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.

Deadlines and Angels

Well, the à la Klimt painting is still unfinished. Sometimes, I have to set these pieces aside and move on to something else for a day or two. I just couldn't bring myself to concentrate on the itty bitty details today. But of course, I painted, I always paint and I do find solace in painting angels. It's been a hectic couple of weeks, deadlines for the Originals show, tax time, family stuff...it was definitely time this week to attempt to recover with an angel or two.

The first one is still unfinished. I started it on Monday; I've used texture paint to create a raised Celtic braid on her halo and gown. I haven't quite worked out how I'm going to finish it...maybe tomorrow.



The second angel is finished. I've called it "Beautiful Pure". It's acrylic on 12 x 16 in gallery stretched canvas, and is hopefully, peaceful and calm. I've taken a chance and listed it on eBay for a pretty low opening bid...sigh...always a gamble.

Unfinished à la Klimt

I spent another long day at the easel with another in the à la Klimt series. This one is a Frida. I took this shot indoors so the quality is low but here's the latest "work in progress". It's a large canvas, 18 x 36 inches with lots of golds.

More à la Klimt

I've been putting in long hours on this latest series of à la Klimt paintings. So far, I've done two interpretations of the Madonna and the third one is simply two women. I've done this sort of composition before...I like the impression of comfort and trust the pose seems to create. The women may represent sisters, friends, or even mother and daughter. Whatever the relationship it is one of closeness.



I call this piece "Almost Gold". I've used gold leaf and various liquid gold and metallic paints on a wood box frame. The shot below gives a bit more detail.

Another Golden Madonna

As I sit here at my window, I can just about watch the buds opening on the maple tree. This morning I watched a little scramble between a robin and a brown squirrel. I'm not sure who got there first but they both seemed to be claiming squatter's rights!
I finished the latest in my à la Klimt series. It's a Madonna, quite reflective and a little sad, more romantic than art deco. I've used a combination of metallics and gold leaf. It's a fairly large piece 16 x 20 inches on a 1.5 inch deep box frame.

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day All! I hope you had a moment to think about and act upon ways to care for this beautiful island we all share.

I'm back in my little studio following the Originals Spring Show. One of the best things about getting out and participating in an art and craft show, other than the obvious advantage of making a bit of money, is the opportunity to meet wonderful new artisans. We always help each other out, and share a few much needed laughs if the hours get long and the sales are scarce. My newest craft show friend is Joanne Jones and she is amazing! She is all about strength, generousity and commitment to her fellow humans and good old mother earth. But I'm going to let Joanne's own website Minedrecreations fill you in on how she recycles cast off clothes into very cool fashion accessories. And to make this environmentally ethical adventure even better, a portion of each sale helps fund a South African girl’s university education.

And I'm back to my paints again. I'm working on another Klimt inspired piece, still just an idea. But in the meantime, here's my April Nibblefest entry on eBay. Nibblefest is a themed art contest that starts on the 20th of each month. This month the theme is reptiles. Reptiles come in many shapes and sizes but I chose a snake. the snake's eyes are little sparkly Swarovski crystals. And as usual, the auctions start at the scary low bid of $0.99!

Zen, Tape and Spirit of Macgyver

Thursday morning, and just a few minutes to spare before I blast out the door for DAY ONE of Originals Spring Craft Sale. It was the usual sprint to the finish to get as much new work ready as possible, and then the absolute bedlam of packing up the trailer and setting up the show. The display always looks pretty passable by the time it's assembled and the work hung...but I admit the process is lacking in ZEN. We never seem to do the same lay out twice. My ever loyal and suffering hubby seems to channel the spirit of MacGyver, to somehow build the display and hang as many pieces as possible. And all this without a swiss army knife! And yesterday, we had even managed to forget the duct tape!

But this is it, the show must go on and will go on!

Originals Preparations in High Gear

Here it is already Monday, and Originals Spring Craft Sale is just a few short days away! As much as I wanted to paint, I've been organizing my work all day today, making sure each new painting is completely finished, I've signed it and it's ready to be packed up. I've been busy taking photos of the new pieces and loading up the images to my website. It's always a mad dash to the finish line!

And more excellent news has arrived, it's official, I'll be at One Of A Kind Show in Toronto next November. So many things to do before that one, including transportation and accommodations. But one day at a time. In the meantime, here's one of the paintings I'll be taking to the show this week.




It's called "Promises", done on masonite in a 12 x 24 in box frame. It's soft and romantic and makes me feel like spring has finally arrived. And even though we still have gritty old snow banks, I actually spotted some beautiful little crocuses today. Made me smile.

Hillside Is A Go! Yahoo!

I love Hillside Festival. It's just one of those amazing weekends that makes a summer memorable. I'll write more about it later. But for now, I'm cheering, I got the happy news today that I've been accepted as a vendor at Hillside 2008!

As always, I spent my day with my paints. I seemed to have fallen back into that romantic mood...sweet doll faced angels...I called this one Buchanan Ballad, because I used a Buchanan Tartan paper and because I'm tired and couldn't think of anything else to call it...

Spring Cleaning Sale!

With Originals Spring Showcoming up on the 17th, you can imagine I have new work in every corner and nook and cranny! I decided I need do some spring cleaning! So, I'm running a week long 50% off sale at my eBay store. Sometimes it's just good idea to freshen things up.

This piece is not part of the sale. I just finished it today. It's a mixed media collage including vintage sheet music, an old map, Swarovski crystals gold leaf and plenty of glazing and texture...it's reminiscent of my Byzantine icons...but with a contemporary feel.



It's called "Not Impossible Things" and is done on masonite in 12 x 24 inch box frame.

Another Party

Well the party continues. By that I mean I start out to paint a party girl and somehow along the way the painting gets a little sad a little wistful. I call this one "Betty And Bea". It's painted on 8 x 10 x 3/4 in plywood.

Cats and Party Hats

Maybe it's the seemingly never ending winter that's getting to me...it snowed again this morning and now it's raining...I start to paint party girls in sparkly party hats and somehow they end up looking alot more forlorn than I had intended...Ah, maybe April showers will bring the smiles back to these girls...