Summer Experiments... My First Abstract Paintings

"Summer Splash"

I've been playing around with a little bit of abstract art this summer... and I think I might have a brand new art love!

It all started when I found Australian intuitive artist Deb McNaughton over on Instagram. Deb uses acrylic paints in bright happy colors to create her signature whimsical abstract designs. It looked like so much fun that I decided to give it a go too!

"Crazy Quilt"

For both of the paintings above, I started with a 4x4 inch canvas panel. I decided to limit my color palette to two or three colors plus white.

To begin each painting, I randomly added shapes of color in acrylic paint to the canvas. Once the canvases were dry, I went back and added a variety of mark making, also with acrylic paint. Mark making can be done with all sorts of media (like Posca pens and oil pastels)... but I decided to stay in my comfort zone this time and use my trusty brushes and acrylic paint!

I had lots of fun creating these paintings, just following my intuition while adding color, instead of planning out my designs ahead of time. I enjoyed the freedom of playing with color and putting down paint. These paintings are only my first attempts at abstract art, so I know I've got a bunch to learn!... but I'm certain they won't be the last!

Thanks so much for the inspiration Deb!!

Deb McNaughton

Learning Furniture Painting By Trial And Error

 Above, my Farm Chair in the "During" Stage

I have always wanted to try my hand at painting a piece of furniture... and in my head, I thought I knew kinda-sorta what would be involved. So, when I was asked last fall (2022) to paint a child's wooden chair for our church's Vacation Bible School auction, I didn't hestitate to say "Absolutely!... I would love to!" The auction isn't until this coming spring (2023), so I knew I had lots of time to figure out how to go about painting the chair. Plus, it was for a great cause!... The VBS kids planned to raise money to pay for cochlear implants for children in the Dominican Republic who are deaf. I was so confident that this would be easy-peasy that I volunteered to paint THREE chairs of varying sizes. Yup!... I was sure I totally "got this!"

So, I put on my researcher's hat and started Googling furniture painting. Armed with my new found knowledge, I headed to our local Home Depot and purchased sample sized latex paint in a rainbow of colors. I set to work priming the little chair (which took a whole lot longer than I'd thought it would!). Next up... sketch out my farm design on the primed surface and start adding color.

Well, that was my first big mistake!... It turned out that I had not been thinking about all the white background around my farm characters that needed to be painted in with white latex paint. It was an unnecessarily tedious job that could have been a whole lot easier if I'd just given the whole chair two good coats of latex paint before I started sketching. *sigh!* First lesson learned!

After painting all my little characters (multiple coats of paint on each!), I outlined them all with my water based Sharpie paint pen. That was my second big mistake, because when I started to spray the chair with my acrylic sealant (Polycrylic), my nice crisp black outline started to run and smear! YIKES!! Apparently I should have used an oil based paint marker instead!

Needless to say, I ended up having to repaint the whole "MOO" and part of a flower on the top of the chair. Thankfully, though, I found that my Krylon spray did not smear the outline, so I gave the design a good coat of Krylon and then added the Polycrylic on top of that to make it more scuff resistant.

 

You might have guessed by now that I ended up painting just ONE chair for the auction. By the time I'd finished the farm chair, I was DONE, DONE, DONE with chair painting! I will say though that the chair came out pretty darn cute in real life... my photos really don't do it justice!

Will I paint another chair in the future?... well, I might someday in the very distant future for a very good cause. I sure have learned a lot this time around about what NOT to do!... and maybe the next time (if there ever is a next time!) I'll know a whole lot better about what I'm doing! *wink!*

A Quiet Sunday

It's a quiet Sunday afternoon. Last night we set our clocks ahead for Daylight Savings Time... and this morning the sound of rain outside convinced me to snuggle down under the covers and snooze a little longer. My husband Joe headed to church to teach Sunday School, but I felt fine about not venturing out of the house in the chilly rain. I really love having a quiet day like this when I have no where I need to be and nothing at all I need to do.

This week the cherry trees that line our street have been in full bloom. The forsythia in the backyard have also been blooming, along with the daffodils and hyacinths my husband planted in the side garden. The calendar says it's still Winter, but it sure looks a whole lot like Spring in my neighborhood!

** Thank you Lord for the peace and quiet of this Sabbath Day. Thank you for sleep and rest, for the beauty of "almost Spring", for gentle rain that makes everything grow. Thank you for a warm home that feels like a big hug on a chilly day, and especially for your presence in our hearts and in our home.

Happy Coloring!

 

So, recently I've started offering something a little different in my Etsy shop... or maybe I'm going back to something kinda similar to the digital stamps I offered when my shop was brand new. I've started creating hand drawn downloadable coloring pages for kids (and kids at heart!), and I'm having so much fun with it!

This all really happened quite by accident. At Christmastime, I created a page of Christmas-y designs to use as the background for the gift cards we'd bought for our family. I printed out multiple copies and taped the gift cards on the back of the design... just a silly way to add a little homemade holiday whimsy to ordinary gift cards. And I thought they came out pretty cute!

I got thinking about all the fun coloring pages I could make about holidays and seasons and the cute kid-friendly designs I enjoy making... and I just kept on creating these pages.

So now I'm hooked on drawing these silly coloring pages! Right now I have a total of nine designs in my Etsy shop... and the ideas just keep on coming! I'm filling up my sketchbook with snowmen and space aliens and leprechauns... and I'm looking forward to discovering what other cute creatures and critters will make their homes in my sketchbook! Stay tuned for more coloring silliness from me in the near future!

** If you're wondering where you can find my hand drawn kids coloring pages, just follow the link HERE

Why Do I Create?

Photo: BigStock

Lately I've needed to remind myself again about why I create. I guess it should be obvious to me after all these years... but I still often lose sight of my "WHY?" 

Do I create just to enjoy the process of creating? Do I want my art to be noticed and appreciated by others? Do I want to make money with my art? Do I create because I want to share something that comes from within myself, as a gift to others? Do I create just because it's fun?... or maybe because I'm wired that way and I just need to create?

I guess the answer is probably "all of the above." To be honest, I still often get discouraged and I struggle with my "WHY?" So this is me thinking this whole creativity thing through as I blog.

I came to art kinda late in my life. I wasn't the little kid who played with paints and scissors and colored paper and made all kinds of creative "messes." No, I was the little girl who loved to color inside the lines with a brand new box of 64 Crayola crayons. I filled up coloring books, but I never imagined myself actually drawing my own pictures or painting on canvas. For one thing, I really didn't have a creative model in my family... someone I could watch to see that being a creative person was a valid way of being.. that it was more than OK to be creative just for the JOY of it. 

I discovered art when I was 28 years old and my first son was a little guy. I drew little pictures for him to find in his lunch box when he didn't like going to preschool Lunch Bunch... and it was a total surprise to me just how much I loved drawing those little stick figures! I had no idea that a simple pencil and 3x5 card and some colored markers could be so much fun! So, I kept drawing...

Years passed, and I got better at drawing. Then I got introduced to online art communities on Facebook, Flickr and blogging. Eventually I got inspired to open an Etsy shop and a Zazzle shop. Looking back, the art I created wasn't all that good, but I knew I had found something that was an integral part of who I was. I was a creative person who loved color and imagining things into existence that never had been before. And it was exciting! 

But somewhere along the way, I think I got confused about why I was making art. Lack of views and lack of sales really started to get me down. So I optimized my listings and listened to podcasts that I was sure would give me a leg up in marketing my art. I listened to Etsy experts and redoubled my efforts to make art that people would want. But all I still heard were crickets from both of my shops.

It really felt discouraging! And I asked myself over and over again... What was the point of painting these little canvases with all their happy colors when all that ended up happening was an ever-growing collection of mini canvas art on the shelves in my studio? I was sure that, years from now, my kids were going to need to figure out what in the world to do with all Mom's one-of-a-kind, funky art? 

But, you know what?... I'm really tired of thinking about my art and creativity in this way. So I'm going to try to make some mindset shifts that I hope will get me on a better artsy path. 

* I'm going to stop worrying about whether or not other people like what I create, and I'm going to create what I like anyway.

* I'm going to put my finished artwork in my shops, and then move on to the next project without wondering if someone will buy it or not.

* I'm going to stop checking "likes" and stats, and spend more time sketching and painting.

* I'm going to treat myself to some fun online creative classes that will teach me something new and spark my artsy enthusiasm.

* And I'm going to look for JOY in all I create, knowing that God has "wired" me to be a creative person, and it pleases Him when I use the gift of creativity that He has given me.

**Thank you Lord for creating me the way you have... for making me love working with my hands, for my love of color, for the gift of imagination. Please help me to look to YOU and not to others for approval and validation. Help me to find joy in the things you have made, and in the creative process that has become such an important part of my life. Inspire what I create Lord. I want to please you with all I am and all I do.

Happy New Baby Gift!

 

This past spring, my niece and her husband were blessed with their first child... a sweet little guy named Tyson. They call him their "little crab"... so I thought it would be fun to paint a canvas with a cute crab and his name on it as a new baby gift for his nursery. An original design of mine, super simple, but I thought it came out pretty cute! I painted it on a 5x7 inch canvas panel... quite a bit bigger than my normal paintings, which are usually 4x6 inches or smaller. I don't usually do personalized pieces of art, but for family I thought I'd make an exception!

I hope Tyson and his mom and dad will see this painting each day and know how much they're loved!

 Welcome To The World Tyson!!... Aunt Patti loves you!

July Home Renovation Update

 

Well, last time I blogged (way back in February 2022), my husband and I were up to our eyeballs in plaster dust and paint as we did some remodeling on this old bungalow we call home. Six months later, we're still painting the downstairs, but we're a whole lot closer to the finish line on this project. It's all about sweat equity around here!... and "This Old House" is starting to look a whole lot prettier as a result of our efforts! The front porch is fixed and awaiting a fresh coat of my favorite color green (we're waiting for cooler weather before we work outside again). All the walls of the lower floor have been painted a warm white with crisp white trim (with the exception of our dining room, which is a pretty soft shade of green). The sun porch is bright white and we've just finished painting the porch floor an unexpected sunny shade of yellow. Next comes the butler's pantry which will be getting a fun pop of color too! It's amazing what paint can do to transform a tired looking house!... and it's encouraging to be able to see the good results from all our hard work!

I'm starting to paint some little canvases again to put in my Etsy shop, PholkartStudio! (YAY!!) The painting I posted above is called "Star Spangled Geraniums," and measures 3x3 inches. It comes with the cutest little easel to display just about anywhere! Honestly, it has felt really great to have the time to come up with some brand new sketches and finally play with my acrylic paints again! I've got four new designs that I'm excited about painting soon!... YAY for getting back to creating!

This Old House

 "Country Cottage"

It has been too many months since I updated my blog, or really done any art at all. The reason?... Ever since my husband retired, we've been sprucing up our little 1920's bungalow where we've lived for almost 35 years. "Delayed Maintenance" is what my husband calls it. Somehow in the middle of raising two boys here and working full time and living from month to month financially, things just never got done on "This Old House." The front porch was suffering from years of rain and snow that finally ate away at the floor boards. The plaster in my husband's office had developed major cracks that made an interesting spiderweb design on the walls. There were holes in the ceiling above our stairwell created by an old leaky roof. And every wall in the entire house was begging for a fresh coat of paint!

As I sit here typing, there's a BIG dumpster sitting out front and a porta-potty in the yard. We finally decided that some of the jobs that needed to be done were just beyond our handyman capabilities... and so we enlisted some help to get a few major projects finished around here. But Joe and I are doing most of the inside painting... which means the fun, arty painting I love to do has been set aside for a while. It's a good thing I really do like to paint, no matter what kind of painting it is!

While I'm away from my canvases and paint brushes for a short while, I'm still brainstorming ideas for new paintings and sketching in my sketchbook. New ideas are percolating and I can't wait to get back to more artful painting soon!

Every Day Is Earth Day

"Every Day Is Earth Day"

Just ask my husband and he'll tell you that I'm a devoted recycler! Yes, I've been known to go through our trash and pick out plastic wrap and cardboard that could be sent to the recycling center... and I have no shame about that! Walking our dogs every day, I'm liable to pick up bottles and cans to deposit in the nearest recycling cart. My thinking is always, "If I don't pick this up, then who will?" Just trying to keep our neighborhood beautiful one dog walk at a time!

Not only that, but I'm an unapologetic scavenger and enthusiastic repurposer! "Are you throwing that out?... Hmmmm! How could I reuse that in some creative way?" My brain just seems to be "wired" to see the possibilities in discarded items. Our home is decorated with lots of random finds and hand-me-downs... and I really love the uniqueness and whimsy they add to our environment!

This week is the Bulky Item Pick Up in our neighborhood... the once-a-year chance our city gives us to clear out our attics and basements of "junk" and have the city take it all to the dump. My next door neighbors have used this opportunity to clear out a HUGE amount of unwanted "stuff" left in their home by the previous owner. So we've had a front row view to the ever-growing pile of "stuff" they've brought out to the curb this week.

They say "One man's trash is another man's treasure"... and we've been witness to that this week as many folks have come by to pick through the mountain of random things and happily cart them away for who-knows-what-purpose.

As I watched out our front windows, I spied two older black rocking chairs someone put out at the curb... and I literally SPRINTED across the street to nab them for my front porch. My husband and I hosed them down and dried them off... and now they're looking soooo cute on "This Old House's" large front porch. I'm happy to say I now have a rainy day place to sit outside and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee with a friend!

Are YOU an avid recycler like me???... Please tell me I'm not the only one out there!!


** The painting "Every Day Is Earth Day" was created by me. You can find other whimsical & quirky paintings like this one in my Etsy shop, PholkartStudio!

Lake Life

 "Lake Life"

A few weeks ago, my husband and I packed up the car and headed to a long-awaited family time (post pandemic) at Lake Santeetlah in Western North Carolina. My son and his wife had recently purchased a lake home there, and we were so excited about seeing it for the first time!

To be honest, I had never heard of Lake Santeetlah before... and I've lived in North Carolina for nearly 35 years now! So I had no idea what to expect! To my delight, we discovered a GORGEOUS, very quiet and peaceful mountain lake with a little marina and a small public beach. Even though the new lake house is on the side of a big hill, there are flat roads that wind around the peninsula that even I, with my wonky knees, can easily enjoy walking on. And the views!... They are spectacular at every turn in the road!

As a mostly-city-gal, being out in nature at the lake was a breath of fresh air (literally!). The sky was a bright Carolina Blue... The water sparkled, reflecting the summer sunshine... The tall trees whispered in the breeze. It was just soooo peaceful and inspiring!

I'm grateful for opportunities like this to get away from my "normal life" and travel not-so-far from home to a beautiful place of quiet and rest, surrounded by Mother Nature. My soul felt refreshed from our time away... and I look forward to returning again and again to this new "Happy Place!"


** The painting "Lake Life" was created by me. You can find other whimsical & quirky paintings like this one in my Etsy shop, PholkartStudio!