Monday, January 28, 2013

Tape Glider


I mentioned in a previous post that many artist watercolor artists are having a love affair with paint. Many of us are also having a love affair with our supplies.  I just bought a tape glider, and I'm more than a little excited about it.

What does a tape glider have to with painting?  Well, not much.  It does have a lot to do with framing, which eats up a lot time, energy, and money.  I was using double sided tape to build mats, add paper backings to frames, and well, it was a pain.  A tape glider is an applicator for applying double sided tape--it looks like this:
It really is pink.  Spiffy, yes?  It makes taping go so much faster and neater.  I'm almost looking forward to all the framing I need to do in the next week.  Almost.  I also have to cut mats.  Cutting mats is.....I'd say best left to professionals, or people with mat cutting machines, but it's so expensive.  Hopefully, my next big tool will be a mat cutter.  

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Northminster Art Show

I'll be exhibiting at the Northminster Arts Fair on Febuary 2, 2013.  The show runs from 10 am to 4 pm at Northminster Presbyterian Church at 703 Compton Rd.  If you live in the Cincinnati area, it's a show that is worth checking out.  They are very supportive of their artists, and they have excellent food, music, and kids activities.  It's a burst of color and cheer in the middle of a drab February.

Hope to see you there! 

Monday, January 14, 2013

Color & Small Abstracts

Over the years, I have collected quite a few tubes of paint.  I suspect that this is a compulsion of a lot of artists--we can't start looking at a catalog, or walk into a store without making a purchase.  The colors--they're so pretty!

My weakest spot for paints is Daniel Smith, and lucky me, I just noticed they are running a web special through today for 15% off.  I think Daniel Smith makes fabulous watercolors--I love the  intensity of colors and the way the paints flow.


Tree Line

I have so many that I finally put together a table of all my paint tubes at two values.  How do they mix and fit together?  I am trying to start looking at that as part of my small abstract series of paintings.  Here is a small landscape called Tree Line, that's semi-abstract.  It includes 4 colors:  Daniel Smith Prussian Blue, Quinacridone Burnt Orange, Quinacridone Violet, and Burnt Umber from Maimeriblu.  It's on a scrap piece of 300 lb paper, and is about 6 x 4.5 inches. 

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Indiana Farm House

My husband grew up in a small town near the Missippi river, about 100 miles south of St. Louis.  As far back as I can remember, we've driven back to Missouri to celebrate Thanksgiving.  The last few years we've driven from Ohio across northern KY, and then through southern IN and IL.  Once we clear Louisville, it becomes very rural.  Very rural.  It's beautiful unless you need to use the bathroom.  Rest breaks take a little preplanning.

Last year, on our return trip home, there was a beautiful cloud hanging over the horizon at sunset.  My son and I were taking pictures from the car, and one of us snapped this shot of a farmhouse lit from the front by the sun.