Showing posts with label art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label art. Show all posts

Saturday, December 09, 2017

Mary (me) in Aya's Mole

Madonna and Child with the friendly Breezes
 Turner Acryl Gouache

Why was I in a Hurry?
 pen and watercolor

Down the rabbit hole
pen and watercolor

Sweet Treat
Pitt Artist's Pen
This is my collaboration with Mike Kline and an open collaboration for Steve or Aya. (So far just by me.)
Alice and the White Rabbit
 Watercolor and Pitt artists Pen

May I present the White Rabbit
 Turner acryl gouache

The Mad Hatter and the Cheshire Cat
 watercolor, pen and marker

Chines Shadows--the Rabbit
 after Ferdinand du Pulgaudeau

Keith as the Caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland
Pitt Artist's Pen, collab for Steve Spetseris
Happy Holidays--back of envelope
 Acryl Gouache and Faber Castell PITT artist pen

front of envelope--I'm not the Easter Bunny
Acryl Gouache and Faber Castell PITT artist pen

pocket items, small cards

Saturday, August 01, 2015

Hobbitses Eating all Dick's Grass

Hobbitses Eating All Dick's Grass
Digital art by me
for Rabbit Art  (drawing) Challenge
submission #1

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Hypnogogics: The Puppet man, blood on the cinch and other images of insomnia

Puppet man, Scary evil man with sharp teeth
hypnogogic image from last night
watercolor
Blood on the cinch
Hypnogogic image from last night
watercolor
Avocado, watch, toll money, jelly jar
oil pastels on textured paper in handmade sketchbook
Insomnia painting/sketch for me
by Heidi Chester
watercolor, oil pastels, colored pencils.
Click any image to view larger.
(Click the back button to return to story)
Heidi's bouquet
watercolor, by me
Last night, I suffered from insomnia.  This is, unfortunately, fairly common for me, though I've discovered that if I avoid certain foods, I sleep much better.  Last night, I did not sleep well at all, and as often happens, I had weird and scary hypnogogic images so bright as to be almost hallucinatory.  Those are the first two images.  The third I drew ("painted") with oil pastels at the motel when I was awake at night.  The fourth image my friend Heidi drew for me in my handmade sketchbook when I was visiting her, and the lsat I painted of her bouquet right before bed.  A delayed bedtime, due to doing art.

In the blood on the cinch painting, I was rubbing blood on a beautiful highly decorative cinch on my horse.

Sunday, February 08, 2015

5th layer of Paint on had races and won + other new art

"Had Races and Won"
Acrylic on thin Moleskine paper*
5th coat
I changed the color of the grass, added the head back on the left-most wolf, worked on the turtles and miscellaneous other changes.  I think I am nearly finished.


"Angry Man"
Acrylic and oil pastels on Moleskine Paper
Mary Stebbins Taitt
Click any image to view larger

I wanted paint a picture of anger to go with my Vera House Survivor poems, so I tried to paint an angry man. I tried and tried. I've certainly seen my share of angry men.

But no matter how hard I tried, the man looked as much sad as angry.

Is that deep well of sadness generating the anger?

Or is the sadness in my own heart when I look at the picture and remember?

(It could well be that I am simply not a good enough artist yet.)


"Biker Buddy #20140218"
Acrylic and oil pastels on Moleskine Paper
Mary Stebbins Taitt
Click any image to view larger
This scan looks a little lighter on my screen than the actual painting.

"Skull Sketch with conte Crayon effect added"
sketch in Faber Castell artist pens
including dry one for "dry brush"
Mary Stebbins Taitt
This is an adaptation of my collaboration first half for Mike Kline.


Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Fourth layer of paint on "Had Races and Won"

Everyone Cheered to watch Racers Run
4th later of paint
Acrylic, by me, Mary Stebbins Taitt
Click to view larger


I've added a fourth layer of paint, which took about 4 days, and as you can plainly see, it is till quite a ways from being finished.  I added turtles in the audience at the lower because the space seemed too empty, but they need work, and I painted out the head of the wolf on the furthest left because its legs were too short.  Since the light is coming from above, slightly behind and to the right, I will have to do some work with the sun and shadows, which right now is just plopped on (To make the turtles more visible.).  Too bad, because I was reaching a point of being almost happy with the grass before.  I think the Dachshund is finished or nearly finished, and maybe the cat, too. The elephant is getting closer. (Too bad the scanner won't scan the gutter! :-( )  Frankie is my grandson, and this is for a book for him.

*The paper is getting progressively thicker!

Friday, January 23, 2015

Early stages of Had Races and Won

Often, when I start a new painting, I get very discouraged and wonder why I pretend to be able to do this.  It seems obvious I can't.  I want to give up, because it seems hopeless.

"Had Races and Won"
Acrylic on thin Moleskine paper
1st coat
click this or any image to view larger

"Had Races and Won"
Acrylic on thin Moleskine paper
2nd coat
The images are photos with a point and shoot camera, sorry about the reflections.  I'll start scanning, if I can, I'm having difficulties with my scanner!  :-(

This is a slow process for me, but I am working on i!  It is as of yet quite unfinished.  It is for a book I am working on for my grandson.
"Had Races and Won"
Acrylic on thin Moleskine paper
3rd coat
I added another layer of paint.  Most of the paint I am using is fairly transparent (although some is thick and opaque.  I Have to put many layers on to get it to look the way I want it,  I scanned this one, but the scanner is messing up and I don't have time right now to fiddle with it, and since it isn;t done yet, I'll just post this--hope you can see the difference between the layers (versions) (drafts).

Sunday, September 07, 2014

"I dream someone is drawing cards that will determine not only my dreams, but also my future"

"I dream someone is drawing cards that will determine not only my dreams, but also my future"
by Mary Stebbins Taitt
water color, pen and ink
I really had this dream!  And as part of a dream yesterday morning, two small children were turning back and forth from kids to a snail and a slug and ricing through hot soapy water.  It was nerve-wracking to watch/dream!

This is my last piece in Aya's Mole this round.  Yet to do is one or more pocket items and the envelope.  I was going to start the envelope NOW, but the top is stuck on gesso and I can't get it off.

We have NO power at home, and slept at the studio last night.  The internet here is unbearably slow, and we don't have a smart phone, so I won't be online much until we get our power back at home.  Wish you love, joy, blessings!


Friday, September 05, 2014

I dream I need help securing a prisoner


I dream I need help securing a prisoner
by Mary Stebbins Taitt
in Aya's Moleskine
I got new pens and failed to test them for water-resistance--they SAID they were water-resistant but were not!  DUH!!!  I messed up--should have tested them.  They drew really nicely but bad when water added.  I do that intentionally sometimes, but in this case, did not want the ink to run.  I would have painted over the lettering but it would have been a disaster.

Collab for Mike


So, I have one more to do and I will mailing this Moleskine off to Mike.

We have company coming next week--our daughter Sarah and her husband Steve. We'll be busy getting ready, busy with them, busy catching up afterwards.  But fun!  YAY!

Wednesday, September 03, 2014

free-ranging fish return to their tank

The runaway fish return to their tank
by Mary Stebbins Taitt
watercolor and pen and ink
5 x 8
I dream that the free-ranging fish must be back in their tank before dawn or they will die.

Tuesday, September 02, 2014

I Dream the fish swim out of their aquariums at night

I Dream the fish swim out of their aquariums at night
by Mary Stebbins Taitt
in Aya's book
I did this tonight, September 2nd, but accidentally put the wrong date on.  This is a real dream I have.  Or, used to have repeatedly.  Haven't had it recently (I no longer have an aquarium; that may be why.

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

New Art in process, Moleskine, June 2014

I am sorry to report that my scanner is still not working, so I have tried to photograph the pieces I am working on.  The first one is a collaboration with Andrea.

Collaboration with Andrea,
PITT Faber Castel pigment pens and colored pencil







The second piece is the one I am currently working on, showing two stages of work. It is for my book, Frankie and Noah have a party.


Collaboration, 1st half, for Mike
The last piece is a collaboration for Mike to finish.  My intention was to do a simple graphic black and white but I got carried away and colored it.  "The owl and the Pussycat went to sea/ in a beautiful pea green boat."

Mike, feel free to change the these, paint or color over or change any part of what I did, etc.  You can erase the lines of the boat and the ear of the owl if you want to do something entirely different--it could be a scene in the daytime.

Click images to view larger.

Friday, May 02, 2014

Fun and Games, Variations on a theme

Fun and Games IIIe (Insomnia)
by me, Mary Stebbins Taitt
digitally altered Photographic composit from my own photos
click to view larger
Fun and Games IIIeb (Spring Sprung)
by me, Mary Stebbins Taitt
digitally altered Photographic composit from my own photos
click to view larger
This post is dedicated to Tyree Gyton and KT Lowe.

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Noah helped Frankie write words on some paper

Noah helped Frankie write words on some paper
Invitations to come to their party and caper
Watercolor and gouache on wc Moleskine
by Mary Stebbins Taitt
Click image to view larger
This is my latest painting (illustration) and is for one of the children's books I am working on, Frankie and Noah have a Party.  It is done in Andrea's Moleskine, Round 4, Pass 2 in my Moleskine Exchange group.  It is all watercolor except the blue background, which is gouache, on Moleskine watercolor paper.

Here is the text for this page:

Frankie helped Noah write on some paper                    
Invitations to come to a party and caper 
They’d fill up balloons with helium vapor
If they filled up enough it would lift up a tapir   
The pigeons and crows and the owls and wrens
carried the invites to their animal friends. (by me, of course)

The picture is of my grandson Frankie, who is three years old, and the finished book will be for him.

Thursday, February 06, 2014

Just Write for Thursday February 6, 2014

White Wolf
This is a card I made for ML
when she was over for dinner.
Click image to view larger.
Made with glitter pens from Staples.

I do "Just Writing" nearly every day and have been doing it for years and years. It clears the pipelines for my "work" writing, my "real" writing.  I do not have a shortage of just writing, I just have a shortage of time to post it.

            I am in Brian Powers waiting room at 1:00 PM Thursday, February 6, 2014.  Last time I was writing on the Psion, I think I was in the middle of writing a story above, but it is so dim in here that I can't see where I left off and since it's been way too cold and icy to do any writing, it's been too long to remember where I was when I left off.  I think I had just arrived at the lean-to with Michael, Roberta and Sasha on the night we camped out at 40 below.
            Is there such a thing as intangible pain?  Not imaginary pain—it’s somehow very real.  Not phantom limb pain, which is something else entirely.  Not psychosomatic pain, but something else entirely.  I just can't think what to call it. But I have it.  It fills me, reaching into every part of my body, mind and soul.
            The day started off fairly well.  I'd been abstinent on my diet for a number of days, finally.  I hadn't eaten any bad food and had slept relatively well for me.  I felt cheerful and more energetic that usual and very hopeful about recovery from insomnia and fibromyalgia pain.  I thought that if I ate right I'd sleep better and feel better.  But I don't, always.  Sometimes, I feel worse.
            Now I am at CVS waiting for a prescription that was called in hours ago.  I left two bags on the seat of the car, thinking I'd just be running in and back out, but it's not ready and the woman who said, "just give me a few minutes," has a huge long line of people waiting.  Should I go out to the car and hide the stuff in the trunk?  Leave and come back later?  She said a few minutes, but she hasn't moved from cash register and the line shows no sign of letting up.  The line snakes down through the aisles.  Is someone else preparing the script? 
            I signed up for a creative writing class free at the library.  The first class was last night.  Next week, we are supposed to have a lottery to see who reads their work.  Of course, in my eager selfishness, I want one of the readers chosen to be me.  But I haven’t written anything yet.  I can bring something in progress or do the assignment.  The assignment is to write a six-word story (E.G., Hemmingway’s famous, “For Sale, baby shoes, never used") and then develop a short story or novel scene from that. In the early hours in bed I came up with a few of them, which I no longer precisely remember.  One was about Geraldine feeding cookies to the wolves.  I am excited about the prospect of writing for this—I’d like best if I could write something that could be used in Uncertain Weather or Following Wolfie or Uncle Beast.  Or my Geraldine Novel (Which is only my head, at this point, except the poetry I have written.)
            When I reach the parking lot at Pier Park, I watch a dump truck full of snow unload its burden at the end of the parking lot.  There are many piles of snow down there, so this is clearly not its first trip.  Of course, some of them were from clearing this parking lot.  But not all.  I have the same problem shoveling at home or at the office—where do I put the snow.  I have to carry it long ways because the banks are too high now.

            It is cold and windy at Pier Park, and all white.  I am feeling agitated because I am not eager to be here and feel I should be over at Rolandale watering the plants and shoveling the driveway, BUT I am afraid that the road (Rolandale) will be impassable with the new snow.  I am walking along in a cold and annoyed funk trying to figure out what to do.  The sky is white.  Yes, white, or, a very pale, pale shade of grey that looks white.  The snow is white on land.  The lake is frozen, covered with snow, and white.  Everything is white.  There are long drifts crossing the path along the far jetty, distinguished only by faint shadows.  Then, two swan fly by, low above the ice, the necks stretched out, their miraculous bodies airborne.  White on white on white.  I am suddenly full of joy.

This is my third installment of Just Write, "an exercise in free writing your ordinary and extraordinary moments." You can read about this project at The Extraordinary Ordinary. If you decide to participate, you canreadn Heather's post from November 11. You can read Nadine's first two installment here and here and one of mine here.  Todays Just write #121 (Heather's) is here,

Sunday, February 02, 2014

Saturday, February 01, 2014

Looking at my Successes from December's Goals and defining February's Goals

I am making little mini cards, each one individually painted
rather than printed.
This is under the category of fun and social
(Family and friends)
click to view larger.)
Today's the day that I am checking to see how I did on my goals for December and January:


  1. I walked 45 minutes nearly every day and if I missed, I usually made it up--success!
  2. I finished more than 4 books a month:  success!
  3. I did not get out in nature 2 or more times a month.  I got out once a month or so.  :-(  This is very sad.  I get out, but not in nature.
  4. I posted more than 8 times a month.  Success.
  5. I meditated 3 x a week or more most weeks. Pretty good success.
Also, I did art, worked on my novels, wrote and submitted some poems, restarted my exercise program, worked on my diet, submitted photos to DSS and generally made a lot more progress than I usually give myself credit for.

Today's challenge for my goal-setting track is to make a treasure map for one goal.  I chose getting a book done.


Treasure map to publishing my books
(2 that I am currently working on).
Click this to see it large enough to actually read.

Goals for February 2014

My five major goals for February are:


  1. health:  exercise, diet and other stuff below.
  2. work:  Wolfie, Uncertain Weather, submissions. Art.
  3. Social: husband, family, friends.
  4. Fun:  art, play, reading, social.
  5. I'm totally confused about this and if I am going to do it, I need a better way to do it.  Find that way or jettison project.
I am doing the first topic below and will attempt the 2nd-5th in coming days.  I think I am spending too much time on this, but picking a few things doesn't seem to work, either.

My Year-word for 2014 is HEALTH, which is physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual well-being.  (A subcategory is Bravery, which I hope to address in a future post).  In the goal-setting month, today’s challenge* is to QUANTIFY the goals so you know if you are achieving them.  I’m not sure all goals should be exactly quantified. But here goes.

Exercise:

·         I will do my basic exercise set at LEAST 3 X a week.

·         I will walk 45 minutes (or do an equal or better exercise such as biking, snow shoveling, cross country skiing, jogging, etc.) at LEAST 5 X a week.

·         I will look for ways to modify my exercise schedule to make it healthier (more vigorous when possible, more stretching, more varied) and more fun.  What I want to do is add BACK into my schedule T’ai Chi, Chi Kung, Zhan Zhong and yoga.  I don’t want to overwhelm myself time-wise, so I want to fit those in place of some of the other exercises I do a few days a week. I would like to make incremental changes so they don’t seem overly burdensome but still create positive changes.  By the end of February, or sooner, I will create and implement a schedule for adding in or substituting some of these activities.

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Role Model(s)

The Teeth of Joy II
digitally altered watercolor painting
originally done for yesterday's challenge
for John Gibson
click image to view larger.

Today's goal setting assignment is to list 5 qualities you admire in a role model.

Describe your success role model by writing down 5 qualities you admire about this person.


How to do it
Write down the name of one person - you don't even have to know him or her personally - whose level of success you admire. Jot down at least five qualities that make this person successful. Is he known for getting to work early? Does she practice certain habits, such as meditation or exercise, daily? Did he take big risks when starting out in his career?

I think they mean one role model for all five of the qualities.  Since following instructions is not my strong suite, I want to list qualities from several people:

The Buddha:  Serenity

Jesus:  love and compassion

Mother Theresa:  Loving compassionate service

Margaret Atwood:
  1. intelligence
  2. perception
  3. knowledge
  4. humor
  5. hard work (writing and publishing good novels)*
*I would like to be able to write and publish good novels.

Another quality I admire is responsibility, that is, being on time and doing the job one needs to do.  I have someone in mind but would prefer not to name that person.  I also have someone in mind who exhibits the opposite tendencies, and would also prefer not to name that person.  (I do not mean myself).  The contrast between the two is astounding, and I want to be on the continuum closest to the one who is good at being responsible!

I could go on and on with people I admire and the things I admire about them--many names are popping into my head.  I could list many other writers I admire (Barbara Kingsolver, for example and many others), and artists I admire, and kind people I admire.  However, the challenge only asked for one person and 5 qualities, so I shall practice at least a modicum of restraint and stop now.

Friday, January 10, 2014

Unfinished Self-Portrait with Keith

I am working on a painting for the back cover of my Moleskine.  I figured it would be nice to finish it before I sent it off, but it is slow.  I am making my own acrylic paints with pigments from France my daughter brought me from her visit there.

First coat of paint:


Self-portrait with Keith
handmade acrylics
after one coat of paint
(not yet finished.)
Click this and all images to view larger

Second coat of paint:

Self-portrait with Keith
handmade acrylics
after two coats of paint
(not yet finished.)
Working at the dining room table:


We had more than a foot of snow and it was 11 below zero--I couldn't get to my "studio."  It's a little crowded and cluttered.  (Okay, it;s a LOT crowded and cluttered.)  The little vials are the dry pigments from France.

The photograph I am copying was taken December 28, 2013 by Harry Teichert at the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House.  I hope to finish it soon and mail it off.

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Parrots in Egg Tempera

Three Parrots
Egg Tempera
I painted this last night during a bout of insomnia with homemade egg tempera paints made with pigments from France brought to me by daughter and son-in-law.