A little time off...

Play - 8 x 10 canvas
Our vacation begins tomorrow and we plan to play! We have several days of day trips on our itinerary. Planning to visit Lexington, Charlottesville, Salem and Buchanan plus a few things to do locally. Maybe a bit of rest and relaxation while we are at it. 10 whole days...
Have a fantastic weekend and please be safe.

You never know...

Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to end up with. Same can be said for a lot of my art. I start out going in one direction and end up somewhere else. I shared this background this past Saturday...

Had a few ideas of where I wanted to go with it but never saw this coming...

You must do the thing you think you cannot do. Eleanor Roosevelt.
5 1/2 x 8 1/2 on watercolor paper
Small bits from the original background can be seen in the finished piece. This is what I love about creating mixed media pieces, I just keep going until I'm happy with it.
Hope you have had a fantastic day.

A favorite...

Not all who wander are lost. J.R.R. Tolkien
5 x 7 on watercolor paper

This is now one of my favorite pieces and I love the quote.
Happy Monday!

What a beautiful day...

The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, the air is cool, the simple things. Life is good.

learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow
6 x 8 on watercolor paper
acrylics, oil pastels, tissue paper, black pen, white gel pen, ink, stamps, stencils, gesso, vintage text
It took me several hours going through old books to find all the words for this piece, I think it was worth it, I love this quote.
Hope you have a beautiful day.

Just one more day...

until my youngest brother returns from his deployment in Afghanistan. So proud of him and his fellow soldiers for the sacrifices they have made to protect our freedom and I thank them.

Just two backgrounds to share today...

This piece now has had several more layers added and is close to being a finished piece. I used up a stack of old rub-ons that were in very poor shape and should have been thrown away long ago. It's very rewarding to use something instead of throwing it away.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Hummingsbirds...again...

Yes, I'm just a bit obsessed with these fascinating little creatures.

Happy Friday to you!

Dance...

To everything there is a season...and a time to dance. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

6 x 8 on watercolor paper

acrylics, ink, vintage music, text and image, oil pastels, stencils, stamps

I cannot help but to think of Kevin Bacon, in Footloose, everytime I hear this verse. What a great movie, one I can watch over and over again.

Much to do today, off to get started.

Have a great day.

Friendship...

The language of friendship is not words but meanings. Henry David Thoreau
6 x 8 on watercolor paper
acrylics, oil pastels, rub ons, vintage image, gesso

I hope you have a great friend in your life. I lost my best friend 2 1/2 years ago and my life has never been the same. She was true and loyal friend, I miss her terribly. I dedicate this piece to her.
Have a great evening.

I cannot draw...

I already knew this and have been taking a drawing workshop. I do however love doodling and always have...got me in trouble more than once when I was in school.
One of the assignments required that I doodle, oh boy, I can do this one...

fish out of water
The assignment was to doodle randomly for 30 minutes using 10 preselected drawing utencils.
I used 2 markers, 1 ultra fine Sharpie, 2 crayons, 2 colored pencils, a graphite pencil, a white gel pen and a black Slick Writer.
Things I learned from this assignment: I prefer shapes, swirls and lines rather than objects; fine tip markers are my favorite utensil, found it hard to resist adding more and I do not like white space. I had a lot of fun with this assignment...I still cannot draw.

On Saturday, my blog had it's 3,000th visitor. Pretfty amazing. As promised, when the milestone was reached, I drew a winner for the giveaway...and the winner is...Stefany Tyree. Congratulations Stefany! Email me and I'll get your box of goodies delivered.
Have a fantastic week!

Hummingbirds...

So good to see them...

Aren't they fascinating!
While I was taking these photos today, one hummingbird was at a pot of flowers right next to my head. I sat really still and he flew right up to me at one point. It was awesome.

A busy weekend ahead, off the the Gallery at the market in the morning and then a visit with the grandchildren. Sunday we are off to explore Salem and will return home via the Blue Ridge Parkway where we will enjoy an picnic supper.

Hope your weekend is fantastic!

They grow up so fast...

My baby turned 17 last week and last evening we spent several hours taking photos at the Old City Cemetery. Here are a few of my favorites...

This one is my favorite. Seems like just yesterday, she was a little girl and now she's all grown up.

Hope your week has been a wonderful one.

Confucius says...

Wherever you go, go with all your heart.
10 x 8 canvas
acrylics, gesso, stencils, stamps, oil pastel
This was a canvas that I had started and wasn't happy with so I applied a layer of gesso over the entire. The stenciling in black that I had done bled through the gesso. I applied several washes of acrylic and built on the textures left from the original piece.
Wherever you go, go with all your heart...have a great week!

Oh happy day...

Received word this morning that my youngest brother is safely back in the United States following a year in Afghanistan. Big sigh of relief...

A "happy" background I just finished up.

Love is the only flower that grows and blossoms without the aid of the seasons.
8 x 8 collage on watercolor paper
acrylics, oil pastels, ink, gesso, vintage image, die cut, stamps

I've also been working on an Etsy shop and my new website that I hope will be finished by the end of the summer, www.tinroofstudioart.com. It's just a basic page for now.
Hope your day has been a happy one.

Where there is love...

Where there is love, there is life. -Mahatma Gandhi
8 x 10 Canvas

acrylics, oil pastels, pen, vintage papers, gesso, stamps, stencils

This piece was inspired by Roben-Marie Smith's workshop, Lively Layers, in the May/June issue of Somerset Studio.

Hope you had a wonderful weekend, enjoy your week.

Many directions...

With hours to myself, in the evenings, I am getting a lot done. I find that I work better and am more creative if I am going in several directions at one time. Currently I'm finishing up a scrapbook for a client (74 pages complete, 10 to go), making cards and have 3 canvases in progress. Here are a few items that have been on and off my table for several days...

A page from my Soul Journal.

oil pastels, charcoal pencil, pen

Hope is a waking dream. Aristotle

mixed media collage - 8 x 8 on watercolor paper

acrylics, soft pastels, gesso, stazon ink, vintage images, dimensional paint, stamps

leftovers, anything left on my brushes and stamps, even a few drops of ink

Hope you have had a good week, have a fabulous weekend.

A boy and his imagination...

I am amazed at the hours of fun Tyler has had playing with Aubrey's stroller. He pretends it's a racecar and does laps around the driveway. He's great entertainment. Summer Camp starts Monday, I'll miss him being here...

A few candid shots...

So grown up. Love this boy!

Hope you are having a fun filled week.