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Thursday, November 29, 2012

Gloria J Zucaro's "Sunshine for Julie"

This is my latest painting, which I am thrilled to say is going to a good home, with an artist and friend.  
I am posting this for the Paint Party Friday Challenge.  
Thank you Kristin and Eva for hosting.  
I hope you will visit their site to see what the accomplished artists have done this week.  

Click on image to enlarge.
12"H x 9"W Original Oil on Canvas Panel
SOLD

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Gloria J Zucaro's "Second String"

This is my second attempt at Laura's stringless challenge.  
This one was very random, just kept going.
Click to enlarge photo.


Gloria J Zucaro's "Stringless Diva"


This is my challenge post for   
Weekly Challenge #97: String Theory v. XX -"No Strings Attached"  to quote Laura " Start in one spot, on the edge of the tile, and work your way out building tangles off of tangles - or use tangles to divide your tile - like hollibough or crescent moon.  Or begin in the center and work your way out, which works AWESOME as a Zendala - or some other awesome way i haven't thought of.
So try your hand at it this week - Creating a tile, zendala, or ZIA without using a string.  How does the lack of string make you feel? are you blissfully free? Or are you blocked? Or a mixture of both. "


Here is how I started.  I am not sure if this is considered a string?  It is not connected, maybe broken string?

But it turned out like this!  I think Santa needs some dental work!
Oh well next time.  I felt "lost in space!"

Gloria J Zucaro's "In A Nest Of Leaves"

8"H x 8"W Original Oil on Raymar Canvas Panel
$55.00 Framed in Floater 
To Purchase- PayPal Through Daily Paintworks



This is my little bird figurine from my sister-in-law.  He is sweetly seated in a little pile of leaves. I again use orange and aqua as my choices for a crisp Fall day.  

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Gloria J Zucaro's "The Harvest"

6"H x 6"W Original Oil on Panel
$45.00 Framed    


It is part of my Fall series with leaves.  Here my empty little flower pot collects the falling leaves, a harvest of leaves.

Monday, November 26, 2012

Gloria J Zucaro's "Cachepot & Pumpkin"


My post for today is an impressionistic still life with a very pretty and ornate cachepot.  For some extra seasonal interest, I placed a mini-pumpkin next to it, reflecting the same color palette.   It is an original oil painted from life on canvas sheet.  The framed size is approximately 8"H x 5"W. 
Click on image to enlarge.
$65.00  To Purchase-PayPal through Daily Paintworks


Gloria J Zucaro's "Changing Season's"

8"H x 8"W  Original Oil on Raymar Panel
$55.00 Framed   S&H to your ZIP
To Purchase-PayPal Through Daily Paintworks



I painted this from life.  It is a bronzy orange metal pumpkin that is open in the back for a candle, and has a beaded stem and some embedded rhinestones or beads in the pumpkin body, along side a large lush sunflower.  The sunflower closes out our summer season in Illinois and welcomes in the Fall.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Gloria J Zucaro's "Journal Page 4"


Today I am posting my fourth journal page entry for Fall Fearless and Fly.  Here are the prompts for this challenge...

Headline Prompt:  Security:  What makes you feel safe and secure?  What rattles your sense of security?  Where do you go for comfort and refuge?

Color Prompt:  Cool colors (blues, greens, violets, etc.) 
Quote Prompt: You can't make a place for yourself in the sun if you keep taking refuge under the family tree.  Helen Keller

My page uses prompts one and two.  My security is rattled by fear of not having enough money.  I was married for many years, then divorced about 15 years ago.  As a  young girl of the 40's & 50's, I did not work when I got married, but was fortunate enough to be able to stay home and take care of my three children.  When I divorced I received a trust which was totally invested in the stock market.  Needless to say that comes with a great amount of insecurity and through the various recessions, has not grown at all, the principal being eaten into! What does money mean to me?  It means choices.  That has always been my life motto, freedom of choice.  

I try to remember that God has always taken care of me.  I feel closest to God when I am out in nature, represented by the leaf below.



Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Gloria J Zucaro's "Thanksgiving Zinger"

Here is my submission to Paint Party Friday for this week.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Front
Today's' post is for the Diva's challenge of using the tangle named Zinger originated by Maria Thomas.  "Zinger" is the name of the tangle shown here that has a "stem and then a circular shapes that encircle but decreases as it flares outward.  I incorporated a Thanksgiving turkey along with the Zingers!  This is the front and back(Below) of a 5"H x 7"W greeting card and comes with envelope.  I may add some watercolor to this, maybe along the bottom and the "sky" area.   What do you think?
This is the back

5" x 7 " Ink design on Watercolor paper greeting card.
Click on image to enlarge.
May be framed in standard 5 x 7 frame.

Monday, November 19, 2012

Gloria J Zucaro's "Fall Table"

This is another painting that I reworked today.  I am on a roll now!  As time goes along your skills improve as long as you keep practicing and learning.  
Since I didn't post the "before" painting of my "Golden Opportunity"  with the crow and pumpkin, I  will show you this painting previous to changes.  I had a few people who requested seeing both before and after.  I think I will also post this one to Jenn's The Artist Playroom.
Be sure to see what the other participating artists have done this week.

This painting is an original oil on stretched canvas 10"H and 20"L
(and already framed, before I started the redux).
Click on image to enlarge. 
Below is the "Before" somewhat blurry photo.
As you can see, way too much green, too much coolness in temperature.  In my "new" version I added turquoise, violet, red, Alizarin, Caribbean Blue and placed them in more impressionistic strokes. I also added some warm into the background area to merge the top and bottom areas of the painting.                                                  


Sunday, November 18, 2012

Gloria J Zucaro's "Seeds of Life"

I am adding this to Jennifer Mclean's Thanksgiving themed challenge this week over at The Artist's Playroom.  I actually did this last year, but it is perfect and I am busy getting ready for Thanksgiving, and for get-togethers with friends and a returning college grandson!  
I used an 18"H statue for my model.  I have an Indian woman, and a male and female Pilgrim, too.  I put the smaller set on my kitchen window sill and the larger on the fireplace mantel.  I have a great big turkey-shaped metal serving tray and sundry gourds and pumpkins around.  
My title relates to the fact that both the seeds of the sunflower and pumpkin may be eaten, and have some protein as well as other nutrients.  And the pumpkin has many ways of being served and feels"substantial" whether soup, breads or muffins, as squash or pie.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Gloria J Zucaro's "Golden Opportunity"

This my entry for Paint Party Friday, a weekly display from about 85 artists from all over the globe.  The site is hosted by Kristin and Eva,  Thank you, Ladies!

My painting today has undergone many changes.  I first painted it about 4 years ago.  I had all cornstalks in the background, and a very dark black shadow under the crow and all strokes on the pumpkin going one way, and a stem bottom showing on the pumpkin towards the right side of the canvas.  On Monday of this week Susan Ploughe who is one of the instructors at Mainstreet Art Center (where I go to paint with my artists friends a couple of times a week) asked us to all bring in a couple of our "duds", the paintings that did not work out as planned.  So I took my crow and pumpkin.  It was predominately orange and yellow over the whole painting, the pumpkin, the ground, the background of cornstalks.  There was some green in the leaves and some of the cornstalks, but otherwise all orange & yellow!  Susan had a sneaky idea up her sleeve!  She had us trade our paintings with someone else and we were each to work on the other person's painting, so that the painting would be looked at with a new perspective.  Susan told us that if we didn't like what the other person did with our painting we could just wipe it off with turp, since all our paintings were dry long ago.  Well, I worked on Corrine's Napa Valley painting and she worked on my crow.  Corrine merged all the cornstalks together with some different background colors that were impressionistic, and the painting was so much better, but it was still oranges, yellows and greens.  After I went home, I thought about it and decided that blue might be good with the orange, since they are compliments.  So today I changed the shape of the pumpkin, changed the direction of the strokes on the pumpkin, lightened the really dark shadow, as suggested by Ann Feldman, added many different colors to the leaves, made the broken piece of pumpkin shell the right value, and got rid of all the orange in the background with sky blue.  Oh, what a relief it is! ( I am singing this part!) LOL!
11"H x 14"W Original Oil on Stretched Canvas


Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Gloria J Zucaro's "Christmas Postcards"

Last year & this I have made my Christmas designs into post cards for mailing to friends and family as greetings.  It sure saves on postage!  I made my cards the standard 4 x 6 inches with a dividing line on the back, just like a regular postcard.  The fronts are glossy, and the backs are mat for easier writing with pen. Make sure that you check with your post office, it might cost you more if you want to send a 5 x 7 postcard either because of being over-sized or just more postage.  I tried to get Christmas "Forever" stamps, but they don't make them in Christmas designs.  So I took the ones that they had, but they are Aloha shirts.  I looked on-line for Christmas postcard stamps, but the USPS doesn't seem to have any.  I might be stuck with a conflicting message!  Winter/Summer!  Here are the cards I will be sending out this year.  I am sharing these with Jenn's The Artist Playroom 
just add water silly's blog hop link

     Church w/Star                                                      Floral w/Star

Snowman or Skater
Santa

These are all 4" x 6" and if you would like to buy one, they are $1.00 plus postage to send to you in an envelope of 45 cents. Would you like a stamp(Aloha) already on it? Add 32 cents with Aloha stamp. So $1.00 postcard, $0.45 cents S&H , $0.32 Aloha Stamp on postcard.

 

Monday, November 12, 2012

Gloria J Zucaro's "Tinkering Squared"

This tangled tile is in tribute to the Disney character, "Tinkerbell".  Our guest hostess  on the I Am The Diva site, Courtney Franz thought it would be fun to celebrate the  November 18 anniversary date of 85 years of Mickey Mouse.  Mickey was first introduced by Disney along with Minnie in "Steamboat Willie" in 1928.
We were to use, Mickey, Minnie or Walt Disney/Disney as our prompt.  My favorite Disney character has always been Tinkerbell.  I started by dividing my Zentangle tile into 8 sections. Then I drew in the center piece which replicates the smaller of Tinks' wings.  The larger wings were next, extending out each spoke.  Then Tinkerbells' magic wands, her eyes in the border, and symbols of her shoes with the big pom pom balls.  I filled in around some of the wands with auras and some of the shoes with dark areas. I added an extra black border in   PS Elements so that the white area on the edges would show up better, the actual tile ends at the outer edge of the "eyes".  This was really fun, thanks Courtney!   Be sure to go see all the other imaginative entries on the Diva's site.
Weekly Challenge #95: Guest Post - "Mickey Challenge"

3.5" Square Zentangle Watercolor Paper Tile
$4.00  S&H 2.00

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Gloria J Zucaro's "Winter Field at Sunset"

Tonight I worked on this pastel for Jenn's The Artists Playroom prompt of a "Sunset" theme.  A couple of weeks ago I painted my "Evening in Door County", but then I found this reference in my photo library.  I love to go for drives in the country in the late afternoon when the sun is starting to set.  I have a friend who lives about an hour away and sometimes I drive out through the cornfields to see her.  I always take my camera to get pictures of the countryside and the old barns that are fast disappearing.   It is so calming to get out of the traffic and built up areas.  Sometimes I just park my car on the edge of the road and roll down the window and sit and listen to the crows or other birds, an occasional bark of a dog, or the braying of a cow as the sun is sinking and twilight comes.  It feels primal to me and helps me realize the things I really value.
11"H x 16"W on Canson Mi-Tientes Pastel Paper.

Please buy a painting if at all inclined from the Daily Paintworks Auction Site to help hurricane victims   100% of the money will go to them, as all the artists involved have donated their paintings.  

And don't forget to stop by The Artists' Playroom to see all the creative entries!

Gloria J Zucaro's "Fone Home"

This is my entry into the Paint Party Friday site for November 9th.
There are many wonderful artists displaying their artwork every week, so surf on over and get inspired.  
I am also asking all of you to go to the Daily Paintworks Hurricane Relief Auction and pick a painting to buy.  ALL the proceeds go directly to help the victims of the hurricane.  The auctions of paintings have raised over $5,000. so far.
Well, here it is.  I finally decided how I wanted to finish my fantasy/sculpture painting.  A fellow artist, Corrine Murphy gave me the neat idea of having my "contraption" landing and making a crater, so voila!   Then I made the planet look as if it has atmosphere, added Saturn back in and I am happy with my final result.  Click on the image to enlarge.

24"H x 18"W Original Oil on Stretched Canvas


Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Gloria J Zucaro's "Inside Ourselves"

This is my entry into the current challenge on Artists in Blogland: Fall Fearless and Fly.
I have chosen the Quote Prompt which is "Not in the clamor of the crowded streets, not in the shouts and plaudits of the throng, but in ourselves, are triumph and defeat" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.  My journal is 8"H x 5"W.  I used Maimeri Watercolors, Derwent Inktense Watercolor Pencils, Gel Pens, and the original raised circles are Silks Acrylic Glaze.
View 1 and 2(below) This is the first time I actually journaled with commentary of my own.


Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Gloria J Zucaro's "Noel" SOCC Challenge

This week our I Am the Diva Challenge from Laura is to use the tangle called "SOCC" originated by Erin Olson.  I used it to make some holiday flowers on a greeting card.  The design is in ink with watercolor, Derwent Inktense Watercolor Pencils and Gel pens.
Go to the Diva's site to see the other creative designs using SOCC.
7"H x 5"W
$6.00 starting bid on The Daily Paintworks auction.
Comes with envelope or may be framed.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Gloria J Zucaro's "Step Four & Palette Knife Landscape"

This week for Paint Party Friday, I have two paintings to show you for the week.  I also did two ink drawings for the Diva Challenge which I posted on Monday night.  Below is my final painting done in Ann Feldman's Contemporary Impressionism class.  We all used only a palette knife and a photograph she had of the scene.  The main lesson was blocking in the three values, Dark, Mid and Light first thing.  But even as we did that we used lots of different colors in the correct value, as you can see if you click on the image to enlarge.

10"H x 8"W on Oil on GessoBord
$75.00 starting bid on Daily Paintworks

Next is an update on my galaxy painting.  This week I took out Saturn which was not in a good area.  Then I used all my dark colors of blues, alizarin, and veridian to make a more interesting sky/outer space in the background.  I also started mixing various grays to block in my paper clips, Christmas tree hooks, and washers.  Next I will finish painting my sculpture, add more planets in the background, and do the foreground.  Click to enlarge.
24"H x 18"W Oil on Stretched Canvas.  Happy Paint Party Friday!
Check all the other artists who have contributed their time this week.