Fire in the Sky

 Today was a rainy, dismal, grey day...but we need the rain so I am not going to complain AND I like to paint when its' raining....don't know why.....  This is Fire in the Sky  done with 
      1.   flat, liner, and Dynasty Dry Brush..... using the sizes you feel will provide the correct proporiton according to the size of your Surface item or canvas:  I strongly recommend Black Gold Dynasty Brushes which is the product I use and endorse and truly believe they have the best line of brushes on the market.
     2.     Liquitex soft body paints in Cadium Red, Burnt Umber, Cadium Yellow,  White, Cadium Orange, Parchment, Sage Green,  Canyon Black,  and Hookers Green.  If you don't use Liquitex .... use the colors of YOUR choice.  
    3.  I brush mix my colors.....so that I get many different hues of colors within the design.  

IF....  I were going to leave the painting like this in the frame I think that I would go back and paint the inside square of the frame  Burnt Umber........  But I thought it might be fun to turn this into an 
altered art piece.... taking it one step further and in a different dirrection.
I used two different cameras with the top 2 being one camera and the bottom being taken with another camera and is actually the one that best shows the color(s).  I "THINK" that it is DONE and I have it displayed on a small wood easel with a bowl of rocks beside it.... So simple....so fall.
So fun.   I wanted rich colors, with subdued elements.  I have used a silk leaf, silk yarn, a crochet hook, chopstick and 5 different buttons in brass, copper and silver....  I have some clear dots that I adhered to the outside of the class which give the illusion of big drops of rain....and 2 silver dots which might indicate a couple of snow flurries...who knows?  

The canvas is 4 x 4 and the frame I had a hand that really worked well with the painted what I had painted....and was actually not planned ahead of time.

So feel free to play with this easy design and make yourself a special fall mixed media painting.


Helen Breil Stamps


I believe that I now carry the full l ine of Helen Breil rubber stamps on my etsy site (ArtisticRenderings). 

There have been a lot of blog views on my other post so I thought I would show another of her stamps and this is one of my favorites.  

Although I carry a happy medium of rubber stamps they seem to just sell like hot cakes ... ie:  Helens' Fandango and Tango seem to be the favorites and the ones I replace the most often...

I like that there is a big difference in all of her stamps as well as those of her husband Mike.  So many artists get stero typed and I hate when I see that happen,,,,but understand also why it does......that is where they excel.

Zentangles are the neatest and although I remember doing them in school back in the 60's..... my doodles of today look like hen scratching compared to the zentangle artists I see....so these stamps are nice "cheaters" for those of us who find difficulty with this type of art.  

I am so anxious to work with these as well as the others I have added to my own personal "stash" so have to get my thinking hat on and figure out just how I would like to use them "differently" than expected....  Love the impressions on clay...crisp, clear, and FUN....  

West Coast Fall


Being from the East Coast (PA) and then moving to the California Desert where we lived for about 25 years I missed the fall foliage....but here in Bend.
NOT TO WORRY.....  We harbor aspens which turn this gorgeous shade of yellow gold,  and this red tree below is awesome.....so I feel at home here.   The landscaping that is done is done with color in mind so no matter where you seem to go there are yellows and reds of different hues that blend in with our pines .... so strikingly vivid and beautiful.

HAPPY FALL EVERYONE...

Pumpkin Bracelet


About 2 weeks ago I made this bracelet using a sunflower button as a clasp and pumpkin beads my daughter (Dragynsfyre) made for me which are handmade using Italian Moretti Glass.  

First I couldn't find the disc the pictures were on and now I have misplaced the whole bracelet.  I am so ticked at myself........  Tomorrow it is down on my knees looking underneath things.....I want to WEAR IT.....


Button Eyes

My daughter felt that my Etsy shop and button
storage needed some serious revamping....and because we are thinking of doing some traveling that means I need to get BUSY....  She and my Grand daughter helped me for 2 days and it is coming along but still not finished so this week I have to "hit it hard" and "get er' done"... so that I can handle sales "on the go"....  we shall see.   This means no painting unless I get button eyes as I did today and had to lay the tray aside....

These buttons are my favorite buttons.  They are big,  really nice quality and unfortunately nearly gone and out of stock with my wholesaler.....

Have a great week everyone.....  Off to buttonville.

The Bones of Winter Ornament

This was a lot of fun......I love winter and winter landscapes.   I found a package of tree slab ornaments and so I am going to paint them all with different landscapes....elements of winter, animals, etc.

This one I am calling "The Bones of Winter" because the easel is a deer bone.  I boiled it, sanded it well, and applied several coats of sealer....   A twist towards Mixed Media painting......out of the box.

Might be a nice piece for a man not quite as feminine....and in the 3rd piece where I have the bone propped the bone looks a bit like a pipe.....  I have added my favorite glitter paint by American here and there on the painting which is a neat accent for a winter piece.



Copyright 9-13     Diana Putnam
"The Bones of Winter"


Ornaments

Fall is coming....was a warm but "fall in the air day" and pretty soon I will be smelling the burning of pine needles...........SOOOOO, when I went downstairs for a bit tonight I grabbed a bundle of hand made oval shaped tree branch ornaments that I got "somewhere" and painted a winter design.     It has been so long since I sat down and designed ........  and golly did it feel great.  Just aren't enough hours in the day for me....

So enjoy the "spent" dandilion and have a great day....



Gem of a Container


Now how cute, practical and NEAT is this item?  When I rec'd my order today and saw how great these REALLY were I was so excited.

It measures approximately 4 1/4" x 2 3/4" x 1 1/2" when closed.  The quarter will give you a visual size relationship.  A little bit bigger than a bar of soap or the size of a bar of soap if you purchase hand made.  Fits well in the palm of my hand with fingers around it to hold.  Perfect size.  Not to small, not to big....just  about  right  I'd say.

The snap is a tight one on all of the compartments as well as the final close.  

My first thoughts of useage were:

Watercolors
Acrylic Paints
Crystal Storage
Jewelry Findings
Charms
Micro Inclusions
Fashionable Sewing Kit
Turnpike / Toll /  Parking Meter Change
A weeks worth of pills
Handmade Mineral Powder Eye Shadows



Being this small it takes up very little space but provides so much more.   It can make a project 
"portable"...   A take along project or projects when you travel....  

And as an individual I am sure you can think of a lot of different "uses" for this gem.

If they sell well on my Etsy site I will order and carry them in Line Green and the Purple.

http://www.artisticrenderings.etsy.com

The price is economical in todays' world of tight pennies at $6.50 plus shipping charges.    So that makes it an under $10.00 gift if you live here in the US.

THE PERFECT GIFT FOR THE HARD TO BUY FOR INDIVIDUALS ... OR THAT SPECIAL ARTIST IN YOUR LIFE....THE ONE WHO HAS EVERYTHING but THIS.
##################################################################################################################################################################



Antique Stove UPDATE 10-13

I collect antique stoves of all types.  I purchased this when we were in PA this summer.  It was painted when I purchased it so I have just left it "as is".  I had a piece of glass cut for the top and it holds a couple of indoor plants in my kitchen where plants seem to grow well.  This make 7  (I think)  so I have surpassed "collection" and need to stop.  I have a tall thin black one that is neat and has the name Lawrence in embossed lettering.... (My husbands' name)   I love it when I find things I have not seen before....this really makes it a treasure to me.  

Periodically I change location and use.....  









Floral Seasonal Acrylic

Copyright  9/13     Diana Putnam

My husband and I just got a "Bunkhouse Camper" and these 3 paintings are going to go somewhere as they are lightweight and I love having artwork with me....be it mine or someone elses.  These were so much fun to paint....the verdict is still out on the winter one.   I was practicing backgrounds when I did these and I love the cone shapes of these flowers and had a couple in my little garden last summer.

TREASURES or JUNK

My husband had better NEVER EVER say ANYTHING to me about my "STUFF" again.  His entire garage looks like this....as far as his interior decorating goes..... all I can say is he is a patriotic, redneck, mechanically inclined, antique minded, colorful  (ahem)  man who is a still in the 60's type of a guy.....lol....

Mixed Media Altered Art

Mixed Media is a lot of fun and I really LOVE when I can use the work of another artist or artists as I have done with this work in progress.

The pretty melding of colors in each of the handcut mats (ATC)  size for a small work of art .... ( that kinda grew)are handpainted marbled papers by Ely at Quillnaros.etsy.com.  Ely also marbles feathers which are another of her creative hobbies.  Notice how my camera picked up some of the metallic paint she used on this particular sheet of paper.  In the top green mat I have attached a feather....from one of her children...I  mean her birds.    You really can't see how gorgeous they are so I will have to take a photo of each element before I secure to my final substrate.  (THANKS ELY).    Right now the bottom is a large canvas but I am not sure if it will stay or not....  cause it is just in the Play stage...trying elements on, moving around, changing format....  I am almost positive everythng you see will stay....but I need to make changes....

I love art like this because it is really pretty hard to duplicate....and allows others creative artists' to play with what they see and adapt, change, etc.  to make it their own with no real worry as much about copyrights....cause I am making my "own".... piece of art.

Several pieces are "in process" and in different areas of my house.....  My poor shop area is a .... MESS but I have just relaized this is the way I have to work....I have to SEE things....textures, color, etc...not have it behind a door or in a drawer..... so it is most definately a "CONSTRUCTION AREA" Enter at your own risk.....Artist at Work.    LOL.... and I am NOT going to "worry" about the mess again, ever. It is what it is.....

What the heck???? (UPDATE 9-13)


I just NEVER know what someone is going to bring to me....or I will find....and where.  Most people in our area down here pretty much know and see how out of the box I can be....so stay tuned to see what is going to happen to this..  Artistically.  This is a deer bone...found while out 4 wheeling this spring.  

9-15-13  The bone has been finished with a laquer, left to dry well for a day, and then I buffed it with my Dremel.   Now I have to begin looking for the next step....
Copyright 9-13     Diana Putnam
"The Bones of Winter"

Find of the Week to Recycle

This is one of those items you are pretty sure you want so you pick it up and carry it as if it was yours until you decide and no one else can take......  It was unique.  I don't think I have seen one of these even in an antique store so that means it might be a neat item to have.

The inside....well, as you can see it nees some tender, loving care.  BUT, it could be a really neat item to carry a stash of beading supplies in....just the barest of items that will work.... so that means
I have to come up sith something to do on the inside that will stand some banging around, wear and tear,,,,etc...without distroying the character of the piece so that means thinking hat time.  Keeping my eyes open...

PRICE:  The tag on the handle reads $15.00 but I got it for $7.50 because the entire store was half price.  I felt I kinda/sorta got a deal.  
The  and the proceeds of this store (run by those giving their own time 2 days of 5 hours)  go to the Sunriver Visitor Center areas in so the dollars benefit everyone.  I have picked up some really great items in this particular thrift store....and they most generally have some neat items.  I also bought my sister 2 bags of really nice mens ties as she uses them to make "small" dog coats....really cute....and I purchased a square metal tray which I am going to turn into a message center for a friend of mine as a belated birthday present......Lastly I purchased a bag of 3 items that I am unsure of.....don't know what they are and neither did the clerks who waited on me so I guess I need to check them out...

BTW....the little suitcase is actually for a camera.....and has the name SONY on the silver lock portion at the top of the bottom part.   Size is about 10" x 10".  

Clay Rubber Stamps

The clay rubber stamps (I sell 4 different artists' brands: Lisa Pavelka,
Mike Breil, Helen Breil, and and unknow artists' line) are a lot of fun to use with the polymer clay.  I am going to go through my stash of lampwork while daylight is still good, and I think make this into a necklace....or maybe a pin for a change.....  The stamp I used for this design is one called Pollination and is one of the smaller rubber stamps and I love the zentangle-ly type design...

I pressed the stamp by hand with this piece which I usually do for most jewelry pieces....  but I have a bracelet in mind I want to make so with it I will need my pasta machine so that all elements will be even....a sharp clay cutter blade and some different colors of the Gilders Paste....I like this product much more than I like the inks...I seem to have a bit more control....

Will post a completed photo.....

Fall Cleaning / Twist on a Painting

I have been doing some belated spring cleaning....yeah, really belated but still feels good.  Getting rid of things, fresh for winter....fallish decorations, etc.

During the movng things from here to there I found this painting I did a couple of years ago.....was
playing with scumbled, hazy backgrounds of color that didn't distract from the design but accented the
impressionistic feel I was looking for.... 



Underneath the picture were  mats that were this size I was going to check out so decided to "try on" some different colors and shapes to see what it would look like....I must have turned the picture and when I laid down the mat this is the picture that I saw instead of what I was expecting and I was kinda amazed how quickly things can change. 



I LOVE FREEZIN' FOG DAYS

I LOVE FREEZIN' FOG DAYS
Freezing fog on a pine tree bough.