Saturday, July 30, 2011

studio update

hosta leaves work in progress, coloured pencil on Colourfix paper, 6.5" x 23"
copyright Teresa Mallen

Here is the Humpback Hosta Leaves piece as it looks now. There is much to be done but I am pleased so far. I am letting it sit with me for awhile so my subconscious can work out where I want it to go next. Also, I am unable to continue with the background as I am out of the pencils that I want to use. I haven't been to the art supply store in ages so I guess this is to be expected. Time to draw up a shopping list!

While allowing time for the above piece to percolate in my noggin, I moved on to a different project, one of my first art loves actually, pen and ink. I love to draw and I love working in ink. I get lost in a happy place when I am crosshatching shapes and values! :-) I am working on a series of simple little illustrations, done in pen and ink, coloured with cps of course which shall be offered up for sale as matted originals. (sorry for the dark picture, I fiddled with it but this is as good as it is getting)

Pen/ink/coloured pencil originals, copyright Teresa Mallen

They are conveniently sized in a 4 x 6 inch format and with a mat will fit nicely into a store bought 8 x 10 inch frame (the customer buys the frame of their choice).Very affordable and would make a great Christmas gift! Yes, I am preparing for a pre-Christmas open studio sale and a November studio tour. I am even thinking of images for holiday cards. I don't mind thinking of Christmas while in July. I really like winter and I have not let big business ruin my experience of the Christmas season. Might even put on some Christmas music while I work on them - I can hear your groans! LOL

Well it is early afternoon and a perfect summer day so I am leaving the studio. I am going to scoot the vacuum round the place and after that I intend to head to the meadow to pick some daisies, brown eyed Susans and Queen Anne's lace to arrange in vases. After that I am going to weed my huge front flower bed. Somewhere in there I shall squeeze in time to brush the goats (they love being brushed) and time to sit on the veranda with a glass of wine while cloud watching. I love watching clouds...

Have a great weekend everyone!

11 comments:

Jennifer Rose said...

pretty soon there will be xmas things on the shelves here :/

really like how the hosta piece is looking, seems to glow :)

Teresa Mallen said...

The back to school stuff is out and I guess the Halloween candy and costumes aren't far behind. But Christmas? Not ready to see tinsel in the aisles yet! LOL
I think we are the only two people blogging these days - everyone else must be at the beach. Thanks for reading! :-)

gemmagy said...

Hi Teresa!! I'm really liking your hosta leaves. I love the abstract feeling you have with them. The little pen and ink pieces are very nice as well. Having an open studio sale before Christmas is a great idea. These little master pieces should do quite well!!

Don't work to hard in the yard!! And..... enjoy the glass of wine, LOL!

Gemma

Teresa Mallen said...

Thank you Gemma. Little masterpieces eh? hehe...the wine was lovely and so were the clouds. More fabulous clouds again today. :-)

Kendra said...

I like the long horizontal format of the Humpback Hosta Leaves and the composition. Its very interesting on the red paper!

Teresa Mallen said...

Hi Kendra - thank you. I do like it on the red paper, kind of hate covering it up. But, it does affect the colour of the piece in a way that I like. Thanks for stopping by.

Beth Macre said...

Hi Teresa! Love the hosta leaves and the little pieces.
With the heat that we have experiencing, I'm looking forward to the weather of Christmas! Enjoy watching the clouds! Too hot to enjoy being outside here.

Ann said...

Love your hosta leaves! I agree, they do seem to glow. The piece also reminds me a bit of Art Nouveau. It's going to be gorgeous all finished. It already is! I like your little cards too. Clever idea. I hope they do well for you. A glass of wine and cloud watching sounds marvelous :-)

Teresa Mallen said...

Hi Beth, yes it has been terribly hot here this summer as well. Some days we have been blessed with a nice breeze. And oh the clouds this weather makes...oooh and aaaah... :-)

Hi Ann, Art Nouveau, well hey now that you mention it,I see it too. How neat! We started making wine a couple of years ago (we actually have a small wine cellar in the house, I use it as a root cellar too). While our wine won't be winning any awards, it is definitely much better than cheap plonk. So, inexpensive wine is always on hand and so are the lovely clouds. I have become a cloud watching addict this summer...just spent my lunch hour on the veranda watching the clouds pass by while I ate. A unabashed hedonist! :-)

Ann said...

Teresa, if you haven't heard of it already, google The Cloud Appreciation Society. You're in for a treat!

Teresa Mallen said...

Oh my goodness Ann, thank you! A Cloud Appreciation Society, yes I was in for a treat. I am delighted to see so many people loving the beauty of clouds and what a gallery of photos!!! Thank you for taking the time to pass this along Ann. I really appreciate your kindness. :-)