Artwork, travel, and musings by artist, Gail H. Shelton.
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Still doing a few of these mixed media pieces to take down south to a shop. I hope she decides to keep some of these! or I will have a lot to sell at my own gallery! I have had some good feedback on these..so I am hopeful they will like them. I am also getting a couple of my colored pencil pieces printed in Baton Rouge: the "Let ir Bee" drawing and the "Basket of Blues" drawing of some blue crabs. I will pick them up on Friday, and have them to sell at the shop as well. sheltongail@hotmail.com |
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Still enjoying painting a few of these small watercolor/acrylic pieces. I go through my photos of the birds and find several that I like. Then I try to envision what kind of background will best highlight the bird. I do several abstract pieces of paper, using different colors, compositions, etc. When I like the background, then I begin to paint the bird in acrylic onto the watercolor paper. Hopefully, when finished, the plan all comes together! sheltongail@hotmail.com |
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Still working on these abstract, mixed media pieces. I like doing the fun, loose, wet backgrounds. They happen in just a few minutes, and then you have to wait for them to dry. It is always neat to see how they will turn out. The white specs are made by sprinkling salt on the wet paper. It soaks up the pigment, and leaves the white areas. Then I paint the bird over the background. I just recently took this photo in south Louisiana where these white pelicans spend the winters. It is 11 x 14, and $100. sheltongail@hotmail.com |
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A few more that are headed down south to the Louisiana Marketplace. As soon as I posted the first one (the egret in the blue background), someone wanted it! So it is sold already!! Hopefully, customers down there will be receptive to these as well....fingers crossed! sheltongail@hotmail.com |
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| This is the Louisiana Marketplace on Interstate 10 near Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. This unique shop carries art by 175 Louisiana artists. It is an eclectic mix of all kinds of paintings, sculptures, mixed media, along with antiques, junk, and assorted collectibles. I was here recently, and the owner would like to have some of my work in the shop as well. |
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So, here are a couple of little watercolor originals that I am taking down there at the end of the month. They carry a mix of realistic and more impressionistic pieces, and they have very few watercolors, and no colored pencil pieces. I will be taking a few colored pencil prints and a couple of originals too. And we'll just see how it goes! sheltongail@hotmail.com |
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| Lily Pads Acrylic on Canvas |
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| Bella Acrylic on Canvas |
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| Florals at the Gallery We have a new show up at the gallery through the end of February. JoAnne Thompson is exhibiting her beautiful acrylic paintings. She is an accomplished painter, first taking watercolor classes from me many years ago. She continued taking courses in oil and finally acrylic, which came to be her medium of choice. She has a studio at River Oaks in downtown Alexandria where she also teaches some acrylic painting classes. We are proud to exhibit her work, and share her colorful, joyful view of the world. sheltongail@hotmail.com |
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Just finished this house for a client. It is her great grandfather's house, and she is giving it as a gift to her father. I did pen and ink drawing and then painted it with watercolor. She told me that the shingles used to be black, so I painted a darker roof. I hope she likes it, and that he is surprised! Merry Christmas! sheltongail@hotmail.com |
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| Several years ago, I did a drawing of a baby girl for a client. It is a large portrait, about 20 x 24. Awhile back, the same client brought me this photo of the baby girl's new baby brother. She wanted me to do a matching portrait of him as well. This is the portrait in progress...some of the shading done, but not finished. |
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| But tonight, I was able to finish it! So, here is the new drawing of the baby boy... |
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| And here is the other earlier drawing of the sister. They almost look like twins...a strong family resemblance. I think these are going to be gifts for the mom of these babies. I hope she will be surprised! Merry Christmas!! sheltongail@hotmail.com |
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| Finished this 11 x 14 canvas tonight...gesso on burlap with hand lettering. My lettering is certainly not perfect...but that's what makes it charming?! I really like the saying...kind of a twist on "Bloom where you are Planted". |
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| And these two are the last small canvases that I finished last night. These have already been sprayed with the sealer. |
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And I also finished this canvas. I painted the black acrylic over the gesso, and then the white lettering. Again, the letters are far from perfect...but I like the saying as well. These will all be for sale at the Pea Patch Gallery and Cafe. The small canvases are $25 each, and the large lettered ones are $40. |
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Still working on a few of these small canvases. These are 4 inches square and an inch deep. I added the texture on them first, and painted a background color. Then I layered a couple of colors over the background color, blending it in some places. I painted the egrets and the sunflowers then in acrylic, and I will spray them with a sealer. They are for sale; this size is $25. The larger ones are $35, and $50 each. I painted them in pairs, and you can buy them separately or together. I can also ship if you would be interested. These make great gifts, and I will do some more before Christmas. If there is something in particular you would like, just let me know. sheltongail@hotmail.com |
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| This is the first two little square canvases that I finished. I added a blue wash over the background, before I added the birds. They are painted with acrylic paint. |
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I did a couple of others...painting these blackeyed susans onto the blue background. There is a lot of texture on the canvas. It doesn't show up that well in these pics. These have been really fun...plan to do some more! 5" square canvases $50 each sheltongail@hotmail.com |
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| I recently saw some neat little canvases at a gift shop down in Covington, Louisiana. They were coated with this modeling paste, that provides some great texture on the surface. So, I thought I would give it a try. I spread the paste with a letter opener! because I do not own a palette knife?! I am just a watercolor painter...and we don't use palette knives much... |
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| And then I have painted them blue as a first coat. I am planning to paint some kind of bird on them. It may be an egret or heron. Or a bluebird or sparrow...I haven't decided yet. I will play around with the background colors some more until I get them interesting. I enjoy doing something different from time to time. And since it is more difficult for me to draw right now (having trouble with arthritis in my hands), painting is not quite as painful. Will try to post the final results! sheltongail@hotmail.com |
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It is that time of year again...already!! I design a Christmas t-shirt every year that I sell at the gallery. I order a limited number, and they usually sell out quickly. This is the design for this year's shirt. The shirt is royal blue, and the stars will be yellow gold, and the lettering is black, red and white. The printer will send me a proof of the colors. Once I approve the design, they will be printed and picked up before our Christmas Open House on November 12. I can ship if anyone is interested! They will be $30 each (long-sleeved t-shirt) sheltongail@hotmail.com |
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One of the most rewarding aspects of being a teacher is getting to see one of your former students pursuing the passion you share. I had the pleasure of visiting with Joe Stroud yesterday, an art student that I taught many years ago. He finished his education at the Savannah College of Art and Design, with a major in Photography and Art History. I have kept in touch with him over the years. He lived out west for awhile, and traveled taking pictures all over the country. He has moved back home (Winnfield, Louisiana) and is still taking photos of wildlife and landscapes. We are currently hosting a Photography Contest at the gallery, and he brought several photos by. The ones above are on his wonderful website: www.joestroudphotography.com I encourage you to visit his site, and purchase a print. They are beautiful and varied...something for everyone. Please help support an artist! sheltongail@hotmail.com www.joestroudphotography.com |
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| This is from the lunar eclipse a couple of weeks ago. I have never really tried to photograph anything like this. It was soooo much fun! I had to use my large lens, and my tripod. It was hard to get one in focus. This is the best one I got. My husband and I did really enjoy sitting outside and watching the whole process. It was spell binding....awesome....amazing. Another one of God's beautiful creations and events...glorious. sheltongail@hotmail.com |
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Sometimes I get to participate in an art activity that is really funny! That was the case this week at the daycare that my grand daughter attends. They were painting their own pumpkin, and I was lucky enough to go. The young workers were braver than I would have been...giving them full plates of all kinds of colors. It started timidly...as the young "Picassos" got the feel of the brush and paint. That did not last long, as the artistic juices began to flow!! My little Clara had lots of paint on her pumpkin, and her face, arm, hands, shirt, table....etc! It was so cute...all the kids really enjoyed it. Luckily, the paint is washable! sheltongail@hotmail.com |
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Sometimes I get asked to do some really simple things...and I don't mind. The middle canvas is store-bought, and my daughter wanted a couple of other little canvases to go with it in the children's bathroom. So, here are the finished products...ready to hang and instruct the little ones.They are acrylic on canvas, 12 x 12. sheltongail@hotmail.com |
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| Mr. Chad Smith teaching the kids a little watercolor today. |
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| Samuel working on some colored pencil |
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| Chad giving out some instruction. I usually teach the Wednesday afternoon art classes. But this year, a young man and former art student of mine, has returned to Winnfield, and was interested in doing some teaching. So, I agreed to let him try his hand a the children's classes...to really get his feet wet! He taught all summer, and now he is continuing this fall. Today, they did some basic watercolor, and painted a cardinal. They all seemed to catch on, and enjoy the class. Chad is doing a great job, and really loves it. I will continue to guide him on what to teach, and provide the supplies. I'm just enjoying the break, and giving this young man a chance to do something we both love. sheltongail@hotmail.com Children's Art Classes Ages 10 and up Wed pm 4-5 pm $15.00 a lesson |
