My new camera

I have been so frustrated with the new camera my hubby bought me for my birthday a couple months ago. I keep taking blurry pictures. I can't hold my hands still enough to press the button down halfway while it automatically focuses, and then all the way down to finally take the pic. I think I need a manual camera! I did finally manage to get 3 good pics from about 100 this morning. Gracie Mae is now 6 months old and very much a part of our family. She has learned to meow at the studio window when she wants to come inside, and in the morning she can't WAIT to go back outside to play with the barn kitties and climb our old apple tree. I've been taking a few online classes just for fun but I'm not happy with what I've done yet. I'm still working on finding my own style I think. I want to paint faces, not draw them. Mine still look drawn. Oh well, winter is upon us and a good time to hunker down in my basement studio with a big blazing fire in the stove and practice painting! I also want to do some 3-D art...like something in a box! And I'm missing clay lately, I may try sculpting again but not complete dolls, just faces. Still thinking on that. Hope you have a wonderful day!

Art & Soul in Portland

I'm so excited...Art & Soul starts tomorrow and I can hardly wait! I am taking 3 classes, one with Misty Mawn and 2 with Juliana Coles. Sorry I can't linke their names to their sites I'm not sure how to at the moment, I've totally forgotten. I'm close enough to the hotels to drive and come home every night, I love sleeping in my own little bed. Until I get back with some awesome new pics, please take a peek at the little friend I had visit me last night.

He must have flown in when I let Gracie mae in for the night. I had just settled down to watch a movie when he started flying around our vaulted ceiling. And of course hubby was out of town. Well he's safely outside now in the oak tree (the bat not hubby) but I snapped his pic just before he woke up enough to fly away.

Back in Business

Gosh I can't believe it's been a whole month since I last posted anything. I've been so busy having fun in my studio, and playing with my kitties. Then our son's computer crashed and he's been using ours so I've had to share again, not only with hubby but son too. Well they're both out today so here I am with the computer all to myself. I have finally made a decision and it feels really good! I have taken a 2 year break from selling and I think I am ready to start again. I have joined the fabulous Arts a Flutter online magazine and will begin my listings for October. Yay! I'm so excited. And I'm revamping my web site at verlenebrooks.com. I only wish I had started this 2 months ago but oh well. I'm retired and I want this to be fun. No pressure. Just fun, making art, and finishing something! Wheee!

Painting Addiction

If you haven't guessed by now I am totally addicted to painting faces. I keep thinking I'll get back into sculpting faces in clay but I just can't seem to pry myself away from the pencil and paper! Here's my latest, it needs some words with it but my mind is a blank...I'll look at it for a while and maybe something will come to me.

Acrylic Ink!

I love the new acrylic inks by Liquitex, I found mine at Art Media in Portland. In this lesson we made abstract hair with dribbles of ink. The we added our own poetry. Mine says:
Autumns misty morning dew
Mingle with ashen tears
Bittersweet her memories
Of childhoods dreaming years

Portrait in Blue

In this lesson we could only use one color, I found it really challenging since I love LOTS of colors! *LOL* But I'm pleased with how it turned out. The verse from Psalms says, The Lord will light my candle and enlighten my darkness. I love my new candle stamp!

Lesson 2 Color!

Well here's my face for lesson 2 with colored pencil over the gray sketch. She's not done yet, this is all we're supposed to do for this week. Think I'll make more fantasy folks..tee hee. I've never been able to follow instructions very well, I find my mind wandering off into dark forests where I find imaginative creatures to draw! I'm addicted, I can't stop!

Imagine That!

I'm so excited, went to B & N this morning and bought a new moleskin just for my fairies and clowns! I just finished decorating the cover and I'm so happy with how it turned out!

Fairy faces are more fun!

When I was sculpting doll faces I always enjoyed making fairies and witches more than just regular people. I'm finding the same is true in drawing. If it looks too human it bores me. Here are a few sketches I did this weekend. Am I having fun yet? You bet I am! *LOL*

Portrait Class

Well I've started my portrait class with Suzi Blu and I'm having so much fun! Here are my first sketches in gray tones. Can you tell I'm excited? *LOL* I can't think about anything else! This is really fun! I think you can still sign up until the 22nd, just go to her ning site.