Collage and Cards.

This was somewhat of a slow week art-wise.  I have been uninspired as of late and have only done art in classroom situations, except if it comes to doing something for a grandchild.  Maybe it is the soggy and gray days---Spring is coming---eventually!

I have two collage pieces one 5 x 7 in my sketchbook, and one on a 6 x 6 piece of wood. In Karen Sako's class we were to pick at random three papers from a magazine, old homework notebooks, a music workbook and maps and then proceed. We could add whatever else we wanted to after gluing down our papers.

I call this one "Finger Pointing".

In this piece I was inspired by the two arrows on the homework page.  Then I saw a brown bag with an arrow also.  That is my "Theme".

This is the card. The areas top and bottom are the table it was on. I wanted a square format, as I sometimes post to Instagram.  I made this card for my nine year old Grandson who also loves Pugs-two weeks ago I posted an elephant card for him.  The incentive for the card is a letter I received from him.  His class at school had to write a handwritten letter to someone, and then the school asked that recipients return a handwritten letter to the school, and the student will read it aloud in class.  If you enlarge by clicking, you will see the two old dictionary descriptions for the word "Dog" and for "Pug".  I got the photo from images on Google and coated the back and front with Blick Polymer Acrylic, so it would be less likely to wrinkle when glued down.  I also used "Yes" paste which has less water content, and that also helps in a smooth application.

Have a wonderful week and Happy PPF to you and a big thank you to our hostesses, Eva and Kristin.    

I always feel happy when you leave comments or ask questions...

 😀Gloria

Lily Pond and "Abstract"

This week I finished the cold wax and oil painting that I photographed in two stages for last weeks post.  I added several areas of paint. I darkened the bottom in some areas and added lily pads, and shades of browns and yellow and blue in other areas.  I scratched through the layers to pull out weeds along three edges.  FINI!

My second painting was started over 4 sample pieces done in the workshop with Mark Russell.  I used up old wax and paint mixtures from my palette to add about 4 new layers to it.
I will let both dry completely before framing.

I am busy with Christmas decorating, shopping, cards and parties, like many of you, so I may not post for a couple of weeks.

 LILY POND

Step One

Steps 2-4

Recent Sunset from my back yard.

Colored lights, all gold & Silver ornaments--Tippy Top!!

Gold and Silver on dresser top

Enjoy a visit to Paint Party Friday hosted by Kristin and Eva and thanks for stopping by.  I would love to hear any comments or questions--Gloria

Gloria J Zucaro's "UnderPear"

First of all "Happy 6th Anniversary/Birthday" to Eva & Kristins' PAINT PARTY FRIDAY site that gives many artists a place to show their artwork each week.
I always enjoy and get inspired by what my artist friends from around the world are doing. Not only do they share their artwork, but many show photos from their area of the world, offer advice on supplies and techniques and viewpoints on various topics of world interest.

A couple of weeks ago I showed you the beginnings of a mixed media project.  I got it finished this week.  I finished the background with various stencils, stamps, Neocolor Crayons, Marks All pencil, Posca Pens, collage and acrylic paint.  Now the decision was between covering most of the background and allowing it to show through in one area, or leaving the background mostly exposed and covering an area to give the eye a resting place.  Since I had tried the first option previously I decided to leave most of the background showing this time.

Here is the finished project.  The original WIP is below it.  I am calling this "UnderPear" a play on Underwear!

Here is the WIP photo shown two weeks ago

Have a wonderful week of celebration Kristin and Eva and thanks for another year of Paint Party Friday!

I would love to hear your comments.

~gloria

Gloria J Zucaro's "Reservoir"

I am sorry to have missed last week's post.  I had more dental surgery and then a mild case of stomach flu.  I finally had to make time for putting away Christmas, start to collect tax papers, clean house and recuperate!  So I have several unfinished projects from Creative Jumpstart 2017 hosted by Nathalie Kalbach.  This week I worked on and finished a painting I had started last Spring.  I changed it quite a bit and am now satisfied with it.  I am linking to Paint Party Friday, hosted by Kristin and Eva.  Many fine artists from all over the world display their work every Friday.  Check it out.  You will be inspired. 
Oil on canvas, 10"H x 10"W

Gloria J Zucaro's "First Five Days of Creative Jumpstart 2017"

I joined Nathalie Kalbach and 27 other artist demonstrators to participate as a student for the month of January.  Since I can only show Paint Party Friday one post, and since I have to post each project separately for the special CJS 2017 link-up, this is my second post tonight.  I will show you the 4 days of projects so far.  Day one was a welcome video by the hostess Nathalie.  Each of the other four days were other artists whose demos we watched and used some of their techniques to do our own version of the project. Please check in to Paint Party Friday hosted for the last 6 years by Eva and Kristin.  You will find wonderful art and inspiration there.

First Project Day 2 with Marsha Valk

Day 3 with Mystele Kirkeeng

Day 4 with Glyn Macey

Day 5 fourth Project with Pam Carriker

Gloria J Zucaro's "One Day In March"

My painting today has gone through a complete transformation.  It was much more intense in color, as my paintings seem to be.  But I wasn't satisfied with it because although I love strong color, it wasn't saying what I wanted to remember and tell you about.  

One day last March I was out on some rural back roads taking photos of barns and fields. It was our typical very gray, cold, damp and windy March day. Suddenly I came upon a patch of exposed dried grass and a beautiful old barn with several coats of peeling paint. I loved it immediately because I am partial to pale aqua/blue.  The warmth of the layers of paint brightened up the whole field! 

I am posting to Paint Party Friday.  Thank you Eva and Kristin.  

If I don't see you again until the new year, have a wonderful Christmas, or Holiday of your persuasion. 

"One Day In March"

Oil on Gallery-wrapped Canvas

16"H x 20"W

Gloria J Zucaro's "The Farm at Old McHenry and Route 22"

This week I am so happy to have been chosen by the random generator to show examples of my art on Paint Party Friday, hosted by Kristin and Eva.  There are at least 60-80 artists every week exhibiting on this wonderful site.  You truly get to know your fellow contributors from around the world.

This week I will keep it short and simple!

I finished to my liking a scene from a photo taken from my car at an intersection- while stopped at the red light, of course!  I was attracted to the cluster of farm buildings and a typical Mid-Western farmhouse.  The painting went through extreme changes as I progressed.  I printed it in color and black and white.  I had done a thumbnail sketch of it in my class with Kim Casebeer and also used that as a guide.   The bottom sketch below is my thumbnail of this scene.

Then when deciding what colors to use, I leafed through a copy of National Geographic and found a page that appealed to me.  But even there my colors drifted into more of the blues and purples than the pale yellows and violets. This is the end result.  Titled "The Farm at Old McHenry and Route 22".

10"H x 20"W. Oil on gallery wrapped canvas.

Thank you for visiting and for leaving your comments.

And thank you again, Kristin and Eva for giving me this opportunity!

Happy PPF, everyone!

Gloria

Gloria J Zucaro's "The Treasure of Time"

Tonight I am linking to Jennifer Mclean's  of The Artist's Playroom challenge of "What do you treasure?"  Of course, the first thing that pops into mind are friends and family, then creating art, then my home, health, etc.  But the more I thought about it, the more I realized how the main thing I wish I had more of and can never get enough of is "TIME". I never seem to have enough time to enjoy all the things I love, people I love and things I want to do.

I am also linking to all my artist friends over at Paint Party Friday.  Thank you to our hostesses, Eva and Kristin.  Be sure to pop in there to see what everyone has been up to in the last week.

This week I received my prize from Patsy over at HeARTworks.  She sent me a wonderful Artist Trading Card with a portrait and lots of blessings.  So fun to hear from Patsy in the Philippines!  Thank you.

"The Treasure of Time"

10 Inch Square Original Oil on Raymar Artist Quality Canvas Panel

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

Gloria J Zucaro's "Horse in Brush"

3.5" Square Ink Drawing with Watercolor on official Zentangle watercolor paper tile.

SOLD

This may be framed, see tab above.

Click on photo to see more detail.

The colors are off white, pale rose and pale blue/green

I had been yearning to do a horse, so I did!  Although this is not really a tangle design, I think that horses like to eat those thistles that can take over a field, so that is what gave me the idea for this design.  This is my weekly entry to Paint Party Friday hosted by Kristin and Eva.  Go on over and see what everyone else has been up to.  http://paintpartyfriday.blogspot.com/