Nibblefest Art Contest: 'Still Life'....

"Green Pear" for this month's Nibblefest Art Contest (click for auction link)....

My entry for the October 2011 Nibblefest Art Contest (the theme this month being 'Still Life') features a single green pear rendered upon an 'upcycled', 3.5 x 4.5 wooden plaque. In addition to the vintage second-hand frames I tend to hoard (as mentioned in my previous blog entry), I also possess a collection of small wooden plaques that I've acquired second-hand through various means. To prepare these old plaques for painting I sand them and then cover them with overlapping scraps of paper in order to build up and create a new and textured surface upon which to paint (the textured surface lending depth and dimension to my paintings)...

I feel good about giving these old, unwanted items, typically headed for the landfill by the time they cross my path, second life in the creation of original art....

RedWood - by Patience for the 11th annual "Ripped Off" EBSQ Art Exhibit

'RedWood', my 2nd entry into EBSQ's 'Ripped Off' exhibit

I was able to finish and upload this 'Ripped Off" EBSQ show entry this past weekend -- a fun project and very enjoyable for the opportunity to partner up with my buddy, Tina Calderin. (Thanks, Tina!)...

RedWood - by Patience from Ripped Off 11 art exhibit (click link for more info)....

Side View, demonstrating the painted frame....

My "RIPPED OFF"  inspiration:  "Wood Nymph", by Tina Cart

My accompanying artist's statement:

My partner for my second entry into this year's RIPPED-OFF exhibit was the wonderful pastel artist and painter, Tina Calderin, of GalleryT....

So many lovely pieces to choose from in Tina's EBSQ portfolio, but I finally decided upon her painting, 'Wood Nymph', to RIP, attracted as I was to her flowing, flaming hair and captivating blue eyes, but also to the intriguing way in which Tina painted a floral arched 'frame' as part of her painting's background...

I have recently begun painting almost exclusively on supports I create myself utilizing the old, salvaged wooden picture frames that cross my path from time to time (usually for free). I feel good about giving these unwanted homeless items a second life, not only because trees were cut down at some point to produce them, but also because by the time I get my hands on them they are usually destined for the landfill. The process of recycling these vintage frames into painting supports/canvases is a lengthy one, typically involving stabilizing the frames (which can be quite rickety), cutting thick paperboard to fit, securing it all and pasting and building up a painting surface with layers of overlapping scraps of paper. The end effect is a highly textured surface that adds dimension and depth to my paintings, complete with a built-in frame (onto which I often extend my painted images, incorporating the frames into the overall piece) into one cohesive, ready-to-hang whole....

Interpreting Tina's 'Wood Nymph', I used one of these hand-constructed, repuposed framed painting supports as my canvas, concentrating on her subject's beautiful hair color, cascading waves and serene expression, while including my own version of a painted floral frame using the same hues as Tina's (including her bold red background).....

EBSQ's 'Art of the Day'.....

Happy to say that EBSQ is back online and in working order, and...happy also to say that my piece, 'Sunny Scrimmage', was selected for today's EBSQ 'Art of the day'....! Thanks, EBSQ!



This is a fun piece because it was actually something I did many moons (suns?) ago. I had refurbished an old dresser I'd found free for the taking on the side of the road in our neighborhood -- we had just bought our new (to us) old house, and were in need of some bedroom furniture for my son. So I grabbed the freebie dresser, and immediately set about Upcycling-- fixing it up and painting it. My son was 8 at the time, and quite the soccer fan (still is), so I painted cheery bright soccer scenes all over it -- this being one of them. He loved it!

Well, needless to say, the dresser that was so cool when he was 8 ceased to be quite so much when he entered his teen years -- but what were we going to do? Paint over all my hard work??? Nahhhh. Happily my son is pretty good natured, and managed to put up with it in his room these 10 years....and who knows? Perhaps it can be something to pass along to his own kiddos in years (many long years!) to come....