Swirling Fog

I just received notification that my winter fog design painted on the Ikea mirror will be published in the next issue of PaintWorks....... Goodness how I love painting winter designs. So take a peek and give this one a try.

First Waterfall

I am finding that I love the sizes of the many different barrel staves that can be purchased. I like the curve of the wood and the ability to achieve different looks vertically and horizonally.

This is the first waterfall design I have painted and it is one by Donna Bell out of a vintage design book that I just added to my collection and just one of the many designs I will be painting on these delightful staves.

This one is on its way to my sisters store in PA.....

Chair Art

I saw someone do a piece of art on a barrel stave for a chair in a recent painting magazine and decided to try my hand at doing some for the art boutique in November.

The rose one is my design and the barn one; which sold before even getting to the boutique, is by another artist.

I like that they are something unique and different.

Handpainted Ceramic Necklace Focal

Painting on ceramic is one of my favorite surfaces. I had some extra ceramic necklace focals so decided to play with some inks along with acrylic paints and really like the way the first piece has turned out...

The photo is without the 2 coats of Thick Glass Finish that I have put on.....had I taken the photo afterwards the glare would have been horrible. Just the metallic of the inks has created a bit of a glare. After the application of the finish spray the design just seems to be imbedded into the ceramic....so much depth.

Notice how the silver ink made it look as if it was "crackled" and is on the edges of the ink. (Click on the photo to enlarge)

It is fun to "play" and see what happens, or develops..... I am already thinking of the next piece.

Rooster's Delight

Today I helped my hubby down back pick up pine cones as he raked pine needles and piled to get ready to burn when our "no burn" ban is lifted in our rural little wooded community.

To my delight; to make the day worthwhile "artistically" for me, I got some neat photos. Dan, our neighbor in back of us recently got some baby chicks and they are getting "grown". He has several different species and colors but this little guy is just learning how to crow and provided me a lot of laughter. His neck stretches out like a giraffe and he sounds like an adolescent boy whose voice is changing when he crows....and he was doing a lot of practicing today...

This little guy is just going to HAVE to get painted.

There is also an all white chicken with black neck feathers that is gorgeous who will be portrait #2. I need to get some more good photos of him before I do him.

Click on the pictures to enlarge but beware as they do get quite large.....LOL........

Santa Claus Dominoe Necklace Kit Available

I just received my Dec 2009 issue of Painting magazine today 10/03 so I have uploaded the beading / instruction kit onto my Etsy site for easy, quick purchase. The kit will include the 3 jewelry dominoes needed for painting the Santa as well as all of the beading components. ie: delicas, red snow millifori's, magnet clasp, etc.

If you choose not to use Etsy you can send payment directly to me at:
Diana Putnam

59988 Navajo Road

Bend, OR 97702

The kit is US/Canada $21.40 (includes postage)

OVERSEAS $22.40 (includes postage)

Postage for each additional kit is: $ .75 US CA and Overseas

Thank you for supporting my art.

**Additional dominoes are also available for purchase separately as well as other handpainted jewelry kits.**

Altered Art / Mixed Media Books

I ordered 5 new books and am going to be listing them on Etsy.

I am going to list one per day. The first one up will be: Embroidery on Paper followed by: Tea Bag Papers, Magic with Vellum, Tim Holtz Distressables and the last one Classy Canvas.

Artists "Gentle Fingers" Brush Basin

I am getting ready for a show in November so since I am putting together Artists' acrylic and watercolor brush basins I thought I would list some on my Etsy site.

http://www.artisticrenderings.etsy.com

FREE SHIPPING TO US AND CANADA and everywhere else shipping will be $7.00.

New Photography 9/09

Many "wetland" areas will have moss growing on the trees and tree limbs. At Big Lava Lake the moss is kinky and a very light,pale, celery green. In many areas it hangs "from" the tree limbs and is the texture of the cornsilk from corn on the cob...and is quite long in many instances. It provides a very eiry quality to the woodland.

The cattails in the second photo were gorgeous along the lakefront and the colors couldn't be more fall like. Each of the many lakes around Mt. Batchelor and throughout OR provide a different type of scenery....

Handpainted Jewelry Dominoes Copyright 09/09

I love painting resin jewelry dominoes for necklace, bracelets and pins. It is neat to "combine" art forms for a mixed media piece.

The one focal has been made into a necklace and I am working on the other 2.

Mixed Media Blogsite

Check out my new blogsite at http://www.queenanneslaceplace.blogspot.com for my venture into the realm of mixed media.

Cupboard Doors / Dragyns Den

I just finished doing these cupboard doors for my daughters' lampwork studio.... Unlike her mother she is NOT afraid of color.

(Click on photo to enlarge)

She is AKA Dragynsfyre so I guess this would be the "dragyns den"... ?

Michelle gave me an idea of what she wanted and picked the colors so it was just up to me to do the hard part....

Her studio is done in Burgendy, Teal and Harvest Gold with plenty of Silver accessories....

Clear Lake, OR

I have seen blue water before but this lake was absolutely gorgeous. Such an intense shade of turquoise blue, that I did nothing to "retouch". Boats with no motor only, fishing, and gorgeous mountainy campsites...

Seasonal Paint Colors

BACKGROUNDS
Summer: Bittersweet Chocolate
Bittersweet Chocolate/Dark Hauser Green Mix
Fall: Bittersweet Chocolate/Raw Sienna Mix
Winter: Khaki Tan/White Mix


SUMMER:
Hauser Dark tipped with Yellow Light/White
Lavender tipped with White
Royal Fuschia/White



FALL:
Brilliant Red tipped with Yellow Light
Raw Sienna "
Hauser Dark Green "
Raw Sienna tipped with True Ochre


WINTER:
Khaki Tan tipped with White
Paynes Grey tipped with White
Winter Blue

Lookin' Up

Sometimes when just "roving" your camera "up" you see a good shot. I love this one.... Taken at East Lake 8/09. Quite an array

of different pine tree shapes,sizes, growths, etc.

After icy fog I would have to say waterfalls are my next favorite

nature experience I NEVER tire of seeing and photographing. This is one of my newest and a favorite with the big "ball" of moss hanging from the tree limb on the left. The smell here is musty, the air is cool and there are cold spots that are so wonderfully refreshing, and the views are breathtakingly gorgeous. This set of falls is outside of Sisters, OR and my favorites. In the fall the array of mushrooms are a

sight in themselves but I learned last year not only do mushrooms like to hide but underneath one also finds SNAKES.........I can still feel that scared weak feeling in my stomach and legs....

Enjoy the view.

Santa Dominoe Necklace

I just received notification from Irene Mueller that my Santa dominoe necklace is scheduled to appear in the December 2009 issue of Painting.

I will have kits for sale which will include everything you need but the pliers to paint one for yourself. The painting instructions will be in the magazine and the beading instructions will be included in the kit and are super easy. (Beginner level)

Guess I had better start getting the kits together.

Hummingbird

Needless to say, it took me a while of sitting and many clicks before I got this shot. Doggone these little "buggers" are FAST...and when their wings are fluttering at 210 mph you just get a blur.

Finally this one stopped to rest just long enough for me to get in focus and snap this ever so perfect shot....although I wish it were a bit lighter so I could distinguish colors...but the "tweek" of their bill is what I found interesting ...I never knew it was shaped down and up.... hmmmmmmmmm.

Preserving Leaves (HOW TO)

I hate to think about summer leaving and fall arriving but I love winter also so I am always in a win win situation unless the temperature rises above my comfort level of 80.

But anyway. I love preserving the gorgeous fall leaves to use in my art be it painting, or some other "form".

Here is how I preserve the leaves so that they remain colorful, soft and supple.

1 part glycerine / 2 parts water. Place the mixture in a flat pan and totally submerge the leaves in a single layer in the liquid. You will need to "weight down" the leaves to keep them submerged. This year I am going to try some screen to see how that works rather than something heavy. If you use a heavy item
I would suggest after a couple of days to turn your leaf over then weight again for the remainder of the time. This way both sides of the leaf will get "treatment". I remove mine in about 4 days but no longer than 6. If at 6 days they are not supple enough I would suggest increasing your glycerine to equal parts. . If they soak too long they will absorb too much of the glycerine and weep. Depending on where you live you may find temperature etc. plays a part in the soaking time so you may need to experiment with "time" as well as "solution strength".

After they have soaked I gently press between 2 sheets of absorbant paper towel and put into a telephone book to press them flat... Make sure that they are straight, no edges folded under, etc. I only use one leaf per page and about 15 pages between leaves and leave mine for about a day or so .. or until I want to "use" them. However; you can paint on them immediately if you so desired.

Glycerine can be purchased in the "drug store section" of most stores like Wal Mart, Target, etc. and is relatively inexpensive.

Hope yours turn out as beautiful as mine have in past years.

Prim Pin / Altered Art

I am hooked on designing altered art jewelry pieces. It is a nice change from painting, gets me over little slumps we all seem to encounter, I get to think "outside the box" which is fantastic and I am liking the finished product which is good for the ego.

This pin was made for a very dear friend of mine in Ca. She received it today and was delighted, so that was a "pump" also. She is the queen of Prim in her designs so to have her be excited makes me feel I am on the right track.

With the "hook" that I use for the items; one can easily purchase or make additional components and change out the beads, bottle cap photos etc. which make the pieces even more desireable.

Tonight I shall be creating some additional pieces to sell now that I have a thumbs up from my friend Nat.

None of your Beeswax

Two products for decorative painters are beeswax products which can be seen/purchased at http://www.chaphams.com/

One product is a furniture polish and the other is a wooden salad bowl finish.

I love to use wax on my wooden pieces that I stain first and then paint my design "ontop" of . I apply several coats and buff good between each. Really makes an heirloom type piece to be proud of.

Steampunk Brass jeweled Filligree Ring

I just love the "base" for this ring and the oblong watch movement in brass instead of the usual silver.

This is my favorite piece and is for sale at: http://www.jewelryjeans.etsy.com/ If it doesn't sell it will go to the consignment store in PA where I ship my pieces.

COOL OFF 7.23.09

It is sooooooooooo hot here today..more to come..and days past. WHEW....the heat is early this year and lasting much longer.... SO.........enjoy this picture and let's take a dip.... The water is coming down from the mountains so I don't need to tell you how cold it is.........just looking at this seems to make it cooler...

ENJOY......and check out how blue...no enhancements have been done.

MARBELIZING WITH SMOKE

Several years ago Nancy Dale Kinney provided her technique directions for marbelizing with smoke on one of the Yahoo lists I was a member of. I love this effect.

SUPPLIES: 1" candle, candle holder, Tablespoon

DIRECTIONS:
The surface to be smoked must have already been prepped with the background color and dried. To smoke light a candle in a holder and allow to burn a few minutes until you have a good tall flame. Hold the scooped side of the tablespoon over the flame until you get a black carbon build up on the spoon. Practice moving the spoon around over the flame until you see a steady stream of black carbon or smoke rising above the spoon. I have found that the spoon must be almost perpendicular to the candle. If the candle has burned a few min. you will have a better flame. You must use the standard 1" diameter candle. This stream of smoke is what adheres to the project piece. Hold your piece over the stream of carbon, moving the piece around so that the carbon will adhere to various places. Be careful not to let the spoon touch the surface. When you get the desired result, immediately spray with the Krylon Matte 1311 or the Liberty Spray. You can always go back and smoke again if you want more smoke even if you have sprayed. What ever spray sealer that you end up using just be sure that you can paint with acrylic on top if that is the medium you are using. On larger pieces smoke sections, spray, allow to dry and then smoke other sections. Spray to avoid smudging. To give the marbelized porject a more interesting effect, I wash in touches of color where there is no smoke. Wipe excess paint from brush and blend into the smoked areas a little. Allow to dry.

PAINTING TIPS

REDUCING AND ENLARGING PATTERNS.
REDUCE: Divide the size of the pattern by the size you want. ie: Size is 10" and you want 6". Divide 10 by 6 and you get .60 or reduce by 60%.

ENLARGE: Size is 10" and you want 14". Divide 14 by 10 and you get 1.40. You would therefore enlarge by 140%.



HANDMADE WOOD FILLER:
Mix sawdust with Elmers glue



TO CRACKLE GLASS:
Paint with acrylics and put into refrigerator for a natural crackle.



STAIN CONVERSIONS TO *DELTA ACRYLICS:
Antique Oak *Walnut
Cherry *Red Iron Oxide
Fruitwood *Spice Brown/Red Iron Oxide
Modern Walnut *Dark Burnt Umber
Golden Oak *Spice Tan
Walnut *Brown Iron Oxide



LACEY QUILTED BACKGROUND:
Basecoat and let dry.
Apply a 2nd coat of paint with some extender to give a longer open time.
Wet a quilted paper towel, lay on surface and remove.
OTHER OPTIONS: Lace and Bubble Wrap



JO SONJA MAGIC MIX RECIPE
2 Parts JoSonja Glazing Medium
1 Part JoSonja Retarder

Landscape Painting Tips from: M Steven Doherty

The goal in a landscape painting is to create the sense of space.

Colors generally follow a prismatic progression from foreground to background.

Background colors should be on the blue/indigo/violet range of the spectrum with a bit of cool red added. Objects are smaller, have less contrast, are closer together (as in a fence) and have softer edges that blend together.

Foreground colors are green, yellow, red or ohre. Objects are larger and have contrast, texture and clarity.

** My thoughts. When riding in a car I am always looking at objects in relationship to one another, colors, clouds, and especially the look of a background, and take notes. I have a notepad and pencil in my purse where I jot down things as they come to me. For some reason when I am in a car sight takes over and my mind becomes the receiver as the secondary function and I love to become quiet and thoughtful. Riding is very relaxing.

I have also read/heard that if you use a color on one side of a landscape you should incorporate the color into the other side so that you have balance...and mix cool and warm colors for floral accents.

"Sarsparilla" Prim Bottle Cap Bracelet

I have been working on a bottlecap bracelet for a swap exchange and this evening I finished it up and am pleased with the way it turned out.

The antique photos are inside vintage grungy bottle caps, and a heavy clear plastic medium has been added to preserve the photos. I happened upon the Sarsparilla caps which became the name of the bracelet. I wire wrapped lampwork beads, used some tree limb beads, a couple of civil war underware buttons, clear grey glass hearts, and some small square woodsy looking beads in between the caps. The bottle caps and buttons are on some sort of fishing lure pin so that the bottle caps dangle a bit lower than the rest of the beaded items. To keep with the primitive look I wanted; all of the findings are gunmetal grey.

I am going to put together a few "kits" for making this bracelet on my Etsy site JewelryJeans in the next week if time allows. If you are interested keep an eye out for them..

Fun, floral photos.

The Lavender Festival in Hood River was a delightful experience. The weather was beautiful. A bit too warm for me, but hey, I will take it.

The lavender fields were gorgeous as you can see from the photos.

Much to my surprise and dismay, and unknown to me until today it "appears" I am allergic to lavender... Hand lotion used, lavender lemonade (which was delicious) and the fields were a bit too much .... My eyes are watering and tired as well as a sniff-ling nose.

Enjoy the photos........allergy free.

Click on the photos for a full screen look.

I'm In Love

Goodness how I love alpacas...how can you not with a face like this one?

This little guy was at one of the lavender farms in Hood River, OR today and if I could have brought him home with me I would have. They are such a fuzzy, soft ball of fur. Ahhhhhhhhhh.

Exercise Ball

I recently purchased an exercise ball to be used as my painting chair and goodness what a GREAT buy.

I actually believe it has helped my back as it forces me to sit straighter, tightens muscles, and in rolling around I find I do not get as "stiff" as I usually do.

The balls are purchased in sizes according to height so that you get the proper fit.....I purchased mine in Big 5 on sale for $14 and it is worth every penny.

I am even thinking I need to take it up from my studio to the living room for when I am beading in the evening watching/listening to tv....

Just as long as I don't fall asleep I will be fine......

Sandblaster

I love going to the hardware store with my hubby as I can browse to my hearts' content and he is never "hurrying me along". I love looking to see what there might be "I" can use in one of my artistic adventures, or to make life a bit easier.

Today it was sandpaper that is pliable; on a foam waffle backing so that it is flexible. They say it is "for a professional finish". It will be great on ornaments that are small, grooved areas, etc. I can hardly wait to try it. The "220 between coat"
pads are a real pretty wisteria purple....how neat is that...

There are 4 grades. Stripping, Bare Surfaces, Between coats and Final Finishing.

It is made by 3 M and you get 3 pads that are 5 1/2" by 2 1/4".

Finding Your Voice

Every artist dips his brush in his own soul and paints his own
nature into his pictures. by: Henry Ward Beecher

HOW:
1. Acquire Skills
2. Community
3. Develop your own voice

Artisans........ GOOD News

Ebay has reported that 13,137 HANDMADE craft items were sold in a 60 day period causing a 34% increase in this category.

I had hoped and dared to voice that this might happen so am delighted to see a statistical finding to identify this swing.

Hopefully we will see some information coming forth from Etsy.

People ARE helping PEOPLE.....

Happy Creating everyone......

Bearded Iris

This is the 3rd year for my bearded iris bulbs and what

a magnificent, colorful flower it has produced this year.

Enjoy.