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....

EBSQ Servers Down....

Just a note to any who might be wondering, it seems that the online art community/site, EBSQ, is currently down due to server issues. The problem is temporary, but my portfolio there (along with those of all other EBSQ artists) is inaccessible at the moment while EBSQ conducts data recovery. In any case I'm sure all will be back to business as usual soon....

September Nibblefest Art Contest: "Ode To Blue"

"Blue Moon Guardian", my 9" x 12' original entry for this month's Nibblefest Art Contest



What a week! We've had contractors crawling around here for days doing extensive and much-needed insulation work on our ramshackle, century-old home. Lots of noise, fuss and muss, inside AND out -- though all of it should prove very worthwhile once we start seeing what we hope will be significantly lower energy/heating bills this winter, brrrrr. It's always been so bone-chillingly frigid in here during the cold months that I suppose I'll only truly believe it when I actually see it (and FEEL it!). Which ought not be too long now, hard as it is to believe that we are actually at the official first day of Autumn....

Something else that we are currently at right now, is yet another round of the fun and fabulous Nibblefest Art Contest...! The theme for September is 'Ode to Blue'. Well, needless to say, I adore the color blue, so in spite of all the commotion around here I did manage to come up with a NFAC entry. I was in the mood to do something whimsical and fun -- plus for once I actually entered a larger painting this time around, as opposed to my customary ACEO's (click for link to my entry auction)...

My auction description:

A tribute to one of my favorite colors, this unframed ORIGINAL was painted in acrylics on 9" x 12" canvas sheet, and features a lovely whimsical creature, perched on a branch and cuddling her infant under the watchful, trustworthy gaze of a friendly and smiling, blue crescent Moon....

For further information regarding the Nibblefest Art Contest (NFAC), I highly recommend reading this really good blog post about it, hot off the Wordpress press as written by my friend and fellow artist/blogger/Nibbler, Sherry Skey (check it out here)....

Happy Nibbling, Everyone...!

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EBSQ's "Ripped Off' Exhbit

ACEO: "Blue Blaze" by Patience


I participated in a fun annual, themed EBSQ exhibit last month, known as the 'Ripped Off' show. To participate, members partner up with one another, choosing from amongst each other's portfolios a piece with which to use as inspiration to create a new, original work of art -- or in other words, a piece to 'rip off', but with express permission of course! (read the prospectus of the show here). I was invited to pair up with the wonderful nature artist, Amanda Makepeace. Agreeing to create ACEO's, the above is what I came up with, based on her painting of a blue bird entitled 'Resplendent Blue'). The following is my artist statement;

.....My partner for this year's EBSQ 'Ripped Off' show challenge was the wonderful nature artist, Amanda Makepeace. It wasn't easy choosing among her many lovely portfolio pieces, but finally I settled upon her watercolor painting, 'Resplendent Blue'.....

As a bird lover, having my own little pet cockatiel for over half my life now, I was attracted to the avian subject matter, in addition to the striking color. I also admired Amanda's simple, understated, and elegant composition, as anyone familiar with my artistic style knows I myself tend toward detail (and often lots of it). Thus I thought it a good personal exercise to attempt her more subtle approach with a simple, unadorned background. Unlike Amanda's bluebird, painted with watercolors in mid-flight with outstretched wings, mine is painted in acrylics looking over its shoulder in a relaxed, perched position -- the same posture that regularly greets me within my own pet cockatiel, every single day.....

All very much fun, and a big thanks to Amanda for teaming up with me! To see her own take on one of my pieces, go here -- she 'ripped off' my 'DragonFly Moon'. I love what she came up with, and because we traded, I am now privileged to possess a beautiful, original work of art by Amanda Makepeace...!

Nibblefest!

"ACEO, Pear Share" (click for auction link)


We are in the month of August. Really??? Seriously how can it already be August, much less the 20th of August? And yet so it is, which can mean only one thing (besides my Mother-in-law's birthday today)...Nibblefest Art Contest!

The contest theme for this month was 'Farm'. Well for whatever reason I didn't think I was particularly inspired by the theme, and consequently stalled and stalled -- and yet when I finally did settle down to work (at the 11th hour), it all came together quite nicely and quickly in spite of myself, and I ended up liking and enjoying what I came up with (will I never learn?). In any case, here is my entry/auction description:

"....A family friend has a wee hobby farm, complete with a small orchard. Every autumn I am invited to head out to the farmstead to pick as many fresh apples and pears as I can manage. With the bounty I prepare homemade sauce and pie filling, canning and freezing up a storm, as well as filling up my dehydrator with batch upon batch of sliced apples, all to enjoy throughout the rest of the year. And so I brace myself -- the harvest season is nearly upon us once again...."

Next month's (September) Nibblefest Art Contest theme is to be 'Ode to Blue'. Interesting enough (-- and perhaps for once I could actually attempt to get my entry done ahead of time...?).....