Friday, July 25, 2008

#32 Yellow Pear on Red ACEO Daily Painting a Day from Nathalie S Davis


#32 Yellow Pear on Red - ACEO
Oil on Masonite
Just got back from a great dinner at one of the best Italian restaurants in Carlsbad - we had 16 of us there, only missing 2 I think - of those out here in CA right now. Annette and the 2 boys fly out tomorrow and we get Mom and Dad all to ourselves for a couple of days.
I don't know what this painting looks like on your screen but this is screaming red on mine right now - way too bright! I will reshoot it tomorrow and see if I can't get it to look better. I got all finished with it and while I was hurrying around trying to get cleaned up to go out to dinner, I knock this painting and my tea and a bunch of other stuff off the table. Of course the painting landed face down! Fortunately I had it tape to another board and that board had just enough other stuff stock to it to leave space so the little painting didn't really touch the floor! Just had to fix a couple of little marks. Whew! I am off to visit with Mom & Dad now- then to bed.

Visit me here:
NathalieSDavis.blogspot.com
www.NSDavisArt.com

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

#31 Rain Man - New Daily Oil Painting a Day and Photoshop Class

Finally! - I didn't get this posted last night because I couldn't upload the pictures - YAY! it's working! So here is last nights post today.


#31 Rain Man - Quick Sketch Portrait
Oil on canvas
6" x 8"

(approx. 15.24 x 20.32 cm.)

Available Here

I just love having fun and for the past few days I've been having me some. I did these quick sketch portraits which was a blast. I had really goofy colors with me in class, I don't know how that happened - but I did not have any of my normal dependable trustworthy colors - so I just played and winged it. SO much fun, I think I laughed out loud a few times. It feels so good to get back to painting - that sort of amazes me, I mean that I've been missing it so much. I am having a good time with Rick's family and stuff too. It's been very relaxing going up to the lake. Now Rick has taken all of next week off! That'll be great - I hope to get up to Laguna Beach and look at galleries - during the week - on weekends during the summer you absolutely cannot move it's so crowded.
Also I've been having a BLAST with my Photoshop class that I am taking through the community college - but all on line. I wasn't sure how I would like that but I LOVE it and can't wait to sign up for the next one. Here is an example of what I've been doing. This assignment was to make a CD cover front and back, including the little folding flaps on the back. CD's and bands aren't really my thing - so I decided to make a cover for a photo CD or DVD for the family vacations. We had to try different filters and layering and stuff - I LOVED making this - I LOVE Photoshop! Anyway it's my daughters and nieces messing around at the lake and the gun is Eric's influence - being a Captain (as of Aug 1st) in the Marines, an artillery guy and competitive shooter - the girls all found out that they enjoy target practice too. With the theme being MESSY - what could be messier than shooting someone - twisted I know, but I had to come up with something and I was running out of time. I watch WAY too much CSI - Cops - Forensic Files - Bones - NCIS - Criminal Minds - all my favorites - well, after So You Think You Can Dance - which is my most all time best favoritest TV show EVER!!! These projects are posted to a discussion board - and I am finding that my virtual classmates aren't too fond of this cover of mine. I don't care - I love it and I loved doing it. What do you think?





Visit me here:
NathalieSDavis.blogspot.com
www.NSDavisArt.com

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

#30 Rugged Man Quick Sketch Portrait - New Daily Oil Painting a Day

#30 Rugged Man Portrait Quick Sketch
Oil on Canvas
6" x 8"

Available Here

I only have a few minutes before the blog goes down for some kind of maintenance. I don't have too much to say right now so I guess that's OK. I enjoyed doing these painting so much! So here is one today and tomorrow I will post the other one.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Two New Daily Oil Paintings a Day by Nathalie S Davis

# 29 Green Pear on Dark Pink - New Daily Oil Painting a Day
Oil on canvas board
6” x 6”
(approx. 15.24 x 15.24 cm)

# 28 Pear Reflection on Purple - New Daily Oil Painting a Day
Oil on canvas board
6” x 6”
(approx. 15.24 x 15.24 cm)

Wow, does it ever feel good to get back to painting. This month is so busy - Rick's parents and one of his sister's and her two boys are here visiting and we are having a great time just hanging out and relaxing. Spent the weekend up at the lake again. It's really great but it is keeping me out of the studio, and that makes me antsy. This morning I did the #28 Pear Reflection on Purple followed by #29 Green Pear on Dark Pink. I had started #29 a couple of weeks ago and it just bugged me so I never posted it. This morning I worked on it more, and now I am at least happy enough to get it up here and also on EBay. I really like the #28 Pear Reflection on Purple. I emailed it to show Nathalie (my daughter - yes, we have the same name) and she liked it too - and asked me to set it aside for her. So no EBay for that one! I have deadlines looming for so many things! I have got to get to work and get these painting done for these shows I have committed too! I am disappointed that none of my ACEO's have sold. I have been watching and I see that it is pretty darn important to get these things posted at 12:01AM of the very first day of the contest. That way they go on the first page usually - mine are toward the back and hardly anybody has even looked at them. I think they are bored and tired by the time the get to the page my cards are on. At least I prefer to think that over thinking that they suck and people just don't like them!! - Nah. that can't be it! I am going to make a couple of larger painting from them. I like them.


Available for purchase
See My eBay Store

also visit my other store

www.nsdavisart.ecrater.com





Visit me here:
NathalieSDavis.blogspot.com
www.NSDavisArt.com

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Nathalie S Davis Daily Paintings a Day; ACEO Dogs





I can't believe I got 10 ACEO's done today - especially with all of the interruptions. I think several might become paintings. Now I am going to bed - good night!

Cut and Paste, ACEO and AC

There's a lot of initials floating around these days - gets on my nerves. Except when it comes to typing. I am not a great typist and I welcome any opportunity to shortcut it when ever I can. So the cut and paste part is today blog entry - pretty much cut and pasted right outta my non-chatty business blog ...again. (I say pretty much - becasue I did add a little to it) Sorry. We had AC installed today (quite a few interruptions)- but made my working on my ACEO's much more pleasant by the end of the day - I have several more to make - finish - in order to make the contest deadline. So here are two ACEO's done while the AC was being installed and cut and pasted from my other blog. Back to work for me....
GOT 2 MORE FINISHED - BLUE DOGS1 and 2


Good Dog 1/2
Good Dog 2/2

Good Dog - New Daily Painting a Day

Hand Colored Digital Print
Acrylic on acid free card stock
ACEO 2.5" x 3.5"
(approx 64 x 89 mm)

This is an original drawing, print and painting signed by me (on the back).
This is a series of two. I drew the dog (from a photo I took), scanned and printed it on acid free card stock, painted it with transparent liquid acrylics, then varnished. I thought the card stock seemed flimsy so I collaged (fancy talk for glued) it onto another piece, so it is double thick, and has the weight and feel more like a playing card.

ABOUT THIS ACEO
This ACEO was inspired by two things. First, I took some photographs over the Fourth Of July at Lake Arrowhead. There was a couple in the shopping village walking 4 of the nicest, most beautiful and well behaved Labradors. Each one was a different color. Of course I had to take some pictures, and that is what inspired me to do this series of dog ACEO's. Secondly, it just happens to fit this months theme for the ACEO YBA contest. Also, these ACEO's also provide a method for me to plan and prepare for larger gallery paintings based on them, sort of like a sketchbook.

ABOUT THE CONTEST

There is a monthly contest starting on the 15th of each month. The winner is the artist whose ACEO gets the most unique bidders. That means the most individual bidders, so a card with two people in a bidding war with a total of 50 votes would be beaten by the card with three bidders with a total of three bids. It's sort of like one vote (bid) per person (bidder). Anyway I thought it would be fun to join in and play.

2008 Years Best ACEO Awards

~ ACEO YBA

This group was founded by ACEO artists and collectors, to create a brand new ACEO awards program/art contest, which began on September 15th, 2008.

The ACEO YBA will:

1 - Recognize and promote our fellow ACEO artists, in a wide variety of ACEO-specific categories... that may not be found in other awards programs.

2 - Increase awareness of the ACEO movement on eBay... thus encouraging new artists and collectors to come and enjoy creating, selling and collecting ACEOs.

3 - Give something back to the wonderful ACEO community of artists and collectors, that we enjoy being a part of on eBay.

Bid Now!
See My eBay Store

also visit my other store

www.nsdavisart.ecrater.com

Monday, July 14, 2008

#25 Orange Pepper and I am TIRED!!

# 25 Orange Pepper - New Daily Oil Painting a Day
Oil on canvas mounted on Masonite
6” x 6”
(approx. 15.24 x 15.24 cm

I actually did this little painting in the Carol Marine workshop at the Andreeva Portrait Academy in Santa Fe a few weeks back - or is it a few months back now. I don't know, time goes so fast. This painting is varnished so it has a little shine to it, making it difficult to photograph well. It looks pretty good on my monitor - but would look so much better in your house!

I got this posted on my other business-only-non-chatty-blog and then cyber-world decided not to cooperate any more. My photos wouldn't upload and I am too exhausted to fuss with it tonight so I just cut and pasted this from my "business only" blog - thus the explanation for the weirdness of this post. I don't know - maybe it doesn't seem weird to you - it is to me. Maybe repetitious would be a better word. I didn't sleep well last night so now I find myself grumpy and tired and well - grumpy. Painting hasn't gone so well - I have TONS and TONS of domestic BORING chores that have to be attended to getting in my way - holding me down - preventing me from working - adding to my grumpiness. I wanted to upload my latest Photoshop project - because I am proud of it - but I guess that'll have to wait till tomorrow - maybe cyber-world will cooperate with me then - or at least I won't be so tired and grumpy that I can't deal with it. I am going to bed now - good night.

Available for purchase
See My eBay Store

also visit my other store

www.nsdavisart.ecrater.com

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Hybrid Water Cars and Todays Green Pear

I spent - probably wasted - most of my morning reading about and researching kits, systems and information on how to convert your car to a water hybrid. The car doesn't really run on water, but it removes the hydrogen from the H2O and burns that with the fuel, increasing the fuel efficiency of your car. That is a very simplistic explanation, but that is the basic idea. For some reason this fascinates me, (big surprise - practically EVERYTHING fascinates me). I think I read something about this back in the late 60's - when Mother Earth News first came out. Anyway - I really wish my brother were near by. He'd help me build it - he knows everything about cars and fixing them up. In high school he took the automatic transmission out of his perfectly good car and turned it into a manual transmission - just because that was cooler and more fun - and because he could do it. Any way I spent the morning reading about science that I don't quite understand and about engines that I really don't quite get either -and I really am not a car buff, but I think it would be really fun to make one of these converters and try it out. Darn it - everything interests me - there just is not enough time to do everything. That and I like building things and making things and trying things and - well you get the picture. Not enough time.

So todays "Daily Painting A Day" came together like a dream - which was a good thing. I put the spot light really close to the pear and it was cooking it causing it to change colors very quickly - so I had to paint fast. I painted this one on a metallic gold background, and the gold peeks through here and there. I really like this one a lot. So here's where you can find it if you like it too - it's on eBay
CLICK HERE

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

I am back - sort of - and #22 Tiny Matt ACEO

I am really dragging my feet getting back into the routine of working. It's not that I don't want to - it just seems that after a break - any kind of break - I have a difficult time regrouping and restarting. I have to work very hard to establish a routine to start with as I am not a routine/schedule person, which drives my girls really insane. They are both planners. In fact one was a professional event planner before she quit to go back to school, and she was my foot-loose and fancy free kid. The other daughter was born while scheduling her own delivery I think. I, on the other hand, thrive by the seat of my pants. Hmmm - maybe that's why they are so good at planning.... So here is todays offering :
#22 Tiny Matt ACEO
2.5" x 3.5"
oil on Masonite
I am heading over to eBay to post this right now. You know where to find my stuff if you want it. See all of my links over there on the right somewhere----->

Saturday, July 05, 2008

Vacation Pictures, (really just a weekend)

Here we are at Lake Arrowhead in the San Bernardino Mountains. We boarded the dogs for a change and drove up on Friday, and go home on Sunday morning - early. This is so nice.

Above is the view from one Steve and Cindy's decks - and right out there is where they shot off the fireworks last night. It was beautiful, and pretty perfect.

They have sail boat races on the lake, and the lake is so full of boat traffic this weekend that they can barely wake board. It is a wonderful break and very peaceful and restful here. As eager as I am to get back to painting - this weekend has gone way too fast!
Visit me here:
NathalieSDavis.blogspot.com
www.NSDavisArt.com