tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49138329323765596792024-03-13T11:39:34.658-04:00Pets To PosiesArt, with subjects from Pets to Posies and anything in between! And not only art, we might just throw in a little bit about life in general and country life in particular.Janhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16350902981447054779noreply@blogger.comBlogger366125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4913832932376559679.post-13132192749183482642013-07-05T10:46:00.000-04:002017-08-22T20:04:01.822-04:00New BlogSince I recently retired from painting pet portraits, I wanted to invite you to my new blog which is still about art but is not so focused on pet paintings. I wanted a new blog as a symbol of this new direction I'm taking with my art.<br />
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So, without further ado, let me present the J Gibson Art Studio blog:<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://jgibsonartstudio.blogspot.com/">http://jgibsonartstudio.blogspot.com/</a></span><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4913832932376559679.post-4663419690248265362013-02-28T16:32:00.000-05:002013-02-28T16:32:05.842-05:00A Flower for my Daughter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LgRgQAdhVoY/US_JCVre5FI/AAAAAAAAA7U/GEXABACyuaU/s1600/flowerfinal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="105" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LgRgQAdhVoY/US_JCVre5FI/AAAAAAAAA7U/GEXABACyuaU/s200/flowerfinal.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Well here I am again. I wanted to post the Tiare flower I just finished and to publicly thank Mr. Troy McKaskle for allowing me to use his photos as painting references.<br />
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You can click on the photo to see it larger. <br />
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I painted this in oils using a grisaille. A grisaille is the entire painting done first in shades of gray (NOT 50 of them this time! lol) then the painting is done in layers. Each layer has to dry to the touch before another layer is added so it's quite a lengthy process since oil paint takes a while to dry. The fat over lean principle must be observed to prevent cracking and the fatter, more oil medium added to each layer increases the drying time of each layer. This process is supposed to add depth to the painting but I'm not sure I'd want to do another grisaille. I want to paint a similar painting using the alla prima method and see if there's really a difference.<br />
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I'm pretty pleased with this especially since I haven't really painted in oils for a quarter of a century or so. Even then, it was very sporadic as my husband couldn't stand the smell. These oils are water soluble and don't require the smelly solvents nor do they smell in and of themselves. Oh, happy day as I've always loved the look of oil paintings!<br />
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I haven't signed the painting yet as I want my daughter to choose whether she wants it in the landscape or portrait format. I painted it thinking it should be a portrait format but when I took it off the easel and saw it in the landscape format, I really liked that better. She'll see it this weekend then I'll sign it and maybe we can go look for frames if she likes it. <br />
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OK, back into hibernation in the studio as I've been painting up a storm since I got my mojo back! Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4913832932376559679.post-18636548405978947702013-02-14T11:15:00.002-05:002013-02-14T11:16:39.397-05:00Happy Valentine's Day - Acrylic Rose<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2Z7Y78y7_PQ/UR0MYiY6IvI/AAAAAAAAA7E/P_UiDs_MIrI/s1600/acrylic_rose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2Z7Y78y7_PQ/UR0MYiY6IvI/AAAAAAAAA7E/P_UiDs_MIrI/s200/acrylic_rose.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Happy Valentine's Day to all of you still out there. I had some leftover acrylic paint on my palette and decided to try a rose before it all dried up.<br />
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Many of you know that acrylics are not my favorite medium and I sometimes find it's quirks a little frustrating. This time I decided to use a palette knife and not a brush. I think it would have worked if the canvas had been larger - this is a small 4 x 4" square and my palette knife is relatively large in comparison. I still think it came out pretty well for a medium that is sometimes difficult for me!<br />
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So, for all of you ladies, a red rose for Valentine's Day.....Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4913832932376559679.post-62137680400758747792013-02-12T11:48:00.003-05:002013-02-12T11:53:37.824-05:00Final Commission<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yO8m7KCKhqY/URpllXnnc5I/AAAAAAAAA60/BBUIIMhk1Fs/s1600/hb_app.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yO8m7KCKhqY/URpllXnnc5I/AAAAAAAAA60/BBUIIMhk1Fs/s200/hb_app.jpg" width="151" /></a></div>
I wanted to share my final commission with you even though I haven't posted here in quite some time. I've decided to retire from painting pet portraits or other commission work and this gorgeous white German Shepherd Dog makes a lovely good-bye post.<br />
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I want to make it clear that I adore painting animals and pets in particular. There's nothing more satisfying than knowing one of my paintings is paying tribute to someone's beloved pet. But a series of events this past year has shown me that I need to change directions in my art.<br />
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The first clue I had was my husband retiring this past spring and wanting to do some traveling. That was fine, one can work around various trips and travel plans, right? I had a couple of commissions on the books as of the end of summer but neither client was in a big rush. I was able to make a good start on one of the commissions but we couldn't get decent photos of this big guy until right before my husband & I left for an extended tour of areas way west of us.<br />
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When we returned, I quickly finished the one commission and got started on this one. As it turned out though, I caught some kind of a flu bug and was in bed sick for nearly 3 weeks! I couldn't paint even if I'd felt like it because I was coughing so much and so hard that any brush stroke went far off the mark! I finally got to feeling well enough to paint again only to find that all that coughing had pulled some muscles and I couldn't walk! Another week just laying around and all of a sudden, it's Thanksgiving!<br />
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I should have known I was being led (pushed?) in another direction especially when a series of events involving my mother in law again had us on the road. To be honest, by this time I had completely lost my mojo and nothing was working for this portrait. My client was incredibly patient and understanding which made me want to finish it even more than before.<br />
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Finally, I woke up at 2:30 in the morning a couple of weeks ago feeling the need to paint on this portrait & everything started clicking into place for it and I finished it yesterday with client approval this morning!<br />
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During January, I was also given the opportunity to display my art in a gallery in a beautiful town on our North Carolina coast called Beaufort. The gallery is wonderful as is the gallery owner, Angie Williams, and if you're ever in Beaufort, you ought to stop in and see what all she has to offer. The gallery is called the Artestry Hideaway and it's at 412 Front Street with the entrance from the boardwalk. You can see some of the beautiful things by checking out her FaceBook page: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheArtestryHideaway" target="_blank"> https://www.facebook.com/TheArtestryHideaway</a>.<br />
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After losing my mojo for so long with a commission in the works, I realized I just couldn't continue to accept commissions any longer. Plus the fact that both my husband's mother and my father are very elderly and live some distance from us means that we have to be able to go to them at a moment's notice. It's just not fair to clients to have to wait while we work out family issues!<br />
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So, I'm giving up pet portrait commissions and will probably give up this blog. I'm going to set up a new website and domain name and probably a new blog. However, the blog may be a part of my new website. Whatever I decide to do, I'll be sure to post it here before any major changes are made! <br />
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Thanks to all of you who stuck with me all this time!<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4913832932376559679.post-6991931087390491232012-07-17T11:14:00.001-04:002012-07-18T05:20:23.163-04:00Unconditional Love<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rDHttYyvrgA/UAWAdfHw5EI/AAAAAAAAA6g/ZRjiXxpKWJE/s1600/SuchSpecialLove.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rDHttYyvrgA/UAWAdfHw5EI/AAAAAAAAA6g/ZRjiXxpKWJE/s200/SuchSpecialLove.jpg" width="142" /></a></div>
I have heard it said that dogs are about the only creature who give unconditional love.<br />
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An internet friend posted a photo of her sister and her dog and I thought it captured that love beautifully. This is my attempt to translate that feeling into a painting.<br />
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Soft pastel on PastelMat.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4913832932376559679.post-90667977609704344062012-07-06T12:47:00.000-04:002012-07-06T12:47:02.799-04:00Orchids In Oils - WIP 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IdQb6bWD-aM/T_cVB2m7P1I/AAAAAAAAA6U/xPHQ-38ocUQ/s1600/orchids_WIP3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IdQb6bWD-aM/T_cVB2m7P1I/AAAAAAAAA6U/xPHQ-38ocUQ/s200/orchids_WIP3.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Here is the third installment of the work in progress of the orchids I've been working on. It doesn't feel finished but I don't know exactly what is wrong so I can finish it!<br />
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Any C&C gratefully accepted!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4913832932376559679.post-91505177227795874732012-07-03T13:56:00.000-04:002012-07-03T13:56:39.503-04:00Orchids in Oil - WIP 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3BtMdZgYcpo/T_Mxig2_tDI/AAAAAAAAA6I/DWYJaZUvNIs/s1600/orchids_WIP2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3BtMdZgYcpo/T_Mxig2_tDI/AAAAAAAAA6I/DWYJaZUvNIs/s200/orchids_WIP2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
I haven't done a whole lot with this painting but thought I'd post an update of the little progress I've made. It has a long way to go but at least you can sort of tell they're orchids now!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4913832932376559679.post-89978242230606381772012-07-01T07:34:00.001-04:002012-07-01T07:34:55.988-04:00Watercolor Painting for "Gates and Doors" Challenge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gbFBHmIu0_w/T_A1G0W5P_I/AAAAAAAAA58/Z7wpLIuQnUE/s1600/door_jan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gbFBHmIu0_w/T_A1G0W5P_I/AAAAAAAAA58/Z7wpLIuQnUE/s200/door_jan.jpg" width="158" /></a></div>
You can probably tell this was a real quickie. It was done for a challenge on an art site I belong to (Art Class Friends) where the theme was "Gates and Doors". As usual, I had to put an animal into it!<br />
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Watercolor on Arches Hot Pressed.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4913832932376559679.post-26034325168032262692012-06-30T10:57:00.001-04:002012-06-30T10:58:26.912-04:00Floral WIP Painting in New Oils<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t-Lvu8Bh5Mk/T-8OTXd8wZI/AAAAAAAAA5w/c_jS6RpVci0/s1600/orchids_WIP1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t-Lvu8Bh5Mk/T-8OTXd8wZI/AAAAAAAAA5w/c_jS6RpVci0/s200/orchids_WIP1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Well, I started another oil painting this morning and got this far before deciding to do a WIP (work in progress) of it.<br />
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This is a painting of some orchids and I know the pencil drawing is a little light so hope you can see the actual flowers well enough. As you can see, the background is pretty much finished although I may tweak it a bit later. I'm very pleased with it so far and it was a dream to paint as blending is easy as is layering lighter colors on top of dark ones.<br />
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The only things I'm not sure about are the leaf in the bottom left corner and that stem beside it so I may take them out. I'll wait and think about it a bit more first though.<br />
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My DH, CiCi (our Maltese) and I went to Hobby Lobby yesterday where I got some paint brushes, a nice canvas and this cradled panel with canvas texture from Ampersand. This one happens to be 12 inches square as I knew I wanted a square format for these orchids. I usually love Ampersand products although they're very pricey but I'm not real sure about this one. The paint seemed to drag more on this than the canvas I used for the wave painting shown yesterday.<br />
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Which brings me to the brushes I bought - I had seen several recommendations for the Robert Simmons synthetic line which are very reasonable and I've used them before for acrylics & liked them. However, these seem almost too soft to use with the oil paints. Of course, it could have been the Ampersand surface instead. Anyway, I'm reserving judgement on both for right now.<br />
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So, I'll eventually try other brushes and surfaces - Jiminy! a painting supply addiction is almost as costly as a drug addiction!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4913832932376559679.post-35393750246260889862012-06-29T10:31:00.000-04:002012-06-29T10:31:32.643-04:00Experimenting with Water Miscible Oils<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nuB7Gvtb4RU/T-208slee6I/AAAAAAAAA5k/tW1CapR8Y90/s1600/wave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nuB7Gvtb4RU/T-208slee6I/AAAAAAAAA5k/tW1CapR8Y90/s200/wave.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Some time ago I was asked about painting a pet portrait in oil and I said no because of the odor, the mess and frankly, the cost. Then I remembered some water miscible oils I'd briefly used many, many years ago and thought I'd give them another try.<br />
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Of course the tubes I'd used way back then were dried up and harder than brick bats (what's a brick bat anyway?) so I immediately did a little online research and placed an order for some Lukas Berlin water miscible oil paints. They arrived yesterday and I did the little painting shown above. Not a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination but it did give me a good indication of how I'd like these oils. (I do!)<br />
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Because the order was being shipped via that crazy UPS to local Post Office method that took nearly 2 weeks the last time, I wasn't really prepared with canvas or brushes. I'd hoped to get to Hobby Lobby or Michael's to pick up any supplies I needed as I wanted to see them in person. But, surprise! here's the order and I wanted to get started painting so I found two brushes left over from my oil painting days and a small (5x7 inch) stretched canvas. The wave seemed to have the perfect proportions for the little canvas so I started painting and finished it pretty much in one sitting (alla prima).<br />
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I'm someone who really gets inspired playing with the different mediums and I started out painting in oil in high school art waaaaaay back in the 60's so painting in oils again felt very comfortable. These water miscible oils are great too. There's virtually no smell and the clean up is quick and easy. As with any other medium, there is a downside to using them - they still take up to a week or more to dry to the touch and 6 months to a year to dry/cure enough to varnish. However, many artists are opting not to varnish their paintings so I may follow their example (which would have been heresy in my early years of painting!) I know I have to relearn some techniques, prepare to be patient with the drying time and practice, practice, practice but I think I'll really enjoy using these paints.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4913832932376559679.post-50299129495568666922012-06-18T11:25:00.002-04:002012-06-18T11:25:52.952-04:00Watercolor and Gouache Floral<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AcCN9FBL9ZI/T99AlaaC-OI/AAAAAAAAA5Y/s5ZZKkWFquE/s1600/Cosmos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="130" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AcCN9FBL9ZI/T99AlaaC-OI/AAAAAAAAA5Y/s5ZZKkWFquE/s200/Cosmos.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
I'm still playing around with watercolor and gouache and thought I'd try a flower painting instead of an animal this time. These are some cosmos flowers from a reference photo by Debbie Byess on Paint My Photo. It's a work in progress and is watercolor and gouache on Arches Hot Pressed watercolor paper.<br />
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I still have some shading to do on the stems and some additions of the ferny leaves. Also, the background needs some more work. While it looks black here, it's really a mixture of various greens, blues and the pink and maroon of the flowers. Since I'll want to use this primarily for prints (if it ends up good enough!), I want the background to look flatter and more varied than it appears right now.<br />
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While I've got you all looking, I'd like to put in a plug for my friend, Sue Clinker from <a href="http://pencilpix.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">PencilPix blogspot</a>. She has a wonderful entry in a "Best of British Drawing Contest" sponsored by Derwent and the winner will be determined by votes. Her painting is of her husband trying to bar-b-que in the rain (which I gather is pretty typical of British weather much of the time). Here is a link to the contest:<br />
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<a href="http://promoshq.wildfireapp.com/website/6/contests/222621/voteable_entries?page=1">http://promoshq.wildfireapp.com/website/6/contests/222621/voteable_entries?page=1</a><br />
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You can vote for up to 20 entries and I do hope you'll find Sue's entry and will vote for it as I think she's done a wonderful job on this painting. It's called "Typical British BBG" by Sue Clinker.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4913832932376559679.post-85362625300308244242012-06-06T11:20:00.000-04:002012-06-06T11:20:15.361-04:00Watercolor Lucie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gn4frwIXwUY/T89y7ytgBGI/AAAAAAAAA5M/UiZO297KrU0/s1600/Lucies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="142" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gn4frwIXwUY/T89y7ytgBGI/AAAAAAAAA5M/UiZO297KrU0/s320/Lucies.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I've been exploring pet portraits in watercolor for some time and really like the medium of watercolor and gouache (opaque watercolor) but I haven't had a lot of time to experiment with it lately. Recently an online friend posted some photos of a little service dog trainee that she was keeping and I couldn't resist painting her. I also felt that she would be a perfect subject for a watercolor portrait.<br />
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My husband is usually my best critic and he thought the painting lacked enough contrast (first photo) so I went back in and deepened some of the color. I think I like the first version best but it's done now so I plan to leave it alone. What do you think? Comments and critiques are always welcome.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4913832932376559679.post-40417264766404216692012-06-01T08:10:00.001-04:002012-06-01T08:10:57.791-04:00Playing With Frames<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JwbUemvU8-0/T8iqryW6p8I/AAAAAAAAA4o/GdUJGckWFv8/s1600/frame.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JwbUemvU8-0/T8iqryW6p8I/AAAAAAAAA4o/GdUJGckWFv8/s200/frame.jpg" width="165" /></a></div>
I've been doing some painting lately but really have nothing to show at this point. I've also been playing around with making my own frames and the frame shown here is an example.<br />
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I've mentioned before that I'd like to get away from having to mat and frame my work under glass as having art framed is so expensive. Even frames by themselves without glass are also expensive so I decided to try to build my own. The frame on the left was a relatively simple design but dressed up with the addition of a little decorative moulding. I don't have a lot of fancy woodworking equipment so the frame was made using a simple hand saw and a miter box.<br />
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The trick was to get all the sides even with the miters cut so there would be a perfect fit. That's not at all easy with a hand saw and I did end up cutting more than one of some of the pieces before getting that perfect fit. I even measured more than twice before cutting!<br />
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Anyway, I don't think I'll go into the framing business - at least without investing in a good miter saw, but I did have fun making a couple of frames!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4913832932376559679.post-19263574162898512152012-05-15T12:56:00.000-04:002012-05-15T12:56:05.812-04:00All the Colors of White<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TAzsMCOb1I0/T7KFmJCGhfI/AAAAAAAAA4c/YRUaXmwrp-8/s1600/cici2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TAzsMCOb1I0/T7KFmJCGhfI/AAAAAAAAA4c/YRUaXmwrp-8/s200/cici2.jpg" width="123" /></a></div>
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We recently returned from a whirlwind trip to Pensacola, Florida where we went to see my husband's family, primarily his mother who is in her 90's. Most of the time was spent visiting with family but we did take some time to go to Pensacola Beach and all the way out to Ft. Pickens which is part of our National Parks System (you can read about Ft. Pickens <a href="http://www.nps.gov/guis/planyourvisit/fort-pickens.htm" target="_blank">HERE</a>). The weather on the whole trip was somewhat overcast and on the day we went to Ft. Pickens, it was very cloudy and very windy! I thought our little baby, CiCi really illustrates the strength of the wind, don't you? lol<br />
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Anyway, I was wanting to take some photos of magnolias for painting references and looked at some under these cloudy conditions. I didn't end up getting any photos of any but I did really look at the "color" of white in several kinds of flowers and under different conditions.<br />
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It's always amazing to me to really study a white object and see all the colors that are actually there. You can see that our C is a white Maltese but if you click on the photo to enlarge it, you can also see all the reflected colors that show in her fur. My husband's shirt color is reflected in some areas. There is both pink skin showing (the groomer clipped her really close this time!) and also some pink reflected from her skin onto her fur. The pink skin also makes for sort of lavender gray shadows in some areas. There are even some areas of yellow there!<br />
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If you've trained your eye to really see, you can look at any so-called white object and see a multitude of colors residing there!<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4913832932376559679.post-77530640913014406072012-05-05T09:30:00.001-04:002012-05-05T09:30:59.154-04:00Busy, busy, busy!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kJvfJM4nbEo/T6UjINe09VI/AAAAAAAAA4Q/5raVBGgxk0w/s1600/maggie_chloe_last.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kJvfJM4nbEo/T6UjINe09VI/AAAAAAAAA4Q/5raVBGgxk0w/s200/maggie_chloe_last.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
It has been a wild and crazy last month or so around here and I haven't done much painting at all. I did finish the double portrait of two beautiful Golden Retrievers some time ago so I thought I'd post the final portrait since I hadn't shown it to you before now. <br />
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I was pleased with it and it really looks much better in person than here. This was the largest portrait I've done to date and it took a while. It was on a full sheet of either PastelMat or Colorfix Suede (I've slept many times since it was finished & don't remember which one! lol) or about 20x27 inches. I think the owner was pleased also.<br />
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I titled this post Busy, busy, busy for a reason. My DH has finally retired after working at the same place for slightly over 40 years! He started the retirement on May 1st so we've had almost a week to get used to having one another underfoot and adjusting to a different schedule. So far it's working out ok and it's really nice being able to do things during the week at whatever time is convenient for us.<br />
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A new BJ's warehouse club opened up in a town relatively close to us - about 40 - 45 miles away - so we decided to check it out one day. That was interesting. We ended up joining (they give you the "opportunity" to join at a special price before you can actually shop there although they offer a trial membership also.) I must say that I was disappointed in the experience with everything bundled so that quantities were either way too much for two people (like some of the fresh produce) or there were too few choices in items that you could stock up on. For instance, as a vegetarian, I was very disappointed to find the <i>one</i> & <i>only brand</i> of baked beans they had was prepared with meat. The prices weren't bad so I guess it was a good idea to join. My husband's opthamologist is right around the corner from BJ's so I guess we'll use it some at least.<br />
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It is also the week of my husband's birthday so the kids are coming this evening to celebrate both his birthday and his retirement. I made potato salad and cole slaw yesterday and biscuits this morning (for tomorrow morning's breakfast). Potato salad and slaw always seem to taste best when they've had a chance to marinate and completely chill. Later I'll be making baked beans and hush puppies so I'm taking a little break right now to make this post! Since I don't usually cook meat, we got some pit cooked bbq from a local restaurant not too far from us. Add a little cake and ice cream after dinner and we'll call it a celebration feast!<br />
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Another perk of my DH being retired is that we can travel some and we'll be doing a bit of that off and on. He's a big gardener and has put in a really comprehensive vegetable garden this year so we won't be gone a lot because of that. But, I may not be posting on a regular basis again. I'm looking forward to getting all settled in our "new" life so I can get back to painting again!<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4913832932376559679.post-30255285882235202332012-05-02T08:39:00.000-04:002012-05-02T08:39:21.533-04:00It Is With A Heavy Heartthat I tell you little Avery has lost the battle with SMA. Heartfelt condolences to her parents, family and friends. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4913832932376559679.post-74308981314549734242012-05-01T15:24:00.000-04:002012-05-01T15:24:04.054-04:00ATC Trade<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We're doing an Artist's Trading Card trade at an art forum I belong to (Art Class Friends - let me know if you would like an invitation to join) and these are the two cards I painted for the trade.<br />
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Both are regulation ATC/ACEO (Art Cards Editions and Originals) size at 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches and both were painted in watercolor or watercolor and gouache. Both of the painting photo references came from MorgueFile.com. I hope the recipients like what they get as I had a lot of fun painting these. <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4913832932376559679.post-12776172350383904112012-04-27T20:32:00.000-04:002012-04-28T12:21:18.433-04:00A New Blog - Pray That It Keeps On GoingI just stumbled upon a fairly new blog and want to share it with all of you as it will tug at your heartstrings and also give you pause if you're of child-bearing age.<br />
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Many of you know that I have two beautiful nieces who were born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy or SMA as it's called. It's a genetic disease where the muscles eventually lose all tone and because the heart is a muscle and the lungs are powered by muscle, death is the result.<br />
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The new blog I found is that of a baby named Avery who has been diagnosed with SMA and is chronicling her bucket list as she has been given only 18 months to live. <br />
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Please go take a look at the blog and be aware that many of you carry this horrible gene and may not even be aware of it.<br />
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I'm sorry if this sounds choppy and disjointed and I'm sorry if you were expecting something about art. Just please take a look and say a prayer for Avery and her parents.<br />
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<a href="http://averycan.blogspot.com/">http://averycan.blogspot.com/</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4913832932376559679.post-79360921529780120802012-04-23T08:54:00.003-04:002012-04-23T08:56:08.748-04:00Showing You Mine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well! It's certainly been a while since I've posted here on my blog. I apologize but probably still wouldn't have a post if it weren't for my blogging friend, Sue, over at <a href="http://pencilpix.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">PencilPix</a>. She and I email back and forth some and we were chatting about updating our respective blogs when she issued the challenge saying "you show me yours and I'll show you mine" - well, I decided to take her up on that challenge!<br />
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It wasn't that I wanted to neglect my blog but I'm not much for multi-tasking and there's been a lot happening in the past few months.<br />
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For one thing, I'm still trying to find and learn a medium which will allow me to produce the paintings I want to do yet not have the paintings be so fragile.<br />
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Well, you know pastel is my medium of choice and it's really not so fragile if handled responsibly but it does need to be framed under glass and I'd really like to get away from that. So, I've been experimenting with gouache, watercolor and acrylic. I've produced quite a few paintings in one medium or the other but still haven't become really comfortable with any and all have attributes that just don't fit my way of working.<br />
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I really like pastel for the spontaneous way I can work in it. It's always ready to go - no squeezing out paint, searching out brushes, getting water and no mixing on a palette. That's such a plus for me as I tend to work "a stroke at a time" and it's so easy to lay out the pastels on my work table and work "as the spirit moves me". There's no mess to clean up after every session and I don't have to worry about painting drying up and becoming unusable.<br />
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But, I ship a lot of paintings and I really would like for them to arrive intact, hence the exploration into other media.<br />
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I kinda stretched the truth a bit when I said that I had produced quite a few paintings during my blog hiatus. It's true that I've started many paintings but I haven't really finished many. I get to that "ugly stage" and just lose interest so they remain unfinished!<br />
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However, I did finish (I think it's finished anyway) the portrait of the little Maltese above recently. It's been painted in acrylics, mainly acrylic ink, and it went fairly well. I do find that I paint more loosely with a brush than I do with a pastel stick and I don't know if that's good or bad. I also agonize over brush strokes, color and trying to get that one last stroke that completes the painting without over-doing it.<br />
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There wasn't really a reference photo for this little fluff - it's a combination of refs along with looking at our own little one for some of the details. I would have used our baby exclusively but I really find it hard to paint our own pets. I just didn't want to add that pressure on top of battling with an unfamiliar medium!<br />
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OK, Sue, here's mine - where's yours?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4913832932376559679.post-36232981914439104082012-01-27T13:40:00.000-05:002012-01-27T13:40:48.929-05:00A New Web Friend From Brambleberry Cottage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Only this one I met in person first! I was shopping with a couple of friends last weekend and found the perfect stroller for our little rescued Maltese in a thrift shop in a neighboring town. I'd just paid for the stroller when another lady came up with a cute little Yorkie to inquire about the same stroller. I found out later that her name was Liz and that she has a gorgeous blog here on Blogger.<br />
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We exchanged pleasantries and I gave her one of my business cards with the painting of CiCi on it (you know I can never resist showing off my baby!) Today she left a comment on my blog here as well as emailed me. <br />
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To make a long story shorter, I've spent the morning looking at her beautiful blog and came across a post of hers on "Morning Glories" <a href="http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/2011/08/glories-of-morning.html">http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/2011/08/glories-of-morning.html</a>. The photos are spectacular but I think she may have some bindweed there instead of true morning glories (sorry, Liz!)<br />
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I've long been enamored of the bindweed that runs rampant on our farm and even painted some a few years ago. I entitled the painting "Glorious Strangler" because that's what bindweed does to any plant around it. Not only does it strangle out plants but it also puts out some sort of substance from its roots that helps prevent other plants from growing around it. Not a plant that plays well with others but very, very beautiful nonetheless.<br />
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Please go take a look at the way Liz has arranged and photographed these flowers and you'll probably agree with me that their beauty far outweighs their nasty nature! Thanks so much for the photographic eye-candy, Liz!<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4913832932376559679.post-76988285079453088482012-01-18T08:16:00.000-05:002012-01-18T08:16:34.739-05:00Thank You, Christine!The internet is a wonderful place for meeting some terrific people. One of those people is Christine from<a href="http://www.fineartgraphiteportraits.com/"> Fine Arts Graphite Portraits</a> blog.<br />
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I was stunned yesterday when our mail carrier brought a package containing a portrait of my dear horse, Bonnie, who we lost about a year and a half ago. Christine knew how much I loved Bonnie and how difficult it is for me to paint my own pets and sent me a graphite portrait of Bonnie just out of the blue! <br />
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It's a gorgeous portrait that looks just like her and I cried when I saw it.<br />
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Christine, I know how busy you are with your new little boy and for you to take the time to draw my Bonnie means so much to me. You did a wonderful job and I there just aren't enough words to thank you for your kindness.<br />
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Thank you, thank you, thank you!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4913832932376559679.post-91461459172674422382012-01-15T13:41:00.000-05:002012-01-15T13:44:13.494-05:00Artistic Dead Space<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KncDWbQ4rsg/TxMUwHdWDuI/AAAAAAAAA3Y/12TwZ4LXCG4/s1600/Waterlily_gouache_web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KncDWbQ4rsg/TxMUwHdWDuI/AAAAAAAAA3Y/12TwZ4LXCG4/s200/Waterlily_gouache_web.jpg" width="128" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">"WaterLily"</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Gouache on an absorbent ground</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">prepared hardboard</span></div>
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Contrary to what you might have believed, <i>I'm</i> not dead but just having a little artistic dead space. I really have been working but I've kept hitting slick spots on the artistic road of a double portrait and decided to pull over to rechart my course.</div>
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All that means is that when you keep making mistakes with a project, sometimes it's just best to switch to another project to try to get your mojo back. lol</div>
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Sometime ago I bought some of the Golden Absorbent Ground but hadn't had time to try it. I had several odd pieces left from the hardboard I bought ages ago and decided to prepare one to try out the new ground. The above painting of the waterlily is the result.</div>
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It's only 4 x 6 inches so didn't take a very long time to paint but I'm not sure if I found any difference between the absorbent ground and a plain gessoed board. I won't give a review of the ground until I've had more time to use it. I will say the next time I think I'd use a roller to apply it to try to get a more even surface and maybe to get a slightly dimpled surface similar to cold pressed watercolor paper. </div>
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I'd also wanted to take this opportunity to use gouache as it's usually intended which is usually more like oil or acrylic than watercolor. But, gouache is kind of tricky - at least in my experience. It seemed that I was either mixing it too thin or too thick so I ended up using it much the same way I use watercolor but applying my lighter colors last as in oil or acrylic painting. </div>
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I guess that ends up being the best of all the media and I was pretty pleased with the outcome. Now back to the portrait of the two beautiful Golden Retrievers which I hope to finish soon!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4913832932376559679.post-31493758040744248232011-12-12T12:29:00.001-05:002011-12-12T13:02:15.875-05:00Shawnee - Final (or close to it)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KyzXvc0gekY/TuY6S29jogI/AAAAAAAAA3Q/ZQ1LW4TC5ws/s1600/shawneelast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KyzXvc0gekY/TuY6S29jogI/AAAAAAAAA3Q/ZQ1LW4TC5ws/s200/shawneelast.jpg" width="161" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shawnee - Acrylic On Ampersand Board</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td></tr>
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I've finally gotten into the short rows with this portrait of Shawnee and I've just emailed the client for approval. It's taken what seems to be forever but between the flu and the Thanksgiving holiday, I guess it really hasn't been that long. </div>
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A fellow artist asked me about the technique I used to get the fur texture so I thought I'd share it with you all too. I used a small #2 round for most of the fur work and just worked back and forth in layers using three or four colors of paint. Shawnee had a buff colored undercoat which did peek through her outer fur at times so I used the buff color as the base layer. Then I used a mixed black (Ivory black and Indigo blue) to avoid that "flat black" look, a white with varying tones of blue or white with a bit of the buff mixed it to help convey the reflected light. The working in all these colors with such a small brush is why it took so long to finish as there must be hundreds and hundreds (or maybe thousands) of brush strokes in this painting.</div>
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I have a set of "fur" brushes but in this instance they left a very regular brush pattern that just didn't look like fur at all. Many times, these are my favorite brushes for fur as it goes relatively quickly with them but they just didn't work as I wanted this time. In case you're wondering what brushes I usually prefer for fur, they're the Simply Simmons Comb brushes. You can see how they cut the bristles into irregular lengths which gives the look of fur most of the time at this website: <a href="http://www.fineartstore.com/Catalog/tabid/365/List/1/CategoryID/11456/Level/a/Default.aspx?SortField=unitcost%2Cunitcost">http://www.fineartstore.com/Catalog/tabid/365/List/1/CategoryID/11456/Level/a/Default.aspx?SortField=unitcost%2Cunitcost</a></div>
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Anyway, I hope my client likes the portrait and that it's a comfort to her. </div>
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<span id="goog_10990893"></span><span id="goog_10990894"></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4913832932376559679.post-27537405177336817412011-12-01T09:24:00.001-05:002011-12-01T09:29:53.469-05:00Another Shawnee Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I haven't posted an update on Shawnee's portrait and thought I'd better even though it's in the "ugly" stage. I always feel that people look at it and wonder how any kind of finished portrait could come from that! But, for better or worse, here's an update.<br />
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I'm pretty much finished with the buff colored undercoat and have started working on the silver-tipped black top coat.<br />
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There's really not much to say about it at this point!<br />
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Oh, sorry for the bad photo - for some reason I just couldn't get a good one!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4913832932376559679.post-28664351808110513892011-11-27T07:27:00.001-05:002011-11-27T08:00:56.641-05:00A Very Odd Thanksgiving!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This past week - a week containing our American Thanksgiving holiday - has been a wild one and one very different from past Thanksgivings!<br />
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Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it seems to be the one most unaffected by blatant commercialism. (I won't <i>even</i> comment on starting "Black Friday" on Thanksgiving Day this year!) This year the kids (we have a son and a daughter) had other plans and I didn't have to cook a conventional Thanksgiving dinner.<br />
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This ended up being a good thing because the Saturday evening/night before Thanksgiving I kept violently up-chucking and ended up in the ER at our local hospital for several hours on Sunday morning. It was some sort of bug and some IV fluids and anti-nausea meds got me back on track. But, it took several days to get to the point where I could do much more than sleep and cooking a big dinner would have been nearly impossible!<br />
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So, we decided to get together this past Saturday (the Saturday after Thanksgiving Day) for a "Build Your Own Pizza" party. I made my "famous" homemade pizza dough & sauce, set out every topping that anyone even mentioned and let everyone make their own pizza.<br />
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The top photo is one of the pizzas and the bottom photo is of three of our four grandchildren - aren't they all beautiful? Our oldest granddaughter is just as gorgeous and is married and now lives in Maine. It would have been perfect if she'd been able to join us also.<br />
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We may have had a very unconventional holiday but it was a fun time and maybe something we'll do again in the future!<br />
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We're so very thankful for our wonderful family and I'm very thankful to those of you who visit my blog and have become my online family!<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4