Unfinished Self Portrait

I am working on a painting for the back cover of my Moleskine.  I figured it would be nice to finish it before I sent it off, but it is slow.  I am making my own acrylic paints with pigments from France my daughter brought me from her visit there.

First coat of paint:

Self-portrait with Keith
handmade acrylics
after one coat of paint
(not yet finished.)
Click this and all images to view larger

Second coat of paint:

Self-portrait with Keith
handmade acrylics
after two coats of paint
(not yet finished.)

Working at the dining room table:

We had more than a foot of snow and it was 11 below zero--I couldn't get to my "studio."  It's a little crowded and cluttered.  (Okay, it;s a LOT crowded and cluttered.)  The little vials are the dry pigments from France.

The photograph I am copying was taken December 28, 2013 by Harry Teichert at the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House.  I hope to finish it soon and mail it off.

Botanical Illustrations in Ballookey's Moleskine

Ballookey's Moleskine arrives in Detroit
in time for spring.

2-page spread
Glechoma hederaceae
click images to view larger

Glechoma hederaceae
botanical diagrams

Glechoma hederaceae
botanical painting, acrylics

I'm in a Moleskine Exchange group and a new Moleskine arrived belonging to Ballookey who did the horse in the first picture. I did 2 botanical illustrations of Clechoma hederaceae.

I am sorry to report that I am not only still sick, but I am also getting worse rather than better.  I have a medical procedure scheduled May 30, which is supposed to help and I hope and pray it does.

I kind of messed this up a little, and I apologize.

Eel Revisited

Moray Eel
mixed media
acrylic, gouache watercolor
click image to view larger.

Here is the completed version of the painting  started in the previous post.  It is in Andrea's Moleskine, part of the circulating Moleskines in the group I belong to.

Like Snail, who chose the rail, Crane also took the train.

Crane and Snail ride the train
acrylic on Moleskine watercolor paper
by me, Mary Stebbins Taitt

Like Snail, who chose the rail,
Crane also took the train. 

San Cassimally, Animal Carnival

This is my illustration for San Cassimally's Animal Carnival, which I am no longer officially illustrating.  I did it for Illustration Friday last week ("train"), but because of my illness, I was unable to get it done in time.  (Took me a whole week, so I may be running late!  Sorry).

This is actually on my LAST page, I think.  (The other pages are still blank.)  Because of my pain, which is usually worst in the mornings, I can't paint until evening.

Self portrait on cover of new Moleskine, by Mary Stebbins Taitt--view larger at Imagik Art.

Various Sketches

Various Sketches, by Mary Stebbins Taitt, two each in my two current sketchbook exchange books.

1)Night Fishing, after"Shack Medicine," by Thomas Wood
2)First Light, after "Dawn of a New Day," by Tom Browning
3)The Goose that Laid the Golden Egg
4)The Kiss that didn't happen

The gold pieces are golder than they look in the scans.

Acrylic in Ian's Mole

I painted this at our campsite in the Porcupine Wilderness State Park at the tip of Michigan's wild Upper Peninsula. It was cold, rainy, buggy, but I had fun doing it. It was an actual barn and a woman cutting mums set the vase on the windowsill while she gathered a second group of them. I shot a photo of it from which I made the painting. I thought it was fun because it was very primary (and I only had primary colors [and white] with me). The barn was old and out of square (but I might have overdone it, lol!) Biker Buddy took the shot from inside the car where he was retreating from the biting bugs.

Tulips at the Village Market III, a present for Jacob

Tulips at the Village Market III, a present for Jacob, by Mary
Stebbins Taitt. I painted this picture for Jacob for his birthday
with acrylics on paper (that is, not Photoshop) from a photo I posted
earlier. I may also attempt one in water colors. We'll see.