Introducing the art of Legacy

A Day At A Beach
Watercolor, 2007
created by Legacy, age 8

Today my step daughter and I set up her account on Artwanted! You can see her first painting at www.artwanted.com/LegacyArt - you'll have to see it to read her description of the painting. Very proud and happy day, J.

100 Blogging Babes

One of my posts was featured on this new women's blog today... Thanks Ronnie Ann!

http://100bloggingbabes.wordpress.com/

Landscape from a dream

This is the closest I could get to the image I saw in the dream I talked about in a previous post...

"I had a dream last night of a woman painting on my Grandparent's farm and I was in love with what she created - they were landscape paintings, but very abstracted and they included layers of translucent circles that just fit with the whole simplified landscape thing... I think I might try to do some of those today in watercolor. I know they won't be as cool as in my dream, but it's worth a shot."

I tweaked the color and added a few translucent circles (over the painted ones) in my editing software to try and get the same effect. I realize now, part of what made the dream paintings so cool was that there was a 3 dimensionality to them impossible to recreate. Only in dreams, I guess....

It's A Beautiful Morning

I've enjoyed my morning, basking in the bright sun that is bouncing off of the fresh coat of pure white snow outside. I had to put my boots on and go out to take some pictures. This is my backyard. The out of control forsythia is in the foreground. That is one mammoth bush, untamed in years. There's a joke in there somewhere but I'm going to leave it be. haha

So. Today is Friday. It's the weekend. I'm high fiving all of you nine to fivers that got through another week, cheers! Now that I'm self employed, I don't technically have any days off. I take time as I need it for family or home affairs, but nothing is set in stone as far as a schedule. Every job I've ever had before this was in retail or service, so I haven't really had a weekend=party time mentality since college. My husband has a bizarre night schedule, so our "weekends" end up being Sunday and Monday. Most Friday nights I stay in, but tonight I am going out to see my friend's band.

It feels like such a looonnnngggg time since I've "gone out". Hibernation station has something to do with it... my friends can expect to see me again come first thaw every year. haha Oh it's only too true... But tonight I'm going to go support my friends, have some fun, and maybe even bust a move or two. I'm tempted to go to goodwill to look for something *new* and sassy to wear. I'm happily married, but hey, it's been a while since I shined up this old shoe.

Oh man, 'ron a roll over here... I am in a silly mood, don't mind me. It must have something to do with the incredible night I had last night. All I can say is artists stick with Etsy, and if you're not on there already SET UP SHOP! www.etsy.com - nights like last night don't happen often, but when they do, it's fabulous!

Well, enough rambling from me. Time to get back to painting.

Have a safe and fun weekend, everyone. :)

I Heart Box Canvases

White Out
Acrylic on 12" x 12" gallery wrapped box canvas, 2007
Available on Etsy




Driven
Acrylic on 12" x 12" gallery wrapped box canvas, 2007
Available on Etsy

I have worked on 1.75" wide box canvases before, but I don't always invest in them. My semi local art supply store, Jerry's Artarama, has some amazing discounts on gallery wrapped standard canvases that are hard to pass up. But working on these wider, box canvases the last few days has reminded me, it's worth the extra $$... it really is.

Things have been good for me lately. I do feel a little like a machine, but it's a good feeling... I know it won't last forever. I'm going to need a break to just crash and BE. My hands and mind are constantly in action, engaged in SOMETHING - painting, drawing, working online. The cool thing is I seem to be coming out of my hibernation mode where I work through the night and sleep through the short days of winter. I am actually in a healthy sleep cycle, waking with the sun, and it's led to greater productivity and a healthier head state, if you know what I mean. Light deprivation makes you a little wacky. "Little" = understatement.... I am such a seasonal freak.

Yesterday and today were much warmer than the last few weeks of bitter cold, the snow is melting and the sky is blue. This makes me VERY happy. My dog is happy too because I haven't rushed him on our walks. "Ok, get the stick, good boy, now get in the car."

Just the hint of spring in the air awakens the spring part of my identity. I explode in spring. I come ALIVE. I feel the drumroll inside of me growing in anticipation. I often need to be careful that I don't explode off in an excited spiral into oblivion... my friends understand this and are probably laughing right now with that description. I just get giddy, it's like a drug, but it's really good for you.

Another thing that's made me happy is getting a commission for two large companion canvases in this style . They will be 36" square box canvases in a certain range of colors designed to pop on a blue wall. I will post updates as I get started on this project.

I had a dream last night of a woman painting on my Grandparent's farm and I was in love with what she created - they were landscape paintings, but very abstracted and they included layers of translucent circles that just fit with the whole simplified landscape thing... I think I might try to do some of those today in watercolor. I know they won't be as cool as in my dream, but it's worth a shot.

Drifting Away

Original acrylic painting on 12" x 12" box canvas, 2007.

Now available at www.livefunky.etsy.com

Gravity - Illustration Friday

This is the first time I've made something for Illustration Friday . This week's theme was Gravity, and the above painting is in watercolor on 8" x 11" watercolor paper. It is available for purchase in my Etsy store.

Since I was a child I've dreamed of flying and levitation. Most of the time I begin standing on firm ground, feeling the weight of gravity and my body. Then I remember my little trick. I push down with all of my energy and that pushing down lifts me up. The attention to this downward push is like rocket fuel propelling me upwards. If I get scared or panic, gravity sets in immediately and there is a rush back down (if I can catch it in time, I can refocus and lift up again, if not, I'll switch to a new scene rather than being taken through the experience of actually hitting the earth).

I wanted to capture that feeling of moving in both directions - the force of gravity, and the energy of gravity's opposite.

7th Day Sale

Puzzle
original ink and watercolor, 2007

In honor of my favorite number, I've decided to start offering sales on every 7th day of the month. Today I am starting things off with a BIG sale - buy one painting get a second painting of equal or less value for FREE!! This sale extends to as many pieces as you like, so you could get 20 pieces for the price of 10 if you wanted. :) Check out my shop at www.livefunky.etsy.com and have a great day!

Ron A Roll

The above painting is called Mystic Garden II. It is a custom made watercolor painting created for a fellow Etsy member, creativesparkle. I traded this for a gorgeous story box she made. If you'd like a custom made painting (materials, colors, style, size of your choice), or would like to trade, please contact me at jtorrant@aol.com.

One time Emily was coming to visit, and left me a message from the road "Ron a roll, lady! Ron a roll!!!". I laughed out loud at her version of we're on a roll, until I remembered the actual rollerskating rink she was driving by on the side of the route 84 in Vernon called Ron-A-Roll. I love it..... what a name.

I've never been to Ron-A-Roll, but I loved going to the long gone Rollerworld that used to be in my hometown. I had my first official romantic moment with a boy at Rollerworld. We held hands and skated together. He waited until the last song, therefore missing all of the slow songs other kids "slow skated" to. I believe the song that he stole my heart to was Paradise City. "Take me down to the Paradise City where the grass is green and the girls are pretty".... I didn't get it nor did I care. I think I was twelve. I'm laughing right now, because I can still picture it all clear as day, now, of course, with a whole new perspective.

Emily had a rollerskating birthday party at a rink in Middletown. This was a few years ago, so it was seriously awesome to be a bunch of late twenty year olds through forty year olds eating pizza and sneakily spiked soda, and wizzing around the retro rink. The sweetheart that ran the place, and probably had for a long time, led the group through the hokey pokey, and all kinds of other fun, group roller skating games that we played when we were kids. It was a grown up giggle fest.

I'd like to say that life is like a rollerskating birthday party, but I don't want to sound like Forrest Gump.

Why am I talking about roller skating? Because ron a roll, baby, ron a roll.

Dream Trecking

Dream Trecking, originally uploaded by jtorrant.

I have been painting so much and focusing on listing on Etsy that I've left my blog in the dark. Just go to www.livefunky.etsy.com to know what I've been up to lately. This painting was made in the wee hours the other night in this spell of a few days that I have been focusing on nothing but painting. Rob was sleeping on the couch beside me as I was still working well after 3 and he was clearly deep in a REM sleep. I was so in the zone creating, I felt like I was picking up his dream vibes. Right now I am overloaded by it all and listening to music from friends. There is some dancing in the dark going on, I won't lie.

I also want to take this opportunity to say that I love you Rob, Sharon, Alan, Emily, Jessica, Mel, Janet, Johane, BRUCE - all of you that have supported me through these years, I love you.

All In Your Head

All In Your Head, originally uploaded by jtorrant.