Calcifer, mixed media on panel, 10 x 10 inches ©2009

I really have been up to things, while ignoring my beloved blog. Painting, jewelry making, painting, shows, painting, sales, painting and painting.

So, as proof of the “painting” part — I present these three little gems; Calcifer, Glowlightly and Razz.

These brand-spanking-new paintings are available as prints in my Etsy shop, just in time to warm up your holidays!

Glowlightly, mixed media on panel, 12 x 12 inches ©2009

Razz, mixed media on panel, 12 x 12 inches ©2009

Share/Save

Flower. Mother. Hush.

This is one piece that I actually had a vision of before I started, and stuck with it to the end.

I usually start off with and idea and then it kind of blossoms from there in a free flowing way.

One time I counted each little flower and circle that I cut, but I’ve forgotten. I do still have the callous on my thumb from cutting all of them out with scissors!

I recently added this piece as a print in my Etsy Shop. It’s available in the 8 x 10 inch or the 13 x 19 inch sizes.For a limited time, the large print is on sale for $30.

Share/Save

So here’s another peek at what I’ve got going on!

After my wonderful Fellowship at the Brodsky Center; I was left with more than a head-full of exciting ideas, new friends and wet clothes. I also received 10 of the 30 editioned pieces of Hush my glorious collaboration with papermakers Lisa Switalski and Anne McKeown.

Hush Redux - in progress

Hush - Paper pulp

I was also given all the proofs that didn’t quite make the grade. Of course, as a collage artist I’m not going to get rid of any of those delicious bits! So I thought I’d share with you the beginning of this new painting I’m doing, using the scraps from Hush as a base. I’m not sure where I’ll be taking it from here, but I’ll keep you updated as it progresses!

Also, I’ve included a shot of the very start of the piece I’m doing with the shadows that I mentioned in the previous post.

Layers to go before I sleep, layers to go before I sleep!

The first layer of shadows

Share/Save

One of my latest obsessions in the studio is trying to capture the effects of shadows.

I had this painting of a tree trunk and it’s roots (another obsession.) After cutting the whole thing out, to use in a painting, I decided take some snap-shots of the cool shadows that the twining branches created on the wall.

I was at my new studio, which is still not fully equipped yet, so I had no way of hanging the roots, and only the lousy camera on my iphone. So I held the roots in one hand and the camera (with no flash) in the other. Not perfect, but interesting.

We’ll see how they enter into my future painting!

Share/Save

Sweetness Follows © Nancy Tobin

The holiday season is one of those times — like vacations — when I spend a lot of my time doing something that isn’t painting. I get antsy when I haven’t been in the studio for a while. The burning desire to create makes me anxious to get back to work.

As difficult as it is to sit still, I’m thankful for these periods of rumination. As many artists are, I tend to be hermit-like and could easily lock myself away in the studio. Being out in the world brings inspiration and opens my eyes to things I need to see.

Right now my head is swimming with ideas for the new year. When I get some quiet time to put the pieces together, I let you know what I have planned!

Share/Save

Twilight ©2006

I started to get suspicious. I had a few nice young ladies e-mail me, asking me if I would mind if they used a painting of mine in a post on their blogs.

“Of course not!” My goodness, any exposure is good exposure. It did happened to be the same painting, however: Twilight. Well, I think it’s a pretty painting, so I didn’t think too much of it … until later, when I overheard my daughter talking about all the girls at school who just love the book Twilight, and how they’re making it into a movie, and so on.

The little hamster wheel in my head started turning, and I realized that these savvy, tech-weaned women were using my artwork as a lure to gain access to the coveted top of the search-engine page!

Not one to let the youth of today outdo me, I too will shamelessly use my own innocent artwork, Twilight, to promote my own innocent art Twilight. And in case all those in the ether world didn’t hear about it, there will be another Twilight announcement later this evening.

Share/Save