This was a fun one. It came together quickly. I started with a stencil and acrylic paint. Next, I spattered more acrylic. I used matte medium and paper from my book of Shubert music. A gift from my good friend Christiane Drieling.
A wash of watercolor on the table, then on to the blooms. I pulled out a Liquitex paint pen. SO fun to work with. It has a chiseled tip, you can make thin or thick lines. I added layers of watercolor. More pen, more watercolor. The paint pen is surprisingly translucent. Top right you can still see some of the music notes.
The red is actually shiraz/deep magenta watercolor. It looks more of burnt deep orange in person. And it scanned as red. Some areas of that were too heavy, so I went back in with a wet brush and lifted the color, or diluted it. I like the messy look of that.
I used a Crayola purple gel pen to define the vase and horizontal line. Thank you Nelvia! And I finished with a white pencil, scribbled everywhere. Fun 🙂
It’s been too long since Mingus made an appearance. I know a few of you will welcome these photos, even if they are slightly dreary. I love watching the sky change.
Yesterday’s high was 93 degrees. Will be again today. The heat has come on quick. We are in our Monsoon season now. Continues through September. I am looking forward to it.
Something New And Blue
I replaced my table. Woo Whoo! I searched the internet for about a month before I found one that was “just right”. It is shorter (length) than what I had before. By about a foot. I really didn’t use the extra space much, except for storing my to-do projects. I always sat to the right, and that extra foot was out of reach. Ha-ha. Now I find myself sitting fairly center, and I can reach just about everything I need to.
This led to relocating my art supplies and do-dads. I have two drawer units on the right side of the table, (3 drawers, the plastic cheapo’s from Walmart). On top of them, I have my printer. So much easier to access, before it was under the table. Now it sits a couple of inches higher than the table top.
The table is from IKEA. Solid pine. The top has a clear lacquer that is “easy to clean, resistant to liquids, food stains, oil, heat, scratches, and bumps”. It is warm and, welcoming. It came with white legs. I painted them Prussian blue. But honestly, they are in shadow and look black to everyone else. Ha-ha.
I ACTUALLY managed to build it myself! HA!! The aprons and legs had to be attached to the top. Here’s an interesting tidbit. Prussian blue is used as a medication to treat radioactive cesium poisoning. Good to know.
New Studio Table.
Was A Bear
I have been in hibernation mode. Two months since my last post. I started writing this one over a month ago. Well, I thought I had started. I really had just prepped the photos, and placed them in the post.
I had three long days chauffeuring my folks around Phoenix at the beginning of my “hibernation”. I knew I would need a few days recovery. But the tired turned into a flare, and that turned into me having cold symptoms. The recovery from that was another two weeks. A month and a half later, and I am still feeling more tired than my Lupus usual.
As a result, I am not creating much. I am managing to stay productive otherwise. I started two pieces about a month ago. Mixed media on panels, they will be gifts. I applied scraps of papers, part of a decorated tissue box, and some leaf skeletons I have had for over ten years.
WIP, starting with scraps.
I used a comb, stencils and various tools to apply paint. That was a week ago. I’ll get back to them later this week. (I had another busy three days in Phoenix, with friends from So. Cal. And of course, that meant recovery time as well.) The pieces are close to being finished, I am hoping to complete them this weekend.
WIP still. Adding layers of paint.
I am still not sure what these two paintings will become. I will keep you posted.
Surprise Spring Snowfall
Late Snow on Mingus. 5-23-19, SMD.
On the road at 5:30 am, I saw this. Snow on the hills. On May 23rd! Halfway to Phoenix, it was sunny and warm, and the sky was clear.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Rabbit
Bunny Huddle. 6-10-19. SMD
It’s been a long time since I have spotted a rabbit. This little one was tiny. Just before dark, he was hanging out. A couple came walking by, they were on the other side of the street. As soon as he heard them, he crouched down. Like a cat stalking its prey. He tucked in his ears and got as low as he possibly could. He became one with the earth. Ha-ha.
When it was safe, he slowly, very slowly, began to rise. He looked like a balloon that was being inflated. Finally, one ear popped up, then the other. And then he was gone.
All Clear. 6-10-19, SMD
New Designs Available In My Spoonflower Shop
Thirty of my designs are newly available for purchase. That brings my total offerings to 112 fabric, wallpaper and gift wrap offerings. I am happy with how they all printed. Pardon the wrinkles, I still need to wash the fabric.
Yo no se. I don’t know. I still don’t know what to make of this. One step further though. I think it is still a work in progress. It will have to gel awhile. First piece of the year. Crossed one unfinished project off my list.
This started with layers of watercolor back in October. I kept seeing a dark tree. There are many images of trees online, so I thought I was just channeling something I liked on social media. But it stuck. So I took a sheet of old music, and carved a tree. I added indigo watercolor, and some lines for texture.
The sheet music was a gift from my good friend Christiane Drieling. A wonderful, amazing surprise. An old book of Schubert music. Christiane creates wonderful collage stories using old papers.
Her blog is a treat if you haven’t seen it.
Schubert Book.
I searched for two days for this book. Hid it away, cleaning for company. Well, first I looked for the photos I took when it arrived. Couldn’t find those, so I needed the book. Yup, neat freak lost it. I mean, there are only so many places it could be. I knew I was probably looking right at it. And I was. It was exactly where it belongs. With art pads and papers. The book is falling apart, so I put it in a manilla envelope.
If you are on Instagram, you have seen the next two images. Just for fun.
My best nine Instagram posts. Six of them are from the #100dayproject.
Best Nine of 2018. Sheila Delgado
My Year of Colour. The app pulls color from all your Instagram posts. Artwork and photographs. It surprises me that there is such a small amount of yellow. Ha ha.
Year of Colour 2018. Sheila Delgado
We waited all year for snow to fall. It was a white New Years Eve.
Snowed 6 hours, slow and steady.
First Winter snow. SMD
The mountains were hidden in clouds, when they started clearing it was really pretty.
The hills had matching cloud cover.
Clearing up. SMD
Sunset the following day. The hills looked like iced oatmeal cookies.
Mingus winter color. SMD
The Year
What can be said in New Year rhymes, That’s not been said a thousand times? The new years come, the old years go, We know we dream, we dream we know. We rise up laughing with the light, We lie down weeping with the night. We hug the world until it stings, We curse it then and sigh for wings. We live, we love, we woo, we wed, We wreathe our brides, we sheet our dead. We laugh, we weep, we hope, we fear, And that’s the burden of the year. ~Ella Wheeler Wilcox 1910
God Bless and keep you safe. May you have a JOY filled year ahead!
