l i l l i a

i love llamas

When I lived in Minnesota I would drive by this llama farm set back among some small hills. Occasionally I would get to see about 20 llamas in all different colors and sizes congregating in between the hills. I think they are so unique looking. They have these gigantic doe eyes and long eye lashes. Here is the photo I used for the baby llama in the painting.
Figure with Llamas is currently in my etsy shop. Her top is collaged with decorative papers. I am probably going to move the painting from etsy over to ebay in a live auction with a reserve price. Ebay has finally lowered their fees for sellers. So I am going to see if there are any llama collectors out there.

w a b i - s a b i

This started out as a self-portrait and morphed into more of a template of a figure. I used the wabi-sabi approach and didn't  have a preconceived idea about where it was going to go. I am not sure where I found this quote. I have had it for a long, long time. If anyone knows where it comes from could you leave a note.

Wabi-sabi
is the  beauty of things imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete.
It is the beauty of things  modest and humble.
It is the beauty of things unconventional.
At the core of wabi-sabi is the importance of transcending ways of looking and thinking about things/existence.
All things are impermanent
All things are imperfect
All things are incomplete

I used balled up masking tape and vellum, torn masking tape, acylics, graphite, decorative papers, velum drawings and photocopies on drawing paper.

 

Annie Oakley & Belle Starr

Finished these two paintings finally. Annie Oakley is on the left and Belle Starr on the right. I think I am going to put them in my Etsy shop later on today. They were painted on 12 x 12 birch wood in acrylics and then I stained an unfinished frame with a natural color and painted their names on. The frame is adhered to the birch wood with wood glue it is very secure. Originally I tried used a wood-burning tool to add some decorative elements to the frame and to write the names. That was a huge disaster. The pen nibs I used could not create any delicate curves for the handwriting and it basically would burn holes in stops and gaps. Bummer. Here I thought I could create all this elaborate work with it and engraving in wood is too difficult. In the end hand painting with acrylics worked the best for me.

Updated Website

I have added a small selection of prints available for direct purchase on my website. I will be adding more prints as I go along.

Annie Oakley

Frida with Deer Antlers

I have been working on some rough sketches for a painting of Frida Kahlo. This one shows her with deer antlers and the hand earrings that Picasso made for her. I  might  have only one earring instead of the two.  I am not so happy with the mouth  it makes her look a little peeved. I will have to work on that part  of it.  I wish I could dress like Frida with all her colorful outfits and jewelry.  I could, but its not really me. She reminds  me sometimes of my grandmother when I see her  smoking in old black and white photographs. My grandmother was an interior decorator and sewed custom drapes for clients. I remember her in her workroom hand sewing some heavy thick drape with a cigarette dangling out of her mouth. I don't think that would fly these days. What originally drew me to Frida was her fearlessness in expressing her pain in her paintings. And those eyebrows. She was a distinct figure and her paintings were a  beautiful mix of her Mexican heritage and her life.

Wild Horses Run Free