DATE: 08/28/2009 19:39:28 / MOOD: full of life


We
have been remodeling our master bathroom for a couple of weeks now. We
tiled the floor, Eric built a custom cabinet, and we are even going to
tackle a concrete counter top! I was going to just paint the walls, but
felt that was kind of a lazy finish to all that custom work, especially
because I am a professional decorative artist, so I decided to give the
room a good Venetian Plastering!

After having my business for
the last 3 years, it seems a little strange for me to admit that I
don't actually have any decorative finishing at all in our home! It's
not that I don't like any of it, but the house is more contemporary.
Luckily, Venetian plaster is one of those cool things that looks great
anywhere.

I knew I had my work cut out for me, because the walls
were not smooth and needed to be sanded before I began, but when I got
up on a ladder to see the wonderful job the builder's accomplice had
done leaving huge amounts of dry wall plaster in the corners, I nearly
impaled my hand on one of those ridiculous star patterns stamped from
drywall mud on the ceiling, a common sight in homes in the south. I had
to take on the ceiling before I started the walls. If you take a big
palette knife, you can scrape the peaks down and although it still wont
be completely smooth, it will be paintable and it looks a helluva lot
better. Plus, it wont fu#*ing send you to the hospital!

Alas,
once the ceiling was done, I felt that I had just done 600 reps on my
arms! It continued from there. In the 10 years since I've moved to
Atlanta from Seattle, I've honestly done little more than exercise my
right bicep to lift a martini now and then. It's not my fault, it's the
heat. Sucks the drive right out of you, which sucks because in warm
weather, you need to look good wearing little clothing! Still, it makes
me think about how celebs get such great bodies. There are two logical
explanations: Starvation and cocaine. They say "sexy bitches" for a
reason, because you can't look that good with being completely
irritable from the lack of calories!

So, eventually I moved on
to a primer coat, then several layers of plaster, and some more
sanding. After 6 days of keeping my arms up in the air, burning
thousands of calories, feelin' the burn, I stepped on the scale (big
mistake), and I gained a pound! Must be water retention. Wonder Woman
must have been bulimic.

She was drawn at the monthly drink and
draw session at Mellow Mushroom in Decatur, GA. I sit right near the
front at a low table, while the super hero models stand on top of the
bar, giving me a crotch-worthy perspective every month. I ran out of
room on my sketch pad..hehe, and hastily made her head too small, but
it was so far up in the air, who could know?! (Must have been during
the drinking part of the evening) Next month, I'll sit further back to
snatch a better view!

We still have to put the room back
together and I have to seal the plaster, but I can see completion
coming and going back to my martini...Maybe there's some sort of time
delay on arms of steel. Maybe they'll just show up next week, and that
pound will have gone away! Perhaps changing to red wine will be as good
for those muscles as it is for my heart!

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DATE: 07/24/2009 06:10:49 / MOOD: happy

I thought I would step out of the spotlight a little this week,
because I'm getting squint wrinkles, and I think I may need a new
prescription for sunglasses.

This month, some others and I want
to spread the word about our favorite online venue, Artfire, and the
great artists within it's virtual walls! Writing about other artists is
an easy thing to do, since I am continually in awe of the remarkable
talent out there. So today, I'm writing about my very talented friend
and prolific portrait artist, Christy DeKoning.

Christy is an
Aussie, transplanted to Canada. I am sure I would be charmed by her
accent, one I can only imagine as we are net buddies. (I don't know if She knows that Americans are particularly taken by an Australians.)

She
has a way, you might have noticed, of capturing the personality of her
subjects, and she has captivated quite an audience worldwide for this
special ability. Let me tell you, I'm speechless! (ok, I must go on)

I've
been following Christy for a couple of years now, since we met on eBay.
Her popularity has been growing at a remarkable pace, as I've witnessed
by visiting her various selling venues..

These pinups are her
newest mini obsession. She does work in all sizes, but quite a bit of
her work is in miniatures, and these dainty gals are ACEOs, which means
they are 2.5"x3'5", small enough that you don't really have an excuse
not to pounce on them; they'll fit anywhere! Try a really large
matt..that's 'hyper' cool (pronounced 'ee-pair) to show off little bits
o' bliss!

Try
sending her your own photo; a cat, a kid, a car, whatever, and she will
capture the sweetest essence in that, too. Custom portraits in
watercolor is her specialty, but her brush is certainly only one weapon
in the arsenal which compliments this amazing talent. She's a singer,
dancer and musician, too! Some people get it all! (we have so much in
common)

I wanted to interview Christy the old fashioned way; a
quiet, inconspicuous lunch. So, I booked a table right in the middle of
the room at New York's Famous Tavern on the Green, next to Dennis
Hopper and Martin Scorsese. Christy couldn't make it, something about
Paris. So, I took the web approach and that worked for her. Here's what
she had to say about Art, life and Artfire.

Christy lives with her husband, two sons, two cats and a backyard full of squirrels (but no mice!).

Christy's
art is in collections all over the world, and her ACEO work has been
featured in ACEO Magazine. You can also view Christy's work at ArtFire,
Flikr, Boundless Gallery and IndiePublic!

For more information on Christy, visit her blog at www.christydekoning.blogspot.com

Hope you enjoyed my visit with Christy!
Have a great day!
Regards,
Rebecca

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DATE: 07/11/2009 17:00:08 / MOOD: happy

Well, I suppose it's a good thing that I don't write dictionaries for a
living. You see, in August, you will be able to go to Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Int'l Airport to see a cool and unusual exhibit.

The
Canvas Project 2 is a massive visual dictionary of canvases. Thousands
of artists received 5 canvases and 5 words to interpret, to add to the
10,000 canvas goal! Each canvas represents one word. Here's my
interpretations...

















The first word: Sidecar.
When
vacationing in Roswell, it's important to blend in. You know, like one
of those fanatical Roswell groupies, who happens to be very proficient
with custom automotive work!

You can order a custom helmet with deely bobber antennae! Make sure to get a vanity plate, too, for the memory.

The
sidecar is just about big enough to double as tent and has
airconditioning, microwave and mobile satellite computer and TV. Let
the Hulu mania begin.


















#2: "Beagle"
My dog Peanut, a mutt, was named in honor of Charles Schultz, one of my favorite childhood inspirations.

When I saw that I had the word Beagle, I knew I would have to pay homage in some way again, but this time, to Snoopy!

This little beagle puppy is in training to be a flying ace, and can barely hold on to his dog house.

I would have made the eyes even bigger, but they are pathetic enough as it is!

















Number 3: "Resize"
I guess it's obvious where the resizing has taken place but there could have been a little work done in other places!

Painting
cleavage was hard...I had to repaint it numerous times. I didn't want
to stand in front of the mirror to paint my own, since I needed to have
free hands, and they would have been busy lifting and smooshing
something together.

So, I started off to get some inspiration
and googled 'cleavage'. UM, that's when I found lots and lots and
(lots) of porn. Realizing that finding a still shot of desirable
cleavage might be difficult, I hit the back button and, after
considerable thought of who had a good line to paint, I googled 'Pam
Andersen'.

This cleavage is hers, more or less. So, if you're wondering what a hausfrau costume might look like on Ms. Andersen, this might help..(I know this will be Bill's favorite.)













#4: "Idolize"
Since Michael Jackson died this week, it suddenly occurred
to me, "It's good thing I procrastinated with this project long enough
to get a subject! I had been wracking my brain trying to think of an
interpretation for 2 months, when suddenly, oops...got one!

I know in the last 10 years or so, he's been VERY strange, and there was that little thing about being a pedophile.

But
before all that, there was the 80's! He was a huge influence on music
and he changed the industry and took performing to another level (and
temporarily boosted Pepsi sales). He was over the top, but the hair on
fire was completely unnecessary, I thought.

Whatever! you might say! But without MJ, the movie "The wedding Singer" just wouldn't be as funny.

Ponder that!

#5:
Beatnik...I know, potentially the coolest word to get. Well, I didn't
finished this one in time to postmark it today...I will get it done
soon. Maybe I'm waiting for inspiration. I hope the project doesn't end
up with 9,999 canvases. :)

View Entry

DATE: 06/27/2009 22:34:04 / MOOD: happy


"Peach Crate"
I painted this 6x9" canvas board for an ad background. The ad is for one of my Etsy Teams.
We are having a Summer sale next week called "Peachy Deals", fresh from the Georgia Etsy Street Team!

We hope you'll visit Etsy June 21-28th
for the Peachy Deals Summer Sale, with great deals in all things
handmade, including bath and body, fiber arts, fine art, home decor,
jewelry, handbags and so much more! Search for the GaEtsyTeam or come
back to this blog and click on the links! My store is Smelly Rhino Studio, naturally.

I've
been reading a lot lately about graphic designers and how they would
benefit by taking a step back from their graphic drawing tools and
spending more time with a pencil and paper or paintbrush instead. Once
you come up with your background, then you can layer your Type and
other graphics on top, making for a groovy, very "now" ad! The graphics
were performed by my partner in crime on this project, graphic designer
Maria Allen, who also has two great Etsy shops, Kartu Graphics (for great custom graphics and cards), and Maria Luna, which offers jewelry and fine art photography.

I
hear from many of my graphic designer friends that they don't really
paint or draw much other than using their talents with an electronic
stylus and a mouse, so I guess pairing with a painter for projects is a
good thing for fellow artists!

Just as we art bloggers talk
about regularly, you gotta use it, and use it every day, and if you're
not accustomed to sketching or painting on a regular basis, then I
challenge you to get a sketch pad and just draw something every day.
Maybe while you're on the couch at night (one of my favorite places to
draw). Draw everything in front of you. Use pencil, colored pencil,
ink, conte crayon, kids crayons, watercolor, whatever! The more you do
it, the easier it gets. Your design skills will improve too. And don't
be shy, this painting isn't even done!

Leave your Mac for a
while and just sketch something. Millions of dollars are being made by
stick figures and doodles, so what do you have to lose?

If you
really wanna play, buy a pack of cheap canvas board and start painting.
It's fun to start with a grungy background. It's in and it is a nice
backdrop to layer your graphics on later.

Here's some easy directions for glazing the antique color shown above:
Tools: acrylic paint (titanium white, yellow ochre), glazing medium or water, any brush will do, but the wider the better.

Prepare
your board by mixing some white with yellow ochre (about 10%) for an
antique white look. The more ochre you add, the dirtier and more golden
your board will look. Cover your board using a large brush.

Once
dry, you can glaze. Mix straight Yellow Ochre with glazing medium. If
you don't have that, then moisten with water just so it runs if tipped
but not watery. I use a liquid creme additive for glazing. Liquitex
also makes a glazing medium product.

Apply with a brush covering
the canvas, then wipe off as desired while the paint is still wet with
a terry towel or cheesecloth. Glaze
begins to set up in a few minutes, so make sure you wipe with the
direction you have in mind! Wipe in circles for a general dinge! For a foggy framed look, wipe off leaving less in the center, where your image will be. You can always reapply later, but you can't take away!
Also, you can wipe off lightly and then wait until it's really starting
to dry, then wipe it off with a heavy hand to create a very dry brushed
look, leaving color stuck in the weave. (Beware, you it's easy to wait
too long!)

Don't reapply
glaze on top of a drying coat of glaze because your second layer will
chemically 'open' the first, and actually begin to remove that layer,
which can be frustrating! So, let it set up a bit before adding more
dirt! Once you're done glazing, keep in mind that glazing medium remains tacky for 4-24 hours, so a hairdryer might be needed if you're in a hurry!

Now go doodle!

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DATE: 06/10/2009 09:22:00 / MOOD: full of life

Woke
up with a very strange feeling today, like I had been suffocating in my
sleep and my instinct of self-preservation, the one that usually wakes
me up from those innocent attempts on my life, was not quite kicking
in. Reminded me of my mortality.

I am still thinking about a book I finished a few days ago, Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott,
where the author says to let go of your inhibitions about how others
will perceive you and "write as if your parents are dead." I know she
didn't mean any harm by it, but I could tell you to write as if you
know your parents will never read it...kind of like how porn stars must
think.

Somehow, this all made me think about everything that
gets started and never gets finished. I think that may be the process
of an artist. Someone used to tell me I had too many irons in the fire.
Then, it could be that I also suffer from the problem that I can't
leave something done. Although I think I suffered from this malady much
less in my earlier years, it is clearly not showing any improvement with age. DaVinci did say that work is seldom finished, only abandoned. Someone else, probably Ward Cleaver, said, "Leave well enough alone."

I'm
a matriculated student of the perfectionist society (synonym: takes a
while to finish). Problem is, I also have anxiety. This is why I have
very little to show you from day to day, and then suddenly I have a lot
all at once! --those are the culmination of many moments of focus
coming together over time.

I have someone here at home helping
me with certain issues relating to my craft. The fact that I didn't
want to do anything this weekend except lay around on the sofa, he
remarked, could mean that maybe I'm treating my painting like a job
now! ROFL "But", I often say in angst, "I can't force creativity! It's
either not there, or it's there at 2 am, and that's when I need to
work." So be it.

Being still relatively young on this Earth, I
am still learning, still wondering if effectively managing my time has
anything to do with wisdom. Could be that you just slow down and enjoy
the moment more and that helps you focus.

I have brilliant episodes of focus, periodically.

I remembered being more single-minded in my 20s, and I could really get something done. I want to de-clutter my mind so that just that little act that I want to focus on right now is the ONLY thing in my line of sight, physically and psychologically.

When this happens to you, isn't it just the most incredible moment of productivity?

So,
I will go about my day today, with a list, again, trying to recreate
that moment of zen, single-minded focus on that one item on my list. After all, a show of promise is better than no plan at all, I suppose.

I hope you enjoy this piece, a commission for a friend.

PS. Hi Mom!

POST
BLOG UPDATE: From a comment mentioned hereafter, you can de-clutter
your home and apparently, your mind with some help from a couple of
ladies. Good luck to all: I'm going to read some more. Magpie Girl's Blog on the fix

View Entry

DATE: 05/13/2009 08:51:38 / MOOD: full of life

You
may have noticed by now that I like sunflowers. And why not? Maybe
Vincent really cut off his ear to show affection to a sunflower! (Hey
it could happen, I mean, he did cut off his ear!)

I have used a
few oil pastels in my time, and I have found that with the right amount
of pressure and painstaking labor, you can fill in any gap ...that is,
of course, if you want to...(make sure you have some aspirin lying
around for the hand cramps).

Ideally, I suppose, the best paper
to use for the finer details of oil pastel is a good medium weight
smooth drawing paper, which allows for a very fine image and lots of
detail.

But, I wanted a heavy impasto
effect. I used acrylic linen canvas for this piece, which is a great
heavy weight textured paper that will take on some serious paint. I
also like it for oil pastel, but be prepared to use a lot of
crayon. Above, I alluded to my tough attitude toward my paper, but in
this case, I wanted the result to be a highly textural incredibly vivid
image that in person looks like the style of painting I often enjoy:
Sculptural!

About Sealing:
There are a variety of ideas I've
read about with regard to sealing an oil pastel. You can use a fixative
on your piece during your work in progress and continue working, but
you will definitely want to seal it properly when finished. I used a UVLS
satin lacquer and apply numerous coats so I can actually touch the
surface (lightly) without digging into the soup that pastel artists
love to hate.

About framing:
I frame my oil pastels behind
glass because fingers can still damage the surface! (I'm sure you know
not to put any painting behind glass unless it's watercolor!)

Here are a couple of places I googled and found some information on using and sealing oil pastels.

Oil Pastel Painting
Sealing Oil Pastels

Have a great sunflowery day!
(P.s. Looking for new oil pastels; please send them to the "Rubbed 'em in till they was gone" fund, c/o Rebecca Salcedo)

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DATE: 12/18/2008 10:36:37 / MOOD: full of life

I was going to go to everyone and post a Merry Christmas comment on their page, but really, how much time do I have..I have to fly out tomorrow and do laundry! 

Merry Christmas to all my artscuttlebutt friends, and those who may read this!! 

My wish to you all is dreams realized...may you have an abundant Holiday full of love, understanding and new memories to keep, and may your 2009 be absolutely and completely full of creativity.  Every day, I am amazed and in awe to be in such wonderful company here, and I can't wait to see what you create next year!  

Thank you for being my friend and inspiration.

I hope my art wiill make you happy, too!

For a warm and fuzzy story check out my blog: www.smellyrhinostudio.blogspot.com

Warmest regards,

Rebecca Salcedo

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DATE: 12/18/2008 10:11:32 / MOOD: full of life

I was going to go to everyone and post a Merry Christmas comment on their page, but really, how much time do I have..I have to fly out tomorrow and do laundry! 

Merry Christmas to all my artscuttlebutt friends, and those who may read this!! 

My wish to you all is dreams realized...may you have an abundant Holiday full of love, understanding and new memories to keep, and may your 2009 be absolutely and completely full of creativity.  Every day, I am amazed and in awe to be in such wonderful company here, and I can't wait to see what you create next year!  

Thank you for being my friend and inspiration.

I hope my art wiill make you happy, too!

For a warm and fuzzy story check out my blog: www.smellyrhinostudio.blogspot.com

Warmest regards,

Rebecca Salcedo

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DATE: 11/13/2008 22:22:14 / MOOD: happy

Here in Atlanta, there are a number of opportunities to practice figure drawing, including a few fun sessions that involve tater tots and beer in a bar! -tater tots are free even!!!

I started meeting a group every Thursday night at one of the colleges for some practice, because it has been 20 years since I actually had a live model (in college).  It's an intimate group and everyone knows the models by now. Very friendly group and at $5.00 it's is a bargain to brush up on my skills.

I hope you enjoy these quick poses I did tonite. I'll admit, if you haven't ever had to draw a figure in 1 or 2 minute poses, it may be a bit intimidating at first (like all I could get was a leg, or quasi scribble or it was so out of proportion, I wanted to hide my page from the master who was sitting next to me), but if you keep it up, you will find it liberating, and all of your skills will improve!  Not only that, but getting out means another chance to talk to other artists..and that is the best kind of social networking!

Cheers,

Rebecca (Seagirl) 

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