FACE MANIA

okáy ... it's official.

I'M COMPLETELY OBSESSED with FaCEs!! :=) :(

I'm filling up this 6th moleskin so quickly that I need to get another one on order.

This is my first "looking down" face.

I'm taking an on-line class with Suzi Blu- called "Piety & Passion" because I love, love Tudor history and this class combines learning the 3/4 face, with Tudor portraits, colors, textures, and she even has Tudor history to get you into their heads so that you can paint with imagination and with knowledge of the times. SO FUN!!

But in the meantime, I'm practicing faces from all different angles and noticing new things about them that I've never seen before. (oh dear-googly eyes as Suzi Blu calls them)

Also, another thing that has triggered this whole fACE MANIA thing is that I watched a master body painter, Mark Reid (mild caution- adult images also on this site) paint children's faces at an event in our small town. He was born here, and loves the little kids in his hometown. This is no simple face painting- this is wild, crazy wonderful art. And I watched and and listened as he spoke about using the body and face for a canvas -something that never crossed my mind really. But watching him interact which each child who was absolutely delighted for him to paint their face- well.. it was the coolest thing. Not only would you get to paint faces but you get to talk to the face your painting!!! And talk about the JOY! You've never seen so many beautiful HAPPY, HAPPY faces. He teaches classes and I'm dying to take one.

Of course, I had to come home and paint a butterfly face in my journal to remember the day and capture some of the images I saw. Now it looks kind of pitiful compared to what he was able to produce in minutes. But then he's had a life-time I tell myself.

This was my feeble attempt of trying to re-create some of the magic I saw in Miguel Martinez's art. His stuff blows me away and he's in my part of the country- and everything about his art touches me.

These images say to me, "Paint you wild wonderful crazy woman! Time is running out and there are so many portraits to paint! AND PAINT WELL- and you're not getting any younger! carpe diem!

I thought you might like to see my last painting of faces I posted earlier but this is after I completely finished and added a few more details.

I hope that I have infected you with some FACE MANIA! Please share yours with me and feed fuel to my already raging fire of passion about this subject.

A Good Reason to Keep Trying

I will always love the face. I did these faces with Shiva sticks, which for me has been a wonderful way to work with oil and to experiment and practice with the creaminess and wonderful blending qualities you get from oil. The background is acrylics. I also layered flowered napkins for the background with matte medium and it helped to make my faces stand out.

This painting was specifically made to be sold at a silent auction at my church wherein they were raising money for the youth and their summer camps. Happily, it did sell and had several bidders. (I'm always afraid that it will sit there with no bid on the page).This is another great reason to continue to improve in my art as others will purchase them for good causes and then the gift keeps on giving.

I know that I'm growing up because previously I could never give anything away or sell things that I painted because I figured the good things were a fluke and that I would never be able to make another good painting. But now I know they are only stepping stones to the next project. It helps that my stepping stones are being loved and accepted by others, and helping others.

I look forward to the day when I can raise the big bucks for my favorite charities simply by doing something I love to do.

A Warrior's Heart

This is a new little watercolor that I painted in my journal last night. I had tried several things but they were all too "heavy-handed". Portraits that turned out to be clowns because I put so much darks in, teeth too big, hair too garish. Watercolor isn't very forgiving once you start adding the darks. And the more I try to fix them, they just get darker and more heavy-handed. I look forward to the day when my touch has more finesse in it. So I just went for the bold color here in this abstract piece and I like it.

I get the bold strokes from both sides of my family. Let me just say that God did not give my folks the spirit of timidity. No soft spoken, gentle soul among us. You could hear my mother in the kitchen from clear across the house because she actually stomped her way around, and slammed cabinets as if she were mad and she wasn't. She's a trooper- and a loud one. We always knew she could run a company or be chairman of the board if she wanted to. You put my Dad on a project and he will die on that hill before he quits it or gives up. I have two brothers on either side of me that make up the brick fence that is my original family. We are loud and strong and bold and sometimes over-bearing. We are not shy about anything. We are like a bull-dog if you sick us on something. We pull ourselves and you and everyone around us up by their boot straps and slap you on your butt and say, "keep moving - no pity party today. We don't give up easily and we don't give in as soon as we should. It's not something I'm proud of.. but it's not something I'm necessarily ashamed of either.

It's true that I must learn to control my bold strokes with more finesse and my color to balance out my compositions and my life. But I won't give it up, I won't resist it. For it is a huge part of how I am defined and who I am. I expect this art thing to take me into my 90s. If you follow me there, you will see an old woman with a bold painting because I will still have my warriors' heart and my vibrant spirit. Life will fade my color a little bit, I accept that - and I should be just right by the time I hit and paint my last wall.

Some days when I walk out on my front porch here in southeastern New Mexico, it's all I can do to walk back in the house - and some days, I don't for a long time.

The birds were chattering so loudly in the pecan orchards that it sounded like a documentary of monkeys living in a rain forest.

My view, for as far as I could see, were green fields of tripecale (a blend of oats) that is now knee high. It is an awesome green - a green like deep emerald velvet - and it waves and rolls like the sea with only the slightest breeze.

My journal and my travel pack of watercolors seemed a good place to stop later in the morning and express the beauty that was literally wrapped around my heart like the hand-painted silk scarf I wrapped around my neck. It's just a regular day. No need for fancy, dress-up stuff.

But it seemed to fit the day and the mood. It oozes the luxuries of life to me like the morning view of this beautiful farm and the chance to arrange flowers from heart to my journal.

(hey Red, these tulips are for you because I know you love em too)

4082 miles of smiles

I went to Charleston, South Carolina and every state in between from New Mexico -back in 10 days - driving 4082 miles, and had an absolute blast with all this family of girls. My niece, Hollie, on the far right is who we went to see and she was an awesome tour guide.
We saw old houses and

and old trees (this one is 500 years old)

and old gardens. You know, the kind of things that grow old gracefully.......

We saw scary things, like haunted jails and alligators, and each other without make-up and morning coffee.

we ate GREAT food (this is Mammy's Cupboard outside of Natchez, Mississippi. We sat on beautiful private beaches and played in the white sand at Destin, Florida! and met incredible people along the way. This is Isaac. He has lived on the Magnolia Plantation all his life. His great-grandfather was a slave on this place. And his father is a camellia specialist. Isaac has lived long enough to see his family honored for the incredible contribution his family gave and suffered to prosper the South. We shopped and shared our lives and laughed and peed in a hundred different bathrooms.

A girl's road trip - the best of times, the best memories to place in the pocket of my heart. Thanks for riding along.

Fantastic Road Trip.

IMG_2785.jpg
Originally uploaded by chapped_chick

This was the wonderful bunch of girls that traveled to Charleston, South Carolina, excluding the third beauty from the left that was my niece, and our excellent tour guide.
I'm having a terrible time posting my photos so bear with me.

You Can Sleep When Your Dead

Of course, I couldn't stop with one journal. In fact, I made 3 more paper journals and then I decorated my moleskin journal with Golden's Extra Heavy Gel/Molding Paste mixed with gesso and a stencil and then painted a wash over it. I was worried that it would flake off, but I coated it with Golden's soft gel gloss medium. And it feels like it came on the book, although you can feel some texture. These acrylic mediums fascinate me with the extension of choices you have to create on anything with acrylic paint.

This is one of the sketches in my newly decorated moleskin.

One time, when my grandson was describing me to a little friend of his, he said, "My Peggy Sue is an explorer, a painter, and a farm girl". Well, Peggy Sue (aka Odd Chick) will soon leave on a new exploration for about 10 days.

I'm taking several girls to South Carolina to visit a niece of mine and we're driving. Now that's about 30 hours from my little town of New Mexico. Every time I think about the drive to get there and back and how tiring it may be - I remember the song that says we can sleep when we're dead.

I have never seen the East Coast. I will be a virgin sight-see-er in Charleston and do you know how hard it is to be a virgin anything at 51?? I LOVE LOVE seeing new things and learning new things. I'll have lots of cool pics to share and who knows what I'll see that will stimulate a new passion in my art. PLUS, just being with a fun bunch of girls!! ROAD TRIPPIN! The best. You know, the kind where someone says, "ouuu, I like that shop, let's stop there, and someone actually STOPS!!" , and "ouu, I'm needing a coffee mocha vanilla with cinnamon and an apple turnover" and someone actually STOPS!!

I made a JOURNAL.

I made a journal. I made a journal. I made a journal!! And if you're saying "la de freakin dah" -then you have either never made a journal or you are way into the book-binding passion and not impressed or..... your JEALOUS!!! But for me- it was like -ähhhhhhh- I have arrived on a new exotic island with the most precious fruit available and I am gorging myself!

When I went to Artful Journey in California, my new found friend, Amy Krueger, walked out after the second day with her first journal and my jaw dropped! WHAT!!!! HOW!!!!! I had never seen such beautiful texture and paint and it was her very own journal. I just had to hold it and try not to drool on it. I didn't take that class. But when I got home, I went straight to her instructor's, Albie Smith's blog, and LO!! the generosity of this artist! She listed her supplies and where she gets them. Now it was just up to me to try to recreate some of the beautiful things I saw from her class. I didn't even come close if that gives you an idea but I am definitely on a journey.

Beware! She will introduce you to some stencils and paper that will blow your socks off so you and your credit card have been warned.

Teesha Moore's videos helped me make the actual journal. How I would have loved to have had Albie for a teacher as the girls fell in love with her and couldn't say enough good things about her. SOMEDAY!!

If anyone can give me more tips about how to make these beautiful covers and make a bigger journal- you would be feeding the happy little passion fairy that flies back and forth on art airlines. I'm so glad she landed here and took me away with her.

Didn't Like Him

I painted him awhile back but I wasn't happy with him. I like him better today. They say "never throw your paintings away" because you can always fix them or paint over them or maybe, just maybe when you pull it out from under the bed - you'll like it again.

Someone changed and it wasn't the painting.

I find myself dealing with people the same way sometimes. Too bad we can't tuck them under the bed for awhile. However, some of us have some excellent avoidance behaviours.

But after a little time, when you open up once again- you see them differently. Better.

I've learned to never throw someone away. We're all redeemable, unfinished.

You never know....maybe someone changed.

My New Friends

I'm just crazy about you.

I haven't seen your face yet.

I haven't even met you.

You are just around the next corner.

You are just a twinkle in my eye until then.

I can't wait to learn the things you'll teach me.

I can't wait to share the things I've learned.

I will get to experience the world through your eyes.

You will have a brand new look about old things.

You will pass on your vision for new things.

You will imprint me.

You will probably inspire a new passion in me.

You make me look forward to every day.

And I will die loving you.

And you will remember me.

You are my new friend.