New Year, New Painting

 After a month off in December to enjoy the season and my famiglia, I am back at work in the studio.  I started with a small sized painting (8x8) and subject matter that is fun and familiar to me, some of my favorite flowers: nasturtiums and sunflower. 

I am already planning and writing down some painting ideas.  I do this by daydreaming about what I'd like to do, and then try and make it happen.  It doesn't always work out!  If I can draw it, I can paint it.  Some subject matter lends itself to my medium and style, and some does not.

I work in watercolor and ink on Aquabord, which is a clay surfaced board made by the Ampersand company.  The beauty of this board is that you I don't have to frame my work with glass. They also have very nice frames that I use to protect and enhance the paintings.

This painting has been finished with a blue background. Next, I will apply 4 coats of protective varnish, and frame it. It will be available soon.

This week I will be starting a new painting.

Happy New Year!

                                             "In a Garden Faraway", 9x9, sold

"Morning Glory Bee", 9x11, sold

September and October
 

Where did summer go?

It is already October, and I've just participated in my very first 3 day Ojai Studio Artists Tour!

I am so proud to be a part of this esteemed arts association in my hometown of Ojai. I had a lot of fun over the three days, talking to people about my work, taking in the comments and observations about my paintings and selling several paintings, prints and packs of cards. The two paintings shown here have gone home with collectors who attended on the weekend.

One big bonus was that my daughter helped me during two days of the event, and it was a gift to spend some time with her.

Next year OSA will be resuming their Second Saturday open studios where each month a small group of us in a vicinity will welcome visitors to our studios.  More on that next year!

I had a painting juried into the Art about Agriculture exhibit at the Santa Paula Art Museum this year.  This will be my second Ag Art show. The painting I submitted is titled "Vegetable Soup" and measures 12x15 inches.  The show runs from November 12, 2022-March 5, 2023, with an opening reception on November 12, from 4pm-6pm.  Admission is required if you are not a museum member. The Ag Art exhibit shows artwork of many genres, I recommend this wonderful show, and it's great for families.

Today I will be going up into the studio where I am working on the drawing for a new painting about crows.  I've been reading a lot about them, looking at crow photos from all over the world, and staring out the window at our own group of 3 crows that visit our yard every day.

Thanks for reading my artist blog, I'll be back next month!

Lisa

Summertime

 Summer has flown by and the Ojai Studio Artists tour is fast approaching!

My studio will be among the many studios open to welcome visitors and art enthusiasts on the weekend of October 8, 9, 10. If you are interested in attending this fun event, please register on https://ojaistudioartists.org. The tour is free, but you'll need a map to find the studios.

The Ojai Valley Museum has an exhibit with an artwork representing each artist on the tour, so you can go by and see what art speaks to you. Then you can plan which studios to visit.

I had a good summer, starting with a trip to France and Holland with my husband.

In France we were with Workshops In France, who took us and their other guests out each day to different picturesque painting spots around the south of France. We enjoyed hanging out with a nice group of artists before we moved on to Holland to visit friends there.

Of course, not before I got Covid! Therefore, we were not able to fly to Holland and instead had a road trip and days of quarantining before we joined our friends.

Holland is such a beautiful place to visit; nice people (especially our dear friends), beautiful houses and buildings, great museums and it's clean and hip at the same time.

Now we are back at home and I'm working on a new painting about blue passionflowers, pink roses and light pink dahlias.  I just love dahlias and have some in my own garden at home.

 

 Hello, and thanks for checking in on my blog. I've been busy with cleaning up after our remodel as well as caring for my 14 year old chihuhua mix. 

This time I've posted 3 photos! The first one shows my latest work in progress, with the focal point being orange Clivia, and its neighbor a sweet little goldfinch. Some of the inking has been done but I have quite a lot of work to do still. This is a 12x12 painting, which will be 13x13 when it is jacketed in its frame.

Before I started to paint, I worked out the general shape of the bunch of Clivia on a piece of sketch paper.  I worked very loosely, getting the size I wanted and learning about what a Clivia bloom looks like.  Later, the drawing was transferred to my board. This painting is inspired by Clivia I saw during a visit to Lotusland in Montecito, as well as the goldfinch in my own garden.

The third photo here shows the last painting I completed "Lanterns & Poppies".  It's an 8x10 inch watercolor+ink and acrylic artwork inspired by the red poppies I saw in a friend's garden.  There was also a lantern there, so I added some just for fun!

 In April I had my very first open studio event with the Ojai Studio Artists, an organization I am proud to have been accepted into.  

Ojai Studio Artists have a 3 day Open Studio event in October.  This year it will be: October 8, 9 and 10, from 11-5 each day.  Visit www.https://ojaistudioartists.org for more information. They also give scholarships to art students and welcome applicants.

May 14 OSA and the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy will join forces to hold a fundraiser at one of the Land Conservancy's properties.  Visit ojaistudioartists.org for more information.

Goals for this month: **Work on my new painting**-Tidy my storage area-prepare guest room for my May guest! I still have some tidying and discarding to do after our months long renovation project.

Thanks for visiting my blog! 

Lisa Skyheart Marshall

SkyheartArt.com

LisaSkyheartMarshall.Etsy.com

Before February Escapes

 

Here is a favorite painting of mine made a couple of years ago, right before the Covid times we all found ourselves in.  This small painting was inspired by a neighbor's magnolia tree and the white crowned sparrows in our own back garden.

It sold at the small show I had at Gallery 113 in Santa Barbara.  It's one of my all time favorite paintings.  I am fond of magnolia trees because of all the stages they go through, the buds, the blossoms, the bright red seeds, the ants that like to live inside them and the glossy leaves with their soft brown underbellies.

This month is nearly over and signs of spring are appearing in our front and back gardens.

In the front the almond tree, Vincent, is blooming. He's an old tree but he sure puts on a show once a year.  He has beautiful gray and wrinkly bark, and with the pink blossoms he's a stunner.  No, he doesn't produce almonds anymore. The apricot trees are nearly ready to bloom, in fact they are teasing with one or two blossoms. I really look forward to the apricots every year.

I'm proud to announce that I applied to and have been accepted into The Ojai Studio Artists, a group of professional artists, who host Second Saturday open studios as well as the big 3 day event in October when the whole group welcome visitors to their studios.

In the studio I have just finished 3 new paintings! 2 of them will be available during my Second Saturday open studio on April 9, from 10-3.  I'll be opening my own studio to visitors and so will other OSA artists in my vicinity, about a dozen of us or so. Right across the street from me is Elaine Unzicker who meticulously joins metal rings to create jewelry, bags and apparel.  

For more information on this go to https://www.ojaistudioartists.org. Sign up for their email list to be notified about our open studio events and other OSA news. 

For cards and prints of the above painting and other botanical themed work of mine please visit my etsy shop: LisaSkyheartMarshall.etsy.com

January and I'm back in the Studio!

 After a fun holiday time with family, I am back in the studio beginning work.  I wonder what paintings I will make this year. It's exciting for me to imagine.

Since we are still in the middle of renovations on our home, it takes a lot of determination and disclipine to make art.  It's sometimes noisy, and there are workers around painting and fixing drywall.  

I've had to shift things around in the house and garden to accomodate these workers, but it will be so nice when it's finished.  At the moment, the whole place is kind of a mess, but I'm just remaining flexible about it, knowing it's only temporary. 

I've changed the color blue of the house to a lighter and brighter blue.  Quite a change after having a periwinkle blue house all these years. With white trim, it's quite a crisp and uplifting house to be around.

I've just finished a new painting about morning glories that I saw in Mexico in October when I visited there.  It was a lot of fun to do and includes some unusually colored ones that are mostly white along with some of the purpley blue ones.  

Now I am working on a project for Ganna Walska Lotus Land, painting a handmade birdhouse, which I will do in between working on new paintings.  The birdhouse was made to look like the bath or pool house near the lotus garden there, and I even have the authentic paint that is used on all the main buildings at the garden. So far, I have sanded, filled some areas and primed it.  

Next up, starting a drawing for a new painting!

New Year resolutions: Work in my Studio! Find Inspiration in the out of doors! 

Painting shown here is: "Artichokes & Hollyhocks", available via my website, SkyheartArt.com.

Check out my etsy shop for small sized originals, prints and card sets.

LisaSkyheartMarshall.etsy.com 

Take care and stay healthy,

Lisa Skyheart Marshall

December: Happy Holidays

 Hello!

I took a break for December!

Happy Holidays and see you in 2022.

Lisa