Last Gasp in Mike's Moleskine

Everyone cheered to watch racers run
"final?"
by me, Mary Stebbins Taitt

I am finally finished with Mike's Moleskine, and will mail it ASAP on hopefully Monday or Tuesday.
*The paper is getting progressively thicker!  Below is the prior version.  Since then I have repaired the head of the last wolf, opened Frankie's eyes, changed the color of the grass and added detail.  This was the hold-up. I kept fiddling with it, trying to get it right.

"Had Races and Won"

Acrylic on thin Moleskine paper*

4th coat

Because I had it so long, I did some additional pieces:

Biker Buddy
by Mary Taitt

At the end of a long day
By Mary Taitt

The Nature Conservancy wants to publish 20,000 elephant pictures, so I am trying to help them out.

Old Bull
collab for Mike

And a new pocket item--with elephants:

Dusk
card by Mary Taitt for Mike's pocket

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.

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!

Preparing to mail another traveling sketchbook

Pelicans, front of envelope
Markers
click this or any image to see the images larger

Georges Braque
Back of envelope
Markers

For the pocket, I decided to make small note cards.

Fantasy in red
watercolor

I did the Fantasy in red first.

Fantasy in Blue
Mary Stebbins Taitt
Markers and pigment pens

I picked up on some of the shapes and composition of fantasy in red for my fantasy in in blue, and added an eye and a nose.  I "organized" the random lines in the wide band in fantasy in red into an eye.

Fantasy in Yellow
Mary Stebbins Taitt
Markers and pigment pens

For fantasy in yellow, I added a second eye and a mouth.  On the wide band, I made two eyes.

An Organization of Mind
Mary Stebbins Taitt
Markers and pigment pens

Because the two eyes on the wide band in Fantasy in  yellow resembled a mask, I decided I need one more (I had only planned to do three, in primary colors.)

The completed series

After I "completed" the series (or thought I had), I made one more card for my mother-in-law, who was having dinner with us, and although I hadn't intended it, it ended up to be the 5th in series.  However, it is not in the pocket because I gave it to her.

An organization of Mind II
Mary Stebbins Taitt
pigment pen and colored pencil
(NOT in pocket)

"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!

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!

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.

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.

From the book I am working on for Frankie

On a bright red caboose
watercolor on watercolor moleskine
click image to view larger

Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Goose                                      

and their friends Aloysius and Frangelica Moose     

And two herons who complained their stockings were loose

all rode together on a bright red caboose.

Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that I can get this done in time for Christmas.

Tut, tut, Woman Scolding

"Tut, tut, Woman Scolding"
First half of a collaboration for Mike to finish
pen and ink with watercolor "wash"
click image to view larger.

Okay, here's my collaboration of the second pass of round four in my own Moleskine, for Mike to finish.

I still have one full page to do of my own work, plus I was going to do the back cover.  I may skip that until later, same with decorating the envelope,  If I'm running late.  I'm so OCD sometimes that the thought of skipping something Id wanted to do makes me nervous.

But here is one more sub-task of one of the tasks I wanted to accomplish this month.  And as far as two posts a week, hey, maybe for December, which will crazy busy in an escalating fashion, maybe I just have to average 2 a week and I''m getting head start on next week, LOL!!!

Mail Art: Dreaming Fish

Dreaming Fish Envelope
acrylics
Mary Stebbins Taitt

OK, here's the finished front of the envelope for the latest completed Moleskine.  I've continued the dream theme, with a dream, not a nightmare.  In this dream, I was talking to the fish who was dreaming the world.  (Maybe that is a nightmare?  It didn't seem like it, though.)  Fish dream with their eyes open!

I have an operation Thursday, and I may be in the hospital several days and then bedridden for a while--doc says I'll be incapacitated anywhere from 2-3 weeks to 2-3 months.  (?)  That's a pretty wide span.  Meanwhile, I am sick.

I have no idea how these will survive the journey through the mail.

My Lion Nightmare and other new work

Nightmare:  The Lion
Click images to view larger

Mandala in Earth Tones

Half a husband
1st half of a collab for Mike of Biker Buddy

We have out-of-town company and I am sick.  When they are sitting around talking and drinking, I keep them company in my nightgown doing art.  I have completed my work in Aya's Moleskine.

In the nightmare, which woke me up in literal terror, I was at the coliseum watching the lions about to eat the Christians when one of the lions spotted me in the stands, bounded over the wall and up over the seats toward me.  He was coming for ME.

The mandala was done primarily with pens given to me by Hennie Mavis (Heidi).

Collaboration with Andrea: "If you Play your Cards Right

Collaboration with Andrea

Detail

I think I have completed my collaboration with Andrea in the lastest round of the Moleskine Exchange (although I may see something later I need to do.)

Working in a new Moleskine

Ballookey's Moleskine arrives in Detroit
in time for spring.

2-page spread
Glechoma hederaceae
click images to view larger

Glechoma hederaceae
botanical diagrams

Glechoma hederaceae
botanical painting, acrylics

I'm in a Moleskine Exchange group and a new Moleskine arrived belonging to Ballookey who did the horse in the first picture. I did 2 botanical illustrations of Clechoma hederaceae.

I am sorry to report that I am not only still sick, but I am also getting worse rather than better.  I have a medical procedure scheduled May 30, which is supposed to help and I hope and pray it does.

I kind of messed this up a little, and I apologize.

Lakeshore Poppies, Approaching Storm

Lakeshore Poppies, Approaching Storm
Watercolor in watercolor moleskine A3
by Mary Stebbins Taitt
Click images to view larger

I painted this this morning in my round 4 Moleskine with watercolors. Last night, I did the one below, which is smaller and in a different oritnetation and with gouache instead of watercolor.

I am tempted to darken the Moley one a little (so it looks more like the Graham-cracker-box one), but haven't decided yet.  I guess Iw ill do more work first and come back to it if I have time.

This is my third page in the Round 4 Sketchbook.

If you are interested, you can read about my Graham cracker box sketchbook here. I also did a raisin-box sketchbook here.  Although some of the images don't show up in the small versions, they do show up if you click on them.

For some reason, the images look a little washed out on my screen--they look brighter if you click on them.

I am still sick and haven't been online much, sorry to say.

Lakeshore Poppies, Approaching Storm
5 x 7 gouache sketch
in Graham cracker sketchbook on Canson mi-teientes
by Mary Stebbins Taitt

The Quill and the Inkwell

The Quill and the Inkwell
Acrylics, pens, tissue paper
click image to view larger.

Yes, I know that is not an inkwell, but a bottle.  Believe it or not, I'm old enough that I remember inkwells built into our desks at school.  This is made of torn pieces of tissue paper glued together with acrylic medium as well as acrylics applied with a sponge and ink.It is an illustration for a serial novel I am working on.

Cover to my New Traveling Moleskine

Self Portrait with Biker Buddy
"tentative final"
click this and all images to view larger

Yesterday, my new Round 4 Moleskine arrived in the mail!  YAY!  I'm so excited.  Biker Buddy and I went out and took a self portrait photograph from which I painted the cover of my new Moleskine. Acrylics on gessoed Moleskine cover.  OH--I took pix of the stages again.  I will post them below.

These sketchbooks travel around the country, and sometimes around the wold, to other artists, collect art and return to me.  FUN!

I need to get back to work on my Fellowship application.  No more art until I hear that this round has officially started.

gesso and pencil sketch

blocking

underpainting and first coat

adding highlights and first details