To create art is to dream with your eyes open: Someone sent me a message saying that a thread should be started for those of us that paint, draw or craft. So, I'm starting this thread...

cnd263 Loc: Virginia

Someone sent me a message saying that a thread should be started for those of us that paint, draw or craft. So, I'm starting this thread with the hopes that members will share another side of their artistic expressions other than photography. So if you paint, draw, sculpt, make glass beads, carve cool pumpkins or in any way artistically create I want to see it.
Me personally, I love to paint murals in kids rooms. I want the child to be transported into a story every time they walk into their room.
I do a lot of crafty things and one of my favorite is decorating eggs with polymer clay. I make Christmas tree ornaments out of them and give them away for gifts.
I also draw portraits in graphite. I don't really like to do them because they are stressful for me to do. I am WAY to critical of my own work and if they aren't perfect then I just don't like them. The one I have posted is the very first one I ever did so be gentle.

My son's bathroom.

Baseball themed room

Monkey Room

Butterfly wings

Ugh. I've learned a lot. Just haven't learned to take pics of newer drawings.

maxamillion Loc: Hampden Maine

I don't have anything to post but I am a scrapbooker. Actually I just wanted to say how lucky your children are to have such a talented mom. Your art work is awesome. That underwater scene is beautiful and must evoke some real fantasies. Thank you for sharing.

cnd263 Loc: Virginia

maxamillion wrote:

I don't have anything to post but I am a scrapbooker. Actually I just wanted to say how lucky your children are to have such a talented mom. Your art work is awesome. That underwater scene is beautiful and must evoke some real fantasies. Thank you for sharing.

Thank you for the compliment.
Several years and a couple of houses ago my husband and I were painting my daughters room. (My husband will sometimes help me fill in the big areas and then I finish it off with highlights and details.) His mom called and asked what we were doing. He replied that we were painting. I'm guessing she asked what color because he then said, "It's Cindi. We don't just paint one color."
I would love to get into scrapbooking. It takes a creative mind to make some of those pages. Do you do the traditional scrapbooking or the digital?

maxamillion Loc: Hampden Maine

I do the traditional scrapbooking rather than digital. I like the hands on--choosing, cutting, gluing, etc. I like holding the images that I will use on the pages and remembering. I just have to say again, your artwork is beautiful. susan

Horseart Loc: Alabama

I just retired from wall murals about a month ago. I have painted since I was 4 years old, 70 years to be exact. Since 1993, I have been doing Christmas cards too, for many people in the horse industry. I did my first wall mural at 4...painted horses and dogs on my bedroom wall and got spanked for it! My mother lived to see me make good money for that. LOL! I sell Christmas cards each year to many horse people in all 50 states and 5 other countries, so now is my busy season.
I really like your murals and hope we'll get to see more!
Here are a few things I have painted. The ones with horses are cards.

Christmas card

Card for my bird-lover customers

A deer I did a loooong time ago

Emmet, On wood
Emmet, On wood...

A floor in a Porte-cochere

I also paint ceramics
I also paint ceramics...

Canvas

Wall in a Children's clinic waiting room

Horseart Loc: Alabama

maxamillion wrote:

I don't have anything to post but I am a scrapbooker. Actually I just wanted to say how lucky your children are to have such a talented mom. Your art work is awesome. That underwater scene is beautiful and must evoke some real fantasies. Thank you for sharing.

I would absolutely LOVE scrapbooking, but I already have so many things to do ... I love photography and gourmet cooking AND I have to MAKE time to ride my horses.

cnd263 Loc: Virginia

Horseart wrote:

I just retired from wall murals about a month ago.... (show quote)

Those are gorgeous! I love the floor. I don't have many pictures of things I've done but I may have to go through my old portfolio and see what I can dig up. (Portfolio makes it sound impressive...which it isn't. Hehe)

Horseart Loc: Alabama

cnd263 wrote:

quote=Horseart I just retired from wall murals ab... (show quote)

Oh my! You start taking pictures of what you have done. I'm OLD so I have thousands, but if I had started taking them early, I'd have thousands more, many that I WISH I had. So then, when would I find time to look at all of them??? LOL!

cnd263 Loc: Virginia

A friend of mine put together a breast cancer awareness event to help raise money for cancer research and local charities that help women get free mammograms. Great cause and a great event! I painted a female runner and a fireman for her for the kids section so kids could put their faces in them and take pictures. I think I saw more adults use it than the children.
PS I made these from a painters drop cloth. Sewed up pockets on the side and made the frames from PVC pipes. That way I was able to transport them easier than if I had painted them on plywood.

Fired up for a cure

Horseart Loc: Alabama

cnd263 wrote:

A friend of mine put together a breast cancer awar... (show quote)

How neat. I LOVE those. Good job!!! (and for a very good cause). I had cancer 21 years ago

mooseeyes Loc: Sonora, California

This is a wonderful thread. I hope it continues. I too am an artist, doing oils, watercolors, pastels, etc. Currently, I have a number of painting in progress. Most of what I do tends to be large works, but not always.

Maybe I'll do some digital photos of what I am working on, and people can watch my progress and offer comments. Might be sort of fun? Or, it might be a nightmare???

maxamillion Loc: Hampden Maine

I am really enjoying this thread though I am pea green with envy at the talent displayed here. Please keep sharing--the work is wonderful.

Horseart, your cards are wonderful and certainly would be keepers to be used as decorations the next year.

Horseart Loc: Alabama

mooseeyes wrote:

This is a wonderful thread. I hope it continues. I too am an artist, doing oils, watercolors, pastels, etc. Currently, I have a number of painting in progress. Most of what I do tends to be large works, but not always.

Maybe I'll do some digital photos of what I am working on, and people can watch my progress and offer comments. Might be sort of fun? Or, it might be a nightmare???

Oh, PLEASE show us. I do paintings in all mediums, LOVE oils and watercolors the best, but do some of all. I usually do very large or very small. People always have room for mini paintings and buy them like crazy.

I also sell my paintings as prints (minis called ACEO cards). If you are not familiar with them, Google them. You might want to sell some that way.

Horseart Loc: Alabama

maxamillion wrote:

I am really enjoying this thread though I am pea green with envy at the talent displayed here. Please keep sharing--the work is wonderful.

Horseart, your cards are wonderful and certainly would be keepers to be used as decorations the next year.

Thank you so much but do not envy. I have taught so many people to paint that I know for sure ANYONE can do it, they just don't know it yet.
I do have people tell me they save the cards

cnd263 Loc: Virginia

mooseeyes wrote:

This is a wonderful thread. I hope it continues. I too am an artist, doing oils, watercolors, pastels, etc. Currently, I have a number of painting in progress. Most of what I do tends to be large works, but not always.

Maybe I'll do some digital photos of what I am working on, and people can watch my progress and offer comments. Might be sort of fun? Or, it might be a nightmare???

Yes...please share.