Color Studies!

Actually, it's more than that. I'm really experimenting with various techniques I plan to try out on any given painting. Texture, color, glow, measurements, mixing, drying, blending, UV stuff, everything. Really, I've been doing this forever, but I wasn't completing them before now. Colin always believed I should finish and sign my "practice" canvases, since they were an exact reflection of whatever painting I was doing at the time. I usually like to paint them white and start over.

Here are two I just finished. They echo a few ideas I've been playing around with for this new 36x24 piece I'm working on. It's cool, it's really bright. These two color studies don't entirely represent where the big painting is going at this point, but the next two might. :o)



Because of some new art toys I recently acquired, the glow on these will last for hours. (!) See how the glow image of each piece looks? That will fade over hours instead of minutes. Rad!

Stack 'em on your desk. Or a shelf! A shelf would be cool. The wall works too. Generally.

They are available for purchase in My Etsy Shop. More added always.

Kai Lani - Because it sold!

Just wanted to show you this piece, since it's new and most people haven't seen it.

Kai Lani (Sea & Sky) . 11x14 inches . 2007

1. natural lighting
2. artificial lighting
3. artificial and uv lighting combined
4. uv lighting
5. glow in the dark

I really like this one, mostly because it reminds me of Hawaii. I think I might do a big version at some point. There isn't really an end to Hawaiian inspiration for me. Yay, squiggly lines.

It leaves for it's new home in Alabama tomorrow morning! :o)

Etsy Front Page

I love being on the front page! I love it even more when I actually catch it, which doesn't always happen.


So cool!

The painting shown, Orbit, is actually heading to a gallery on the East Coast this week! So exciting!

COMING SOON to my Etsy shop: 5"x5" Color Studies! I'll explain later. :oD

Moo Cards!

Yay! Finally. International shipping is so not immediate. Actually, it didn't take long at all, I was just really impatient. They're so cool!




And so tiny!

Moo offers a great deal. They even have stickers! If I had any justifiable reason whatsoever to have stickers, I would get them.

I highly recommend these in lieu of business cards. They're super affordable and they're the perfect way to pass out your contact info. No more sifting through an enormous bag for 10 minutes to find a pen and a scrap of paper. Moo!

Acres of Love

I donate 10% of all money made through art to Acres of Love, an organization that provides "forever homes" for abandoned children in South Africa.


Most of the children are HIV-positive. Many are orphaned because both of their parents have died from AIDS. Some are left on the doorstep of the organization, while others are found in dumpsters and gutters. Acres of Love provides each child with personal attention, love, medication, education, and a life. They give them small family groups to live in and grow in for as long as the child is with us. It's not an orphanage at all. It's a functioning family-like environment for children who would otherwise have nothing. Through Acres of Love, each child is loved, part of a family, and given the best care possible. Children who were born with a short, bleak future now have a family, food, time to sing songs, do art projects, and enjoy a true sense of happiness. They have hope.

Aren't these kids just gorgeous? :o)

(Pontsho)

(Hannah & Karabo)

(Lili)

If you have ever purchased a painting from me, a donation was made to Acres of Love in your honor.

If you're interested in more information, I encourage you to visit their website and view many pictures and movies of the children and what the awesome people at Acres of Love do each day in South Africa. They contribute more to the world than most of us could ever dream about. I am amazed by their passion, and grateful for their existence.

This is what Love is.

Ray Friesz, American Artist, 1930-2007

Ray Friesz taught me how to paint. He always wore an eye patch and a navy blue sweatshirt. He was awesome.

Some of Ray's work:




He wasn't just a talented painter, he was also an especially wonderful teacher. I don't know what it was about his words that made sense to me, but every time I asked him anything, I walked away knowing exactly what to do. I will always be grateful for the time I spent with him. I will always be grateful for his teaching. I am positive that his instruction made my own art possible.

The last time I saw him, in June, I asked him what he was looking forward to painting at his "new address." (His words.) He said that he hadn't thought about it, but it was certainly a good thought. I told him that he would probably be put in charge of painting new galaxies, which he seemed to think was a fine idea. I told him he was an amazing teacher. He said that meant more to him than I could imagine. He told me I was like a blooming flower.

I will always miss him.


Services will be held on Friday, August 10th, at 6:30 in the evening at Capo Beach Calvary.

Images of Ray are © Joe Photo

My Etsy Shop

... is back. Stuff up. I have at least 2 pieces to put up that are new. 2 or 3. I have plans for more. Some (I'm not sure how many yet) are destined for a gallery on the East Coast in a few weeks.

www.shaylamaddox.etsy.com

Etsy is a lot of fun. It truly inspires support for independent artists.

I like it because it gives me somewhere to exhibit my smaller paintings. The smattering of ideas visible in these smaller pieces really displays my creative process, ever-changing with my mood. They give me an outlet to be freely creative while I hone in on the idea.

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade shaylamaddox.etsy.com