(My) Perspective Matters: The Effects on an Artist

Whether you consider yourself an artist or not, I'm sure you can relate.

Early spring has begun to arrive here in northern Montana.  It's not a picture perfect lush green yet.  That kind of spring has not arrived yet.  On Sunday, as we drove to church for Easter service, my son spotted a robin.  A few nights ago, as I was about to drift off to sleep, I heard the geese honking as they flew over our neighborhood.  While outside on a warmer day, last week I spotted the tulips leaves, just green tips of a few inches, starting their way up from the ground.  Strawberry leaves are coming back to life, among the dead leaves, pine cones, and twigs.  The green onions that remained in the raised garden beds have kept their square foot home in the soil.  Their stalks are turning green again, reminding me it won't be so long before planting will begin again.  Before I show those views to you, stick with me a bit longer...

We've had such a limited amount of snow in the past five months.  It's definitely reason to feel apprehensive about the coming months.  The summer of 2015 quickly turned troubling with the lack of moisture.  Before we realized it, we had a hard wildfire season.  Smoke-filled haze and ash on flat surfaces was such a disappointing end to summer activities.

We still need moisture in some form.  Whether it be gentle rains or (typical for our spring) wet, heavy snow this time of year would be very welcome.  It's easy to become discouraged when we base our hope on what we can see or understand.  Human perspective is surely flawed!  And I'm included.  Tuesday morning I noticed garbage strewn along the ground near a dumpster in a nearby alley.  That was what my eye noticed, glancing out of the corner of my eye.  With my two teens in the car, we headed out for an orthodontic appointment.

In the back recesses of my mind, I was disappointed at the sight.  The cause could be cats, dogs, wind, etc.  It wasn't an enjoyable sight.  Now, I took the photo today...and maybe there was more garbage lying around then, I'm not sure.  That is beside the point.  Just hang on and see where I'm going with this...

I was fixated on the sight for a moment - caught up in it.  

Does that ever happen with you?  In can easily turn into a negative thought pattern.

Now there's another view I've studied in passing - the lilac bush in a neighbor's yard.  I'm usually driving into the alley, approaching our garage entrance.  There on the bush, the tiniest buds, just bundles of leaves - not that they are recognizable at this early stage.  But I know what they are from past experience.  Now on first glance, it's not all that exciting.  But wait...

Do you notice what happens as you draw closer?  Looking more intently, focused, it all changes to something so mesmerizing.  The effect is much different than with a quick glance.

Poppies Stand Tall on Etsy

Newly Listed Original Watercolor Painting

Poppies Stand Tall

A more traditional composition of bright red poppies, orange and yellow where the sunlight touches the petals.  It was just before dusk on a late summer day when I took the reference photos in a neighbor's garden.  The poppy's vivid yet soft, tissue paper petals always capture my attention.

Original Watercolor 8" x 10" on Arches 300lb. watercolor paper

Now available on Etsy at ChristySheelerArtist

$250 plus shipping

Copyright 2016 Christy Sheeler Artist All Rights Reserved.

Copyright 2016 Christy Sheeler Artist All Rights Reserved.

Copyright 2016 Christy Sheeler Artist All Rights Reserved.

Copyright 2016 Christy Sheeler Artist All Rights Reserved.

Copyright 2016 Christy Sheeler Artist All Rights Reserved.

Poppies Single Watercolor Painting on Etsy

Newly listed on Etsy

Poppies Single

Original Watercolor 8" x 10" on Arches 300lb. watercolor paper

Now available on Etsy at ChristySheelerArtist

$250 plus shipping

Copyright 2016 Christy Sheeler Artist All Rights Reserved.

Christy Sheeler Artist at Society6

Another avenue for my watercolor artwork

It brings me much excitement and joy to share my artwork is uploaded and available to purchase online.

Christy Sheeler Artist on Society6:  A great selection of art design items!!!

My originals are available for purchase on Etsy ChristySheelerArtist now.  This one, titled Poppy Single hasn't been added to the Etsy shop yet...but soon.
In time, I'll have my own website and ready to have them purchased there.

How great would it be to have my art on a tote bag, an iphone case, a coffee cup...

Well, that is reality as of today!

This will be a project in the making...my work is cut out for me.  If there is a painting you've seen here and would really love to have available on the Society6 site, please comment or send me an email!  

                                      

                        Coffee Mug                          Mobile Device Cases                        Throw Pillows



                                           

                     Tote Bag                                        Rug 3 sizes                                  Fine Art Prints  




I am absolutely in LOVE with this Poppy Single artwork, as you can tell... it's the one I chose to take on this adventure.  So, now there are many more to come...

Thank you for visiting today!

You never know when I'll have something new I can't wait to share!!!

Have a fabulous weekend!

-Christy

Christmas Tea: Part 2

Tall glass vase with vellum wrap

In part 1, I described the beginning of the table centerpiece.  Today, I'd like to show you how I created the tall glass vase with scripture on vellum.  The vellum wrap is inexpensive and easy to make.

The tall vase looks like frosted glass with painted lettering but it's a very simple project:  With Publisher software, a piece of vellum and a printer, a vase has inspiration to share.  I'll quickly lead you through the steps I took to complete it.

First, a template was needed to know where to print the lettering.  I used a piece of plain white copy paper and a pencil.  Once I had wrapped and taped it to the vase, I loosely sketched how much space I wanted the verse to fill.

With a ruler, I measured and marked the measurements from the left and top edges.  Taking this to the computer, the guides in Publisher help me match up where the text should fit.

Here's a screen view of how it appears as I work out the font type and size.  I chose Landsdowne, size 36, for the text.  I tried fonts with flourishes but found them harder to read at a glance.

Next, I printed off a sample on the another sheet of plain white copy paper.  This step saves me from wasting a sheet of vellum.  I take this and wrap it around the vase, making sure no further changes are necessary.  The rough draft on copy paper looks great; I'm ready to send the vellum through the printer.

In the photo below, I show the plain paper copy on bottom left and the vellum copy on bottom right.  At top right, the plain white vellum (frosted finish) with its item information on the left edge.  That edge needs to be trimmed off so that it will be 8 1/2" x 11" for the printer.  Don't skip this step!  The sheet of vellum needs to be the standard 8 1/2" x 11" when it's fed through the printer.

The paper cutter makes quick work of neatly removing that edge.  Now the vellum can be placed in the inkjet printer.

I remove all other paper from the tray to avoid more than one sheet feeding through at a time.  After printing on the vellum, I leave it to dry thoroughly because it could smudge easily.  I would suggest waiting 20-30 minutes before handling the vellum.  I haven't tried printing a photo on vellum but I think it's possible.

Rubber stamps could be used to add decorative detail.  I recommend using Stazon ink.  Information from the package label: a fast-drying solvent ink, made for use on plastic, metal, glass, ceramic, laminated paper, and leather.  You'll need a special cleaner to remove the Stazon ink from the rubber stamp.

I use two pieces of tape to secure it to the vase.  The vellum had a bit of overlap but I left it alone.  It could be trimmed.  Add a candle and it's done!

To my great amazement, I have more to share!  I hope you're enjoying these tips.  I had no idea this would turn into a three part series!  Next time, the brief how-to for these place cards with rubber stamps, decorative washi tape, paper doilies, and brown twine.  You don't have to wait until next Thursday...because it's all prepared and ready to go!  I'll have it here in the next day or two.

Thanks for following along and I'll chat with you again very soon!

-Christy

because she must make art.

Christmas Tea Party

A rustic box, flowers and a string of lights

The past three weeks have been a whirlwind of activity!  While the art studio has been put to great use, there haven't been any paintings in progress.  The watercolor palettes are tucked away in the refrigerator for a while longer.  My parents spent two and a half weeks with us; what an incredible joy to have them here for my birthday, Thanksgiving and a special Christmas Tea.  If you haven't read previous posts, my exercise ball and I had a misunderstanding.  After a fall to the floor, my pelvis and tailbone needed some recovery time.  My parents arrived just when I needed them most, making it possible for me to keep up with several commitments.  They kept this house busy with activity, cleaning, repairing, organizing and decorating.  I just can't thank them enough!

Last time, I shared the making of seed packets to share with my table guests at the annual Christmas Tea at our church.  I've been planning my table decor since September but had to make some adjustments to those plans.  Simplicity and ease were now more important than ever.  Thankfully, most of the hard work was behind me.  I just needed to set up what I had envisioned in my head; whether it would look like I imagined, I needed to see for sure.

"The grass withers and the flower fades 

but the word of our God will stand forever!"

Isaiah 40:8

That was my inspiration for this table decor.  As I mulled over what to share this week, I thought that it might be fun to share the process of putting all the separate elements together.  Hopefully, you'll find this fun and interesting.  I believe home decor IS art.  My sister claims she doesn't have the same talent I have but I disagree.  Her home is just lovely and her ideas are fantastic.  I draw so much from what she does with every room of her home.  She doesn't know how much I quietly observe and gather ideas from her.

Fresh Cherries Watercolor Painting on Etsy

These fresh, juicy cherries are a new addition to my Etsy shop ChristySheelerArtist today.
My neighbor has several fruit trees and this is one of them.  While we visit in the yard, she takes me around on a tour of her plants and trees.  We talk all the details of when they were planted and how much they've grown since last year.  Some plants and trees come from local nurseries, but many come from family members and friends.  She takes the dogs (ours included) out into the country to run and sometimes she digs up plants on those days.

It doesn't surprise my neighbors to see me out with my camera on a regular basis.  I observe the lilacs and coerce my husband to get the ladder out to see the tallest sunflowers.  I think it must be a complement that someone else admires what's growing enough to be excitedly snapping photographs.  I hope it is, but if not, I'm grateful they tolerate me and my obsession for more great photo references.

After reviewing the many photos I took that fall, this one just seemed to beg for the paintbrush.  This watercolor painting is my way of describing the way the cherries hang from the branch on delicate stems.  I enjoyed mixing the colors of paint for textures on the branch and the leaves reaching out to be seen.  The light and shadow are contrasted to make it all pop off the paper.  There are blues and violets in the shadow areas.  I used some controlled scrubbing to accent the highlights on the cherries.  The background is loose and soft.

This painting would be a lovely accent or focal point to display in a kitchen or dining room.  I package it with an ivory double mat and cellophane sleeve.  It would easily be placed in a purchased frame and a black or brown frame would set it off nicely.

My regular weekly post will be added on Thursday,
so stop back and see me again!



-Christy


Because she must make art.

Summer's Brief Beauties in the Garden

September is here and soon we will kiss summer goodbye again.  It's Wednesday afternoon and I am so wiped out from a morning at the dentist...but I can't bear to see a week go by without a new post here.  I had figured to push hard and spend the afternoon getting caught up on work in the studio.  After two and a half hours in the chair, coming home with a numb mouth...thoughts of potato soup were in my head.  So thankful for my dear husband and his potato soup today.  He made it on our rainy Labor Day weekend.  I spent several hours comfy with a good book and a warm lap blanket.  Next, I just felt an urge for a nap and didn't fight it.  A wonderful time of quiet, hoping that Lucy, my feline assistant was behaving herself but not caring enough to not fall off to sleep. (Insert photo of hot potato soup and good book here.)  I have been so pleased with my ongoing weekly posts, with no lapses in holding to this challenge I've given myself.  It would be sad to let it go so whatever this post becomes by the end, I didn't give up.  Hang in there with me and we'll see how this goes.