Tuesday, April 24, 2012

I was kidnapped by aliens!!!! lol

     Not really. lol Hello my friends.  I have just been very tied up and a little bit frustrated trying to finish the painting I showed you in the last post. The steampunk/fantasy. It is finally done, and hopefully on the next blog I can share it with you. No matter how I tried, I could not take a descent photo of it. Mostly because the paint is very thick and reflecting what light there is. Once the paint is dry, we should be good to go.
     Honestly though, trying to get done with it was the most frustrating thing I have done in years. It was done on Masonite instead of my new love, Canvas. I know there has to be something I am doing wrong, but imagine this, every time you put down a layer of paint, a layer of paint comes off. It was like painting the same spots over and over and over. With Canvas, it pulls the paint off the brush, and it is done. No problem. So what should have taken 5 to 6 days to complete, took 3 weeks. As a result, everything, and I mean everything I had in the works, teaching, videos, how to's, this blog all got put on the back burner.
     But now it is time to move forward again and get this show on the road, and keep it there. My health seems to be improving in leap and bounds everyday. I have been able to cut back on the amount of insulin I need before each meal in half. I am now off the "puffers" I have had to use the last 6 years just so I could breath. It is like miracles are going on inside of my body.
    Another really cool thing has happened as well. I have really been getting into other artist, namely Frazetta and Bill Stout's watercolor works, and because of them I have been working on learning watercolor at night once I leave the main studio. Because of my good friend Tracy Flynn, I  have started studio B, which is upstairs in the living room. This way I can work at night and spend time with the family, which probably is more important than anything else right now. The kids are growing up fast, and I am lucky to work at home and set my own hours, so I have vowed to spend as much of my time as I can with them. Because in the blink of a eye, they will be grown up and I will be praying for grandbabys. lol 
   But the thing is, I am totally loving watercolors as much as I do oils. Here is the very first one I did. It features my friend Suzi Lorainne, and I know it's not very good. But for my first try, I am encouraged and working on a second one now.


     The ones I am doing now is more of a nature scene. I think before I try to do anymore figures, I want to learn how to use the medium better.
      I have also started on the second Mark Farner painting. Here is a couple of in progress photo's for you. It should be done by the next blog as well, and hopefully I will get the blog back to a weekly basis now.






















  Every since I got my sanity back, or better yet, they finally figured out most of my depression and lack of interest came from none existent Testosterone levels, my life has changed in ways I can't even begin to describe. Let's just say my lust for life, art, and love have came back to me bigger than I can ever remember them. I have never been so focused on the things I love as much as I am now, and other than the painting we talked about earlier, I am working 4 times faster than before. I want to do all kinds of art. Portraits, Fantasy, Fine Art, you name, I want to try it. I have never been so excited about living. Most of my life, I wanted to die. Now I want to live to be 100 and be able to paint and love all of that time. lol Seriously. My mental outlook has never been so positive.  I have a list of things I plan on doing and one of the main ones is to encourage and be a positive influence on my fellow sisters and brothers. 
    I have learned that I can not be friends, in the sense of keeping up with 20,000 people and their lives, but I can do and say things that will make them all smile, encourage them when they are down, and teach them to believe in themselves, when no one else does. This is what matters. This is how I can make a difference. An of course I will continue to teach and share everything I possibly can to those who wish to learn. Have no doubt about it. I have learned not to hate anymore, and moved way past that. Because of that, my life has improved in ways I never dreamed possible. If I can teach this to some, and they teach it to others, we will make the world we live in a better place.
   Ok, enough soapboxing for today. Here is some more art for you. This is my second watercolor attempt.
and here is a Illustration I did for Madison's upcoming book, "Armed and Outrageous"
      I've been a very busy artist. The only bad thing is that I haven't made any new video's yet, but I will. So with that, I will see you soon, I hope. he he he. Darn aliens. lol Much love to you all. Hugs!