Thursday, December 29, 2005

post holiday

Time to get back to work... literally 'back to the drawing board'! I am currenly working on a commission of two separate paintings. Both paintings will be of birds; one penguin and one flamingo and both will be in watercolor. Knowing nada about either birds, I started out looking around the internet for information. I've concentrated first on the penguin... who knew there were SO MANY different kinds of penguins? (well, apparently someone because there are several extensive websites out there about them). King Penguin, Emperor Penguin, Chinstrap Penguin etc...This is a funky bird!

Friday, December 23, 2005

Sunday, December 18, 2005

Mina's Rainbow

This is one of Mina's latest creations and she asked to put it on the internet...
"The flower end the rainbow"
10x8
magic marker and pencil

Friday, December 16, 2005

cool website


http://www.modestypanel.com/artorcrap/
Take the fun quiz on this site... like it states, it isn't whether or not you think it's actually crap (and it pretty much is), it's whether someone out there exhibited it as "ART".

Monday, December 12, 2005

TOYS TOYS TOYS


Out with the old, in with the new... what do people DO with the old (baby) toys?
"Shape Sorter"
11x14
Acrylic

Thursday, December 01, 2005

watercolor

This is an older painting... I haven't done much watercolor, other than the greeting cards in quite a while. I do really love watercolor and I want to start a new still life soon so I think I'll use this medium. (as soon as I clear away some of the Christmas cards mess!)

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Happy Thanksgiving



Just an OLD watercolor that kind of reminds me of Thanksgiving... I played around with it a little bit on a paint program. I think I like the fuzzy look of this... just fer fun. Hope you all have a nice Thanksgiving!

Thursday, November 10, 2005

The holidays are upon us....















If you're thinking of ordering my handpainted original assortment of greeting cards for the holidays this year, let me know as soon as possible so I can get started! I painted my arms off last year for the cards (it was really great!).
I did several orders of "Christmas" themed cards, for people to send as their annual seasons greetings (The first picture is an example of one from that assortment), and I also did several orders of standard assortment for people to give as gifts! (yup, the other example). I take requests and can do "themes" (all floral, for example). Check out the card page on my website for more information, prices and more examples:
http://www.hbuchholz.com/greetingcards.html

Monday, October 24, 2005

why waste paint?


I already had the colors all mixed for the last one so, I started this one as well... Neither are quite done yet...
The orange tube paint that I was getting is backordered... good sign? Maybe it's really popular! I just didn't like the oranges that I was mixing. Of course, I had a real specific thing in mind for that tube when I ordered it and now I am, well, 'over it'.

Friday, October 21, 2005

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

almost there...


Still working on this one, although it's very close to being finished!? I think I need to re-do the whole bottom surface, the reflections and shadows but, that should be fairly quick since it's all mapped out for me already... the shadows are just too "hard edge" right now and needs some softening up... a bit more work on the pear on the left and hopefully I will be calling it done by Wednesday? (I'm making homemade pasta today so, most likely won't be working on it)

Thursday, October 13, 2005

another new start...


Been bad at posting...had car troubles and visitors and switched to DSL. Yippee, yes, it's noticibly faster.
Another acrylic in my pears 'series'...same size, etc...We'll see how it goes.

Thursday, October 06, 2005

another in progress...

I put this one aside for a while... so I can decide what I am going to do about the vase/pitcher? It's pretty terrible and I was thinking that I might re-do and change it's color... possibly blue?
The "apples" in this painting also started out as tomatoes...

Saturday, October 01, 2005

Done!


We made pear gorgonzola cheese pizza with some of the 'leftovers'. Yes, it was yum.
I think the digital camera may be on it's last leg and my box o art supplies probably won't come in the mail until the end of next week? Luckily, I have a couple of clean blank canvases I can use in the mean time...



"The broken family"
12"x12"
Acrylic on canvas

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

a new beginning


This is what I am starting on this week... this will be the first one in a series. I am kind of dragging the process out while waiting for a delivery from Pearl Paint...
I'm not really liking any of the oranges (color) that I have mixed and I ordered a pre-mixed orange along with a buncha other stuffs ... hopefully the orange will be cool!
This is acrylic again... and I busted open the Liquitex Slow-Dri blending gel medium, and so far so good, minimal experimentation ... it seems to dry slower but, not a WHOLE WHOLE lot, maybe if I lived somewhere more humid? It definitely seems to thicken the paint, it's kinda clingy...we'll see.

Monday, September 26, 2005

The end of one



It probably looks very much the same as the first picture posted of this but.... I slightly darkened the background, I darkened the inside of the open box, finished the designs on the plates and cleaned up the circles (yes, they were a bit off!), and re-worked the ornaments and tassels... (which was the 3rd, 4th, 5th time? reworking the dang tassels). I took the photo and then did an acrylic gloss varnish.
I have a hard time knowing when something is done or when to stop but, I was reading an article in American Artist this month (maybe their "still life" edition?) where someone said that theyknew were done when there was nothing more that they could think of to do to improve their painting. Something along those lines. Duh, right? But, this is very good advise for me... the key for me being, there is nothing more that I can do, to improve it... there may be much that someone else could do to improve it but, that's it for me.... I am done. Ta da!!!
Now how about some title suggestions???


"yet to be titled"
16x20
Acrylic on Canvas

Friday, September 23, 2005

Bad Art, you CAN call it crap!


I've made quite a bit bad art, most of which I knew was bad at the time I made it. Some really bad paintings have made great backgrounds for other, hopefully not so bad paintings. Some are only useful as something to completely paint over when I am too broke to buy new canvas. Some pieces I just did not recognize as terrible until much later (hopefully most of those are in my garage and not on your walls!) and I am sure there are some I don't realize yet as bad. The lovely piece (left) is, I feel, I great example of truely bad art...yup, I'm the artist here. It is bad from beginning to end and I don't remember and have no idea what compelled me to keep on going, or begin in the first place... it's in a pile of 'canvases-to-be-painted-over' and I pulled it out to guesso over for a nice surface for my daughter to do a painting and she protested it's destruction,"because it looks so pretty, about all the colors." And so, it lives.
Luckily, the Museum of Bad Art isn't exhibiting any of my work (yet). I wonder if I should just donate the butterfly? How refreshing to see someone with the guts to call something BAD. How horrifying to know that I have several boxes of contenders!
Check out their gift shop, if you're looking for gift ideas for me, I really like the Pablo Presley T-shirt (medium will be fine.)

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

tribute to a young artist


This excellent piece of artwork was done by my very good friend Zoe! This budding artist is only in 4th grade! She drew it after one of my own paintings that her parents bought at a show several years ago, which not only impresses me but, flatters as well!

It's a great practice for artists to interpret other artists work and I love the way Zoe has taken what is a very minimalist painting and totally jazzed it up with all the swirls and squigglies in the background, making it a much more lively and vibrant image!




Here is a snapshot of mine, from the Iowa Press-Citizen (dec. '01). Pretty grainy but, you get the idea...Notice how Zoe has fashioned a different style of shoe altogether!!
Thanks Zoe, I love it, it ROCKS !!!

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

5th generation artist...


My daughter, the budding artist, tells me that this is, specifically, a park in ponyville. Daytime on the right, night on the left, a lake in the middle...the yellow lines are paths through the park. To see the other 4 generations go to my website (link at right) and click on "statement/exhibitions".


"Ponyville"
8x10
Tempera on canvas board

Friday, September 16, 2005

he ain't lazy...


Can you start a revolution without leaving your la-z-boy?
Check out the link at right to Greggornation (website and blog).

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

The individual and the menace...

















Trying to work out some general compositions for a very generalized idea that's swirlin' around me head for a couple of paintings... these two quick sketches are pastel (oooohh, the fancy name for chalk!)
Oil would be cool but, I'm completely un-motivated to unleash the toxins and smells, and while the coolest thing about oils is their buttery consistency and the fact that they take forever to dry, (so you can work and re-work and blend and re-do and scrape off and start over and blend some more)...well, they take forever to dry. (Seriously up to a year!).
I'll probably go with acrylics... they can do some of what oil can do, and they don't stink. I know there are many many many mediums out there... although I have yet to find a thickener that I like (or actually thickens without some sort of grain). Anyone have any good results with any thickeners??? I've got a Liquitex 'blended fibers texture gel' and (also Liquitex) 'slow dry blenging gel' that are beggin' to be opened...

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Fun with flooring!















Found some leftover linoleum in a box... cut two 4"x6" (postcard size) pieces out and dug out my Speedball lino cutter.... The lino was a bit crumbly, I don't remember when I bought it but, I liked the way they turned out. The hardest part about the project was cutting the paper, I started out using plastic kid scissors until I found we actually DID have a decent pair of household scissors. Lemme know if you want a postcard!

Monday, September 12, 2005

What I'm working on...


This is the current project... by no means is it finished. A few things that my Pop sent from China, where he currently lives... I actually started this one a few months ago and had been working on it here and there... now, I really want to finish it, so I am back to working on it. I'm having some 'technical difficulties' and feel a bit stuck as to how to proceed?? Not sure what to do with the plates and the tassles on the ornaments have been a real headache to me... I think I've painted over them at least three times! But, this one is 'sittin' on me and I'm compelled to finish it before I move on to another project. I have WAY too many 'almost done' and 'halfway through' projects laying around, making clutter. So, I guess I'm cleaning up a bit by trying to actually FINISH a few things. The photo is pretty accurate, maybe slightly dark... any suggestions?
The blue plates, by the way, are pretty groovy...the yellow deisgn (dragons and stuff), is actually a wire 'sculpture' that sits upon the plate, I am guessing it's fired on?... it's stacked, twisted, and sculpted WIRE and then covered with gold leaf (gold foil).
I'll post an updated picture of the painting when (and if) it's (ever) completed!

Friday, September 09, 2005

First Attempt


First attempt at "blogging".
Ok, let's see if this works, eh?
This painting (assuming it shows up and I know what I am doing here) is from I photo I took last summer off the side of the Tahoe Star, Harrah's yacht. I was on the northern tour/cruise of Lake Tahoe. This is the first completed painting in a little series of lake scenes that I've been working on.
Title: "Tahoe Rocks!"
Size: 24"x48"
Medium: Acrylic