The End of A Beautiful Month

May and June are my favourite months...I love the trees that bloom in early May, the scent of apple blossoms that give way to lilacs as the month travels on. I've had a gorgeous lilac bouquet in the kitchen counter for the past week, but it's now time to toss them in the composter. And finally, it has been warm enough this past week to empty that composter and plant some basil and a few tomato plants. With a small yard and a big do, my vegetable gardening is limited to containers.

May has proven to be a productive time, which is good. With three shows in June, the next month is going to fly. I'm a bit behind in posting pics, but I have updated my website so you can always find my work there. So here are a few from the past little while that I think I missed on my blog.



This one is a collage, acrylic on 8 x 10 in canvas.




And another Frida.



And I call this one "Never Mind The Birdhouse".

*All Image rights reserved Wendy Ryan *

Once A Year

We just arrived home from the yearly pilgrimage to the vet's with a clean bill of health for both doggie and kitty. Once again here it is, the end of a long day, I'm ready for a book and a cup of tea but determined to post a couple of the paintings I've been working on this week. I've stayed mostly in the "little Primitive" mode and have great fun.



This one is on 5 x 7 x 3/4 in wood and is called "Dobeedobeetwo".



Another little one on wood; acrylic and collage paper and it's called Macbeen and Molly. And now it's time to turn this thing off!

Monday Again

Monday again! I started two large paintings and finished a little one...only the little one is really ready to post. So here it is, "Tabitha In the Tulips".

It's painted on 5 x 7 x 3/4 in wood. I love painting on wood!



All image rights reserved Wendy Ryan

Clotheslines and Rain Showers

What a gorgeous day it's been! Everything is so fresh and green and I actually had laundry dry on the clothesline...well, it has been there since yesterday and did get caught in the rain at least four times yesterday. But today it is gloriously dry and smelling that wonderful out door smell!

I've got a couple of new pieces finished, these were scanned rather than photographed so the quality of the pics may not be quite as good but I've missed the sun so they'll have to do.



This one is called "Teddy Time". I listed it at auction on eBay yesterday, already a bid - Yeah!

This little Frida is also for auction on eBay.

I don't think I'll ever get tired of painting Frida...

*All image rights reserved © Wendy Ryan *

Long Gone Weekend

The long weekend behind, the paint brushes are flying!

For those of you who have visited my blog before, you'll remember that on the 20th of the month, I try to participate in Nibblefest, a themed art contest organized by a collection of talented artists on eBay. I started my entry last week, and put the final touches on it last night just in time. Every piece of art entered is listed at $0.99! And yes, it is a gamble for the artist, particularly in these uncertain economic times. But, we do it!

The theme this month is "Jungle Life". When I hear the word "jungle" my imagination always takes me to the work of Henri Rousseau. So, my entry is Frida à la Rousseau.



I called it "Jungle Dreams"...not the most creative of titles, but naming them is always the hardest part for me.

*All Image Rights Reserved Wendy Ryan*

Victoria Day Beckons!

My Victoria Day weekend is starting in one and a half hours! I'm setting down my brushes and putting the lids on all my paints...and I won't pick them up again until Tuesday morning! Yes, I am starting the weekend a day early, but with my June schedule so busy with three shows, I need some time to relax before that busy month begins.

So before I take my little break, thought I'd post a couple of pieces I finished earlier in the week.


"Remember When" is done on 8 x 10 inch gallery wrapped canvas. Since I've recently closed my eBay store, I have it at auction on eBay .



The next piece is a small folk Madonna done on 5 x 7 x 3/4 in wooden block. It's called "Gentle Mary of the Roses" and is also at auction on ebay.

Lakshmi

Busy days as the long weekend approaches. My days are filled building stock for the summer shows and completing commissions. I've just finished one for a very special collector. She gave me the perfect situation, plenty of lead time, and such a reasonable wish list. The subject of the piece is Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth, luck, love and beauty, the lotus flower and fertility. The client's suggested palette was perfect, we agreed upon the gold and crystals I love to work with and I was away! I placed the goddess against a background inspired by the beautiful batiks of Indo Asia.



It's a large piece, 12 x 36 inches and absolutely sparkles with Swarovski crystals. Here's a detail shot just to give you an idea.

Return To Frida

It's much too late for me to be coming up with anything to write, so I'll just post my latest painting. It's called "A Small Gesture". It's been awhile since I did a folk Frida.

Every Thing Old Is New Again!

Sometimes, it's a good idea to take a look back at where we've been. When I returned to art full time a few years ago, I discovered the "mini", little pieces of original art bigger than an official "miniature" but still small enough for even the smallest shelf or bit of wall space. My subjects were a bit whimsical, primitive folk I guess...cats and angels and girls. Over the years, I've often strayed, painting bigger and bigger. But this week, faced with my very small studio and my ever growing collection of paintings, I began to paint these little whimsical characters again.



This little piece is 5 x 7 x 3/4 in plywood. It's called Sailor Sally and available on eBay.

Aviator Angel

Saturday morning and it's a bit dreary today...windy and cloudy. A good day for tea and a book on the couch. But I'll be in my studio for most of the day. It's crunch time for a lot of artists I think. It is for me! It's always a struggle to keep the wolf from the door, so I've been offering bargain prices, running sales and auctions with low opening bids on eBay hoping to create some traffic. Sometimes it seems like I'm spread a bit too thin...the hours are long and the pay...well, don't get me started. But I love to paint, so here I am!

I've got a couple of new pieces I've just posted on my website. I found a few old frames in the basement that I painted with my favourite shade of green over a crackle finish. Looks nice and aged. Once yard sale season starts I plan to collect some more old frames...I love the way they finish off a folk piece.



This one is called Aviator Angel. The outside frame dimensions are 15 x 19 inches.