Some Fun With Family

Recently, nephew Greg Manata drove down to my studio to have his portrait done.  That takes nerve.  Finished piece combines watercolor, graphite, pen & ink, an old photo of Greg when he was young (which makes up his hair), some nice papers (his interesting shirt) - all glued on some white heavyweight top quality Arches watercolor paper.  I welcome more models - who don't mind what the final piece looks like (since it is rarely totally accurate or flattering).

That same evening, I noticed how cool my late, great father, E.A. Autrey's, stained glass rooster (which hangs in my kitchen window) looked reflected on my neighbor's house.  So some family art photos finished an artful day.

What's Happening? Something Coming up this May!

This is happening at my studio the first two weekends in May.  More info Marin Open Studios website and here:  https://marinopenstudios.org/artist/631/

A Day Hiking in Briones Regional park

"Don't shoot me," I suggested to my sister (who took the top photo on her phone).  "The view is much more beautiful."

Flower Art for MOS

Another eclectic ensemble from top to bottom:
1.  Three Flowers in a Beach Bucket Vase mixed media on cradled board 9x12
2.  Two Flowers in Yellow Vase mixed media on cradled board 9x12
3.  Sunflowers in Vase:  Paper collage on paper 15x18.5
4.  Vase of Flamingo Flowers:  Paper collage on paper 11.5x15
5.  Six each 8 1/2 x 11 prints of digital photo collage with scanned objects
6.  Space Flower:  Cold wax/oil on cradled board 16x12
7.  Space Flowers:  Cold wax/oil on cradled board 12.5x8.75
8.  Fall into Winter Leaves quilted wall hanging 36.25 x 36.25
9.  Magnolia From bud to Bloom quilted wall hanging 41.5 x 45.5
10.  Garden of Delight quilt 50x67.5
11.  Winter Crow - quilted wall hanging with four photos and an applique crow

A Few New Mixed Media Pieces: Paul Klee Inspired Abstract and More Realistic Butterfly Still Life

Bird Art for MOS (Part 3 of 3)

Mixed Media (collage, woodcut, gum arabic transfer).  Top to Bottom:
1.  Woman with a Bird on her Head:  collage with cut up photographs, papers and original art on paper.
2.  Crow Olympic Rings:  One of a series of digitally enhanced woodcut prints with various painted backgrounds.
3.  Crow's Nest:  Gum Arabic transfer on paper on board with R&F oil sticks and graphite.
All these and more at my Marin Open Studio the first two weekends in May:  https://marinopenstudios.org/artist/631/

Bird Art for MOS (Part 2 of 3)

Fabric and Photo Bird Art - top to bottom:
1.  Funky Bird Wall Hanging quilt with an applique bird, in a photo of a window shot in India and printed onto cotton fabric.
2.  Spoonbill in Florida large quilt with applique and some batik fabric bought on the same India trip.
3.  Black Bird:  Embroidered bird drawing on nylon mesh, glued over hand made paper on board.
4.  Funky Birds Going the Wrong Way:  3D digital models of fabric bird appliques, collaged with a photograph of a street arrow.
5.  Simple Photography of a Blue-footed Booby bird shot on a trip to the Galapagos.

Bird Art for MOS (Part 1 of 3)

Cold and Hot Wax art on Board - top to bottom:
1.  Rainbow Crow:  An original crow drawing, printed and transferred to paper with gum arabic, then combined with R&F oil sticks, cold wax and other media.
2.  Avoiding Danger:  Cold wax and oil sticks plus stencils on cradled encausticbord.
3.  Irritated Crow:  Photo on paper on board with hot wax.  The board was outside for years developing a lovely natural patina of mold.
4.  Two Blue Birds:  Hot wax over paper on board.  I initially embroidered the birds into nylon mesh, but they melted when I heated the wax, forming waxy bird impressions which were then painted over with oil paints.

These will be on exhibit at my Marin Open Studios (MOS) the first two weekends in May.  https://marinopenstudios.org/artist/631/

Some Easter Bunny Art for my upcoming Marin Open Studios this May

I've been using some Photoshop Posterization Techniques on old photos of my backyard rabbit sculpture then adding him (his name is Sherman) into digital and paper collages.
From the top:
6"x 6" cradled board:  B&W Sherman Dreaming in Color
10" x 8" cradled board:  Bronze Sherman behind the Garden Fence.  Some of you might recognize one of the background collage elements - which was the photo below, taken in San Anselmo of a landscape reflected in the dirty window of a Drake High School student's car.  The fence cut out is from a separate double exposure photo.  Digitized Sherman, in the top two pieces, was printed on some nice Epson Metallic Photo Paper Luster, cut out and glued.

The 3rd pink and purple image of Sherman in the Garden is a digital collage of a different posterized Sherman photo, superimposed on a pen & ink and watercolor painting of a park in downtown San Anselmo, with a photo of some cherry tomatoes added in for flavor.  It is available as a 13 x 19 or 8 1/2 x 11 print on fine art paper.
Check the Marin Open Studios website for more info:  https://marinopenstudios.org/artist/631/

Bugs, Birds and Flowers - Marin Open Studios

As I am gathering artworks together for my Marin Open Studio, the first two weekends in May, a nature theme is coming together:  Bugs, birds and flowers.  The Bug Art is highlighted in this post, to be followed by birds and flowers in subsequent blog posts.   There are also some interesting people portrait collages to come.

I love painting Insects.  They come in all sizes and colors so make great models.  They are also essential to make the natural world function.  Here is a preview of some of my insect art which will be on display in May.

Digital Prints

Insects A to Z pen & ink & marker drawn insects, digitized with original insect font done in 2006.  One of my bestselling alphabets for many years on Art.com.  Available as a 13x19 print

Bugs in Bottle on Table digital composite of mixed media ‘Bottle of Bugs’ art done in 2015, with line art from a series of pen & ink and watercolors done in La Jolla in 2002, bird silhouettes from drawings done after a trip to India in 2015, and polka dot fabric designed in 2014.  Available as an 8 ½ x 11 print.

Spiders and Spider Webs Photographs shot in the Galapagos in 2017.  Available as 11x8.5  and 19x13 prints.

Art Quilts

Space Garden 45.5” w x 63” h with silk, cotton, digital fractal insect designs printed on silk organza and applique.  Done in 2014.  No longer available

Bee World 30” w x 47” h, including silk and cotton with fabrics of my own design.  Done in 2014.  Available

Mixed Media

Bottle of Bugs 9” w x 12” h paper on board with 1 ½” cradle.  R&F oil sticks, cold wax, digital print and Gum Arabic transfer on paper backed panel.

Cicada Mixed Media 6” x 6” paper on board with 1 ½” cradle.  R&F oil sticks, oil and ink on Arches watercolor paper.

Digger Wasp 6” x 6” paper on board with 1 ½” cradle.  R&F oil sticks, oil and ink on Arches watercolor paper

Oil Paintings

Dragonfly 5” w x 4” h stretched canvas block with 1 3/8” cradle.  Oil painting, black and gold ink.