Pink Tutu Project

The first of my tutu project series ~ Acrylics
5" x 7" on paper matted $35 plus shipping and handling ~ Portion of proceeds to go to the Tutu Project

Two in pink tutus ~ Acrylics ~ 5" x 7" in a mat ~ $35 plus shipping and handling ~ Portion of proceeds to The Tutu Project

I don't know if any of you saw a clip about the Pink Tutu Project on any of the morning news magazine shows recently, but I saw this, and it really touched me.  Mr Carey, a professional photographer, started the project nine years ago, as much to make his wife, who had been diagnosed with breast cancer, smile.  Mr and Mrs. Carey have started a foundation to help fund care for women with breast cancer who can't afford treatment.  Click here to see more ...  http://thetutuproject.com/. 

Photographer Bob Carey in Pink Tutu as part of the Tutu Project funding care for breast cancer victims who can't afford care

As a result, I thought it might be fun to do a little series of pink tutu figures, and donate some of the proceeds to the Project.   Fellow Artists ... What do you think?  Would you do a tutu or two?

Still Playing With Backgrounds

Am still snowed in, but rain is washing it away and temps are rising .  Even so, today was not a good day to be out.  The governor declared a state of emergency, well justified south of here.  We, up here in Skagit County dodged the bullet, but snow and ice were still hazardous.

So, in an effort to not go too stir crazy, I did a quick sketch of my granddaughter who was a Flower Girl in her ballet school's Christmas Nutcracker production in Portland.  I want to do a more formal series of her as a dancer, so I was just testing the use of a black gessoed 'bad' watercolor painting as a background.  I thought it might be a little more theatrical. 

Well, I like the black, but still have to test how to treat the background by creating some interest without getting too busy or frenetic.  So, back to the drawing board before I start larger pieces. 

This is all like nailing jello to the wall.  Maybe soon, something will stick!

Tango in the Square

This painting was submitted to this week's Daily Paintworks Challenge  ... It's the Tangerine Tango Challenge.  Who knew?

I am playing with a technique new to me that I learned in a Jennifer Bowman workshop on Sunday.  Although I have used black gesso before [successfully IMHO], Jennifer showed me a technique of dragging a loaded brush over the gessoed  canvas, allowing some of the black canvas to peek through.  Clearly, I am having touble with it.  On the one hand, I need to load the brush with enough paint to not look wishy washy or "limp," but on the other hand, if I drag too much paint acroos, then I lose the black.  What to do.  Oh I know, war and world peace, the economy, climate change and other issues are way more important than my breaking the code with my painting, but dang if it doesn' just gnaw at my insides that I can't do this!  Promise to self to master in the next several weeks.

Here it is, painted from a photo I took of tango dancers in Pioneer Square in Portland in August.

Tango in the Square ~ 12" x 12" acrylic