New Painting a Day and a bug and...

Window Watcher
5" x 5"
Oil on hardboard

Here is today's offering. This is for Karin Jurick's Different Strokes from Different Strokes challenge - and let me tell ya - for me it IS a challenge. I have never been one for architecture and landscapes - not that I don't want to be, I do. I'd love to be a landscape painter but I just don't seem to lean that way and when I do it is very uncomfortable. However, not being one to back away from very many challenges - here I am trying my hand at it. It seems funny to me that I can navigate a face or figure just fine - but give me a building and I can't keep track of which window, wall, or post I am working on or where I am in the painting- it totally confuses me - thus these tiny paintings take FOREVER! And then there is this...


This is a terrible photo - I know. But I took a lunch break and went out to check on my veggies and look what I saw! I ran back in the house for my camera and ruler - as I thought it was at LEAST a foot long - but alas it was only 3" - which still seems quite large for January! It was a bit of challenge to hold the ruler and the camera and lean way over to reach the fence and try to focus. As it happened I slipped and touch the grasshopper which jumped and took off like a small bird, making me and the dog jump - who immediately saw an opportunity to catch a "toy" and tore off after it. Bug and dog on a life or death chase through the garden. I think the bug lives on, the dog absolutely would not come in when I called and I had to catch her mid-stalk and carry her in, her grunting and grumbling the whole time. Grasshoppers in January? That is just weird for a girl raised in NW Ohio.

And my busy, busy brain runs on - I haven't even gotten to what I wanted to talk about - transitions and seasons and the things I have figured out and decided from going to the L A Art Show. i also have a disturbing but creative video I want to share with you too. Later I guess....tomorrow is another day. We will see-


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

PlayingTag and Oil Sketches

Sketch of Natalie 3
8" x 10"
oil on Masonite

Sketch of Natalie 2
8" x 10"
oil on Masonite

Sketch of Natalie 1
11" x 14"
oil on Masonite

I went to painting class today - finally... and forgot to take paint. Can you believe that? DUH! It worked out okay though. Vanessa gave me some peach-black, which is basically just a slightly warm black really, and I had a little cad-red still on my palette. I've had these ideas kicking around in my head about color values, and layers, and abstractions, and working more creatively from my head, but based in reality and representation. This just seemed like a good opportunity to start some sketches that I can experiment with later. We will see what they turn into, if anything.
Now,back to playing tag and 7 interesting things about me.

Kellie Hill tagged me and the rules are pretty simple. I tell 7 interesting things about myself and then tag 7 other people and on it goes. Actually it's a fun way to introduce people around.

1. I like to paint round or roundish things. But most of you that know me already know that so maybe that is not so interesting. Okay - how about this then - I love, love, love to go to hands-on museums - yep the ones that are mostly for little kids - love it.

2. I have an insatiable appetite for learning - anything, everything. The only problem is I have really poor retention. When ever I hear of anything new or different I have to research it. I love to research stuff. I've had at least a bazillion minor concussions in my life, I like to blame my poor memory on that. When I was 9I read the Bible through, then a Websters Dictionary and then started on the Encyclopedia Britannica - but I didn't get very far with that one. I would play a Dictionary word game under the covers at night with a flash light where I would start with a word then look up a word in the definition and go on and on endlessly. I used to have a big vocabulary...then I had babies it was reduced to one and two syllable words, I've never recovered.

3. I have some kind of thing abut mail. I can buy cards and address them and stamp them and never mail them. When my daughters graduated from High School and college I bought all the really nice announcements, addressed them, stamped them and two years later threw them all out. I have either a mental or emotional block regarding birthdays and holidays too. It is a problem, doesn't make for a good friend or family member. I have spent hundreds of dollar on electronic reminders and calenders and all sorts of gimmicks to remind me, purchased and pre-addressed crates of cards, and now I have just given up. I think I had one year that I did send a birthday and anniversary card to everyone.

4. Most of what I think are the most interesting things about me I don't like to talk about, and so I don't. That's kind of lame - so how about this? we home schooled our girls on and off up to high school. We were pioneers in the movement, and I was terrified most of the time.

5. I love - well used to love - to play volleyball. At one time I was on 3 leagues at the same time and played indoors and beach volleyball about 40 hours a week. We were homeschooling our girls, and my oldest daughter played too. I quit when we moved in 1994 and promptly gained 40 pounds, which I still have.

6. I am a born-again-spirit-filled-on-fire-pew-jumping-chandelier-swinging-Christian. I love Jesus and the Bible, but I am NOT religious and I hate being called or referred to as religious.

7. When I was about 15 I was told by 3 separate doctors that I had a retina problem. There was no fix, no cure, nothing cold be done for it at that time, and I would be blind probably by the time I was 16. I made it a point to look and see and study and try to memorize everything I could get in front of my eyes. While I prayed a lot asking God to heal my eyes, I knew He could. I would blindfold myself and practice being blind. I checked out braille books from the library and started teaching myself. I did not go blind and when I went back to the doctors, all 3 could not explain what happened but I was totally healed of the problem. I remember one Doctor said he must have written it down wrong. I don't just believe that God can heal, I know He can. I believe in the supernatural. I believe in miracles. I am one.

Okay - there are 7. Now I will tag 7 other incredible artists - be sure to take the time to check their sites:

Lisa Bebi
Jeanne Bauer
Karen Chew
AnneWoods
Carolyn Finnell
Carolyn Rekerdres
Shelley Hocknell Zentner

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