What About Portraits?

Detail.... again...

Hi Myra,

I'm still working on this big deal. I'm going to be stubborn and I'm not stopping on this one until it's finished... in my eyes.

Here is an earlier in the day photo... and one photo of me next to it so you can see the size.

Four foot by Four foot....

 I recorded some of my thoughts last night on the way home from the studio. I thought I would play them for you but I don't know how to get a recording in here yet. So I guess I'll have to transcribe them for you instead...

"Hi Myra, this is JanettMarie, I felt like quitting painting today, but I didn't. It was a different day, I almost stopped on a painting, then I thought I'll just keep painting... and it was more of a calm paint, so I'm thinking, well sometimes you work crazy fast and sometimes you have a calm painting or a calm day. So that's what it is and it's still going and now that I'm on my way home, I'm thinking, I'm glad I stayed and I'm glad I worked at it.... give it a chance, it might come along. I'll show you the painting... I'll talk to you soon, bye....
I want to add, I was so nervous about this painting I was eating cookies... cookies! Not just one, not just two.... I think I had five cookies!!"

Okay, today it seems a little funny, but it's not. Now my thought for the day is "I should practice drawing portraits"... what do you  think? I've always wanted to get like able to draw a quick great portrait of anyone... crazy.

Talk to you later, 😊
-jM

Monday, Monday.

Mixed media on paper

Good Morning Myra!

Yes, I am drinking coffee and doing research on the computer too. 

The above painting, I'm finally finished "messing around" with it, lol!

And the girl painting.... ahhh.... I'm still messing with it...

Chat more soon!
-jM

Big Project ... A Little More

Detail .... 

Hi Myra,

Here is a detail of the big painting, this big guy is taking some time!

In another painting.... Help! You're the fashion artist, can you help me with this one?

Help, help me Myra!

Help!

-jM

Big Painting Project

Painting in progress 4 foot by 4 foot

Good Morning Myra,

Yesterday I worked on this old piece. I say old because I started this over a year ago. Sometimes pieces really need some time to rest. Or do I mean, I need some time to rest! 

Here is a photo of the canvas last year...

Here it is today on the buckets.

Time will tell where this painting goes... if you have any ideas...

Have a great day!

-jM

Seems like Forever!

Itty Bitty Landscape  Mixed Media on canvas 

Hi Myra, 
Wow, seems like forever since I put up any notes. I've been a little under the weather and I didn't want to share my low level whatever it was with anyone.
Just to keep going with the February painting with Leslie Saeta... here is the underpainting of the above little guy...

Hard to believe the landscape came out of this! LoL!
To get an idea of the size, here is a photo of it leaning against a candle I have on my flat file...

Did I say this is 2 inch by 4 inch? It's 2 inch by 4 inch mixed media on itty bitty canvas. 😀
Okay, you have a great day, I've got some catching up to do!
-jM

Another Sketchbook peek...

Sketch- Sullivan's Island Lighthouse - graphite on paper

Hi Myra,

For some reason I'm under the weather today, so no painting today. I did find this little drawing in one of my many sketchbooks... 

...and I put together this short video for you. Hope to have something tomorrow. : /

-jM

The Box, The Box!

"Red Bird for TJ"  Mixed Media on Canvas 

Oh Myra! One more item to share! The box, the box, what is inside the boxes. Well, they are 20x16 paintings from when I did the paint party classes... remember?

The red bird at the top is a gift for my niece's new son, Titan James. He was born February 8th! It has glitter in it to catch a baby's eye and it's a fun color... so much viewing fun for a newborn!

Catch you later!

-jM

"Sleepy Town"

"Sleepy Town" Mixed Media on Paper 11"x10"

Hi Myra,

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope Harvey got you something nice.

I got a whole bag of kisses!

I have a few before photos for you today, and a view inside one of the mysterious boxes... both boxes are the same so just one photo, he he he.

Here is a table view.... I have the little before photo, you will remember this...

Old photo... old camera phone, lol

Sorry, I'm having trouble with the intensity of my photos... I have a new camera phone and all the photos are INTENSE. LoL! I think I have the top photo correct... if not, well, it's marginal toward the blue side I think. 

One more than I better go!

Must be from the old phone... lol

Talk to you later!

-jM

Secret Sketchbook...

Yikes cheep, cheep......

Sometimes I'm not sure if you should see what's inside that sketchbook!
Here's one more, just for fun!

Have a great day!

-jM

"Penny in the Snow" - part 2

Ummm... sideways detail... lol

Good Evening Myra,

Here it is part 2..... 

...and yes, the most important question, what next? That is after I clean off the surface of my work table. Oh, I will show you a clean table.... this week! Goal set.  -jM

Watch Out This is Bigger Than It Looks!

"Penny in the Snow"  Mixed Media on Canvas 6ft x 4ft

Good morning Myra,

Here is the big project we've been working on! Ha ha ha. Thanks for your help.

Not quite finished here, I just needed to set it upright and see what it looks like!

Here is a little detail for you.

Detail--- Bottom Left Corner

Why "Penny in the Snow"? Well, for some reason Randy was talking about gluing a penny to the floor at Walmart and watching people try to pick it up! ... And....I have a sister George, that runs outside a lot! She picks up a lot of coins when she's out on her treks. I decided to put this penny in the snow, in her honor! Ha ha ha 😂

My sisters' small find.

Here is a movie for you.......part 1.....

I'll put part 2 here soon.... for now, have a great Sunday!
-jM

Sketchbook Painting

Sketchbook Painting - Just for Fun

Hi Myra,

Thanks for your help tonight. I'll keep this short, I just wanted to have a post for the 30 days of paintings!

Good night!

-jM

How Big is Too Big?

Detail of "Penny in the Snow"

Good Morning Myra,

We talked about the big snowman painting? Here it is! Not quite finished, it's resting....

I almost abandoned the idea again, why paint a snowman so big? Because I can and I just want too. Those are pretty good reasons, so I had to hurry and get started, so no video of this... yet...

Process photo before I got too far along!

Trying to show you the scale. This big fella is resting on 5 gallon buckets that I acquired from the dumpster!

See the penny on the bottom right in the snow? Another way I'm trying to show scale. I decided to leave it there, so I sealed it in with Liquitex Gel Medium & Varnish, the liquid.

I was having way too much fun with this last night. I wrote on the canvas, I splattered paint, I scraped it the wet paint and I dripped more liquid gel medium & varnish around and on and on.

A little close up and still wet I'm pretty sure.

See the penny in there? I had to stop. I'll look again with fresh eyes tomorrow. Hate to go to far... speaking of, I'm thinking about leaving him without his eyes, nose or mouth... hmmm, something about that, what is it? Symbolic, metaphoric, hmmm...

Okay, bye for now,

-jM

February 8, 2018

Hi Myra,

This is the underneath part of a future painting. Now is it a painting a day or as long as I paint everyday! LoL!
Last night I did a video but it is really messed up and will take a bit of editing so.... it will come at a later date.
This is what I'm going to put on Leslie's site! : )

Have a great night!
-jM

Is it really Wednesday?

Mixed Media on canvas 12"x12"

Hi Myra,

To continue painting on top of old paintings, here is the first layer on top of....

Ghost Coffee! I'll check again but I think this is coffee cup painting 98 or something from... oh, you remember, way back when!

Here is a view that made me dizzy when I looked at it! Ha Ha..
I made another video for you....I guess if I keep at the movie practice I may figure it out!

You have a great day, and I hope to start the big snowman today!
-jM

Orange...

"Spring Music" Mixed Media on Paper... I did this one yesterday too. Bonus!

Hi Myra,

Would you like to see the mess in my studio again? I'm going to download a video, just one for now and see if this works. I'm trying to put more work into my painting, not making movies, ha, ha, ha!

I hope that works... Have a great day!

-jM

It's a New Day Monday!!

Mixed Media on Paper 

Hi Myra,

Remember this one?

Well, maybe I should show you the before...

Yes, I worked on it more 😃....  like this...

I glued a few things onto it...

Here is a piece of blue stained tissue before I glued it to the piece...

And here is after it's glued on with the gel medium...

A chunk of the tissue tore away and it's more transparent too...

I've decided that it's okay to keep changing .... so I changed, lol!

On to another subject, what do you think... about this idea. I'm thinking about painting a snowman on this canvas...

Yes, 6 foot by 4 foot... snowman... how about this one?

Ha, ha, ha.... talk to you tomorrow!

-jM

PS: I worked on a few things today, but wow, it's late... g-nite...

This Was Yesterday

Mixed Media on paper

Hi Myra,

"This Was Yesterday"...  even though I wiped isopropyl alcohol on this one, it was still a painting at one point. I've decided this will be painting 4 for 30 paintings in 30 days! 
Isn't this fun!
Happy Sunday,
-jM

Am I making you crazy yet?

Did I show you what this one has under it? You're not going to believe this!

I think I covered this up!
Yesterday/last night I was going crazy, I took extra photos for you...

This was the beginning of the disaster.

This is where I glued with gel medium, a small painting I did on newspaper, onto the disaster.

This was the beginning of another mishap.

My brain was getting like silly putty.

Here, let's just cover it.

I should have gone home.

Getting desperate here, used a stencil and gel medium to make the white marks that will dry clear.

The gel medium I used and the card I used to spread it using the stencil.

My table top is a plastic that the paint will peel off  of, ideally.

See this book page and that soft pinkish dry paint on my table?

I glued the page to the paint and the table and it's still there today. When I get back to the studio, I will try to carefully lift or peel it away from the table and see if the paint underneath adhered to the page. I love fun surprises, I hope it's a good one!

I think the gel is dry, but I've lost hope in the painting. 

Sorry for the late text last night, I was losing it! I think my phone camera is crashing too, that mat is white, not off white in reality. 😜

I don't even know what was under here anymore...

Drying... this is before I put a transparent golden color over the whole painting.

Here is a larger piece I'm working on. I just looked at it upside down for a while.

A few more attempts... something is wrong with my phone.

I scrubbed it with isopropyl alcohol. The mat is still the wrong color so the painting color here can't be right.

I'm going to take a break this weekend and try again on Monday! Have a great weekend Myra, thanks for listening! Thank you Harvey too!  

-jM

PS: My horoscope for the day- ha ha ha ha ha.......

CAREER Don't worry if you can't make a decision right now. After all it's the weekend and you're entitled to a day of complete inactivity -- physical and mental. Just enjoy the downtime. You can get back to the grind on Monday .