Artful Creations

A New Year

2012-01-01T13:23:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! I cannot believe it is here already. Where did the holidays go by the way? Come to think of it, my brain is still on summer and here it is winter already. At any rate, I often find I'm in denial when it comes to the seasons as my mind likes to imagine it lives in the warm weather. Actually, in a couple of years, that will probably be a reality for us and it is something I'm very excited about.

I do have some cheerful, beautiful Amaryllis to keep me from falling too deeply into the winter blahs.

Last year I think I was in a really bad place with blogging, I've been doing it for years and I guess I got bored with it, annoyed at times and yes, even put pressure on myself to blog.....that's just not right. I think for a while, I was on the path to shutting my blog down but since then, have changed my mind.

Why can't I after all, just blog the way I want too? What if I just sit down to write and post pictures every 2 or 3 weeks if thats what I feel like? I kind of realized I was self-imposing rules onto my internet existence that just didn't make sense. This is the new me, blog when I want to/can etc, no pressure, just fun.

I've been painting some new pieces over my break, lots of butterflies. These are 3 of the paintings but I have a 4th and final (for now anyway) butterfly triptych I'm going to be finishing up this week. These paintings are so far at least, un-named. I'll have to work on solving that in the upcoming weeks.

This new year's day also brings a brand new website for me....Chris has been working on it for months and finally it is mostly done and ready to go. A brand new, crisp, clean look that focuses strictly on the artwork is what I was looking for in my new site. With a few minor changes/additions in the upcoming weeks, it is for the most part, DONE!!! www.artfulcreations.biz .

I hope everyone had a lovely holiday....I hope to be back in a couple of weeks, no pressure, just for fun.

Extended Blog Vacation

2011-11-09T10:55:00.000-08:00

I've decided to take an extended blog vacation and hopefully hit the ground running again in the new year. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season, talk to you in a few months.

"Orb Fairy" - Acrylic Diptych On Gallery Canvas

2011-10-02T07:50:00.000-07:00

"Orb Fairy" an acrylic diptych, is the latest piece of art to come out of my studio and my first piece of fairy art in a very long time. I really enjoyed the experience so much that I plan on creating more fairies in the future.

If you read my last post, this was the piece that I mentioned was supposed to be a garden sculpture painting. I had wanted to do a series of pieces with different garden sculptures and also fairies but had decided on sculptures first. Once again the canvas spoke to me when I was creating this painting and I realized once the sky and ground were painted, they looked too mystical and magical to not be a fairy painting so.....here we are, my first fairy in quite a while. I then had to decide what kind of fairy I was creating and focused in on glowing , floating orbs of light, some even radiating from the ends of her hair and suddenly, Orb Fairy was born.

This painting is 12" h x 18 1/2" w x 1 1/2" d. I hope you like "Orb Fairy" as much as I enjoyed painting it. I'll be taking a bit of a blog break for a few weeks to work on some new things and do some of the dreaded fall yard work outside before it gets too cold. Enjoy fall.

"Beyond The Depths" - Abstract Acrylic Triptych

2011-09-24T06:06:00.000-07:00

"Beyond The Depths" is the newest abstract triptych painting to leave my studio this week. Would you believe when I sat down to first start working on this, it was supposed to be a hummingbird painting? After the first day I was thinking "ok, maybe I see a hummingbird in there somewhere." By the end of the second day this piece let me know that it wanted to be an abstract, one that focuses on the deep, dark and unchartered depths of the ocean. I think it is really important to listen to my work; my paintings always guide me in the direction they want me to take. Sometimes pieces turn out just as I envision them and other times, like with this painting, they take me in a totally different direction and it is up to me to listen.

The painting I'm currently working on was supposed to be a garden sculpture painting with abstract elements and instead, it turned into a fairy painting......see what I mean? I just listened and that is where the painting led me. Hopefully that one will be finished in the next few days.

"Beyond The Depths" measures 12"h x 24 1/2" w x 1 1/2" d.

Two Custom Acrylic Nature Paintings.......

2011-09-17T06:13:00.001-07:00

Recently I completed 2 custom orders for one of my very sweetest customers....2 - 6" x 8" paintings on gallery canvas. The first piece is "Monarch Butterfly & White Lilacs".

This piece is named "Bluebird & Peach Roses". Both paintings are set against a black background with colors surrounding the subjects done with an abstract technique. A cheerful set of paintings to have worked on recently, especially with all the rain we've had in the northeast.

"Strength" Acrylic Painting On Gallery Canvas

2011-09-10T13:52:00.001-07:00

Are you fascinated with the majestic stature and quiet beauty of trees? I know I am and that is what led me to create "Strength", a 24" x 36" tree painting on gallery canvas. I think sometimes beautiful trees are overshadowed by the flash and beauty of colorful gardens. I took so many beautiful tree photos on my vacation and as I walked around looking at all the different varieties, it really hit me that while the lovely gardens come and go with the seasons, the trees are ever-present all year long.

Spanish Flower Show....

2011-09-02T08:36:00.001-07:00

Last month Chris and I went to a beautiful exhibit at the NY Botanical Garden, The Spanish Flower Show. I've often heard that a picture is worth a thousand words so being that this show was so lovely, no words are necessary to guide you through this tour......enjoy.

"Wheels Of Time" Acrylic Abstract

2011-08-25T06:27:00.000-07:00

Last week I just finished my newest abstract painting, "Wheels Of Time". I had so much fun painting this piece, I would say it has to be one of my favorites. This painting was inspired by my weekly walks, I get a lot of wonderful ideas and inspirations from walking out in nature. One of my favorite places to end my walk each day is the cemetery right down the street from my house. Filled with lots of history and fabulous monuments, including that of George Armstrong Custer (my personal favorite) it always gets me thinking about the passage of time and the people who have come before me.

If you didn't think a comtemporary abstract painting could be inspired by a historic landmark....well, here you go, the above is proof that it can be.

Bridal Registry At Celebrations Gallery

2011-08-21T07:44:00.001-07:00

When it comes to bridal registries I always used to think of big box type stores, you know, lots of pots and pans, knife sets and other necessities required to set up house.

I learned this week that there are other alternatives to the traditional or usual registry destinations....sure, we all need pots and pans but we also need art to make our house a home and give it our own personal touch. Imagine receiving a beautiful painting, hand blown glass, or a special piece of sculpture to start your new life together. Celebrations Gallery in Pomfret, CT offers a bridal registry for couples looking for something truly special for their new home.

A beautiful gallery with lots to offer, in a wide array of prices and styles to fit different tastes and budgets. To learn more about this gallery you can visit: www.celebrationsshoppes.com .

"Epiphany" - Abstract Acrylic Triptych

2011-08-13T05:51:00.000-07:00

Recently I've had the great desire to start painting abstracts and "Epiphany" was my first completed piece. Sometimes you can really surprise yourself with what interests you as well as the new directions creativity can take if you just let yourself run wild. I'm really having so much fun with abstracts that I'm currently working on my 3rd one right now. Anything is possible if you just open your mind to new ideas.

This painting measures: 12" h x 21" w x 1 1/2" d and is currently at Celebrations Gallery:

www.celebrationsshoppes.com .

More Photos Of Beautiful Newport

2011-08-07T06:51:00.000-07:00

Touring the mansions of Newport RI is truly a beautiful experience. I've been leafing through all the photos I took on this trip and tried to pick out my favorites......it wasn't easy, let me tell you. I'm going to make this a silent tour of Newport because I believe the beautiful architecture and views speak for themselves......no words necessary.

I hope you enjoyed snatching a glimpse of beautiful Newport.

Back From Vacation.....

2011-07-31T06:52:00.000-07:00

This year for our vacation we went to Newport Rhode Island. This was our 3rd trip to Newport but it had been many years since our last visit. Our favorite thing to do is visit the gorgeous victorian era mansions or "cottages" as they were called over 100 years ago.

I did take lots of photos of the houses but there are just too many pictures to sort through at the moment so I thought I would concentrate on the luscious landscaping for now.

Everywhere you turn there are beautiful vistas of the Atlantic ocean.

Gorgeous houses everywhere you look.

One evening we took a walk along the marina as the sun was going down....just beautiful.

Newport was full of Hydrangeas and this particular home had the most gorgeous purple blooms I've seen.

Next time I will show some mansions and lots of beautiful garden sculptures that are sure to inspire some of my future nature scapes.

A Vacation Blog Break....

2011-07-08T05:34:00.000-07:00

I'm taking a break for a while, going on a much needed vacation for some relaxation and inspiration. I plan to be back in the blogging world in a couple of weeks but in the meantime, I thought I would share my latest garden photos.

I hope everyone is enjoying a blooming, sunny garden this year. Enjoy summer!!!!!

The Beauty Of Orchids

2011-06-30T05:34:00.000-07:00

Even though at this time of the year my garden is in full bloom outside, I cannot forget my inside orchid garden. I was so happy to see my spotted phalaenopsis spiking this year. Last year when it tried to bloom it had a bout with spider mites and had to be relegated to the basement while I got rid of the bugs. By the tiime it emerged again upstairs, it was no longer interested in blooming.

Beautiful shades of white are always a favorite of mine.

A brand new orchid for my collection this year, purple and white are a beautiful combination.

The orchid above is one of my favorites, I call it "woody" fo the wooden pot it is planted in. I bought this phalaenopsis bare root off of ebay years ago. It took 3 years to start blooming for me and has been a reliable orchid ever since, creating beautiful blooms every year.

Life always inspires art, 2 years ago I created my "Purple Phalaenopsis" painting to express how much I love my orchid collection. This year I feel another orchid painting coming on and I think this time, I will create the painting with a multiple canvas layout. I'm not sure what kind of orchid I will paint yet but I'll be ready with my paintbrush when the urge strikes.

How Does Your Garden Grow.....

2011-06-24T07:37:00.001-07:00

My back perennial garden is growing with lots of rain this week. I was so lucky yesterday, out in a torrential rain storm with the 3 dogs (on our way to the groomer) with nothing but a sweat jacket for protection. Not one of the finer weather moments I've encountered lately but the rainy weather this week has been making my garden grow.

Colorful threadbare coreopsis......

The roses have been in bloom since earlier this month but the hydrangeas have just started.

Lilies.......

Lilies and more lilies have been blooming thanks to the alternating rain and sun.

How is your garden growing these days?

"Essence" Acrylic Hummingbird Painting

2011-06-18T05:29:00.000-07:00

The newest piece to come off my easel is "Essence" a hummingbird painting inspired by the sweet little visitors I've been seeing in my back garden. Each year I plant cascade geraniums in my hanging pots out back I always look forward to the hummingbirds they attract. I was just in the kitchen last night, cleaning up after dinner and was getting ready to close the blinds when I saw a little hummer visiting all 3 of my geraniums. Right before dark, this little guy was a real treat to watch as I was finishing up my day.

I had lots of fun with the background on this one and in fact, liked the effect so much, I will definately be creating more paintings with this abstract and fanciful style to them. The painting measures 24" x 30" on 1 1/2" deep gallery wrap canvas.

At least I get to enjoy this little hummingbird for a few weeks before he ends up flying out of my house. I hope you are inspired each day by the creatures in nature that come to visit in your own garden.

A Garden Dragonfly That Sparked An Idea

2011-06-12T06:07:00.000-07:00

I took this dragonfly photo 3 years ago when I came outside one day to find this little guy waiting for me in my garden. He was kind enough to sit still while I took this photo of him resting on one of my Iris leaves. I didn't think much of it at the time but last year in 2010, I became very inspired by this photo as I looked at it over the course of months. He didn't know it at the time but this dragonfly inspired me to create 3 paintings based on my sighting that day. The paintings really do not look at all like him, he just planted the seed that created the spark in my mind and my imagination did the rest.

This small dragonfly painting is called "Floating", featuring a large and small dragonfly team.

This piece is my favorite of the bunch for sure...."Kaleidoscope Dragonflies". With this diptych I wanted to create a painting that reminded me of looking through a kaleidoscope with all the changing colors and shapes. The dragonflies also wrap around the sides on this piece.

"Dancing Dragonflies" was the first painting to be created after I saw my garden visitor. What is the inspiration for your favorite creations, how did a spark of an idea take hold in your mind? I would love to hear how everyone else gets inspired to create what they love.

Clematis Blooms And The Inspiration For A Painting

2011-06-04T13:19:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in my last post, inspirations for paintings come from just about anywhere and everywhere you can imagine. Each year I always take photos of my Clematis when they start to bloom in the spring. They are so colorful and elegant, I simply love this blooming vine.

I have 3 colors, pink, white (which remind me of fragile pieces of paper) and purple, which is of course my favorite color.

I've been wanting to paint some Clematis for a while now and seeing the blooms start to emerge a few weeks ago got me inspired to get going with my ideas.

This painting is entitles "Flourish" and showcases the blooms of my pink Clematis, set against a black background.

This piece is a triptych and it was lots of fun to position the canvases to imitate how the Clematis vines grow out in the garden. The vines flow up, down and all around the trellis I have set up for them.

I think the black background always sets a colorful design off and makes it really pop.

This triptych measures a total of 13" h x 19" w x 1/1/2" d. Each panel is a different size, which also represents the different sizes of the flowers and blooms when they are growing out in the garden. My purple and pink Clematis are the largest and the whites are the smallest, most delicate looking of the 3 varieties. The canvases are 8" h x 8" w - 8" h x 6" w & 6" h x 4" w.

I hope this spring everyone can find a focal point in their gardens that will inspire a new creation.

Butterfly Photos, Inspirations & Nature Scape Paintings

2011-05-29T11:18:00.000-07:00

I was just speaking with someone recently about how ideas and inspirations for paintings come along. The kind of ideas that take seed in your mind, even through the course of years and end up being something you feel, as an artist, you have to paint, you cannot help yourself. That got me focused on butterflies and this lead me to think of the different inspirations for some of my favorite butterfly paintings that I've done.

I started getting fascinated by butterflies, I think, when I first took this series of photos back in the fall of 2009. We were at Mohonk Mountain House for our anniversary and these gorgeous Monarchs (I admit, they are my favorite butterfly) were drawn to the Verbena patch and I in turn, was drawn to them.

I took so many photos of these beauties over the course of the couple of days that we were there and then, like so many other photos, I filed them away for possible use in the future.

Fast forward to the summer of 2010 (at least, that is about when I think it was) that patch chuck full of butterflies from the year before , became the painting above "Monarch".

Believe it or not, those photos inspired these paintings as well. True, for these I left the Verbena behind and instead wanted to incorporate my favorite butterflies into my new obsession, trees. I was particularly fascinated with Apple Blossoms at the time and so, I created "Monarchy" above.

When Monarchy left my house, believe it or not, I was a bit sad, as it cheered me up each day that I looked at it. I had hung it in my studio and so, I could see it while I was working and really enjoyed it's happy presence . Because I missed that painting, I wanted another one with my favorite butterflies and Apples Blossoms but this time, with a bit of a different background and I wanted a multi-canvas piece and ended so up creating "Monarchs Emerging". This one hung in my dining room until it flew away so at least I did get to see it for a while.

Back in 2007, I spent quite a lot of time photographing this Swallowtail that was hanging around the front of my house to be near my Impatiens. I was out there constantly because pretty much every afternoon that I walked the dogs, there he was, back again, waiting for me to photograph him.

Actually, this particular butterfly was not very cooperative and did lead me on a merry chase throughout the yard. For this reason, I ended up with lots of blurry photos but, I did get some that came out well, the few times I could get him to sit still that is.

In 2008 I took photos of one of my spring time favorites....Lilacs. They grow on the side of my house and I love cutting them to bring inside each year.

A couple of months ago, I was on the phone with someone and for whatever reason, the idea came to me like a light bulb going on, I wanted to paint lilacs and a Swallowtail butterfly together. I'm not sure why this idea occured to me at the time it did but I immediately wanted to get started on "Awakening" below.

With 3 new paintings that I've just finished, now is the hard tiime for me, deciding what to do next. Last night I was awake for some time trying to think of the next subject for the next painting. I think I know what I"ll do but I'm never totally sure until I start work on the next piece. I'm wondering, what inspires you?? What kind of thought process goes into creating some beauty in your life?

Dynamic Duos Show At Celebrations Gallery

2011-05-23T07:42:00.000-07:00

Friday evening Chris and I jouneyed up to CT to attend the opening reception of the Dynamic Duos event at Celebrations Gallery. Each piece featured in the show was a collaboration between 2 artists coming together to create one unique original work.

These two beautiful floor cloths were front and center when you entered the shows main exhibit space.

Everywhere we turned we could see the color, creativity and diversity of each piece of art on display.

Shown on the top shelf is the necklace that Anna Mancini and I worked on together.

The biggest thrill at this show however was getting to meet one of my first customers since I joined Celebrations Gallery. Mary and her husband Bud were at the show and we had a wonderful time taking lots of photos together. It was so great to meet Mary and Bud and get to spend an hour or so talking with them. It was also very kind of her to bring along photos from her home to share with me how she has displayed my artwork. Mary and I are shown above, seated in front of one of my paintings.

Mary was kind enough to take a photo of Chris and I in front of one of my Monarch butterfly quadtychs.

We did arrive at the show a bit early so it gave me some time to run around the gallery with my camera and take photos of my own work on display. This is the first time I had gotten to see my work shown throughout the gallery so, it was a tremendous amount of fun for me.

They have such a colorful, happy and eclectic mix of artwork at Celebrations and it was lovely to see how all the different pieces were mixed and matched together.

Really a very perfect and fun evening. The artwork, conversation and the food was simply a pleasure to see.

A Short Break....

2011-05-10T08:06:00.000-07:00

I'm taking a blogging break for a couple of weeks to get lots of gardening done and start some new multi-canvas nature-scapes. Enjoy the beautiful May weather.

The Orchid Show - Part 2

2011-05-07T06:19:00.000-07:00

Going through all my photos from the orchid show, I broke them down into two categories, close-ups, which I showed last time and overall shots so you can see the theme of this years show......... Broadway.

A beautiful stage is on display in the main entrance of the conservatory. It was just stunning.

In the central display room of the conservatory .....a beautiful chandelier of orchids hangs from the ceiling.

Amazing orchid displays could be seen everywhere you walked.

Looking up, orchid garlands were cascading down around us as we walked through the last part of the display.

This years show was just amazing, I hope you've enjoyed my tour. If you want to see the displays of past years, go to the "out and about" section in the right hand column of my blog. Each year is beautiful in it's own way and each year there is a different theme.

Kaleidoscope Dragonflies Diptych On Gallery Canvas

2011-04-30T05:55:00.000-07:00

The latest painting to sprout wings and fly out of my sunroom studio is called "Kaleidoscope Dragonflies". When I envisioned working on this painting, I wanted to create a piece of art that was brimming with lots of colors, which lead me to start thinking about all the colors and shapes you would see if you looked through a kaleidoscope. As you turn it in your hands, the images you see in the kaleidoscope keep continuously changing. That was the inspiration for this latest painting.

Each panel is painted in acrylics on 1 1/2" deep gallery wrap canvas. Each piece measures 18" h x 6" w. Although they are displayed as a diptych, they can also stand alone as the design wraps around the sides of each canvas.

The total measurements for the display I have shown are: 24" h x 14 1/2" w. They could be displayed any way the heart desires though....it is up to the person hanging this set, how they wish to arrange them.

This painting is available at Celebrations Gallery.... http://www.celebrationsshoppes.com/ . I hope everybody has a wonderful week that is full of beautiful, ever changing colors.

Awakening - Swallowtail Butterfly & Lilac Acrylic Triptych

2011-04-22T06:54:00.000-07:00

A new painting just flew out of my studio this week.... "Awakening"- a swallowtail butterfly triptych. This piece and a few others will be flying off to Celebrations Gallery next week . www.celebrationsshoppes.com .

I really got the bug to paint some lilacs a couple of weeks ago and felt that a swallowtail would be the focal point of this painting should I decide to put my ideas on canvas.

I always have lots of ideas for paintings floating around my brain, some come to fruition while others seem to fade off as nothing becomes of them, while more still, get filed away on the back burner for another time.

With this particular piece, I didn't think about it all that much, I got the idea and decided to run with it. I wanted to use black as a background because I knew it would be very striking with the subject matter. All that remained was for me to play around with the orientation of different sized canvases to see which sizes and configurations I wanted to use.

Displayed with a 1/4" between each panel, this piece measures a total of 16" h x 16" w. Each panel is a 1 1/2" deep gallery canvas. The top piece being 8" x 8" and the smaller canvases measuring 6" h x 4"w.

I hope this brings a little springtime cheer into your day.

The New York Botanical Garden Orchid Show

2011-04-19T15:14:00.000-07:00

The New York Botanical Garden is starting to burst into spring bloom. Although today was rainy and dreary, Chris and I went to the orchid show as we do every year. Inside the Enid Haupt Conservatory there are no worries about rain, only a display of gorgeous orchids.

Come on in and take a peek.......

As usual, I shot too many pictures to list in one or two posts but I will do my best to highlight some of the beautiful plants we saw. Today I'm focusing on close up shots and in the next blog post I'll show some of the overall displays. I've only sorted through a fraction of the photos so far.

I don't think orchids this beautiful need much said on their behalf so, consider this a silent movie of sorts ....... Enough said!!!! Just Enjoy!!!!

Dynamic Duos Exhibition At Celebrations Gallery

2011-04-14T05:46:00.000-07:00

Celebrations Gallery & Shoppes in scenic Pomfret CT is hosting a new show next month, The Dynamic Duos Exhibition which will run from May 20th to July 3rd. Usually we artists are a solitary lot when it comes to our work but for this particular show , those participating have stepped outside the box and teamed up with a fellow artisan to create a variety of beautiful and creative works. I colaborated with the very talented jewelry artist Anna Mancini and we created the necklace you see above. I decided on a spring theme, pink tulips on a black background, which I then hand painted on 6 puzzle pieces and Anna took that pendant and created something quite magical around it, the beautiful beaded necklace that you see above . The postcard for the exhibit just arrived and I was blown away by it, the first thing I noticed was all the vibrant color, color, color. I cannot wait to go to the opening evening of the show next month and not only see the necklace in person but all the other beautiful works that the participating artists have colaborated on. If you are in the area, please stop by or you can visit Celebrations' website at http://www.celebrationsshoppes.com/ .

Summer's Sweet Song - Acrylic Tree-Scape Quadtych On Gallery Canvas

2011-04-09T13:53:00.000-07:00

What can I say, in my mind, no matter what time of year it actually is........I live in the summertime, it is my favorite season and I'm truly happiest when the world is in bloom. This painting is really my tribute to my favorite time of year. I had a lot of fun painting on the 4 different sized canvases and creating the 2 singing birds high up in the trees.

This first panel is the perfect shape to form the body of the tree - 18" h x 6" w.

From there we go further on up the tree with a 14"h x 11" w canvas panel.

Then - 8" h x 8" w and

then a 6" h x 4" w panel. This painting measures a total of 26" h x 26 1/2" w.

I hope you like "Summer's Sweet Song", the newest painting to come out of my studio.

http://www.artfulcreationsbyruthwelter.artfire.com/ .

Attraction - Acrylic Hummingbird Quadtych Painting

2011-04-03T07:05:00.000-07:00

"Attraction" is a new acrylic quadtych on gallery canvas that just came off my easel last week. I've actually been wanting to paint this for quite some time, a couple of years actually.

It all started one spring when I went to the nursery to get the annuals for my back porch. I have a very sunny location in the backyard so I love geraniums for my pots out there as they are so hardy, colorful and sun & heat tolerant.

I had always gotten zonal gernaiums but this particular year, I saw cascade geraniums and thought for my hanging pots at least, they would be perfect. What I didn't realize was, cascade geraniums attract..............

HUMMINGBIRDS!!!! Imagine my happy surprise at this discovery.

So now each summer, cascade geraniums fill my hanging pots out back and I am treated to the site of hummingbirds fluttering around on a daily basis.

This painting has already flown off to it's new home....I hope it will be enjoyed each day, for a long time to come.

Monarchs Emerging - Acrylic Quadtych

2011-03-27T15:03:00.000-07:00

Has it really been almost a month since I last blogged?? I cannot believe it, where am I....what have I been doing....why did I wait, am I still alive?? All good questions, I've just been here, in the studio, alive, painting away and maybe, I don't know , carried away too because I was shocked to see how long it has been since I last posted. I'll have to pay a lot more attention next time.

Some people have wardrobe malfunctions, technical problems, you name it, depending of course on what profession they happen to be in. Me, I've had a camera man problem. In other words, the guy behind the camera, the one that usually takes my painting photos (aka Chris) has been really busy these days and so we just got down to work today, taking some photos of paintings that have been waiting very patiently to be photographed.

This is one of my latest paintings......"Monarchs Emerging" paying tribute to my favorite butterflies, perched on an apple blossom tree.

This piece is made up of 4 canvases, each 1 1/2" deep and measuring a total of 18"h x 25" w. Two canvases that measure 8"h x 8" w and 2 that measure 6"h x 4" w.

I've also just learned about the concept of measuring my paintings to include the negative space. Not just what the pieces measure if you just push them together but measuring them as they are displayed, with the exact amount of space inbetween each panel and the whole display being taken into consideration for the total measurment. I must have seemed dim as this concept was explained to me because it took me quite a while to get it, the measuring stick and I have never been great friends.....give me a ruler and I can miss measure quite a lot of things, draw a straight line.......are you kidding, can others really achieve that with a straight ruler?? Anyway, all kidding aside, Celebrations Gallery put me onto the concept of measuring properly ,who knew, you learn something new everyday if you pay attention.

I hope you like this piece. It has to be one of my favorites. Although, anything I paint with this species of butterfly is a favorite, also, any painting that any other artist paints with the beautiful Monarch always captures my attention as well so, maybe I need to GET REAL, I just plain old, love painting these butterflies!! I am however , really getting into the concept of using multiple canvases of different sizes in my work. I think this is a very sculptural look on the wall, something I'm really enjoying exploring. It is very creative, challenging and most of all, fun to lay out the designs on pieces like this.

I'm in the process of closing my Ruby Lane shop and will instead be hosting my canvas work on ArtFire.... http://www.artfulcreationsbyruthwelter.artfire.com/ . This piece and others to come soon will all be listed there. That may be another reason I've been MIA the last few weeks, opening a new shop seems to take forever, which I never seem to realize before I start doing it. It is still not done but as some what of an optimist, I will refer to it as a work in progress.

A New Path......

2011-03-02T09:58:00.001-08:00

Sometimes you just want something new in your life and you want to take your creative work in a whole new and unique direction. This is what I was feeling like last fall, I really wanted a avenue for my fine art, one where it would be showcased and appreciated. I also wanted to concentrate on my canvas art and spend a lot more time with it each week, working on different techniques and expanding in new directions. It was about that time that I started contacting galleries around the country to hopefully find a good fit for my artwork. I was lucky enough to have taken the chance and contacted Celebrations Gallery in Pomfret CT. Just this past Monday, I took a road trip up to beautiful northeast CT with my car full of painted canvases, ready to start out on a new artful journey. I'm so excited to say that my work is now going to be represented by Celebrations Gallery & Shoppes. I'm happy about the new path I'm taking and feel it will do a lot to push me in different creative directions and be a great challenge for me in the upcoming months. I'm very proud to have my work there!!!! If you are in the area, you should visit, the gallery is just gorgeous, filled with a wide variety of art to please any taste. http://www.celebrationsshoppes.com/

A Beautiful New Orchid

2011-02-22T09:44:00.001-08:00

My art studio is in a state of flux at the moment, canvases being wired for hanging and packed up for a road trip next Monday....More about that next week. For the time being though, I thought I would share a new orchid that I added to my collection a couple of months back. A lovely Miltonia species called "Pacific Clouds".

The name fits so well I think!! I was attracted to this beauty because of the lovely pure white color and yellow center. Well, I was also attracted to this one because it was $20 as well. Hey, when trying a new kind of Orchid, it is always a possibility that it will not work out so, the more affordable the better. : )

Miltonia's are nicknamed The Pansy Orchid because of their beautiful shape. I must admit I see them each year at the Orchid show and drool so I knew when I saw this beauty, that I had to give it a try. Speaking of the Orchid Show, it will be starting next month at The New York Botanical Garden . I cannot wait to go and take lots of photos to share with you.

Spring Breaking Through - Tree-Scape Triptych

2011-02-13T06:57:00.001-08:00

The latest painting to come off my easel is a very symbolic piece of art....."Spring Breaking Through". The vivid color and happiness of spring, breaking through the darker, colder months of winter. I know everyone, everywhere is a bit disenchanted with winter this year and this piece is meant to portray the excitement of those first few days of spring.

Each panel measures 18" x 6" on 1 1/2" deep gallery wrapped canvas.

Lets hope for an early spring this year, maybe in March we'll all get to see spring breaking through in our own part of the country. www.artfulcreationsbyruthwelter.artfire.com .

Cheerful Blooms......

2011-01-31T15:12:00.000-08:00

As the snow seems to keep falling here in the north east, I'm grateful for my indoor garden to provide lots of cheer and inspiration.

My big white Phalaenopsis that I showed a few posts below, has 8 blooms that have now fully opened. I think this is the most glorious this particular orchid has ever looked. I know it will always be a favorite of mine.

I'm trying little tricks here and there with some of my other orchids to see if I can encourage them to spike as well. Some others in my collection are blooming beautifully right now as well and I will have to show those in another post soon.

I've tried some Amaryllis this winter too and have been loving watching them grow and bloom.

I just got a new batch of Amaryllis bulbs in the mail today, some gorgeous colors. One is called Apple Blossom so you can imagine what that will look like and the other reminds me of my white Phalaenopsis orchid above (I think that is why I ordered it), white with a yellow/green center. Cannot wait to plant them.

These blooms also make great inspirations for a multi canvas painting in the future, Hmm.......

"In The Treetop" Acrylic Triptych On Gallery Canvas

2011-01-22T06:55:00.000-08:00

I finished my newest triptych this week - "In The Treetop". I decided to have a lot of fun with this one and work with 3 different sized canvases.

The first gallery canvas is 8" x 8"......

The second is 8" x 6" and.............

The third is 4" x 6", coming together for a grand total of 12" h x 23" w. This piece is fun, sparkly and quite contemporary. I think I will be creating paintings with different sized canvases a lot more in the future, I like to look and feel of the different sizes together. I'm currently trying to finish a new painting, a diptych (2 canvases) called "Kaleidoscope Dragonflies" . The dragonfly part you have probably figured out but I bet you are wondering about the kaleidoscope part, you'll just have to wait and see. I've been working on all these paintings for a very special reason and hopefully, in the next few weeks, I'll be talking about the meaning behind it all.

This piece is soon to be available at my Artfire shop: www.artfulcreationsbyruthwelter.artfire.com .

"Dancing Dandelions - Acrylic Triptych On Gallery Canvas

2011-01-14T07:23:00.000-08:00

Now that the first of the year has come and gone, I'm back to painting in my studio....vacation time is officially over at this point. While I love taking time off, I'm always eager to get back to things in my studio, much as I enjoy the break, I charish my creative time and usually feel very refreshed and ready to hit the easel once again with lots of new ideas. My first new painting of the year is a bit abstract and a bit whimsical as well - "Dancing Dandelions".

This is an acrylic triptych painting on 1 1/2" deep gallery canvas.

Each panel measures 4" x 12" for a total of 12" x 12" in all.

There are many ways to display this set of panels and I got a little creative with arranging them on my wall, for what I think is a fun display.

This set is eye catching because I used quite a bit of metallic pearl white to paint the dandelions. The painting shimmers and shines when it is hung on the wall. Now available at my Artfire shop: www.artfulcreationsbyruthwelter.artfire.com . Just finishing up another triptych today so hopefully will be showing that one next week....stay tuned at any rate.

New Blooms This week....

2011-01-07T15:32:00.000-08:00

Another one of my Phalaenopsis orchids just started blooming this week, it is a lovely, deep rich pink. This orchid formed 4 new buds total, 2 are still waiting to bloom.

Such a pretty little orchid and when it started to spike about 2 months ago, I was surprised because it hadn't finished blooming for the first time all that long ago.

When I first saw the spike, this is what it looked like. I usually notice them when I'm watering , or inspecting for bugs, fertilizing etc. Spikes are always the happiest of surprises.

About a week later......

A couple of weeks after that, look how tall this spike has grown.

If you look very closely, you can see the beginnings of the buds starting to form at the end of the spike.

At this point, I've had to secure the spike with a stake just to give it some support. Now you can clearly see the buds that have formed. There should have been another set of photos after this one, to show how big and plump the buds had become but that might have been during my jury duty week and so, those photos never did get taken.

The buds actually sat for weeks before they opened. I started to think they wouldn't bloom at all and there is no bigger bummer then that, well, maybe the orchid falling of the table and the spike breaking off, I've done that before and that was a serious disappointment. Sometimes though, when an orchid isn't doing what I want or expect it to, I try to shake things up a bit to help stimulate the plant. In this case I moved this Phal to a chilly room in my house each night and then returned it to the grow light during the day. I also gave it an extra dose of fertilizer to help boost it's happiness level. Whichever idea worked or didn't work, the orchid did manage to start opening and the blooms seem quite content at this point.

Orchid Blooms For The New Year....

2011-01-01T14:29:00.001-08:00

This week I got some new year's blooms on my large white Phalaenopsis orchid. I love this orchid, it is a reliable bloomer for me and will fill the next 3 months or so with these large, lovely white blooms.

Two newly opened blooms and one bud that is about to open.....8 buds altogether that will start the blooming process from the back, forward.

You may remember about 2 months ago or so, I started charting the progress of the spike growth. This is a photo of the spike when I first noticed it, about 1/2" tall.

The following week I could see significant growth.

The spike is starting to get quite large now and is a few inches tall.

As weeks go by, the spike is growing in leaps and bounds.

At this point the spike is so tall that it needs to be staked.

This large white orchid is an unbelievable 30" tall by this point and has 8 buds that are waiting to open. This is literally the only place in the house I can grow this plant for the time being. It is so tall and the flowers are so high, that it needs to be at just the right height to be able to admire them.

A 3rd bud waiting to open, 5 more still to bloom.

I hope everyone had a lovely holiday season and I wish you all a happy new year. For me, my vacation now ends and I'm back in the studio again to paint......and enjoy my orchid blooms along the way.

Happy Holidays To All From The 3 Tzus.......

2010-12-22T09:06:00.001-08:00

Just wanted to stop by and wish everyone a lovely holiday. I'm not much of a Christmas card sender, in fact, it has been many years since I've sent cards out. The 3 Tzus however, insisted that they get to send out some holiday greetings via the internet so, for me, I"ll see you in the new year with some new artwork and the 3 Tzus wish you a happy holiday from Dudley.......

Willow.......

And Orchid.

(Please don't take my picture while I'm trying to sleep mom).

"Gazing Upward" - Acrylic Painting & Sand Dollar Pendant Set

2010-12-12T10:07:00.000-08:00

Did you every hear that old expression, when it rains it pours?? That is about where I am in the world these days. So much seems to be going on all at once and I'm not really finding the time to stay up to date with blogging or even getting on the computer for that matter. A week of jury duty turned into being selected for a trial, which I thought I would have hated but I must admit to enjoying and being quite fascinated by the process. In short, I'm glad to have had this experience, I never thought I would hear myself utter those words, but there they are. All this fun of course has kept me away from painting as well so I've just been doing what I can, when I can. This chickadee is the second in my painting/pendant combo sets.

The chickadee is painted on an 8" x 8" gallery canvas that is 1 1/2" deep.

The matching pendant is painted on a 2" sand dollar.

This set is now in my Artfire shop: www.artfulcreationsbyruthwelter.artfire.com . Once my head comes up above water level again, I can start to think about Christmas....how can it already be 2 weeks away??

"Whimsy Leaf" Acrylic Painting & Puzzle Art Pendant Set

2010-12-03T10:12:00.000-08:00

Where did Thanksgiving go, does anyone know?? I really feel as if it were summer just yesterday and then turkey day was coming and now boom, it's gone and Christmas is on it's way . The weeks sometimes get away from me when I've got a lot of painting projects that I'm working on or trying to decide how to execute them. One of the ideas I've been playing around with are miniature painting and pendant sets. I thought that a set for each kind of pendant would be pretty neat, ie....puzzle, sand dollar, wood and glass.

This is one of the first, "Whimsy Leaf" it's painted on a 2" puzzle pendant and an 8" x 8" gallery wrapped canvas.

Some of the squiggles have been carried around to decorate the sides of the canvas.

Of course, whimsical circles and squiggles were added to the pendant as well so that it would coordinate nicely with the canvas painting.

The first set is now available in my Artfire shop: www.artfulcreationsbyruthwelter.artfire.com .

Orchid Progress......

2010-11-23T07:34:00.000-08:00

When I posted about a month ago, I promised to show the progress of some of my orchids that are in the process of spiking at the moment. I thought it would be a lot of fun to follow them with photos from the beginning stages of the spike, to bud development and finally blooms. Since I last posted about my collection, I noticed that I now have a total of 5 Phalaenopsis orchids in spike, to an orchid grower, this has to be like wining the lottery. Today though, I'm focusing on the progress of my large white Phalaenopsis that you can see above. Nope, it isn't blooming yet but this is what it will look like when it does bloom in the upcoming weeks.

I've tried to be very faithful about taking photos of the spikes' progress and was able to remember to get the camera out at least once a week. So the above photo was taken about a month ago when the spike first started.

In a weeks time you can see quite a bit of growth progress was made.

The week after that.......

and finally, the week after that. At this point the spike is getting so large I will need to stake it soon.

This is the spike as it is today, a very large 16" tall and it has been secured by a stake and some of my dragonfly clips. So in about a months time, the orchid spike has grown quite large. Good things always come to those who wait, this is so true with orchids!!!

Over the next few weeks the formation of the buds will start and I will follow them through formation and finally blooming until they look something like the photo above, my blooms from last year.

Happy Thanksgiving holiday to everyone.

Mystical Tree - Acrylic Painting On Gallery Canvas

2010-11-15T08:39:00.000-08:00

"Mystical Tree" is my latest acrylic painting on gallery canvas....centainly not your ordinary tree, that is for sure. There is a magical and mystical quality about it, hence the name.

Swirls of blue, green, white and black fill the centers of the leaves.....

Large exposed gnarled roots, along with the tree, are done in black and set a against a colorful background, framed by a symbolic leaf shape along the sides.

This particular piece was so much fun to paint on this large canvas that measures 24" x 30" and has 1 1/2" deep gallery wrapped sides that are painted black.

Listed on my Artfire site: www.artfulcreationsbyruthwelter.artfire.com .

Celebrations Gallery - Small Works, Artful Treasures Show

2010-11-09T11:57:00.000-08:00

Well as promised, I did not forget my camera last Sat, November 6th when I attended the opening reception of the Small Works, Artful Treasures show at Celebrations Gallery in Pomfret CT.

The small works show took place in the grand foyer of this beautiful 1880's Queen Anne victorian, which is the home of Celebrations Gallery.

This show focuses on smaller works of art that are under $200 and the show runs from November 6th - January 7th.

Everywhere I turned on Sat I saw beautiful artwork, adorning the walls and display cases. The table to the right was full of baked goodies to eat and Celebrations was also serving hot tea and apple cider for the occasion as well.

The artwork is beautifully displayed all throughout the gallery, hanging on the walls and resting on the furniture. My vintage ceiling tin is on the left.

Of course, there is also a whole upstairs filled with more wonderful artwork. Just because the show was downstairs didn't mean I wasn't going to venture upstairs with my camera.

This fabulous chair by artist Wolfgang Schweizer was upstairs.........

As was this gorgeous bench by woodburning artist Merideth Berthiaume.

I think that my favorite piece at the gallery right now though is this gorgeous chair that is downstairs and displayed for everyone to see as they walk in the door. This incredible piece of work was painted by artist David Stumpo.

My favorite part of the chair has to be the cardinal on the seat. I got a chance to meet David and talk with him and his wife while I was at the show. A wonderful artist, so talented and humble.

I really had a wonderful 2 hours that I spent at Celebrations, viewing all the work, including my own and getting to talk with some of the other artists there.

Small Works, Artful Treasures At Celebrations Gallery

2010-11-03T11:12:00.000-07:00

I was invited this year to take part in the upcoming holiday art show and sale at Celebrations Gallery & Shoppes in Pomfret Ct. The show runs from November 6th to January 7th and features artwork from artists all over the region , in a variety of media, each piece under $200.00. Saturday November 6th will be a "Meet The Artists Reception" from 2-5 pm.

This beautiful post card represents just some of the works to be shown at the show and sale. I was thrilled to have one of my paintings "Under The Trees" (bottom left corner) selected for the front of the card.

I plan to ride up to CT for a little while this weekend and hope to take some photos at the event. I say hope too, because often I mean to bring my camera along with me at important times and then end up forgetting to altogether . I will try very hard to remember not to forget it this time and will be posting some photos from the reception and gallery next week.

Orchid Anticipations......

2010-10-28T06:54:00.001-07:00

One of the most exciting things for me (and I would imagine every orchid owner) is seeing the above one day as you are tending to your plants.....a lovely spike. This means that in a month or so I will have some beautiful blooms from one of my favorite orchids, in fact, my largest orchid. This beautiful Phalaenopsis will be producing lots of large white blooms with yellow centers. A couple of days after taking this photo, I was checking my other orchids and noticed another spike peeking out. This will be a first time re-bloom for the smaller orchid and I think the blooms are yellow but cannot quite remember. I guess I will be surprised when the time comes.

I've got 15 orchids in my collection now and I have to say, at this time of they year and through the winter especially, they bring me a lot of joy.

These are all new Phalaenopsis orchids I've just added to my collection....I love this beauty because it looks like it was painted with a brush on the tips of the petals.

I've been wanting a red orchid and I do have a tiny one but as of yet, that little guy has not re-bloomed for me so I'll keep trying with that one but in the mean time, I picked up this large red/white Phalaenopsis that has such beautiful blooms.

The colors on my newest acquisition are so soft and pretty. I picked this Phal up at Home Depot believe it or not. I wasn't there looking for orchids but happened to see it and it was priced just right so I couldn't resist. Not my favorite place to buy orchids but on the other hand, if you catch the super stores when they first get a shipment of plants in, you can often get them for a great price and before the store employees have managed to neglect, damage or just plain kill them.

Will these 3 new additions re-bloom for me in upcoming years?? Well, that will be the test and only time will tell.

With the two spikes I have going at the moment, I thought it would be a lot of fun to catalog their growth and progress by taking photos of the spikes each week, going right through to the first bloom opening. In the future I'll be showing their progress with the beautiful blooms as the end result.

Harbinger Of Spring Acrylic Painting

2010-10-17T15:26:00.000-07:00

First of all I want to thank everyone for the well wishes for little Dudley. He has recovered from his Vestibular Disease and is back to his old self again. In his mind he is probably ahead of the game because he got two new talking toys out of the deal.

I've been working on 3 new canvases, 2 tree scapes and this smaller multi-canvas painting, "Harbinger Of Spring" which was inspired by some beautiful tulips I saw at the spring bulb show at the Botanical garden a couple of years ago.

Each canvas panel measures 8" square for a total of 16" h x 8" w x 1/1/2" deep.

This painting will soon be listed in my shop at: www.artfulcreationsbyruthwelter.artfire.com . Back I go to work on my tree scapes.....

Blogging Break....

2010-09-30T07:04:00.000-07:00

I'll be taking a bit of a blogging break as I'm nursing my little Dudley back to his normal self. This past weekend his was struck suddenly with a condition called Vestibular Disease. It is apparently a pretty common condition for dogs and cats in the 12 - 13 year age range. Basically, it is a swelling of the brain in the Vestibular region which is the area that connects to the inner ear. This causes problems with the dogs equilibrium and basically, his whole world is upside down for a time. This affects the dog or cats abilility to stand, walk, eat, drink etc.

All this started while Chris was out of town, I always tell him he misses all the fun around here when he goes away because that always seems to be when all hell breaks loose. I really think that if I had a "go" button in my car and pressed it, the car would go on autopilot back to the vet's office.....it has just been one of those weeks. : )

The good news is that Dudley, like most animals stricken with this disease, will make a full recovery. This usually happens over the course of weeks so I will be a busy mom in aiding him back to health and his normal daily routine. If you haven't heard of this condition (and I sure hadn't before this past weekend) it is worth your time to Google it and learn a little more about it if you have a senior dog or cat. I wish I had known about it before this weekend let me tell ya.

Dudley says "woof" to all his friends in blog land and he will see you all in a couple of weeks when he is 100% again.

Dancing Dragonflies Triptych

2010-09-19T10:33:00.000-07:00

A new painting just came off the easel in my studio - "Dancing Dragonflies" . I bought some really wonderful canvases that I wanted to use to comprise this new triptych painting, I actually bought a couple of sets because I knew I would be hooked and would want to paint more pieces with this particular layout.

Each panel measures 18" x 6" and put together has a total measurement of 18" x 18".

I love the extra deep gallery canvas so as always, the depth of these cavases are 1 1/2".

I'm trying to finish up another triptych at the moment... "Spring Breaking Through" and I hope to be showing that soon. Each year we all look forward to spring time emerging with all the color and new growth of the season and that is what this new painting will be about, the unstoppable force that spring is, the new season breaking through the old. Hopefully that one will be done soon and ready for the camera in a few more days.

In The Treetop & A Winged Beauty

2010-08-12T06:13:00.000-07:00

This week I have been working on some smaller paintings......8" x 8" , 1 1/2" deep gallery canvases.

This little guy on the colorful and very happy background is "In The Treetop" which I think fits him just perfectly. I had a blast working on the background and loved the technique so much that I'm considering using it on a larger painting in the future.

"Winged Beauty" is of course another Monarch butterfly. I seem to be on a roll with these floating beauties lately, I'm really enjoying painting them.

For this background my goal was "earthy" and I think the colors and textures worked out just great for what I was tryiing to achieve. I would consider using this on a larger painting as well but I'm not sure yet, it was a tough background to achieve and even more so to paint on. Time will tell I suppose!

I hope you like the newest nature inspired paintings..........ENJOY!!!

www.artfulcreationsbyruthwelter.artfire.com .

Beautiful Bermuda Flamingos

2010-08-06T14:57:00.000-07:00

I really love Flamingos but every time I have seen them at the Bronx Zoo, I've not been able to get any really good photos.....not yet anyway but I'll keep trying.

Flamingos remind me of my favorite season....summer. When we were in Bermuda, we went to a zoo/aquarium that was jam packed with lots to see.

First we took a ferry from where our boat was docked to the city of Hamilton, from there we road by bus to the zoo. While small, the zoo and aquarium were beautiful and of course, they had lovely views of the ocean as well but I don't mean to get off subject.....I was excited to see such a large number of Flamingos in one place and Chris and I had the perfect spot to sit and watch them and of course, take lots of photos.

I moved out of the prime viewing spot only once to let other people have a look and then I was right back in my photo shooting position once they had left. I was able to take quite a lot of pictures but it was a bit challenging at times due to the constant movement of the group.

I tried to watch and get a lot of different shots as heads went up, down, in the water etc.... It was a lovely afternoon, hotter then blazes but lovely and it was wonderful to find so many of these beautiful birds in one spot.

Below is a pretty Flamingo plaque that my artist friend Jo hand painted and was kind enough to share with me so I could include it in my post. She is just getting a new website up and running and putting quite a lot of work into it and her artwork as well, so I hope you will visit her over at: http://www.neereandearcreations.com/ .

I hope you've enjoyed some of the photos of these beautiful birds.

Back From Bermuda.....

2010-07-21T06:20:00.001-07:00

We're back from our Bermuda cruise and Chris and I had a fabulous time, in fact, it was our best vacation EVER!! We not only enjoyed the cruise but Bermuda was gorgeous and very inspiring. We loved traveling by ship so much that we're hoping to take a cruise again next summer, it's the most fun way to transport yourself from one place to another that I have ever experienced. Above is our ship the Norwegian Dawn, I took this photos while we were docked at King's Wharf, I was actually on the balcony of a museum across the harbor.

I'm still sorting through photos (we took over 600) so I will be showing more once I get them all together into some kind of order. The above photo is one of the gorgeous sunsets we had while onboard the ship. The cruise ship in the left hand corner of the photos is a Celebrity ship that was following us to and from Bermuda.

We loved taking walks around deck 7 every evening as it was good to walk off some of the food we were eating and the view wasn't too shabby either. We loved hanging out at the back of the ship and I was taking photos of the water on this particular night.

Another lovely sunset on a different night......and there is that Celebrity cruise ship again.

Wherever you go in Bermuda you see the ocean.......

and some more ocean.......

You simply cannot take a bad photo, well you can but I mean to say it is easy to find beautiful subjects. Everywhere you turn, there is the ocean again.

We walked around quite a lot the first day and also took a trolley tour of St. George to get some of the historical background of the area we were touring.

Bermuda is just the place for artists' as all the houses are painted very gorgeous and striking colors. I wish we did that in the US, these colorful houses added such character and color to an already gorgeous landscape.

The houses were so pretty in fact that I found myself just taking pictures of all the wide spectrum of colors.

The above is a Hibiscus hedge.....for anyone who loves this flower as much as I do, this is a dream come true, these hedges were all over th island in an assortment of beautiful colors.

Everywhere we turned of course, in every direction, there were palm trees.

More ocean views and colorful houses......how can you go wrong with this vantage point when you are taking a picture.

We visited a beautiful 100 plus year old unfinished church, I'll have to show more photos of it next time, to me, it was one of my favorite places to walk around.

This church made a great stop for lots of pictures, lots of beautiful architectural elements to capture.

Next time I'll try to show some of the other lovely places we visited in Bermuda, all with the background of ocean, palm trees and yes, flowering Hibiscus hedges.

Cruising the High Seas.....

2010-07-03T17:11:00.001-07:00

I'm headed off for two weeks of vacation....one week spent at home relaxing and the second....drum roll please.....Chris and I are taking a cruise to Bermuda! Now that the cruise is happening in a week, I'm so excited I just cannot wait. I'll be taking a ton of photos on my trip and some I'll be sharing on my blog. It will be an amazing trip, especially because we've never done anything like this before.

One of the things I look forward to on my vacations is just some time away from thinking about art and painting, I need a mental as well as physical break from it all. I can always be sure to come back from my vacations filled with inspiration and lots of desire to paint. I've gotten a great recommendation on which beach to visit in Bermuda, it is supposed to be one of the most beautiful beaches anywhere, so I cannot wait to see it. I think my camera will get some non stop use on this trip and who knows....I might be feeling inspired to paint some ocean-scapes when I return home.

So in the mean time, enjoy the summery beauty that I captured with my camera while at the botanical garden recently........see you in a couple of weeks.

"Monarchy" - Acrylic Butterfly Painting

2010-06-28T11:33:00.000-07:00

I just finished my latest painting the other day....."Monarchy" dedicated to my favorite and certainly the royalty of the butterfly family............the monarch.

First I started with an idea and a sketch. Rather then draw directly onto the canvas, I prefer taping together several sheets of tracing paper and drawing my design on that, then transferring it to the canvas.

The background is a bright and vivid sky with whimsical circles to finish it out nicely. All three of my butterflies are perched on Apple Blossom branches and each one is painted with lots of attention to detail .

I tried to give each butterfly its own look and pose with the uppermost monarch being the center of attention on this painting. This piece measures a very large 36" h x 24" w and is painted on 1 1/2" deep gallery canvas with the sides painted black so it needs no frame.

I have to admit I've been enjoying some poetry lately and I found this pretty one about the butterfly:

BUTTERFLY

Flutter by,

Butterfly,

Floating flower in the sky.

Kiss me with your petal wings--

Whisper secrets, tell of spring.

Author Unknown

Hope you enjoy this new painting and get to see some butterflies in your own garden today. Available at www.artfulcreationsbyruthwelter.artfire.com .

This And That.....

2010-06-20T12:57:00.001-07:00

While some of you might have thought I fell into an abyss somewhere, I have not.....I stiill live on. It has been a while since I've blogged and the break that I took really did me some good. I was able to finish up some art projects I had going and embark on some new ones, coming up with lots of new ideas for future paintings.

I thought I would share some of the colorful photos I recently took at the botanical garden. It was an Emily Dickinson display, a lovely re-creation of her childhood home and surrounding gardens. I'll share more of those pictures another time but for now, I hope you enjoy some of the close ups of what might have been blooming in her garden over 100 years ago.

I've finished up some new pendants and in addition to that, just purchased a new mannequin to display and photograph them on.....isn't she lovely and very chic looking?? She also has a pierced ear which will come in handy for some earring photographs I might like to take in the future.

I'm working now, just today actually, on finishing up a very large canvas. I think after this I will be ready to work on some smaller pieces. I love these large paintings, designing and working on them is fun but there is so much to do and even when you think you are done, there are always more details to go back and add in the end. ARGH, it feels like the never ending story at times.

To give you a clue on the subject, the new painting is called "Monarchy" and before you picture the royalty of yesteryear running around with their crowns and holding court, this painting is more connected to the royalty of another species and might be somewhat related to the painting you see in my last post. Hmm, you probably get the idea now.....

I thought I would leave you with a quote I just heard recently that happens to come from one of my favorite artists of all time.....it is so true, especially for us artists.......

"I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it."

Vincent Van Gogh

Until next time!

"Monarch".......Plus A Blog Break

2010-05-24T17:20:00.000-07:00

I just completed my newest garden painting............. "Monarch".

This painting was inspired by the photos I took last year at Mohonk Mountain House, poised at the verbena patch with my camera in hand, I was ready to catch all the action.

Each panel is 6" x 8" for a total size of 8" x 12". Painted on gallery canvas, the sides measure 1 1/2" deep.

It may have been my first monarch painting but not my last, I'm currently working on a very large piece featuring these lovely butterflies.

On that note, I'll be flying away myself for a while, time for a blog break for me so I can complete some new pieces that I have in the works. See you when I return. This piece is available in my Artfire shop: www.artfulcreationsbyruthwelter.artfire.com .

Inside Out Garden Blooms

2010-05-16T09:50:00.000-07:00

Nope, will not be turning any blooms inside out during this posting...just showing some of my flowers that keep emerging, both inside and outside of the house.

The beautiful pink Climatis have decided to show themselves now......

As have my favorite, the purple Clematis (my favorite color)

Laying on the ground for this shot gave me an interesting vantage point and also shows some purple Iris just starting to open.

Inside blooms seem to have been non stop, starting with a faithful little bloomer of mine, Rosy Tyke.....a lovely Orchid that comes into bloom each year without fail.

These little Phal's I purchased recently at a garden center where I bought my annuals. They were so tiny and well priced I might add, that I just couldn't resist them.

I've really been going through a white phase with Orchids these days and this is one I just added to my collection this year.

Little "Woody", that is the name I have given this no longer small Orchid. I bought this lovely pale lavender/pink orchid on ebay many years ago, it was my first Orchid, purchased bare root. Nothing happened for years with this Orchid and I was frankly on the verge of just sending him to Orchid heaven when Woody starting blooming every year and also grew very large and made lots of new roots. Now this Orchid is one of my favorites and is a faithful repeat bloomer for me each and every year. I hope you've enjoyed the tour.

"Menagerie" - Acrylic Bird/Tree-Scape....Finally!

2010-05-05T14:09:00.000-07:00

Remember that really large painting I was working on, the one that I thought would get done and finished just like that (snap fingers together here)?? Well, finally my newest bird/tree-scape "Menagerie" is finished....sprayed, photographed and up on my website.

This painting is very large, I'm calling it HUGE actually at 24" x 36".

Funny how it works in the world of art, my "Stargazing" painting that I created just before this one, came together pretty effortlessly for me while this piece ended up being more work then I could have imagined when I started painting it. Sometimes I think it is better not to know how callenging something will be before you begin working on it and maybe after all, the harder the work, the greater the reward.

This painting reminds me of spring and summer (my happy times), the sky is very vibrant and little chickadees and bluebirds are hanging out together enjoying the sunny afternoon.

Hmm, started my next acrylic canvas and it is a multi-canvas painting, a much SMALLER painting for the time being, which I'm sure will feel like a break compared to this piece.

Listed in my Artfire shop: www.artfulcreationsbyruthwelter.artfire.com .

Blooming Climatis & A Trip To The Garden Shop

2010-04-30T06:28:00.000-07:00

I'm getting ready to plant my summer annuals out in my back yard so I went to the garden shop the other day and bought some Dahlias, Geraniums, Vinca Vines & Spikes.

There are so many gorgeous Dahlia colors to choose from, it was really hard to decide which colors to buy.

Who knows, I might be feeling another Dahlia painting coming on...........

I bought 26 Geraniums for my pots in the back yard, they hang from my porch and line the steps all the way down to the street. They do so well in the full sun back there and they are a favorite of mine each year.

I have purple, pink and white Climatis....the purple and pink should start blooming any day now but the white ones have burst into color already this year and are putting on a beautiful show.

I love Climatis, they are so beautiful and are such a happy sign of spring.

What I'm most looking forward to though are my Bearded Iris that bloom each May, they are one of my favorites in the perennial garden and each year I get so excited when I see them starting to bloom.

A Closer Look.....

2010-04-22T06:01:00.000-07:00

Sometimes things in life need a closer look and when you take the time to do so, you can gain a better perspective on what you need to do.

I had hoped to be showing my newest painting on gallery canvas in this post but it just so happens that I had to take a step back and well, get a closer look at what needs to be done. This latest canvas is one of those paintings that I thought would be a piece of cake and would roll along quickly from beginning to end with no snags in between. I should know it by now, those are always the ones that end up being the hardest and the most work....just Murphy's law I suppose.

I actually thought I had this tree scape (with birds) finished the other day and then as I looked at it, I realized it needed so much more to be considered completed. Not wanting to realize this...(even though I knew it), I asked Chris what his thoughts were and he said " of course you need more birds, you know that." Well yes, I did know that but I just didn't want to admit it, it took asking him about it to get me to step back and take a closer look at this large piece of art so I could really let it sink in that nope......I'm not nearly done yet.

Back to lots of hard work on this painting.....hopefully in my next post I can show the finished piece.

Custom Bluebird Paintings And The Curse Of the Dreaded X.....

2010-04-15T07:09:00.000-07:00

Well to start, now that spring has sprung, I've been painting quite a few bluebirds, some have been custom orders, like this ceiling tin above.

My customer wanted a happy, chubby little spring bluebird surrounded by lots of lavender, painted on a vintage ceiling tin.

The completed bird on a very ornate ceiling tin!!! Another customer wanted a bluebird pendant, done on glass and with a brown background to match up with as many of her work outfits as possible.....that little fused glass bluebird sits below, hanging from a satin neck cord. He has already flown on to his new home.

Now for the curse of the dreaded X or actually I should say, an X (a really giant one) and a curse (pick your favorite). What is an artist to do when she screws up a painting, a very large one, one that she has been working on diligently for over a week now?? How does she get rid of the frustration of it all and move past that failure to another piece of artwork??

I don't know how other artist's do it but here is my method put into practice by me again, just yesterday.......very unfortunatley. I had been working on a very large canvas for over a week, the subject doesn't really matter at this point but it was one that I knew could go either way, a great painting or a disaster well...... it turned out to be the later. When this kind of disappointment hits, I have a little therapy session with my painting, first of all, I make absolutely sure the the work is not worth saving and once I've determined that, I pick a nice bright color and paint a giant X through the canvas.....here is where the curse comes in, I then write my favorite curse word down across the canvas, right near the X , in big bold letters. I then proceed to go out my back door and over to my trash cans, where the canvas promptly gets thrown away, never to be seen again. This practice, followed by ordering some comfort take-out food, assures that I can put the days train wreck out of my mind and start anew on a fresh piece of artwork tomorrow. There you have the story of the Curse of the X!!!!

Colorful Glass Pendants For Spring....

2010-04-09T12:23:00.001-07:00

I just received my order of these beautiful glass oval blanks in the mail the other day and knew they would be perfect for pendant designs. I've created the first batch of 4, colorful abstracts along with a rose and the popular red poppy design.

The glass ovals are large and smooth and make a wonderful canvas for wearable art.

I had a couple of (do-overs) but when these 4 were finished I was finally happy. By the time I was done with them, I felt it was time to go on to something else so I took a pendant painting break to work on some custom bluebird orders I'll be showing in my next post.

Available soon at my ETSY shop: http://www.artfulcreations.etsy.com/

"Stargazing"

2010-04-01T14:56:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love to sit outside on a clear and beautiful night and look up at the stars....that was the inspiration for my new painting "Stargazing".

A little bird family is perched high atop a tree in the night sky, looking at all the beautiful stars that surround them.

This piece measures a very large 24" x 30" and is painted with professional grade acrylics on a

1 1/2" deep gallery canvas. Available for purchase at my Artfire shop:

www.artfulcreationsbyruthwelter.artfire.com . Now that spring seems to be here, I hope everyone gets outside at night for a little stargazing of their own.

Cuba In Flower At The 2010 New York Botanical Garden Orchid Show

2010-03-27T11:40:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago Chris and I went to the annual orchid show at the New York Botanical Garden. The theme for this year's show is "Cuba In Bloom". I usually add notes under most of the photographs with display info and species names but this year I thought I would let the beauty of the show speak for itself. The information about this beautiful tower and statue is listed below on the blue sign....you can click to enlarge that photo or any other that you wish to get a closer look at. Enjoy!!!!

I hope you enjoyed the photos from this years show!!!! If you would like to see photos from my previous visits to the botanical garden, just go to my "out and about" section on the right hand side of my blog under "categories."

Puzzle And Wooden Pendants....

2010-03-20T06:30:00.000-07:00

Now that the weather here in NY is getting so lovely, I've been very inspired to do a lot of painting these days. Besides working on a very large painting I'm trying to finish up, I've been creating quite a lot of pendants.

I've made many journeys into my basement to collect specific pieces from my stash of puzzles. Even after a couple of my large puzzles fell on the floor during a mishap months ago, I still have a very good selection to choose from.

With many of the puzzles, the shape dictates to me what needs to be painted on it. That was the case with the tree above, once I saw the pieces together, I got the idea of what I wanted to paint.

I've also been creating some wooden pendants for the musically inclined .....

You can find some of these pendants on my ETSY site: http://www.artfulcreations.etsy.com . I hope beautiful spring time weather inspires everyone to get creative in some way.

"Garden Visitor" - A Contemporary Bluebird Garden-Scape

2010-03-12T06:08:00.001-08:00

I just completed "Garden Visitor" a contemporary bluebird garden-scape. This was the painting I had to dust off and just finish already..... It was inspired by my own collection of garden Iris.

Painted on 3, 1 1/2" deep gallery canvases, this piece measures 6" x 8" for each individual canvas and a total of 18" h x 8" w. Available at my Artfire shop: www.artfulcreationsbyruthwelter.artfire.com . The next piece I'm in the middle of painting right now is called "Stargazing", it is a very large canvas, with a night time scene......the rest I'm afraid, will have to be a bit of a surprise until it is fully completed.

The Sweet Smell Of Roses

2010-03-08T14:49:00.001-08:00

Ideas for artwork and just about anything else can hit you at the strangest times, inspiring some unique ideas.

Today I was in the middle of an acupuncture session (for my allergies) and I was listening to the latest book I downloaded for my i-pod "The Secret Garden. " I am in love with the movie as well as the book and as I was laying on the table, resembling a well used pin cushion, an idea for a painting popped into my head.

The idea made me remember a really nice visit I took to The NY Botanical Rose Garden a couple of years ago, which you are seeing in these photos and of course, has now lead to this post on roses and my bright new idea for a painting.

I was actually planning so much of it out as I was laying there, a contemporary rose garden painting, perhaps with some birds flying about. After I'm done with the large canvas I'm working on now, I will give this idea a work out on canvas.

For now, the warm weather here in NY has inspired me to pick up and dust off a painting I have been neglecting for several weeks. It is finally done and now just needs to be hung on the wall and photographed. I'm also at the beginning stages of starting a very large canvas entitled "Stargazing" just to give you a little hint of what it might be about....for the rest though, you will have to wait for the photographs.

Victoria Magazine.....

2010-03-02T07:12:00.001-08:00

Chris put together a beautiful ad for me for my new advertising campaign this year in Victoria Magazine. This particular ad is featuring my line of hand painted pendants, I took all the test photographs, we picked a favorite and he assembled the ad.

I tested many differnt layouts and ideas before I hit upon the right one that would allow for the placement of all the text as well as look appealing at the same time.

These are of course, some of the rejected layouts, for one reason or another, they just didn't work.

I also tried some photos without greenery and decided I didn't care for them at all. Since my pendants are mostly created by using nature as my inspiration, the stems of my pretty little green plant seemed to work best in representing the necklace portion for this trio.

At last, the photo that seemed to be just right for what I needed......

The finished ad.

Contemporary Abstract Pendants

2010-02-21T05:22:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to catch up on work in the studio these days and have finally been able to create a few more art pendants. I guess I've been on an abstract kick, these two pendants are abstracts painted and fused onto glass.

I also really enjoy shopping for my jewelry creations.....these new and elegant satin rope cords just arrived in the mail the other day.

I have a contemporary garden painting on 3 gallery canvases that I've been wanting to finish as well. I'm at the point where it is basically done, all that remains for me to do is finish up the last few details and then paint the sides. What is the hold up you might ask?? Well, it is just one of those things, sometimes when I put something down for a while, I just don't feel like picking it up again right away. Today I told myself that I really have to though because at some point you realize that if you have to dust a painting (because it has been sitting so long in the same spot) it is time to do something about it and get it finished.

So that is where I'm at in the land of artwork these days and that is my next goal, to get that painting done and up in my shop. http://www.artfulcreations.etsy.com/

Knitting In Purple.....

2010-02-17T08:12:00.000-08:00

I've been doing a lot of knitting lately....learning new stitches and designs. A great way to learn and a way that has been a lot of fun for me, has been trying different scarf patterns. I particularly love lace designs ......not only am I learning while enjoying myself but I'm doing something to cheer up the worst months of the year for me...winter. Making lots of fun accessories to wear with my winter coats has really brightened up my season quite a bit.

I just finished this beautiful multi-colored purple scarf that goes great with the new lavendar colored fleece jacket I just bought. I fell in love with this yarn the minute I saw/felt it. This lovely chanille was such a pleasure to knit with and it is so soft and inviting. I loved it so much that I recently picked up another chanille yarn that I'm working with now.

I also couldn't resist picking up some of this attractive, thin, multi-colored rayon yarn to make a decorative scarf with. I've got two projects going at the moment and so I've been dividing my leasure time between the two as I feel like it. I've got my eye on a beginners sweater that I would like to start on really soon. We'll see what happens with that one and what kind of yarn I decide on for my new cardigan sweater.

A Package From Pug Notes.......

2010-02-10T07:21:00.001-08:00

Out of the 3 Tzu's, Willow is the one that always gets cold at this time of the year, some days he looks quite miserable, even inside the house.

My artist friend Melissa Langer over at Pug Notes - www.pugnotes.blogspot.com makes the most wonderful doggies sweaters, in custom colors and sizes.

These photos show Willow sporting his new sweater, both inside and out of the house. The sweater goes on and comes off easily and in addition to being quite fashionable, keeps him warm and happy.

His new sweater helped him go from chilly....to comfy cozy and toasty roasty on these long winter days. If you need a wonderful doggies sweater that is well made and stylish, visit Melissa over at Pug Notes.

Sleepy Winter Days And Some Knitting Experiments

2010-02-05T07:59:00.001-08:00

I cannot believe it has been two weeks since my last post...I guess these winter days have everyone in my house, including me, in a funk. You might notice a theme as you look through these photos......are we lazy?? The answer I think, must be no, I guess everyone in my house just knows the value of a good nap now and then. I can never put the sheets on the floor on laundry day before bringing them down to the basement or little Dudley will set himself up for a long nap in them.

A typical lazy scene in the living room.

Simiilar scene except for the fact that everyone has migrated to the dining room, not by choice either, this photo means that I'm currently busy vacuuming the living room carpet and needed to move the dog beg (dogs and all) so I could clean around the spot this bed usually occupies.

While I have felt the urge to curl up on the dog bed and sleep away the rest of winter, I have resisted the desire and instead have been having a lot of fun getting started in knitting. My first two projects were a baby blue scarf and matching fingerless gloves. I've got more to come and I'll keep you posted. Knitting, as I'm finding out, is quite an addictive hobby.

Painting More Pendants.....

2010-01-22T07:02:00.001-08:00

I truly don't know where the time has gone this week....I had really meant to post earlier on in my week and it just didn't happen the way I planned it.....you know what they say about the best made plans.

I've been working on more glass pendants and puzzle pendants as well. I love the fun shapes and angles I get when I work with the puzzle pieces.

I keep rotating the pieces until I get just the right shape for my creations, puzzle pieces are bit more work to turn into pendants but are well worth the effort.

Now I just have to get myself back into the studio to finish a painting I've had in the works since before the holidays. I seem to be running way behind this year, I actually just took all of my Christmas decorations down yesterday.

A snow capped flower scene above might be the perfect thing to cheer up a cold winter's day. A customer of mine from Hong Kong asked me to create a painted tiger pendant on glass for her celebration of the Chinese New Year.... I have yet to start on it but I think it will be a really interesting and challenging art pendant. http://www.artfulcreations.etsy.com/

Puzzle Pendants

2010-01-13T10:17:00.001-08:00

Just the other day I finished my first puzzle pendants of the new year. I have 2 huge puzzles that we put together years ago, sitting down in my basement and this is a great way to recycle them.

I was looking at these huge puzzles just a few months back wondering what in the world we should do with them. I hated to throw them away, yet why save them and have them collect dust when we are never going to do anything with them again. This was the perfect solution...now when I need some new puzzle pieces, I just go check out my stash in the basement and select the ones I want to use.

Some are comprised of two pieces and others are made up of four. It is so much fun to twist and turn them to decide which side should be the top and which one the bottom. I just finished my second batch yesterday....I'm coming up with lots of new designs and ideas for these pieces. Available through my ETSY shop: http://www.artfulcreations.etsy.com/

Spheres Of Light

2010-01-07T05:08:00.000-08:00

A brand new year.....but an older painting, well, not old but this multi panel acrylic painting was my last of '09.

"Spheres Of Light" is a dreamy and colorful contemporary tree-scape painted on 2 14" x 18", 1 1/2" deep gallery canvases. The total size is a large 18" h x 28" w.

High up in the treetops, spheres of colorful bright light are growing from the branches to produce a lovely glow in the sky.

The sides are painted a sleek black to go with any interior.

I hope you've enjoyed "Spheres Of Light" and that the colorful sky brings you cheer and light on a winter's day. www.artfulcreationsbyruthwelter.artfire.com . Happy New Year!!!!

The New York Botanical Garden Train & Miniatures Show

2009-12-26T16:30:00.001-08:00

Every holiday season Chris and I try to go see the miniatures show at the NY Botanical Garden. Gorgeous landmarks, homes and famous buildings all made from flowers, twigs, leaves and fruit.

The Enid Haupt Conservatory above is where the miniatures show is held each year and also is home to my favorite event at the garden, the Orchid show. I think the consevatory is one of the lovliest buildings in the display.

The William K. Vanderbilt mansion.

The details are just amazing. If you want to take a closer look, you can click on any photo for a larger view. The roof on this house is well worth seeing, it is truly gorgous.

A street scene........I guess we just missed the train.

This is Kycuit, the Rockefeller estate.

The George Washington Bridge.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

All of the buildings are nestled in among the greenery in the conservatory.

Boscobel estate in Garrison NY. I really love to visit Boscobel, it is about 15 mins across the Hudson River from where I live.

I hope you've enjoyed this sampling of all the beautiful houses and buildings and the intricate details that make up each one. See you in the new year, Happy Holidays!!!!!!

Indoor Gardens And A Lucky Giveaway Winner

2009-12-20T12:59:00.000-08:00

When it's cold outside there is no better time to enjoy my inside garden. My Orchid garden keeps me happy and inspired all throughout the winter and seems to make the time between winter and spring pass more quickly.

Thanksgiving weekend we journed to Parkside Orhids in PA, my very favorite place to buy plants and I purchased the sweet yellow Phalaenopsis above to add to my collection.

I also purchased this lovely yellow/purple Cattleya. I had thought it would be white and purple but to my surprise, when it opened, the blooms were a yellow/purple. Yes, I did read the info on the card, this Orhid was also sitting with all the white and purple orchids that I loved....the name was the same but the colors weren't. While I did mean to pick the white Cattleya that day (I was in a white mood I suppose) I'm perfectly thrilled with this beautiful Orchid. It made for quite a nice surprise.

Now that this beauty went out of bloom it is time to repot this very large Orchid, it is quite root bound in it's current plastic pot.

I also purchased this lovely small white Cattleya which is not only beautiful but very fragrant as well. Parkside Orchids is a wonderful place to shop for plants....I always have great luck with each purchase I make there. http://www.parksideorchids.com/

A sunny dining room window where some of my Orchids grow on their humidity trays. I also had a happy surprise this week, I just discovered my Phalaenopsis on the far right hand side in this photo, is spiking. In a couple of months I should have some large pink/purple flowers on it to show you.

Something I've been wanting for a long time, a grow stand for my dining room. It took so long, searching on line for weeks, to find one that was a nice piece of furniture as well as offering me ample room for plants. This is my Christmas present....I got it in October, I wanted to get an early start I guess.

I was on my way to the recylcling bin last week and couldn't believe my eyes, a rogue Black Eyed Susan was blooming in my sleeping perennial garden. This was a first for me, a bloom among the snow and ice. I had to run out with the camera and take a photo.

Last week I was thrilled to find out I was the winner of a giveaway held by my artist friend Catherine Holman. I got to pick the print that I wanted from her ETSY shop and I couldn't resist this summer print, I think it is just beautiful. Thanks so much Catherine, I cannot wait to get a frame for it. Catherine is a wonderful and talented folk artist and you can visit her at: http://www.catherineholmanfolkart.blogspot.com/ to see her beautiful creations.

A New Passion-Hand Painted Puzzle Pendants

2009-12-08T12:30:00.001-08:00

I didn't really think it was possible but it seems to be, I've found a new pendant addiction....puzzle pendants. It all started when I was wondering what to do with 2 large puzzles we've put together over the past couple of years. I didn't want to throw them away, nor did I want to keep them so, I decided to recycle them and paint puzzle pendants.

The prep work on these is a bit time consuming as I reinforce them to give them lots of strength
and get the surface ready to accept paint.

I'm definately addicted to the process though because last night I woke up in the wee hours and found myself coming up with new designs in my mind for my next set of puzzle pendants.

They are so much fun and of course, the design is dictated by the shape of the puzzle pieces. Each and every one are unique, which lends itself to designs that are really fun. These are my first 2 and I have more to come. These are in my Ruby Lane shop: http://www.artfulcreations.rubylane.com/ . Enjoy.

Under The Trees.........

2009-12-04T06:24:00.000-08:00

I was really inspired to paint "Under The Trees" after our trip to Mohonk a few months ago. There are so many gorgeous sitting areas there, nestled under trees, by the lake and in the woods, that I really wanted to paint one of them.

I wanted it to be a contemporary painting though.....maybe a bit whimsical at the same time. The circles are growing up from the ground and between the tree roots.

They are also growing from the tree branches in varying colors of blue and purple. The black trees and bench are set against a colorful background that reminds me of a rainbow.

Painted on gallery canvas that is 1 1/2" deep, "Under The Trees" measures 11" x 14". I Hope you've enjoyed my contemporary take on an outdoor scene. Available through my Ruby Lane shop: www.artfulcreations.rubylane.com .

New Pendant Designs - Painting Up A Storm

2009-11-29T12:19:00.000-08:00

I hope everyones holiday was a wonderful one......I really enjoyed my time away and it enabled me to accomplish a lot of painting, both jewelry and canvas work but I missed blogging and connecting with my friends out there in blog land.

I can hardly believe the holiday season is here.....(I think I'm in denial) I feel like summer just ended yesterday. I've been painting so many new pendant designs and having a lot of fun with them.

While I've painted a couple of glass and sand dollar pendants, I've mostly been running a muck with painted wooden pendants. They remind me very much of painting on larger pieces of wood, when I was creating welcome plaques, only these of course, are small wearable miniature pieces of art.

It is a surface that allows me to get really creative and try new things I might not have tried jumping into before. Some are impressionist in style like the one above, while others are contemporary or even zen.

I've added colored necklaces to some of my pendants to coordinate with their colors. This really makes the colors pop out like the yellow contemporary garden above.

This is the character for "Eternity" and I'm calling this one a zen pendant. I've made 2 so far but hope to create more in upcoming weeks.

Some of the necklaces, like the one above, have silver or gray beads added to them to create lots of sparkle and shine and give the piece extra dimention.

These contemporary white poppies are set against a heavily textured background, a technique I was experimenting with that I will definately repeat in the future.

I hope you've enjoyed the latest round of pendant creations, I'll be back later this week to show my latest canvas painting. These pieces are on my ETSY site: http://www.artfulcreations.etsy.com/ .

Some Time Away.....

2009-11-03T06:15:00.000-08:00

I'm taking some time off from blogging for a couple of weeks so I can concentrate on getting more artwork ready for the holidays and completing some other tasks I've been neglecting the last couple of months.

In the meantime, I thought I would leave you with some of my favorite Orchid photos. I recently discovered that 2 of the Orchids in my collection are spiking so in the upcoming weeks I should have some lovely new Orchid blooms to share with you. Until then, take care and be well.

Inspirations For Wearable Art.....

2009-10-25T12:13:00.000-07:00

I've been busy painting more wooden and sand dollar pendants this past week, trying to stock up on art for the holidays in my Ruby Lane shop. I was looking at photos of my purple Bearded Iris collection that blooms each May and decided to create an abstract pendant on wood, using that theme. The above is my abstract purple Iris.

I'm really enjoying painting in miniature on wood, it is a great surface to work with and has endless possibilities. I'm adding silver beads on each wooden pendant necklace and I think they set off the design very nicely. I'll be looking for beads in multi-colors for the future.

A freeform puffy heart painted in magenta on a sand dollar.

I've become very inspired by dark colors these days, sometimes being the main surface color and other times this being the color of the centerpiece of the painting. I had that in mind with the above wreath pendant.

I'm enjoying the abstract paintings very much....and can I help it if I end up using a lot of my favorite colors....purple and blue.

Looking back through all my photographs over the last few years, I'm always inspired to paint from nature. Both of these pendants were created from butterfly and rose photos, with a heavy dose of imagination added into the mix.

Most of these pieces can be found on my ETST shop: http://www.artfulcreations.etsy.com/ .

More Mohonk Nature Photos....

2009-10-19T13:22:00.001-07:00

Time to enter the Mohonk Garden once again for more photos from our anniversary trip. I'll let you toor the garden without my narration....I think this lovely place speaks for itself!! Enjoy.

Among The Branches.....

2009-10-11T11:02:00.001-07:00

I finished this set of paintings after I got back from my trip to Mohonk.... I wanted Among The Branches to be a piece with earthy tones and lots of different looking textures.

It is amazing all the textures and designs you can create with lots of fun and unexpected tools. For instance, my husband's old shirt made its way out of the basement again to create the swirled blue and burnt sienna background.

I have to admit that instead of going for a clean piece of shirt, I reached for the paint encrusted piece I saved from last time. It was mostly stiff as a board but somehow it worked beautifully to help me create the background.

Luckily we have many more of these old and torn shirts in the basement as we like to use them to wash the car and any other wet and messy chores that come along. Anyway, a few cut pieces of shirts will not be missed but my paintings sure enjoy and benefit from them.

This painting is available on my Ruby Lane site at: www.rubylane.com/shops/artfulcreations

Hand Painted Wooden Pendants...

2009-10-05T07:26:00.001-07:00

My first batch of wooden art pendants are finished and ready to go.

Remember what I started with.....a batch of unfinished wooden rectangles I received a couple of weeks ago in the mail, in other words, a blank canvas.

So all those endless possibilities turned into the pieces you see here, at least the first 5 anyway.

I have a new idea I would like to try for my next batch of wooden pendants, I'm not sure this design twist will work yet but I've got to try so, I'll see how it plays out.

The pendants pictured are being added to my ETSY site: www.artfulcreations.etsy.com

I'll keep you posted on the next batch and we'll see if my little twist of an idea works out.