Sweet Rendezvous

WIP-"Fence Post Rendezvous"

The past two weeks my focus has been on my 5th piece in my series "Down Country Roads" which features the series' signature blue morning glories growing at the fence post along with the lush tall grass that grows extra tall there, uncut by the mower.  With this piece,  I decided to add some farm children.  I have such fond memories of growing up in the country where I could run and play without worry.  We lived down a country gravel road, surrounded by farmers and where slowing down to greet the horses and cows with screams of MOO would be a frequent occurrence.  

Nearly every mother on the road tended a rather large garden where the best tasting vegetables could be found.  I remember my mother often asking me to go out to the garden and pick something that would be served with our evening meal.  Maybe green beans, cucumbers, radishes or squash.  There is nothing better than fresh from the garden snapped green beans, new potatoes and ham cooked up in a cast iron skillet topped off with blackberry cobbler for desert using the blackberries that you labored to pick. Speaking from experience, picking blackberries is no easy task.   

This piece that I'm calling "Fence Post Rendezvous" combines some of these elements of my early childhood memories of country life. These two little towheads have been given the early morning chore of picking carrots for dinner but couldn't help but stopping for a few minutes to share a couple of their basket bounty with the neighbor's palomino. With his head full of curly blonde locks, I used my own 3 year old grandson as a model for the little boy at the basket.    

The debut for this piece is going to be the Elks Club Helldorado Art Show and I have just a few more days to get it finished because the call for art is this upcoming Sunday.  Sorry that this is a poor quality cell phone picture of the piece, but since it is still on my easel, I haven't taken the time to get out the good camera to photograph it.   I guess I was just really anxious to show my progress this morning to my blog readers. Rest assured,  I will be providing better images as soon as I finishing painting in the final details.  

I hope you enjoy this WIP (work in progress) blog.  I would love to hear your thoughts, comments or memories about your own "Country Childhood"  To see the rest of the pieces in this series check out my gallery tab or go to my website at http://www.julietownsendstudio.com/-gallery.html

Someone Needs a Makeover

Have you ever watched the show, What Not to Wear on TLC where Stacy London takes some frumpy fashion failure and transform her into a dynamic dashing diva?  The show always ended with a revealing of the NEW look and they would give us a reminder of the past by presenting a BEFORE and AFTER comparison.  I kind of feel that this is what I'm trying to do here while writing this blog.

I call this piece "At the Rivers Bend" and I painted it originally as a study on water reflection using a snippet from artist Jerry Yarnell's and his online school resources.  There was a lot about the piece that I liked but over the next two years, as my skills improved, there was more and more about the piece that I didn't.  

In preparation of hanging my exhibit "Down Country Roads" at the Boulder City Art Gallery, I was going through my closet and came across this piece.  I knew that the time had come to give this piece a COMPLETE MAKEOVER.  And just like the TV show, I have included a before and after photo and I thought I would also provide for your reading pleasure a personal commentary on the changes.

Before 

"At the River's Bend"- 18x24 Acrylic painting

1.- I lightened the sky and water.  I'm not sure what shade of blue I used originally, but it appears too dark and purple to me.  I'm guessing we might be looking at cobalt blue.  I changed the whole tone by lightening and brightening with cerulean blue instead.  The water is simply a reflection of the sky so they have to be the same color but just a few shades darker.  I also added some fluffy summer clouds.

2.  Probably the most obvious edit is the adding of the canoe and the fisherman.  I felt the original painting lacked a story and by adding the fisherman I have added a focus to the piece that was absent before.  I personally love fishing and whenever I look at a beautiful river or lake, I always wish I could throw up a lawn chair and grab my rod and reel.  I'm not much of a boater but for the sake of the composition, I think a canoe has much more appeal over an old lawn chair sitting in the grass.

  

3.  The tall reeds that are growing at the edge of the far bank were too uniform.  They appeared to be cut straight across like a hired landscaper had recently come along with giant hedge clippers and had given them a good trimming.  I always fall into that trap and have to consistently remind myself that in nature everything is random. It must be my years spent as an accountant because I still struggle with this.   I also moved the little tree to be growing behind the reeds instead of almost floating in water.

4.  I finished off my edits by embellishing the foreground and the little area in front of the canoe by adding a few fallen logs jetting out of the water and some rocks.  Almost every element added has to cast a reflection on the water so you can see I have duplicated the impression of the shape in the water.

I hope you enjoyed this little before and after comparison.  The new and improved "At the Rivers Bend" is currently added to my exhibit and is on display at the Boulder City Art Gallery.  I will soon be making the image available on my website at JulieTownsendStudio.com.  Just contact me if you questions about this or any of my other works.  

Thank you for stopping by and spending a few minutes of your day with me and my blog.

Rodents Wreaking Ravages & Ruin

Enjoying the Classics

I had so much fun this week doing this little  8 x 10 (Matted to 11 x 14) sketch that I'm calling "Enjoying the Classics".  I know mice are destructive little creatures and having several of them in your home or in our case, our camper can be quite a concern.  I was told by my husband just this morning that he could hear chewing during the night when he decided to spend the night out in the camper, enjoying the cool night air.   Oh boy....those sharp little teeth can really wreaking havoc on your electrical wires so you can rest assured we will be baiting several mouse traps tonight with a generous portion of peanut butter.  Hopefully we discovered this problem before any real damage has been done.

Despite their destructiveness, I find them to be cute little creatures.  Big round beady eyes, soft whiskered pink nose and tiny nimble fingers all add to their adorableness.  (Sorry if you are those individuals that jump on your chair at the sight of them but I don't scream when I see a spider either.  I usually try to capture the spiders and release them back outside because they are great bug hunters.) I also understand that if you are a true book lover, the sight of a destroyed book may bring you a moment of sadness, but I ask you to cast aside all your preconceived prejudices and appreciate the obvious cuteness of this composition.  

My favorite part of this piece is that I actually took the extra effort to painstakingly write portions of the text from the classic novel "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck in tiny little print.  The names of the main characters, Lenny and George are clearly visible on the scrap of paper held firmly in the hands of our little ravenous rodent.  

The original artwork is still available at the time of the writing of this blog, but prints and art greeting cards are available on the gallery tab on my website at Julie Townsend Studio.  Feel free to poke around and check out the rest of my gallery to see my other works of art.  

Blogging about Beautiful Bovines

Fence Post Curiosity

Well my "Down Country Roads" show has been hung at the gallery and it looks GREAT!  The Boulder City Art Gallery is such a beautiful gallery to begin with and Regina Marvin, the gallery director helped me so much with getting my artwork up and ready for display.  

Now I am so excited for the reception next Sunday, April 10th.  I will be making my much requested cheese ball and their will be an assortment of lovely snacks provided by other gallery artists in attendance.

I've worked really hard to make lots of art greeting cards and art magnets available so that there will be plenty of fun smaller items available for purchase. Let's not forget all those cowbells I painted up special for this show.  

I was thrilled when I sold 7 art cards before I even had all the art work hung up on Friday.  I just received a call on Sunday that my featured piece, "Fence Post Curiosity" has already been sold on day 2 of the artwork on display. I am beyond thrilled!  

With all that done, I'm turning my attention now to painting my entries into the Helldorado Rodeo Art Show that is at the end of this month.  I have committed to having 3 pieces finished to enter and I'm going to give it my best try to have another large 24 x 36 inch piece ready.  This time my idea is of a horse being fed at the fence line a carrot by a child.  That will be a challenge for sure.  I'm sure as I begin the painting process I will share my progress here so checking back in the next few weeks.

Heading Home

The first piece that I have completed is a 12 x 24 acrylic painting that I am calling "Heading Home".  This piece was inspired by a photo taken by a high school classmate that obviously loves riding horses. They appear to take vacations with them and the reference photo I used for this piece is just such a time.  A photo between the ears is such a great perspective that I couldn't resist trying to capture that experience.  In my mind I could feel the emotion of both the rider and his beloved horse as they come into sight of home.  To add interest to the composition I had to add a curious Holstein looking up from her grazing in the tall pasture grass as they pass by.  

Who Needs a Tissue

Often as I am working on a piece I will using sketching as a way to practice and work out specific areas of my composition.  This adorable pen and ink sketch called "Who needs a Tissue" is a perfect example.  In my piece, "Fence Post Curiosity" I wanted the Jersey cow to be licking her nose.  Kind of a disgusting practice but one that cows do often.  Here I have tried to make this yucky nose licking activity cute and adorable.  Sometimes these drawings actually work out to become artwork of their own and get matted and framed.  The original of this particular piece is still available along with prints, art greeting cards and art magnets.  Check them out on my Country Store on my website .

I can say it has been a season of bovines in my studio.  Besides these last two paintings outlined above I decided to add a piece using pen and ink and colored pencil into the Helldorado Art Show. This is a medium that doesn't seem to be utilized by most artists.  The oil and acrylic entries are numerous but a sketches are few in number.  This 8 x 10 matted to 11 x 14 piece is called "Resting Before the Rodeo" and features a powerful Brahma bull taking a rest in the hours before the nights events.  

I grew up loving the rodeo.  Mainly because my father had been a professional bull and bare back rider in his MUCH younger days.  He loved watching the rodeo and we would travel every summer to Coffeyville, Kansas to attend the rodeo and visit with my Uncle Richard.  I was so proud because my Uncle Richard Diveley had a great singing voice and was always given the task each year of singing the National Anthem at the opening night of the Rodeo.  Such great childhood memories that are connected to the rodeo.  The rodeo is such a thrilling sport and like most spectators, I loved the bull riding event the most and because it brings the greatest level of excitement.  Those beautiful creatures and pure power, muscle and meanness.  

I loved sitting right next to the fence in hopes that the angry charging bull would run past me with inches and a small wire fence separating me from imminent danger.  Sometimes, if I was lucky they would fling the arena dirt all over me as they thundered past and I couldn't help but scream a little.  The rescue riders and the brave rodeo clowns making every effort to draw the bull away from the cowboy and to the exit gate.  Some bulls would comply quickly but others would make them work for it.  Making several passes around the arena to the delight and cheers of the crowd.  

I hope you enjoyed seeing my bovine line-up as much as I've enjoyed creating them.  Please check out my website to see more of my work.

Resting Before the Rodeo

It's Not Done Until You Put on the Dust Cover

Tools I used for finishing off the backs of my art work

I am always on a quest to bring my art to a higher level and there are steps to finishing off your artwork once it is created. These last steps are just so important to the presentation of your art and in many cases are often ignored.   My good artist friend Lily shared with me recently how she had observed that a framing shop she had patronized used a fabric as the dust cover to the pieces they framed.  This dust cover consisted of the black fabric that you find underneath your upholstered furniture and that she was switching from using paper (which easily tears) to using fabric to cover the back of all her work.

I ordered a bag of this upholstery material from Amazon and yesterday was my first opportunity to give it a try.  It turned out to be somewhat of a two man project to get the fabric attached but all in all I'm pretty pleased with the ending results.  When we opened the bag and got a closer look at the fabric we realized this looked very similar to a large roll of landscape fabric that we have.  I'm going to give that a try next to see if it works as well.  If so, the local garden store or hardware store may be my new supplier.

I first laid down a thin layer of adhesive using my Scotch brand Advance Tape Glider gun to the 4 sides of the canvas and in my case down the center support bar.  All of the pieces that I was working with yesterday measure 24 x 36 and I had 4 of them to finish off.  

Then my husband guided the long edge of the canvas to match the finished edge of the fabric while I held up the rest of the canvas to prevent it from sticking.  Once he had laid his edge down and was satisfied the everything was lined up, he took the canvas and held it while I stretch and smoothed the rest of the surface as tight as I could.  Happy with how the fabric was going to lay we dropped the other three sides onto the fabric so that the adhesive and fabric were now united.  We pressed down firmly all the sides assuring that the bond was good.

Now came the fun part.  Using my Fiskars fingertip craft knife,  I proceeded to cut the 3 edges, careful not to cut the canvas or myself in the process.  Logan makes a special dust cover trimmer that I plan to try out but the Fiskars cutter worked sufficiently for this job and I got a little more proficient at the process with each new piece.

We then flipped the piece over and my husband then used a staple gun to apply a staple at each corner while I prepared the certificate of authenticity that was to be attached.  I cut a 3 hole sheet protector in half and remove the holes to make a sturdy plastic sleeve that holds my certificate nicely and then I attach it to the back of my artwork using my Scotch Advanced Tape Glider gun.  We decided to allow the one corner staple to secure the certificate just to make sure it would stay attached and not fall off.  As you know when you are transporting artwork, no matter how careful you think you are being, there is always a problem with tags and dust cover paper being torn or falling off.  I feel that this fabric is much more durable and I like the professional way it looks.  

Now it's time to add the D-rings and hanging wire.  I measure 1/3 the way down on the canvas to install the D-rings and I use size 4 soft hanging wire.  I bought a large spool that measures 850 ft on Amazon and am so happy with that investment.  I hate the quality of the wire that you can purchase at the local craft and hardware stores and when you paint as much as I do, those small packages are always running out.  With 850' of wire,  I think I might have enough wire now to last me through the zombie apocalypse.

I would love to hear from you if you have questions or found this article helpful or if you have tried other products or have a process you think works better for finishing off your artwork.  I might include your information in a future blog post.  Leave me a comment here or email me.  Also feel free to check out my website for all my available artwork at Julie Townsend Studio or my Etsy Store at Julie Townsend Studio Etsy Store

To make this supper easy for you, I have included all the links to the tools and supplies I used :

Scotch Advanced Tape Glider

Fiskars Fingertip Craft Knife

Picture Wire

D-Rings

Dust Cover Upholstery Fabric

Heading Home

Heading Home- 12 x 24 Original Acrylic

Every year at this time I turn my focus to my entries into the annual Helldorado Art Show and Rodeo that is put on by the Elks Club here in Las Vegas.  It is about the best art show I have participated in and again this year I am looking forward to adding my entries to the assortment of great Western art that I know will be there. It is a great afternoon.

In this piece that I just finished,  I am trying to capture the excitement and strong emotion felt by both horse and rider as home comes into sight.  The curious cow paused from her grazing to stare as they quickly pass by.  

Even before urging from the rider, the horse has picked up his ears and quickened his pace.  His long black mane flows outward as it begins catching the breeze as he trots down that familiar road.  There is cool water, oats and sweet alfalfa waiting inside the doors of the big red barn.  The rider knows that very soon the aroma of his dinner cooking should soon begin filling the afternoon breeze.  It was a good run  and both horse and rider have enjoyed the freedom of their time together, but now it is time to be heading home.  

To see more about this and my other work, check out my gallery on my website at  Julie Townsend Studio Gallery

GRAB and GO STUDIO

In an earlier post I mentioned that I would talk about my portable art studio in a bag and so this morning I took this photo of all the contents spread out so that I could show you what elements  have added to my bag that I carry almost everywhere I go.

• The BAG- I purchased this small shoulder bag at the local Wal-mart store for about $8.00.  It has several pockets and some sections inside to help keep my thing organized.  It is large enough that I can add small sketchbooks and even my iPad but not so large that I'm tempted to bring things I don't really need.  Not shown here but often in the bag is either my 24 piece Prismacolor 24 colored pencils or my Sakura watercolors field sketch kit, depending on what I'm doing.  
• CREATIVE JOURNAL- I try to always have my creative journal close at hand.  You never know when a creative idea is going to strike and the last thing you want to do is write some life changing genius idea down on a napkin that will be discarded at some point without your knowledge.  Your great idea along with it.  
• SKETCHBOOKS- I have two small artistic journals and a sketchbook that will allow me a creative surface no matter where I am.
• ASSORTED DRAWING UTENSILS-  I think you can tell that I am partial to Prismacolor because my little can of drawing utensils have both multiple pens and pencils all from Prismacolor.  I have a kneadable eraser, pencil sharpener, a white Gelly roll pen, 2 painting brushes and 2 sizes of stumps for blending.  They are all housed in a little tin container that had beautiful hummingbird greeting cards in that I bought at Ross a number of years ago.  It's a perfect size and doesn't seem to give me problems with coming open when I don't want it to.  Functional and pretty, that's a win win in my book. 
• CHARGER- I have an extra iPad and phone charging cords so that I can't be far from technology if my battery starts to run low.
• MARKETING MATERIAL- I carry a few business cards, some invitations to my upcoming show and a few greeting cards I can give away if the opportunity arises.   VERY IMPORTANT!  Unless you are very successful as an artist or very wealthy and you can hire a manager, you are your own marketing staff.  Make it a habit to always have your business cards and giveaways with you. 

My Portable GRAB AND GO Art Studio in a Shoulder Bag