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Welcome to Painting in 2014

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I hope you all have had a wonderful holiday season with lots of time for family, friends, and fun. I’ve enjoyed myself this year on our holiday break.  I’ve had some time with my family, attended some awesome holiday parties, and had some quiet, soothing, creative time. 

Here are some of the paintings that I completed for my family for Christmas. I can show you now since I’ve given them.  My family member were very pleased.

Ruth on her wedding day, 1945.

Ruth on her wedding day, 1945.

Porter

Porter

Morning Ride

Morning Ride

Now I’m ready to see all my terrific students and get back to sharing our art. 

Yesterday was our Back to Painting Party and it was exciting to see everyone, our usual crew, some who I had not see in awhile, and some who are new to our area or just haven’t paint with us before. And there are some new enthusiasts who want to get involved with art and painting.  I’m always excited about introducing other to our creative ventures.

I’m now preparing myself for our 2014 painting.  My Jan to-do list looks something like this:

  • ·        Clean up the studio! I’ve left all my projects out on the tables, nice to be able to do that, and have lots of organizing to do.  Done once and I’m sure it will need doing again numerous times.
  • ·        Catch up with class samples
  • ·        Enjoy our returning painters and challenge each one to stretch and grow in skill and enthusiasm
  • ·        Get details completed with Ros and post our upcoming July seminar
  • ·        Tape more on-line classes for Creative Workshops
  • ·        Take classes myself. I have some interesting on-line classes I’m considering
  • ·        Eat more healthy again
  • ·        Continue exercising
  • ·        Keep adding to my list and checking things off, although some items above are ongoing.

 Upcoming in Jan 2014:

We have lots of new classes planned with new techniques popping up as well as some of our usual favorites. Over the past several months we’ve acquired a list of projects that we want to paint. Here they come.

Our Wed day class and Cary evening class want to paint the Morning Ride that I painted for my brother for Christmas. Photo is above.

For Wed evening, we have a mixed media painting planned called Nesting.  Our version of a Linda Lock design. Lots of fun techniques and all in one 3 hr evening!

Nesting

Nesting

We have a workshop coming up on Jan 25th, Watercolor Poppies in the Rain, a Mark Polomchak design. I need to get that sample painted so you can see it.

 For more class info including hrs and dates, please check the classes pages.

Let me know if you enjoyed the new web design.  I’m off to be creative!  Liz

 

2014 Back to Painting Party

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On Jan 5th we’ll have our New Year’s Welcome Back To Painting Party, Sunday from 2p – 5p.

And you are invited. 

We’ll have tasty treats to share, a short fun painting project to enjoy, friends to visit, one of my paintings to raffle, and registration for classes. 

Bring a treat, family, and a friend or two to celebrate painting in 2014 with us.

 If you plan to paint our white rabbit pin with us be sure to let me know so I can be prepared for you.

 $5 covers surface, supplies, and paints.  No experience needed so bring your friends and family.

We’ll start painting at 2:30p

Registration required.


White Rabbit



web vase of roses

Vase of Roses

Vase of Roses painted by Liz Miller CDA

Raffle


 

 

You are not required to be present to win but you’ll need to come back to pick up your painting or pay postage for mailing.

Old Year News

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Winter on the Farm a Ginger Edwards design

Winter on the Farm
a Ginger Edwards design

All of us are wrapping up 2013 along with our gifts and will soon look forward to 2014. We have a few paintings left to complete and lots of holiday celebrating to enjoy.

 At Artful Endeavors I’m looking forward to some time for family and friends, and then some catching up time.

Our last Tue am open class is tomorrow morning if you need to finish something before the holidays.

On Wed we’ll finish our last paintings for this year in our day and evening classes.

We’ll have a 3 week break for holiday enjoyments.  Classes will resume Jan 7 & 8, 2014.

Remember our Jan 5th New Year’s Back to Painting Party. I post details separately.       

The students and I have worked on our Jan/Feb 2014 schedule and I’m in the process of posting it on our web site. Be sure to check out the outstanding new projects that we’ve chosen. Some from our favorite journals, some that are my own design, and some we’ll design ourselves.  I’ll post photos as soon as I have the samples painted. And keep checking back because you know we always tweak the schedules a bit.  Our workshops are projects that we’ve wanted to schedule for some time. Mark your calendar and plan to join us.

I’ll add more of our 3 hr workshops. Right now I’m collecting ideas and saving my favorites.

 And speaking of our web site, have you see it in the last week?  Our web designer, me, has been hard at work over the Thanksgiving break giving it a new look that will work on most browsers, and allow you to find everything easily.  Let me know if it works easily for you.

 I wish everyone of you a wonderful holiday season.  Merry Christmas and I’ll look forward to seeing you in Jan.

Liz

 

 

Special on On Line Classes For Dec

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During the month of Dec I’m gifting you with 15% off on all my on line classes. 

You can check out my classes on our on-line class page right here on my web site, or you can go directly to Creative Workshops to register and take advantage of my gift to you.

Drawing Faces

Drawing Faces

Sign up for Creative Workshops’ newsletter to get the details and latest on-line class news.

Watch for my new on-line classes coming up after the first of the year. Now I’ve told you about my new classes so I had better get busy taping them.

Have a wonderful holiday season and I’ll see you back for our New Year of Painting Party on Jan 5th.

Check out the special offers at Creative Workshops going on right now!

Finishing Up Our 2013 Classes

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I hope you have enjoyed your Thanksgiving days and feasting. I did.  My creative juices are renewed and now I’m ready for more painting.

Santa on the Moon

Santa on the Moon

We have 2 more weeks left of painting in 2013.  Here’s what we have for our

2 wk classes for Dec 4 and 11.

Wed, 10a – 2p. Santa on the Moon. Here’s the delightfully popular Helan

Barrick Santa the I’ve taught many times over the years. Now is the chance for any of you who haven’t painted him yet to do so.  $84

Winter Path

Winter Path

Wed, 5:00p – 7:30p.  Winter Path.  A new design for us by Angela Anderson from Paint Works. 

Loose and fun.  $56.

 

 Tue am open class is still happening Dec 3 & 10, 10a – 12:30, for you to finish up those last minute projects.  Let me know if you plan to join us.

 Tue evening class in Cary is finishing up our Dorothy Dent, Mill design on Tue Dec 3, 10, & 17.  We plan to be back at the salon next week.

 Mark your calendar for Jan 5, our New Year’s Welcome Back to Painting Party, 2p – 5p.  We’ll have class samples, a fun quick project to paint, food, one of my paintings raffled, and lots of fellowship.  Always a good way to start the new year. 

 We’re working on the class schedule now and I’ll have that for you soon with lots of fun new painting ideas and some of our favorites.  We have a couple of workshops already planned.

Jan 25, 10-4p.  Poppies Watercolor. This is the painting that you have been waiting for.

Feb 14, 10-2p.  Sodas and Sundaes. Here are my ornaments that took a ribbon at the state fair this past Oct. Just in right for Valentine’s Day.

 I’ll have more of our 3 hr workshops too for those of you who appreciated finishing your painting in one class. Always fun and lively.

 Join us in Dec and help pull our Jan/Feb schedule together. I’ll see you soon.

 Liz

Lots of Owls

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I’ve really been into painting owls this year. Fortunately so have many of our painters, so we’ve had some fun painting owls together. First there were the ornaments, then the snow owl. Here is our latest in our owl collection. This time a more realistic painting. My wonderful students created a whole flock of fluffy owls.

Barred owls by my talented students.

Barred owls by my talented students.

 

This beautiful design was by Sue Beckerton in Paint Works, Feb 2013.

 

 

Painting with Kathie George

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We sure did pack in the painting with Kathie during our 3 days this year, each day different new techniques and skills.  I’ve painted with Kathie, learning batik, but each time I paint with her I learn something new, and this year was no exception.  And Kathie is such a patient, sharing person, giving her time and talents to everyone of us at her class. Once more a successful seminar.

And Kathie is taking some lucky painters on  a painting holiday to South Africa next April 12 -23, 2014.  Be sure to check out the details on Kathie’s web site.  You might just want to join her.

 

Here a just a few moments from our seminar. I was so absorbed with my painting that I didn’t get photos the first 2 days so here is our last day of fun. Love the ducks and the dyes. We’re making plans for more dye projects. What fun.  Notice the concentration and then smiles with the completed paintings.

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A Halloween Treat!!

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Happy Halloweeeeeeeeeeeeeeen!

It’s a beautiful fall day with colorful trees and very pleasant weather here today.  It’s a perfect Halloween eve.

I have a Halloween treat for you. It’s directions for my spooky owl pen.

Spooky Owl Pin    A Liz Miller CDA design

You can use your favorite colors but here are some of the ones that I’ve used:

DecoArt Americana: Lamp Black, Raw Umber, Butterscotch, Warm White, Marigold, Irish Moss, Tangerine, and Burnt Sienna.

The blank is available at my studio or you can order from Viking Woodcrafts if you can’t drop by my studio.

Spooky Owl Pin

Spooky Owl Pin

Let’s Paint a Spooky Owl in a Tree:

I used a flat Bringle Blender to scuff in the tree using the chisel edge of the brush and RU.  Then use Butterscotch and a very little Butterscotch + WW to lighten the left side of the trunk and branches. I then added a little scuffed in Tangerine to accent the light side and middle of trunk.  Use a side loaded flat to darken the right side of trunk with Black. Of course the hole in the base of the tree is painted black.  The spider webs are also painted black.  Dry and then pattern your owl.

Using a #0 liner dab in the owl with RU to create fluffy feathers.  Begin to fluff in the lighter feathers by adding WW to your dirty brush. Notice the light feather on the face and details on the head and body. Don’t forget the tail feathers.  Lighten the face by adding more WW to your dirty brush.  Eyes are Marigold and shaded at the top with BS when dry. Outline them with RU.  Pupils are black with a WW glint.  Beak is RU with a WW glint.  I added a little dabbed in BS under the chin and at the base of the tail.  Add a few WW claws to hold onto the branch that you add with your tree colors.  Add any other owl like detail that you would like.

To finish up dry brush a little WW on the spider webs and touch in some Tangerine eyes inside the hollow of the tree with black pupils and WW glints.  I then flick up some grass at the base of the tree with Irish Moss, a nice spooky bright green color, using my flat blender.

Dry and spray with DecoArt Triple Thick spray several times allowing plenty of dry time between sprays. Remember not to touch the varnish to check dryness unless you would like to leave a nice finger print for later ID purposes.  When dry glue a pin back to your painted treasure and enjoy wearing.

pattern

pattern

Have a spooky time painting this project.  We still have some fall season to enjoy this little pen.

You are welcome to teach this design but be sure to give me credit for the design.

Watch for a winter version of this design coming up soon!

Liz

Young Artists

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It’s exciting to see painting and art work by our younger artists at the NC State Fair.  Artful Endeavors sponsors Best in Show for our younger artist and encourages them to continue with their artistic endeavors.  Congratulations to the young artist who earned this year’s Best in Show.

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Today’s Inspiration

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I just took some time to read and learn. Forget the “to do” list and enjoyed learning from some other artists. What inspiration! Now my mind is into “what if I tried this or I want to try that technique”. My day just became a lot more fun. Thanks Kathie George/Watermedia Workshops and Nancy Medina Art Studio my inspiration for today.


If you don’t follow Kathie you really should. Keep scrolling down on her blog to find her wonderful lessons and tips.
Nancy Medina is a wonderful inspiration also for forgetting that word “perfect” that really doesn’t exist in art anyway.

·        Kathie George seminar is coming up quickly. We still have some seats if you would like to join us. I have the prep and patterns at the studio if you have already registered. We have some exciting new techniques and lots of fun planned with Kathie. 

Register Now!

 

Ducks in a Row Mixed Media with powdered dyes.

Ducks in a Row
Mixed Media with powdered dyes.

Shell Weave Watercolor with cheese cloth accents.

Shell Weave
Watercolor with cheese cloth accents.

Cat in the Snow

Cat in the Snow