Showing posts with label art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label art. Show all posts

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Pink Garden

I love flowers, but I really do not do much gardening anymore. We planted everything in our yard, but since I have started working more on my art and have had knee problems, I just don't do a lot, besides just maintenance.  I plant a few annuals each year and try to keep my perennials going.  But this year I've had an abundance of thriving plants with pink flowers! First the azaleas, then the hydrangeas, and now the crepe myrtles.  It's a good thing I love pink! I have other crepe myrtles. Hopefully they will bloom as pretty as this pink one.

I went out to trim the very large azaleas bushes back a little and found this crepe myrtle with all of these blooms! It is on the back end of our storage building and last time I looked at it was before it had blooms on it.  I guess it didn't get its annual trim back, so it had blooms almost all the way to the ground. The 2nd photo is before I trimmed it up some. The last photo is the top of the shrub after I trimmed it up some.  I really thought it was pretty with the sunlight coming through the neighbors trees. It's very peaceful back there.  My only wish is that I didn't get eaten up by the mosquitoes every time I go out and trim my shrubs!  They really love me! I guess I must be really sweet! Haha.   Oh and I never trimmed much off the azaleas. They are taller than I am!


Beth  








Friday, January 18, 2013

What is Success?

"Seaside HeartHomes" SOLD
Such a simple word, with so many ways to perceive it. What is Success?
I looked up some quotes about Success and found many philosophical quotes about success. I found that  success can be many things to many people...depending on what you are trying to achieve.  I am an artist trying to succeed in making a living from my art...or at least contributing to it.  So, I should find my niche and go with it, right? If it were that easy, I would.  My goal is to do what I enjoy and love to do and hopefully the buyers will find me.  Even though I love to play with so many things.  I love to draw with colored pencils, paint with acrylics, create sculptures out of clay, draw architecture with ink, and draw whimsical illustrations with ink and watercolor and colored pencils...and whatever else I come across to explore.

"Fantasy Hearts" SOLD
I thought I would share some of the quotes that I felt spoke to me about 'success' and 'art'.  I hope that one will speak to you.

“Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it.” 
― Salvador DalĂ­

“It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.” 
― Leonardo da Vinci

“I've come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that's as unique as a fingerprint - and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you. ” 
― Oprah Winfrey

“If you care about what you do and work hard at it, there isn't anything you can't do if you want to.” 
― Jim Henson

"It's the rule of life that everything you have always wanted comes the very second you stop looking for it." Anonymous
"Valentine's Day" SOLD

"To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong." Anonymous

"If you do what you always did, you will get what you always got." Anonymous

"No masterpiece was ever created by a lazy artist." Anonymous

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” 
― Pablo Picasso

“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” 
― Pablo Picasso

“It is good to love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is well done.” 
― Vincent van Gogh

“I dream my painting and I paint my dream.” 
― Vincent van Gogh


"May creativity find you while you are working" Unknown
Beth

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Getting Ready for the Fall Festival


I usually do not participate in Fall Festivals as a vendor, but since I have not been able to go to any art festivals this year, I decided to do a small local one.  I will have a booth at the Westminster Village Fall Festival next Saturday.  So if you are local, stop by and see me in my booth.   The vendors will be inside the Ramey Center and my booth will be located just inside the door to the left.  I will be selling my little clay houses and some of my whimsical acrylic paintings.  The best thing about this is that we do not have to travel more than 10 minutes (at the most) to get there! But I would love to do more art shows in the future. It is just too difficult when trying to work full time.

I also have colored pencil paintings currently on display at St. George's Episcopal Church in Germantown, TN, with the Memphis Chapter of the Colored Pencil Society of America, until Nov. 7th.

Shown are photos of my booth from the Norcross Art Festival that I attended last Fall.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

What did you do during the summer...back in the day?

Tiny Clay House
Listed on Etsy
When I was in school, we filled our summers with activities that took some creativity and imagination. I have always liked to do artsy and crafty things, but I think that came about because we had to entertain ourselves.  I have always enjoyed creating little houses and villages and creating little imaginary places. Even to the point of creating a little village in the dirt, using moss for the grass and little sticks for trees, and the little boxcars that I played with back then.  Yes, I played with dolls some too, but little cars were up there on my playtime to do list.   We had to find things to do to entertain ourselves during the long summer months. (summer vacation was actually 3 months long back then...in the 60s and 70s).  Of course, this was before  I was old enough to drive, so I had plenty of time to fill during the summer.  This was also before video games, cell phones, computers or internet, and probably even cable TV!  I don't remember when we actually started getting Cable, but I do remember the summer when the only thing on the 3 channels (+Educational the channel with things like Mr. Rogers...ugh)  that we got on TV was non-stop coverage of court hearings about some boring old political corruption called Watergate!  Being too young to drive, I was pretty much stuck at home to play outside in the heat, ride my bike to a friends house, or ride my bike to the pool.  I even played softball a few summers, even though I am not athletic...at all! My sister was the athletic one. I was the creative one.  I certainly was not interested in watching Watergate hearings.  So when it was too hot to go outside, we (my sister and I) spent time reading books, playing games, and stitching designs on dish cloths for our Mom, going to friends houses, talking on the telephone (that was plugged into the wall).  I didn't have a lot of art supplies like paint or clay or access to a kiln back then.  I can only imagine what I would have done if I had had that!  (After I started driving, that's another story!)  But now I am never 'bored' or have 'nothing' to do.  I have paint, colored pencils, and clay to create my little houses and buildings and accessories. So this summer will be filled with some creative time, mixed with time to relax and watch some TV (not much), even though there are 100s of stations on the TV now, and  internet time (which I love), and maybe even a little cleaning around the house (not too much).

What did you do during your summer break...back in your day?


Beth  

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Altered Book Project Update and Spring Break

Well Spring Break is more than half over. I haven't worked much on art yet, but the rest of the week will be devoted to creative time.  The first half of the week(and weekend), was taken up with time spent visiting family. It was nice to get out of town for a few days, but as always, it was nice to get home.  Yesterday I spent some time adding some things to my Etsy shop. I have several things to add, but each one takes time, so I have to work on a few at a time. 

Spring is officially here and I finally saw some trees and daffodils blooming this week. The weather has been nice, but it is supposed to change tomorrow and get cooler.  So it will be easy to stay inside and work on art related projects! But I will be looking for more signs of Spring and warmer weather to come.

I mentioned in an earlier post, that one of my classes is working on Altered Book projects.  These are made from discarded books and can be made into anything you can imagine. They could be made into journals, scrapbooks, or simply a work of art.  Here are some photos of more of my pages from the altered book project.  This is definitely a project to work on over time (at least for me). I have painted and glued together more pages.  Some pages are completely painted, some are painted partially allowing the text and illustrations to show through the paint.


This is the Title Page of the Book, "Drawing with Ink".  I have painted a glaze over both pages allowing some of the text and illustrations from the book to show through.  This is just step 1.  I will be adding more things to these pages as I go.

Step One:  Starry Night Page
These two pages were simply painted blue with some swirls. There was an image of a handprint on the right side page that I allowed to show through the paint. 


Step Two:  Starry Night Page
Here I have glued an image and some text that was on one of the pages that I removed from the book.  It is an illustration of Vincent Van Gogh with some biographical info. in the text.  I tore the edges to roughen up the look.  I will be adding more to these pages in the future and I will post some updated pictures when I do.

Tips for altering books (so far):
~ remove several pages throughout the book. The pages will get thicker as you add paint and glue things onto the pages. This will help keep the thickness of the book manageable. You will probably want it to close when its finished.  I removed pages that did not have elements that I want to use in my design and I removed some with images that I will glue onto other pages. 
~ glue some pages together to create a more rigid surface to paint on.  Look for images or text that can be used in your design.  You can cut 'windows' in some pages to allow the next page to partially show through.
~ Take photos of the book before you begin...I forgot to do that! And more photos as you go. I like to look at the progress and it helps to have step by step photos when teaching a new project.  This is my first altered book, so I need examples to show my students.  I also have some books that shows altered book techniques, to show my students.

I'm working on more pen and ink drawings this week. I will post photos when I finish the set of 2 drawings.  I finished this one a few weeks ago.

Pen and Ink Home Portrait
8 x 10 inches
Thanks for looking!
Beth

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Pen and Ink House Drawing

Private Commission ~ Pen and Ink
8 X 10 Pen and Ink in Frame
I've drawn a few homes and businesses over the years. Many of them have been done with black pen. This one is my most recent home drawing commission. I have 2 more orders that I will be working on over the next week.  I love drawing houses and architectural structures, as you can probably tell by looking at my artwork.  Many buildings, parts of buildings, plus the many little houses that I have created out of clay.  Yeah, I probably should have been an architect.  But I didn't go that route.  Sometimes I wish that I had, but this is pretty interesting to draw and paint and sculpt them.  So a realtor, who happens to be my neighbor, commissioned me to do this drawing for her client, and she has ordered 2 more drawings. So you will be seeing more pen and ink artwork soon.

As for the supplies that I use, I prefer a smooth acid free paper (this one is Strathmore Smooth Bristol 100 lb.)  and I use a variety of black pens, but for commissioned artwork, I use either Zig Millennium or Pigma Micron, in different sized tips. Both of these types of pens are acid free, lightfast, and waterproof. So these drawings should last and last!

So enjoy and I hope to show you more next week!
~Beth




Sunday, March 7, 2010


I've been out of town this weekend, visiting family and delivering artwork to a new gallery/art boutique that will be opening soon. The grand opening is this Saturday. I am pretty excited about this. So watch for updates soon about the Second Saturday Studio. I will post some photos of the paintings that will be for sale. If you follow the link to the blog, you can read more about it now.
Stay tuned for more to come! ;-)
~Beth

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Holiday Season is Here!

Santas Making His List!
Well now that Thanksgiving is over, the rush of the holiday season has begun! Only a few weeks of school is left until Christmas Holiday begins! Which means only 25 days until Christmas! I've only purchased a few Christmas gifts so far. I really wish I were one of those organized people who finishes all of their shopping long before the crowds at the malls and stores. In the past few years I have begun to dread shopping because of all of the crowds, lines, and not knowing what to buy for my loved ones. So some of my shopping will be done online this year for that reason. Tomorrow is supposedly the beginning of cyber shopping and it even has its own name... "Cyber Monday". Well I don't know if that is really the case, because I think many people shop online all year round these days. But just in case anyone wishes to buy from my Etsy shop...I am running a special for $50 purchases this week. Any $50 or more purchased from my Etsy shop will receive Free Shipping to anywhere in the US Special this week only! So stop by my shop to browse. The special ends Friday December 5th.


Happy shopping to all!
Beth

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

"The Ritz" - Custom Tile Finished!

My latest clay tile is finished and on its way to its new owner who plans to give it as a gift. It has taken many weeks for this process to be completed because of the many steps that are required to finish a clay piece. First I made sketches from the description that the customer gave to me for what she wanted. In this case, she wanted a lakehouse. She made a couple of suggestions for changes of little details. Then I created the tile in clay, which took me 3 to 4 hours. Then the drying and waiting time began. To avoid warping of the tile, I loosely cover my tiles for several days to start the drying process, very slowly. After it is leather hard, I start to uncover the tile for a little while each day. I don't want the little details to dry too quickly. Eventually leaving it uncovered to completely dry out. Some of the edges are cleaned up, then I put it into the kiln to fire. After it is bisque fired, I apply black glaze to the surface and wipe away the black on the top surfaces, leaving black in the creases, lines, indentions, etc. The black glaze makes the texture and the depth show up better. The glaze colors are painted on, then refired. The best part is opening up the kiln to see the final result! Hopefully, it looks like I planned. Sometimes it does not. That can be disappointing. Although this process can take several weeks, I enjoy it and the creative process.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

I'm Going to France!




  

One Week!
I'm going to France! I get to help chaperone a group of students on their trip to France. I am so excited!
I only have two more days to work for this school year and I have 6 days until I leave for France! The end of school is always great! We all need a break from our routine of lesson plans, duty, school activities, and the students and teachers need a break from each other. But this year the excitement of packing for my trip makes this end of school year very different. Usually, I'm making lists of things to do around the house for the summer, but I haven't even started that list. I've been getting together luggage, wardrobe, passport, and money for this trip. So I don't have any new art right now, but hopefully, when I return from 'the trip' I will have lots of ideas and reference photos to work from. Here is a photo of the Eiffel tower (obviously) in 2004 when my daughter went to France. 


Links to My Trip to France:
Musee De'larmee
First Full Day in Paris 
Notre Dame Cathedral and The Louvre
The Eiffel Tower
The Arc de Triomphe

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Spring Weather is Finally Here!

Dogwood Blooms
I've been a little distracted from my art lately. With the end of school year coming fast, my son's high school graduation, and several other things I won't bore anyone with, my mind just can't settle down enough to sit down at my drawing table. So I've been doing some spring cleaning, since it has finally arrived.

I live in the South, so usually we have an early spring. We've had so much rain and cool weather this year, I was beginning to wonder if we would skip spring weather and go directly to summer weather. But the last several days have been very nice spring weather. The dogwood trees started blooming last week and are still very pretty. Here are some pictures of the one in my backyard. I would love to have more dogwoods, but my yard has very little shade, so they would burn up anywhere else. I will try to take a walk around the neighborhood tomorrow to get some more spring flower pictures. I need the exercise too!

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Happy Easter!

“Pair of Bunnies”
Acrylic on 2 Canvases
Beth S. Macre © 2007
These were painted last year for a friend for the nursery of her first child.


Sunday, February 24, 2008

The Creative Process

I've been struggling with creative block lately. I want to work on my own project, for a change, so bad that I just cannot seem to decide what to draw! Over the last couple of months I've had some commissions to do, so my time to work on 'whatever' has been limited. So now that I have some time to work on something else, I'm frustrated because I'm stumped as to what to do next. So when I read Cindy's blog about "The Creative Muse", it caught my attention. I spend a lot of time looking for new ideas for my students. My advanced students seem to have problems deciding for themselves also. Today I'm looking for ideas for lesson plans and came across some articles about the creative process and where Artists come up with ideas. I came across Nita Lelands blog about "Blockbusters for Artists". I think this is a good list, but I feel such a time crunch that I don't always take the time for these creative activities. I want to jump right in to 'my next great piece'! HA. But it doesn't work that way! I do have her book "The New Creative Artist" and use it at school with my students. I've even made some lessons from some of her projects. So I just need to take my own advice to my students, and play around with some of her ideas. I know what medium I want to use, Neocolors II and Prismacolors on pastelboard are my new favorites, because of their speed and painterly possibilities. Now for deciding what to paint/draw.
So Cindy suggests creating a list to get ideas. I'm still working on the main idea...The subject! I want to chose a subject that says its ME! Cindy often does Still Life, Nicole Caulfied often does Still Life. Paula does Yarn and other cute illustrations. I just seem to be all over the place! (Maybe a result of teaching art for 25 years.) I've got to focus more on 'my subject'! I've done many architectural pieces, but I'm not sure if that is 'my subject' or if I should pursue more still life or what? So what do you think? If you have any suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Latest Pen and Ink Home Commission

18" x 8" Pen and Ink
on Stonehenge
I just finished this commission of my neighbor's house. (Those pine trees are in my backyard!) I have done several architectural study drawings over the last few years. I guess the people in my little town know my pen and ink work more than anything else. I've only had one architectural colored pencil commission requested so far. I drew a barn a few years back with colored pencils. I have one more house to draw before Christmas. I will be starting that one tonight.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Candy anyone?

"Lemon ~ The Chosen one"
Colored Pencil on Stonehenge
3 1/2" x 2 1/2"
Shown here is my most recent addition to my ACEO size colored pencil artwork. It was created for the August ATC trade at ScribbleTalk. August has been a very busy month with school beginning last week, two weeks of in-service before that, and the CPSA exhibition the week before that. So, my artwork has been limited this month. Also the temperature outside has been over 100 degrees plus the heat index in the 110's. Not that I work outside, but any activity in this kind of heat can be draining...especially after working with 140 teenagers all day! Hopefully I will be able to work on some of my art this weekend. I'm beginning to get cranky from not having something on the drawing board. ...plus I have a group art show to get at least one new piece ready for. So back to stare at the blank papers on my drawing table.

Friday, May 25, 2007

"Two Fish"

"Two Fish”
Colored pencil on Black Stonehenge
Beth S. Macre © 2007
SOLD
"Two Fish" is my most recent colored pencil painting. It is prismacolor on 14" x 6" black stonehenge. This is a smaller piece than what I have done recently, but it was a fun to do. I plan to do more small pieces and to create a several pieces that are similar in technique. I recently sold a clay tile piece titled "One Fish" and just recently completely more tiles with the same theme. This one was fun to do on the black paper. I like the black paper that creates the dark contrasts. I also used the black glaze on the clay pieces to create the contrast in the cracks and crevices. This was fun to do and I want to create pieces that are fun to look at. I hope you enjoy looking.

Ceramic Rainbow Themed Houses

What I’m working on… This month I took pre-orders for my tiny  Rainbow themed houses. I made several samples to try out different details so...