CROW LIVES MATTER!

Came across some gun targets for shooting crows and that upset me.  Any one who reads my blog knows that I am a crow lover so I decided to create a piece of art with my feelings about the subject. Oil and assemblage, shadow box frame, size 12"x12"

THE GAMES WE ALL PLAY

As usual it's been awhile since I have posted any new art.  I just have so many issues with my blog that I don't look forward to trying to post an image.  I think my new years resolution this year will be to create a website rather than the blog.

I have started another series with the birds; trying to incorporate some assemblage  items into some of them. 

This one has Domino parts and Bingo pieces in it.  Sort telling a story about the games we play figuratively.  Size is 12"x12" framed in a shadow box frame.

 

New Birds for the Tualatin Art Splash

  (SOLD)

The birds and I will be at the Tualatin Art Splash Friday, Saturday and Sunday, July 18th,19th 20th.  It's a wonderful event for the whole family, besides a great variety of artists there are events  planned for every hour including a concert Friday and Saturday nights by outstanding musician.
Check out the list of times for the various events.  All the art is under a huge tent by the lake.
http://www.tualatinoregon.gov/recreation/artsplash
 

More Crows and Birds

 Stellar Jay

 Gold Finch

  SOLD

  SOLD

 

Some more 8"x8" birdies done in oil or acrylic. The two crows paintings were in a recent show at the Side Street Gallery in Portland owned by Rita Larson and Michael Pratt, the owners of the beautiful tiles made by Pratt and Larson.

http://sidestreetgalleryportland.com/

"I'M HAVING TROUBLE DECIDING" (SOLD)

I just found out that my bird paintings will be featured all week at the Portland Home and Garden show at the Expo center.  The show runs from Wednesday FEB. 20th to Sunday the 24th.  I will be there sketching for two of the days, but not sure which days as yet.  I will try to post which days I will be there.  Hope to see you there.
OIL AND COLLAGE, PRICE $125.00, PLUS $15.00 SHIPPING IN USA, FRAMED IN BLACK FLOATER FRAME, PICTURE SIZE 8X8 INCHES

"ABC CROW" (SOLD)

Another on of my favorite birds.  They have so much personality.  You either love them or hate them.  Oil and Collage, size 8x8 on a 3/4 inch cradled board framed in a black floater frame.

 

Three NEW CROWS (ALL SOLD)

"CITY BIRD" ($100.)

 Where the Sun Don't Shine

                                               Some more crows in the collage series.SOLD

MOON LIGHT SERENADE (NFS)

Thought I'd post something I am working on. This piece is much longer but I haven't worked out all the idea for the rest of it. There will be three crows on the branch and another group of branches on the right. I'm not too happy yet with the crows, they still need work, but the oils still wet and I can't go back into the painting the crows which I want to be a denser black. I honestly don't know if I think this piece is going to work. I have several friends coming over and we critiques each others work, so perhaps their input will help me figure out if I should continue to work on the piece.

On another note the Audubon Wild Arts Festival is this weekend. Saturday the 19th and Sunday the 20th   http://wildartsfestival.org/  My post on 10/4 ....shows the piece I entered. I had a lovely surprise, I receive several messages yesterday that the show had been featured on Fox News here in Portland and my entered piece was shown in detail on TV! Sure wish I had seen it. If your in Portland check out the show, it's always a very interesting show with live birds and great artists and authors. http //wildartsfestival.org/

CROW PAINTING ( AUDUBON WILDLIFE SHOW) (SOLD)

Every year Art Media a Portland Oregon Art Supply Company hands out free 6" x 6" canvas to do a painting for the Audubon Wildlife Show. Art media has now become part of Dick Blick, a national company and from what other artists have told me only 25 canvas were handed out, probably from each store location. I happened to already have one so this will be my donated piece this year. I will post more about the show as the dates gets nearer in November. Remember all these little gems are only $40.!

Also, I have had several request for me to post the prices I am asking for my "Rain Bird" series. Always the hardest decision as to what to price ones art work. I have decided to ask $100. for the 8" x8" and $125. for the 8"x10".

CROW PAINTINGS ON CLOUDY DAYS

SOLD

Title "It's Only Misting" 8"x 10" $125.

Another set of crows in the series of weather related crows.  I hope to complete 2 more to make it a dozen. My grandkids are here now  are visiting from Los Angeles; so painting will have to wait while I get to enjoy their company.  Part of the process in creating the pieces are to collage the one side.  Many times I see a certain image in a magazine and that will get me started, but finding other elements to complete the collage may take some rummaging through all my magazines to find what I feel works and balances with the original image.  I paint all the crows from photos I have taken and recently bought a new camera with a 35x zoom lens because they are such flighty birds and take off as soon as I get any where near them. These two are 8"x 10" on cradled 3/4 inch boards.

CROWS AND COLLAGE/ Sun Break Birds (SUNSHINE ON CLOUDY DAY-SOLD)

 (SOLD)

Title "Sunshine on a Cloudy Day" 8"x8" $100.

Title "Cloudy Day Chasing The Sun Away" 8"x8" $100.

Here in Portland we have many cloudy days, but many times on those cloudy days we get what the weather men call sunbreaks through out the day. So as part of my "Rain Bird" series I have included "Sun break Birds". 8" x8" on 3/4 inch Cradle Board

CROWS, CROWS,CROWS (ALL SOLD)

 SOLD
Title"Liquid Sunshine" 8"x8" $100.

   (SOLD)
Title "Sun-Break Bird 8"x10" $125.

 SOLD
Title "Think It's Another rainy Day" 8'x 8" $100.

I have attempted to create several more crow collages. So far I have completed 6 and I hope to do a series of 12 and am on number 7. I work from my own photographs but really have a hard time photographing the birds as it seems as soon as they see me coming they are off and running, actually they quickly fly away. Another problem is trying to get the color accurate on my computer monitor; I always wonder how accurate the colors look like on other peoples monitors. The paintings are 8"x8"  and 10"x 8", done in oil with collage on the sides.

I am calling the series rain birds and sun break birds because it rains a lot here; but what I find so unusual is the sun breaks, they come and go during the day but around 5 o'clock on many days the sun stays out and I always wonder what took it so long to appear and stay. I know we are greatly affected by the weather on the coast coming into Portland. I really don't mind the greyer days and am lucky I don't suffer from depression. I enjoy spending time in my studio on those days. It is so beautiful in the Pacific Northwest that even on grey days you can see the beauty; but the most spectacular days are when it so wonderfully clear and Mt Hood makes an appearance that is breath-taking with her pristine snow covered peak.

CROW PAINTINGS (RAIN BIRDS)

Title "Rain Rain Go Away $100.

Title "It's A sideways Rainy Day $100.

SOLD

         Title"Night Rain Bird"  $125.

We have had such a wet winter and spring that my thoughts are dull and dreary along with the birds who live outside in this weather all the time.  I like to work from photos I have taken of crows. They really are a very difficult bird to photograph because as I get just slightly close to them they fly away.  I guess I should invest in a better Canon camera with a better telephotographic lens.  I also need one that takes better" in motion " pictures;  between the motion of the birds and also me trying to capture my twin grandsons in motion I get really frustrated.  I did these on 3/4" cradled boards in oil along with collaged sides.  Think I might like to do more in the series.  Question is....should I continue to work on this series...suggestions would be helpful.  All comments are welcome.

Crow Collage

Another Collage, I have over the years picked up I guess most people would call these items junk, I call them little treasures. I have several drawers full of them and in the past did make some assemblages using them. ( see post from August 19th ) I am hoping to incorporate more of these little odds and ends into my collage work. For this collage I painted the crows and used the street photo I had taken in downtown Portland and did some manipulation on the computer to render the image in black and white. All the colored areas were taken from magazines. Plus the addition of my found objects.

Crow Painting ( Is It Mine?) (SOLD)

Another Crow....what can I say, they have so much personality.  This fellow is 8" X 8" and the feather he is wondering about is a real feather. He will be for sale also this weekend.  Hope to see you there

Small Daily Paintings ( NINE SOLD )

These paintings are all small from size 5"x 7" to 8"x10" for a show I am doing in August called "Art Festival in the Forest".  I don't have cards of my work to sell; so I thought I would try doing a daily small painting and rather then frame them I would mat them and put them in a plastic sleeve.  My hope being that the smaller unframed paintings could be priced very reasonably and appeal to those people not being able to afford my larger framed works.  The single pear on the right hand board is matted as an example of what I have been trying to get done.

Crow Collage

This is the start of a new collage.  I started this with a different composition and wound up wiping the first start off.  With this new one I tried painting the entire piece in oils with a sidewalk and wasn't happy with that either, so I wpied that off and am now giving the painting a mixed media/ collage attempt.  Frustration still rules!

Crow Painting " Big Top Party" (WINNER!) (SOLD)

 I did a few changes on this. I felt I needed to work on the hanging lights and try and give them more of a glow...not easy to do and I don't feel I was totally successful. I entered this is the North Clackamas Guilds annual art show and this painting took "BEST of MIXED MEDIA". I was a lucky lady that night, see my post on the bluebird painting.