Author life

These days I'm a writer. And I'm just about to release the second book of my Forever Detective series.

Here's the book trailer:

I laugh at obvious ploys...

I really don't know why people post "comments" completely unrelated to the post they are commenting on with links to their sites. Surely no one actually checks out their pages? I hope they aren't looking for people to hit with viruses, that would be awful, but if they just want page hits, they should troll better, and maybe at blogs where there is current content and many readers. On the other hand, it did make me think to log back in and post an update. I have been doing a bit of painting lately. One landscape inspired by the local colors of plants on the sand dunes. I'm living in Marina, California now, on the CSUMB campus, and there are lots of inspirational visuals locally.

New ACEOs

The math class I'm interning in were given an art project to do today. I was busy as a classroom helper then, but I thought I'd experiment some based on the ideas when I got home. My new pieces Vampire's Eye and Math is Art came out of that. I've taken some photos, but need to do some uploading before I can show them.

Another treasury featuring Allan's art.

His centaur piece has caught attention again. And the whole collection is very nice, with a fairy tale theme to it. I particularly liked a piece called Belle of the Ball, which has the tragic aspect of older fairy tales suggested in it, and a wonderful interpretation of the night sky.

New Exhibition up from FAE.

The Fantasy Artists of Etsy have created a new exhibition (there's a new one every 2 months)-- this one on the theme of Fairies, Elves and Pixies, Oh My! It's got everything from accessories to wall art. Allan and I are each represented.
The quality is excellent, and this is a time of year people may be shopping for Mother's Day gifts, wedding jewelry, SCA/ Ren garb, and housewarming presents, and I can see items appropriate for each of those categories.

Check it out at http://faeteam.com/exhibition.html

Allan's art in a new treasury.

We end up showcased now and then at Etsy's treasury section, but I don't often mention it here. But Allan's "Drops of Jupiter in Her Hair" pastel painting made it into a pastel treasury, and I was impressed by ALL the art there.
For those of you not actively pursuing art, the word pastel probably suggests soft colors to you. But those tints aren't what we mean when we say pastel painting or pastel drawing-- it refers to a dry pressed powder that combines pigment with a binder such as chalk or oils, allowing an artist to draw with broad, vivid areas of color. It can be layered, blended, hatched, washed-- while it is technically a drawing medium, generally sold in stick form, the techniques of drawing and painting are both usable, and the richness and depth of color makes many pastellists to refer to their works as paintings.

But in art, especially, a thousand words are not as effective as a picture. Please follow the link to see a sampler of pastel works http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d9d07fcd6b36d918e9c8a44/a-pastel-life#4d9d27d52b476d91bacb64e7

Monthly sale

Pink things, 15% off.

Calm Waters

This is my latest, and we've decided this will be the one to save for "Close to Home". It's called Calm Waters, and it's based on part of the Monterey Bay coastline. This area really is a painter's paradise. Mom should think about organizing a plein air class/expedition-- too bad Aunt Alice isn't still a travel agent.
Well, there's always Lodi Lake and other fine sights back home. You'll find beautiful agricultural landscapes in a lot of the Lodi Community Art group's portfolios.

Paintings of the bay

I currently have one done-- of waves crashing on the rocks-- and two in progress. The two in progress are a monochrome acrylic (ultramarine blue shades and tints) and a watercolor, mostly green, of a sailboat with a treelined hill shore in the background.

One of the themes coming up this month is "Close to Home", and I think I should reserve one of the unfinished ones for that theme. I haven't been able to think of anything for the Americana theme. My "Artist at Play" theme will be a self-portrait dancing. And I have some things I could do quickly for the "Homage to Impressionism". Thoughts on Americana, anyone? I don't know if I have the skill for it, but would it technically be Americana if I painted prehistoric America?

Getting Ready for my show...

I've got a lot of new and never-before-seen paintings: meaning on one hand, ones I have just finished, and on the other, ones that I tucked away after painting and hadn't done anything with. The near photo shows some of my works in progress, either for the show or for Etsy. There will be several small works; I'm hoping people will be more inclined to buy something relatively cheap and easy to find a place for. Snowbringer, the left picture, is one I had to retouch due to a bit of smudge from one of Allan's pieces. I like it even better now, and I'm rather proud of how the glimmering paint looks in the photo. I think for some of the special effects I like to do, flash photography actually works better than natural lighting to capture the sheen.