We recently did a little craft fair for an Irish event.  It was a beautiful day.  Before we opened our Dusty Shamrock Studio "shop away from home" I took a photo of John setting things up.  I like how nice and calm everything appeared ;O)

 

Lately, I have been devoting all of my creative time to building my second shop's inventory.  It is very time consuming when the shop is so new.  In fact, I don't think that I ever finished finalizing things for Dusty Shamrock Studio (always a work in progress)!  Here is a sampling of what I have been working on in Tying The Knots:

I love creating wedding stationery, but I have to admit... I think designing the maps are my favorite!

~Have a wonderful weekend~

Red Rocks, Pine Trees, and Pumpkin Cats

We just got back from a nice little family vacation- forest and desert in one trip.  Lake Powell and Flagstaff... red rocks and pine trees- such a wonderful dichotomy.  On our last morning the sky was so beautiful.  The air was so clean and cool (so nice to get away from city pollution); the clouds looked almost like computer generated images- they were so fluffy and perfectly shaped, and the sky was such a brilliant shade of blue.

Many plans on the horizon here at the studio.  Flagstaff was so nice and cool- I couldn't help but think of all of the Fall events coming up... pumpkin picking, Halloween costumes for the girls...I have been meaning to list Witch Kitty:

 

Cooler weather is on the way (finally)!



New Beginnings

I have been working on a number of projects around my house ~with many more on my to do list than I can manage these days~ yet still accomplishing things, one-by-one.  Like I mentioned last post, I have started a new line of Wedding Suite Invitations.  I have been adding listings to Dusty Shamrock Studio, which is full to the brim with paintings, and needed somewhere else to put all of them so I started a new shop...

Tying The Knots.  Here is a glimpse inside of my second Etsy shop:

 

 

I don't have it very well stocked, yet... but it is the type of work I love to do, so I don't mind one bit planning and working on my next projects.  I really have only two types of products in the new shop: Wedding Invitation Suites and Custom Portraits.  Here is one of my favorite Wedding Portraits: "Peachy Keen":

 

Of course all of my work revolves around watercolor, which I have really fallen for. 

 

Early Morning + Sleeping Baby = PAINT TIME :O)

 

 

Top Secret New Line!

Okay, so it isn't such a secret, or I wouldn't be sharing it with you.  I have been absent for a while- but for good reason.  I have been really busy with some custom orders, and busy creating a new line of...

WEDDING INVITATION SUITES

These invitation suites are very involved (as they should be!).  There are so many elements that require my absolute attention to detail- even the envelope liners are hand painted by me with watercolors (then scanned to be printed) to match the colors and ideas of the wedding.  I have been painting away~ programs, menus, detailed maps, rsvp cards. 

Here is a little sneak peak:

There is much more work to be done~

Happy Painting!

Inside the studio

The shop has been very busy these past few weeks.  Last week was the busiest for me yet- so when do I decide to organize my shop?  I started last week, of course.  I placed my biggest orders for supplies yet to date... cotton rag paper of various sizes, rigid envelopes, poly bags, backing board.  I also bought some trunks for future craft fair shows.

Here is a little glimpse of the studio...

 

My studio doubles as our library ~ two walls are covered in books ~ and some of our books are covered in my girls' artwork

 

Much needed supplies~ ordered by the cases!

 

My ever-so-useful cutting mat.  I purchased this gigantic mat years ago, when I was working as a machine quilter.  One of the best investments ever.

 

Rather rigid stance

 

 

A few of my watercolor brushes soaking in the sunlight.

 

 

Happy weekend!

 

Cat-tastic: Painting From Sketches

It's been Cat-tastic around here.  Last post I hadn't finished these two kitty paintings yet, so
here are the finished pieces:





 

 

 

In the top painting, instead of masking fluid  to make the whiskers, eyelashes, and fine hairs stand out in white, I used a concentrated amount of white paint on my paper after all of the paint had a chance to dry.  Either technique would have worked, but sometimes masking fluid takes quite a bit of prep and forethought.  I just wanted to wing it.

 

The second painting needed some color to spruce up the background so I used this brilliant blue hue painting wet into wet  to create almost a sky effect.  After the painting was finished, I scanned it again with a cute little birthday hat to have as an option on my website for birthday cards.  Nothing like a cute little pouty cat to say "Happy Birthday" to the one you love.

 

Off to work on a custom Pub painting....

 

Happy Painting!   

Summertime and Kitty Sketches

This time of year in Tucson is pretty darn hot.  But we still try to make the best of it.  Some days, before I head into my studio, my girls and I like to check on our garden.  We have to have to be outside by 7 am though, or we will just head back in after just a few minutes.  So- the other day we were out by 7 and the morning was quite nice.

 

The Mexican Oregano (great for homemade salsa) has taken off and we cut some to hang and dry out- which on 105 degree days happens quickly. 

 

The basil, as it does every year this time, has quadrupled in size, and we need to start harvesting.  This is a good time to make pesto!  Basil plants create the smallest little black seeds.  Great for next season.

After time outside, it is nice to come into the cool house and draw.  I have been working on a couple of little kitty sketches.  Here is what I have so far:

 

I will keep you posted on how the finished watercolors turn out, but I kind of like just the pencil too.  After this little project, time for some Irish Pub painting...that will have to wait for another day :O)

 

Happy Weekend!!

Weekend Painting Frenzy

This morning, I woke up early (as I often do) so I could get some painting done before the girls woke up.  I love the mornings anyhow.  I was never a "late night test crammer", I would always prefer to wake up super early the day OF the test to do my cramming ;o)

Here are the latest paintings:

It felt like an animal kind of morning, so I went with it. 

I love my printer dearly, but she is so touchy!  When printing on my 13" x 19" watercolor paper, there is a "paper jam" nearly every time I send and image to be printed.  It is incredibly frustrating.  I hope that at some point, she will just let that hiccup go and print smoothly....

Happy end to the weekend!

Cards for different occassions

We just returned from a trip to Ireland.  We took lots of pictures, which I will hopefully transform into paintings over the next two years (until we go back again). 

 

In taking a break from Ireland landscape paintings, I have assembled some card collections:

 

 

Birthday Notecard Set of 3 or 6:

 

 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/154339676/birthday-watercolor-notecard-collection?ref=shop_home_active

Butterfly Notecard Set of 3 or 6:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/154343051/butterfly-watercolor-notecard-collection?ref=correlated_featured

I love to have cards on hand because birthdays and special occasions creep up and I like to have cards ready to go.  I am planning on a collection of Irish Landscape cards in the coming weeks. 

self portrait

I have never really attempted a "self portrait" painting.  For some reason, over the weekend, I decided to give it a shot.  I am pleased with the rich colors (not to mention that I excluded a few fine lines ;O).

After adding the flowers in my hair, I decided to carry out the theme in a new shop banner for my shop on Etsy:

It has been a nice change of pace painting more whimsical designs, rather than realism.  I am going to start a series of portrait paintings similar to the "Self Portrait", which, coincidentally I have titled "Irish Lass".  These paintings, as most, started out with a quick sketch just to get my proportions.  Next, I added the base color.  In the portrait, it was my skin-tone which was achieved by mixing quite a few colors, actually.  I used some light yellow, rose madder, and Naples Yellow.  While this was still wet, I added a thicker mixture of the same color over my cheeks, nose and forehead.  Adding a bit of burnt umber to that mixture, I was able to find a nice color for my freckles.  My hair has many of the same colors, with the addition of raw sienna.  For the background of the portrait I used Ivory Black which covered the paper so well, adding almost a velvet texture.

Off to paint.  Happy (almost) Friday!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/DustyShamrockStudio

Elephant close up

I have been working on animals lately, and this is the most recent addition to that collection:

Years ago, before I began painting with watercolors, my artwork was really limited to graphite.  In this painting, I sketched the head of the elephant for only a few minutes, to get the proportions.  The rest of the time was spent sweeping the paper with my brush- emphasizing the darker areas, and adding water in other areas to thin out the paint.

The tusk is just peaking out at the bottom of the page.  I used Cobalt Blue, Burnt Umber, and Ivory Black in this painting.

I love painting animals with watercolor.  After I sketch out the animal, I wet the entire surface of the page.  I love to use the brush as if it is a pencil- sketching almost with the brush, reapplying paint as necessary.  Once I learned to not be afraid of adding lots of paint and lots of water, my paintings felt right.

In this painting, I constantly re-wet the paper.  I used thick applications of paint, and if it was too dark, I added more water and spread the colors out and used them to shade and give the horse depth.

Learning to not shy away from the water aspect in watercolors.

Off to paint an elephant...

Mother's Day Paintings

Wonderful Mother's Day

Today was a very nice day.  Spending time with family, and of course, lots of time to paint. 

Latest watercolors: "Running Horses" 8x10
https://www.etsy.com/listing/150995433/horse-art-horses-running-8x10-watercolor?ref=shop_home_active

My mom requested Pansies for Mother's Day.  She gets the originals, but I do have prints available:

"Purple Pansy" 5x7 Watercolor
https://www.etsy.com/listing/150943512/pansy-print-purple-pansy-5x7-watercolor?ref=shop_home_active

"Red and Violet Pansy" 5x7 Watercolor
https://www.etsy.com/listing/150945767/pansy-print-red-and-violet-pansy-5x7?ref=shop_home_active

Wildlife ACEO series

Just finished a series of ACEO art cards:

Wildlife series

http://www.etsy.com/shop/DustyShamrockStudio?section_id=13542996

 

 

My mom's favorite animal is the Giraffe.  Perfect in time for Mother's Day!  

 

Working on the Etsy shop (again) today.  Finished this piece "My Little Irish Lad"- as you can see the colors are a little exaggerated:

I am waiting on a new scanner (Epson V500) to be delivered later this week.  Tomorrow, my new printer (Epson r2880) will be delivered.  I will be sure to keep you posted on how the (very expensive) investments work for me.  Happy Sunday- hope we can all find time to paint today!

Hello. I am brand new to the blogging world, so I am not sure when (and if?) anyone will ever read this, but here's hoping you will.

Welcome. I am an artist (mainly watercolor) and I am hoping to capture the journey of becoming a full-time artist. 



Here is what I have started:

• Selling my artwork on Etsy.com (https://www.etsy.com/shop/DustyShamrockStudio)
• Selling my artwork at our local Irish Gift shop, Flanagan's Celtic Corner (http://www.flanaganscelticcorner.com/mysitecaddy/site3/)
• Selling at few festivals in Tucson in 2012

Here is where I would like to be:

• A full-time artist. Selling so many of my paintings that I can barely keep up. The post office will know my name. I will have to fold laundry and sketch at the same time; hold a paintbrush in one hand while packaging orders in the other...

I will share any new paintings with you. Some days I finish a painting, some days I only daydream about painting. I have three daughters, 7, 5, and 9 months old who keep me very busy.

This is the beginning of my journey. Thanks for coming along.

Todays painting: Anna's Hummingbird II.  Print.  8x10 (if you are interested in purchasing any of my artwork, please visit my etsy page)  Thanks!