My work in my book.

Collab with Ballookey.

Here are some little snippets of what I have been up to in my own book.

I did not do very well about posting from the first pass.

I vow to do better with the second pass.

I'll be mailing this to Mary either tomorrow if I can get to the post office, or Friday.

Happy new year to you all!

Please don't hesitate to reach out of you need anything from me.

Back Cover and Envelope Side 1 Round Four, second Pass

"Final" back Cover Round 4
Mary and Keith Self-portrait

I may fiddle with this a little more before I mail or after it comes back, but I'm probably quitting for now so it can be on the road asap.Painted nearly entirely with homemade paints with French pigments.

Keith as Santa
on envelope

I started this before Christmas, but of course, now it is a little out of date.

I am almost ready to mail.  Soon.

front of envelope
playing with French earth pigments
and handmade acrylic paints

So I mailed on 1-13-14.  The envelope is kind of weird.  I was mixing acrylics on the spot with pigments and slapping them on.  They work better if they sit around a while first, they get creamier.

Still Working on my own Mole: Back cover

I am working on a painting for the back cover of my Moleskine.  I figured it would be nice to finish it before I sent it off, but it is slow.  I am making my own acrylic paints with pigments from France my daughter brought me from her visit there.

First coat of paint:

Self-portrait with Keith
handmade acrylics
after one coat of paint
(not yet finished.)
Click this and all images to view larger

Second coat of paint:

Self-portrait with Keith
handmade acrylics
after two coats of paint
(not yet finished.)

Working at the dining room table:

We had more than a foot of snow and it was 11 below zero--I couldn't get to my "studio."  It's a little crowded and cluttered.  (Okay, it;s a LOT crowded and cluttered.)  The little vials are the dry pigments from France.

The photograph I am copying was taken December 28, 2013 by Harry Teichert at the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House.  I hope to finish it soon and mail it off.

Egg tempera for Andrea's pocket

Biker Buddy
homemade
egg tempera on "artboard" (cardboard)

I don't know how well this will travel, but I'll try it.  I made the paint from French earth pigments and egg-yolk.  My daughter brought the pigments home from France.  Keith was talking to a friend and not sitting still.  I did not make a sketch first, but just painted right on the artboard with the paints.

Merry Christmas! (Or Happy Holidays!)

I decided to use a collaboration with Steve Loya as my Christmas card this year:

Have a wonderful Holiday!
As always, click image to view larger.

You can see the original from 2010 here.

Mary in Mary's, page 4 pass 2 round 4: On a bright red caboose

On a bright red caboose
watercolor on watercolor moleskine
click this image (and others) to view larger
Second draft

On a bright red caboose
watercolor on watercolor moleskine

Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Goose                                      

and their friends Aloysius and Frangelica Moose     

And two herons who complained their stockings were loose

all rode together on a bright red caboose.

Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that I can get the book done in time for Christmas. (For my grandson).

This completes my work on this pass of round 4, except for the back cover and envelope if I have time--I'll be mailing soon.

(Now that I've signed it, scanned it and posted it, I've decided it's not quite done yet.) (By the way, the complexity of that caboose was just about beyond me!!!) (OK, I did work on it for another hour, not sure if I made it better or not, but the second one is on top.)

Queens of Tenacity, Ballookey in Andrea's

And with these, Andrea's book is done and I believe she has it back at long last.

Side note, there was an upside to me having this book so long. My 7-year-old niece came over for a visit last weekend and I brought out paper and pens so we could draw. She was flipping through the large sketchbook where I roughed out these pages, and so I brought out Andrea's Moleskine to show her. She loves to draw and make things, so I always try to encourage that.

Anyway she was just fascinated by looking at the book. She picked up on the different styles everyone has right away - after I told her who did the first image in a series, she could easily see that "Mary did this one (reading Mary's signature - so cute!) and Mike did this part..."

She picked up on the things that made each artist's work so special - loving the detail of Aya's work, the storied scenes that Mary painted, the bold and funny faces of Mike's work, and the graphic patterns of Andrea.

After we put the book away, she started filling a large sheet with her own graphic patterns, clearly influenced by Andrea. :)

It was great to visit the work through someone else's eyes.

Again, sorry for how blurry the images are. :( 

Collaboration page for Andrea to work. I wanted to finish it quick one night before sending the book, so I just took the thorny element from the previous page. I thought it might work well with Andrea's style. :)

Didn't Give Up... Ballookey in Andrea's

Oops! I was in such a rush to send this, I didn't realize the one and only snapshot I took of this page was so blurry.



A closeup of this half the page, for what it's worth (not much, still blurry):

starting second round in my book

The book is already on it's way to Ballookey (or maybe got there already), and it took forever both to finish and to get out. I had that experience I only heard about before, when it comes to Moleskine Exchange - I was star struck. I have to say, this was the book with my all time favorite work on Moleskine exchange ever, and the fact that it was my book did not make it any easier.

I was really too scared to start painting and wreck a winning streak.

Eventually, there was no way around it and I had a few "dead days" - those days between a new job coming in and getting all the material to work with, and so, I got working. 

I kept the dream theme with my work in this book, and most of what's here are some sort of dreams that I had recently. 

Pages 1 and 2 with Mike

Pages 3 and 4 - Transfusion 

Pages 5 and 6 - all the dreams are true

Page 7 - for Ballookey

"Tut tut, Woman Scolding" Collab for Mike

"Tut, tut, Woman Scolding"
First half of a collaboration for Mike to finish
pen and ink with watercolor "wash"
click image to view larger.

Okay, here's my collaboration of the second pass of round four in my own Moleskine, for Mike to finish.

I still have one full page to do of my own work, plus I was going to do the back cover.  I may skip that until later, same with decorating the envelope,  If I'm running late.

Cardinals Collab with Hennie Mavis in Mary's Mole

Hennie's lovely start
(First half)
(click this and all images to see larger)

Hennie's gorgeous painting is wonderfully balanced and has really nice composition and color.

my half of the collaboration
cardinals fly, by Mary Taitt

Unfortunately, when I started this painting, we company for dinner and I only had one of my small watercolor kits, it was the wrong one, and the colors didn't match.  Wrong reds and blues.  Of course, that wasn't the only flaw, I'm sorry to say.

full double-page spread
Cardinal Dream
collab Hennie Mavis and Mary Stebbins Taitt

I have one solo piece and one first half collab for Mike left to do before I mail.

"Man with the Fish Tie"

"Man with the Fish Tie", a photo by Mike "Dakinewavamon" Kline on Flickr.

Co-worker and spouse loved the first "man with fish tie" so I created a new one for them!

"Happy Thanksgiving"

Collaboration, Part I, Cardinal Dream and Two pocket items

Cardinal Dream, by Hennie Mavis, scan
Click this and all images to view larger

Here is a scan of Hennie Mavis's Cardinal Dream. I totally love both the dreama nd the art!  Do click on it to see it larger.  We spent a wonderful couple days together in Syracuse, NY, where neither of us live any more, hiking and doing art.  As soon as I can, i will complete the collaboration and post it; I've been absurdly busy.  Confession:  On top of all the other problems and commitments, I am also trying to do NaNoWriMo this month.

Braid by Hennie Mavis on Banana paper

I have a sketchbook  made of all nature fibers.  The paper is made largely of banana skins.  It is very lightweight, but responds differently than other paper.  hennie did this picture of my braid as a collaboration for me to complete.

Biker Buddy, for Andrea's pocket

Here is a portrait of Biker buddy in water color for Andrea's pocket. I did it last night. We had ML over for dinner, keith's Mom, And I worked hard making a fairly elborate dinner, so then I rested doing art. YAY art.

In the Garden, for Andrea's pocket

When I was with Hennie doing art at the motel, I finished one picture and started this, which I finished when I got home. I did without the benefit of anything to look at, and I also didn't sketch it ahead, just painted directly on the paper out of my head.

Three Poppies, banana paper

This is the painting that I did on the banana paper while Hennie was doing the cardinals and before she did the braid.

a bit of silliness

at the motel

doing art at the motel

Hiking with Scott (by BB)