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Thursday, January 31, 2013

Gloria J Zucaro's "French Street Scene #003"

Tonight I am posting my oil painting from a photograph by Lee A. Brown.  Every month Lee posts a photograph for artists to paint from his pictures of his travels around the world.  This months' photo was taken in Roussillon, France.  I have rearranged the subject and changed some of the colors.  Be sure to go to Lees' site to see what other artists have done with the same photograph.
15"H x 30"W Oil on Canvas...SOLD
Click on image to enlarge
I am also saving this to Paint Party Friday.  I missed getting around to say "Hello" last week, so I hope to visit with other artists this week.
I am also posting to the I Am The Diva Site hosted by Laura Harms.  This weeks' Tangle is using a special string, Tangle Patterns String # 003 which looks like this...
And here is my finished tangle
3.5 Inches Square on Watercolor Paper
To see my Pastel Painting completed on Monday Go Here
Happy Paint Party Friday!

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Gloria J Zucaro's "Sunset at Sea" Pastel

My pastel painting today is from a photo by Michael Yates.  He posted it in 2010 to Paint My Photo which is a copyright free site.  I painted this for the Daily Paintworks Challenge of the week.  The challenge was to paint with your non-dominant hand and was suggested by Christine Holzschuh.  I knew when I saw the challenge that I would try a landscape/ seascape.  I had recently had an email from a friend in Hawaii who is an artist on vacation from Illinois.  Lucky her!  We just had some ice, then a downpour of rain and thunder!  Anyway I didn't want to use her photo because she might get really mad at me!  My friend Corrine had told me about Paint My Photo.  I went to their gallery of photos and searched for "Hawaiian sunset".  Believe it or not this was the only one I found with that tag.  I was true to the challenge until the very end when I forgot one time and found myself changing to my right hand to get the mast drawn in as straight as I could.  I quickly switched back to my left hand.  Working with the opposite hand was not easy, and I have a stiff neck from holding my body in a different direction.  But other than that I found I could accommodate to it.  Maybe my brain grew a little? Ya think?!

Click on image to enlarge....SOLD
16"w x 12"H on Canson Mi-Tientes Pastel Paper.



Thursday, January 24, 2013

Gloria J Zucaro's "This week For Moebius Syndrome"

Tonight I am linking to Paint Party Friday and to the Diva Zentangle Challenge which is a special event for Laura(the Diva)Harms.  It is  "String Theory v.XXII - Moebius Syndrome Awareness" day, the 24th of January.  Lauras' son Artoo has been diagnosed with this syndrome.  Moebius Syndrome is a congenital nerve disorder .
The logo string Laura gave us to work from is below right.

          
I drew several variations of the logo with my pastels and used the MSAD color of Purple for my main designs. I then divided the remaining areas into areas of black and white.  The colors inside the logo are the other two triadic colors of oranges and greens.  I did various tangle designs in the white pieces with my #8 Sakura pigment pen and did an aura stripe with my white Gel pen in the black areas.  

The first picture below is after I did the main design and sprayed it with fixative and then with Krylon Matte Finish varnish.  

The second picture is the painting after I finished the tangles.

For Paint Party Friday I have added my other pastel of the week called "Green Chic" which I posted earlier in the week.


To Purchase with the proceeds going to the Moebius Syndrome organization.

Below is my Daily Paintworks entry for the challenge of painting glass submitted by Linda McCoy.  I happen to love colored glass and would always choose it rather than clear glass or even crystal!  I just can't do without color.  My apple posed for me until lunch time when I very rudely ate it as it's service to me was done! Now I am off to do my daily journaling and my Diva Challenge.  Then I will check my Yumbly app to see where we might go to dinner this weekend once I can decide what I am in the mood for!
"Green Chic"
This is an original pastel on 16" x 12" Canson Mi-Tientes Pastel Paper.
I am thinking I will also link this to Jennifer Mcleans' Artist Playroom, just in case I don't get another one painted specifically for her "Bright Colors" challenge this week.  I think this is nice and bright, and cheerful for a cloudy winter day.  Get better, Jenn!

Friday, January 18, 2013

Gloria J Zucaro's "Getting Ready"

Today I started the preparation for the Inspirational Card Deck Swap 2013.   I had not realized until I emailed Jessica Brogan, the hostess for this swap, that the quotes each artist puts on the cards actually have to be "inspirational".  I had collected some quotes by famous actors and actresses, and had gotten some photos of several of them to use on my cards.  But I went through and eliminated the quotes that weren't actually inspirational...only very funny!  I can use those quotes and photos for making other ATC cards on my own. I took some pages out of one of the paper selections by Melody Ross that I bought on sale and glued the cards onto various pages.  I had put glue on the pages first as I got to each page, so attached a few 2.5 x 3.5 extra cardboard pieces where I had already put the book binders adhesive.  I had done this with a wet wash brush, so the paper got too wet and ripped off some of the design when I picked it up to move to another place to dry.  But I am not worried it will add interest as I add another layer.  When I cut the cards apart, they will each have a different back. I plan on putting some Silks Acrylic Glaze  over these papers anyway and also my name and blog information, too.

I also did my journaling for the limited 10 minutes for "30 days in your journal" by Julie Fei Fan Balzer.  I must say that for the last two days I have not had the supplies that Julie has, which she said is perfectly okay and that I could substitute with what I have.  I did not have a transfer screen to do a screen printing effect, so I just used regular stencils and stamps. Some with my initials in a very scroll-y alphabet.  I did not have a "frame" so cut one out of my Steampunk book from Dover Press. Today's video showed her adding a photo of herself and circling it with watercolor crayons.  Again, I had no photo of myself so added puzzle pieces, some glitter and used my Derwent Inktense Watercolor Pencils to get a similar effect.

The last thing I did was paint a page in my smaller journal black.  I am going to do the 8th and last Fall Fearless & Fly journal page.  The colors for it are black with bright colors.  I will be using my "Hot Shots" neon paints over the black.  Have a good evening!
Card backing papers below.


My 3 days of journaling below.  New page tomorrow!


Thursday, January 17, 2013

Gloria J Zucaro's "The Tree,The House & Me"

Another busy and productive week to share with my friends at Paint Party Friday.  Today I finished my entry for the Trees Exhibit sponsored by the Artists Association of Elk Grove and the Elk Grove Village Library.  The exhibit runs from March 9, 2013 until April 27, 2013.  There will be an opening reception to meet the artists and enjoy an evening of art and fine food.  I will let you know the reception date as soon as it is announced.  My original oil painting is on a 30"H by 15"W stretched canvas.  I have titled it "The Tree, The House  & Me".



Next I am happy to show off the newly released book by Lynn Cohen.  Lynn spent a year at her favorite lunch spot drawing the people she saw there enjoying lunch with their friends, and relaxing at Tacos Jalisco run by the Ubillus family .  The Ubillus' have become quite the celebrities!  Congratulations, Lynn, on your first publication.  I am really enjoying looking at all your art work and reading the captions.

The Front Cover

In the Middle

Next is my first day of 10 minutes( per day) work on my journal for "30 Days in your journal".  I am enjoying seeing all the possibilities that Julie Fei-Fan Balzer has to offer.  I just started last night, so will do my next 10 minute project later tonight.  I started by using a journal page covered with paint from my Gelli Plate and stencils made by Jessica Sporn.  I added the date and time, and picked my title for this page, and did a little journaling off in one corner.




The next two pictures are of two Artists Trading Cards I made while at our January meeting last Saturday.  The Theme was fabric.  I had made a dozen fabric cards beforehand, but we always do some while at the meeting.  I didn't get a very good picture of the first one, which was fabric and lettering applied with fusible web.  Then I highlighted with Gel pens and sewed on a sequin and bead.

I had time left over so made this ATC tangled for a general trade.  My new friend, Cathy, an experienced ATC card maker traded with me for one of her lovely cards.



I also joined a group of artists who will be creating for Jessica Brogans "Inspirational Card Deck Swap: February 2013" which you can read about and possible join by going here.

Have a creative week, and be sure to stop by Paint Party Friday to see what everyone has been doing this week.


Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Gloria J Zucaro's "Auraknot & Bunzo Challenge"


Every Monday Laura Harms at "I am the diva" posts a new Zentangle challenge.  This weeks challenge is a duo tangle of Auraknot and Bunzo.  We have done each of these before, but not in concert.

I used strings that had the shape of hearts for Valentines' Day and did my tangle on a 4"H x 6"W greeting card.  I first did it in Black and White and then in watercolor with all the Bunzo areas in fushia and red.  The Auraknot areas stand out in their starkness.




  
I also made another thank you card.  This one for my neighbor who gave me, for Christmas, some delicious pretzels with white chocolate kisses melted inside and green and red M & M's on top.


                            

 

Monday, January 14, 2013

Gloria J Zucaro's "Give it a Spin"


Today I am linking to the Daily Paintworks challenge "Make It Move" offered by Francesco Fontana.  I am also linking to Ria Hills January challenge  which is to do a piece of fruit in a still life, an apple was suggested.  I am combining both these challenges into a painting called "Spin the Apple"!  I also did a painting today for The Artist Playroom site hosted by Jennifer Mclean.  Her thought was to portray our weather wherever we live, well it is darned icy!   I combined two ideas again.  The movement from Daily Paintworks and the weather theme from The Artist's Playroom for "On Ice" below the apple.

"Spin the Apple"
8" x 8" Original Oil on Museum Quality Canvas Panel.
Click on images to enlarge.

"On Ice"

5"h x 7"W Oil on Museum Quality Canvas Panel.  I found this photo on Google and think it is probably Kristi Yamaguchi doing a move called the Sit-spin. 



Sunday, January 13, 2013

Gloria J Zucaro's "I Don't Know Where To Start!"

Lately I have gotten into Journaling, Artist Trading Cards, and what I call whimsy drawing.  By that I mean that I don't really have a reference to go by when drawing, so things are a little wacky.  But hey!  that's me...a little wacky!  Today I decided to try the journal everyday idea.  I was at a loss as to what to do, so I joined Julie Fei-Fan Balzers'  called "30 Days in Your Journal" on-line class.  It is go-at-your-own-pace with videos and supplies and encouragement.  When I went to my studio, I opened my journal to a page that had some really bad stamping attempts and a little Gelli Plate paint from off the brayer.  The dark blue and red were too stark for me on the white, so I used my Derwent Inktense Watercolor Pencils to draw on a rainbow of colors.  I grabbed an old brush and wet the surface of the page, over the pencil marks.  Ah!  now I like it, lots of color.  Next I knew I needed the journal part, which is hard for me, because I usually just apply paint to a surface and am done.  I am doing this because it is a challenge and really out of my comfort zone. So I stamped some words from different stamps that have a whole phrase.  I just used the words I needed.  I applied the ink with that old paintbrush.  Then I just stamped around with some little stamps that appealed to me.  A pencil, a pair of scissors, a Tiki mask with a frowning face.  Then I went through my box of newly acquired ephemera and found some foam stickers that I liked. I put on a sticker that said "Play" and outlined it with gold pearl dimensional paint. Next I cut a cardboard tag with ribbon smaller and used Elmer's Glue-all to sick it down.  Since it is lumpy and the glue oozed out around it, I shook some gold glitter on it and now have a bottle of paint sitting on it to hold it in place until it dries.  I am going out to dinner now, will take a picture and post this later!  I am linking to Julie's site and Daily Paintworks.  ......

I am back from a delicious dinner at Emilios Tapas Restaurant in Hillside, IL.  I will have to leave a glowing review at Yumbly.  And here is my finished journal page for today.

6"H x 8"L
Click on image to enlarge.

Friday, January 11, 2013

Gloria J Zucaro's "Relax Phicops!"

I enjoyed doing my Diva Challenge for the week.  Laura's Husband Brad designed a new tangle called "Phicops".  I used it in my tangle(3.5" square) and in my greeting card below.
Two cards done last night.  I did one for a birthday, kind of quirky! and one for my resolution word for 2013 "Relax!" linking to Jenn's The Artist's Workshop
Pen & Ink on 4 x 6 cardstock with marker.  I chose "Relax!" as my word because I am always very intense and over booked & overscheduled   So I decided to try to "Cool it" and "Chill!" a little more this year.

Pen & Ink on 4 x 6 cardstock.  Part of this design is from the Diva Challenge from a new tangle made by Laura's husband Brad called "Phicops"

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Gloria J Zucaro's "Door County Barn"

Today I finished this oil painting of a barn from a photo I had taken in Door County, Wisconsin last Summer.  It is so sad that so many barns are not being kept up and are falling down and disappearing forever.  Many of the new barns going up are called pole barns that you can buy in a kit at a farm supply store.  Although some are pretty nice looking, they just don't feel the same to me as the older traditional barns. 
Linking to Paint Party Friday and The Daily Paintworks.  For those of you living in the Chicago area or Lake County specifically, my original oil painting "Fone Home" will be on exhibit at the Robert T. Wright Gallery in Grayslake, IL for a month, in the Lake County College Members Show.  The opening reception is January 18th from 7 to 9 PM.   19351 W. Washington Street, Grayslake, IL 60030
"Door County Barn"
8"x 8"
This is on an artist quality canvas panel.  Click on image to enlarge.
If you are interested in purchasing this painting please click on "Door County Barn"

Gloria J Zucaro's "Gelli's & Card #4"

The last Gelli project with Carolyn Dube's Gelli Plate Party is using stamps to make patterns or provide resists.  What fun this was to do!  I actually did some stamping, some stenciling  and some really wet splashy looks.  Below the Gelli Plate prints is another Thank You card.








A little sketch for my latest "Thank You" card to my friends in Texas who sent me a beautiful fresh wreath covered with pine-cones and berries and a big satin bow.  I still have it hanging on my front gate at the entrance to my courtyard of my townhouse.


Monday, January 7, 2013

Gloria J Zucaro's "In Honor of "

This post will be linked to Carolyn Dube's Gelli Plate Party and to The Daily Paintworks challenge of the week called "the Something New Challenge".  My theme is called "In Honor Of" because it is about my two grandsons who were both diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in the last two years. 
I used several of my newly made Gelli Plate papers(see former blog posts) to make a journal page.  However, this page is not actually in a journal, it is on an oil oil painting on canvas board.  For the Daily Paintworks Challenge I decided to combine many of the mediums I have just started using in the last month, with mediums I have been using through the last year and earlier.  First I gesso over an old(bad!) oil painting.  I then applied some of the papers recently made with the gelli plate as well as a paper from an old shorthand  textbook given to me by Beth at bethbynumarist, and a paper off an Italian cookie.




The oil painting on the left with a puddle of gesso.  The painting on the right covered with the first layer of papers. 
Next I used a stencil from Stencil Girl of Church Windows and heavy Gel medium mixed with Silks Acrylic Glaze applied with a palette knife.  I sprinkled a course gold glitter on while wet.  I wasn't totally pleased with that, so used Copic marker to darken some of the shape of the window frames.  I added wrapping paper trees to symbolize long life, the boys ages when they were diagnosed(3 and 19) a tangled heart surrounding a four-leaf clover to symbolize my older grandsons stay in Ireland for a semester of college, a red cardinal to symbolize my younger grandsons love of Angry Birds, a picture of a child and lost innocence of the hard-knocks in this life, and a badge that tells the birth month of my youngest grandson.





















Left is the windows, glitter, and paper cut outs.  Right is a close up of the clover, tangle and a piece of fabric under it.  Below a close up of the "Angry Bird" symbol, the child and trees.


Sunday, January 6, 2013

Gloria J Zucaro's "Most Unique Vase"

Here is my second "Thank You" card for a Christmas gift.  This one is for my other sister-in-law.  The gift is a very unique and beautiful glass flower vase.  When I began to draw it, I realized that although the neck of the vase is round, the body of the vase is oval. It is also unusual being on a stand and having a perforated lid with which to arrange the stems.
6"H x 4"W on Cream colored cardstock with Pen & Ink design.  
I put a tangle design around the borders of the card.

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Gloria J Zucaro's "All in a Days Work"

For My Gelli Plate Papers, Scroll to middle of this post

Yesterday I got quite a bit of artwork done.  I copaled a painting which will be in an exhibit the end of the month in the Robert T. Wright Gallery in Grayslake, Illinois.  Copal is a preliminary finish you put on an oil painting before it it has dried enough to put a final varnish on.  You rub it on in circles with a lint free cloth, making sure all areas are covered but don't have puddles.
Then I put the first coat of paint on a frame for that painting.  It is a floater frame, so all the front surface of the painting will show, and not be covered by 1/4 edge being covered all around by a traditional frame.  I am considering put a pewter dry brush over the black.  What do you think of that?  
I stuck the painting in the frame so you could see how a floater frame looks.

Next I worked on my Gelli Plate with two colors of paint at once for Carolyn Dubes' Gelli Plate Paint Party.  I really like the way they look with a mix of different Silks Acrylic Glaze paints by Luminarte. I didn't have anymore plain white paper, so used some pale yellow cardstock.
Last night I spent several hours beading my second set of fabric cards for my January ATC meeting. I beaded around the bird shapes and then glued them to the lattice background.  I also finished up my first set of ATCs which had glitter and pearl accent on the fronts and Martha Stewart Iridescent Tinsel Glitter around my name plate on the backs.  I will put a clear glitter glue around the edge of the applied birds sections, I think, and fill in some of the blank background between the lattice fabric strips with paint.