More fun with wine labels

I glue the labels onto a textured panel before I add the color layers. It makes a nice, clean look.
Below is the form that I made from mat board scraps. I use it to impress the bottle shapes into the plaster - the opposite of the clean look!

Below is an example of how a panel would look after the first layer of color is applied.

Three new and finished wine label paintings follow. One will be auctioned to raise funds for the fight against juvenile diabetes. My niece Marianna was diagnosed when she had just turned three. She has a strong personality and has done really well coping with all the blood testing and insulin shots. You might notice that "Marianna's March" is impressed into each of the wine bottles below. Marianna's mom has given the name to Marianna's support and fund-raising group. The first few years we all wore pink tee shirts while taking part in the annual fund raising walk in Johnsonburg, PA.

Another small size

These textured paintings are similar in size to my earliest experiments when I was developing my technique (back in the early 70s). I enjoy the different challenges of each size and shape. They are 12" tall and 8.5" wide.

Crafts 2 - Witches and rabbits, oh my!

Here is a peek at a witch among Santas. Sorry about the sunken chest.
Below is a rabbit standing by our front door to help celebrate Spring and Easter.

Also, I have made some Christmas bishops.

I did some paintings to try out different expressions and colors.

Below is the fairee on my workbench nearly done.

Crafts 1 - Santas & a Dog

About ten years ago, I made a cutout, wooden Santa for my wife to put on the front porch. It was requested of me for many years before I actually made one. I did it at school so the kids could enjoy it and I could keep it secret. I did not foresee that many of my friends at school would have me making Santas for a few Christmas seasons. Then I was enjoying the work so much that I made more for a Christmas Art Show. I did 25 Santas the first year. I called these Santas "three board Santas." I reckon that I've done about fifty Santas, a few witches and rabbits, and one fairy. A snowman has been requested. This past Christmas, little Talon wanted to hug one of the Santas when he first saw it.
I've just finished Hunter who is related (as much as a dog can be) to Talon. I wonder if Talon will want to hug him, too.
My first attempt of stylizing Hunter was too wild (above). So I repainted him, but I still tried to keep a similar style (below).

Another Size - Fun To Work With

These paintings are 12" tall by 6" wide - a great size for color experiments. It seems easier to design for this shape than for the more traditional rectangular shapes of most paintings. I experiment the most with this size, too - if something doesn't work out - good-bye!

Photo Show at the Gmeiner

The Grand Canyon Photo Club's member show - "Reflections of Wellsboro" - opened last week at the Gmeiner. I have belonged to this club for nearly a year. I recommend it to anyone in the area who is interested in photography. The show will remain hung for the month of March. The gallery is open from 2 to 5 daily.
I estimate that 70 people were on hand for the opening.
The photo below shows two works that depict Wellsboro's famous gaslights that run down the center of Main Street.
I have had two "one man" art shows in the Gmeiner. Below is a view of my first show in 1979. The second show was in 1999. Maybe I'll get another show if I make it to 2019!

New Wedding Painting

I've reached the final color (three separate layers - (1.) yellow oxide, (2.) cadmium red light and a final layer made up of (3.) pthalo blue, burnt umber and violet) in my sequenced photos of this painting's development. You might notice, when you enlarge this image, how the color has built up in the nooks and crannies and appears almost black.
Below is the entire painting. Does it look the way the details foretold? You'll have to search to find Sarah & Andy's names impressed into the plaster. The wedding is March 15, so I have to build the frame now!

Words of Wisdom?

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The details

I use a lot of "joint compound" to make my textured paintings. I often brag that I can do 100 paintings with one five gallon bucket. As you can see below, another bucket is almost exhausted.Below you can see what it looks like after I've spread a layer of plaster on one of my masonite (standard board) panels - similar to a stuccoed wall. I try to maintain about an 1/8 of an inch of plaster - probably a little less.

I use many different things to impress textures into the plaster. As long as I get an object dripping wet, I have no problem with plaster sticking to it.

The photo below shows the textured plaster after it has dried for 48 hours. Now the plaster is ready to be sanded (to eliminate sharp edges) and painted twice with polymer gloss medium to waterproof the surface and to make it stronger.

Below, the sheen from the coatings of polymer can be seen.

Below, you can see that the first color has been added. The paint was added by (1.) rubbing watered-down (thick, creamy consistency) yellow oxide acrylic paint into the textures, (2.) smoothing the paint with paper towels and (3.) erasing areas with a clean, cotton cloth (old tee shirts). When the yellow paint dries, it is necessary to paint another coat of polymer to seal the yellow in place. In the next photograph, I've added a second color (a mixture two differnt hues of acrylic red) and I've painted yet another coat of polymer gloss medium. You can see where I erased the red color and exposed either yellow or white. You can also detect two different red colors (barely - most of the red is quite orange because of the yellow under it) depending on if there is white or yellow under the red coating. I am now ready for a final color and a final coating of polymer medium which I generally change by adding mat medium so that the final work has a satin finish. I work most often with just three colors going from lighter shades to darker ones. I would have this painting done except for the flooding of my studio/basement last night. A transformer blew at 12:30 am and my sump pump quit. I had six inches of water this morning before electricity was restored.