Hollyhock Paintings

Why hello there!  Hope you are enjoying your summer.  It has been divine for the most part!  I am finishing up two of my FINAL masters classes and then I should be DONE!  Hooray!  It has taken me three years but I have almost done it!

Anyways...so I have been super duper busy this past year with Little "I", teaching art full time, finishing up my masters and MOVING!  Yes, we sold our lovely Cleveland Cottage and have moved into a WONDERFUL place.  It is not permanent but it is perfect for us right now until we buy or build our dream house (because I am never moving ever again!)

So back to being busy.  I have had no time at all to do artwork for myself.  I have only been able to work on things that pertained to school.  My school art style is different from my own personal style seen in my store.  High school kids are very picky about art.  Everything has to look semi realistic.  That is generally not my style but I have tweaked it so that I can assist my lovely students.

So that being said, here is a painting exercise I did to show the importance of completing an underpainting.  The underpainting I used here was burnt umber.

Here is my final hollyhock painting I completed using acrylic paint.  I used the monochromatic burnt umber underpainting for this one as well.

I actually gave this painting to my mom for her cottage on Lake Erie.  The reference picture I used was actually a picture I took on the island my parents have their cottage on.  It is one of my most favorite pictures!

If you would like to see how to complete a monochromatic underpainting you can check out a video I made on doing one here.


Well I hope you have a lovely rest of your day!  I am hoping to go to the cottage this weekend and hopefully take some great pictures for more paintings!

Rainy Friday= Productive work day

Hello!  I have been on spring break for the past week (sadly it ends Monday!) and have been truly lucky with the weather for the most part.  All last week it was in the high 70's and low 80's!  However, I did not get anything done art-wise because ALL I wanted to do was sit in the sun and read!  Yesterday was not such a pretty day though.   Thankfully I was actually able to get some painting done!  Here is one painting that I think I almost finished:

I still need to work on the fruit and bench a little more but it is almost there (I think!)

And here is another painting I did in the style of Andre Derain.  He is an amazing French painter who used color much like Matisse.  I am currently obsessed with his art right now!  Here is my interpretation of  his Blue Oak painting (which I can't find a picture of online for some reason!)

So I was actually happy that it was kind of gross out yesterday so that I could focus and get some painting done!  I forgot how therapeutic painting is for me:) Well the sun is shining out right now so I am off to go running but I have a feeling that the painting bug is here to stay and I might do some more painting today!  Have a lovely Saturday!

Summer Art Studio!

Hello! Hope everyone is having a fantastic week so far! I only have three more weeks of school (not counting this week!) and I am so ready for summer! Last weekend I even opened up my summer art studio...



This is a little room off of our garage that has the perfect amount of space and light to be my painting studio! I just love it! Let me take you on a little tour...


This is my little table that I got for $10 at a garage sale and painted white! Perfect table for collaging on...I try to keep it clean!

Next up is the view of my backyard:


In the summer I have a beautiful garden that I overlook...right now there is not too much going on though!


Here is where I sit when I want to relax a little and think about what I will paint next:




Look at these beautiful lilacs I picked to put in my art room:



Here are some paintings I am currently working on....I hope to finish them soon. I am planning on adding lots of collage on top of the painted canvases.





I will post the finished paintings when I am done! Have a great night! I am off to get ready to watch LOST!

Mental Vacation

Michigan City sunset painting


My camera is unfortunately dead. The battery needs to be recharged and of course the charger is at school. So...no 10 minute sketch for today. I am going to do one and post it for tomorrow along with Monday's 10 minute sketch. So I thought that since I am in a very cold, snowy place, I would take a fun little mental vacation. I am going to post some fun pictures I took when I was in Indiana in August. Two of my aunts who live in Chicago have summer cottages on Lake Michigan and I have been visiting every summer since I was 9. It is one of my most favorite places to go. It has a beautiful sandy beach, grassy dunes and a great outlet mall. What more could you ask for?

Here is the back of one of my aunt's cottage. It is right across from Lake Michigan and reminds me of a quaint English cottage. Those are my brothers on the back porch.


This is my aunt's lovely little garden


Close up


This painting was actually inspired by my aunt's angel statue in her garden. It is one of my favorite little paintings that I have done. It is something I would never sell, it is very meaningful to me.


Here is the beach and all of the beautiful dune grass

More beach...I just love the red and white umbrella!


Painting inspired by the dunes...I always feel so inspired when I am in Michigan City


Painting of boats on the beach



Ok, I feel better. I really needed that mental vacation. I am so sick of the snow! Hope everyone is staying warm!

Intro to Art Projects

Here are some of my Intro to Art students' early exam projects. At my school the art department is allowed to give a project to students for their exams. If the students finish the project they do not have to come in during the exam period. It works really well to motivate students to work!

For the early exam project students were to draw a collection of 7 items from observation. They could use their favorite medium or combination of media (we previously worked with all different kind of media such as paint, charcoal, pencil, pen, oil pastels and colored pencils on other projects.) I had in class a box of wooden shapes, a collection of glass bottles, a box of shoes and fake flowers. If they wanted to bring in their own collection they could. My main objective was to have students draw from observation and to shade the objects to make them appear 3-D. I will be posting this lesson to my educator page if you want to check back for it.



Shapes done with pencil


Shapes done in ink on a light gray painted background


There is always one really creative student! This was done with oil pastels on a painted background.


My bulletin board of shapes (this was a popular item to draw apparently!)


Art supplies done with ink on a painted background


Perfume bottles done with a charcoal pencil on a painted background

Watercolor Sketches

Wow! 2 posts in one day! I will even be posting one of my 10 minute sketches later so that will make 3 posts! I am posting some watercolor sketches my painting students completed awhile ago. I had them hanging on a bulletin board and was unable to photograph them well. These sketches allowed students to play around with watercolors and try different techniques such as masking fluid, rubbing alcohol, salt and lifting out colors. If you would like to see a cool site that has a ton of free demonstrations on these techniques, click here.. If you still have not entered my art giveaway please do so!!!! You can enter here.

What is Beauty?

Here is my painting class's next project- I copied and pasted right from the handout I am giving them.

Some quick background info: We have been working with watercolors for the past month and our next big painting assignment is to create an artwork that illustrates what the student thinks is considered beautiful. I like to keep things pretty vague so that the student can really be creative and not have a ton of restrictions. I also showed students a powerpoint on Robert Rauschenberg a Pop artist who used a lot of transfer techniques, assemblage and collage in his art.

This assignment is to help in the brainstorm process for the “What is Beauty” painting assignment. It is also meant to be a unique work of art in it’s own right at the end of the process.

Steps to complete the collage:


1.Collect 10 (depending on size) images that relate to what you perceive beauty to be from magazines, newspapers, images printed from online or personal photographs. Give me at least one to photocopy for packing tape transfer method.

2. Stretch or tape your watercolor paper on your board. Alter your watercolor paper (backing for your collage) using at least one texture technique (sponging, salt, saran wrap, alcohol, stamping, scratching, spraying) Let DRY!

3. Illustrate at least one of your images with watercolor and ink on either tagboard, construction paper or newspaper. Make your illustration at least 4 x 4 inches or bigger. You may abstract this illustration from the original picture.

4. Alter 3 images by either a) cutting something out from the image b) painting on top of your image with watercolors or acrylic or c) drawing over the image with sharpie.

5. Complete at least one packing tape transfer with one of your photocopied images (remember step 1!) Remember to not do this in the sink-it will clog it!

6. Create your own what is beauty image. Draw from a photograph or observation on watercolor paper an object that represents beauty to you. Use watercolors and charcoal pencil. Make sure your image is at least 4 x 4 inches.

7. Once you have followed all of these directions begin to organize your new and improved images! Create an interesting composition on your watercolor paper. Include all of your images (at least 5). You may further cut and crop any pictures to make your collage flow.

8. When you are satisfied with your collage, glue images down onto the taped/stretched paper with matte medium. Add layers of acrylic or watercolor paint over some of your images to make them unified with the artwork.


9. You may add more collage items on top of your collage if you feel it needs it. Other options include adding 3d elements such as twine, string, little trinkets, ribbon to create an interesting textural effect.



I have been playing around with an example for this project to show students and this is what I have done so far...it is not finished but on its way!








My ideas of beauty include nature, innocence, wonder, hope, spirituality. I cut out images such as deer, a little boy and his dog looking out the window, trees, birds, etc. I used scrabble pieces and collaged a bird and an apple on them. I liked the 3-D elements they gave this piece. I am going to continue working on it today (if I ever get off the computer!) and will post more pictures later!

What are images/words that symbolize beauty to you?

Christmas Ornaments

Christmas is nearly upon us! I don't know about you but this year I am all about the handmade gift! I am getting sick of how Christmas is becoming all about buying people "stuff" that has no meaning whatsoever.

Recently I went to Michael's craft/art store and purchased these lovely little ornaments to decorate.




I painted the ornaments first with acrylic paint and then collaged images I cut out from my hand-painted papers. Next I added some details with payne's gray and white colored paint. I am going to try to finish some more today- I still need to loop a pretty ribbon through the top so I can hang them.

Little red bird



This one was inspired by some of Henri Matisse's paper cut- outs:


Another little red bird


What are you making this holiday season?

Landscape Video 2

Final landscape painting






This is the second installment to my landscape painting video series. The first one was posted last Tuesday. That video was just my underpainting. This video shows me painting the first layer of color over the underpainting. There is not any major detail shown yet. I am saving that for the final landscape painting video! Wow 3 videos! I did all of these videos with my mac laptop. I still have a LOT to learn! The whole reason I started doing these videos was so that I could upload them for my students to watch for a demonstration. That way I was not taking up the whole class time painting! Tell me what you think, I really value your opinion!

Thanks!