SUSAN'S . . . PLAYING AGAIN!

VANISHING pastel + gold leaf SOLD - PRIVATE COLLECTOR A couple of days ago I shared on Facebook, a saying that stated "Put some whiskey in my coffee for it's Ireland somewhere. "I'm Irish / Hungarian and found this quite amusing. But the following day received a message from an individual wishing me to delete the post for found it insulting. Now if I was Italian, then I would think it was being a bit insulting, but hey . . . my Grandfather was from Ireland. So where does one draw the line . . .  can one step over it? And what happened to freedom of speech? As it is, so many artists are extremely opinionated and create works of explosive subjects. One such is Andres Serrano's Piss Christ   which was created in 1987, with turmoil following it to this day. For those that are unfamiliar, Serrano photographed a submerged crucifix in a bottle of (his) urine. He stated...

BABY BLUE + MARILYN wood, dolls, pearls, pins, mosaic, stones + gold leaf Just love playing with my dolls! I know, my sister-in-law thinks I'm pretty looney, but . . .  have to admit they are so much more fun then model airplanes. Anyway . . . I've been walking a lot and that's when I find  many of my little treasures that I use to create these  little pieces of art. So the other day I was walking down an alley and scored!  Just so excited that I could just pee my pants! Lo + behold, I found an old paint brush. Just started  to envision what appendage that could become and begun  to happily exclaim - out loud - on how fortunate I was.  Glanced out the corner of my eye and saw a  man of the street  reclined in the alley. Fascinated, he watched me as he drank  a "beverage". Told him I love to talk to myself, which he smiled and exclaimed he di...

BLUE HAIR 8"h x7"w pastel on canson paper 12" square archival white mat, no glass nor frame $55 + $5 insured priority shipping I just LOVE being an artist, for I can justify everything I create . . .  and just because. And who says I can't make blue hair? Pretty punk, huh? Actually this was a sample for my upcoming classes at UCSD Extension. Blue Hair is an old  sketch which I drew from life, so decided to play  with it. Previously, the features of the young girl  were undistinguishable, so I blended, drew,  washed and stroked for the above piece.  Oh . . .  for the record my pastels I exhibit are  never blended. I create them by extensive layering  and will cover this technique as well.

PASTEL CLASSES sketch                                  blocking-in It's official! I'll be teaching a pastel class at UCSD Extension.  I have taught there previously and so honored  to be invited back.  So if you live in San Diego County with a desire to learn various pastel techniques, then this is the series to take. The focus will be on the varied  applications of pastels, from sketching, blending,  tonals, layering to washes, through hands-on exercises.  Click here to read more.    

MORNING THROUGH THE CLOUDS * 14"h x 18" w pastel *detail A fresh day . . .   with a new dawn . . .  as the sun's rays  burst through the indigo clouds. So vigorous to one's heart and soul.  Have a happy week!

BLUE PAST THE CLOUDS 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" pastel 8" square archival white mat, glass + gold frame SOLD - PRIVATE COLLECTION OF ALEX RICHARDSON Stress . . . added to turmoil . . .  coupled with day-to-day aggravations, take me away!

ANGEL 4"h x 6"w cradled wood panel mixed medium It was a day of experimenting with a little of this and a little of that. The Angel is in it's primary  stage, with a bit more to go.  Looking a bit stoic huh? 

IN ONE BY ONE! See . . . I'm hacking, whacking and having fun here! Been playing with animals, dolls, fabric, paint and gold  leaf to create a menagerie of a few little wonders.   Above are two little sculptures for my upcoming  solo show at  Next Door Gallery   in San Diego. And for you painting purists out there, I will be creating paintings on glass to throw into the pot with some pastels. Oh what fun!

SLIVER OF THE SKY 24"h x 10"w pastel I have been so missing in action over here. Appears like I dropped off the side of the earth? Sure does to me, but I really have been productive. I have been working on art for 2 shows at  Next Door  Gallery  and  Ray Street  Custom Framing  the latter part  of the year. Sliver of the Sky is a newly completed pastel to be included within the shows.    Pastels are dominant in my artistic life. Yet I do  have my fingers playing with other different mediums  and since these two venues are giving me artistic freedom,  I'm pulling out all the punches. Feeling static and need a change?  And inspiration? Yep . . .  so I have also been on little excursions reviewing  exhibitions and attended a forum for insight on personal  artistic growth.   So this week I'll be around much more -...

FLAG, PALMS + A TURRET 6" x 6" pastel museum glass + 12" square gold frame SOLD - PRIVATE COLLECTOR A delightful, petite rendition of Hotel Del's turret.  Iconic yet something we generally take for granted here in San Diego. Amazes me that the image is  so world renowned. And since we're in the middle  of spring break, Coronado's beach is hopping! I know I have been pretty much MIA here in  blogger-land, but had been so wrapped up with  finishing our taxes. And this year the results were  not good, but Uncle Sam is pretty happy. Love  doing my bit with helping the economy!