I am so honored that Clare http://www.mummaclare.blogspot.com/ chose my blog to receive a reward! Thank you Clare!!!
Proximidade is described as follows:This blog invests and believes in PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes for self-aggrandizement!Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers!'

The rules are: This blog award should be sent to your favorite eight bloggers and they, in turn should forward to eight of their favorites. You should include the text for Proximidade (above) in your announcement blog. I wish to forward this honour to eight of my favorites.

http://laurelines.typepad.com/
http://jenniferlawson.blogspot.com/
http://www.michellechappellphotography.blogspot.com/ (my awesome friend, an awesome photographer, and an awesome mom)
http://ninajohansson.blogspot.com/
http://kathrynestelle.blogspot.com/
http://winnasworld.blogspot.com/
http://artbyanita.blogspot.com/
http://andreajoseph24.blogspot.com/

I love this inspiring blog world of ours!!

thanking you again Clare...

Extreme Art Makeover

This is the same journal page that appeared in the previous post http://daloweartist.blogspot.com/2009/01/my-friend-kim-gave-me-gift-certificate.html

and I added acrylic paint to it. It literally came to LIFE! The page jumps and dances now. So much fun!

Finished acrylic paintings

These paintings are the finished product from a previous blog entry http://daloweartist.blogspot.com/2008/11/saturday-after-thanksgiving.html. I finished them this weekend. I am so pleased with how these turned out!

They are a gift and I sure hope she enjoys them!

To thine own self be true.

More sketches from January 4. The first I did very detailed and in pencil. The second I loosened up and began to PLAY. I drew it quickly with a Faber Castell Big Brush pen. Love those things!
The quote is from Shakespeare's Hamlet - "To thine own self be true." Above all! Indeed!

Elephant

Last week's "inspire me thursday" http://www.inspiremethursday.com/ challenge was "elephant" I began this on January 4, 2009, but finished it tonight with acrylic, watercolor and white gel pen. Ooooohhhh! fun!

"It's Been a Long Day"

Using the photo from the Feb. 09 issue of Country Living Magazine as inspiration I painted this on 5" x 7" W/N watercolor paper during lunch today. The red is a little deeper than the scan but I'm really happy with the way this turned out. I drew the sketch in Prismacolor Warm Gray 70% Then used my Yarka pans and light olive and mid vermillion Inktense pencils in certain spots of the afghan and pillow. I want to curl up and relax here. Maybe in front of a fireplace...

The Best Christmas Present!

My friend Kim gave me a gift certificate to Cheap Joe's Art Supply (http://www.cheapjoes.com/) for Christmas! What a perfect present!!

I purchased this empty Yarka palette and about 6 half pans of Yarka St. Petersburg Professional Watercolor and then used some other extra pans I had to fill the palette. I arranged them at first as below, but it didn't seem to make sense...



so I rearranged them in the order below. I think I have two English Reds (left page above and below), and I'm not crazy about that color, so I need to replace that with something a little brighter.



Thank you, Kim!!!

Proof you can sketch anywhere

Waiting at the garage for new tires...


I added color to this sketch of my cup on my desk at work while waiting for new tires at a garage!

I carried my Yarka palette, my Niji waterbrush, and an assortment of pens in a basket. Some people crochet... I sketch.


This is a chair in the waiting room - drawn with the new Pitt Big Brush pen - fun and quick.

A Summer Yard Sale Find - Decorating Idea

This past summer I found these macrame beads at a yard sale. A huge box of them for $5.00. I bought this glass vase Wednesday, December 31 at a local consignment shop and arranged them in it. It makes a very colorful, interesting decorating accent.

I found a treasure!

I made a trip to a local used bookstore on Tuesday, December 30, and found Cathy Johnson's book
Drawing and Painting from Nature!!! This is a first edition, first printing in pristeen condition! I am so excited to have found this!