Pages

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Gloria J Zucaro's "Take-Off on Seuss"

Tonight I am posting some ATC's I made for next weekends meeting at The Barrington Ice House Gallery for the Barrington Cultural Arts Center.  We meet the second Saturday of each month to make and trade Artist Trading Cards.  This months' theme is Dr. Seuss.  Of  course we can't really copy his work, but can do our version.  I am joining the party with Kristin and Eva over at Paint Party Friday again, and can't wait to see what the other party goers are up to this week.




Yikes!  An attack frog!



Happy Paint Party Friday!

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Gloria J Zucaro's "Featuring"

Today a plug for a new magazine that I just love!  It is called "Featuring:" and that is what it does...every issue(they come out quarterly) features artists from around the world.  It is a beautiful magazine very heavy weight glossy paper and wonderful articles on all artistic subjects.  Since it is published in Europe, I thought it might be too expensive and might take a long time to get here.  But they have a deal on the magazine for readers in the USA, so shipping costs not a problem and it arrived within a week.  My issue, #3 is fabulous!  It has articles on painting with paper by an artist in Florida, an article about monotypes and how they have evolved into do it yourself at home with no special equipment, (except if you have a Gelli!).  There is an article about the collaboration between a Dutch rock band and an artist in Chili who makes their new vinyl(records)covers.  How to create "found" poetry, an article on the creation of luminescent paints filled with mica, Stephanie Dromers' work with photography, collage and digital manipulation, The Top 2000 musical recordings and how the "list" got started, then how motherhood and art combine successfully in interviews by three artist moms.  I could go on and on with articles about sculpture, overcoming your fear of starting your art life, journaling, a "featured" blogger, photographs of the artist studios, and also opportunities for you as an artist to send in your works for inclusion in the magazine.  The pictures are large and in full color in "Featuring".   So I say give this magazine a look.  The forth issue is coming out soon, featuring "Mail Art" sent in by readers/artist.  On the back of the third issue there is a rectangle of "inches" sent in to "Featuring".  At the bottom of the back cover it gives the name of each artist whose inchie is included.  I can't wait for the next issue, and then the editors are starting a subscription service which will lower the price even more!  Thank you Jennifer Mclean over at "Just Add Water, Silly!" for suggesting this great magazine.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Gloria J Zucaro's "Blorange"

My painting today is for Jennifer Mclean s' The Artist Playroom.  The theme of the suggested challenge is to paint something predominately in blue and orange.  One of our participants in these challenges is Tracey Fletcher King and these two complimentary colors are her favorites.  I chose to paint an orange on a blue plate.  It is very impressionist and loose...why, because I was testing out a new app on my IPod Touch 5 that my son and his wife gave me for Christmas.  It is called Art Rage.  It is a drawing/painting app.  You can choose your tools, your supports and your palette of colors.  This is my first attempt using it, and it was somewhat of a struggle in control on a small screen.  I think I need a stylus or whatever you call the tool you use instead of your fingers .  I also don't know how to get my paintings done in the app to my regular camera roll on the Touch, so couldn't email it to myself.  I took a picture of it with my regular camera and put it into Adobe Elements 9 to try to "fix" the distortion from taking it off the screen surface.  I was introduced to this app by Susan Ploughe who has done several studies with it on her IPad and will use them for future paintings.  Now if I could only figure out how to save it to my camera roll.  I tried the three finger tap on the screen, and the two finger tap, but can't find any button to send it to my email.  Help!

Monday, February 25, 2013

Gloria J Zucaro's "The Unmasking"

Today I am sending a pastel that I just finished on over to the February challenge offered on Ria Hills' site called "Shoot and Paint".  Every month Ria and her artist buddy Pamela White Murphy post one of their photographs and invite you to paint them in your own style.  Here is my pastel of the challenge photo.

Click on image to enlarge.
It is on Canson Mi-Tientes Pastel Paper and is 16"H x 12"W.
I will be offering it next week for auction on the Daily Paintworks or you can email me with questions.

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Gloria J Zucaro's "Liebster Award"

Good Morning!  I hope you are having a sunny and stress free day where ever you are.  This week was a surprising and exciting one for me as I received two "Liebster Awards".  The Liebster award is when another artist picks your blog along with 4 other blogs as one she/he enjoys.  It is about "passing it forward".  Once your blog has been nominated you pick five blogs that you love and think others would enjoy hearing about.  Those five blogs must currently have fewer than 200 followers.  So you see, it is a great honor to be nominated and to hopefully get some extra exposure, and then to be able to do the same for someone else. Each person who is given an award should also...1). thank the award giver 2). show a link back to that persons blog from their blog, 3). nominate five other bloggers with less than 200 followers, 4). leave a comment on the awardies'(is that a word!?) blog to let them know they have been given the Liebster Award.

My first honor was bestowed by Denise at Nessie Natters.  Denise is an expert at drawing, photography, tangles or doodles, if you prefer, and all round good conversation.  I know you would enjoy seeing her artwork and seeing her world.


My second award is from Stephanie Stark, a wonderful artist from Germany.  Stephanie has picked 2013 as the year to finish many unfinished projects she has started.  This is something we all understand. Stephanie has many talents including knitting, work with clay, painting and photography.  You can see her blog here.   Stefanie has her blog text in German and in English.  Just scroll down for the English translation.

My five blogs for you to visit are below.  

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Gloria J Zucaro's "Diva # 107"

My post today is for the Diva's Challenge #107.  It is a pattern called "Quandary".  It looks easy but is not!  But hey, I just let go and had fun.  It reminds me of pieces of rice, so some of my other patterns also start with the letter "R".  Of course, "Fescue" does not!  But I just felt I wanted some there.  Other pattern variations are from "Ragz", "River", "Riverstone", and "Rosewood".   Be sure to click on over to Laura's website to see the other artists drawings. Have a great day!
3.5" Square on watercolor paper.

Gloria J Zucaro's "Jack"

Today my painting is of a Jack Russel mix .  His name appropriately enough is "Jack"!  I found the photo on Paint My Photo.  The photographer's name is Leonard.  I chose the photo to do in an impressionistic workshop class with Ann Feldman.  I did most of it while at Mainstreet Art Centre, but refined it after I got home.  Isn't Jack an adorable puppy?!  I am posting this for my Paint Party Friday entry this week.  I had planned to finish a pastel I am working on since Monday, but family illness got in the way,,,next week!

12" Square Oil on Raymar Canvas Panel.
Click on image to enlarge.

Monday, February 18, 2013

Gloria J Zucaro's "Just Out Of The Tub"

This is my weekly entry to the Daily Paintwork Challenge.  This week's challenge is "The Bathing Woman" posted by Carol Marine.  Believe it or not, I got the idea for my lady from an image I see in my slate tile on my bathroom floor!  I have seen her there ever since my bathroom was redone in 2008. I thought it was time to introduce her to you.  I added the tub behind her, but she looks very much like this in the relief edges in the floor tile....but not multicolored, of course!

8"H x 5 1/2"W on Cold Pressed 140 LB Watercolor Paper.
Ink & Watercolor.

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Gloria J Zucaro's "Bookmark Stack"

This week at The Artist's Playroom we are making bookmarks or other drawings/paintings/photos related to books.  
Here is my "stack" bookmark done in ink and colored pencil.  I will cut this out for actual bookmark use. 
  The style is called a “ pattern stack”.  Here is the original link where I learned about them. http://rainbowelephant.com/repeat-pattern-stacks/#more-1297    My bookmark is not following the exact recipe, except that the different items are precariously stacked up.  It is just about reading & learning and sitting down for a cup of tea with a good book.  The flowers are something I would just like to have in the room with me.  You are just supposed to draw anything that comes to mind.  I often like to look on a map to see where something in a story is located.  
The apples are because I thought of “an apple for the teacher”.  

 It is on 140 LB. watercolor paper and is 8 1/4"H x 2 1/2"W


Gloria J Zucaro's "Chinese New Year"

I finally got around to last Monday's challenge from Laura Harms at her Diva blog.  We were to do something for Chinese New Year. It is the Year of the Snake.  "Ancient Chinese wisdom says a Snake in the house is a good omen because it means your family will not starve."  This is a quote from US Bridal Guide, horoscopes! I had been thinking about it during the week and wanted to do not only a snake(tangled pattern "BLT Joos"), but Chinese Lanterns("Bulb Lantern") and some fans. I had also thought of  the rising sun but ran out of room.  I am just getting in under the wire!

3.5"H x 3.5"W on Official Zentangle Paper Tile


Thursday, February 14, 2013

Gloria J Zucaro's "Jenn's Valentine"

12" x 12" square Original Oil on Canvas panel.
Click on image to enlarge
Happy Valentine's Day everyone!  I am posting my painting today to Jennifer Mclean's challenge of the week  for The Artists Playroom, which is Valentine themed.  This will also be my early post to Paint Party Friday.  I may try to get my Diva challenge done, too and post to "I am the Diva".  I painted a still life today in what is a contemporary impressionistic style.  I had placed a stem with multiple flowers on it in my Belleek vase.  I had some Lindt Chocolate Truffles, so put them on the table.  I hope you enjoy my painting and your Valentine's day.

5"H x 8"W
Colored paper, Spray Ink, Glitter Paint, Gel Pen, Rhinestones

I am participating in Carolyn Dube's "Use Your Words" on-line workshop.  This was a funny
mess because I did not have a stencil and the Cricut die-cut machine I have does not have the silhouette feature to make stencils so I thought I would just spray over the letters I cut out. But I already had a black background with a white heart. The red did not show up on the black when I sprayed the ink. So then I tried gold glitter spray, well that was a little better, but blew the letters away! So I just used white gel pen around the misplaced letters and then added a little 3 piece strip of rhinestones to the heart. I wrote my journaling with the white gel pen, but it picked up the red ink and came out pink!  The reason I picked the word "pain" is because I have been going for physical therapy on my neck and shoulders for the last three weeks.  It is just arthritis, which is what happens when you get old!  LOL!

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Gloria J Zucaro's "Lake Zurich Landmark"

Today I am posting my painting for the Daily Paintworks challenge by Linda McCoy.  We were to paint a landmark in our town.  Well, as it happens, Mainstreet Art Centre has been in business in the old downtown of Lake Zurich for 15 years and is a landmark to all of us who have painted there for many years.  It will be closing by the end of February.
The building it is in was was built in the early 1900's  and was once a meat market owned by the Hefner Family.  Since that time there have been many other businesses in the building. The town of Lake Zurich was once a summer resort area because of the one- half square mile lake that falls completely within it's borders, and offers boating, swimming, water skiing in the summer, and ice fishing and ice skating in the winter. In the 1950's many of the summer cottages started being converted to year round homes.  The current population is about 20,000 people.    

8" x 8" Square Original Oil on Canvas Panel

To our delight...thankfully, our favorite place to paint and meet our  artistic friends is reopening right next door in a larger and newly renovated space.  No more going down into the old stone basement to wash brushes, there are now two sinks upstairs, a separate room filled with frames, two extra classrooms, new lighting.  The front room has two large windows and is probably about 20 feet across and equally as deep.  
I can't wait for the opening celebration!  I am sure Frankie Johnson, the owner, and her husband Jay can't wait either, as they have personally built new taborets, shelving, 8 foot tables on wheels, racks for the frames, installed cabinets and put the lamination on the tops..really an heroic amount of work. 

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Gloria J Zucaro's "Dansk Palm Up"

Today I finally got my "I am the Diva" challenge done.  It is called  "Dansk" and was originated by Margaret Bremner.  A couple of days ago it occurred to me that the pattern Dansk makes, looks like fingerprints to me.  So I traced my hand palm up on my sketchbook page, and got to work.  I think it came out pretty neat!

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Gloria J Zucaro's " Breakfast From The Pantry"

Today I am linking to Jennifer Maclean's  The Artists' Playroom, The Daily Paintworks and Paint Party Friday. 

The theme for the Artists' Playroom is to paint something from your pantry.  Several mornings a week I have a banana, some Wheat Thins and a tablespoon of peanut butter as my breakfast.  The peanut butter and crackers are in the pantry, the bananas are on the kitchen counter, does two-thirds pantry fare count?!  

On the Daily Paintworks Jo MacKenzie challenged us with picking one of our favorite Daily Paintworks artists and trying to paint in their style.  Jo picked Nora Macphail and so am I.  Nora's work is full of joy  and color.  But I will tell you, Nora is a very accomplished watercolorist!  After I did this sketch and watercolor, I realized how good she is!  Thanks, Jo and Nora for your inspiration. 

Paint Party Friday is always fun to visit.  Every Friday there is a featured artist and many more artists who sign in with their artwork from the past week.  So Happy Paint Party Friday!