Featured Artist for September and latest art

We are still in packing mode for our selling and buying home project.  It seems I've been packing mainly my art supplies and paintings for a million hours now and I'm not sure I've hit halfway yet :(  It makes me really really REALLY wonder if I really want to be an artist HAHAHA!  

However, I am keeping up with my artistic obligations as well.  Last night I had to paint my 2 5x5 canvases for Art Center of the Ozarks's annual 5x5 auction fundraiser.  I had lost track of deadline so I naturally resorted to acrylics.  I have packed most of my accessories for this medium because I don't usually work with it.  But thankfully, I can enjoy a very limited palette so when I got hold of my red, yellow, blue and white tubes, I know I had no worries.  Also helpful were my Beste Duo brushes  which I really hadn't played with until last night!  They were perfectly handy to have except I couldn't figure out what end to soak in water!  My solution was to paint very fast :D  Used one of our dinner plates for mixing...I usually use an enameled pan.

 

 "Isolated Peace" and "Purple Clumps" 5x5" acrylics on canvas

Above are the two finished pieces.  I'm so happy I managed to paint them after packing all day and definitely exhausted!  But it felt so good to have painted and to meet an obligation!  My friend Mary picked them up first thing the next day to deliver 3 towns away from me.  Thanks Mary!

 

Hey, I am honored to be one of 2 featured artists at Poor Richard's Art this month YAY!!!  The other artist is Damon Chatterton, a wonderful polymer clay sculptor!  I plan to be be there for the Twilight Walk come see me!!!

"Kathy" 8x10 watercolor on paper

Another success story I have to share is the completion of this tribute portrait of my very missed niece Kathy.  This is a gift of mine to my sister Anna for her birthday next week - Happy Birthday sis! Enjoy Hawaii!  I love you!

When life unfolds a plot

I have been busy HAPPILY rediscovering my old watercolors from last year's art challenges! I feel as if I am watching a plot come to fruition and a confirmation things don't happen by accident! I had been painting on my oddly sized watercolor sketch pad without any plans to deal with them professionally aka selling them. But after I painted my "Dreaming Sweet Dreams" which I enjoyed painting so much, I thought I'd check out my smaller paintings done last year. I really liked them! So I took it further and dug up some old standard sized mat boards but none fit. However I went to the garage and found some FREE mat boards I received a couple years ago and VOILA! "For some reason" they were perfect! Hmmm somehow I think the oddly sized watercolors and oddly cut mat boards were meant for each other! Wow I really got a kick out of that :D

So I thought I'd go ahead and paint more on the sketch pad because I only have 3 more pages to go. Of course I had to paint some hyacinths harvested from my garden. Hmm yes, I'm intoxicated by these lovely scents! The deffodils are from my neighbor's garden :)

EBSQ FRIDAY FIVE my painting was picked up on EBSQ Friday Five Blog!

And look! As of today, I have 11 bids on my cat for Daily Paintworks's Help Japan Challenge! YAY and 4 days 2 hours to go on my auction!!! Together we've raised $15,500!!!! WOOHOO!!! Please click on the image to be redirected to the auction pieces! Let's get together and help those in need of whatever we can give :)

Sleeping Cat art for Help Japan Challenge DPW

"Dreaming Sweet Dreams" 9x12 inches plus white borders watercolor on paper

This is my painting specifically inspired by the Daily Paintworks's "Help Japan Challenge" Keiko Tanabe's challenge was paint the first thought that comes to you with the theme "home".

I live in Arkansas, but home to me is California. My generic reaction to the word "home" is that it's a place where I can be comfortable to do as I please. Home is sanctuary which is something taken away from thousands of people when the earthquakes and tsunamis hit Japan. When I saw those videos, I wondered how those poor people could convince themselves the world was not ending before their eyes. To most of them, it still must feel as if their world has ended. But they are alive and have to continue to survive and hopefully they will see life blossom again soon despite their loss. This is such a small effort on my part to help them out. But together we can make a difference to one or more people. I have chosen to send all proceeds to American Red Cross. Please click HERE to see my art and other artwork that you might find special enough to bid on and hopefully add to your collection. Thanks so much - Erika

Daily Paintworks Help Japan Challenge by Keiko Tanabe

Help Japan (Art) Challenge is this week's Daily Paintwork's challenge by Keiko Tanabe to any artist who would like to participate in a fundraiser to help the victims of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. I encourage all artists and art admirers to please CLICK ON THE IMAGE ABOVE and read and consider participating as an artist, as a bidder or better yet, both! I will be participating :) The theme is HOME.

More About Help Japan Challenge
About Daily Paintworks Challenges

Auctioned pieces will be added daily, there are some existing now. Witness the power of goodwill, may it add cheer to your day each time you see the latest updates!!! :)