Rio Rita, Brazilian Bacalhau (As of April 29, 2022)

I worked on this project today, a wooden codfish cut-out that I am decorating for the annual Cod Auction held to benefit Marblehead Festival of Art.  This year, my fish is decorated with a pattern seen on the sidewalks of the beaches in Rio.  I am using collage, and I am almost finished, but there are some tiny gaps to fill.  Once that is done, I will paint the edges and back with silver paint. 

Rio Rita, Brazilian Bacalhau (As of April 28, 2022)

Today I continued working on this project, a wooden codfish cutout that I am decorating for Marblehead Festival of Art's annual Codfish Auction.  This year, I am decorating my codfish with the pattern of black and white stones seen on the sidewalks near Copacabana Beach,  At this point, I am cutting and pasting small pieces of paper to close up the gaps in the background.  The process gets harder and more frustrating the closer I am to finished.  But I like the end result, so it is worth it.

Rio Rita, Brazilian Bacalhau (as of April 27, 2022)

Today I worked on this project, a wooden codfish cutout that I am decorating for the Codfish Auction to benefit Marblehead Festival of Art.  The basic design is there, and now I am filling in the background.  This is slow going, but I made progress today.

Rio Rita, Brazilian Bacalhau (As of April 26, 2022)

Today I continued working on "Rio Rita," the codfish that I am decorating for the annual Cod Auction to benefit Marblehead Festival of Art. This year, my codfish is going to be decorated with the black-and-white cobblestone design seen on the broad sidewalks along Brazilian beaches such as Copacabana. I recreated this pattern with collage, using some gift bags that I brought home from my most recent trip to Brazil. Today I continued worked on the head,  but also managed to get all the black lines in place on the fins and tail.  Now it is possible to see the design as a whole, even though the background is not yet filled it.  Cutting and pasting all the little pieces is a painstaking process,  but it is fun to see the  "Rio RIta" of my imagination become a reality.

Rio Rita, Brazilian Bacalhau (Codfish project as of April 25, 2022)

Today I worked on this codfish, which I am decorating for the annual Cod Auction held by the Marblehead Festival of Art.  Every year, some 50 or so artists decorate wooden codfish which are displayed in Marblehead and then auctioned off. This year, I am decorating my codfish with the black-and-white cobblestone design seen on the promenades of Brazilian beaches, such as Copacabana beach, hence the name "Rio Rita, Brazilian Bacalhau"*  I recreated this pattern with collage, beginning with some gift bags (wrapping paper) that I brought home from my last trip to Brazil.  I had to tweak the design to make it work on the body of the fish, so there was already a lot of cutting, pasting, and glue involve.  My original plan was to make the fins, tail, and head silver, but today I had a change of plan.  I decided to create the head, fins, and tail with the same paper, cutting out the black and white parts of the paper to create the design.  This is a lot more work, but I thought it would look a lot better.  I can already tell you that yes, it is a lot more work, but I can also tell you that I already like the results. 

"Rio Rita, Brazilian Bacalhau", codfish project as of April 24, 2022

Over the past few days, I have applied gesso to my codfish "blank", so I will have a white, nonabsorbent surface to work on. And today I finally had a chance to really get this project started. This decorated codfish is for the Marblehead Festival of Art.  Every year, some 50 or so artists decorate wooden codfish which are displayed in Marblehead and then auctioned off to benefit Marblehead Festival of Art.  This year, I decided to use the black-and-white cobblestone design that you see on the promenades of Brazilian beaches, such as Copacabana beach.  And I decided to name my codfish "Rio Rita, Brazilian Bacalhau"*  I am doing this with collage, beginning with some gift bags (wrapping paper) that I bought on my last trip to Brazil.  I am tweaking the design to make it conform to the body of the fish, so there is a lot of cutting and pasting, and I am all over glue. I already see some things that need to be fixed.  My plan is to make the fins, head, and tail of the fish solid silver, either paint or collage, still to be decided.

Reposting: "Snowcapped Mountains" (on display in "Artists of Porter Mill" show)

I am reposting this image,  the second of two paintings now on display in the annual "Artists of Porter Mill Show."  This is acrylic used with watermedia on Aquabord (16 x 20 inches).  Because this is acrylic, there is no needed for glass, and the 2 inch deep Aquabord "cradle" is the only frame needed.

Reposting: Near Glenwood (in "Artists of Porter Mill" show)

This is a painting of Glenwod Springs, Colorado, one of my favorite places. I am reposting this painting because it is currently on display in the "Artists of Porter Mill Show". This is acrylic used as watermedia, on a 16 x 20 Aquabord panel.

Reposting: Pikes Peak Daydream (on display at Porter Mill)

Here is the tenth of the ten paintings currently on display at Porter Mill, in the "Vitrine Gallery".  This one is called "Pikes Peak Daydream."  It is painted with acrylics used with water, on Aquabord 16 x 20 inches.  The Aquabord has a 2" cradle (border), so no frame is needed. 

Reposting: Mountain View from Garden of the Gods (on display at Porter Mill)

Here is another of my mountain landscapes now hanging in the lobby of Porter Mill Studios.  This one is called "Mountain View from Garden of the Gods", painted with acrylics used as watermedia.  It is 16 x 19 inches on a cradled Aquabord panel.

Reposting: Purple Mountains Majesty (Acrylic Watermedia) on display at Porter Mill

Here is another of the paintings I have on display at Porter Mill Studios.  This is called "Purple Mountains Majesty", and is painting with acrylic paint used as watermedia, on an Aquabord, 16 x 20.  The Aquabord is cradled (has a 2" sides), so there is no need to frame.

Reposting: Driving Toward Vail (Acrylic Watermedia) on display at Porter Mill

This mountain landscape is one of ten of my paintings currently on display at Porter Mill in the "Vitrine Gallery", all based on memories of my home state of Colorado. This is acrylic watermedia on cradled* Aquabord, 16 x 20 inches.

*This provides a "built-in" frame. 

Reposting: Mountains and Lake (Acrylic Watermedia) on display at Porter Mill

I am re-posting this now because this painting is on display in the "Vitrine Gallery" in the lobby of Porter Mill.  This is acrylic watermedia on Aquabord, 16 x 20".

Reposting: Purple Canyons (Acrylic Watermedia) on display at Porter Mill

Here is another of my paintings currently hung at Porter Mill, in the "Vitrine Gallery".  I painted this with acrylics used as watermedia, on a cradled Aquaboard 16 x 20 inches.

Reposting: Snowscene from Boulder Overlook (Acrylic Watermedia)

 

I am reposting this painting, which is also currently on display at Porter Mill, in the "Vitrine Gallery." This is acrylic watermedia on a cradled panel, 16 x 20 inches. 

Reposting: Loveland Pass in Midsummer (on display at Porter Mill)

This is another of my paintings now on display at Porter Mill, in the first floor display case.  This one is called "Loveland Pass in Midsummer," acrylic watermedia on Aquabord, 16 x 20 inches.

Reposting: Above Breckenridge (now on display at Porter Mill)

Here is another of my paintings, currently on display in the first floor "Vitrine Gallery" at Porter Mill.  This one is titled "Above Breckenridge." It is acrylic watermedia on a cradled Aquabord, 16 x 20 inches.

Codfish "Blank" (For Rio Rita, Brazilian Bacalhau)

On Sunday,  I picked up my pre-cut "codfish blank" in Marblehead.  I am going to decorate it for the annual "Codfish Auction" to benefit Marblehead Festival of the Arts.  This year I plan to decorate my codfish with the black-and-white stone wave pattern seen on the promenade of Copacabana beach.  I always name my codfish project, and this year, I am going to call her  "Rio Rita, Brazilian Bacalhau."  That's the plan, but right now, the codfish blank is still really just blank. All I have done so far is sand the edges. But here is "Rio Rita to Be," sitting in the sun.  I liked the shadows cast by the window blinds, so I took this picture.

Reposting: Estes Park Memory (now on display at Porter Mill)

I decided to (re)post the paintings that are currently on display at Porter Mill, in the window display on the first floor ("Vitrine Gallery").  So here is the first of the paintings: Estes Park Memory.  It is acrylic watermedia on a cradled Aquabord panel, 16 x 20.  

Blue and Green Wooden Necklace with Green Stones and Carved Accent Bead

I finished this necklace today.  I used wooden beads in olive green and blue, with green stones and a large wooden bead carved with a leaf pattern.  This can be worn with the accent beads in the center, or to the side.