Monday, May 23, 2011

Something completly different?

I wish I could take the credit for originating this type of collage but alas I can't. I was directed to this wonderful collage artist, Danny Phillips, and just loved his use of textures, subjects and colors so much I just had to try this technique.

One of the hardest things about doing collage is the backgrounds. It is a delicate balance to find the right amount of "busyness". Not enough background can make it boring and too much can overwhelm your focal point. Using paper strips to make a weathered building look, Danny has found a wonderful way to showcase his subject matter. I used his background technique but choose a different type of subject. I love old postcards, trunk stickers, advertising and moves posters, anything nostalgic seems to appeal to me. I used some old advertising to give this a real "old barn" look.



















To see Danny's work go to Etsy www.dannyphillipsart.etsy.com

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Waterlily


A few weeks ago, the charming new president of the Art Students Guild of Brevard, Brett Pigon, and his lovely wife, Kathy, invited us to his fascinating home. This little painting is of one of the flowers in their lily pond.

posted by Mary

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Beach Stride, 5x7



I took this photo from the seventh floor of Mary's condo, as we were waiting for the last launch of the Shuttle Endeavor. I knew it would be a painting the minute I saw it.

It was a gorgeous day, and a gorgeous launch. It's so exciting to watch that bright, bright light breach the horizon, and to feel the rumble a few minutes after launch. Atmospheric conditions were perfect for a good rumble!
Posted by Carmen

Monday, May 16, 2011

Back on

Thanks to Carmen and her expertise with technical stuff, I am able to post again.
This painting "Lady Jaguar" is not new, but one that my husband, Joe, likes.
Posted by Mary

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Photo Shoot

One of my favorite things to do is a photo shoot. Saying it that way makes it sound very exotic and professional instead of just saying walking around and taking pictures. Yesterday was a photo shoot day and Carol and I went to the old Eau Gallie area in Melbourne in the early a.m. and clicked away. It was great fun and just brought to mind what a beautiful and intersting area we live in. It was also wonderful to walk the neighborhoods and enjoy a bit of old Florida.

We got lots of great photos and hopefully lots of new paintings. Here is a small sampling of the many photos I took (thank heaven for digital cameras) you never know what paintings or collages will be inspired from these lovely images.


 
 



Wednesday, May 11, 2011

A Free Little App for Fans of the Polaroid Look


The Pieces of 8 have been painting, but not blogging much. As proof of our efforts, I'm offering up this snapshot of Donna working away on Monday at the Guild. Everyone was kind of doing their own thing. But I gave her photo a special treatment. I'm finally getting around to checking out a pile of articles I've saved from the local newspapers. One of them is this neat little application you can download for free from poladroid.com (yes, that's the correct spelling for the link) that turns any photo into one that looks like it was taken with a Polaroid camera. I dragged the photo to it and it slowly "developed" on my desktop into the attached.

If you like that look, try it, you'll like it. I can vouch for the fact that the app is easy to download and install. It puts a small icon on your desktop that looks like an old camera. Click on it and then drag your photo to where it tells you. You can save as it develops, or let it save when it's done. The source of my information on this little treasure was an Orlando Sentinel article by Etan Horowitz. When did I clip it? I really don't know since I didn't save the date. But, thank you, Etan.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Sketching in the Park, 7x5


I don't do enough plain old drawing. In fact, I sketch my paintings with my brush and now I'm not used to a pencil any more. So, when we went to the park to sketch, I took photos as well and got one that just begged to be painted. This is Mary Warnick (member of Pieces of 8) in a typical pose. I did do some pencil sketches, but was impatient to get to my easel. Love those squishy paints!
--Carmen Beecher

Ballard Park, Original Oil on Canvas

  I had not painted outside in two years, so this was quite a challenge. It was one of those paintings I had to improve upon in the studio. ...