Saul Steinberg :: Christmas

Wishing all of you a wonderful holiday season!

a splash for sis

Painting 9" x 12" with 16" x 20" frame.

I painted this as a house warming gift for my sister. Hard to see on line, but I added a touch of silver leafing foil to this. Against her mossy green walls, presents this quite nicely.

tickled pink!

Title: Riley's Rose

This was awarded "Patrons Mention" in the two toned contest at EBSQ. To see the other winners click here.

color spot 005

Close up



In this piece I've used golden yellow, purple, and a hint of fuchsia, on cold press arches watercolor paper.

Title: Color Spot 005
Media: watercolor
Dimensions: 5" x 7"
framed dimensions are 8"x 10"
Date of Work: 2009, signed

color spot 004

close up



I'm thrilled to be kicking off this holiday season with my new collection of color spots. Each work has elements with continuity of Feng Shui bringing flow and harmony. My new series called Color Spots are small, original works to brighten up small areas. I like to tuck these mini paintings on a book case shelf, on a desk top, or any nook and cranny that needs a little splash of something. They make great gifts too.

In this piece I've used green, blue, and payne's gray, watercolors with splashes of gesso on cold press arches watercolor paper.

Title: Color Spot 004 :: Sold
Media: watercolor
Dimensions: 5" x 7"
framed dimensions are 8"x 10"
Date of Work: 2009, signed

color spot 003

close up



In this piece I've used blue green, purple, blue and payne's gray, on cold press arches watercolor paper.

Title: Color Spot 003 :: Sold
Media: watercolor
Dimensions: 5" x 7"
framed dimensions are 8"x 10"
Date of Work: 2009, signed

color spot 002

close up



In this piece I've used mossy green, red, yellow and a hint of orange, on cold press arches watercolor paper.

Title: Color Spot 002
Media: watercolor
Dimensions: 5" x 7"
framed dimensions are 8"x 10"
Date of Work: 2009, signed

color spot 001

close up

Color Spot, blues, browns and grey, watercolor 5" x 7" with a 8" x 10" mat, clip broad frame.

Happy Thanksgiving

Title: Riley's Rose
Watercolor
8" x 10"

In 2005 I painted birth flowers for each of my little ladies. For Riley, it was her rose. Now at 13 she is not so little but is as lovely as ever. Feeling a little sentimental, perhaps. Thankful, indeed.

color spot preview

Close up



Color Spot, mossy greens and red watercolor 5" x 7" with 8" x 10" mat, clip broad frame.


A little preview of my latest collection of mini art before I list on Etsy. These are watercolors with an abstract theme.

trick or treat

thought this collection of designer felines was a hoot. I got this in an e-mail awhile back, perhaps many of you have seen these before too. But I thought it would be fun to share this for Halloween.

Oh, what a little imagination, time and Photo Shop can do.

Enjoy, and happy Halloween.

great news

I have been selected to be a representing artist at "The Sandcastle Winery" in Bucks County, PA. They have purchased this painting and it will be on display on the top floor in the new art gallery named "Upstairs Gallery" sometime mid October. I feel quite honored as there are only five artist on display at present.

If you live near The Sandcastle Winery, you already know what a beautiful place this is with 15 miles of grape vines surrounding this historic Sandcastle Winery.

Once they get the "Upstairs Galley" up and running, I'll have inside pictures of the gallery with views of the other artist on display.

If you would like to visit The Sandcastle via cyber space here's the link.

featured artitst Violet M.

artist: Violet M.
medium: watercolor
size: 9” x 12”

I love kid art. As I grow older, I find it increasingly harder to tap into that unrestricted realm of make-believe. Kids have the natural ability to create without the boundaries of reality.

A fish painting created by Violet Moore, This young artist is showing the skill of fluidity in her watercolors that many adults fail to use. Her imagination intrigues me and I feel extremely honored to have this painting amongst my collection of art.

Violet accepts commission work.

I'm back

Well, I've been out of commission from blogging for about a month now, with the move and all. It took me a while to get set up again. Now....I'm using broadband instead of dial-up and LOVING IT! It's super fast. No more falling asleep in-between page surfing. LOL. Can't wait to read my favorite blogs!

Pinnacle Peak watercolor painting

Summer as been very hectic, and I'm taking a breath here. I'm in the middle of packing up for a move. I came across this watercolor that I painted in '89' . It is so different from what I've been doing lately, I decided to throw it on Etsy.

Title: Pinnacle Peak
Media: watercolor and textured paper
Dimensions: 28" x 22"
Date of Work: 1989

Inspired by my visit to the desert in Arizona at Tucson’s Pinnacle Peak.

This original watercolor is painted on professional arches paper with tissue overlay that creates an unique rouged texture. Colors used in this palette are browns, greens, plums, burnt sienna and a hint of blue.

Thanks for stopping by. I'm looking forward to getting settled so I can get back to some serious blogging.

Deb Hill Fine Art for the Imaginative Life

Fish Dreams Original Mixed Media
more information here.

Artist Deb Hill has dedicated her talents to the world of Fantasy, Surreal, Nature and Landscapes. Her enchanting style of watercolor and acrylics caught my eye while browsing through the multitude of artist on Etsy, where Hill truly stands out among the best.

The fluidity of her work intrigued me the most as she masters the movement of her subjects, I was pulled under with a magical sense of oceanic splendor.

It doesn’t stop there; her imagination broadens to dragons, castles, frogs and fantasy creatures. Hill 's particular love for birds shows through her delightful whimsical works portraying ravens with personalities that put a smile on my face. You can also purchase Blockprint, notecards and reproduction prints of her work.

Birdie Condos Original Watercolor
more information here.


Cormorant Waterbird Original Watercolor
more information here.


Waiting for A Change 1
more information here.


Waiting for A Change 2
more information here.

Wanting to learn more about the artist behind these fabulous works, I reached out to her with a few questions as she so graciously answered . . . . . As to which I will bring this post to a close. Thank you so much Deborah!

Deborah Hill in her Houston Texas studio

How long have you been painting?
· I've painted for as long as I can remember, my Grandmother was an avid bird watcher and we observed them and drew them together when I was a child, and my father is quite the artist as well although he never pursued a career in art.

Any formal training?
· I studied fine art in college and did an apprenticeship in a commercial shop in the '70's to paint billboards and murals.

Have you always lived in Texas?
· I am originally from the Appalachian foothills with a rich celtic heritage, and have been in Texas since the early '90's.

What artist(s) has inspired you the most or would you say, made an impact on your work as an artist?
· Oh my, always it is difficult to say where one's influence comes from, inspiration can change with the wind. I have always loved the esthetics of the Arts and Crafts movement, William Morris of course being a favorite. N.C. and Andrew Wyeth, Arthur Rackham, Maxfield Parish, Walter Crane, the stuff dreams and tales are made of and they were so very good at bringing it to life. Maybe they weren't the most avant-garde of their time but I believe their imagination continues to inspire new artists even today.

See more of Deb Hill's works at debhillart.etsy.com and 1000 Markets.

ALL images subjected to © 2009

ABADEJO included on a etsy treasury

My "ABADEJO" painting is now being featured in a treasury called da Blues v. VIII. It's got two days to go. If you get a chance, swing by on this link and give all the entries a click! da Blues v. VIII

baby toes

My daughter took this sweet picture of her youngest daughter when she was only weeks old. My little namesake Lillian Victoria is nestled in Daddy's loving hands.

to twitter or not to twitter?

Painting by Michael Kvium

Is it worth our time to tweet? Well now, I've been on Twitter for some time now. I really can't say as of yet what the benefit is as far as a marketing tool goes. Looks like the main focus is to gain a lot of followers. Yes, there is a whole lot of tweeting going on, but actual "responding" to each others post very little. Everyone is too busy throwing words and links out there of their own and don't take the time to reach out to one another.

It appears to me to be only a virtual fix that gratifies the need for exposure.

If one has a twitter account for the sake of making new friends, well I think it's reasonable to say that it's possible. But as far as marketing tool....it's seems un-likely. Perhaps I'm wrong. In this case, I would love to be wrong...I hate to think that I have wasted my time when I could be more productive in other ways.

Let me know...honestly...if you tweet, just what has it done for you?

Saul Steinberg and Eames unite

The Eames duo and Steinberg independently were revolutionary artists that made a strong impact for decades. This classic fiberglass reinforced plastic armchair by Eames in the early 50's, was decorated with a drawing by the spontanous genius Saul Steinberg during his visit to the Eames Office.

artist Kelly Puissegu

_Nurse Eydie, Recycled Skateboard


_Kite flying

_Spin the Bottle

_Crusing Rino


_I Want to Be a Walrus

I wanted to embellish a little on my last post about art brut/outsider art, so I browsed through etsy to see if there were any artist today that had true charm of late artist like Henry Darger (that I am) particularly fond of.

Thus artist Kelly Puissegu!

Blown away by Puissegu work, I would liken it some where between Saul Steinberg and Henry Darger. Yes, Steinberg is another of one my personal favorites. Now I feel that I hit the jack pot with this artist. Puissegu's paintings not only have delightful composition, but her wit and sense of color are a throw-back from the past masters with a style all her own.

See more of Kelly's work (which is not limited to just paintings) at Retrowhale.

art brut - outsiders art

Henry Darger (American, 1892-1973) Darger's work (above) has become one of the most celebrated examples of outsider art. Fascinating bio about Henry Darger on above link.

The term outsider art was coined by art critic Roger Cardinal in 1972 as an English synonym for art brut "raw art" or "rough art", a label created by French artist Jean Dubuffet to describe art created outside the boundaries of official culture; Dubuffet focused particularly on art by insane-asylum inmates.

While Dubuffet's term is quite specific, the English term "outsider art" is often applied more broadly, to include certain self-taught or Naïve art makers who were never institutionalized. Typically, those labeled as outsider artists have little or no contact with the mainstream art world or art institutions. In many cases, their work is discovered only after their deaths. Often, outsider art illustrates extreme mental states, unconventional ideas, or elaborate fantasy worlds.

Outsider art has emerged as a successful art-marketing category (an annual Outsider Art Fair has taken place in New York since 1992). The term is sometimes misapplied as a catchall marketing label for art created by people outside the mainstream "art world," regardless of their circumstances or the content of their work.

_ From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Babylon the Bride, Tahiti Pehrson exhibit

"Babylon the Bride" by Tahiti Pehrson.

Modern artist Tahiti Pehrson uses only paper and cutting tools to create in depth 3D scenarios. They are unbelievable. See more at Tahiti's web site, click here!

You can meet artist Tahiti Pehrson at the "Together Gallery" 2314 NE Alberta. Please call for time. I have seen these intricate works in person and I urge anyone living in that area, a must go see.