Still here..Still painting!

WOW! I can't believe it has been this long since I have made an addition to my blog. It seems as the weather warms up for summer I become more full time in the gardens and only part time in the studio. I guess all that matters is that life is good! Still having fun Tuesdays with the group. Probably the only reason that I get into the studio at all. I've included my most recent project for the challenge "that item does not belong", I call it "beautiful flower". the next project is called "creating with color". Well its august and cool weather will be here before we know it so I promise...I'LL BE BACK!

New card, new project!

Well, we had another great group last week, and I did get to complete a second response to the art project "Total Opposites". At first thought, color came to mind, and when I think of opposites in color, right away I think of black and white. Now since I usually work with the figure and keeping in mind black and white, I ended up planning an interracial couple. As a second part of the total opposite project, the symbol of yin and yang kept coming up. I decided to do a interracial couple and have their arms hopefully create a yin and yang feel in their design. At first I was worried this card would be too suggestive for my web site, but I'm going to give it a try anyway. I have the site set up in categories and I'm sure this one will find a restful home in one of them!
Again there were many great pieces of art at this month's meeting, but the one which wins my own personal grand prize was done by a woman in response to the project "Total Opposites". (nobody did the project "Bargain Basement") She started out with an old hollow piece of log pulled directly from the woods. One end had an old dead oak leaf draped over the edge of the log, three acorns trapped on top of the hollow area, one of which had started to sprout showing the fresh green leaves of a new baby oak tree, and as a surprise to the viewer when you looked into the other end of the hollow log, hiding in the shadows and camouflaged amongst the brown tones of nature was an alert but hiding spring peeper frog. Except for the log itself, everything else - the leaves, the acorns, the baby tree and the frog were all photo realistically sculpted. She uses a air drying clay called "das", available at most craft/art supply stores. The piece was amazing and beautiful and represented the "Total Opposites" of life and death. Death being the log itself and life being the newly sprouted tree!
The next group project will keep you thinking awhile, but the act of walking around and living our life with the idea of a project in our head is probably the biggest part of the creative process, after that it's just execution. The project is: "The past will intrude upon the present." Hope you have fun with it!

Full support for every gender.

I can't believe it, this tuesday is fun day again! A whole month has passed already! Hopefully I am going to do two responses to the group art project this month. As I'm sure you remember, the two project options we had were either 1-"Total opposites" or 2-" Bargain basement". Actually this piece works well for both depending on what you pay for your under garments. I did the card of the jock strap awhile ago and had always intended to do the female version, so what better time than with the project total opposites. Even though there are many similarities, they are so opposite according to gender as well as the body parts they are intended for. As a card design they work well as a card of support with a touch of humor. Possibly from a close friend or family member in support of ones life style, but also for the numerous life occasions which gladly call for support. Most of those occasions probably also welcome the giggle the card hopefully causes. As all of my cards are, this design was done in a mixture of pen and ink and watercolor. The grainy texture in the background was done by sprinkling salt onto the wet paint. the salt is rubbed off once dry. The texture comes from the salt absorbing the wet paint leaving "spots". I used table salt for a fine texture, but if your going to try this, try different salts such as kosher salt, sea salt, and rock salt. Each one gives a different effect.

You Animal !!!

There isn't much to say about this new design. Again it's a mixture of two creatures like in "Hey there tiger", but this time I'm showing the beast within! I hope it's a big hit with the Bears and Cubs in the gay community. Actually I hope it's a big hit with everyone - No matter how timid we are, there's a little animal in all of us! Grrrrr!

Hey there tiger!

Before getting into card design I used to concentrate on fantasy art. You know, faries, creatures, and a world you could only imagine.
One of my favorite ways of starting a painting was to take two animals and combine them into a new form never seen before. The options are endless and incredibly fun. I have always loved the beauty of the human form, so many of my "creature creations" started there. I've done half man - half goat, half man - half iguanna, and one of my card designs, half man and half tiger. Picking the best qualities from the animal like the beautiful shaggy fur around a tiger's face, the cat eyes, and the dramatic stripes, I give you... "Hey there tiger!"

I'm telling the world

This card was created shortly after my web site www.knordesigns.com was created. I had hired a young woman to do the job but after a very long and frustrating year and a half we parted ways with only the home page done! My older brother then steped in and showed me the computer talents I never knew he had. He had my site up and running in about three weeks! FINALLY! I was so happy and excited I wanted to tell everyone and this card was born. I felt there are so many times in life like this, I decided to keep it in my card line. I hope it will be able to be used for a new job, a new adress, an art show, coming out, the options could go on and on - so I won't.

A new card for a new home

My nephew and his wife just bought their first home! What an exciting time in their lives. I don't always need my group for inspiration, often life sends its own artistic challenge. I need a "congratulations on your new home" card.
I came up with a group of fun, wacky, playful figures I call "colorful friends". They are done in the gay pride colors and represent the importance of the circle of friends in our lives. With that said, I feel family can be friends just as much as friends can become family. This makes number four in the series. So here's to a home always filled with colorful friends!