Tag Archives: #desertart

Days 16 & 17 Of 30

Day 16, Mixed Media on 5 x 7 Canvas Board. © 2021 Sheila Delgado.
Day 16, Mixed Media on 5 x 7 Canvas Board. © 2021 Sheila Delgado.
Day 17, Mixed Media on 5 x 7 Canvas Board. © 2021 Sheila Delgado.
Day 17, Mixed Media on 5 x 7 Canvas Board. © 2021 Sheila Delgado.

Everything that could go wrong, did. Haha. I worked all night trying to fix this and that. And just when I thought I was done. Another problem. I picked a white, that turned out to be a satin. Nope. Looked sticky. Sticky paint? Haha. Well, no worries. Decided white wasn’t right. OK. Time for bed.

Starting today, right after breakfast no less! (First for the month.) I mixed a buff and sand color for the background. Yes, that will work. Changed the terra cotta pots to a desert rose. Added a glaze to the leaves. This helped to tone down the mess of a yellow paint pen that I had used to outline the forms. DIdn’t realize that was glossy paint.

I left the yellow on the snake plant, top. Felt it worked as the golden stripes some of the leaves have. Added a subtle pattern. Bubble wrap. Too subtle. May go back in and bring it out just a bit more. But that means repainting the entire background and then applying the pattern.

Had added texture and scratch marks, hoping to add the aged effect I had in the Blue vase pieces. There is a dark blue base and I tried sanding some top layer away to reveal it. Just didn’t work. I revealed the white gesso instead. Haha.

Happy enough with them now. That Kiwi green is a little too neon. But it keeps them from being too muted. The board lent itself to a postcard layout. So I thought I would create something clean and graphic, for just that.

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit me here, and to let me know you stopped by. Happy creating to you!

You don’t drown by falling in the water.
You drown by staying there.
Robert G. Allen

Intelligence is not to make no mistakes,
but quickly to see how to make them good.
Bertolt Brecht

What we call experience is
often a dreadful list of ghastly mistakes.
J. Chalmers da Costa

December In The High Desert

Christine's Cactus #2. 4 x 6 watercolor & pen on paper. © 2020 Sheila Delgado.
Christine’s Cactus #2. 4 x 6 watercolor & pen on paper. © 2020 Sheila Delgado.

Oh, the weather outside is frightful,
Yet I find it so delightful
And since I’ve no place to go
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

My friend up north, Christine Brooks, sent me a postcard with her gorgeous photo of a Prickly Pear. In October! WOW, didn’t realize it has been that long. I asked her if I could paint it. The second attempt is so much better (above). I am out of practice with Yupo, and ended up with muddy ponds the first go-round. Haha. I was feeling relaxed with the brush in my hand, I continued until I had a real mess going. That was about two weeks ago.

Christine Brooks, Photographer & Artist.
Christine Brooks, Photographer & Artist.
Christine's Cactus #1. 4 x 6 watercolor & pen on Yupo. © 2020 Sheila Delgado.
Christine’s Cactus #1. 4 x 6 watercolor & pen on Yupo. © 2020 Sheila Delgado.

Last night I started again, and everything fell into place easily. What a surprise and JOY! I noticed in my sketch, that I made the pads too large, and left very little room for the tuna’s. (Dad taught me they are called that in Mexico.) Turned out to be a happy accident. I like the composition.

It is cold, and dark, and dreary today. HOORAY! A gentle rain fell from 1 am until about 11 am. The clouds are playing hide and seek with Mingus. And we might get some snow this evening. Fingers crossed.

Wishing you JOY and wellness, PEACE and warmth!

“Let us have music for Christmas…
Sound the trumpet of joy and rebirth;
Let each of us try, with a song in our hearts,
To bring peace to men on earth.”
Mildred L. Jarrell

Day 22 Of 30

Day 22, 5 x 5 Acrylic on paper. © 2020 Sheila Delgado.
Day 22, 5 x 5 Acrylic on paper. © 2020 Sheila Delgado.

The same palette I used yesterday. Different placement and proportions. I used a brayer to apply the base coat of Tawny. Hints of it are still visible under the turquoise.

Two busy days forced me to keep things simple. Not easy. Just simple. Grateful for a few moments of peace and quiet. And color!

I found I could say things with color
and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way.
Georgia O’Keeffe

Color!
What a deep and mysterious language,
the language of dreams.
Paul Gauguin