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.... 

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

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!

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!