The Kraken is finished....

In addition to working on a huge custom stamping (sterling silver discs) order, I finally finished my Kraken painting. For those of you who may not know what a "kraken" is, it is a mythological sea monster, usually depicted as being a giant squid or octopus. Kraken from Greek mythology were sometimes depicted with dragon like features. I think octopi are pretty darn cool, so that's the interpretation I went with. Provided I have time tomorrow, and don't run into an obstacles, I plan to list the painting on Ebay, along with a slew of others that are waiting for homes.
I also decided to open a different/new Etsy shop, just for my graphic designs. I plan to offer prints, tags, and possibly cards and digital scrapbook sheets. My graphic work is different than my paintings, and the whole look of my ArtWorkByLori store is a little off because of it.
I'll introduce my new store to you in a few days. I have my banner made, now I need to do an avatar, shop policy, announcement, and set it up to process payments. I have a lot of new graphic designs to add to the shop right away, and will be moving my other graphic prints over from my other store.
Well, hope everyone is having a good start to their weekend. I got a lot done today and plan to reward myself with a movie and "loaded" nachos. ( :

RELEASE THE KRAKEN!

I've been driving my husband crazy with this phrase for weeks now. Before even seeing "Clash of the Titans" I would bust into laughter every time the phrase was uttered in the previews on TV. It led me to looking up Kraken on Wikipedia and lo and behold, I got sucked into sea monster mania. I decided I just HAD to do a beautiful sea kraken painting to get it out of my system. So, I sketched it out yesterday and got started on the painting. It is 11" X 14" and I have a long way to go. All the "octopus" suctions cup things on her tentacles will take a long time! ( :
So here is the start. I also made chocolate covered bacon yesterday...but that's a whole other blog post!

2 New Mixed Media Collage Paintings

Hello again! I promised pics of the 2 new pieces, so here they are. I will either be offering them in my Etsy store or in Ebay auctions. I haven't decided yet. Today was a wee bit crazy. I went to get a new key made for the new car (it only came with one set), and that took about an hour...and cost...wait for it.....$100! All these fancy micro-chipped car keys make me long for days gone by. After that, I was to take the car to another dearship to get the racing stripe decals taken off, as my husband didn't like them. Well, along with the stripes, some of the paint came off in a small spot. After sitting there for 1.5 hrs, they finally came and got me.....and told me the bad news. They are fixing it free of charge, but send me home with a loaner (which started running on fumes on the way home...no gas!). So, back to the dealership I go tomorrow morning. Tomorrow we are getting some interior work done on both our cars. They humidity down here has a bad effect on the adhesive used to attach the cloth upholstery to the doors. We have a neighbor who is coming by to fix that.
I haven't gotten much painting done this week, and tomorrow is already Wednesday. I was planning on making chocolate covered bacon today, but it will be a tight squeeze for time. It sounds like an odd treat, but hubby is begging for some. Who knows? Maybe it will be divine. I could use some chocolate-y relief after dealing with all these car problems for the past month. I DESERVE some chocolate covered bacon, darn it!

Cruising along...

I've been cruising along again, and forgot to post. I do have two new pieces to share (both mixed media collages) but need to take pics of the second one. We finally got a second car to replace the one that broke down about a month ago, and it is nice to be able to go wherever I want to go now. I was beginning to feel like a prisoner in my house. That's a surefire way to snuff out the creativity for me.
I will stop in again soon to share the pictures. Hope you all had a nice weekend!

Red Poppies Painting

Well, here she is! This is the monster painting I have been working on since last week. Each panel measures 12 X 24 inches, so the combined width is over 36" when hung on the wall. As usual, photographing was difficult. We finally had some clouds roll in so I could get some outdoor pics, minus the sun shadows. I just listed it in my Etsy store. I have always wanted a red couch, and this set would look so fabulous with one! The background of the panels is really neat when you look at it up close. I used an acrylic texture paint and then did some glazing techniques. The flowers took me quite a while with all the shading!
I hope you all have a nice weekend. I finished a mixed media collage painting today and will try to get some pics of it tomorrow. I may also offer it as a print. It's a happy flower piece! See ya soon!

Stuck at home

While I've been away from my blog, I've been painting a 3 piece, red poppy painting and trying to get over a mystery illness, which I am pretty sure is now walking pneumonia. I am going to be starting on some medicine tomorrow. I've been sick for 7 days now, and instead of a normal "cold" where your symptoms get better, I have gotten worse. Hopefully the medicine will help. I am beginning to feel like a prisoner in my own home! Between being sick and only having one car right now, I haven't gotten out much. Hubby brought me home my favorite Chinese food last night, and a funny T-shirt. There have been a few days where it has been hard to even get myself to paint, because I am so tired that I would rather sleep or I feel like throwing up.
So, if I am somewhat silent, I am just working on getting better. Nothing much to report. Sorry for the lack of excitement!
I'll post pics of my new paintings when I get a good day outside for taking pics. It's been too sunny today. I need some clouds (but no rain!) for a good picture day. ( :
Take care!

Howdy!

I am finally feeling better...as far as my back is concerned. Some rest, and doing my stretching exercises each day has really helped. The past few days here in southern Florida have been lovely and it has been nice to get some fresh air in the house. Usually, it seems we have the air conditioning or the heat on. This has been an odd year for weather here. Currently, hubby and I are on a car search to replace one that is out of commission. That's been taking up a sizable chunk of time. I did finish one painting, so I will share it with you. It is listed in my Etsy store as of today. It measures 12" X 12" and is titled "Hope." Hope you have a great weekend....I hope to get more painting done next week. See...we all need hope! ( :

Still here....

I haven't posted much this week, and I apologize. I've only finished one small painting. I've been busy with art lessons, cleaning, and dealing with car stuff. We still haven't found another car. I hope we have time tomorrow. There are two church things, one in the morning & one in the evening, and Saturdays are our only day to look. There's just not enough time to spread around. My back is still killing me, and I don't really know what to do about it. I'm supposed to "rest and take it easy" but there's no one to help with all the random stuff that needs to be done. Just reaching for things in the cupboards is causing pain.
Anyways, that's where I am at. I may not be posting much until things get a bit better. Hope all is well with you! I'm off to take some more Aleve.

Introducing Yee Kwan of The Glass Turtle.....

I've known Yee for a few years, and met her via an online forum for glass bead artists (lampworkers) and jewelry designers. Some of you may remember that I made lampwork beads for 4 yrs. before moving down to Florida. She does lovely work, is a nice person, and deserves some bloggie-love! Here's a short bio from her:
"About me.....

I was always somewhat artistically inclined (at least I like to think so!). Grew up playing the piano, flute, and cello. Teachers in highschool thought I should have tried to get an art degree but my parents (typical Asian parents) would have disowned me on the spot!!

Took a very long, winding detour but finally got back into artsy things when I started making custom handbags. I first came across lampworking when I was looking for enhancements for my bags. I was really looking for unique zipperpulls and in my searches came across a lampwork beadmaker. I was intrigued! After much research I thought "I can do this!" and that's how it started. I got a HH, cleared a little place in the garage and it wasn't long before I moved on to a "real" torch and was collecting glass just like the pros

I've been at the torch for just over 5 years now and am constantly discovering new things. I think my style has changed a whole bunch. Mostly I think I was "known" for floral pressed beads but recently have moved away from that and am trying to my hand in more organic stuff. I don't have much time for glass these days in between school and working as an ICU nurse.

Hubby fully supports my hobby and even converted the pantry in our house to a very mini studio so I can torch year round. I currently work on a Cricket on household NG powered by a Regalia. Am hoping that my Scorpion will be ready sometime this month

Pictures of beads are readily available on my website (www.theglassturtle.com) and pics of the studio are available on my blog (theglassturtle.blogspot.com)

The Mad Hatter & the Door Mouse

I promised I would share my newest addition to my Alice in Wonderland themed paintings, and here it is...The Mad Hatter & the Door Mouse! We finally got to see the movie this past weekend, and it was very enjoyable. My husband fell asleep during the movie, but I loved it. I definitely recommend seeing it in 3D, if you aren't once of those people who gets a headache from it. I've finished up the series, so it is time to move onto different subjects. I will be listing the actual painting on Ebay later this week, but if you are interest in the print, it is available on Etsy. Hope everyone is plowing their way through Monday. I started out the day at 5:30 and I am losing momentum!