Feature art Friday: flying dogs (& cats...)

Woof, Wag & Wine 2012 or "Aunt Sherry there's a submarine in the river."

Out of the Woods Animal Rescue recently had a big fundraiser & the location was so good, I had to share it with you...

Did you know Arkansas has a submarine? You can see the top of it in the photo below- the black bit sticking up with the white numbers. It's the U.S.S. Razorback.

There was a silent auction, band, BBQ & bar. It was a wonderful casual event full of people who love to rescue homeless animals. My kind of people.

The sub is in the Arkansas River on the North Little Rock side, so there is a great view of Little Rock across the river.

The submarine actually navigated up the river a few years ago to its current home. At the time, my nephews were small, maybe 5 or 6 and they would come to spend the night with me. My apartment was right on the river and the boys would go outside with me to take Maisy for walks. One evening when they were visiting and it was already dark outside, one of the boys said "Aunt Sherry, there is a submarine in the river." I laughed at his fantastic imagination. He wouldn't let it go. Probably because he knew he was right... the sub parked right outside my apartment overnight before making its final approach into downtown. I'll never live that one down. Who misses a giant submarine 100 feet from their doorstep? Don't answer that.

Flea Market Love:Round frames wk. 1

These should actually be titled "yard sale love" I suppose. The BEST part is that they came from the FURR yard sale, which is a biannual event with all of the proceeds going to help homeless cats. They try to find homes for many of them but also work very hard to catch, alter & release as many as possible to cut down on the homeless pet population. So I got some awesome frames & FURR got a little extra moolah to help the kitties. This is definitely a win-win situation. I primed them with spray primer- I have an idea of what I am going to do with them, but don't want to get anyone's hopes up in case it doesn't work out. You might want to sit down for this, but all of my "brilliant" creative ideas don't play out as well as planned. Especially when they involve Mod Podge.

Feature Art Friday: Love Lives Here

 I made this sign on wood that had been cut for a shelf & left sitting in the garage. This is the sort of project I love- one that wasn't really planned... it just sort of happened.

  

And who wouldn't smile to see this when they walk into a friend's home? It's been delivered to 'Lavish You', the store in Russellville, Arkansas that will be carrying some of my art, painted furniture & repurposed flea market finds.

 I should really probably have kept this sign to hang in my house... you know why? 

Because love DOES live here. And it makes me happy, people. Really happy.

Telling myself I told you so

This is the Cox Creative Center- one of my favorite places in Little Rock. It's downtown & sits at the other end of the parking lot from the main library, sorta like a quirky relative... it's brightly colored & you can't ever really know what to expect when you get there. It's full of used books, art, handmade jewelry & lovely things like that. There's a cute little cafe called 'Bookends' and a nice patio where you can read & eat. When I go to the library I always try to make sure I have time to go to the other end of the parking lot to check on the quirky relative.

This is the main library. See how serious it looks? Not too long ago, I was walking dutifully from the library down the sidewalk in the middle of the parking lot to the Cox Creative Center when I saw the BEST thing: someone had knitted an outfit for the little concrete bench, complete with a little knitted rosette thingy- it seriously looked like the bench was wearing a rather stylish hat. The trash can was also festooned in some brightly-colored attire. (festooned- love that word & don't get to use it often enough.) There was even a sash with little knitted flags hanging in the tree. I wanted to take a photo to show you, because I knew you would love it like I did. (I loved it so much I applauded, all by myself in the middle of the parking lot.) But I was in a rush... and didn't have my "good" camera with me, so I decided to come back later to take the photo.

A few days later, I returned to find a naked park bench, trash can & tree. I could have kicked myself... why didn't I just snap a photo with the iphone? Now you all won't get to see what a concrete bench looks like wearing a hat. Lesson learned. I hope you will take my word for it, because it was cool.

Flea Market Love: Wrought Iron "after"

Here's the finished wrought iron I purchased at a flea market- you can see before & during photos here & here.  I think this would look so good staked in a yard with something flowery growing up it... notice I said "a" yard, not "my" yard. My thumb is only green if I have been using green paint.

37 things list: art for the bedroom

I must first admit how badly I wanted to title this post "Disney vomit" because that was what I called this painting for the first 8 weeks or so. Naming art isn't my strong suit, so as with everything else in life, I err toward sarcasm. I do love it & probably need to take some close ups so you can see the top layer better. When you get within a few hours of finishing a painting, it's easy to forget to take photos because you just want to know what it will look like in the end!

My version of relaxing

This is what happens when I decide to come home after work & sit on the couch to relax. Do you see the tiny spot in the corner of the couch where the pillows are messed up? That's where I was sitting- wadded up in a little knot, working.


I came home, changed clothes & planned to just take it easy... then I decided to do some sketching... which led to picking through books & colored papers... & sketching on those... & then getting out the xacto knife to cut them out... You see where this is going. It's a slippery slope. At some point I wondered why I was on the couch with all of this stuff strewn around- why wasn't I at the table? Oh, right... because I was planning on just relaxing this evening.


Please notice what an easy time it is for Maisy to relax... she didn't even flinch one furry white hair when the shutter clicked on the camera. At one point she was actually snoring.


Friends have asked how I can work so much- the full-time "big girl job", teaching at 'Painting with a Twist' part-time, pet portraits, the Etsy store & I have recently started repurposing furniture... the truth is that all of the art-related stuff doesn't much feel like it is work. It feels like I am doing what I enjoy & people occasionally happen to pay me for it. It's just something that makes me happy. Even if that does occasionally mean I find myself barricaded into a corner of my couch- you know, relaxing.

Flea market love: Wrought iron week 2

Yikes, that primer is prison grey. I still haven't decided what color to paint it... I was thinking purple but now I'm considering blue. Stay tuned... 

Feature Art Friday: Meeka

Things that make me (creatively) happy

Bubble wrap- for stamping paint on canvas

Stencils- homemade using old file folders cut with an xacto knife

Spray paint- it comes in so many colors these days

Alphabet stamps- I like using them without lining them up so they are purposefully a little cock-eyed

Fluid acrylic paint- I didn't even know it existed until February & I don't know how I ever painted anything without it. 

Flea Market Love: Wrought Iron week 1

Here's another item that has been waiting patiently in the pile of flea market finds in the corner of my garage- I think wrought iron has so much potential... you can hang it on a wall in your house, use it for a headboard on a bed, stake it outside & grow plants up it... you could even hang it on the outside of your house. I'm curious to see how this turns out. I'm thinking purple.


On Saturday I was minding my own business, sitting in my house painting for a little while before going to a wedding, & one of my friends texted me that she was around the corner at a garage sale at her aunt's house. When I didn't immediately go over there, she sent me a photo of an AMAZING armoire & started heckling me about it. I went to pick it up without even brushing my hair- I can't wait for you to see it. Where is it now? In the corner of my garage.

A different sort of Feature Art Friday

How can I call it 'Feature Art Friday' when there is no photo, right? The Feature Art this week will take you to away from here- to Flora Bowley's blog. I LOVE her... which you may be sick of hearing by now. I took her e-course during its first run & it really truly rocked my world. Painting has always been fun for me, but the way she helps you find your own style with such freedom & with so few rules- it's magical. I'm telling you. Go here to see some of the art made by me & by some of the other 'Bloomers'. If I ever see her in real life I'm going to give her a hug- even if I have to chase her through an airport to accomplish this goal. Imagine that poor woman, finding herself sprinting through an airport being chased by a crazy lady shouting "THANK YOU" at the top of her lungs...