home on Wed from Buffalo, NY. Now, I'll have to drive somewhere else so I can get the toe done!! Well, I'll have Pat drive, and I will knit!
I finally decided how to do the words for this commissioned collage. I am quite happy with the way the words printed out on the fabric and they stayed nice and crisp when I put gel medium over them. I used liquid acrylics for the background and then also washed them over the words.

Malian Mud Art

2009-08-02T22:27:00.000-04:00

At Michigan State University this past friday, Lillian Collins(thanks,Lil!) shared her knowledge of Malia and the techniques to make African Mudcloth with some of us from Twotwelve Arts Center. It was a fun workshop that started with a personally guided tour through the African Textile exhibit at MSU , lunch and a tour of the new Arts and Humanities College and then a few hours of trying our hands at a technique that looks a lot easier than it was!We used hand-dyed fabric and real mud from Malia to create our works of art! It was a great experience!

It really gave me an appreciation for the thought (each symbol tells a story)and labor that goes into creating these beautiful fabrics!

100th Post

2009-08-01T12:28:00.000-04:00

For my 100th post, I thought you might like to see the daisy fabric painting from the previous post after I stitched on it. I enjoy the challenge of drawing with thread and my sewing machine. Especially, something intricate. I did this in steps, first stitching the flowers and then going back and filling in the leaves. I do love making little curly swirls.

Another collage. This one is "beach house" The sailing flags in the center represent the initials of the family it is going to. They live in a wonderful house on Lake Michigan! Even if I can't live on the water, my artwork will!

Make sure you check out my friend Karen's new blog..Heartfelt. The link is on the sidebar.

Karen is a wonderful fiber artist and daylily grower!

July

2009-07-27T20:42:00.000-04:00

July has been such a busy month. We started off with a visit from 40(or so) of our favorite relatives who came to celebrate the 4th with us. Some of them stayed a few extra days and we went to Greenfield Village. I love going there! This visit we went to the weaving shop where there was a lady who very enthusiastically explained the history of looms to us. I found her excitement contagious! If you go, make sure to stop in the shop. Of course, I was the only one obsessed with textiles in the group, but I thought she did a great job explaining how looms went from a loom that was set up in a home to the dawn of the industrial revolution. Fascinating. The next week, my boy ran in the State Finals of the Hershey Track Meet in Holt. It was fun to watch the competition. He also did the standing long jump and he recieved 6th place. It was worth a ribbon!almost to the finish line!
Cousins posing in the photographers studio at Greenfield Village.
Is the grass Really greener over there??
And now some art....I've been having fun doing a bit of machine quilting on a few fabric paintings that I did. I used my setacolor paints to paint a sunflower, a pink daisy

and then a bunch of daisies. This one below isn't stitched just yet!
I used black thread in my machine as a drawing tool and stitched away. It was hard to stop!

I then have made them into pillows using some of those wonderful upholstery fabrics from Morrow Steiner! I will be taking them to Artistica Gallery in Dexter where I have a small space to sell my work!
In addition to stitching, I made a few small collages to also sell. The one above is already there.
This one I decided I needed to keep for awhile and look at it. It will eventually make it's way there. Hopefully this is enough to keep my fans happy, at least for this week!! I will have a few quilts to post soon! Stay tuned.....

Work in progress

2009-06-28T12:37:00.000-04:00

Ive been all over the place this week. Knitting for stress-relief in the waiting room...A watercolor that has lurked in my mind for awhile and just had to be worked out...

And a commission that is awaiting the light of inspiration...

Thankfully, the boy is finally on the mend...and things will be back to normal. Whatever that is!

What I want to do..

2009-06-26T19:26:00.000-04:00

And what I have to do are causing me problems today. It is probably a lack of sleep, but I don't want to do what I HAVE to, I want to play...so today I painted on these...

and then I made these banana muffins...
to try and entice my boy to eat SOMETHING. So I ate them. Not good. But they were soooo good! So I guess I will see what wins tomorow. The want-to, or the have-to.

Travel journal

2009-06-24T14:02:00.000-04:00

A few pages from my travel journal...
And a new pastel. "Birch Trees" 11x17

Not much else is new...I am home with my 12 yr old who is recuperating from a tonsillectomy so maybe I can get a few projects done to show you.

A walk to the beach...

2009-06-10T21:30:00.000-04:00

A walk to the beach,
Finds colorful buoys,
and a tiny snail with his house on his back!

Newport

2009-06-05T19:42:00.000-04:00

I was lucky enough to spend the past week with great friends in Rhode Island. We ate wonderful food, did a bit of painting and enjoyed exploring!
A little fishing, anyone?
Sharon and Jean's Lagoon
At the gate of our mansion...
Marble House, Newport
It did rain, but it didn't dampen our spirits!
Sharon cooked us Lobstah!

My new found family photo...found at Peters Pots.
Cute cottage...maybe I'll paint it!

Farmers Market

2009-05-24T11:46:00.000-04:00

Watercolor of Farmers Market bouquet. 7"x10.5" Love those sunflowers!!

2009-05-11T19:43:00.000-04:00

Thanks to everyone who made my show a success. It was a beautiful evening with good food and good friends and family!

2009-05-02T21:57:00.000-04:00

Artist Reception Friday, May 8th 7-9

TwoTwelve Art Center, Saline

I hope you all will come!

Postcard design by Keith Mcguire

More floorcloths!

2009-05-01T17:36:00.000-04:00

These are of varying sizes. You'll just have to come to my show and see them!

May8th, 7-9 at TwoTwelve Art Center, Saline

Spring floorcloth

2009-04-28T08:25:00.000-04:00

2'x3' canvas floorcloth- I was inspired by the beautiful spring weather we've had the past few days. I wish it could stay around a little longer. It's rainy and chillier today! We'll see what that inspires!

WIP and a guest artist

2009-04-21T10:45:00.000-04:00

71 charms-to-be!!! I hope the rest of the glass i ordered comes soon!!!

My 12 yr old son contributed this adorable clay pup that he made for my post today!! Isn't he cute!!

Pastels

2009-04-20T17:25:00.000-04:00

Tea and Tulips 11"16" pastel...again. A little less blurry.

Bloom 8"x11" pastel
matuneck beach 8"x11" pastel

2009-04-20T15:53:00.001-04:00

Tea and Tulips

2009-04-20T10:29:00.000-04:00

Pastel 11x16

Rhode Island Hydrangeas

2009-03-30T14:49:00.001-04:00

Hydrangeas 11x16 pastel