3 Paintings and 3 Stained Glass Windows

 I finished 3 new paintings in my Patchwork & Posies series in the past month and Roger completed 3 stained glass windows. I'll start this post with photos of the 3 windows that we created for our loft sitting room.  

I do the design work and color choice for the windows and Roger does the construction and installation.  We make a good team!  If you read some of my past posts you know we divided our loft into two rooms, the sitting room and my art studio.  We will install two more of the same style of windows in my studio.  This will give a consistent look from the outside. 

I became obsessed with the patchwork paintings that were inspired by my friend Gloria's quilt.  I added 3 more paintings to this series.  The first is "Patchwork & Pansies"

Next is "Patchwork & Purple Iris".

The third one is "Patchwork & Yellow Rose".

Not long after the first of the year I prepped a canvas for a desert scene painting but then I got side tracked by these patchwork paintings.  I will finish the desert scene for my next project.  

Roger has been working on the last two stained glass windows but is taking a break to do some outside work.  We are in no rush to have the windows installed in my studio.  We decided it was better to take advantage of the nice weather to get some of the outside work done before it gets too hot.  

It is one year ago that the quarantine started and in that year we have completed many home improvement projects.  I am glad I did a post on each of these projects as they were completed.  As I go back and look at these posts over the last year it is like reading a journal of all we accomplished.  

Between our hobbies of stained glass, painting, home renovation and taking walks we are having a lot of fun.  It is good to have things that keep us busy and that we enjoy doing.  We have not missed our other activities like bowling and fitness classes and taking trips that we could not do to because of Covid 19.  We may or may not resume them again in the future as things open back up.  We will make that decision later.  In the mean time, we are content with our lives as they are now.  We are enjoying our "Home, Sweet, Home. 

New paintings and master bed room and bath room remodel

My two newest paintings are ones that I did for myself for our newly remodeled master bed room and bath room.

This first one is another version of the painting I featured in my last post that was inspired by my friend Gloria's quilt.  I titled it "Gloria's Beautiful Quilt".  I enjoyed painting it so much that I decided to do a similar one in different colors for myself.  When it was finished I gave it the title "Patchwork & Posey".  Since I think I may do a collection of these paintings I added #2 to the title.  "Gloria's Beautiful Quilt" will be the first in this collection so I added #1 to that title.  I have done other collections over the years.  One is called "Study in Patchwork".  I could add these paintings to that collection or maybe not.  I haven't decided yet.  Anyway here is "Patchwork & Posey #2"  Size is 20X16

The second painting I just finished is called "Tulips in Grey Vase"  it is another version of a similar one I did in the past only in different colors.  This painting is also 20X16 and now hangs in my master bed room.

We started our master bath and bed room remodel in late December and finished in early February.  We had a new granite counter top installed along with two new sinks and faucets.  Roger replaced the floor tile and added wall tile.  The paint color we chose was called Blue Ice.  We also replaced all the cabinet knobs.  The first photo is what the room looked like before the work was done and the second is the after photo.  It is a large odd shaped room and the shower stall and the garden tub do not show in either photo.

When we retired to Tucson in 1996 we bought a bedroom set and a black metal canopy bed. The bedroom looks as good now as it did when we bought it 25 years ago but we felt it was time to replace the bed.  When we moved here we removed the canopy and only used the head board.  For the past 25 years we have had the same very neutral color scheme, off white, beige, grey, and black. We used those colors in Tucson, Michigan and when we first moved here.  It was time for a change.  I decided on the same wall color we used in the bathroom.  We removed the nasty 15 year old carpet and installed vinyl planking.  We also bought a new bed and mattress and I found the perfect quilt and shams online.  This past summer we found the large wall hanging which we installed over the bed at a yard sale for $20.  We joke that spending that $20 on what we thought was a real bargain cost us BIG BUCKS to finish two rooms just so we had a place to hang it.  LOL!  The first two photos are before and the second two are the after photos.

I am adding two more photos showing the new paintings hanging in the bathroom and the bedroom.

We love our newly remodeled rooms.  They are both bright and fresh looking and very relaxing.  

Roger is starting a new project which will be stained glass windows for our upstairs loft and my art studio.  I'll post photos when they are done.

I do a Valentine's Day Doodle every year.  Here is what I did for 2021.  I am a few days late on posting it.

Projects I completed in January 2021

I'm not sure why, but early in January I suddenly had ideas for multiple paintings.  I started work on 6 different projects at the same time.  I went back and forth between a number of paintings, prepped canvases for a couple more and also worked on a small book table that has been sitting around for months.  It is one of my "road find" projects.  I picked it up on the side of the road before the garbage truck got to it! 

 This first photo is the before picture.  It probably was in a child's room.  It was cute but not my style for where I wanted to put it in my entrance area.

Here is a photo of what it looks like now.  

I placed it on a wall opposite the small 3 drawer cabinet that was featured in my last post.  I painted it in the same colors and design.  Here is what they look like together.  Click on the photo to enlarge.

The inspiration for the next painting came from a photo my friend Gloria from Tucson sent me.  Gloria and her husband George are both quilters.  Over the years we have know them, they have created many beautiful quilts and have won many ribbons and have been featured in magazines.  I have used their quilts for inspiration for many paintings.  The first photo is the one Gloria sent me of the lap quilt she made.

This is the painting I did based on the above photo.  I call it "Gloria's Beautiful Quilt".

It took quite a few steps and lots of masking tape to get all the narrow blocks painted.  It also took lots of drying time for each step so while I was waiting for paint to dry I worked on 3 other paintings.  Only one of them is finished.  I will show the other ones in my next post.  This one is a tiny 7X5 painting titled "Bird in a Gilded Frame.  It is a pattern I did before but in a different color pallet.  This is the new one.

Here is the one I did back in 2018

I will have some new home improvement project to show in my next blog post.  For the past 5 weeks we have been doing our master bath and bedroom.  They are almost done so I will be doing another post soon.  

First Post of 2021: Paintings sold and new paintings.

 It is January 8th and I am just getting around to wishing everyone a Happy New Year 2021.  My only excuse for not doing it sooner is that in the past week we have been busy with home improvement projects and I have been enjoying working on paintings in my new art studio and we binge watched Bridgerton.  I am finally getting around to my first post of 2021.   Better late than never!

Shortly before Christmas I sold 2 paintings and a domino train station.  I was surprised at which painting sold at the Owl & Rabbit Gallery.  Earlier this year Roger suggested I do one of my most popular southwest painting and show it in the gallery to see if anyone in North Carolina would buy something with a western theme.  I lost count on how many versions of "Surreal Saguaro" that I sold in Arizona but I wasn't sure if it would sell in North Carolina. I took Roger's suggestion and I'm glad I did.  It sold at the gallery in November.  Here is that painting.

I had a neighbor who's cousin was visiting from out of town.  The cousin's name was Pam and she was also an artist.  My neighbor brought her to my house so she could see my art and they both bought something.  Pam fell in love with my Mighty Mustang painting and Gay bought a train station for her son.  Here are photos of both items.

 

Here are the three new paintings I did. When "Mighty Mustang" sold I decided to do a smaller version of the same painting.  The one that sold was 20X16 and the new one is 14X11. Here is that painting.

Another one of my popular paintings is "Endless Rose".  I came up with the idea for that painting 10 years ago when I lived in Arizona.  I have done many versions of it in various sizes and every painting sold.  When I moved to Michigan it was just as popular.  I did another one when I moved to North Carolina and it sold.  When we remolded our loft I thought that I "Endless Rose" would look good hanging in our new sitting room.  When I went through my inventory of paintings I realized I had sold the last one that I did so I had to paint another 16 x20 version for my self.  This one is all mine!

I did one other item for myself.  It is an oval box that I painted to set on a small 3 drawer stand that I painted for my powder room in Michigan.  When we moved here I had in my then loft/art studio.  When we remodeled that area I decided  I had the perfect spot for it downstairs next to my pantry.  During the holidays I set a small Christmas tree on it.  When I took down all the decorations I realized I needed some thing to set on it so painted this small box.  The pattern I used is the same bird that I used for the cabinet I painted for the loft. It is one of my favorite patterns.  Here are two photos.

I started work on a small decorative table today that I will keep for myself.  When I am done with that I  will do another southwest painting.  This one will be a desert scene.  I sold many of them in Tucson.

2020 Christmas Card & Painted Cabinet

 This is our 2020 Christmas Card.  Past cards tell about all our activities, traveling, visits from family & friends, and family news.  This year there were no visitors, no traveling and all outside activities were cancelled.   The big BUT in all of this is we have had lots of time for home improvement projects.  If you read my past posts for the year you will see everything we have done.  Currently, we have started the master bath project.  New counter tops, sinks and faucets will be installed soon.  Roger has painted the walls and as soon as counter tops are done he will tile the floor and wall.  That should take us to the end of the year.  In January we will do the master bedroom. 

 From the time we bought our first house in 1960 we have had a ton of fun renovating each home we have lived in.  Back then we had no HGTV  to give us inspiration.  I think my inspiration came from my mother who was way ahead of her time with the interior design projects she worked on while I was growing up.  She had no formal training but was a natural when it came to visualizing how to renovate a place.  When I was 7 my parents bought a dilapidated old house and converted it into apartments.  My mom did the interior design and my dad did the work.  The apartments were open concept long before anyone knew what that meant.  When her friends saw what she did they asked her to help with their homes and one of the first things she did was knock down walls.  I grew up seeing this done so when we bought our first house I told Roger to imagine how good things would look if we knocked down a wall to open things up.  He had never done any construction work before but said he would give it a try.  He was a fast learner and by the time we moved out of that house he built a large addition on the back of the house and had mastered many construction skills.  The rest is history.  We have enjoyed renovating each and every place where we have lived for the past 60 years! 

In my last post I mentioned my next project would be a small 2 door cabinet.  Here is a before photo.

Here are a couple of after photos.

I had fun painting this.  The bird pattern is from a get-well card that Roger's cousin Mickey received.  He said he would like me to do a painting based on the card.  This was shortly before we moved to NC and sadly he passed away before I had time to paint it.  About a year later, his wife Carol asked if I would do the painting for her in memory of Mickey.  After I finished the first one I did 2 more based on that design.  The cabinet above is the forth time I used the same idea.  Here are photos of the 3 canvas paintings I did based on Mickey's card.

The painting I am working on now is one that I am doing for myself.  One of my most popular paintings in "Endless Rose".  I have lost count of how many versions of this painting I have done over the years.  Every time I sold one I would paint another.  The last one  sold at the Owl & Rabbit Galley in May.  I decided it was time to paint "Endless Rose" to keep for myself.  I am going to hang it in my sitting room in the loft.

Merry Christmas to all!

Loft area remodel and my latest painting project

 When we moved here in July of 2018 I set up my art studio in our large loft area.  Here is a photo of what it looked like at that time.

In February of 2019 we got a new lounge chair for our living room and moved the old one up stairs to the loft.  A month later we decided we needed a futon because we were having a lot of company and sometimes we need more sleeping area than just our guest room.  We moved the grids that you see in the above photo to make room for the chair and futon.  Below is a photo of the new additions.

In July of 2019 our grand-daughter Samantha moved in with us and, since she is an artist, we rearranged the studio so that she and I could share the space.  The next photo shows how we did that.

When Sam got married and moved out a month ago it was time to make another change in the loft.  I had an idea that I would like to divide the large loft into two rooms.  My thought was to build a wall to allow for a nice sitting room and a separate art studio.  My reason for this was because my studio is always messy looking no matter how hard I try to keep it neat.  I really did not need all the space in the loft now that I did not have to share it with someone.  It would be nice to have guests not have to see all my mess and also have the comfy sitting room along with the guest room.

Roger and I talked my idea over and did a lot of measuring and decided it would be possible to divide the area into two rooms but we also wondered how it would look.  We would hate to start such a major project and then not like the results.  That is when I came up with another idea.  (My brain is always working overtime!)  I suggested that we "build" a temporary wall using my grid wall panels.  When they are stretched out side by side they total 16 feet which was the exact size of the wall we would build.  So, that is what we did.  Once they were up I remembered that I had some curtains stored away that I had from my house in Michigan.  Again, they were the exact size the we need to back the grid wall panels and also make a doorway into the art studio.  The photos below show the results of this transformation from one large room into two rooms.  The first set of photos are the sitting room.

When you pull back the curtain you enter the art studio.

Welcome to my new studio.  It is more than enough room for me.  I have my painting area, an area for my sewing machine, a table for prepping canvas and another table for framing.  I love it and when it is a mess all I have to do is pull the curtain!

I am so glad we decided to put up the grids as a temporary wall to see if we wanted to build a permanent wall.  Once we saw how nice it looked we made a decision on what we would do.  What we decided is that we would leave it as is and save ourselves the expense and work of putting up a solid 2X4 wall.  The way it is now serves the purpose of dividing the area into two rooms and if we decide in the future that we want to open the loft up again it will be easy to do. 

The last time I did a painting was in February.  When the pandemic started I lost interest in canvas painting because I knew everything would be closed and I there would not be any art shows or contests.  I did not want to build up a large inventory of paintings with nowhere to show them so I started doodling.  If you look at my past posts for 2020 you can see some of the doodles I have done through out the year.  

When  the loft area completed I looked at the old beat up coffee table I had in the sitting room and had a vision of it becoming an artistic focal point in the room.  My desire for painting came back.  Most of you know how much I love to paint roses so that is what I did on the coffee table.  Here is the new and improved coffee table.

When I finished the table Roger suggested another project for me.  We had moved a small 2 door cabinet from our bedroom to the loft and once we had it in place we thought the color did not look good in the room.  Here is a photo of that cabinet and also a before photo of the coffee table.

Before I did the table Roger painted the cabinet in a more pleasing color.  If you scroll back to the sitting room photos you will see the re-painted cabinet.  When Roger saw what I did with the coffee table he said I should do some decorative painting on the doors of the cabinet.  I liked that idea so that will be my next project.  I have been tossing around some thoughts of what subject I will paint on the doors and will get out my sketch pad and put those ideas on paper later today.  You can look forward to my next blog post featuring the finished cabinet.

Samantha & Andrew's Wedding

Our grand-daughter Samantha and Andrew got married on Nov. 1, 2020 in an Airbnb in Waynesville, NC.  It was a beautiful venue in the mountains.  It was a small wedding with only close family attending.  Here are a few photos.

 

Now that we are "empty-nesters" again we have begun our home improvement projects starting with the upstairs where Sam stayed while living with us.  We are almost finished so I will be posting photos soon.