Category: art

Highland coo

On By CarynIn art, Craft

I went to a painting class at our new local Hobby Hut to do an interchangeable shelf sitter. Very cute design, there is a “bird house” base and the door and central design can be changed out. I painted the base at the studio but took the highland coo in the honey home to paint.

Photo description: interchangeable parts painted by me of a highland coo in a honey pot with three bees

The original design had antenna on the highland coo, which I didn’t care for, so I cut them off before painting.

Photo description: original laser cut wood highland coo bass with antenna
Photo description: antenna removed with a band saw and the horns smoothed down with sand paper

I did have to fill the space on the next layer where the antenna were supposed to go, but some cutoff bits of wood and a heavy layer of paint did the trick.

I will post the glued together finished project once I’ve done a clear UV protectant spray coat. It has been raining almost every day, so I haven’t had the chance yet.

Sing design

On By CarynIn art, Craft

I needed a new design for the other side of the van in the upper corner of the back window because it makes the vehicle easier to spot in parking lots. So I designed one.

Photo Description: white vinyl decal on a car window with the word “Sing” in script letters and four concentric circles of varying thickness

The concentric circles represent the Barbershop cone of sound, just looking down from the top, where the largest sound should be from the basses, then baritones (when their note is below the leads), then leads (who have the melody in Barbershop), and then tenors. Fun fact, in Barbershop the voice parts are not related to gender, but to the role the part plays in the harmony balance. So we use bass, baritone, lead, and tenor for low voice, mixed voice, and high voice choruses and quartets.

I designed the graphic in Adobe Illustrator and cut it out with a CRICUT electric cutter.

Circle of cats

On By CarynIn art

I wandered an antique store for Mother’s day and this sculpture kept calling my name. I have other Windstone pieces, and of course I like the cats the best. I circled back and picked it up. It was designed to be a candle holder, but I’m much too distractible to burn candles, so I thought it appropriate that the seven cats would sit around a ball of yarn.

Photo description: Windsong Editions candle holder sculpture with seven stone textured cats in an inward facing circle, nostepinne style yarn ball in the middle

I will probably change out the center focus as the whim moves me. A nice glass or stone orb would go well there too.

Happy Mother’s Day

On By CarynIn art, Craft
Photo description: water color Texas wildflowers on deckle edge cotton paper with brush and watercolor travel kit

Happy Mother’s Day to all who mother, whether their charges want the mothering or not.

I didn’t think I had a style as an artist, but I seem to really like balancing negative space.

Throwback Thursday: rocks

On By CarynIn art, Craft, Uncategorized

In April 2017 our rock painting hobby started. I read about “Kindness Rocks” a national movement to leave messages of hope and art for people to find and keep, if they wanted, or hide for someone else to find. The movement has since gone global, and although our painting isn’t as frequent now, we still do paint and hide and I still find other’s painted rocks around town.

Photo description: nine painted rocks with art or inspirational sayings painted in acrylics

Since the start I have learned that sealing the rocks with a clear coat of UV protectant helps them last a little longer outside. The thicker the coat of paint, the more likely it is to crack and peel with the freeze thaw cycles. The rocks that keep their messages the longest have only the message or drawing, not an undercoat.

Photo description: rocks in my garden that have weathered several winters, many have lost their message because the undercoat flaked away