I Miss my Mind the Most

I should be sleeping right now but I always get a bad case of nerves (good excited nerves though) and I'm wide eyed and bushy tailed until we get on the road the next day.
I'm so going to be hating life tomorrow LOL!
Road trips are fun even if they last 15 hours... I'm so going to be hating life tomorrow.

Here is a self portrait of me right now... I know you guys have been waiting for another one of these. Check out my bed head...
[LINE] [image]islandArtist_88287 9961.jpg[/image]
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I'm going to be posting road trip pictures as soon as I get in so make sure to come back...
I'll also be totally freaking out without access to my blog, is there any sort of drug for that???
isn't that sweet? I'm going to miss you guys... who'd a thunk it!?!?
now get busy and leave me a note about how much you miss me... ahem... or not.
I should get to bed now.

~jen

That stands for [b]Rotton Toddler Syndrome.[/b]
She's pretty much spent the day following me around from room to room screaming her head off. [line][image]islandArtist_70255 0138.jpg[/image]
Paige, pulling on my shirt and screaming... nice.[line]

WTF?!?
I actually had to get her a bottle (to plug her mouth) and hold her down for awhile before she would cool off. It's amazing, I don't know how she has the energy to keep it up.
Now she is playing in my closet... thank the lord.
she can scream all she wants in there... but she is actually quiet right now and talking to herself... it's blissfull.

I love the little monster- don't get me wrong but sometimes...
[b]*insert music to 'tainted love' here*[/b]
'I Feel I got to, get away, I've got to run away...".
I'm sure I'm not the only one... other mom's just don't talk about it for fear of looking like a 'bad mom'.
Phooey.
I'm a wicked mom. I play alot, sing songs, dance, make Mac and cheese everyday for lunch and especially love coloring! What kid wouldn't want me for a Mom???
Heck i'd want me for a mom! And if I had me for a mom, i would go off and play for 5 hours [b][i]by myself[/i][/b] so she could have some time to feel like an adult human being and read the news paper.
Is that too much to ask?

I didn't think so.
~jen

Here is my latest little fairie princess.
This one was inpsired GREATLY by an artist friend of mine names [url=http://www.rasehallstudios.co...]Lori Rase-Hall[/url]. I of course have my own little twists mingled in there which I think makes for a cute little painting.[LINE] [image]islandArtist_26879 3890.jpg[/image]
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I know I have some fairy fans out there, tell me what you think of this... would you buy her? If you would, how much would you pay?
Would you be more likely to buy a painting framed (which would be more expensive) or unframed and frame it yourself??
I guess it is Survey day on my blog...
I look forward to hearing from all of ya!

~jen
p.s. Just because I'm going on holiday don't think i won't be bloggin'. You are dealing with an addict here- no rest for the wicked!

This is embarrassing, and I shouldn't even mention it but I gotta because I've been laughing myself silly for hours about it. Last night my husband and daughter were jumpin' on our bed. Being the happy moron I am, I thought I would join in. Even thought the bed is (was) this ginormous wooden structure, it probably wasn't designed to have [b]two [/b]full sized adults and a toddler jumping on it. All i did was leave the ground, and as soon as I landed on the bed **CRACK**! Followed by the sound of my dog yelp under the bed. The ebd collapsed on one side! Now, I'm almost possitive that the bed had a flawed piece of timber holding it up... you could tell by looking at it....ahem... that being said, we were looking for a new bed anyway.
Anybody want a sleigh bed in need of minor repairs?? :oops:
Now we have the mattress on the floor and you know, the room looks a hell of alot bigger! I wish I had taken pictures of the aftermath but I was so stunned and feeling like a bloated elephant I forgot to get the camera.
Anyway, My hubby is a doll, he wasn't even angry... he just cleaned up the mess. I **LOVE** that guy!

Today is Packing day... tomorrow we leave to Alberta for a holiday!! How exciting, it seems like forever since i saw my family!!
Today is a happy day, and I finished another one of my 'fairy' paintings yesterday. I'll post it later when I have a chance to scan it in the computer. Keep your eyes peeled!

Gotta run,
~jen
P.S. My dog is fine, the bed thing just scared her!

Well I heard back from the client with the '3 Doxie' painting. She absolutely loved it and said it brought [u]a tear to her eye[/u]!!
She even paid me 10 dollars more than I requested!!
I did end up adding just a little bit to the background. basically a little more shading and some pattern on the chair that the dogs are nestled in. [LINE] [image]islandArtist_10490 88140.jpg[/image]
[LINE]
It looks fantastic and I'm so glad and releived that she loves it.
Yahoo! Bring on another commission!!!
~jen

I was reading through my painting lessons of yesterday and discovered that I had forgotten a very important thing!
BRUSHES!
[line] [image]islandArtist_41292 7874.jpg[/image][line]
You can't paint anything without a brush. For watercolors you need a certain kind of brush- one with a short handle that is designed for watercolor (short handled brushes are for sitting to paint and long handles are for standing to paint- at an easel). I use only one kind of brush- which is my own personal preference- the style of brush is a [url=http://www.currys.com/brushim...]ROUND[/url] I have a few different sizes ranging form 4 to 8. I also have a large one inch [url=http://www.currys.com/brushim...]BRIGHT[/url] that I use for washes.
As for natural hair or synthetic... my favorite brushes are all made of tacklon, even though everyone raves about sable.
In the past I had an extensive collection of [url=http://www.currys.com/brushim...]Chinese bamboo brushes[/url] - they are inexpensive and keep a fine point really well. They come in goat hair and sable hair, Sable is more expensive. When shopping for brushes think of it as an investment- these supplies will give you years of loyal service if taken care of properly.

Now after you have invested some money in a brush or two, you will want to know how to take care of it. FIRST rule is NEVER and when I say NEVER I mean NEVER leave your brush in water, not even for a minute. The water will deteriorate the hair in your brush and can also cause the glue holding the hair to break down thus letting the hair out of your brush- very BAD. Also if you leave a nice pointy brush in a cup of water the tip will become bent and that really sucks when you are trying to paint- beleive me, I've done it. Roll your brushes in a place mat to prevent the ends from getting bent or crimped, this will permanently destroy a good brush. Yes, i've done this too. My daughter even bit the end of a brush once and crimped it at a 90 degree angle. Nothing i could do would get it back to normal. After every painting session make sure to clean your brushes very well, rinse them under cold water until no more paint comes out- then wash them some more. Some paint pigments stain the bristles but this doesn't effect the brush in any way.

That's about all i have to share on that subject...
Let me know if you have any questions or if I forgot something obvious.
Now, GET PAINTING!!
artfully yours,
~jen

I was recently asked by [url=http://jenarathbun.tblog.com]jenarathbun[/url] How should she go about starting to paint. I had so much to say on the matter that i thought I'd just do a blog on it. I started painting in watercolors for several reasons. First of all, to buy a full set of watercolors won't put your credit card in the red. They are inexpensive and though you may think the tubes are small- they last [b]FOREVER.[/b] You can get away with cheaper paints without a problem but DO NOT skimp on the paper. Quality paper is so important when learning- great paper can make painting fun and easy While cheap paper makes painting difficult and frustrating- even for those of us who have been painting for years.[line] [image]islandArtist_94186 5011.jpg[/image]
[b]A picture of my work space[/b][line]

Good Papers are:
Arches (140lb and up)
Bockingford (250 lb only)
Saunders Waterford (200 lb & up)
There are more kinds but these are the best of the economical ones. You will want to purchase a COLD Pressed paper- you will get the best results while learning the following techniques. and your paper should be taped down (on all four sides) to a rigid surface to avoid cockeling (warping) of the paper.

Secondly watercolors are less messy- especially if you have little ones around. Most pigments will not stain surfaces or clothes which is really nice cause I am messy.
To get started: I reccommend starting with learning the basic watercolor techniques. There are several and a few are;
Washes
Wet in wet
Wet on dry
dry brushing
burnishing
Lost edges and found edges
pulling up paint (variations of this are endless)
Salt technique (a favorite)

If you are an accomplished drawer- try using a india ink pen (available at Micheals in the scrapbooking section) and sketching out a fun drawing and using the watercolors to wash in (I've done some funny random portraits this way except using crayon or acrylic for color). After you have had some practice learning several techniques you can try implementing them into a painting. You can use photos or do an abstract piece- I started with abstract peices so there wasn't so much pressure to have everything just perfect. It took me 10 years to be comfortable enough to attempt portraiture (super hard). But whatever you do, the most important is to paint what feels right to you and have fun, LOTS of fun!! If you guys want any help, pictures of techniques- books to read on painting- drop me a line and I'll be more than happy to help you out.
The best way to learn is to teach something and I love sharing.
Come on now, don't be shy!!
~jen

Well my hubby and i painted out living room a nice rich RED color. I LOVE red. I think every woman needs to have at least one wall in her house RED. Maybe it's an artsy fartsy thing, but i have a special place in my heart for the color.
[b]Dogs eye view of my living room[/b]What does Red mean to me?
Passion, Good wine, red lips, LOTS of roses, Candy, Christmas, and spaggeti with a good tangy sauce.
What does red mean to you?

My artsy question for the day...
Thank you in advance for your comments, I love hearing from you!!

~jen

As promised, here are some photos of my little backyard or 'patio' as some people call them. Most of the landscaping was done by the previous owners, that is why it looks so nice :lol: [LINE]
[b]The left side of the patio[/b][LINE]
[b]My 'Goooojisss' flower boxes[/b][LINE]
I simply had to fill in the blank spaces of dirt with some colorful flowers- not all of them are in bloom yet but it will be a spectacular display of blooms when the time is right.
My little froggy 'freeloading' tenants are getting used to my presence on the patio and let me take their pictures! there are 5 frogs but I caught two of them here.][LINE]
[b]Mr. Floater[/b][LINE]
[b]Mr. Sunbaker[/b][LINE]
My pond looks a little on the green murky side, but I think it makes it look more 'pondy' and the fish and frogs don't seem to mind. We are still working on a fountain for the pond but my husband doesn't quite understand water dynamics yet and keeps pumping the pond nearly dry. The frogs don't seem to mind that either... very easy going little guys.
Anyway- I should go, Ihave a date with a mail box and then with a really fluffy pillow.
Get out in the sun!!
~jen

It was a sunshiney (sp?) day today so we decided to take a road trip to Victoria. It's the capital of British Columbia and a very gorgeous city. First I had to make a stop at the art supply store to pick up my monthly ration of watercolor paper. I could have stayed in that place for an entire week without food or water but my 2 year old daughter wouldn't hear of such nonsense, she had enough after 3 minutes or so. [LINE][image]islandArtist _1392387130.jpg[/image][LINE] So we bustled on down to the inner harbour and watched a lady performing tricks, saw a guy playing really bad guitar, a jamican fellow playing really GOOD steel drums, several aboriginal folks selling carvings- some good some not so much, and we also had to stop and spend our life savings on a hot dog and bottles of water. [LINE][image]islandArtist _1213565906.jpg[/image][LINE] [image]islandArtist_66426 0136.jpg[/image][LINE] [image]islandArtist_27987 8038.jpg[/image][LINE]It was ALOT hotter than we expected out there and my daughter wasn't taking it all that well so we bought her a t shirt from the gift shop (instead of the sweater she was wearing) and headed back towards the truck. Anyone with children knows that this little jont through the park can take the better part of a day ESPECIALLY when they refuse to ride in a stroller and insist on walking everywhere, in really slow toddler sized steps.
All in all it was fun, Piper even got dunked in one of the fountains to cool off. She wasn't that impressed, but she dried off quickly in the heat. She was a very well behaved dog especially considering all of the people around to sniff.
Tonight I even managed to plant MORE flowers in my garden! My planters are looking awesome, my mom would be proud of me this year. I will get pictures of the planters asap!!
Have a great day...
Give someone a hug-
~jen

Have you ever sang a song outloud only to hear a room full of laughter follow your mistaken lyrics??? Oh my gosh, i can't tell you how many times this has happened to me. I love to sing and if I don't know what they guy is saying I'll just make stuff up. I've sent many people (my husband especially) into week long fits of laughter. Of course, I've caught my hubby a few times and I didn't laugh- all that hard! Oh come-on, you can't help yourself!
:lol:
Well my hubby came across this really cool site- [url=http://www.kissthisguy.com/]Kiss the guy.com[/url] they list mistaken lyrics and the correct lyrics along with a funny story about where the mistaken lyrics were used. It's totally hilarious and really worth a look.

Conveniently, I can't remember any of my own bloopers at the moment but I do remember one from a friend. She was the most brilliant person to grace the halls of our high school and one day I caught her singing (or trying to) the 2 Live Crew song 'Me So Horny'.
Well, in the song they sample the line "Aaah me so horny, Ahhh me so horny" from the movie 'Full Metal Jacket' My Friend thought they were saying "Arsenio Haaall, Aaaarsenio Hall"...
Gezzziz did we laugh hard and long over that one.
Have you ever sang some goofy lyrics because you didn't have the liner notes?? Tell me about some good ones... I know you got some good ones so FORK THEM OVER!!

G'day all!!
~jen

Okay, please keep in mind the background of this painting in NOT complete! The dogs are totally finished and I think they look adorable and turned out really well. This is completely watercolor- no gouache or acrylic used, sometimes I use those for highlighting but this time I didn't seem to need it.[LINE]
[image]islandArtist_12581 72534.jpg[/image][LINE]The middle Daucshund has passed away so this painting will be a very special gift. I will email the client a picture when I'm done the background and keep my fingers crossed that she likes it.
What do you think?
Please don't tell me the background needs more detail... IT IS NOT DONE YET! :lol:

artfully yours,
~jen

You never know who my next victim will be. I was tblurting with a nice gal named [url=http://trina.tblog.com]Trina[/url] and she mentioned that she'd like a portrait. I went to her blog to 'get to know her' and came up with this cute little ditty. Isn't she a bombshell in those size 7 Levis?? I was tempted to add her gorgeous little baby in there too but that will have to wait until I get around to her Family portrait... LOL gosh I'm sure they are all excited about that![LINE]
[image]islandArtist_11510 02731.jpg[/image][LINE]
This one was done with marker and acrylic paint which gives a softer look to it. As you can tell by my cartoon, she's a beautiful lady, check out her blog!

I have been working like a mad woman on my latest painting. It's one of those commissions I told you about a few blogs ago. I was really frustrated at one point and was ready to file it under 13 (the trash). After I walked away and took a breather... I came back and noticed that it actually looked really good! I had been staring at little sections of it for so long that it had become 'mutated' in my minds eye. I'll post a photo as soon as I get better light. I hope the client likes it...

Everyone has gone to bed already, the longer days are starting to take their toll on us! I'm pretty tired too, I finished filling all of my planters on the patio- the look gooooorgeous (pic of this tomorrow too). I hope they don't die while I'm gone on holiday!
Well I'm off to bed
Sweet dreams all,
~jen

Top o' da Marnin' to ya!
I recently had the chance to discuss kilts on tblurt. My husband is scottish (McEachern) so he wore a kilt at our wedding. His 'dress' cost more than mine!!
What do they wear under kilts?
My hubby, due to the inbreeding in his family had to wear boxers so noone would try to take a peek at his 'wedding tackle' (and beleive me they tried. No kidding) but I've been told the preference is nothing but what God gave ya.
I've also heard 'Your mothers Lipstick'... very attractive.
[url=http://irishred.tblog.com]IrishRed[/url] said he looks great in a skirt but won't cough up any photographic proof so I thought I would assist him with one of my 'Portraits'. Here He is in his family tartan...

[image]islandArtist_33054 8774.jpg[/image]
[b]Yes, I spelt guinness wrong... SO WHAT!?!?[/b]

I think he's got cute knee's but my hubby's are much cuter, and I'm not just saying that because I have to. Really. There is something about a man in a skirt that just does IT for me! It could be the security in their manhood, or maybe the hairy legs. Maybe it's that furry pouch that hangs in their crotch reigon (I'm talking about the sporan, you gutter balls). Whatever it is, I like it and I like it a lot. Now if I could just get my hubby to shave his head... we'd be smokin'!!
I'll have to work on that.

In the meantime,
Keep your stick on the ice (it's playoffs don't ya know!!)
~jen

Here is a little self portrait for today.
you can see I'm feeling alot happier.
I used a little artistic license with my hair, it's actually not that big, or curly nor orangey yellow in color. As a matter of fact I haven't even touched it with a comb today- But i say if you are going to go, GO BIG.
[image]islandArtist_10782 62478.jpg[/image]
I'm also not really wearing a stich of makeup, but what would any self respecting cartoon drawing be without red lips and lots of rouge??
Enjoy.
Happy day,
~jen

I was looking through my 'PRO stats' today and found some interesting things. I've had several people come upon my blog through strange google searches.
For example one search was [b]"What is breaking promises?" [/b]
and another person was searching [b]'Duck, Duck, Goose"[/b]
I wonder if they found what they were looking for here? Did the first guy find what he was looking for [i]ANYWHERE[/i]? Even if they didn't find what they were searching for here, I do hope they were entertained for a few seconds anyway.

I watched TLC's new show "In a Fix" tonight and the woman fainted upon returning to see her newly renovated and decorated kitchen/dining room. For some reason I got really sappy and started bawling! Don't ask me why, maybe deep down I want a new kitchen?? That can't be it, because I HAVE a new kitchen and THAT womans kitchen was FUGLY!
I'm so addicted to these damn reno shows, it's sick. I really shouldn't watch, because it's cruel to watch... and then you start to want, and I know I don't NEED any of it!! Damn materialistic society that we live in. They just want you to consume and buy and buy and consume regardless of your budgets or yearly income. I'm starting to get really concious of how the media, TV, Radio try to make you think that you HAVE to give your money away for the latest trinkets and gadgets. Why?? What will happen if I don't put the new 'Lazy boy Catalina recliner' on payments?? Will the world end? Will my butt shrivel and puker from my current chair?
Give me a break, please.
Lord help those with children, their poor little heads are bombarded with that 'gotta have it' message constantly.
I'm keeping my eye out for it now.
Sure I want it, but I don't NEED it. My bank account with thank me and I will thank me when I'm sipping fruity beverages in a Mexican resort next year. Ahhh now that, I gotta have.

Take care,
jen

Okay I had a bad day yesterday. I've been having a weird week actually but yesterday was the complete craps. In an effort to not EAT my troubles away I'm trying a little bit of art therapy. Instead of an abstract work showing how I feel today- this is a little more on the literal side.


[image]islandArtist_10845 91864.jpg[/image]

It's done with Marker and crayon.

I like it.
the little blue guy with the angelic crayon halo is me.

Enjoy,
Hope your having a better week than I.

~jen

I have been thinking about posting a new blog all day but was unable to come up with the extra energy. My daughter hasn't been sleeping well and in turn nobody in the entire house is sleeping well. I've been walking around the house complete zombified today. So I took the opportunity for a nap this afternoon instead of working on the computer.
Kids are awesome but i tell ya, they really cramp a persons style. :wink:
I promise to post something absolutely scrumptious tomorrow... maybe a sketch that I'll do on the fly or perhaps and older painting... you'll just have to come by and check it out.
For now I'm going to have a much needed shower and night of good sleep.

restfully yours,
~jen

Its been a slow Sunday here. I have some free time but I'm just too dang tired to paint even though i know i should really 'make hay while the child sleeps' as they say.
I'm working on some whimsical paintings in watercolor at the moment. I've got several sketched out waiting to be brushed to life. They may be winners or losers... we'll see. I LOVE doing my realism watercolors but I feel that my creativity is better express through whimsical 'cartoony' style drawings. It's not everyone's slice of pie, but who cares?
I enjoy it when people like what I do but it's NOT why i paint. I paint because i have to- its an urge, no, a compulsion. I've woke up [b]really [/b]early in the morning to paint. For me, that would classify as a compulsion verging on terminal illness.
I came across this really cool site- for an art exhibit of [url=http://www.ocdexhibition.com/...]OCD art[/url] (Obsessive compulsive disorder) It's funny because its so true. I can think of several OCD type 'glitches' i have...

1) My closet doors MUST be closed before i can fall asleep at night.
2) Kives MUST point down in the dishwasher cutlery basket (it's just safer!!)
3) stray papers should be stacked. STACKED i say!
4) I clip my fingernails while watching tv. I seem to have swapped chewing for clipping, I'll clip for hours. Really, a definite OCD 'glitch'
5) I can't fall asleep without shaking my leg... which is more RLS (restless leg syndrom) than OCD but my husband hates it regardless of it's 'label'.

Thats all I can think of at the moment, those aren't really that bad... I should do a list for Ken, his would be much longer or even a list for my mother in law, but that one may beed an entire[b] blog [/b]of it's own. :twisted:

Speaking of the light that is my Mother in law, One time she gave me an idea for a painting. "Paint a rooster standing on a cow's back", She said
I thought that it was wacky enough that it would really be fun... this is what I came up with. I sold it, but I still think it is cool.

[image]islandArtist_26531 526.jpg[/image]


I'd do it a little differently if I were to do it again, and I may JUST do that! What do you think?
What is your WORST obsessive compulsion or compulsionS??? I gotta hear some good ones LOL!

Much Love,
~jen izzle :wink:

G'day All,
It started out as a beautiful Saturday here but alas, it is raining again. Liquid sunshine we call it out here. Ya right. Anyway, that leaves Ken and I with time to paint. I'm looking at stacks of unsold paintings which usually dampens my creative juices BUT lately it isn't bothering me. I have finally realized that my artwork is still WORTH something even if nobody buys it. I know it is still great work and the destined owner just hasn't seen my stuff yet- that's all. For example- after listing this beautiful painting several times through ebay, she's still here in my studio.

[image]islandArtist_12670 99469.jpg[/image]

Normally I would be tempted to paint over her but not now. I still like her as much today as I did the day I painted her and SOMEONE else with love her as much as i do someday. She's staying.
I've had several past clients email me recently with commission requests. That makes me so happy! Not that I like doing commissions that much, but just the fact that people like my work ENOUGH to want MORE! It's a high for me, and I look forward to working on the pieces as well- they are both going to be Dog portraits. I will BE SURE to share them as they come to fruition.
As for the Tulip I listed yesterday, I've got another pic of it hanging in my living room. Pretty Sharp lookin' eh??


[image]islandArtist_11952 33735.jpg[/image]

I'm going to leave it there for awhile.
I should go on and do a little painting while my daughter is napping.
take it easy,
~jen

Okay, I've been talking about this one for days, perhaps months...
Here is my passionate macro closeup of a tulip.
it is an acrylic painting on 24" x 20" gallery stretched canvas. Lovely isn't it?? Once I get the sides painted I'm hanging this baby in the living room until it sells- if it ever sells. :cry:
I have decided that I'm going to start stockpiling my paintings in order to have enough for a local coffee shop show.
Whatdya Think?

[image]islandArtist_12306 06833.jpg[/image]


Excuse the camera flash in the photo, it made the center of the flower look bluish- it's not. I'll get a better shot in the natural sunlight tomorrow. Promise.

Top o' da marnin' to ya!
I received a wonderful email from a wonderful lady yesterday. Judy has bought several pieces of my work and was nice enough to email a picture of the pieces hanging on her wall! There is nothing better than that- seeing your work in [i]action[/i] fulfilling it's purpose in life, to be seen.

[image]islandArtist_65254 136.jpg[/image]


a close up of my favorite- her Ibizan hound Named JOY.
[image]islandArtist_10205 09012.jpg[/image]

She has three Ibizan hounds, and I've painted each one. I have yet to meet the dogs in person, but the affection on Judy and Mark's faces when they speak of the hounds tells me all I need to know.

My Dog, Piper, is a little muttly thing in comparison to the majestic Ibizan hounds, but I love her more than words can say. This morning my hubby asked me "Why do you love her so much?" and I didn't have to think very hard about it.
She loves me absolutely unconditionally.
She never holds a grudge when I forget to fill her water dish, or food dish for a day :oops:
The cleanliness of the house has no influence on the amount of kisses and snuggles I get.
She always has time for play.
When she was hit by a truck, with a broken back and in alot of pain- she didn't whine once... I'm sorry Piper for not noticing your pain sooner.
I'm lucky to have her, and though she could probably find a more attentive and 'perfect' owner out there... she sticks with me and that's why i love her so much.
[image]islandArtist_51083 3420.jpg[/image]


When Ken then said, "Why don't you marry her then?", I thought to myself- she could find better than me!
Today's blog is dedicated to my furry little companion,
Piper.
Hug your dog today.

~jen

Okay here is a painting I did over a year ago. It was inspired by the artist SHAG. If you aren't familiar with him, google him it's really cool retro stuff. This one was painted for the cat loving ebay audience. The cigarette was an afterthought of my husbands.

[image]islandArtist_13220 34904.jpg[/image]
This one is for [url=http://cmaze.tblog.com]cmaze[/url] , since he is such a big Shag fan.

Off to burn some dinner.
~jen

Well I'm still enjoying (basking) in tblog PRO... I had a lazy day around the house today. One of those days where I felt like I was constantly running around putting out fires and never able to get on top of things. Oh well.
I have a large canvas painting of a Tulip sitting here staring at me- HALF complete! :!:
I was hoping to get some work done on it... but it is still half complete. I'm going to feature a different piece of artwork instead. This is a watercolor, 8" x 10" big. I sold it to a fella in Florida I beleive- his stupid mail [i]person[/i] [b]rolled [/b]the package to fit in his mailbox!! But he managed to press it flat...thank goodness.

[image]islandArtist_39360 8328.jpg[/image]
Isn't it lovely? Couldn't you just reach out and pluck a cherry off the tree? We used to have a cherry tree in our back yard, TWO actually. The dang thing had lots of cherries but they were virtually unattainable unless you had wings. So the birds enjoyed the best ones I'm sure.
Well i should hit the sheets,
I'll post a pic of the tulip in progress even if i don't manage to get anymore work done on it. Aren't you excited!?!?!

~jen

Well i couldn't take it any longer... the 'not knowing' was killing me so I did it. I became a [i]PRO[/i]user of tblog. You can already see that my template is the shizzat. I needed to be more creative and the freebee tblog wasn't letting me be [b]ME[/b]. So you know what this means don't ya?? I'm going to be blogging for at least ONE whole year until my tblog membership runs out. HA HA!

Aunty Jessie, If you are reading this, Paige said 'Tank You' for the easter chicken!! It's a cute fluffy pink chick that plays the chicken dance song over and over while shaking about wildly. [b]All I gotta say[/b] is 'My goodness, that certainly is a LOUD chicken isn't it??'

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Paige is Showing her chickie some Love... Awwww.

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AND I said THANKS ALOT for the beautiful Braclet!!

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You are the best Jes! No really, come over here and let me give you a big HUG!
With that, I'm going to go and enjoy another sunny day... I'm working on a couple things today so hopefully the daily art posts will get back to normal tomorrow!
artfully,
~jen

[u][b]Have you seen her?[/b][/u]

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I just finished painting the commission of the girl (the eyeless one from a few blogs ago). I made a mistake of using a composite drawing I made from two photographs of the girl. In one photo the girl was posing nicely and in the other picture she had a beautiful smile. Well something got lost in the translation from photo to painting and the girl in the painting is pretty but looks NOTHING like the clients daughter! This was a little bit of an experiment with techniques but I didn't expect that much of a morph in looks. Oh well... better luck with painting number 2.
By the way, If you DO recognize this girl- maybe she looks like your daughter, sister, or cousin- Let me know who she looks like and tell me a funny story about the person and the painting is yours.
Who says I'm not generous??? :wink:

~jen

Hello everyone,
I hope you are all having a very beautiful spring day. It is the absolute best here right now. 8)
We woke up early to plant the easter egg treasures outside before Paige woke up- I had fun with that. I made sure Punky ate a healthy breakfast before we went hunting for eggs because I was pretty confident it would be the last nutritious food she'd probably eat for the rest of the day.
At first she didn't realize what she was supposed to do and started eating the very first chocolate egg she found. Once she got the hang of it though, she was running around picking up all the small foil eggs and having a ball with the other girls. [u]I really enjoyed it[/u], that is the wonderful thing about having children- you get to relive childhood through their eyes. Holidays that had become stale and boring for me have now become full of excitement and wonder as I watch my wide eyed daughter seeing everything for the first (or second, or third) time.
Here is a little photo gallery of the morning:
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It is supposed to reach 26 degrees (that's celcius for all you Yanks) today which means short and sandals!! Well we've been wearing shorts and sandals since January so it's not that exciting for us but I had to rub it in for all of my family living in Alberta right now. :P

Love ya'll,
Have a good day and don't eat so much Candy that you puke!
~jen

[i][b]"Eye always feel like, someone is Watching meeeee"[/b][/i]
Remember that song??
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I managed to do this little test piece today. An eye ball. I was experimenting with pastel pencils on some artagain paper (black bristol paper) that I bought on sale. Kinda freaky eh?? What the hell is it looking at???
If you think that eye looks freaky, here is a progress shot of a commissioned portrait I'm doing:

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I haven't painted in the eyes or mouth yet...don't worry they are the next thing I'm working on. I had alot of trouble with the flesh tones, and I will probably be doing another one of this little girl for the customer. But I'm going to finish this one as an experimental, practice piece. I normally don't use masking fluid in my paintings, but I used it in this one around the face and in the eyes and mouth just to see how it would change the look of the piece in the end. I'll post a pic when I'm done which should be later on today- barring any catastrophes.
The onslaught of spring sure is making the kids grumpy!! Can anyone explain this phenomenon?? All the Mom's in the neighborhood were outside today trying to tie up their frayed nerves while their children ran around screaming, I'm also speaking of your's truley and her rotton toddler- Paige! I am starting to wonder if I can take another day or if I should invest in daycare for a couple days... sigh.
I will survive... and live to paint another day!
Artfully yours,
~jen

Well I'm sorry for a late post, today was another sunny day which always makes for a busy day.
I've been thinking about getting tblog plus, because well, i'm addicted. And I'm starting to get other people addicted to reading my blog. I think they should have more than a few of my paintings to tickle their optical globes, don't you? Can i hear a 'HEll YEah!"?!?!
Well I looked into some blog templates last night and found some gorgeous ones that are also free (my favorite kind). They are called linkware because it is mandatory and just plain considerate to include the creators logo and link within the template you borrow. There is a protocol for borrowing these things, so read up on it.
Here are a few of the places I liked
Quixotic Pixels http://www.quixoticpixels.com...
Elementopia http://www.elementopia.com
Eris design http://www.erisfree.com/desig...
Blog Designs http://www.blogdesigns.com
If you have the plus... these could surely spice up your blog, if you don't have the plus- these will definitely make you want to upgrade!

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[i][b]**Meanwhile, back at the family ranch**[/b][/i]
Paige got a new bicycle (you'd be proud Aunty!) and she rode it all afternoon with the other kids on the block.
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Amazingly enough all of the other children on our street are in the same age range as Paige AND if that wasn't nice enough, they are also ALL GIRLS! She get's so excited when she see's the other girls out playing, she starts doing a little 'giddy-up' type dance, it's so dang CUTE! The other Mom's asked if Paige would like to participate in an easter egg hunt on Sunday just outside on our 'grassy knoll'. I said 'Hell Ya!' well it actually came out more like "Ooooh that sounds like jolly good fun." I'll post pictures....
Tomorrow is painting day so there is sure to be some artwork up tomorrow... at least some artwork in progress. Aren't you excited?? Okay, keep it down to a dull roar will ya??

Okay this entry is for my fellow tblogger Lloyd, I wanted him to post more stick men but apparently I'll have to do it myself. So here they are Lloyd, and if you are lucky I won't do anymore... I've written the names right on the paper. These are high class, top notch graphics.

I even used a red sparkly gel pen.
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[LINE]I don't know what this moron is doing but I'm sure he's drunk and some village out there is looking for their idiot.
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Today while my daughter and I went for our Morning stroll I took some pictures of the flowers in bloom. I'm trying to get myself into the habit of bringing my camera with me where ever I go... but I keep forgetting the dang thing! These photos are going to be reference for a few flower paintings I'll be doing in the coming weeks. Don't worry, I'll feature them for you all to see. For now you'll have to be satisfied with my art of Photography...
I beleive the first pic is of a magnolia. A goregeous macro close up (I love painting these)

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The second pic is also of a magnolia- but a different type... Please correct me if I'm wrong because I'm not completely sure.
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And last but definitely not least, a camelia. They smell pretty and I usually prefer the red ones because the thick waxy petals look like they should be fake and the red make them look even more phoney. This pink one is really pretty though.
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Thats all for now, I should go and do some housework... fun fun fun. I'll catch up with ya more later!
~jen

G'day all,
Sorry I missed the posting yesterday, but as i was doing it, bloody tblog went offline. I tried again later, and yes, they managed to go offline again. Suffice it to say I am ticked off and I want 25 tbucks for my inconvenience (for whatever the useless things are worth!).
ANNNNYWAY, I am not going to feature a creation of mine today, I am going to share my latest passion.
:arrow: Lampwork Beads.

I found a wonderful lady through ebay named Rebecca. She's from Manitoba and she makes absolutely beautiful glass beads, see below:

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They look so glossy and scrumptious like yummy bits of candy. The pictures just don't do them justice. Each little bump and dot is perfectly placed and they sparkle in the light, so very pretty. If you aren't familiar with lampworking, you should google it. You'll find some really cool stuff made with glass. If you'd like to see some more of Rebecca's Beads, she can be found on ebay exclusively @ [url=]http://cgi6.ebay.ca/ws/eBayIS...[/url] She doesn't have anything listed at the moment but she's definitely one to watch. Her work is gorgeous and very reasonably priced. What can I say, I'm in LOooooVE! I'd take up lampworking myself if it weren't for my lack of space, a rotten toddler, and an already consuming passion for painting. Maybe another day.
I will be sending these beads off to my sister in Calgary. She's a great beader, and she's going to use some bali silver beads (my request) and create a braclet from them. I'll be sure to show a picture of the braclet when she is finished. It will be awesome, I can't wait.
Artfully yours...
~jen

Okay here is the other painting i managed to complete yesterday. The scan is horrific, White doesn't scan well for me. I tried to tweak it in photoshop but it made it worse I think. Anyway you get the idea... (scan has been revised and MUCH better)

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I thought they were ducks, but my hubby informed me that they are geese. I don't know how to tell the bloody difference... Do you?? :roll:
**Off Topic**
I lost another 0.6 of a pound today!! For the first time in 14 weeks I have LOST weight for two consecutive weeks in a row. The hypnotherapy must be working. It's about bloody time!
It's a beautiful sunny, hot, day today, I should be outside- so off i go.
~jen

Hello again world,

Today was very productive. It was my 'kid free' day and Paige's 'bonding with Daddy' day. I visited my friend *S*'s place and got down and dirty with some old sketches that I had in my portfolio. I don't know why I never got around to painting them but I started them today. I also managed to FINISH them today! I'm going to show the one I'm most proud of because it looks just like the photo I painted it from.

All I gotta say is, DAMN I'm good! :lol:

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I'll save the other painting for tomorrow, so you'll have to check back on the morrow for your fix of eye candy. I am going to try and post a painting a day, so there is always be something really interesting to LOOK AT on my blog, even if there is nothing interesting to READ neccessarily. I'll try my best in both arenas though.

Does anybody remember the frogs from a few blogs back?? Well apparently they invited all their friends for a big [b]pond party[/b] because My hubby said there were FIVE out there today! I don't know what they are eating for snacks because I still haven't bought any food for the frogs OR the fish! :oops:
Ya, ya, I'm workin' on it. Just be thankful you aren't one of my pets, you would only get fed on every [i][b]other[/b][/i] day. Nobody in this house is hurting in the weight department so I wouldn't worry too much about it.
Anyway, I should get ready to hit the hay...
Have a great day!
~jen

Here is the painting as promised. This one was inspried by my hubby. I must state clearly this is NOT a portrait of him, it was simply inspired by him.

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I think it's cute, in a hungover, coffee with a shot of rum, kinda way. What do you think?? Should I go back to kitties and puppies and all other things of cuteness??
Yes, prolly should.
Hope you are all having a great day!
~jen

Okay okay, I didn't get a chance to finish "Hair of the Dog" yet... so there is no pic to share. I'll try my best to work on it for tomorrow since I just finished having a 3 hour nap, I should be ready to rumble tonight.
Ken tried to pull an April Fool's joke on me today, it's the same one he tried to pull every year, "They are going to lay off a bunch of guys because... blah de blah blah." I totally called him on it this morning but he keeps claiming he's not kidding. Hmmm we'll see. Thank god I noticed that it was April 1'st this morning or I would have totally fallen for that one, along with the one he told me a couple weeks ago about his dad giving us the inheritance early, sheesh. I was [b][i]half[/i][/b] sucked in by that one... :oops:
Were any of you guys taken for a ride today by an April Fool's joke?? Was anyone else you know duped? Tell me about it, I need something to get him for next year dang it!
~jen