Painting...

Had a lovely time and a nice little break with some friends and a new painting get-together tonight. Almost finished a new piece in the few hours as D.J. spoke about utilizing a ratio in drawing a composition and the math behind it. He also spoke about color theory and textures in painting. Pretty interesting and tempted me into a shopping spree of sorts.... at least in my mind.

I have been making frames, getting a LOT of painting done and trying to get the gallery room together in time for tomorrow's opening with Jason Bly in the S.A.M. Main Gallery. I must admit the photographs he sent for the S.A.M. Website did not do justice to his work in person. Pretty awesome stuff! Makes you look several times in depth to the actual work as it is a fantastic illusion. Would consider it photo-surrealism. Must check it out!! He is only in the gallery until Sunday, July 19th!!

We painted the gorgeous vintage chairs that have this lovely fabric with a yellow-green hue. The wood detail on the frame is all glossy black. I am really curious to how they will look in the freshly painted room.

Nighty Night!

Tomato Tuesday

Thought a catchy Title would get your attention. It has been a crazy busy day. The counter manufacturer came out today to measure the counter tops and see what went so incredibly wrong. Of course it was the stores fault.... hmm all times. If the store would have written down the fact the sketches were created by someone in the field I wonder if the manufacturer would have referenced them. Oh well... it will be another few days before the new top is here.. THANK GOODNESS! (doing the cabbage patch dance).

Sunday Greg and I went to the gallery and painted my room. It is a beautiful green color. We are finishing the crown detail in the room and the base board in white and then putting in a black roman shade along with black details on furniture. The chairs are vintage with green fabric. I also have some accents which will be going into the room. Eventually I will be putting in a rug... still searching for one that talks to me... maybe some pillows too.

Today Greg made me a table for the gallery; I still need to paint the top and put fabric around it, other than that it is done. Painted the side table yesterday -- so much more beautiful in black. It is a queen anne style table with the sloped out legs.

We also worked on frames for new work. I am loving the frames!! Reworked some of my pieces and resized a few. I am really excited for this years open studio tour as I am getting a lot of new work on the walls.

We are getting closer and closer to getting done w/ the house for now and cleaning out some of the stuff we have piled over the years. Amazing the memories that come up when you are going through things.

So that is pretty much it for now in a nutshell.

Making frames

Making some fantastic frames today.. Wood is flying all over the place.

Open Studios is coming up very quickly!! I am eagerly trying to get all of these frames and canvases painted. Also I still need to run by CAMSTL to pick up my packet and drop work off. agh! Will have preview pics soon!!

My lovely friend Dan Jaboor mentioned that a picture of my work made it into St. Louis Magazine (pg 143) for their newest issue regarding Open Studios. How awesome is that!!

Lost...

Feeling a bit overwhelmed in many projects this last week. Hubby has started a new job (YAY!!)!!!

Remodeling has slowed down a bit. Also adding many projects to that honey-do list. We are patiently waiting on our countertops. After it gets here I will fill you in. I am tired honestly of microwaved food, paper plates and plastic forks, spoons, etc.

After the basement bathroom is done (will have pics soon). We are going to take a break for about a month and start again after all our organization is done. We are hoping to have the bathroom done by this weekend as there was not much in the way to do down there. YAY no regut.

We will be pulling out all of the ugly carpet downstairs and replacing all the flooring with laminate wood flooring. Along with some improved lighting, built up walls, and new paint the basement will look so much better. Also will be building a custom closet to contain all the massive amounts of clothing that we don't have room for in a normally small closet of which we have currently. The closet will have shelves on both sides and have a total of six hanging area sections. Eventually I will be replacing furniture.... The microfiber couches are not suggested for parents with ADHD children. They have had their time, let's put it that way. Eventually I will replace the furniture and remodel the livingroom. Not sure how I am going to do it as of yet but lots of ideas rolling around.

Monday we did a shoot for "The Shanti" a lovely bohemian type bar in Soulard (Allen & 9th). A friend of ours plays there quite a bit with his band. The photoshoot was for an advertisement coming up in "The St. Louis Sinner" Greg took a LOT of pics so I have weeded through most of them and have chosen what I feel are the best shots.

Early July (in the next week) I will be remodeling my room at the gallery. I am looking at painting the walls, putting up trim, putting a roman shade in, adding some plant life and building up a table. Looking into a couple of benches to put in there as well which I am thinking about building vs. buying -- so much cheaper!! I will leave all the details to my hubby which is much better at the woodworking than I. Although I am thinking a couple of nice Ikea chairs would also be wonderful.

Also coming up is the 4th Annual City-Wide Open Studios hosted by Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis (CAMSTL). I have been busy getting lots of work together for this as last year was very successful. The gallery (Soulard Art Market) will have their Open Studio date on July 25th from 10am - 4pm. We have well over 100 folks come through in a matter of a few hours.

Have been trying to get the gallery revamped to reflect many fantastic events we have coming up including "Spoked" a bicycle themed art exhibition that runs in conjunction with the Tour of Missouri in September. This is a huge event for the gallery and St. Louis as a whole.

August -- Roxotica is coming! Cirque du erotic was a huge success and I am really looking forward to helping with this upcoming show! More Info soon!

August -- Donating artwork to an animal charity. Am excited on how this will turn out. They sent me a canvas that is roughly 8 x 10..... running through so many ideas with this one.

In August I will start planning once again "Naughti Gras" which will run in early 2010. Get your Naughti Art ready folks!! If you would like to volunteer, perform, or would like to be a sponsor please contact me.

December is not far away! I will be posting a call for art on the Soulard Art Market website regarding a show called "Remastered". This show will exhibit works from local artists that attempt recreations from the Art Masters in their own medium and style. My husband and I are curating this show. I am really excited and curious to see how the results come.

Today I am enjoying the weather outside and getting these cabinet fronts done. They are driving me nuts! Can we say get done already?

Have a terrific July 4th!!

Weekend pt 2

We are getting closer to reaching our goals of getting the house done. Greg has been working very hard to get the bathroom finished and it is looking fantastic!! Yeah I am tooting your horn honey!

The flooring in the bathroom has been grouted and the floor looks amazing. Greg is now working on the caulking around the surround.


Before Grout......
After Grout..... did I mention I LOVE Italian tile?
Greg playing with his caulk! :)

We have a few touch-ups in the bathroom and some clean up and then we will be installing the major fixtures, new vanity set-up and the shower rod. Yippee!! No more running to the basement bathroom to pee! HA! My bladder thanks you honey.

I started again on stripping the remaining cabinet doors and drawers today. Wishing they were done already ugh. Although the process is a little lengthy it will all be worth it in the end. I have to leave on the Citristrip for up to 24 hours. Sometimes it works in a matter of an hour or two.


The paint running through the process of lifting from the cabinet surface... pretty cool to watch.

Looks like a wrinkled ass!


After stripping the Citristrip from the surface and applying mineral spirits...

Unfortunately the neighbor is having a backyard bbq so I am feeling guilty that I may disturb them if the sander is turned on to finish the third step of the cabinets to get them ready for paint. ugh. HURRY UP & Go home people!!!!

While I am waiting for the Citristrip to work I am working on other projects to keep me busy. I repainted the old cooktop with a paint that is made for heat. Originally it was a stainless steel color (silver). Time to clean it off and apply another coat or two. Today I am going to attempt to remove the oven doors, microwave door, and dishwasher door to paint them as well. The fridge will also be black ... have to wait a little bit until the fridge starts to empty so it will be easier to lift out.


We will also be installing the kitchen floor today. We have already applied Hardiebacker board (a better concrete board) to the floors and I am pleased with the results already. I am really looking forward to seeing the results of the tiling. Our only obstruction is the fridge as we are running out of places to put things w/ all the construction going on in the house.

This porcelain tile is called "Solid Earth". It has a nice finish to it containing coppery colors and dark browns. In a small kitchen this was the only major detail that I wanted to have in terms of a dark component to allow the room a bit of contrast.

After the flooring is completed in the kitchen we will then be installing the countertops, fixtures and finally the cabinet fronts & drawers.

I painted the cabinet frames on and off throughout yesterday into the wee hours of the morning today missing two openings last night. However there is another opening tonight at Soulard Art Market (www.soulardartmarket.com). The exhibition is "Women are Goddesses" and also next door at the SAM Annex is Erika Kavanagh's work which is definitely worth stopping by! I hope to get away from the house for a few hours to check it all out.

"Nude on a Hill" -- at the Large and In Charge exhibition. Exhibition Opens June 12th and runs through August 8th. For More Info: www.artdimensions.org

More updates to come soon!!

Nude on a Hill

New Piece! Will be up @ Art D's Flax Gallery

Recent thoughts

Hello all! It has been a little bit since my last post. Been a busy bee on top of being ill for the last month. Getting better :)

My last post was regarding a friend that had recently passed away. The situation was unexpected and still shocks me. It definitely hits the heart and soul deeply. She will be missed.

The SAM gallery recently had the traveling exhibition "The Sketchbook Project" hosted by Art House Coop of Atlanta, GA. We had a great turnout and I was amazed at how many people would love looking at these sketchbooks trying to figure out what the artist is really all about. It was also the premiere opening for "Rock Paint Scissors" Curated by Deanna Chafin with works by Bob Reuter, Julie Malone, and David Langley.

Bob Reuter's photography pieces were simply amazing. The subject matter was often rough, edgy, and theatrical in a way. They also were dramatic and darkly romantic. Each photograph left me wanting to know more about the person. I look forward to his future snapshots. Bob is also a Saint Louis native and takes pictures of the people that he meets in his course of life.

Julie Malone's new work is seriously leaving me in awe. Most people know I am not a huge fan of abstract. I appreciate the abstract work and the use of shapes and colors but just never found myself drawn to it as much as others. Maybe it is a realist perfectionist thing? I LOVED this woman's work. I generally paint nudes and most of them are female so I am drawn more towards roundness and circular shapes. Julie primarily paints square designs. Her use of color and the spatial techniques in placement of the squares and surrounding shapes were wonderful. I found different moods in each piece. The color was complimentary or contrasted well against each other to the point where I was in love. Julie is quite a personality as well!

Every time I have seen David Langley's work I find myself staring into the work, medium and subjects. The imagery is often from a time most of us do not know or remember. It faces a different mood between gender roles and the exploitation of retro pop culture. David puts a modern spin on these images and utilizes a collage approach in the work combining several images to create a story. Sometimes the subject is daring whilst the other's can amuse or humor me and draw me in to a piece to a wonderful puzzle known as Langley to many.

This exhibition will be open from March 10th through April 5th, 2009 at Soulard Art Market.

Jacks art show -- video

Yippee my video is up! Naomi is so awesome, I adore and admire her dedication to supporting Saint Louis Events. She works so hard.

Check it....



Thanks Naomi!

xoxo

Danielle

My Weekend :)

Whoo! What a weekend! I am pooped! LOTS of stuff done.

The Last Minute Maul was fun! I have never really signed up for a art fair type of setting so it was really fun to get into it a bit and add to my experience. Also I gained a commission as well as a few sales after Christmas. Yippee! It was like an art fair with friends I tell ya. Deanna busted her ass putting lmm together so CHEERS LADY! Congrats to you!

I also dealt with some other stuff that I have put off for a bit and someone is trying to convince me to not give up. So that is appreciated. I have some thinking to do.

Have a lovely evening all :) Sleepy times.

This Weekend!

Last Minute Maul is this weekend and I am eager to make sales. So if you are around I will have some fantastic prices that I am even shocked with! Prices from $10 to $150 and some of the work is pretty large so there are some great deals to be had. I am clearing out my stock early!!

I drew this last night and have no idea what the hell I was thinking. Who knows I may make more of things like these, was kind of fun. It is titled "Womaffe" and is 11 x 17 graphite on paper.


The Last Minute Maul is your last opportunity to purchase handcrafted items by the region's best artists before the holiday. Gift hunters can peruse through our 40+ vendor booths whilst enjoying a glass of hot mulled wine and a home made baked goodie. This is a family friendly event so bring the kids, we'll have face painting and henna tattoos for young shoppers.


You will find everything from photography, paintings, jewelry, glass, fiber, sculpture and mixed media items.
We've got your shopping list covered! If you're looking for that perfect one of a kind gift please stop by the Last Minute Maul at Koken Art Factory!

Artists will be facilitating their own sales, some will accept credit cards, but many do not. Please be prepared to pay by cash or check for purchases.


For more info:
http://wwwDOTfreewebsDOTcom/lastminutemaul
e-mail: lastminutemaul@yahoo.com
(314) 322-9738

Koken Art Factory
2500 Ohio Avenue
St.
Louis, MO 63104
http://www. kokenartfactory. com/

2008 Participating Artists
Marilee Arnold
Robert Bilderback
Lara Bowers
Rich Brooks
Lauren Busiere
Deanna Chafin
Courtney Chesley
Danielle Correll
P.s.
DeSigns
Craig Downs
Eclectic by Design
Amanda Eise
Greg Frankhouser
Gayle Gourde
Shari Gourde
Wendy Guelker
Catherine Gula
Barb Hall
Heather Holland-Daly
Kelly Hogan
Mitch Huett
Pat Kennedy
Greg Kluempers
David Langley
Tom Lawless
Arlene Ligori
Jane Linders
Ben Marcacci
Shelah McClymont
Katie Miller
Crystal Moore
Angela Neal
Sara Patino
Hap Phillips
Shannon Rayburn
Amy Rickles
Jim Sabo
Debra Simon
Eric Stevens
D.A.
Tillery
Andre Tourette
Nita Turnage
Tim Wagner
Julie West


Hope to see ya there :)

Interestingly enough...

So Christmas is almost here and I have yet to shop. Been too darn busy. The tree is not even up yet. ergh. So tomorrow after I am done carving more lino tiles we will be busy trimming the tree. I have tons to do to get ready for the Last Minute Maul. I am running some prints so I am really excited as I have not done block printing since I was a kid. So I am really getting back to my roots here. LOL. I may bring some stuff from the gallery that I have been wanting to rid myself of. It is early spring cleaning folks!

My mother tells me yesterday that she has gone completely overboard shopping for the kids and has spent way too much money. I ask her why? The crap is just going to break a week after Christmas so why are you bothering? Amongst some of the gifts they are getting ---- Kameron has been eyeing Cindy Royal's purple guitar that she has had for a small time that is simply the perfect size for him, however, my Aunt purchased a guitar for him and a keyboard for Logan. It is going to be a rockin' house pretty soon. Hmm... maybe I will let the kids grow their hair out and they can start their own band. HA.

Along with the holiday crap I have been getting ready for a time of solitude after Naughty Gras. I know I will be relieved and happy that all will be complete with Naughty Gras for a while. So to regain some peace and balance again I will be shutting down the computer for a bit as I have the July show at Mad Art to contend with and the 30 feet of space that I have to worry about.

The pieces that I have in my mind are not only going to be a visual delight in the work itself but also will be something interesting in how they are displayed. This is something that I have wanted to do for a very long time with the idea but had never had the wall space to be able to put the idea into reality. I could literally do cartwheels on the thought as I have NEVER seen it done. The complexities of my mind have worked this all out and I am flipping out at the time because it is drawing near too quickly.

If you are in town you will have to just come and see it to experience my thought coming to life.

As of February 14th, 2009 I will be logged off for a bit -- although you know it will be too tempting to stay off the comp and completely out of the loop. So I will check in about once a week with updates and such and maybe a few previews at what I am working on.

The gallery especially will be difficult to completely stay off the comp. So I am erging all of my gallery mates to pull in the next several shows so I can get all the graphics and such done and final before my solitary confinement begins. :)

Oh yes I must share this below....... View the pic and then see the explanation below it.

The other day we were in Dick Blick buying materials and they have had this gory red ink stain on the carpet forever. The first time I had seen in last year I thought it was blood. So my oldest lays on the floor and says look mom I am dying... HA HA. He is such a sicko just like his mommy. We had to get a pic. So NO I did not kill my child. :)

Signing off for now xoxo

My plate is dripping

There are several things going on so I apologize that I have not had time to write the last few days. Along with the holidays I have been getting things together for shows coming up, trying to get myself back into the spirit of school (ergh), and keeping my mind amused. I have put in a deferment on my school loan so I can continue schooling. If I would have known that trying to get through the school headache is more about money than anything I would have not even bothered, it is always something. The academics are the easy part. Just ONE of my classes requires these two books that are going to run over 300 bucks -- people making these books are literally ripping us off! These are not antiques people!! I found them on Amazon for around the 300 bucks. If I want them sooner I will have to order them through school and that will run almost double. hmmm big choice there. STUPID CAD program!!

The holidays were and always are interesting. Our friend Cat joined us for Thanksgiving as her family is out of state so it was important to my husband and I that she not enjoy the lovely turkey day all to herself. We were all stuffed to the gills -- WAY too much food! I love turkey day! The only time of the year where I will literally pig out until I am almost sick. I hate Christmas food, just not the same. The day after shopping is equally exciting, that is if you have the money to spend. If not, it is enjoyable to read the shopping ads and make a wish list. Dam if that money tree could only grow! I have been waiting years and not even a root! ((snickers))...

Looking at the ads I was pretty disappointed and glad because the sales were not really all that spectacular. There were a couple things that were interesting but nevertheless -- BLAH!

So Black Friday came around and I tended the gallery for a few hours along with Genevieve and Deanna. Deanna's dog is so adorable and hilarious. Like a little doe frolicking through the gallery. Did I say Frolic? OH hells yes. There were several sales during the day and overall a great day.

The last few days I have not gotten much done in the way of what I need to so starting tomorrow it is time to get on the ball and get back to work. Naughti Gras has planning underway and there is still a lot to be done. tomorrow I will be calling several folks getting more sponsorship and getting information sent out.

I will be making some prints and I have to find my lino scraper so I can get my designs into the linoleum for printing. I already have a few lino's done but have LOTS more to do. I need to figure out mat board pricing locally and hurry up and pick up some as well as some acetate bags to package the stuff in. Is really frustrating as I hate waiting till the last minute but I get busy with different projects and it sits on the back burner. Somehow it always works out. I also need to print up my portfolio and put it together for the Last Minute Maul. I am horribly broke so it is important that I must sell as much as possible. I may throw in more commercial pieces just to make some cash which I hate doing but gotta make the bills. I specialize in nude work so I must step away from what I really love and just get it done. Lately it has been also tempting to get back into fashion design a bit, I did it years ago and loved it.

Other than the above I have been updating my retouch portfolio as I joined Model Mayhem a few days ago. Retouching photographs is fun for me and I really love seeing the end result. It is really fun when I can just play with it and put different objects in the composition. I love photoshop and illustrator. Corel I bought earlier this year and I prefer more to use the brushes in that program if I am trying to create certain effects. Photoshop will always be it. I totally blame my Grandfather for getting me hooked on it almost 13 year ago. With error comes perfection.




A few years ago I looked at the mayhem, but for whatever reason didn't bother to join as I already have memberships all over the place that I have been avoiding to update, ergh. Model Mayhem seems pretty good. There is literally a ton of talent on there. I was asked to model but I laughed as it has been almost 10 years and two kids later, and of course I am not Cindy Crawford, therefore I cannot afford a personal trainer or personal chef. It was very flattering I must say and did strike my thoughts but I realize I am getting too dam old to do those things anymore and I am not a size 6... anymore. Wish I was a size 6, but already I need to get rid of a LOT of clothes. A friend of mine who is skinny is getting all of my old sweaters and such that I probably won't be able to fit an arm into.

Ok enough of my rambling for the evening. Time to work.....

ert...

We are finally starting to really settle into the new place and dig into the mountainous region (large amount of boxes) that surrounds us. Still cannot believe the amount of crap that we have in the house. It however makes perfect sense because we have downsized from almost 3,000 square feet to a little over 12-1300 sq feet. We have a lot to get rid of. I am excited because I am organizing a street wide yard sale. Trying to get everyone on the block to have a yard sale late spring. Having a larger sale will equal more people!! Hopefully we can get rid of all the crap that we have accumulated. Whatever is left will be picked up on the last day of the sale and we will not look back. Take my crap please! lol. Today my eldest son had a friend over and my youngest was up their twat every second he could manage. I just don't know how some parents with 10 kids can do it. They are special people!

The Sketchbook Project is coming to Saint Louis and we have a date of March 11th, 2009 for the gallery (Soulard Art Market). I am really excited to put a sketchbook in. Half of my drawings I never put onto canvas. Some of my insanity is drawn out onto paper as if it was a diary of sorts. The sketchbook is only 65 pages so I am pondering what to put into the slim pages. The deadline to have the sketchbooks sent is Feb 15th. The theme of the show is "everyone we know".

Naughti

Naughti Gras 2 planning is underway. This show is going to be wonderfully insane. I can hardly wait. We are working diligently on making it bigger, better, and naughtier. The planning committee this year is a little bit bigger as well and will be supremely organized. Is it bad to say I have spreadsheets of everything? You name it, it is on the list, no stone unturned.

The Open Call was posted this morning and will run until January 25, 2009. I am very interested to see the entries coming in. It is another show that I must work hard on putting some work together and I am really not sure what direction I want to go into yet. I know I will be painting and I really want to go into the withering spots of my mind for something really out there. But alas, we shall see.