Thursday, December 29, 2016

Mailbox painting....




I just finished painting this mailbox for a friend of mine. She loved it! She's going to put it in a protected place of course...we live in Canada after all! Although I did paint a mailbox with DecoArt paints once and it lasted several years though the water dripped right on it and icicles hung off it all winter. 

I really like painting little cottages with light spilling out of the windows. So "Thomas Kinkade-esque" but the design is by Jackie Claflin and altered a fair bit by me. There are no hidden "N's" in the design as Kincade always did (N - for Nanette - his first bride) So romantic... 

 I hope that someone taking classes this fall will want to paint it so I can do it on something else while I'm teaching them. Hmmm...maybe a big canvas for my livingroom wall.... 

Sunday, December 25, 2016

Merry Christmas!



At that time the Roman emperor Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman empire... and because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David's ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, his fiancee, who was now obviously pregnant. And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.
That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them, "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior - yes the Messiah, the Lord - has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger" 
Suddenly the angel was joined by a vast host of others - the armies of heaven - praising God and saying, "Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased."
Luke 2:1-14

For until us a child is born, unto us a Son is given and the government shall be upon His shoulder and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God,
 the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace   Isaiah 9:6

The Nativity painted by Debbie Eckmier.
(figures are 4 ft. high)
Nativity designed by Juliet Martin. Angel designed by Helan Barrick

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

I Love Crows!


I love Crows especially when they are the Coloured Pencil kind! Lydia Steeves has designed a beautiful crow painting and I had a wonderful time painting this.

I love the DecoArt Media Shimmer Misters in Violet, Turquoise and White used in the background. These colours just shine on the black paper background.

What I liked best about these shimmer misters is that they didn't rub off after I applied them. I even used a kneadable eraser and they didn't move! Most shimmery mist sprays are not permanent but DecoArt's are. So I think they are more versatile for backgrounds like this but also for use in Art Journals where you don't really want your shimmer sprays to wipe off or move when you apply more layers of paint or stencil applications over top.

AND they showed through the coloured pencil layers. Not only are there lovely pinks, plums and teals in the crows feathers, but some of the shiny spray also shows through between the coloured pencil strokes. Just beautiful - much like the iridescence of a crow's feathers.  It's so hard to see the gorgeous colours in a photo - way more beautiful in person.

This can be a project you might like to tackle in the Open Studio classes on Thursdays. I'd love to show you how!

Monday, December 12, 2016

Christmas is Comin'...





A painting friend of mine, designed these cute little Santas as a free design. She designs a pin every year to give away as a Random Act of Kindness and encourages all her painting friends to paint a few and give them away every Christmas. They can be pins or ornaments.

I got some wooden tags at Michaels and started making some last week. Some will be for my grandkids - since I paint an ornament of some kind for them each year. And some will be to hand out. If you are reading this in 2016, you can get the design from her at: Random Act of Kindness pins

You can paint them on wooden tags or on watercolour paper coated with gesso to stiffen them. I finished these tonight as well as some star ornaments while watching Christmas movies on tv.



I also made a few of these star ornaments. I saw the star cut-outs at Michaels and couldn't resist bringing them home and adding a manger scene.
What's not to love about painting for Christmas!

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

What I'm working on this summer...

This summer is flying by and there is SO much to do to get painting classes ready for this fall, I've been painting quite a bit to get ready for you and your friends! I'm also starting to teach some Art Parties for adults and kids in the Kitchener Waterloo area. Check out my website and my newsletter to find out all the details!

Last Friday I did an art party for a Bachelorette party at a local restaurant. There were 16 guests. It was so much fun. The bride chose a cute picture of an owl and everyone had a hoot!!

My hubby came along to help out - he was the official paint squirter and water changer. He has said several times how much he enjoyed the evening. Since the group was made up of close friends and family there was one man in the group and he seemed to enjoy the project. He admitted that he hadn't done any art since high school. Maybe this will inspire him to pick up a pencil or paintbrush and get back into a wonderfully relaxing hobby.

These days there is so much stress in life, and so many things pulling at us competing for our time and attention. Painting is a wonderful way to beat that stress and escape for a couple of hours or true enjoyment. When you have a brush in your hand and you're doing something creative you will find that you can leave all those problems and demands behind as you concentrate on enjoying some ME time.

Start with a painting party or a beginner class (starting in September) and see how easy it is to learn to paint. Step-by-step! It's easier than it looks!

Try it, I promise you'll like it!

Making your day artfully beautiful!
Deb E


A long way to go for a few pictures!

My hubby and I just got back from the East Coast. We were there for 3 weeks and let me tell you...that's just NOT enough time to see all the beautiful sights there are to see!  I can see many painting nights ahead in my future...
Here are just a FEW of the many  photos we took this weekend that will make for some good winter painting inspiration on those long cold nights ahead...

I'm home now and the final preparations are being made for some wonderful painting classes this fall. Come and join me! Check out my newsletter that I hope will be out by the end of this week!
Enjoy ...and have a happy week.


























\














 
 

 

















Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...