Halloween greetings you skeletons you!

via Shiny Plastic Hag blog

Painting featured in Etsy for the 22nd time

My painting titled "OUTLAW" was featured in an ETSY Treasury along with other work from the talented artists on Etsy.

Treasury titled: Note from an outlaw 

Artist: Lynda D'Souza
Title: Outlaw
Size: 8" x 8"
Medium: Oil on harboard 

The treasury was curated by Mysoulcandance, a talented lady who makes unique jewellery. My favorites are these antique cream pair of earrings, do drop by her shop to see more of her beautiful work.

The treasury can be viewed here as well as many others.

Party Decor contract

And this is where the pom poms ended up!! I was contracted to do the party decor for a child's First Birthday party themed ' Winnie the Pooh'. With the color theme red and yellow I made up the pom poms to demarcate the dance area and then the table cloths/balloons added to the color. The customer wanted some characters for the main wall which I painted on large sheets of card stock. And finally they wanted a large line drawing of Winnie Pooh & his friends for the little ones to color in. This would eventually reside in the birthday girl's bedroom. 

Pom Poms demarcating the dance area

The character paintings on the main wall

Painted these on card stock

and used double sided foam stickers to adhere to the wall

All done in acrylic on card stock 

The line drawing done in acrylic for the little ones to color in

Thanks so much to Shyamala - it was fun putting this together and a big God bless to the birthday girl Mary Lou!!

Poms POMS

Now when was the last time you saw a table full...full of tissue paper pom poms???!!! gawk away......more on this later. 

Painting featured in Etsy for the 21st time

My painting titled "Calla" was featured in an ETSY Treasury along with other work from the talented artists on Etsy.

Artist: Lynda D'Souza

Title: Calla  

Size: 12" x 12"

Medium: Oil on Canvas 

Sarah Sedwick of Sedwick paints included my painting along with some beautiful other portraits from Etsy's artists. Sarah herself has a very nice collection of oil painting in her online shop - my favorites are the still lifes of the Christmas baubles / ornaments - do pop by to see more of her work. Thank you Sarah for including my painting !! 

The treasury can be viewed here as well as many others.

Art & Craft show at AT & T United Way bazaar

Last week thursday I was invited as a vendor for the second time to the AT & T staff bazaar at their office premises. It turned into a fun day and it was great seeing everyone again - these events allow us artisans to meet others like us and that I like! Thanks so much to Eva and Roz who organized a fantastic event and for inviting me again. Thanks also to Aynette Fernandes who was a huge help in so many ways!

...............living my life just the way I wanted to...............!  

At the AT & T United way bazaar

Juried Show

Margaret (left) and self
Title: Red Skirt
Medium: Acrylic on canvas 

Title: Pink Light
Medium: Oil and canvas 

Etobicoke Art Center 

Margaret Stawicki, my fellow student at ARA (The Academy of Realist Art) had two of her paintings picked for the juried show at the Etobicoke Art Center. We were all so proud of her as her work is a beautiful expression of color and form.

CONGRATULATIONS MARGARET !! 

Her work and others are being exhibited at the Etobicoke Art Center till October 27, 2011 - do drop by if you are in the area. There are over 34 artists showing their work in water color, oil, acrylic, mixed media and sculpture.

Painting featured in Etsy for the 20th time

My painting titled "ABIGAIL" was featured in an ETSY Treasury along with other work from the talented artists on Etsy. 

'Treasury Tuesday on a Saturday Night' curated by BorgandIvee

Artist: Lynda D'Souza
Title: Abigail
Size: 12" x 12"
Medium: Oil on canvas

The treasury was curated by BorgandIvee, two talented artists who created beautiful oil paintings. You can view their art here.

The treasury can be viewed here as well as many others.

Bargue assignment IV - part 1

Just started my fourth assingment and after the creating the construct, have moved to the articulation stage. It's pretty complex as this time we do not have axis to use as a reference. So we create reference points on the outside of the image.

This assignment is different to the earlier three as we are creating a copy of the image in a large size. I have always loved horses as a subject and also as animals - like a big dog you can't hug! After I complete this I move to level 2 - charcoal!! yay!

Garage sale find !!

Vintage Top Hat 

Original hat box 

Original hand written script showing hat was purchased for $4.00 back then

This is why we love garage sales! because you walk away with a Vintage Top hat in excellent condition in original hat box. I squeaked when I saw this lying at the garage sale we stopped by last weekend. It was covered in a beautiful black velvet and lined in red silk. Not a scratch on the hat but can't say the same about the box. I still am keeping the box though as the print and text is so cool. D will make me a stand for the hat which will go on my showcase alongside the sconces.

The funny thing was the hat was purchased back then for $4.00 and that was the exact same price I paid some fifty years later.

Bargue Assignment III - Jeune Femme - part 3 completion

Completed drawing in graphite of Jeune Femme. On the left is the print that I reproduced.

My best work so far !

Close up of the facial details 

Here is the completed drawing of Jeune Femme, didn't think I would finish it but finish it I did! whew!

Click here to view progress of the drawing.

Formal Gardens

This entire summer we have gone back and forth on the plan for the backyard but work has kept us too busy to get started. It's looking like a project for 2012 which is just as well as we have so many ideas for that space. It started with a cabana for the husband and me, then a back deck, then a vegetable garden, on deck fire place.....and several other cool ideas. Yes its what we love discussing.......ideas for creating magical spaces!

I tend to lead toward formal gardens i.e. lots of symmetry, rows and rows, identical plants, tall trees....very French. While this is all in my head I have no idea on how to get it started. It's a good thing it has been delayed to next year as it gives me time to figure it out. Until then I am saving these images for my research bank

Seriously! I cannot get my backyard started and this is on a rooftop?!?!!!

Love the Church in the background 

I say it again....its all about the symmetry 

Courtney Cox's Private Retreat in Elle Decor

I fell in love with Courtney Cox's home and bought the Elle Decor magazine yesterday just so I could pour over every room. What I loved the most was the 'grey' palette used all over and the outdoor decks just blew me away.

The coffee table is made of composite wood and the husband is going to make us one for when our back deck  is ready.  Don't you just love the greys and whites.......so calming.........and the glass wall............so clean. 

This is like deck porn! I mean seriously....can you imagine the view from this place! 

...the concrete table...........love the different zones she has created within a small space...

the black iron edging around the doors and windows......

again the greys and whites.......

You can read the whole feature here on Elle Decor on line.

Wednesdays live model drawing

Another sustained post of 12 weeks but I didn't get far this time. Since I knew that I would not have much time I decided to spend the last few sessions modelling just one part of the figure which was the arm. Using the brush I spread the charcoal to create the values and roundness of the flesh. I was happy with my measuring this time round and achieved good proportions in the figure.

I keep telling myself its not a race Lynda......but it's like I have two brains - one talks and the other just does not want to listen !

Cartoon created on rough paper with shadow areas blocked in

Cartoon transferred onto water color paper and worked on with charcoal

Painting featured in Etsy for the 19th time

My painting titled 'Yellow and Green' was featured in an ETSY Treasury along with other work from the talented artists on Etsy. 

Artist: Lynda D'Souza

Title: Yellow and Green 

Size: 8" x 8"

Medium: Oil on Hardboard

LilaO curated the treasury. They are a Mother and Daughter team that makes and sells cute clay products. One of my favorite pieces are the clay tags. Please pop by their shop to check out more of her products. 

The treasury can be viewed here as well as many others.

Bargue assignment III - Jeune Femme - part 2

Jeune Femme alongside image I am reproducing. 

Close up of Jeune Femme - the right eye is what I spent the last 3 days  on. 

'Jeune Femme' is about 50% done and I am in the shadow modelling stage now. I really enjoy this stage - creating the 3 dimensional illusion with the values and shapes. I spent the last three days working on the right eye (not yet added the eyelashes) and have now started work on the left eye. Of the three assignments this one has the largest shadows to work on.  I should think another months work is left.

Someone asked me yesterday if this is hardwork - I would say no - its just time consuming. The product is directly relative to the time you have spent on it.....and I am loving it !

Click here to see stage 1 of Jeune Femme.

Painting featured in Etsy treasury for the 18th time

My painting titled 'Panama' was featured in an ETSY Treasury along with other work from the talented artists on Etsy. 

Artist: Lynda D'Souza

Title: Panama

Size: 8" x 8"

Medium: Oil on Hardboard

Cyndy owner of the 'Out of Doha' antique store curated the treasury. She sells vintage and antique decor pieces from repurposed or upcycled objects to industrial and shabby chic items. One of my favorite pieces is the cast iron weighing scale. Please pop by her shop to check out more of her products. 

Vintage American Made Urban Industrial Gray Cast Iron Scale

The treasury can be viewed here as well as many others.

Screen Printing serviettes

We screen printed serviettes to match the FHC card and I created the artwork using the same font from the invite card and added the date of the event. We matched the blue shade to one of the colors used in the invite card's artwork. We love screen printing as its a project the whole family gets involved. I do the artwork, D creates the screen and the girls run back and forth with the serviettes.

Last year D helped the girls print Valentine day cards for their class mates. Click here to read the post on the husband's blog.

D holding the screen up while Layla registers the napkin 

D applying the screen print ink which was custom mixed by myself to match the invite card

The first print.....only 99 more to go....

The serviettes drying............

Voila! they turned out just great!