Monday, October 16, 2006

Some have asked about my current cats and so here they are. I'm starting with the youngest and newest (to us) and adding them according to age.

This is Lindy (she was originally named Princess and belonged to a very dysfuntional group of people who lived down the street). She seemed like a large kitten but when we had her spayed we found out she'd already had a litter. It's a long story but we ended up stealing Lindy -- her predecessor was not taken care of, not fed (except by all the neighbors including us) and finally ended up on the road dead at a very young age. Lindy lived with us for months before we realized she belonged down the street. We have since learned that her former "people" are drug dealers (uh oh). We call her "Lucky Lindy" just because she survived long enough to join us but also Houdini because if she gets out on our 12ft deck, she will climb straight up the walls, climb onto the roof, jump off, have her advetures and then be waiting at the front door a short time later. So, she's been grounded until we figure out how to let her be out on the deck without escaping. She has settled down a bit but was one of the most active young cats I've ever had. She is definitely not a lap kitty, loves to ride on my husband's shoulder and be in his office but she will allow us pet her as long as we don't hold her.
(Maybe we should have kept her original name: Princess!) Lindy loves to play with Nick and George but only on her own terms and on her own schedule. Like a lot of black and white cats, including our Muffin, she gets into the most bizarre positions when she sleeps. She keeps us
amused and laughing!
This is our sweet Nicky who has been with us about three years. I used to walk a dog in the neighborhood that adjoins ours and little Nicholas would be out in the cold with no water, out in the heat with no water, and often no food. He slept under a pine tree. He had appeared at his owners' house on Christmas day, thus was named Nicholas. He was so sweet and playful and I often took him food and water. I agonized about him for over a year. His owners said they'd made him an outside cat because he sprayed (they had other cats inside). I wanted to steal him but DH nixed that. So after losing my old sweet Pumpkin to a stroke, I finally got the nerve to ask the owners to adopt Nicholas. They offered me not only Nick but all their other cats too. The woman was pregant with twins! I took Nick and he settled in after a few sparring contests with the other "boys." We renamed him Nick and he is a sweet lap kitty and loves to play now with George and especially loves Lindy but is trying to take over as the alpha male so they spar and spit a bit. He's so soft and fluffy!
This is our middle fur child, George (we didn't name him!). He belonged to another neighbor and lived outdoors even in the coldest weather. He was not real healthy as a youngster and I asked his owner if I could adopt him. Needless to say, he not only became strong and stout but is the longest cat I've ever seen. He's a real lap kitty but drives us crazy with his crying to go outside, wanting to eat all of 2 bites of fresh dry food and worst of all, very rudely awakening us at very early hours, summer or winter. He plays well with
Lindy and Nicky and can often be found sleeping
in the linen closet. He has learned how to open the folding doors but it is so noisy that we usually give up and assist him. He's on my lap now, purring away, after just "coming out of the closet!"
Several of my cats through the years have loved to sleep in the sink -- it seems to be a phase they go through and then they quit.

This is Muffin, aka the Muffinator, so named by my husband because she was such a prolific hunter when she was an indoor/outdoor cat. All our cats are indoor cats now.

Muffin lived across the street, had a perfectly nice home, but decided to move into ours because she and Rusy were playmates. She came through the cat door (now closed) and stayed. Her former owner finally asked if we wanted to adopt her. She plays only with Rusty and is the senior female curmudgeon but is getting a bit friendlier with me as she ages. She really likes my husband best but will curl up to either computer given the chance.
Last but not least, This is Rusty who came to us with no ID and was eating bread we'd thrown out for the birds (and which had gotten wet and soggy). He moved right in and we advertised and failed to find his "person" he became part of the household. Now he is the senior curmudgeon and spends most of his time sleeping. He loves to climb on top of me as soon as I get into bed -- keeps me from reading. Did you know that cats are the cause of most of the adult illiteracy in this country? Even if I lie on my side to go to sleep, he will balance there until he
falls off and snuggles in the covers. He does not play well with others ,except for Muffin.

Saturday, October 14, 2006

This is my Oct. fabric postcard for the QAK swap.
I got the idea from a new quilting book called:
Creative Fabric Weaving by Julie Higgins.
I had stamped some leaves on ultrasuede and cut them out but then couldn't bear to cover up all that variagated stitching! So, having one plain block, I stamped it instead.
This is another of my early water color efforts in my classes with Bill Tippie. He was teaching me the
misty/foggy effect and a different way to do the sky. Over the years this has become more and more a favorite of mine. I've always loved cat tails -- perhaps the name???). I now have this framed in gold and it really sets it off.

Friday, October 13, 2006

This has mostly caught me up with the paintings I'm willing to post that I've completed. Will post a few more and then on to the handmade paper, handmade books and hopefully some more fabric art. And someone asked for pictures of my cats so will be adding those soon too.

Happy Creating,
Lorraine
Mixed Media Cat -- this month's lesson in modern art cats. I found a painting in a cat art book and we tried to do someting similar. Bill's, of course, turned out much more realistic and not as weird looking as mine. I want to try this again but it was so much fun because we used water colors, water color pencils, acryllics, waterproof pens and then I came home and added more wc pencils and Sharpie pens.

Thursday, October 12, 2006

This also an early wc where Bill was teaching me how to do weathered board and he added an old white jug with flowers in it. You should see the detail in his woods! Incredible. I have this on my mantle because to me it represents a start -- where I was -- and hopefully a comparion of where I'll go with my painting. So far I'm not there yet but I'm enjoying the journey!
This is one of the few trees that I liked well enough to frame. I love fall foliage and can never seem to capture what I see or what I see in my mind. It slipped a bit on the scanner which is a bit rounded instead of flat -- who in the world would design a
scanner like that where everything slipps to the front and slides around. I think this was painting wet into wet -- water color -- and another class with Bill.
This is a little oil painting I did in a class with Bill. It doesn't look this good in real life but is probably one of my better cats and that's not saying much!
This is another early watercolor I did in a class with Bill Tippie. He is a marvel at snow scenes, old buildings and barns and has his own "signature" evergreen tree which I'll never be able to replicate! This one reminds me so much of the blue shadowed snow in Vermont and makes me shiver in our much too early 30 degree weather this week. Please be sure to visit his site:
tippieart.com for some "real" talent!

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

This class with Bill was so much fun and I think what started me on the road to wanting to do a series of abstract cats. Bill taught me this a few months ago. First we drew our cats on 300 lb. water color paper with a nice rough bumpy finish. Then we wet the canvas all over. While it was still wet, we dropped paint onto the canvas from our brushes; then added more and then more, varying the colors. Then dried it with a hair dryer. Then we used permanent black pens and started outlining the color, wherever it changed shades with wiggly little lines. It was fascinating. I opted for a calico cat. Bill has made some great paintings this way, "finding" all kinds of things in the drawings -- fish, flowers, and so on and then augmenting the painting with drawings of his own. This is so much fun.
Bill paints gorgeous flowers and this was one week's lesson. He put more color in his background but I didn't dare mess with mine!
Mine is pretty flat looking but I'm working on those curves and shadows!
Again, water soluble oils. I really like these -- so easy to clean up and very little odor.
This is an other oil, also done following a scene in a desk calendar and done in the same time period.
This is another oil I did soon after the first -- with Bill's excellent instruction. It is standing on a picture holder -- thus the silver hooks in front. Again, I didn't get the mountains to "shape" the way I wanted them to but really like the sky so kept it. I just can't seem to "see" 3-D or even 2-D -- so my paintings tend to be flat. Again, practice is very lacking. I'll have to take another photo of this one framed -- looks a bit better than with the easel pieces showing in front!
The next week I wanted to try the same painting (done in water soluble oils) in water colors. Compare to the one below. I think I like the oil better because it resembles the photo more closely -- deeper hues -- more intense. I somehow just don't "get" the way to layer watercolors to get the vibrant colors I'd like -- and I have to admit, I just don't practice like I should. I have so many other arts and crafts interests and I'm impatient! Bad combination.
After taking water color lessons from Bill Tippie for about a year and a half I seemed to be losing what little talent I had developed (not Bill's fault!!). So I asked if he would teach me to oil paint. I had seen a photo of this scene in a daily desk calendar. This was my first attempt -- smooth paint -- no deep paint layering. I really enjoyed the process and liked the effect and it came out pretty close to the photo in the calendar.
Our quilt art group challenge earlier this year was to do a fabric self-portrait, based on those in Quilting Arts magazine. I couldn't come up with anything so wimped out and did a cat face, ala Laura Burch style.
This is my first wool felt project -- a pin cushion, made in a class earlier this year. Pretty simple and easy -- my kind of project!
This is more detailed close-up of one of the panels on Janet's African-themed quilts. I took some photos for her upcoming show at the main library gallery to be held in 2007. She taught me this pagoda square too. I think it's really unique. Janet doesn't have a web site but stay tuned for
more photos. She's been making the most wonderful, brightly colored quilts from fabrics lines like Laura Burch and Sherrill Kahn and has inspired me to do one for my bedroom this winter. She's been using the patterns Yellow Brick Road and Turning Twenty Again, which I will also use.
Blogger would not let me post this message with the two photos below. The first one shows Janet Serrenho with one of her African themed quilts -- foundation pieced blocks -- showing some of the details of the blocks -- including a scenic one she designed herself. The photo under that shows one of her complete African themed quilts.
I met a quilter several months ago who had a marvelous display of African themed quilts on display at the local library rotunda. She kindly offered to teach me the method she used -- paper /foundation piecing. This is my first feeble attempt at a block. Her name is Janet Serrenho and I will post a couple of her quilts next.
This is my first crazy quilt postcard -- a bit larger than 4" x 6" and a bit boring with too many of the same colors but it WAS a first try!

When I first started to do crazy quilting my first block did not come out as I'd hoped. Loving to recycle I decided to crazy quilt my old sewing ham. I glued the fabrics (velvets and silks) and trims with fabri-tac glue and it worked!
It's still not useful but it's a lot more interesting to look at!

Sunday, October 08, 2006

I will be gradually posting more of my older art pieces, handmade books, etc. as I find time to
either scan them or take pictures and download. Prepare to be further bored!

Happy Creating to all,
Lorraine

Oh, and there will be pictures of my fur kinds to follow too!
I always loved the white and silver birches in Vermont. Bill taught me how to paint them and in his painting the trees have the roundness of trees, unlike my flatter version! But I liked it enough to frame it and put it in the living room, along with several of his very professional ones. I still can't "see" how to get the roundness worked out but maybe in time! I do love how he taught me to
do the background on this one.
This used to be my favorite spot on some land we owned in Berea -- at the foothills of the Appalachian mountains. The land there reminds me a lot of Vermont. This area was reached by a gradually sloping hike through the sparse trees and wild flowers and opened into this loose circle of trees.
We used to hang our hammocks from the trees and read, talk, and stare up through the trees to the gorgeous sky and sun above. We even camped out here one night accompanied by a neighbor's dog who didn't much like the tent or the fact that we disappeared inside it. We said our personally written wedding vows here, after saying the traditional ones at the judge's office. The trees had fallen in such a way as to make a number of places to sit and recline and rest after a good hike. Unfortunately now trespassers with off road vehicles have destroyed this area; their owners taking chainsaws to the partially fallen trees and logs and moving them out of their path. I am glad that I have the photo I painted this from and this as yet unframed watercolor to remind me of happier days on that land. I framed this is a gold frame and it really "helps" the painting!
Bill had another student who wanted to paint a castle and he asked if I'd like to do one also. Castles don't excite me as something to paint so I said I'd like to do something similar -- a Vermont farm house and attached barn, high up on a mountain as so many were and are, with a magnificent view over the valley. I still have a lot of practice to capture the beauty of this but it was another fun experience. This one also looks a lot better now that it's framed
One day, knowing how badly I wanted to paint cats, and knowing how frustrated I was because I could not get the results I wanted, Bill suggested we do some whimsical cats. This was so much fun. We did several but I have this one framed and hanging in my cat decorated bathroom.
One of my very early water colors. I started learning wc from Bill and did that for a year and a half and suddenly decided to switch to oils -- painting flat like acrylics. Here I was trying to capture the Green Mounts of Vermont. Remember, it was one of my first! And is not framed and hanging on my wall! Perhaps I'll get it out one day and work on it again.

Saturday, October 07, 2006

This is one of my early attempts at oil painting -- I love trees and I love snow. I've been taking lessons off and on from a Lexington painter named Bill Tippie (www.tippieart.com). Please don't judge my feeble efforts by his magnificent paintings! This was a gift for my sister in law who saw it and oohed and aahed. How could I resit that!

Sunday, October 01, 2006

This is the revised 3rd impessionist painting.
Still not sure I like it but I'm done playing with it; time to move on. This is fairly 3-d with the paint though so I think I'm finally "getting" it after 4 lessons. It's difficult not to paint "smooth!" Working on a Wolf Kahn larger painting now -- it will be awhile before that's posted!!!
My 3rd impressionist painting. I liked the sky but not the bottom so I added the tree and a pile of leaves; still thought the cat overwhelmed the tree. Kept turning it upside down, looking at it in the mirror. DH said he liked it the way it was.
I still didn't. So revised it this weekend. See new one above.