Tonya Vollertsen My Slice of Art and Life

An Odd Mix. Some Works in Progress.

2012-01-23T05:37:00.000-06:00

Reworking an older painting on Bristol plate paper 22X30

Happy New Year to everyone! I wish you all a creative and prosperous 2012.

I have in the last couple of years been in keeping with the idea of working on a painting until I like it myself and would want to keep it and look at it everyday if it was hanging on my own wall. In fact I do actually hang them on my living room wall and live with them until I either think of something else they need, get sick of looking at it and take it back to the studio to figure out or "that nice boy I married" gets sick of looking at it and asks if I have anything new to look at. If no one is tired of it and it sits there until there is something else to take it's place, I deem it satisfactory and don't mess with it anymore.
That probably seems like the logical process now that I say it that way but what I used to do was get an idea for a painting, execute it, evaluate it for content and completeness according to the original plan and then call it finished. If I didn't like it or think it turned out as planned I just gave up on it. I never wanted to, for example, add acrylic to a traditional watercolor or collage to a painting of any medium unless it started out as a college project. I would never crop a painting to make it better or add line or anything that wasn't part of the original plan. My new attitude is if it's not working, start thinking outside the box and use whatever necessary to make it a better painting. I was very hung up on "Well it's a watercolor so I can't fix it or that is cheating." I like Chagall's quote of "I work with whatever medium likes me at the moment" and I will add my own "I like whatever process and medium gets me to an image I am satisfied with in the end"
I find that I am confusing people by doing what they perceive as several different styles of work but I am actually using abstraction to make my mind think differently in my figurative work. The abstractions started out as a means to an end but I discovered that not only did they help my other work but I really like the process and the paintings themselves and other people like them too. I usually have up to 10 paintings in the works at the same time so to me they all seem like they relate as I go from one to the other depending on which one I have figured out what to do next on. My methods are working for me and I am finding that I'm not that concerned if I fit into the basic "artist" mold. By letting go of some of those restraints and rules, I am finding the fun and excitement of painting again which I had lost for a while. What's your story?

Watercolor on Coldpress paper. Abstracted realism 22X30

Mixed media on Hot press watercolor coated with gold gesso
14X18

Actually, another older painting that was unfinished
on Yes! Canvas 30X14

Like Birthing a Baby!

2011-10-11T09:09:00.000-05:00

I don't know if this is any better but I like it better now. I am reminded of the saying "when you don't know how to paint, painting is so easy.... the more you know, the harder it gets!" LOL! Okay, I paraphrased. Your thoughts are welcome as always. Mixed Media on Canvas 30"X40".

Wild imaginings!

2011-08-10T14:36:00.000-05:00

This was from the same plate as the previous print.

New monotype with Chine' Collage'

2011-07-25T09:47:00.002-05:00

Something new. My mother was an English teacher so this has some collage pieces and other details that refer to that. That is her in the transfer image.

Slow News Month in Bahrain?

2011-06-20T00:35:00.000-05:00

Wow, this Magazine gave me a full page and mentioned my camel paintings on the cover!

Abstract in Progress

2011-06-06T08:40:00.000-05:00

Mixed Media on Canvas 30"X40"

This is mixed media on Canvas. Still working on it.

Watercolor but not

2011-06-06T08:04:00.000-05:00

Watermedia on Watercolor Canvas 24"X30"

I worked on this painting on the 'Yes Canvas' some more. I also added some Thai News print in a transfer method( I learned on Junky Trinkets blog) in an attempt to bring an edge and mystery to an otherwise traditional looking painting.

Here is a close up of some of the transfer. This was a very large transfer and I wasn't sure it was going to work out for a while there. It was a lot of work removing the paper. I think it ads some interest in the details without taking away from the overall image. Let me know what you think.

Wasn't on my Bucket list but it's kinda fun!

2011-05-17T23:42:00.000-05:00

Front cover of Bahrain Monthly Magazine

The page with my small mention on the right

I don't think I ever woke up in the morning thinking "Ya know,
I really think I would like to be published in a Middle Eastern Magazine" but life is just full of surprises!
The article is very small on the right hand side with a little part of one of my Monotypes and the information about my show At World Beat Cafe here in Bahrain.
Also in the Gulf Daily News.

Article in Gulf Daily News paper, Upper left.

You know you're not in Kansas anymore when...

2011-04-13T04:39:00.000-05:00

During the worst part of the demonstrations here in Bahrain, the company sent all the women and children to Dubai to wait until things settled down a bit. So while staying in the very nice Kempinski hotel in the Mall of the Emirates (the mall that has the indoor ski slope!) I had lots of time to shop and site see.
I was so thrilled when I wandered into a bookstore in the mall and found some art magazines! I haven't had my mits on an American Artist magazine for months and when I got back to my room and eagerly started reading my treasured find, this is what I found!

Definately a "Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore" moment!

Bahrain Pearl Roundabout under siege this morning!

2011-03-16T01:33:00.002-05:00

My view of the smoke from burning tents as the Saudi Army attempts to clear the protesters from the Pearl Roundabout also known erroneously as "Pearl Square". We pray and watch between what is going on around us and the news from Japan where our youngest son, daughter in-law and their son are living.

Watercolor Experiment, Floating Market Thailand

2011-01-20T03:55:00.000-06:00

Watercolor Canvas (YES Brand) 24X30 Watercolor and Acrylic mat medium

I've worked on this new watercolor canvas called 'Yes' Canvas before, as you may remember but haven't actually used it as a "traditional watercolor" substructure before. I usually do some abstract mixed media type stuff on them. I have wanted to create a very large watercolor and have had a 45X45" piece of watercolor paper stretched out and ready to begin in my studio since July or August but every time I look at it the idea of framing it gives me cold feet and I go work on something else. So I decided to experiment on a 'Yes' Canvas to see if I could get the look of traditional watercolor I want without having to deal with the size and weight of traditional framing afterword. Of course I often make some big mistake by getting ahead of myself and this project was no different. I actually painted this whole underpainting in watercolor instead of using acrylic as watercolor. For those unfamiliar with the properties of watercolor this means that the paint is resoluble and will lift if you re wet it unlike acrylic. On watercolor paper this isn't such a big problem as you usually have to agitate the surface quite a bit to lift the paint significantly and it has to get pretty wet as well. On this 'Yes' Canvas the dry paint lifts instantly when touched with a wet brush! I realized my mistake as I tried to begin my second layer with more wet watercolor. I then realized that I should have used acrylic as watercolor instead which would have solved two problems. The lifting of each layer and how to protect the finished painting. I didn't want to completely start over so I decided to see if I could lightly paint a coat of liquid gel mat medium over this layer without lifting the watercolor too badly. It wasn't easy because the paint lifts so easily on this canvas surface but I finally managed even though it did blur the paint in some areas. Now I am ready to continue but I will not make the mistake again and will go forth with thin layers of acrylic instead of using the traditional watercolors. We'll see how it goes. I thoroughly enjoyed working on this surface with the watercolor up to the point when I tried to add the second layer so am very encouraged that I my be able to create my very large watercolor on a Yes canvas. I would love to hear if about any experience you have had working with this product.

Playing around with Picasso's Camel

2010-10-25T01:10:00.003-05:00

Picasso's Camel

My version

a sampling of the preliminary sketches

I didn't even know Picasso had a camel actually, but I saw it on a tea set at a friend's house and thought it was a great design idea for a repeatable image. I figured if it is on a tea set it probably is not copy righted, but still I would rather come up with my own stuff rather than just repeat someone else's image. One of the main things I didn't like about Picasso's version was that it has two humps and the camels here in Bahrain have only one. I wasn't particularly fond of the head either as it looks more like a llama to me. The other thing is that the camels hold their heads even with or lower than their hump most of the time in my observance. The camels feet are like big cleft thick pancakes that spread out all the way around the leg as they step. Their bellies protrude and their hips are really small through the flank area.
So I set about making my own version. I drew and redrew and redrew some more. I bet I have drawn this out over a hundred times and it is still not perfect! It is amazing how the tiniest variation makes such a difference when you are dealing with such a simple design. When I drew the camel too close to reality (much more spread out from head to tail) then the design wasn't as interesting. I had to compromise back and forth trying to perfect the image so that it was both recognizable as a camel around here and a pleasing design element. I wonder how many times Picasso drew his out. Probably only once... I guess that's what makes him Picasso! LOL!

More from the same series

2010-08-30T07:09:00.000-05:00

Forth in Series

As with the first three prints that I posted yesterday
I just continued each successive print from the previous print's ghost, adding new elements as I went along.

Fifth

Sixth

Something New

2010-08-29T05:23:00.002-05:00

First in series

Second in Series

I decided to play around with the camel stamps I made and just see what came up and here is the result. I just kept reworking the ghost plate from each pull and so there are several variations on the original theme.

Third in Series

Wow! Thanks for the support!

2010-08-21T09:27:00.001-05:00

I am so humbled and amazed that there are actually 101 people out there that are willing to regularly come check in on my blog and check my progress from time to time! Geez, I will have to get back to work so there is something for you to follow! LOL! Actually you are all a big part of my art world especially as I use my blog as an incentive to keep working since I have been moving around so much lately. Sometimes you just need a push to keep going kind of like having a workout partner in an exercise program. All of your input and comments mean so much to me and are so uplifting. Thanks so much to all of you, I really appreciate your following my blog!

Camel vs. Aspen!

2010-08-11T11:54:00.000-05:00

Too funny! I just realized that the pose of this camel is almost exactly the pose of
my little studio dog, Aspen! Am I attracted to the same pose in all animals? Hmmm.
A Series perhaps?.....We'll see, I am so predictable after all! LOL!

Birth of Venus as a Camel?

2010-08-08T02:11:00.000-05:00

I think with a shell under her... Okay, maybe it just felt like a birthing! It's not always easy to make an image in stamp or print form, at least for me. There are just so many ways you could go with the design.

This is the same camel that I used for the monoprint with the camel. I liked her pose. I have other camel images I am working with from different views. This image is 5.25".

Here is a view of the stamps themselves and the image test page. I thought these smaller camels in a
line would make good design pattern elements that could be versatile.

Confession of a stalled artist!

2010-08-01T12:50:00.000-05:00

I have been spending a lot of time in my studio looking at stuff I have got started but can't go forward with. I should show you photos of all my working surfaces so you can see what all i have got going on, but not! LOL! Man oh man, there is a lot of contemplation that goes on before the light comes on here in the center of my universe. It is uncomfortable if not painful. Kind of like trying to swallow a pill that will not go down! I'm listening to Cheryl Crow's Shine over Babylon as a coincidence! LOL! Better art prospects to all my Arty friends! (heart)

Kyle finished

2010-07-11T08:14:00.000-05:00

Don't know if you can see a difference but I did add quite a bit more as far as color and deepening the darks. Changed the background blue to a cooler shade to play off the warm lights in the face. I also realized that the picture plane was divided almost exactly in half in the original version so I cropped it in the photograph. Let me know your thoughts on that or anything else about it. Again this is watercolor and gouache on 500 ply Bristol Plate and is 11X17 inches.

"My Own Personal Jesus"? Nope, just Kyle.

2010-07-07T10:28:00.000-05:00

This is a painting I actually started in Grand Junction but originally drew out from a model session in Texas. This guy and his wife were both great models and I really miss having access to them as subjects. I loved his dread locks and beard which he has since cut short and shaved. What a shock that must have been!
This is still in progress, and you may remember the beginning photo of it from several posts back. It's watercolor and gouache on 11"X 20 Bristol Plate. I love working on this surface and I particularly like the milky quality of the gouache. This is a pretty simple painting I guess, but I was drawn to the great glow of light coming through the hair around his face etc. Didn't want anyone to think I was slacking over here so thought I'd give a WIP update since I tend to skip around on several works while letting others stew a bit.
Don't worry, more camels to come! I just got some great new photos of some very personable camel pals.

Crows to Camels! (3rd off the hand press)

2010-06-29T09:09:00.000-05:00

Okay, I went to the camel farm and saw all these really fascinating animals and then I was trying to get something on paper

to just get started back into making art. It's very hard to get back to work after a move for some reason. I dunno, dragging yourself half way across the world shouldn't be that big a deal, right? On my own defense, I am getting better, I mean this is only my 4th week and I have already produced something, questionable as it may be, that's pretty good considering it's usually taken a year or two to get back in the studio in the past after a major move like this! I'm feeling pretty good about that! This is not really what I had in mind for camel interpretation but I learned some things. This is the first time I have worked directly with a brush painting an image on the plate. I used a piece of Bahraini news paper as a Chine Colle' collage piece and unfortunately don't have any spray adhesive due to the fact that the shipping company wont' ship anything under pressure. Imagine that! So, I used matt medium which is sort of wet and it made the paper stick to the plate instead of the printing paper. I had to rewind and repress then heat the back of the paper with a hair dryer to get the collage background piece to adhere to the paper and let go of the plate. Ahhh, printing on the cutting edge! LOL! I feel sort of like the McGuiver of my personal art corner.

Seriously distracting view from my new studio!

2010-06-21T04:43:00.000-05:00

Will have to get used to this view so I don't just stand gaping out the window with my mouth open all day. LOL!

Greetings from Bahrain

2010-06-12T03:24:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the long delay between posts. Have moved to Bahrain. New art as soon as I get my studio set up.

2nd pull from hand press

2010-04-18T13:50:00.002-05:00

I didn't really like this one at first but after hanging on my studio wall for a few days it has kind of grown on me. Let me know what you think.
I actually got a reversal of my small bird image by stamping the inked image onto some mylar and then transferring that to the plate. It worked great and made it a lot easier than carving another stamp. I used the same method to get the words to print in the right direction.
I also found a simple way to transfer my photo image to the stamp for carving. I placed a piece of the mylar over the photo and traced it in with a marker. I then laid the wet side down onto the carving material surface and rubbed it with my fingers to transfer the image. So much easier than trying to trace it off!

First Monotype off of Hand Press!

2010-04-07T11:54:00.001-05:00

This is my first hand pulled monotype and a photo of my set up. I got in a little bit of a hurry and didn't get my registrations drawn in straight. You can see how the plate is not straight on the paper. I used my bird stamps again. My studio space it not very big and now I am layering work surfaces! LOL! You can see in the lower photo the piece of foam core board with the ink and rollers up on the drafting table. While I am inking the plate I have that down on top of the printing area. Then when I am ready to print I lift the board to the drafting table so I can use the printing surface. I pressed this with a metal rolling pin. It worked great and I even got the indention from the plate. I am quite pleased especially considering how much trouble it was to get all the right stuff gathered for this deceptively simple process.

Crow Stamps

2010-03-31T15:18:00.001-05:00

I liked my crow photos that I put in my monotypes so much that I thought It might be interesting to have a stamp of them that I could include into an underpainting etc. in other works. They were fun to carve and very easy. I thought I would show them to you and the part of an underpainting in which I tried them out. I may do a little more work on them as I see a few changes I would make. I made a smaller version turned one way and then a larger version turned the other way. I will probably make one with the profile image as well. These two images were printed by inking the stamp with acrylic paint.

More Monotypes

2010-03-20T13:42:00.000-05:00

The color must be off on one of these as the paper used is exactly the same and same color.

Pokrasso Class

2010-03-12T17:34:00.001-06:00

Here are a couple of Mono types with Chine` Collage` that I learned how to do in the Ron Prokrasso Class I took last week.
Very interesting technique and new way (for me) to put images and paint to paper.
  I learned how to lay water compatible Akua intaglio inks onto an acrylic plate and run through a press with added collage pieces within the same printing process.
  Unfortunately, now I want a press. Always something new out there to lust after.
  These two images were done from the same original plate. The colors are much lighter after the first run through the press so then you take that "ghost " ink and rework it with more ink into another print.
  I have tried for a long time to get some good photos of crows but have only finally come up with these two images and one other that I also used in another print, on my phone camera. Go Figure! Had to photo shop them just a bit and then sent them to my friend who printed them onto mulberry paper for me. The tree image I printed myself on rice paper which crinkled up in my printer, thus the blank streaks which absolutely made the image work for me. Talk about your happy accidents; Or as Pokrasso calls them "gifts". Either way, works for me!

If Wishes Were Horses, Beggars Would Ride

2010-03-10T22:26:00.001-06:00

As requested, here is a better view of the sculpture from the last post. My sculpture instructor and Mentor Madeline Wiener would be ashamed at the condition of this piece but she was and still is a fabulous teacher and mentor. She now conducts the Marble Marble workshops in Marble Colorado where students come from all over the country to work on a piece of pure white marble from the quary that most of the monuments in Washington come from. What a great experience to carve stone in the woods in the mountains of Colorado! There are other sculptors that join her in instruction and of course they are all stellar as well. I actually had the pleasure of learning directly from her in her garage in Aurora Colorado. What a great teacher and such lovely person.

Personal Critic

2010-03-09T14:39:00.000-06:00

Well, lest I get too comfortable or confident there is always
a critic to sit atop my artwork and offer his personal opinion.
LOL! This is an old piece in alabaster that sits in my front yard. It's getting pretty sugary now. I can't believe all the hours I spent wet sanding a perfectly smooth shine on this at one time.
This is titled "If wishes were horses..." I don't know the name of the critic.

Go BIG or go home?

2010-02-26T16:49:00.002-06:00

I'm thinking this still needs work. What are your thoughts? This is 36"X48" gallery wrapped canvas.
I went with a little more structure instead of the atmospheric color fields without boundries I've been leaning toward.

This is the step before

Actually, I think it looks better in this position.

2010-02-12T13:43:00.000-06:00

back to work!

2010-02-12T13:36:00.000-06:00

Progression of the abstract I started a couple of weeks ago.

Thought for the new year!

2010-02-02T18:51:00.000-06:00

"Life is not the way it's supposed to be.. It's the way it is.
The way we cope with it, is what makes the difference.

No matter how badly last year treated you, just walk tall with your head high! LOL! Gotta love this guys Attitude!

I've been moving back to TX from CO so am a little distracted from painting. Be back to blogging soon! Love and Cheer, Tonya

Apple of my eye

2010-01-14T14:29:00.000-06:00

this is from a Saturday model session

It's all good!

2010-01-12T18:29:00.001-06:00

Well, I may not be finished but the panic is over! I am back to loving the elements of this painting and there is a lot more depth and interest now. The blue reads like a light on my monitor whereas in person it reads more as a dark.

Colorado Monument reworked. Dumb things artists do!

2010-01-11T15:45:00.001-06:00

With all that I have on my drawing board and easel, what do I do? I go back and probably mess up a perfectly good painting that was just fine left alone. I kept thinking everything was making my eye run off the page so I "fixed it". LOL! I may have to go back and unfix some of it tomorrow.

Back to work on what's in the works!

2010-01-07T16:39:00.003-06:00

This is what's on my drawing table and easel.

The top is a water media beginning drawing on "Yes" watercolor canvas (love these canvases!) 24"X39"

Next is a watercolor and gouache on my favorite bristol plate paper. 21"X 11".

Last an abstract beginning in acrylic and mixed media on Bristol Plate paper. 22"X 28".

Brave or Stupid?

2009-12-10T15:45:00.000-06:00

I thought this would make such a great photo with
the ledge hanging out over the dramatic landscape. I had planned to get further out on the tip of the ledge but when I tried to go out further I felt like a cat that had been thrown into the water. I just could hardly scramble back out of there fast enough. I'm not really afraid of heights but this is really exactly what it looks like, really high up and no safety features other than my ear muffs! My palms still perspire when I look at these photos! LOL! I'm glad I got them though. This is such a beautiful area to hike.

Colorado Monument

2009-11-23T16:05:00.005-06:00

Its so strange how these paintings look pretty good to me until I see them on the blog. Then I want to change them. I like the colors in this but I'm wondering about some of the marks now. I have a pretty big mac monitor and I wonder how different monitors show the color and depth of layers. I am particularly questioning the dark squiggle in the lower right. I called this Colorado Monument because it reminds me of the view of the Monument I can see out the front door of my temporary home. Although I didn't have any such thing in mind while painting it. I guess I have a pretty good imagination! LOL!

The Monument

This is the painting progression .

Changes on go fly a kite

2009-11-17T17:53:00.001-06:00

After living with this painting I felt it was too busy so I changed it quite a bit. It seems to work in every direction now.
Mixed media on Arches cold press 30"X 22".

Go fly a kite...

2009-11-10T11:40:00.001-06:00

It started out like this... now it looks like this. I really like this in person but am not liking the thumbnail version of it. Seems like it should work well either way. Hmm.... will have to ponder that.

The other thing is I really liked the first version and let it sit for a week and then I got bored with it over the weekend and worked on it some more. I'm thinking of Nick Simmon's words..."first do no harm"... I like both versions so don't know that I helped the painting any but I definitely removed the simplicity of the first, so did I do harm or did I make it better?

Polly Hammett And Virginia Cobb Show

2009-11-05T10:34:00.001-06:00

Two of my favorite Artists and friends, Polly Hammett and Virginia Cobb are having a show of their work along with their daughters at the Jung Center of Houston. If you are in the area be sure not to miss it! November 2-27 2009. Artist Reception Saturday November 7th 6:00 - 8:00 PM

Have several Abstracts in the works

2009-10-31T18:50:00.001-05:00

Here is another small painting I have in the works. Sometimes I sort of like the organized messiness. I find if I try to clean them up too much, they lose the spontaneous parts and the nice textures. I'm liking this one so far but it can always change when I live with it for a few days.
I've been thinking of trying to incorporate some of my figures into the abstracts.

14 x17 Mixed media on Bristol plate

Get on with it already

2009-10-30T17:25:00.001-05:00

This is the latest version of the little canvas from a few days ago. I think last you saw it sort of plaid looking. I may still want to soften some areas. The lower right corner is standing out a little too much maybe. I'll let it stew a while and take another look.

14 x 11 Mixed Media on canvas

Some inspiration

2009-10-24T20:55:00.001-05:00

The small man spends all day making cages for everyone he knows while the wise man, who must duck his head when the moon is low, spends all night dropping keys to free the beautiful rowdy prisoners.

I found this wonderful little tidbit on a great blog I just discovered www.jeane-artit.blogspot.com. This saying uplifted me from something I'm going through right now. Her work is wonderful as well! Check it out.

This painting found a home

2009-10-22T18:34:00.001-05:00

I've been gone for two weeks taking care of some family business so haven't gotten to post anything new. I did sell this painting just as I got it back from the Pearl Museum show of award winning paintings from the Watercolor Society of Houston's International show. I guess "everyone loves a winner" isn't just a saying! It made me very happy considering that I wasn't able to work for two weeks.

More on the Landscape

2009-09-30T18:58:00.002-05:00

This is so painful! I am really not liking this painting yet, ... not unusual but I'm always hopeful that I will have that totally painless painting experience some day. LOL! Anyway this is all I got done in class and the next one is tomorrow so will work on it more then.
This is on 22X30 140lb cold pressed Arches watercolor paper.

Landscape

2009-09-21T14:32:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I've attempted a landscape in Watercolor. I've been working mostly with figures and portraits other than the experimental abstracts that I've really had fun with lately.
This is a painting I started as a demonstration for the
watercolor students at the Art Center. I will mostly be working on it in class and then will post the results as it progresses.
This is looking off to the Mesa, sky and clouds in the distance with the rocks and brush and red dirt in the foreground. I have used watercolor and also acrylic as watercolor in this so far.

Changes

2009-09-20T18:25:00.001-05:00

Did a little more work on this one and at least I actually like it now. I particularly like the opalescence of the layers of paint in both the upper blue parts and the lower right lighter section. It has a lot of nice detail and depth and I don't feel like the upper and lower halves are separate paintings now. I will have to watch it a little longer and see. I do like it better in person than on my monitor as it has sort of an aged quality that doesn't show here.
I will post the progress of a watercolor landscape I am working on tomorrow.

Interesting discovery

2009-09-17T18:38:00.000-05:00

An interesting discovery when my husband set this painting up the other way than I originally had it posted on here. I found that even though I still don't like the painting very much, I like it much better in this position. My husband liked this one a lot.
I still think it needs work. I like the top portion better than the lower portion.

Life Drawing in Colorado

2009-09-16T19:29:00.002-05:00

Carly from life drawing. She was pretty inspiring. This was a quick sketch, 5 minutes, I think. Not great but I like the colors.

Keeping busy

2009-09-14T14:47:00.005-05:00

I ran out of my favorite Strathmore 4 ply 500 series Bristol Plate paper so while I am waiting for my order I decided to try out two of the "yes" canvases I bought for watercolor. My friend Liz Hill really likes working on these canvases and I have to agree that the surface is pretty nice. These paintings are still in progress.

The top painting is not on "yes" canvas and is 11X14. The lower two are 30X24 "yes" canvas with 1 1/4" gallery wrapped sides.

So far I think I like the bottom one best.

not finished after all

2009-09-14T14:22:00.001-05:00

Okay, I worked on this one a little more. I didn't like the way the upper stripe seemed split in two parts so I consolidated that a little more and I made the focal point a little stronger and more interesting (I hope). I'll see if that holds my attention. I tried editing this down as per Nicholas Simmons's suggestion but then I couldn't zoom in and see the details. I will work on my editing skills.

New painting

2009-08-30T16:23:00.003-05:00

Latest painting. I think it's finished.

New obsession, triking the mesa.

2009-08-11T14:19:00.004-05:00

This is sooo much fun but also scary! Such a beautiful area, above Grand Junction Colorado

Richeson 75 figure/portrait show

2009-06-23T15:57:00.002-05:00

Got my notice of acceptance for the Richeson 75 show for the Figure in Gray painting.

Figure in Gray

2009-05-19T17:44:00.004-05:00

Not sure how I managed to delete this post but it is gone never the less. I originally posted this as an entry in the "Just Figures Show". I have recently entered it into a couple of competitive shows. Will keep you posted as to how it does.

Geez, just one adventure after another around here! LOL!

Yea!!!! All Finished!!!!!

2009-05-19T14:10:00.003-05:00

I took this photo just before this last panel went into the truck to deliver to the Pavilion. Yea! all finished!!!

Another two finished!

2009-05-13T12:20:00.004-05:00

I am getting seriously tired of working on these panels but am happy to report that here are two more finished and I have only one to go which is in good progress already so I am seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.

More Portrait Panels finished!

2009-05-04T09:29:00.005-05:00

Well, two more panels refurbished thanks to help from my friend Cheng Lian! Check out his website at www.chenglian.us

3 Panels done! 5 more to go.

2009-04-20T15:51:00.003-05:00

Well, I have three panels done with the refurbishing and have 5 to go. I have a lot of work done on the others too so it's not like they have to be done from start to finish. The boards have gotten so rough in the weather that repainting on the faces is very difficult now. Wish me luck!

New portraits on the wall

2009-04-16T08:57:00.003-05:00

Here is an update on the pavilion project. Finally

got this family done despite the poor quality photos. The photo of the mother (lower middle) had to be reversed. I've never met the family other than the mother so only had the photos to go by. I hope they like them. Otherwise I will have to get new photos.

Watercolor Art Society - Houston (WASH)

2009-03-16T09:57:00.005-05:00

I am so honored that juror, Judy Morris, chose this painting for a Merit Award ($200) in the 32nd Annual International Exhibition of 2009!

The Show will be up until April 3, 2009. The Beautiful new WAS-H building is located at Alabama and Mendell. Hope you get by to see it as it is wonderful show.

First Annual all Figures Art Crawl

2009-03-10T20:45:00.003-05:00

Come out and see all the great art!

More abstract experiments!

2009-03-03T13:17:00.004-06:00

This is one of the last ones I did in the workshop. I still have two in progress, one on paper and one on a 36"X 48 Canvas. Will try to get photos and post them later or tomorrow. I had a great week and liked most of what I produced. The process seemed more fun to me this time so maybe I'm catching on! LOL!

Virginia Cobb Workshop

2009-02-27T08:46:00.004-06:00

Today is the last day of the workshop so gotta go but here are two of my favorites that I did so far.

2009-02-26T00:19:00.002-06:00

I'm taking Virginia Cobb's workshop this week at Studio in the Woods here in The Woodlands. It is very fun so far just as it was last year. She has a way of opening up the idea of abstract painting in a way that makes it understandable and accessible that I have never gotten before. Great class, wonderful teacher! I will try to post some photos of my work tomorrow.

Saturday Morning Model Session

2009-02-22T14:33:00.003-06:00

We had a great new model yesterday. It's always fun to have someone new to draw. This is just one of the sketches I did.

Still unfinished!

2009-02-17T10:24:00.002-06:00

I was hoping to finish this painting of our wonderful model George, but I could only stay an hour and a half before I went to my critique group so I will have to finish from my photo on my monitor. Almost like being there. Much better than just a printed photo anyway.

Saturday Model session

2009-02-17T10:11:00.004-06:00

This is a pose that I transferred to an 8"X 8" panel (mounted on wood frame)from a sketch I did in Saturday's model session. I had planned to finish it out as an oil painting but I took it to my critique group yesterday and everyone there thought I should just leave it as is. This is just what I intended to be the underpainting. I was so looking forward to painting on it! I will live with it a bit and see if I can resist.

Wednesday and Thursday's Efforts

2009-02-13T08:55:00.003-06:00

This is another area of the "Patron's Courtyard" portrait mural. I've been working on this family for the last two days. Not finished obviously and missing one of the subjects who is on another board.

The portraits are catagorized by the size of the head from chin to hairline. These are quite a bit bigger than the Hometown hero portrait of Tuesday. HTH portraits are 3" and these are actually 5" so they take longer to do.

I find painting portraits in acrylic very difficult because the paint is hard to blend so I have taken to putting layer over layer until it looks right. I know there are blending mediums and slow drying mediums but since the portraits are so exposed to the elements I like to try to keep them as pure as possible in hopes they will last better. When they are finished I coat them with a sealer.

Tuesdays work

2009-02-11T10:38:00.004-06:00

This is one of the "Hometown Heros" from this past year. It's acrylic on plywood prepared with gesso. I didn't finish his shirt yet because part of it is on another board that is usually installed next to this one and I want the paint to match on both sides.

Hurricane Ike destroying the huge tent like cover over the Mitchell Pavilion which is now being repaired. During the remodeling the 8 mural boards were removed to make way for the heavy equipment passage. This is such a wonderful opportunity for me because I now get to bring the boards home to my studio and actually work inside to paint and restore them! I have three now and have spent quite a bit of time mostly cleaning and resealing them and am now getting down to the fun part of getting caught up on the portraits. Fortunately the boards were not damaged in the hurricane but the elements have taken their toll on the acrylic paint over the years. I have until May to restore them before they have to be reinstalled. Okay, back to work!

Mondays efforts

2009-02-11T10:17:00.002-06:00

It's been fun getting back to oils in the Monday paint group. We had a wonderful model who will be sitting for 3 Mondays in a row so that we can do a finished painting completely from life. I missed the first session and started this in the second session and will try to finish it next week in the last session. I had a good start with my charcoal drawing and then laid in my value patterns with a thinned dark and all was well. Then as usual I got in a hurry as time was running short and rushed my colors trying to get everything blocked in. When I got home I scraped everything off with my pallet knife to have a fresh smooth surface to start again next week. This is what was underneath. I chose to crop his head to divide my negative shapes and make them more interesting. This is something I picked up from studying with Polly Hammett.

More noodleing on the Cara portrait!

2009-02-02T23:44:00.007-06:00

I couldn't help myself on a little noodling on the Cara portrait sketch. she is such a lovely girl and you just want to try to make her as perfect as she is....it's hard to just leave it, as you probably know if you are a painter. Sold

Last attended Monday Model session

2009-02-02T12:07:00.008-06:00

I wish I were more of a technogeek! I can publish my posts but haven't quite figured out how

to reply to comments! I have had a few nice comments and love to read them and visit the sender's site. I also like to see what blogs other's follow regularly (something else I haven't gotten to yet) and have found some wonderful other blogs to look at. So Many creative people out there! Thanks to those who have commented!

Here is my latest version of the last model we had in Monday paint group. Cara is a college student and marathon bike rider. She posed for us with her bike gear and bike and then a sitting pose. I could still change a few things like the light on her neck, but I like it for now.

Expressive Painting

2009-01-30T13:38:00.005-06:00

This is a painting I did on Tuesday in my friend, Susan Hotard's workshop. It was a fun and informative workshop on simplifying the lights and darks in a portrait. I thought my painting turned out particularly expressive and loose for me. I was pleased with it. We had a wonderful model who was very inspiring in her dramatic looks.

Jasper change

2009-01-16T14:33:00.001-06:00

I decided to darken the background on the Jasper painting.

2009-01-08T11:56:00.003-06:00

If you are in the Houston area in January 2009, come to the show of my friend Liz Hill at The Jung Center.

The Art of

Liz Hill

Saturday, January 10, 2009

through January 30

The Jung Center

5200 Montrose Blvd.,

Houston, Texas 77006

Monday through Thursday 9-7

Friday 9-4 and Saturday 10-4

2009-01-05T16:09:00.003-06:00

Been gone over the holidays visiting my son and daughter in law in Japan. What a great trip, we were treated like royalty. Also got to see Boomer and Roxy again...you may remember the dog

video posted a while back.

Here is the final version of Jasper (I think). I took this photo before flattening out the paper though so may need to take another photo later. It's in the press now getting flat.

More Jasper

2008-12-14T12:04:00.001-06:00

Here is the latest version of the Jasper project.

Monday paint group

2008-12-09T15:56:00.001-06:00

We had an interesting model in paint group yesterday. She wore a pentagram and had a similar tatoo (neither of which I included in my paint study). I may finish it up later and see if I can't soften her up a bit. I haven't worked in oil in so long. It was fun.

tragic painting story

2008-12-09T15:52:00.000-06:00

Here is a tragic painting story you may relate to. I started this painting over the weekend and got it close to finishing when I found a little spot on the right side of the head that was sort of rejecting the paint. Thinking there was still a little bit of masking fluid there that I didn't get completely removed I took my Pick Up eraser to it not realizing it was still slight damp in that area. I actually erased a hole halfway through the paper! I dried it thoroughly with a hair dryer and sanded it smooth with some sand paper but I think it still really bothers me so I will have to start the painting over. I'm glad I have learned to do my drawings on a seperate piece of paper so retransfer is pretty easy. Bummer though anyway!

Jasper

2008-12-09T12:55:00.003-06:00

Update on Jasper. I did another one since I started this one.

New Gallery Show, up!

2008-11-20T15:03:00.002-06:00

This is the new gallery with the first show up on the walls! Isn't it beautiful? Our first show is featuring the watercolors of Sylvia Cameron depicting scenes with children and toys from Mexico. We are co-ordinating with the gala event opening for the traveling Show of hand made toys from Mexico at The Woodlands Children's Museum. Our gallery space is just outside of the Children's Museum at The Woodlands Mall, where Mervins used to be.

Update on Jasper's portrait

2008-11-15T16:32:00.005-06:00

Here is an update on the portrait as promised. Going a little slow. I am trying to keep the colors clean and bright. This is a little boy about a year and a half old standing in the shade but with bright sunlight streaming over his left side. Isn't he cute? His name is Jasper.

New Gallery Space!

2008-11-15T16:05:00.004-06:00

Okay, sorry, I didn't get back here the other day! This is what I was working on...painting but a different kind! I was painting the walls of the new gallery space I'm working on getting opened in The Woodlands Mall. Here are some photos.

2008-11-11T10:54:00.002-06:00

Have had a tremendous cold! Just starting to get over it. I haven't been out of my house since Halloween! Take your vities especially C and D3. I'm going to finally venture out to get some errands done. Will try to post progress photos later of the portraits I've been working on. Cheers, Tonya

Starting new portrait

2008-11-06T11:05:00.001-06:00

Here is a new portrait I am starting on I drew it out and applied some masking fluid. This is the first layer of washes to block in the colors. This is actually pretty big for a watercolor portrait...22x23. I have a really bad cold so am going a little slow this week.

2008-11-03T11:26:00.002-06:00

This is the final painting for the Parkinson's Auction. I forgot to take a final photo before I put it in the frame.

2008-10-31T23:23:00.001-05:00

Here is the second update on the Parkinsons painting,

2008-10-31T23:10:00.005-05:00

I entered these two paintings that I had recently been working on into the Woodlands Art League juried show and was pleased to be awarded a first place in watercolor and an honorable

mention in Acrylic on canvas. It was really nice to get the feedback on these two since they were

so experimental for me.

Just to catch you up as to what I've been up to...

2008-10-15T21:15:00.008-05:00

I reworked the color on this piece that I like so much...different that it is. I don't know that it makes a big difference as I really don't know why I like this piece so much in the first place. according to my site meter I get a lot of people viewing my blog each week...I would love to know what you think about this piece. Please feel free to comment even if you don't particularly like something. Cheers, Tonya
sold

2008-10-15T21:07:00.003-05:00

This is a portrait in progress depicting three different views of a child to show how children have varying personality traits. This is a popular portrait style for me.

2008-10-15T16:27:00.003-05:00

This is the painting in progress for the Houston Area Parkinson Society fund Raiser. The symbol they have adopted is the Red Tulip.

Been busy!

2008-10-15T15:56:00.005-05:00

I've been busy getting stuff ready for some shows etc., got an abstract into the Watercolor Art Society of Houston (WAS-H) Annual Member Show. Judged by George James.

Monday Model

2008-10-01T10:15:00.004-05:00

This is actually one of the artists I paint with on Monday but we didn't have a model so she kindly posed for us. She is actually very pretty and I didn't do her justice I'm afraid. I didn't stay the whole time though so may work on the drawing some more.

Figure Study from Saturday

2008-10-01T10:11:00.004-05:00

Here is one of the figure studies I did on Saturday. Our model was Kristina. I didn't really capture a likeness in her face but I liked the pose and composition.

final version

2008-09-26T07:18:00.003-05:00

Okay, enough fiddling with this painting! This is the final version.

What I did today

2008-09-20T20:15:00.006-05:00

My little Aspen. Bad to the bone....but really sweet. She is half Chihuahua after all! I liked the photo so much that I decided to go back to my roots and do a painting from the photo. Painting in progress and the final version...maybe,...sometimes it's hard to finish. We'll see.

Actually I still have to remove the miskit from the dots and add color...now that I look at it...maybe her eyes could be bigger...