Art Blog - Deb Ward

And, last but not least, the one I'm most happy with -- the "Memo Brick". This one was a couple of years in the making since I wanted to do it last year, but they canceled the event then. So this brick languished in my studio for almost two years! I had the idea bouncing around in my head but couldn't figure out how to make it look like a blackboard, etc. I finally borrowed a really neat tool from my husband so I could cut the wood and miter it for the frame around each side… Continue reading… 0 comments

This year I've done two more -- "Monday on Birdbrain Lane" which was prompted by my locating tiny clothes pins at the Michael's store and then some little bitty birdhouses! Once the idea was formed I searched throughout the store for something to use as "grass" and found some sort of plant cover that worked great, as well as the little tiny birds 1 comment

The magnetic board was made by spraying Krylon magnetic paint. My daughter and I searched for small office items and happened upon a cute little kit at the dollar store! So that's where the little stapler, tape dispenser, pencil and scissors came from! Then to get a piece of "chalk" I was forced to purchase a small set of pastels! In order to keep them all attached I used Velcro tabs. To keep the paper clips in the container I glued a small piece of magnet in the bottom. I think it would make a cool gift for a teacher, or actually anyone with a desk (which is pretty much everyone!)… Continue reading… 0 comments

Next there was "Racing for the Cure" --here is another digital photo of my photos -- and when I painted this one my son was impressed! He said I pretty much got the muffler, etc. correct on the bottom of the brick. If you cannot see it well, I tried to paint it as though you were looking at each side of a race car (both sides, top, bottom, front and back) so that all sides of the brick were painted. It is interesting here to note that there was a brick with the title "Race for the Cure" this year! It involved little toy cars on a race track around the brick! There was also a Marilyn Monroe brick and "Brick Jagger" -- jagged brick with big lips painted on -- too cute! The following year I painted "Checkmate" -- you can view this one at www.breastcancerbricks… Continue reading… 0 comments

Since we can only post one photo with each post, I'm putting up several posts about the brick auction - I hope you find them of interest. Through a friend of mine, I found out about a brick auction (in the Cincinnati, OH area) which raises funds for breast cancer. This event has been going on for several years. You can read more about it at www.breastcancerbricks.org. The bricks can be simply painted or items can be added to them (mosaics, cloth, beads, etc.). The main criteria is that each brick must have the pink cancer ribbon displayed on it somewhere. I think it's a novel idea and always wonder if my brick will "sell". They have a silent auction with the bricks set up on tables and then they usually also have a live auction at some point with a local newsman officiating… Continue reading… 0 comments

Queen City Art Club Show At the Kennedy Heights Arts Center 6546 Montgomery Road Cincinnati, Ohio 45213 A few minutes south of Kenwood Towne Center or _ mile north of Ridge Opening Reception September 20 6 -- 9 p.m. Show runs from September 20, 20078 through October 4, 2008 REGULAR HOURS : OPEN ON SATURDAYS FROM 10-4 (513) 631-4ART (4278) www.kennedyarts.com www.artid.com/debward www.debwardart 0 comments

Quite an artistic weekend - a friend and I were accepted into a local artists group on Friday; attended an area art show on Friday evening; on Saturday attended another area art show, winning 2nd place in watermedia. And I made a new acquaintance - someone who gets onto my personal blog frequently (http://debwardart.blogspot.com) 0 comments

In visiting several blogs, I see that some of you are putting up flag paintings, so here is mine. This is one of the small paintings that I use in beginning watercolor classes. Of course, there is the usual grumbling from the students -- no way can they accomplish such a detailed painting! And then, of course, they do! Our American flag, symbol of liberty and justice -- long may she wave… Continue reading… 0 comments

My husband and I had gone to Mobile, Alabama last year to see the battleship USS Alabama, and then drove around the area for awhile before heading to New Orleans. These girls were bouncing on a huge branch somewhere in Fairhope, Alabama. They just struck me -- they were at that "in between" age -- still little girl enough to play, but beginning to develop into young ladies. When I got out of the car to take their photo they automatically struck poses! I had to wait a couple minutes to get a more natural pose, until they went back to bouncing, but they were still aware of me. My purpose in this painting was not to get an exact likeness of the girls, but to work on figures… Continue reading… 0 comments

Oops - posted the wrong image before - Here's my latest -- done in Yupo. Those of you who know me know that I really hate this stuff. However, one of my students wanted to try it, she had heard so much about it. I figured I couldn't go wrong by painting a flower, and I'm really quite satisfied with it. For you "Yup-ors" -- you may be able to detect the fact that I used a foam roller and some alcohol but don't know all the tricks - don't have the George James video, don't plan to get it, either! (Although, never say never). I even managed to glaze in a few spots (my favorite way to paint). So, feel free to pick it apart and let me know what I should have done. (Just don't expect me to do it!) If you would like to see more of my work, please visit my website at www… Continue reading… 2 comments

This painting, Sunlit Pears 2, was accepted into the Woman's Art Club of Cincinnati 115th Annual Juried Exhibition. (I know, you have seen it before on this blog!) I feel it is a strong painting and was thrilled when it was accepted into the show, even though it did not win an award. They had 275 entries and only accepted 58 artworks - having seen the exhibition list, I'm in some very good company! The show is the inaugural event at their new Woman's Art Club Cultural Center, 6980 Cambridge Avenue in Mariemont, OH, and is open Thursday-Sunday through May 18. In addition, Greater Cincinnati Watercolor Society opened our annual spring show which will continue daily through June 15 at Evergreen Retirement Center, 230 W. Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH… Continue reading… 1 comment

This painting is for Millie Gift Smith, with my apologies for my attack of Yupo paper on her blog item. Millie, this was the first painting I did on Yupo some years ago at a class, and I thought it was kind of cool. If you look at the bottom right you may be able to see little fingerprint sized dots - that was when I learned how easy it is to mess this stuff up! Any tiny bit of oil, like on a fingertip, will mess up that area and it won't accept paint. FYI - some artists use alcohol to go over the paper before they paint to remove any oil, etc. (But the George James video most likely covers that, plus many other tips)… Continue reading… 0 comments

This picture is also for Millie Gift Smith - with more apologies to her due to my attack of Yupo paper on her blog. Millie, this picture is the next (and last!) painting I have done on Yupo. Following the Yupo painting of the woman carrying the jugs, done in a class, I did this one on my own. At first I thought Yupo might be OK, just different. I do think I got some control over it here (be my guest to make a critique). But after spraying this one several times with a fixative, and realizing that the paint still "moved" if I touched it with a damp fingertip, and then seeing paintings on Yupo that had "bulged" or smudged due to moisture, I decided that Yupo just wasn't my "cup of tea"… Continue reading… 0 comments

A couple of years ago our local Postmaster retired suddenly due to illness. He was a warm and friendly guy with a real great sense of humor and everyone in town loved him. We were sorry to see him go. As a token of our appreciation for his years of service I painted the post office on a half sheet of paper and our new Post Person (she does not like being called Post Mistress!) asked everyone in town to sign the painting (so many signatures it covered front and back and you can see some of the signatures around the building). I used my "artistic license" to put Alan's name and the year of his retirement on the sign. When we delivered it to his home he was very touched… Continue reading… 0 comments

I just finished a 6 week class teaching watercolor to "seniors", before it dawned on me that "I am one!" Since I had been asked to step in and continue a class that had been started a few years ago by a woman from my watercolor society, I was a bit nervous at first. But then it dawned on me that they were probably just as nervous at having a new teacher! Everything in life is relative. The group was a lot of fun and turned out to be very talented. I'm happy to say that they have signed on for both a summer and fall session and I'm looking forward to watching them progress into more complicated paintings and then onto "doing their own thing". Tomorrow I begin a 4 week class at my gallery, which I'm hoping will also turn into ongoing sessions (hope springs eternal!)… Continue reading… 0 comments

I'm having one of those days. Do you ever think you can paint -- or have some artistic talent - and then you look around to see work that just blows you away and then you think "What was I thinking? I can't paint (draw, sculpt, fill in the blank). Now THERE is a painter (sculptor, fill in the blank)!" Even after I tell myself not to compare my work to other's work, what do I do but compare myself to other's work! Will I never learn! Will I ever truly get beyond caring what others think? Is it only me? Or do you feel that way too? The painting posted here is my most recent watercolor… Continue reading… 5 comments

This technique utilizes the traditional batik method of wax resist - but on rice paper instead of cloth. Wax is applied on the lightest areas, paint applied and the paper is allowed to dry completely before another layer of wax is applied, etc. I usually use freezer paper to lay my painting on. Lay the painting on the shiny side when applying the wax, then turn it over to the dull side while applying your paint. Be careful when handling the wet painting - the rice paper is very delicate when wet. The final process is to cover the paper completely with wax, allow it to dry, then crinkle the paper which breaks the wax in some places. Some artists then coat the paper with Sumi-E ink; I generally use a dark tone of watercolor to complement the other colors in the painting… Continue reading… 2 comments

I entered a picture into the Creative Catalyst Productions online show. By my count there were 115 entries - and I won an honorable mention! -- so I felt good about that! Check it out at: ccpvideos.com/artshows/. The judge was Janie Gildow who has some amazing colored pencil work and has written some very informative (and beautiful) books. I had originally thought to enter a picture of marbles -- until I saw her picture of marbles and thought otherwise. Figured she would think I was copycatting her to get entered -- and let's face it, compared to her marbles mine were nothing special. My picture is of my grandfather's shaving mug and roses on lace and is casein on watercolor board 2 comments

Since I told you about the bad shows I've done, feel I must say a word or two about the latest indoor show which occurred last weekend. But, numbskull that I am, took no pictures -- so I'm just putting up a set of small pictures I did a while back. The show was at the same church as last year (see my previous blog "Outdoor Shows . . .) but my location inside was so much better -- first floor (only one step up/down to carry things); I was able to park my car just outside which made carrying out so much nicer at the end of the show; and I took less to begin with. Additionally, there really were more true artists/artisans this year, not crafts. And the weather was better. My booth was just inside the door of a large room with 13 vendors and the "snack bar"… Continue reading… 0 comments

As I stated previously, I'm no expert on casein. But there are some well-known artists currently utilizing the medium of casein who are! With their permission, here is a list of those artists and their websites. Take a look and enjoy some beautiful artwork. Dana Brown - www.danabrown.net -- has used casein since 2005. She likes working on gessoed hardboards as well as archival double sided illustration board. When working on hardboard, she prepares the boards with gesso. "Both surfaces work well -- the key is to find a surface that is slightly absorbent, with a bit of tooth, but rigid enough to prevent cracking of the paint over time." Dana also layers (glazes) casein. "My first layers are fairly transparent and become progressively more opaque as I build detail and values… Continue reading… 2 comments