Limited Palette

Good Morning!  I am all fixed up with two new knees(and in 2014, two new shoulders!).  I should be good to go for quite awhile now.

I haven't posted for many months. But wanted to show you one photo of my backyard after our Halloween snow yesterday.
I also have a mixed media painting that I finished recently called "Just Passing Through."

Happy Paint Party Friday!

"Limited Palette"

"Just Passing Through"

Have a great day!

Gloria 

Inspired By Picasso

This week our Creative Jumpstart 2016 master artist for inspiration is Pablo Picasso.  Our first project instructor is Gwen LaFleur, and what a really fun demo she did!  Her subject was mixed-media fish.  I love fish too, so I did my own version of a Picasso using fish as the theme.  The final journal spread with the steps below.

Paint border with black and red.

Get ready to go fishing!  Add Water.

Glue on strips of paper to fit fish body.  Then Outline, and add googly eyes....Done!

Gloria J Zucaro's "No More Fish"

Today I am posting my mixed-media project led by instructor Jodi Ohl.  I love Jodi's art and will be taking her "Dirty Birds" on-line course starting January 20.  Anyway, Jodi is one of the artists with Creative Jumpstart 2016 who is demonstrating to us her project inspired by Jean Mikel Basquiat.  I had a lot of fun with this the last couple of days, fitting it in around dentist's appointments and other LIFE interruptions! I was at Hobby Lobby and they were having a 50% off sale on wall decor.  I found two box like art pieces and got them each for 10.00  I decided to use one for Jodi's project. The first thing I did was gesso the tops last night.This afternoon I started the paint application, the text underneath and scribbles and scratches into the surface for texture and interest.  There were also some paint pens, and pastel watercolor crayons used. The last detail was to add a couple of Basquiat-like figures to the more abstract background.  I really hated to do it because I loved my straight abstract painting, but hey, it's the assignment!  The individual steps are below. Please click on any image you would like to see in more detail.

The Final Piece

Straight from the store

Gessoed

Adding color

This was my favorite stage.  I normally don't do abstract paintings, so it was a thrill for me.

I am calling this project "Fish", because that is what the cat is asking the king for, but the king ran out!

Have a nice day., and leave a comment if you are so inclined, thanks, Gloria

Gloria J Zucaro's "Matisse, Cut It Out!"

Today's' Creative Jumpstart 2016 Project is instructed by Michelle Ward.   

In Matisse' older years he was in a wheelchair.  That is when he began cutting out paper shapes to use in his designs.  Michelle has implemented that idea with making her own stencils and using spray paints as you will see further down the page.  I have never made a stencil before so that was new to me, and I didn't have spray paints so used spray inks! Plus it was 29 degrees today so even in the garage, spraying would not be fun!  I made a few "Opps!" as Carolyn Dube would say, so had to modify some things along the way.  I am not totally satisfied with the end result, but since almost everything is a first in this group of lessons, I am happy to learn a lot!  I did my design on watercolor paper.  I will show you the steps below.

My "Matisse, Cut It Out!"

Stage One, deciding on a theme and cutting out the patterns for stenciling

I decided with all the curvy shapes I needed some straight pieces.

Placement

Start to spray.  The pieces began to curl so I had to put bottles of ink on top to hold them down.

I soon learned that less is better!  But now I have a solid dark Koi fish and a pretty lighter colored one.  I decided to outline the darker images.  But I didn't like the gold pen I chose. "OPPS!"  

So then I decided to use Stickles glitter paint, but what color, what color???  I finally decided on purple.  The final painting...

Here below are a Matisse example and Michelle Ward's final pieces.

A Matisse Original

Michelle's

Boy, I am sweating it!  This was quite a bit of work !  Hope to see you back here tomorrow.

Gloria

Gloria J Zucaro's "Creating Everyday"

Hello November!  Where has this year gone! 

I am so happy to say I finally, after more than a year, feel like I am getting my groove back.  Out of that black hole where no desire lives for art.  

I had a very productive week, although some things started and not finished.

A Favorite Lunch

Lady Across From Me

Sitting in the Car, what I saw

Today I did a journal page with collaged papers from my collection and put in my shopping list as my journal entry, so not an actual sketch..  I tore it(the list) up and glued it on with matt medium.  I did a stencil and some watercolor pencils.  I also did a little Zentangle in a few open spaces.  I will be combining my sketches with this kind of collection of different mediums, I think.  Making the sketch the focal point while doing the other work around it.

Journal Page that needs finishing

Tangled Palm Up

Jane's Grid Veggies, needs painting

For Prash-Wet onto Dry "SKY"
People In Restaurant

For Prash-Wet into Wet "SKY"
Man across waiting for oil change

First Chalk Paint Project. Table Top of Rattan Table

Top Of Table

First Coat of "Cream" Chalk Paint showing desired texture

After Two Coats of Paint and One Coat of Clear Wax.  I am going to put three coats of wax and have to let it dry for 24 hours between each.  I plan on putting my new fish tank on top of this table.

I am posting this to Sketchbook Skool, Paint Party Friday, Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.

Have a good week,

gloria





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!

Gloria J Zucaro's "Abstract Favorites"

20"H x 10"W Original Oil on Stretched Canvas

$145.00 Framed in black floater frame.See frame at bottom of this listing.
S&H to your ZIP
To Purchase, email me at gloria@gloriajzucaro.com

 I am proud to say that I had four paintings accepted into the Randy Higbee 6 Inch Squared National Juried show in Costa Mesa, Ca.

I tried something a little different here.  As I sat watching television, I drew on my canvas different things I like or enjoy.  A heart, fish(in a pond!), a cup of coffee, the telephone,my green tile kitchen counter,trees with the leaves drawn in house shapes, a rose, the wind, a rainbow and the star with various triangle and circles.  As I drew each one, I turned the canvas 1/4 of the way around to the right.  I hope you enjoy some of these things, too.  This can be hung either vertically or horizontally.  See below.  This is in the black frame,against my natural oak floor.  The colors in this bottom pix don't seem as accurate, I think I took this picture in a different place and at a different time of day.

Gloria J Zucaro's "Elephant Story"

12"H x 9"W  Original Oil on Board

SOLD

Today's painting was done from life, but not an alive elephant at Cabela's in Hoffman Estates, IL.  I arrived at 7:40AM, twenty minutes ahead of schedule with all my paraphernalia.  Even though what I considered a rush hour time of day, it only took me twenty minutes from my home in Lake Zurich.  So I tilted my seat back and listened to the radio.  It was a cold 30% morning and the sun had a mist around it.  I was trying to decide how I would paint the sky if I were doing Plein air.  But I digress. 
   
None of the other artists had arrived as far as I could see.  I had noticed employees arriving in those twenty minutes.  At eight I went to the front door.  There was a maintenance man there and he told me to go to the staff entrance because the store didn't open until 9AM and the front door was locked.  So I went, it was locked, so I knocked on the window with my sun glasses because no one had come when I knocked with my knuckles!  At last!  A young woman opened it and I told her I was one of the painters who were to go to the second floor.  She called someone on her walkie-talkie(is that what they are called now???) and said" The painters are here for the second floor".  I said "OH! We are not wall painters we are artists here to paint the animals."  So then she called another person who said I should go to the conference room.  After asking where it was I took the elevator up to the second floor. 


 HOW COOL!  A rocky mountain with waterfalls and with life-size bears, deer, coyote, turkey, moose, elk, fox, mountain goats,eagle,etc.,etc.   I put down all my painting stuff and started taking pictures.  At the far end I discovered the safari animals.  Wow!  So neat...Lions, Gazelle,Rhino Elephant,Water Buffalo, and so on.  More picture taking.  All the animals had labels and a couple of facts about them.  By this time a staff member walked by and told me that even though Cabela's is a sportsmen's store, they are also considered a museum and do tours for groups large and small.  He told me there was a tunnel through the mountain with fish tanks holding local types of freshwater fish.  After he left I called one of my artists friends and found out that since the store didn't actually open until 9AM and they hadn't been able to get in, they had gone for coffee and would see me soon.  I decided to go downstairs and see the fish.  As I walked by all the staff members who were getting their morning update, a woman stopped me to inquire who I was.  It turns out they shouldn't have let me in.  But all was explained and I was setting up and ready to paint by the time the other six artists arrived.  I took my time drawing my elephant, painted til lunch, then finished up early afternoon. 

I am so glad to find out about Cabela's as I had missed going there with another group of artists earlier this year.