Surf's Up

My husband and son are both surfer's so our family vacations are usually centered around a beach town somewhere. Even though we live on the coast, as a surfer, there's always the desire to ride the waves somewhere else - and, upon arrival, to find the perfect spot. I suppose, perhaps through osmosis, this is why so much of my art and the art in our home is either beach or surf related. Here are a few paintings I created for our "home art gallery"


My husband and son
Summer of 2000


Our daughter - Summer of 1999


My sister and me circa 1969


Oceanside Table for Two

Trust me, I'm not complaining! I love living near the
ocean and know, no matter where our children end up
living , coming home will always be a fun destination.

Wishing you a day of sunshine and warm ocean breezes.

Creativity + Production = An Artistic Mess

Table Top Work Space

My creative output has been on over-drive
recently as paper scraps, paint splatters, dried
up glue, and quickly jotted reminders fill up my
working spaces and the rest of our home.


One of my Painting Tables
with fresh art work waiting to be finished.


The button making area -
button magnets and mirrors ready to be packaged.


The Production Area for
glass tile magnet sets - also ready for packaging.


Glass Tile Pendants
awaiting bail backs, ribbon ties, labels and
packaging.


and the Display Shelf
where items sit waiting to be purchased or
shipped.

Bless my husband, children, and dog for lovingly
living with and carefully stepping around my
artistic messes.

Two New Vintage Vingettes for the Holidays

This weekend I finished two more hand painted snap shots of life in the 1960's. The first, and one of my favorite photo's, is of my little brother on Christmas Morning.

The original photograph - love that bathrobe
and the masculine, red footie pajamas!


My take on the scene...using a complimentary
color palette.
Santa's come...Ready to Play!

The second painting is of three children saying
their bedtime prayers. One can just imagine what
they might be thankful for, or...asking for... at this time
of the year!


Christmas Blessings

As the Holiday Season begins this week, I wish
you Health, Happiness, and many fond memories
shared amongst family and friends!

A Week in Review

Here's a small review of the artistic
happenings in my studio this past week.

On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday
afternoons I give private art lessons to three
students. Here's a little peak at their work:


Tuesday's Art Lesson ~
Graph drawing a self portrait on canvas.


Wednesday's Art Lesson ~
Painting a family portrait on canvas.


Thursday's Art Lesson ~
Painting an Impressionistic Landscape on Canvas ~
this will be the background for his self-portrait.


Meanwhile, I still have work to produce ~
here are a few of my pieces:


Sketch of a wedding platter for our good
friends who are getting married this weekend.
Our friends own a "fifth wheel" which is kept on a campsite
in Hatteras, N.C. I thought it would be fun to give them
a platter commemorating their day, and their love
of camping.


Wedding Platter ~ Glazed, Fired, and ready to
be wrapped.


The women who meet during my Monday
Morning "Women who Art" Class enjoy drinking coffee
while they work. To add an artistic touch to our
coffee time, I painted these fun coffee mugs.


A few plates sketched and ready to glaze ~
in preparation for the upcoming holiday season.


Sample preparation, using the "bowl and coil" method
for my "Halloween Tea Party" art class. During this
class - which meets for the first time tonight -
students will be creating whimsical teapots and teacups out of clay.


Surf Shack Teapot
This is my all time favorite teapot.
My son created this during an art class in high school.
I'll use this as an example tonight, but I think a teapot
like this is a little above my students skills and time allotment.
But, I know they'll love it too!

Have an enjoyable weekend

MacKenzie Child's Addict

I admit, I am addicted to MacKenzie Childs tableware, and decor. Their whimsical patterns and shapes appeal to the artist in me. If price were no problem, I would furnish my house with items from their store. Unfortunately, this is just a dream. But ~ with a little creativity, some paint, and a paint brush I have used their patterns to decorate various items in my home.

Our stove - which we need to replace~ but I'm not ready to part with just yet.

Our dishwasher ~ which runs just fine ~ knock on wood.

The window treatments in our front room ~ which I created to go along with our colorful Christmas theme ~ then decided to keep up year-round.

Recently I've been playing around with handmade pottery tea sets in the whimsical style of MacKenzie Childs. Here are a few of my finished pieces. I think they turned out quite cute.


Tea Pot
1.5 x 1"

Sugar bowl and Creamer Set

Sugar Bowl - 1x1"
Creamer - 2x1.5"

Pitcher and Tea Cups

Pitcher - 1.75"x1.5"
Tea cups - 1.5"x1"

Celebration Cake and Cake Stand

Cake - 1.5"x1"
Cake Stand - 1.5"x1.75"

If you love the whimsical look of MacKenzie Childs, stop back by - I'm sure I'll be painting more!

Beach Living and Life is Good

As a teenager, and now as an adult, I've always felt very fortunate to live near the beach. In high school our summer days were spent lying on the beach and cruising along the boardwalk. My first job, besides babysitting, was at a Dairy Queen on 19th St - right off of the boardwalk ~ easily accessible for visits from friends. Later on I worked at a Water Slide - remember those - at the south end of the beach ~ another job for which friendly visits happened frequently. My husband, who I knew ~ and went out with for a short while ~ in High School still loves to surf. In fact, it's very rare that we don't take a vacation without the surfboard. Now our teenagers are experiencing ~ and enjoying ~ this same beach lifestyle.

Recently I've been working on a series of hand painted collages on canvas which reflect the delights of summer and the ease of beach living. Here are a few more - which, if you would like more detail, are listed in my shop ~ www.magicmarkingsart.com


Biking by the Sea
5x7" Hand Painted Collage on Canvas

Summertime on the Boardwalk
5x7" Hand Painted Collage on Canvas


Morning Surf Session
5x7" Hand Painted Canvas
This painting is from a picture of my son and his two friends out enjoying a little morning surf session.

Wishing you a peaceful, creative day.

Some days it nice to have a helping hand....

Today was one of those days!
Thanks Mom and Dad!

About 15 minutes after art camp began today I received a phone call from my son - one of those phone calls that, as a parent, you hate to receive ~ "Mom, I'm OK, but I just had an accident - I was hit from behind while stopped at a red light - the other guy is fine too, but he's older so there's an ambulance coming to take him to the hospital, the police are on their way, and your car is totaled."
~ OK ~
Deep breath and a prayer of thanks that everyone is alright.
Then, of course, the questions. What happened, are you sure you're OK, are you sure the other guy is OK, is his car totaled too, was there anyone else involved, I hear the sirens are you sure you don't need to be checked out...Alright, let me call Grandy and Pops. I'll see if they're available to come get you.
Another deep breath and another prayer of thanks.
First because my son is fine, as is the other gentleman.
Secondly because my parents live close by and I knew I could count their help.
One phone call later and my dad is on the way to wait with my son while the police collect information, to bring him back home, to return a short time later to take him to the doctors office to have his neck and back checked out ~ to return to his home so my mom could get my son from the doctors office and take him to pick up HIS car - which we had just dropped off this morning to have the tires rotated - which is why he was driving MY car - while I was in the middle of teaching an art class with no mode of transportation.
So, for this - and for all the other times you have dropped everything to help us out - I say Thank You and I Love You.

Illustration Friday - Worn

Three Old Row Boats
Acrylic 26" x 33"

Worn out or Worn In ~
Depending on your personal point of view ~
I look at these boats and envision
many stories ~ told, or untold ~
of summer days past.

Illustration Friday - Surfers ADAPT to water and wave conditions.

Illustration Friday - Adapt
Acrylic on Canvas
A surfer learns to adapt to changes in wave conditions and water temperature.
When our children were younger my husband bought a soft surf board, which is wonderful for beginners, so he could teach our son and daughter how to surf. We live on the East Coast where wave conditions are usually ideal for the novice surfer ~ therefore, not too intimidating ~ as you can see from this painting I did of my daughter. This same yellow board has made its way around the neighborhood as our neighbors children have learned how to surf. I can imagine there are numerous households around here that have pictures very similar to my painting.
Anyway, as the end of the school year gets closer, it won't take us long to adapt to the lazy days of summer, and all the glorious memories which this season brings.

Enjoy adapting!

Commissioned Painting - Portrait of Two Beach Babes

Picture of Two Sweet Babes on the Beach

A sister and brother, who are good friends with my son, have commissioned me to paint this picture of the two of them. The two siblings were about six and three when this picture was taken. That beach day is a just a pleasurable memory as the girl just finished her first year of college, and her brother is a sophomore in high school. The painting is to be a surprise mother's day/birthday gift for their mom. As you may imagine, I am pretty nervous about this painting, since I know it will be a true treasure for their mother. As I started sketching the picture onto canvas today, all I could think was "Lord, please guide my hands!" Here is the beginning ~ I drew it out with charcoal, and then used a paint brush and water to add value and shadows with the charcoal dust. I'll spray a fixative over the charcoal, followed by the acrylic paints. They want to keep the colors pretty true to the picture; so many more prayers are to come! :)

Hand built Pottery Crosses - Another day of Production

In The Art Studio:

A Day Of Production
Creating Hand Formed Pottery Crosses
My focus for today's production schedule ~ after putting away all art supplies from this weekend's art show ~ was to create hand formed crosses for a custom order.
I drew and cut out the cross shape then gathered together my supplies: fishing line, rolling pin, low-fire white clay, drywall board, 2 wooden strips, and a fine point "Sharpie" marker.

The drywall board is wonderful for wet clay. The clay doesn't stick to it, and it helps soak up moisture during the drying process. Fishing line is an easy, and inexpensive way to make a clean cut through the clay.

Unfortunately, I don't have a slab roller, so I made my own using 2 strips of wood (1/2 inch thick, and 2 feet long) and a rolling pin. The wooden strips act as a guide for the rolling pin, helping to give the clay a uniform thickness.

I use my "special cutting tool" ~ a martini pick :0) for cutting out the cross shape.

Once all crosses have been cut,

I smooth out the edges with my fingers and a wee bit of water.
I use the end of the sharpie marker to create a hole in the top of the cross.

I now let the clay sit out for 48 hours allowing time for the moisture in the clay to evaporate. Once this step is complete, I'll bisque fire it in my kiln.

Edward Hopper Inspired Painting - Rooms by the Sea

Edward Hopper ~ Rooms by the Sea ~ 1951

Oil on Canvas

Edward Hopper considered one of the significant realist painters and print makers of the twentieth century is known for his use of deliberate, disciplined sparseness. His paintings, simple and bleak with an ongoing theme of loneliness, also address nostalgia for values of the American past. His carefully calculated compositions paid particular attention to geometrical design, and the effect of light and shadow. As a mature artist, he lived and worked in New York City and spent most of his summers on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. His painting, Rooms by the Sea, is based on the view out the back door of his summer studio. While the composition was suggested by this view, the image effectively portrays Hoppers theme of solitude and silence more so than serving as an actual record of this room.

A wonderful friend of mine used to live in a condominium by the sea. This picture was taken looking out her porch door.  I've always loved this image, probably because it is very "Hopperish" in style. This week I decided to paint it, using "Rooms by the Sea" as an artistic guide.

Day One~ Trying to get the lines, colors, shadows and a surrealistic look onto my canvas.

Day Two ~ Adding a little more color and detail into the scene.

Day Three ~ Using a picture of "Rooms by the Sea" as a guide, I added more detail, color and shadow. I liked the red chair cushion, so I carried that color around the painting ~ using more of it in the flowers, door handle, door hinges, and in the shadows on the door and porch roof. Tomorrow I'll be setting up for Stockley Gardens Arts Festival, so this painting might be finished.....we'll see!

 Update - The painting wasn't finished in time for the show, but that was a good thing as it is now hanging in my wonderful friends new home.  What do you think ~ Have I sufficiently channeled Hopper??? Artistic critiques are always welcomed!