A Few Random Fall Updates....

"...Summer's over.  Now it's Fall. 
Just the nicest time of all..."

"Now It's Fall", by Lois Lenski, published in 1948

....or so read the first line in one of my favorite childhood tomes.  Did anyone else have this vintage classic lying around their house growing up?  I so adored it, pouring over the simple/sweet illustrations while reading it over and over -- so that even today, all these years later, I can still recite the thing pretty much verbatim.  Well in any case, it indeed IS Fall.  Shorter days and cooler temps can mean but one thing around here -- Midwestern autumn color is soon to bloom.  May it be good and showy this year. Plus, don't know about you, but I myself am looking very much forward to the imminent appearance of pumpkin-flavored Everything (yummm)....

In other news, my private, youth art classes have started up again this fall.   I do so enjoy working with children -- such a pleasure.  Here are two of my students experimenting with Still Life painting...:

I set up a vase of roses for each...

Working out their compositions...

Acrylic paint on stretched canvas....

This was after a couple of sessions.  Aren't they coming along beautifully...?

Now for some randomness...... 

Rock talk:  I was recently lucky enough to stumble across this pebble below.  Long time readers will understand how thrilled I always am to find special wee 'Rock People' (click to see Rock People gallery here) -- that is to say, little faces and characters in the bumps, cracks and crevices within a rock's natural shape.  Can you not spy the obvious profile in this one, along the left side...?  (with an eye, nose, mouth and nice strong chin?)

A Face in the Rock:  His Left Side....

And his Right Side (again, an Eye, Nose, Lips and Chin.  He's Perfect!

I was thinking at first that he looked like another "Man in the Moon" (much like this little fellow) -- but just today, when taking these pics, I realized there is also an 'Abraham Lincoln' thing possibly going on here, of all things.  Hmmm, an Abraham Lincoln painted rock -- now that would be a challenge....!

................

One last tidbit for now.  I want to share with you a fabulous little surprise gift I received from a friend when we recently met for coffee.  She said she had a little something to give to me, but I couldn't imagine what it might be.  How I laughed when I unwrapped this little gem...!

Mini Statue of Liberty, in all her glory...!

Again, long time readers reading this will recall my epic project from a few years ago, back when I was commissioned to create a ten-foot tall replica of the Statue of Liberty, in papier mache, to be shipped 2,000 miles across the country....: 

For comparison purposes, here is my ten-foot Lady, once she was all finished)

While I welcomed the challenge of the Project (having blogged all about it here), and it was fun, I have to admit it was still intense at times, such that by the time she was finished and out the door, it did take some months before I could stand to see Statue of Liberty references and not freak out, if only a little, heh (shudders).  Because I promise you, once you become hypersensitive to the Statue of Liberty's image...?  She's popping up everywhere.  Via commercials.  Movies.  Magazines. Books. Videos.  Ads for the most random stuff imaginable (I swear she's used to sell anything and everything) -- it's clearly not called 'iconic' for nothing.  But while I once had to practically shield my eyes, lol..., the fact that I absolutely adore my Lilliputian Lady must mean I'm in full recovery...!

She really is wee, but nice and heavy for her size (given that she also happens to be a handy-dandy pencil sharpener) ...

It would have been fun to have taken a pic of my two Liberties together, for size reference.  Guesstimating, I figure the Mini might be about the length of my 10-footer's nose...?

As for the Real Deal...?  Gosh I dunno, maybe an eyelash...? 

The real Lady Liberty in her harbor home, in a photo I took from our speeding car on a trip through New York several years ago.  How excited I was to spy her!  (this was well before I had any inkling of The Project, mind)....

And lastly, here I am introducing Little Lady to my pet cockatiel 

(he's not so sure he cares for her very much):

"Hey, what is that thing...?!?"

Also let us not forget that the Nibblefest Art Contest starts in less than two days (on the 20th).  The theme for September is 'Cats' (read about it here) -- here's hoping you'll join us then for a look/see of all the great Cat entries (starting at just .99 cents!).   Note that I've been working on my entry -- check back soon for updates....

Happy Autumn, all (well, all those in the Northern Hemisphere that is)....!

Day 28 of the '29 Faces' Challenge, and Now For Something Completely Different: UNpainted Rocks....

UNpainted Rock People, in the Raw.....

Day 28 of the '29 Faces of February' art blog Challenge!  We are finally here, the second-to-last day of February -- who can believe it all ends tomorrow......?

Aside from being Day 28 today, it was also Tuesday, which happens to be my busiest day of the week.   Today was no exception, as I was out of the house for most of it.  So while I wasn't able to spend a lot of time in my studio today, I do have some Faces I took photos of tonight to share that I'm hoping will be of interest to many of you.....

As most of you must know by now, I love painting what I call "Rock People" -- the little faces and figures and such like that I spy hiding within the natural bumps, cracks and crevices of ordinary rocks.  I'm always on the lookout for these especially characteristic rocks wherever I happen to be.  Only, in my dozen or so years of searching however, I've come to realise just how rare and extraordinary they actually are.  By far most of the time, a rock turns out to be just that....a plain old, ordinary rock.  But I'm going to share with you here two rocks I have that are as yet UNpainted, just to demonstrate to anyone what these rocks look like in the 'raw' as I find them.....

The first one is a chunk of what I'm guessing to be limestone (yes, I took ONE course in Geology in college).  I think it's a pretty incredible find because it has not one, but TWO faces that are very clearly and obviously carved into the stone, by Mother Nature herself.   Everybody I show this one to is always pretty astonished -- the faces are simply THAT apparent, for all to see (here's hoping my photography tonight doesn't fail me!).  Note especially  that unlike all the other rocks I've featured, this rock is completely UNPAINTED -- I used only a bit of graphite pencil this afternoon along some of the cracks and edges of the rock just to help distinguish the features for the sake of photography:

Meet the 'Old Man/Old Woman'.... 

Two Faces clearly carved into the rock, one on each side.

Do you see them too?  The 'Old Woman' on the right, and the 'Old Man' on the left....?

Here with slightly different lighting....

Let's take a closer look at the Old Woman shall we...?

Just look at that eye socket and nose.  And that beautifully unmistakable CHIN...!

So much character, and in a rock!

She has a lovely jawline and hairline too -- really, can you describe this as anything other than Nature's Sculpture....?

 And now, let's take a look at her companion, the 'Old Man'.....

Nostrils, eyes, mouth -- it's all there. And dont' you love his pensive expression....!

A very sumptuous lipline.  Please tell me you see it too!

A little on the tipsy side, I'm making this rock stand upright for optimal pics:

This angle shows off his sculpted nose pretty well....

I see them as an old married couple, bonded one to the other, for all eternity....

A truly amazing find, in my humble opinion....

Pretty remarkable, no?  So special in fact, that though I discovered this rock ages ago, in the decade or so that it's been in my possession, I've never been able to bring myself to actually paint it.  And don't know if I ever shall.  They just seem so perfect in themselves, y'know....?  I like to tongue-in-cheekly refer to what I do as 'liberating' the Rock People -- but really, when it comes down to it, these two don't need any 'help'  from me....

And now for fun, another very special 'raw' rock, that was 'hiding in plain site' on me, for who knows how long....

Meet, 'Elly'....

"Elly', the wee elephant rock....

'Elly' the Elephant was (re)discovered only recently.  Let me explain.... As you can probably imagine, I'm pocketing rocks all the time to bring home.  Even though precious few rocks actually contain these perfect wee figure that I'm constantly searching for, I'm still always on the lookout for them should they cross my path.  Even when in doubt, with nothing immediately jumping out at me on a rock, if it happens to be shapely...?  My gut compulsion is to bring it home anyway.  As such, I've amassed quite a large 'reject' rock pile in my yard, to be incorporated into my garden landscaping.  Well it was only a few months ago, one day in late fall, when I was raking some leaves off our patio.  I felt a rock tumbling under my rake, caught up as it was in some leaves I was raking, and so I reached down to pick it up and toss it back onto its pile.  Only as I did so, I was stunned to look down and see an elephant face pop right out at me...!  It was especially stunning, because, being outside and all, it meant that this particular fellow had at some point been formerly REJECTED by me, possibly years ago.    How I missed seeing this little guy before is beyond me, because it's as plain to me now as the nose on my face!  (Or the trunk on an elephant, whatever metaphor you care to use).  I guess it just goes to show you, when in doubt, don't throw it out....!  (and it makes me want to revisit ALL my yard rocks again, just to see what else I've missed!).....

Elephant Face!  Her Left Side....

Her Right Side....

She looks a little like a wee shy baby to me -- with her ears and trunk all really apparent....

Remember, raw rock here, unpainted -- but can't you see her too...?

So here's hoping you enjoyed my especially Special faces for Day 28 of the Challenge....!  (and for any newcomers, here is my usual blurbie about my painted rock art....):

Typically, a rock... is just a rock. But sometimes, when luck smiles upon me, very special ones reveal themselves. Then I 'see' Rock People, little figures hidden within the naturally formed bumps, corners and crevices of ordinary stones -- Nature's very own sculpture. With the help of a bit of paint, I enjoy 'liberating' these unique wee folk for others to enjoy as well.....  

 (To see more of my painted rocks, click on the 'Painted Rocks' label for this post -- as well as visiting my Painted Rock Gallery on EBSQ)....

Day 25 of the '29 Faces' Challenge: A Painted Lion Rock....

Day 25 of the '29 Faces in February' Challenge.  And I'm tired, people...!   Still, there was no way I was not going to do a Face today, as close as we are here to the end of the month and my record so spotless thus far....

I admit it wasn't the most productive of art days today however.  I fiddled with no less than four different ongoing face-relative projects in the studio today, representing hours of time, yet not getting very far with a nary of them.... that is, except for this wee fellow.  Another painted rock that, again, like all my other projects from my aforementioned 'Pile of Shame',  is one that I'd started years ago (so long ago I can't now remember any detail of how I ran across him in the first place) and never got round to completing....

I think the problem with this guy was that, despite the fact the rock had a really OBVIOUS lion face from the first time I spied it, with the nose and the mane clearly defined, and the proportions just right, my first attempts at bringing him out resulted in something far more 'cartoony' than I was looking for.  And I'm sure part of that is likely due in large part to the fact that I often start my projects with gusto, but without the benefit of any reference material, thanks to my inherent laziness.  So then, when my pieces get to their 'ugly stage' (and they ALL get there, at one point or another), and I'm not thrilled with how it's going I'll just set it aside 'for later' (which may or may not ever come). Well yesterday when I finally got back to him I actually looked up some lion photo references instead of just trying to wing it, which proved to be quite helpful (so much so that I really ought to do it more often, but I digress..).   

Meet the 'King of Kats' :

'King of Kats' has a raised face, surrounded by a lush and silky mane....

3" long by 1.5" wide and 1.5" high

I forgot to photograph him with a coin for size reference, but he's really quite wee....

From all angles he has really lovely proportions. Mother Nature was particularly clever with this one.

This view really show off his exquisite 'lion' shape -- really quite dimensional!

As I always like to say, 'Nature's Sculpture'

Odd view from the back, but again it shows his lovely sculpted features....

 

And, yet once again, for anyone new visiting here is my usual little blurbie about my painted rocks:

...Typically, a rock... is just a rock. But sometimes, when luck smiles upon me, very special ones reveal themselves. Then I 'see' rock people, little figures hidden within the naturally formed bumps, corners and crevices of ordinary stones -- Nature's very own sculpture. With the help of a bit of paint, I enjoy 'liberating' these unique wee folk for others to enjoy as well.....  

 (To see more of my painted rocks, click on the 'Painted Rocks' label for this post -- as well as visiting my Painted Rock Gallery on EBSQ)....

Day 24 of the '29 Faces Challenge": a big Painted Rock Head....

Day 24 of the '29 Faces in February' Challenge....!   And I  can really feel myself counting down the days by now, whew....

Tonight's blog post features a long-unfinished project I pulled out to work on after being inspired upon seeing the face project of a fellow Challenge artist, named Liz Drake.  She had posted hers to the '29 Faces Challenge' Facebook Event wall, and it reminded me so much of this fellow that I took it as a message to properly finish him up, for once and for all....

Meet 'Rocky":

 You know the saying, 'Do you have rocks in your head"?  This poor guy's head IS a rock!

This is actually quite a hefty fellow, as you can see by the quarter I included in the photo for size reference.  But isn't he great???  Just look at that nose...! :

(For those who can't see the above Facebook link of Liz Drake's piece, hers was the face of a man with a very large 'schnozz', which is what reminded me of this big guy)

This was a project I'd begun many moons ago, after my father found this rock out in a cornfield and passed it along to me. I remember taking one look at that incredible 'nose' and immediately seeing the face encased in the rock -- and so it was with great enthusiasm that I began my painting project. But, as I'm sure you all can guess the old Art of Patience song and dance by now, it was an enthusiasm that fizzled before too  terribly long.  Part of the reason for that I think, is Rocky's 'two-faced' nature.  His left side's surface (shown above) is very even and smooth, which made the painting fairly easy and painless.  His right side however is significantly more rough and craggy, and it was there that I found myself hitting a few snags.  Over the years there were several attempts to finish him up, but never really to my satisfaction.  Finally today however I made a real concerted effort to focus and pay attention to what I was doing, and quit fighting but actually embrace the asymmetry (I never like to 'force' the rocks).  And it's with a happy heart I feel finally able to declare him officially  'Finis...!".

His eye follows you around....

He has a very defined 'ear' on his right side....

I really love this guy!

And again, my usual little blurbie about my painted rocks:

...Typically, a rock... is just a rock. But sometimes, when luck smiles upon me, very special ones reveal themselves. Then I 'see' rock people, little figures hidden within the naturally formed bumps, corners and crevices of ordinary stones -- Nature's very own sculpture. With the help of a bit of paint, I enjoy 'liberating' these unique wee folk for others to enjoy as well.....  

 (To see more of my painted rocks, click on the 'Painted Rocks' label for this post -- as well as visiting my Painted Rock Gallery on EBSQ)....

Day 17 of the '29 Faces' Challenge brings us another Painted Rock: "Blue Demon"

Firstly, just a note to once again thank everybody so much for all the wonderful comments and emails you have been so generous as to leave me with!   I am so enjoying hearing from everyone -- the feedback is wonderful and I really do so appreciate receiving it.  As for your emails, please know I am very nearly caught up again -- so if you haven't received a return email response from me yet, you can expect one very soon...

And now, my Face for Day 17 of the '29 Faces in February' Art Blog Challenge ....

This one was actually a project I worked on and mentioned back on Day 4 of the Challange --a painted 'rock'...that actually isn't a rock at all, but rather a chunk of concrete sidewalk I stumbled across in the gutter one day while strolling in my neighbourhood.  I don't know what propelled me to pick it up in the first place, but I'm so glad I did because the minute I laid eyes on it, I could see a funny little face staring right back at me.  

Meet a wee little 

"Blue Demon"

A little Gargoyle-like Creature from a found chunk of concrete sidewalk, painted on all sides following the natural curves, contours and crevices of the rock......

Very craggy surface.  Very textured.  But still I feel I was able to coax out his features....

A view to his left.

I love his maniacal expression -- he makes me chuckle just to look at him.

What a find.  I adore this little guy!

Tongue hanging out, lol....

Just look at that face!

And again, my usual little blurbie about my painted rocks:

...Typically, a rock... is just a rock. But sometimes, when luck smiles upon me, very special ones reveal themselves. Then I 'see' rock people, little figures hidden within the naturally formed bumps, corners and crevices of ordinary stones -- Nature's very own sculpture. With the help of a bit of paint, I enjoy 'liberating' these unique wee folk for others to enjoy as well.....  

 (To see more of my painted rocks, click on the 'Painted Rocks' label for this post -- as well as visiting my Painted Rock Gallery on EBSQ)....

Day 15 of the '29 Faces' Challenge -- 'Gibson Girl' on a Painted Rock....

It's Day 15 of the '29 Faces' in February Challenge!  Which means once I hit the 'publish' button for this post, we will officially be over the challenge half-way hump, with progressively fewer 'Faces' ahead of me than behind.  Wooh!  But it does still mean another fourteen consecutive daily Face projects yet to come however, determined as I am to stick with it all and see it through to the end.... 

Up to this point it feels as though I've been mostly playing things by ear with my Faces, kind of working on random projects willy-nilly as I've felt like it -- but it certainly wouldn't hurt to actually properly plan things either.  Looking ahead, I realise there are several art deadlines fast approaching that probably ought to be receiving my attention.  One is the upcoming Nibblefest Art Contest (Nibblefest F.B. Fan Page here,  Nibblefest Blog here) with longtime readers knowing it's an event I like to regularly participate in.  For anyone unfamiliar, the Nibblefest Art Contest is a themed event hosted via ebay (Nibblefest ebay group here), which begins the 20th of every month.  The themes are broad and the entries (up to three per contestant) can be of any medium -- the primary ironclad rule of the contest is that all auctions must begin with a starting bid of .99 cents. Admittedly that can feel a little risky at times -- as such it might not be everyone's cup of tea, but for me, the contest is a hoot because I always so enjoy working with the Themes.  This month should be no exception, because the theme, "Moonlight", has to be one of my favourites.  As much as I love anthropomorphic 'Hearts', I probably  adore anthropomorphic 'Moons' all the more (if my 'Bloo Moon' Painted Rock, my 'Myrtle Moon' WIP Doll, plus this as examples are any indication) -- therefore I can totally see once again combining 'Moons' with 'Faces' for the contest AND challenge, and 'killing two birds with one stone' again while I'm at it (something to mull over anyway -- I have until this coming Monday, the 20th, to figure it out)....

Now, speaking of 'stones', this brings me to today's featured Face, happy as I am to announce another finished project, and yet another painted rock figurine at that.   As with the others, she was begun aeons ago (literally, if you consider Mother Nature's role in the matter!), so I'm terribly happy to finally declare her 'Finis!'.... 

 Meet "The Gibson Girl"....

'The Gibson Girl', with her upswept hairdo and poofy sleeves, her pet dove perched on her hands and cuddled under her chin

Photographed with a penny for size reference

This rock had lots of rough texture to work with, still, her features have always been very apparent to me

Her dove's wings are outstretched and framing her lovely face.

 

Good Buddies.

 Charles Dana Gibson was a victorian-era illustrator who, through his extensive body of work, influenced an entire generation as to his idealised image of feminine beauty that became popularly known as  'The Gibson Girl".  My own little lady here, with her upswept hairdo, serene expression and big, poofy sleeves, recalls to my mind these once-ubiquitous, vintage 'Gibson Girls' of yore, hence her title....

My usual little blurbie about my painted rocks:

...Typically, a rock... is just a rock. But sometimes, when luck smiles upon me, very special ones reveal themselves. Then I 'see' rock people, little figures hidden within the naturally formed bumps, corners and crevices of ordinary stones -- Nature's very own sculpture. With the help of a bit of paint, I enjoy 'liberating' these unique wee folk for others to enjoy as well.....  

 (To see more of my painted rocks, click on the 'Painted Rocks' label for this post -- as well as visiting my Painted Rock Gallery on EBSQ)....