Peeking Behind the Easel – Page 4

There is a sushi display in our local grocery store that is simply amazing. You can see the time and attention to detail that each California roll or tuna rolls receives. The love for sushi shines in the artistic craftsmanship of each roll.

I decided after stopping to admire the beauty and artistry of the sushi rolls, that they needed to be painted. These are my first 2 little sushi portraits.

I love the little California rolls with the salmon on top. I painted it on a yellow background to help pop the white of the rice. Of course the sushi needed a chopsticks to show off it’s deliciousness and size.

As you can see this painting is small – 5 x 4 inches. Perfect for the kitchen, dining room or even office, wall or counter.

This painting features the traditional seaweed wrapped tuna or salmon roll. And of course, no one can eat just one!

This one is a little larger at 6 x 6 inches. The perfect size for hanging in a kitchen or dining room. Both of these paintings can be found at my Etsy shop. Enjoy!

April 9, 2015

Kathy

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Peeking into my Sketchbook

Posted in Art Work, and Peeking Behind the Easel

I use my sketch books for drawing out ideas, refining the composition, colors and layout of future paintings. The seed catalogs have been arriving the mailbox and I was inspired by all of the photos of roses.

This is one of the drawings of roses I’ve been working on. I haven’t decided if I want the future painting to focus on one large flower or to be part of several roses. I’ve been toying with painting roses on wine glasses as well. That’s the fun of sketch book drawings – no decision have to be made, just draw 🙂

April 1, 2015

Kathy

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Nesting Red Tail Hawk Cam

Posted in Peeking Behind the Easel, and Reference Photos

I love watching the variety of bird cams from around the country. It is so interesting to see the birds up close. You can see their eyes, beaks, feathers, as well as how they perch, fly and sit. It’s great for observing and sketching the birds for future paintings and drawings.

This week I’ve been peeking in on a red tail hawk on the Cornell Lab or Ornithology. Here’s the link so you can see these beautiful hawks: http://cams.allaboutbirds.org/channel/16/Red-tailed_Hawks/

The mom is sitting on two eggs now and the dad flies in regularly. There are also photos on the page in case you miss seeing the hawks moving and flying in and out.

Mom and Dad redtail hawks tending two eggs in their nest Photo: From Jacquie Laughlin twitter feed via Cornell Lab of Ornithology — Mom and Dad redtail hawks tending two eggs in their nest
Photo: From Jacquie Laughlin twitter feed via Cornell Lab of Ornithology

There is also a twitter feed to the right with this great photo of both birds facing the nest and away from the camera. You can see their gorgeous red tail feathers and how they got their names. Head on over this great bird cam and Enjoy!

March 11, 2015

Kathy

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New Daffodil Painting

Posted in Art Work, and Peeking Behind the Easel

I love painting daffodils, especially at the end of winter while waiting for spring to arrive! This is my newest painting of daffodils.

I used a 12 x 4 x 1.25 inch gallery wrapped canvas to focus the painting on just the daffodils. I painted the sides of canvas to give the entire painting a bit of a 3D feel.

My inspiration was photos that I took at the Philadelphia Flower Show a few years ago. The display of daffodils was so cheerful and beautiful.

I enjoyed painting the yellows and oranges of the flowers and the greens of the leaves. There are touches of purple and gray-blue in the shadows of the petals and leaves. You can find this painting listed today at my Etsy shop. I am looking forward to seeing daffodils outside shortly as spring finally arrives. 🙂

January 20, 2015

Kathy

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Sewing Custom Orders

Posted in Peeking Behind the Easel, Sewing: Finished Bags & Pouches, and Uncategorized

I do a lot of custom orders for my sewing shop. It is a lot of fun to see what a customer chooses for colors or design.

Laying out fabrics and choice of zippers as a design board for custom order

I have tweaked my designs at times because of what a customer would like. One of my customers wanted hidden straps in her tote. After fooling with the design and changes in making the tote, I ended up loving the look of the hidden straps. It is now my current design with totes & diaper bags. The straps are still sewn in from the bottom seam, all the way up the bag, but now you can’t see it.

Quite often I don’t have the right colors of zippers or fabric on hand. That’s no problem. It is really easy to order what ever is needed. Today a box with zippers and thread for several customers arrived.

Order of zippers and threads for custom orders

It is always exciting to open up the box and see all the goodies! Time to get started 🙂

Category: Peeking Behind the Easel

Sushi Portrait Paintings

Peeking into my Sketchbook

Nesting Red Tail Hawk Cam

New Daffodil Painting

Sewing Custom Orders