Merry Christmas!

Well, today is my first day off of my two week break from school! My goal is to post a new youtube video and to get with it on my blog!!!

Have a Merry Christmas everyone!

Art is about saying something with color, line, space, shape, form, etc. Something you can't say with words. Georgia Okeefe, said this in a quote. I love her pieces. I love to paint close up florals also.

I love to paint and experiment with color, paper, collage, etc. I don't know what I want to say yet. Is that strange? I don't know what to say. Do you really need a cause? Do you really have to say something with your art? Can you just paint for the pure pleasure of painting? I had this same question when I wanted to write books and articles. I had to read a book for work one year. It was an Ayn Rand book. To me, her books have such a statement of her philosophy, I was sure that she saw writing with that in mind. She wanted to pursuade others to her point of view through her art of writing. I loved her style, but not always what she believed it. I enjoyed her book for her style of writing. But "having" to read it for work turned me off to her ideas even.

I think in art that you should be able to paint for the pleasure of painting, like a child. Children paint and draw because it is fun. They want to succeed in drawing a picture. They LOVE to draw and paint. They have no motive or purpose. They have to theme unless you impose it on them.

I believe I paint as a child, just because it is pleasurable. I don't want to paint for any reason. I don't want to paint for a cause. I want to paint because it is fun and beautiful when I am finished. I don't want to have to think about saying something with my art.

What do you think? Should I try to say something with my art? It is such a great opportunity to do so.

Do you say things with your paintings? Do you have an agenda?

I don't want one. I want to paint because my art room calls out to me from the murky basement, beakoning me to leave the world of responsibility and to dive into the world of the unknown. How will this painting turn out? What will this one say? I do start out with a saying sometimes. Maybe that is painting around a meaning. Maybe I am all mixed up about this meaning thing.

Well, these are things to think about. Have a Merry Christmas, Happy Hahnakah, Nice Passover, or Happy Kwanza.

Once upon a time . . .

I tell the students stories about their artwork right before they leave class. The whole class is quiet and listening. I start with "What if . . ." and then tell the story, putting in random students as I go. It is so fun. Their artwork usually comes to life and hides in their desks or goes sailing around their room until their teacher comes in and tells all artwork that they must return to their respective places and counts down. The artwork is always obedient. Perhaps I will let one escape next week. The students are all quiet and ready to go when their teacher comes to get them. It is awesome.

Halloween was very fun . . .

The election is over (Yay!!!)

My great hope is that Obama getting elected will heal wounds we have had in our country for ever so long.

Helena tagged me

So, Helena tagged me and I've never done this before, but it looks like I have to list 6 things you normally wouldn't know about me.

So, here goes:

1 - I love watermelon

2 - I love to feel the air, wind, and breezes that float by to touch my face!

3 - I have an 88 year old grandmother who taught me how to make gnocchi (yum!)

4 - My son plays with my ear all the time - he has an ear fetish!

5 - I am a grandmother to one little baby and a step grandmother to another little baby and to two wonderful little ones.

6 - I wore casts on my legs when I was a baby, I believe it gave me ADD! But I completed a crawling program from the book Stopping ADHD and now I am more organized, remember things better, etc. But I still have a problem keeping my room organized!

I will list the blogs I tag in my next post because I must go tuck my son in bed! He is 11 and still loves me to tuck him in. I hope it lasts until he is 22! (Well, maybe not that long, but he is my baby!!!)

Teaching School

Well, this year has been bliss for me so far. I went from grading an eternity of papers to painting and drawing with kids! I went from teaching a class students really do not like - rarely do they like English - to teaching a class they choose to take and really want to learn! Why is it that people love to learn art? I don't see many English grammar classes offered online, but I see tons of art classes offered online. People want to resuscitate the right side of their brains to keep them from atrophy!

I have had a great time so far in art classes. I hope that my students feel the same way!

Labor Day hope!

This weekend was going to be filled with rushing about, going to a car show, staying at my sis-in-law's condo, but it is turning into a lazy, cleaning, organizing, painting weekend. I LOVE IT! I am resting from the first week of school - I teach art - and it has gone really well. I love teaching art. It is amazing what kids can do. I love getting back into teaching the little guys - last year I taught Junior High English and now I teach each grade level from 1st to 9th! It was an awesome week. I had the students in elementary write their own art quotes and illustrate them. They were awesome, from "Art is fun" to "Art is making a lot of mistakes" to "Art is art." Very profound.

I posted a new video to Youtube!

Here I show how I make a paintng mostly in watercolor. I hope you like it!

Watercolor online folkart class?

I was wondering if anyone out there would be interested in an online watercolor class to learn to make watercolor paintings like I do. I could teach watercolor techniques, materials, and work up videos to show these techniques. Send me an email or leave a comment here. I would appreciate it!
Annette

annidagostini@msn.com

My New Etsy Shop!

Well folks, I finally did it. I was up all night (literally) creating my new Etsy shop. School is starting soon and I thought it would be the easiest way to keep selling my art while I teach.

Here is an example of the prints I have for sale there:















They come on a 12" x 12" sheet like these, but I cut them up before shipping:

New art - Watercolors on ebay!

Here are some new pieces I just listed on ebay!
Tell me what you think!

I think this one is my favorite:

What cool art techniques! TEXTURE!

Here is a cool art video I found on youtube. Maybe you have seen it already! And I love his accent!



His art web page is www.garyreef.com
TEXTURE TEXTURE TEXTURE!

Here is one in which he tries out a marble effect. It is so cool.



I want to try this marbling with my art classes this coming year! It looks so cool!

And here is one about a dream he had. It was really interesting to see his art and how he is affected by some of the same artists I love. I loved his dream! To summarize if you don't want to listen to the whole thing, he had a dream where an art critic came to his studio and wanted to buy a really simple green balloon with a face on it! He asked what we thought the dream meant. I love the whole idea that an art critic would want the simplest form of art expression in his studio. I think that on ebay I get lots of reaction sometimes from my simplest watercolors. Maybe this is telling me something too!


And wow! How fun is this!!? He invited friends over for an art scanner party! All the images he shows in the major part of the video are made from a scanner! It is so cool!

Art on Ebay this week!

Here is my art that I am posting on ebay on Monday! I hope you all like them. Let me know which is your favorite!

Anni

Wallpaper . . .

For the past two days I have been wallpapering my daughter's room. I can't believe how easy it has been, other than it takes a lot of time. I have never wallpapered before! Can you believe it? I am 45 and have never wallpapered a room. It turned out really nice, although a little top heavy. The original wallpaper in the room would not come off without peeling off part of the sheetrock, so we just decided to paper over what we couldn't get off. I hope it all sticks!!! It was fun and her room looks like a young lady's room now instead of a little girl's room. It used to be pink with little flying fairies all over it. Now it is elegant with gold and blue and a beautiful border. I need to post some pics of it. Oh, the time, where does my time go?

Well, that's it for now. I am going to be posting new art soon. It is taking longer than I thought!

Anni

AARRRGGGHHHH!!!!!

"I can't stand it! I just can't stand it!!!" -- Who said that? I think it was Charlie Brown. That's how I feel tonight! I sketched this wonderful angel who was delicate, beautiful, and unique!! I sketched her on my canvas, (trying canvas tonight) and by the time I'm done, she is a totally different creature! Why does that happen? I want the original angel I had planned. The other angel is ok, I like her, but I LOVED the sketch!!!!

Anyway, I'm going to be posting some art to ebay soon. And I have decided to put up some prints on etsy. They will be prints that I embellish with acrylic, shimmering, shiny, stuff. I hope that they turn out. They are really small, so I am wondering if I offer them at a small price if it will be worth it to put them on etsy, because I read that I have to post each individually. Perhaps I can sell them as a sheet, (they are printed on a large sheet). What do you think, Etsy people?

Another watercolor!

Well this one turned out just like the girl in the painting wanted. She certainly is unique. I love painting this way! I never really know how things will turn out until I draw her on the paper. I have a vague idea of what I want to draw and paint, but usually the idea emerges as I draw. I love working this way.

Do you like this one? She is similar to the other girl holding stars and moons, etc.

An angel!

This angel turned out, yay! The other one is still in my studio, looking at me with a sad expression because I deserted her. I will have to work on her and let you see the result, once I'm happy with it. I hope she doesn't turn into one of the ones I paint over!!

I really like the peacefulness of this one. I wondered if I should change the lettering to be more serious, like a cursive type. What do you think?

Fun from last night!

I was trying to paint an angel which didn't turn out how I wanted it, so I stopped and started a watercolor. It's funny how this one turned out and I am still laboring over the angel.



I read so many blogs in which people post such important things. I feel like I am lucky to get my artwork posted. Oh, well. I am off to a new day and I feel good that I have some art to share.

Anni

Yippeee!

My application for an art endorsement through my state office of education got approved!! I will get to teach art next year! They are sending me a letter to tell me what classes I will need to take to earn this endorsement. Meanwhile, through another program, I can teach while I am working on it!

I am amazed and happy. I know that God has given me this wonderful gift of teaching art this next year and I am sooo grateful.

Another Shakespeare!

Well, I found a quote of Shakespeare's that I love. I found it in Michael deMeng's book, Secrets of Rusty Things. I loved it so much I had to include it in a painting. This one turned out so nice. I collaged the dress and had such a struggle with the apron! I tried so many versions in my mind. Finally I whitewashed the same paper that I had cut away. Now it looks like a sheer apron over a dress of the same pattern. I love the way it turned out. But it was hard to arrive at the right effect. The lettering is in pencil. There is gold paint on her hair, the sun, and the flowers, but you can't see it in my pictures. The edges of the board are collaged with dotted paper. I really like the way it looks. It is different than what I usually do. I usually use more muted colors, but this one is so bright and cheery.

The Taming of the Shrew

I had to pry this painting out of my daughter's fingers to list it on ebay. She was in "The Taming of the Shrew" in a competition in her high school a couple of years ago. She was Kate. This painting shows a girl lost in thought because she is in the play. I am assuming that she is Kate also. The words from a 1966 copy of the play are collaged all around her to show how she is so absorbed by the play and her part that it is all she can think about. Her flowers are even collaged play words!!

I loved how she turned out. . . .

Here is one of my favorites!!

This painting turned out so nice, my daughter (16) won't let me put it on ebay. It is hers.

She had a sad experience which was the inspiration for this piece. A friend from school's mother died in her sleep over the summer. It was shocking and sad. I didn't know this girl's mother. I guess she had been sick for quite a while, but, still, it was unexpected. My dd asked me to paint a picture for her friend to give her after the funeral. She chose this quote and it turned out very nice. I never scanned that painting, so it is not here in my blog, but I did another one, larger, with the same quote. This is the result. My dd loves it and so she claimed it.

Well, I just love her. She is wood burned into wood and watercolored and painted with acrylics. I also collaged the background with scrapbook paper. I used pencil for the quote. I beeswaxed it also. :) Very happy painting for a very sad time for my daughter and her friend.

Painting on ebay right now

Here is a painting I have on ebay right now. I forgot to put in on my blog!!

This one's a little blurry!

Thank you Mistie!



Mistie so generously nominated me for this award. THANKS!!
So here are my blog nominees. I love art blogging! I've only done it for a little while so I don't have many to choose from. My apologies if you have been nominated already. But the more the merrier, right?!

The rules of accepting are as follows:
1) Put the logo on your blog.
2) Add a link to the person who awarded you.
3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4) Add links to those blogs on yours.
5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.
So my nominees are:


CraBBy GaBBy dolls

green weeds

piece of work

pink crayon studio

Carol B's Design Studio

girl gone thread wild

Dogwood Studio

Whew! I can't believe it took me that long to decide. I tried to choose blogs that have not yet received this award, but some may have and I might have missed that.

Anyway, it's fun to see other artists' work and to connect like this. Thanks again, Mistie!!

Halloween so soon? Yes!

This is a piece I just finished. I love Halloween. I have a split personality it seems, I love painting to scriptural quotes and being all serious and stuff, then comes Halloween! I guess I just don't take the spookiness too seriously.

Yeah! I finally figured out how to make these picture fit this column width!!!

More ART!!! I've been busy!!!

Here is another piece. I really need to figure out how to get the image to fit on this part of the page!!! (I love the way this one turned out. It is on watercolor paper only.)

Here is another painting. This one quotes a Bible scripture. I love the way it turned out!!!

Well, these pictures!!

I can't seem to figure out how to make the pictures smaller to fit in this frame for posting. I am going to try to figure it all out. Sorry for now that you can't see all the artwork. :(

Anni

New Art!!!

Here are some new pieces of artwork for your viewing pleasure! I have been working on all of these for quite a while.

First, from my art journal!

This is the first page. I love the way the girl turned out. I relate these first three pages of my journal to my dear husband. He loves me and loves me. What more can I say?

Sunday - lazy day

Well, today was a very relaxing day. This week was crazy because my son and his wife had their baby last Sunday. I've been to their little college town twice since then to see the baby. She is gorgeous!! I'm a grandma!!

I'm going to be posting some new work soon and on ebay too!!

Yeah for summer!

So, the SUMMER is here!!! - My first painting on ebay this summer!

Here is my first painting on ebay this summer. It is awesome to be able to paint and paint and paint and paint . . .




And here is the youtube video!!! It was a blast making this!


See you soon with more!!