Fresh out of the kiln

Custom Ornaments

Just Shipped

 The top left image shows the sketched and painted ornament before it is fired in my kiln.  The colors, as seen in the top right image, are much more vibrant once fired.  This same process is evident in the pictures below:

These ornaments are finished and have been shipped in plenty of time for gift giving.  Right now I'm back in the studio working on a custom wedding portrait ornament for an October 16th wedding.  Hoping to show the whole process on that one so the buyer, who is stationed overseas, can see the gift she purchased for a good friend here in the states

 If you are interested in more details, please click here

In my Studio

Another set of custom ornaments

PAINTED - FIRED - READY TO SHIP

AND... 

TWO MORE IN PROCESS

 

Hope you enjoyed my little hand painted house tour of homes across America.

For more information, click here

In my studio

Custom home re-design

If it could really be this easy.

 

So, a customer purchased my custom home portrait ornament and along with her image sent the following requests:  When painting the ornament please eliminate the car in the driveway, the telephone pole, the garbage cans, the bare bushes which obscure the house to the left of the front door and the bare tree which is blocking the front door.

Don't you wish reworking the landscape around your house could be this easy!  With just a few swipes of a super large brush all those little things that drive you crazy, or take up a huge portion of your weekend could quickly be eliminated, fixed or built!

My yard boys ~ my husband and, when he's home from college, my son ~ could go from head scratching, hauling, digging, sawing and constructing to simply requesting a few minor changes to the backyard.

With a bit of erasing here, a swoosh of the brush there to add a little texture and color, and wallah you're ready for dinner on the deck!  

Unfortunately, life doesn't work like that.  So I'll go back to sketching, painting and filling customer requests and my husband will go back to planting, raking and fulfilling my requests :)

If you'd like more information on custom painted portraits, please click here.  If you'd like to hire out my husband click here.  :) just kidding, he's a keeper.

In my studio

Tis the week before Thanksgiving and all through the house, I'm painting like crazy ~ there's even paint on my spouse!

This keepsake ornament for a grandmothers tree, is a portrait of granny with grand-daughter propped on her knee.

The sweet portrait ornament with the old dogs covered in gray, was made for a friend and kiln-fired today.

 

And for the best friend who's been there through the years, is a keepsake gift which is sure to bring laughter and tears.

The ornaments once fired are so cheery and bright, I know they'll be met with unbridled delight.

Now back to the studio, there's more work yet in store - but you can click here if you'd like to see more.

Tis the season

For days and evenings spent sketching and painting as Holiday orders start rolling in!

I love those wonderful customers who order their custom Christmas gifts before the holiday rush sets in! 

I just finished sketching and painting three custom ornaments for one customer - they will be going into the kiln tonight, along with an engagement and baby portrait ornament.

 I love the sense of fun expressed in this wedding portrait.  The couple is on a football field and you can see a school in the background.  This setting obviously holds a special place in the hearts of the bride and groom.  I would love to hear the story behind their special picture.

I adore this little girls hat, which is probably as tall as she is.  An outline pen is perfect for outlining the painted portraits.

 For this engagement ornament, I had to crop together a couple of different photographs to create an image of the couple in front of Disney Land - where they are set to be married come March 2012.

Now...off to the kiln for the firing process.   If you are interested in seeing more custom ornaments, or in placing an order ~ just click here   And thanks for stopping by!!

In my studio

Working on a custom wedding portrait Christmas ornament

I recently received a request for a custom wedding portrait ornament along with this gorgeous picture.  I had to smile at the hands clutching onto the grooms arm - mothers do love their sons!  I am just about 100% positive that will be me when my son eventually ties the knot.

 Since the photograph only included the bride and groom, sorry mom I couldn't include your portrait in my sketch.  But I hope I did your handsome son and beautiful bride justice.

For me, painting figures on bisque is much different than painting them on canvas.  In painting with acrylics, the colors are visible as soon as they're mixed on the canvas.  Yet with glaze paints, the colors aren't true until after the piece is fired in a kiln.

The ornament is in my kiln ~ and I won't know how my mixed colors look until after the firing process is finished.  Here's hoping for the best :)

And...fresh out of the kiln...the finished ornament!  What a big difference between the unfired and fired glaze colors.  So happy with the way results of this custom piece.

If you are interested in seeing a few of my finished custom portrait ornaments, just click here

Getting a head start

Just out of the kiln - my first custom painted portrait ornament of the 2011 Christmas Holiday Season!!

The bride and groom looking quite happy to be man and wife...

The ornament ~ drawn, painted and ready to be fired. 

The finished ornament ~ fresh out of the kiln, ready to be packaged and shipped.  Whew, working on this ornament made the holidays seem much too close ~ especially when the summer heat is still baking our plants!  But then, I guess not everyone waits until the last moment to do their holiday shopping ~ unlike yours truly.  Therefore, Merry Christmas in July!

December, Where did you go?

December was the busiest ever - and I am so grateful to all those who helped make this a happy and successful year. The season passed with a wink and a nod and I'd like to share a few of my favorite custom portrait ornament orders via the following images.  Since I painted over 160 portrait ornaments there are many more I'd love to share, but a girl has to know when to say when!

From My Shop - Portrait Ornaments

~For Babies and Toddlers~

 

 

~Wedding Portraits~

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pet Portraits

 

 

 

 

 When!  And thanks again for a very busy painting season and your enthusiastic support of  my work!  I look forward to creating new works and fulfilling more custom orders during 2011.  

Merry, Merry and Happy, Happy.