Kissed Frankie goodnight/Mole arrove

"and then all the animals kissed Frankie goodnight"
click to view larger
painting by me, Mary Taiit, watercolor

I just received Aya's Moleskine from Andrea and am ashamed to admit I have not sent Ballookey's to Mike.  I had out of town company and we were extremely busy going to the zoo etc.  Now they have left and I will try to make it a priority to get that mailed.  The above painting is in one of my own moles which I painted after I finished Ballookey's mole, but before I mailed her mole.  The thing that is holding me up is the card that I made for her and then gave away!  (My mother-in-law saw it and asked for it!)  That is the next thing I will do, hopefully, after breakfast!  I am running late with breakfast trying to catch up with things I didn't get done while company was here.  (I do painting a the dining room table after dinner, while Keith is having wine, but the card is a different kind project the requires a different location and tools.)

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I started this before Christmas, but of course, now it is a little out of date.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