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2011-11-29T22:14:00.000-08:00

Majestic Horse Profile

2011-09-24T23:54:00.000-07:00

Here's a charcoal drawing I recently completed.

Normally, Blogger uploads the photos to my page in reverse, so I uploaded with that in mind. Huh! Now it loaded them correctly. Oh well, you get to see them from finish to start because I'm too lazy to correct it.

Finished drawing.

Close-up of neck, mane, and signature.

Close up of muzzle.

Close-up of face.

Doing highlights with a kneaded eraser.

Lots of blending and layers.

Starting to look like a real horse. LOL

Sketching in darks.

Preliminary sketch to make sure proportions are correct.

Thanks for looking! One of these days, I'll figure this blog stuff out!

Imagination Celebration "What IF ... ?" Festival 2011

2011-09-24T23:28:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been waaaaaaay too long since my last post! Shame on me!

The good news is, I got promoted at my job and am officially full time. The bad news is, there's less time for drawing, painting, chalking, airbrushing, etc.!

BUT! I did manage to get the day off for the "What IF ... ?" Festival put on by Imagination Celebration. You might remember the butterfly chalk art I did last year? Well, I was flattered to be invited back this year, and was even given a "prime" spot! Woo hoo! The artists were actually sponsored this year, which means our chalk and lunches were provided at no cost to us, thanks to a generous donor! Yahoooooo!

Last year's theme was S.T.E.A.M.: Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics. Since Imatination Celebration sponsors The Butterflies & Friends Project, I wanted to incorporate all the topics into a butterfly: for Science, I did a microscope body; for Technology, I did a computer-chip-shaped wing (bottom); for Engineering, I did a cog-shaped flower; for Art, I did a realistic Monarch wing (top); and for Math, I did a mathematical compass for the antennae and math symbols on the computer chip wing:

This year, we were encouraged to ask our own "What IF ... ?" question. Our only limitation was our imagination! Since I've been on an under-the-sea phase lately, I decided to ask "What IF ... we could swim with the fish?" I sketched out a woman underwater with some fish and showed up early on the morning of the festival with chalk and supplies in hand.

When I arrived at my 4'x6' spot, I was tickled to find my spot reserved by an Official Name Placard (I guess that means I'm a real artist?) taped on the wall of the courthouse on Cascade Ave. facing the Pikes Peak Center where the Festival took place:

Nothing like an empty sidewalk as a blank canvas! In the top left corner of the photo below is this year's sketch, at the top center is last year's sketch, to the right of that is my portfolio and a picture of me in front of the ocean mural (http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1349234376068.2052460.1387599568&l=e8e93edf04&type=1) I painted for Karen Linamen (www.karenlinamen.com). (sorry, Blogger isn't letting me do hyperlinks!!!)

After spreading out my sketch and reference photos, I sketched in the woman, reef stuff, and fish.

After coloring in the woman's hair:

After blending the chalk:

Her dress is purple, of course, but it looks blue in the pictures.

Working hard.

Finished the fish and coral, working on seaweed and other stuff.

Finished. Here's a close-up of the woman. And no, she's not Ariel, nor is she a mermaid!

Left side.

(sorry for the shadow, it's the lamppost)

Right side.

Posing with my finished chalk art. Took about 6 hours, start to finish.

View from the top.

Fish details.

No, it's not Nemo. It's just a Clown Fish!

That's it for now. Thanks for looking!

Butterfly Overload

2011-03-27T23:16:00.001-07:00

Getting together with my Women of Worth Bible Study Sisters is always a joy. For this particular meeting, I wanted to surprise the girls with a cake to celebrate all our March birthdays, especially since I didn't get a chance to make one for Teresa two weeks earlier. This cake is a great example of all the things that can go wrong when you're a cake decorator. The first mishap was with the whipped cream frosting. My supplier changed brands on me, and I was so used to adding a cup of milk to the whipped cream that I was in automatic pilot when I added it to this batch. Unfortunately, this new brand does NOT call for milk, so the frosting was a mess. The best I could do was cover the cake with it and hope for the best. Luckily, I bought a can of vanilla frosting at the grocery store to do the flowers, so all was not lost. As much as I'd like to take credit for the idea for the sunflowers and butterflies, I cannot. I got them from my "Hello, Cupcake!" cookbook. (I also have book number two: "What's New, Cupcake?") The flower centers are Oreo cookies, and the petals are made from canned vanilla frosting with yellow and orange food coloring added. I also set aside some frosting to do ladybugs and leaves, but skipped due to running out of time. I made the butterflies out of candy wafers. It's always good to re-read the directions, which was mistake number two, because I couldn't figure out why the wafers were turning black and nasty after microwaving for 20 seconds. I bought some canned chocolate frosting to do the butterflies' bodies, but ran out of time for those. Luckily, I included the bodies when I was piping the wafers, so they turned out okay. To make the butterflies, I put about a cup of candy wafers into an unsealed Zip-loc bag, nuked for 10 seconds, kneaded the wafers, then repeated until melted. I snipped off a corner of the bag and freehanded the butterflies onto wax paper, using the tip of the bag to add texture. Then I quickly sprinkled some cake decors on the wings before they completely cooled. Within minutes, the butterflies had cooled enough to remove from the wax paper and put in a sealed container and into the fridge. (I made them the night before.) After cooling the cakes, I cut the bottom layer in half and added a chocolate pudding filling. Mistake number three was to not support the cake with dowel rods like I usually do (did I mention I was in a hurry?). Mistake number four was not having the cake level on the back seat, causing the entire cake to slide off its base, as the last several photos will attest. The cake was too tall to put the cover on it, but luckily I covered it loosely with plastic wrap so that the seat didn't get covered in frosting. I apologize in advance for the poor picture quality, but the first four photos were taken with my cell phone, which does not do well indoors as seen by the lines going across the pictures. I had forgotten my camera at Teresa's two weeks ago, so I took photos of my wrecked cake after I arrived. I make the batter using 2 boxes of Duncan Hines Devils Food cake mix (do not use instructions on box!), 2 cups of REAL mayonnaise (NOT LITE), 6 eggs, and 2 cups of water. Mix for about 60 seconds on medium speed, pour into 13x9 inch well-sprayed pan (actually, I use wax paper for the bottom and long sides and spray the short sides), and bake at 325 degrees for 65 minutes. Of course, you may need to adjust your time depending on your oven. I normally put aluminum foil on the rack below the cake because it WILL overflow (trim off the top to get the cake level before you invert it onto your cardboard/cake holder), but in this case, I poured enough into an additional 8" square pan for the upper layers that I didn't have any overflow. Here's the cake after adding the top two layers and covering with my flopped frosting. Here's after I added the flowers.

I hadn't intended to put this many butterflies on the cake, because there are obviously too many, but many guests were expected at this meeting and I didn't want to have to carry another container with all the leftover butterflies, so I stuck them all on the cake (hence the title "Butterfly Overload").

After arriving at Teresa's.

On the right side where all the green frosting is, is where the cake slid off. I pushed it back up before taking these.

Yeah, this is definitely an entry for Cake Wrecks! LOL Oh well, at least it TASTED good! And the butterflies were a hit!

P.S. Sorry about the paragraph breaks ... can't figure out how to fix them, and I'm too tired to care!

"Halo" Cake for David

2011-03-27T22:58:00.000-07:00

My son Matt's roommate, David Shelley, recently moved back to NC to be with family, and Matt threw a surprise going away party for him. I made a "Halo" cake for him after one of his favorite video games. I tried to do World of Warcraft, but couldn't get a good picture that would translate into whipped cream frosting, so I went with a character from Halo instead. Ever the procrastinator, I decided to order a plain cake from King Soopers to save time. This is what I got for $13.99. Um, yeah, if I hadn't been in such a hurry, I would've given it back and told them, "You call this a professional cake? Forget it!" I couldn't believe how sloppy the frosting job was and all the crumbs that showed through! Look at all that frosting smeared on the cardboard! The icing was VERY thin, too! What a joke! So, I added some more frosting, smoothed it out, and wiped all the mess off the cardboard. Now THIS is how you do it!

I used a toothpick to sketch in the gunman.

And ... because I was in such a hurry, I don't have "during" photos! LOL But at least you get to see how it turned out.

The gunman was semi 3-dimensional after I built up the layers of frosting.

Here's my son Matt on the left and his friend David on the right. We miss you already, Dave!

"Run Like the Wind"

2011-03-27T22:46:00.001-07:00

Recently completed a charcoal drawing of a horse for my friend Teresa's birthday. This is the second birthday drawing I've done for this horse lover. Click here to see the first drawing, "A Mother's Love," I did last year. Not much to say about the process other than my usual "lots of layers, blending and shading," so I'll let the progress pictures speak for me.

Yeah, I think she liked it! Happy Birthday, Teresa!

Great Horned Owl

2011-01-16T21:49:00.001-08:00

A coworker left his sketchbook in the breakroom at work a couple of weeks ago with a note on the top page, "Draw on me!" He passed word around that he'd like all his coworkers to draw in his sketchbook as a way to "remember" us. No, he's not leaving, but I thought it was a cool idea.

I told him I'd need longer than a break or lunch time to do a drawing, and asked if I could bring his sketchbook home for a couple of days. He said yes, so on the day I picked it up, a napkin was on top with a note scrawled on it: "Someone please draw a tree with owls in it for Renee. Thanks!"

An owl seemed as good of a subject matter as any, so I pulled up a few stock photos off Google and went to work. After I finished, I wrote on the napkin, "Renee, is this acceptable?" and left it on the breakroom table. I was overwhelmed with the compliments I received. One coworker said, "Your owl is beautiful! I wouldn't have left it in the book if it was me!" I laughed. What good is artwork if you don't share it?

Anyway, progress photos are below. As always, feel free to leave comments and feedback.

Getting started. This is vine charcoal on paper.

More details to the face.

Feathers and details to the wings and body, and laying in the branches and leaves.

I use a "packing peanut" to blend the charcoal because it gives a much smoother finish than my fingertip. Plus it's less messy.

Darkening the values.

Yes, drawing with charcoal takes almost as many layers as oil or acrylic paint.

Close up of the face. Hmm ... still needs a little something ...

...so I added a bit of yellow and orange to the eyes with some colored pencils.

The drawing took 5 hours to complete and is my first charcoal of 2011.

I can do other wildlife as well. I'm pretty good at horses, too (check my 2010 archives for "A Mother's Love"), so if you have a pet or other animal you'd like to have drawn, please contact me at stepmercjohn@gmail.com or call 719-237-1273 for pricing or other information.

Thanks for looking!

Late Summer Stroll

2011-01-16T20:38:00.000-08:00

It becomes necessary in every starving artist's career to supplement one's income with odd jobs. One of those jobs for this artist is housecleaning for an elderly couple.

One day this past summer, I sat in my car for several minutes listening to voicemail messages after I finished cleaning. The wife had mentioned they were going for a walk, so after I hung up and was exiting their neighborhood, I saw them walking arm-in-arm in the park across the street with the late afternoon sun shining down on them. I couldn't resist grabbing my camera and snapping a picture.

The husband, a retired, highly-decorated officer with 36 years of service in the US Air Force, and the wife, a financial advisor and housewife, have been married for 46 years. Witnessing this candid moment warmed my heart, and I knew the photo would make a good reference picture for a painting one day.

I had intended to complete the painting in time for Christmas, but working retail (the other way I supplement my income) doesn't allow any spare time around the holidays. It's mid-January, and I just now finished the painting. Ah, well, better late than never, right?

As soon as the oil paint dries, I'll be varnishing it and picking out a rustic frame to go along with their home's decor. Won't it be a lovely surprise for them in a week or so when they're not even expecting it?

I titled this oil on stretched canvas "Late Summer Stroll," and it is not for sale. Thanks for looking!

Sketching the layout.

Blocking in the greens.

They live on a golf course, and herds of deer are always meandering through their yard year round, so I added a doe and fawn to their painting.

The lovebirds strolling through the park.

Signing the painting. You can see the photo I worked from on my laptop screen at the top of the photo.

If you would like a painting done for yourself or someone you know, please contact me at stepmercjohn@gmail.com or call 719-237-1273. Thanks for looking!

Art in the Hills Art Show at Chapel Hills Mall

2011-01-08T00:11:00.001-08:00

The Art in the Hills Art Show at Chapel Hills Mall in October was a huge success. There were over a dozen artists there: some jewelry makers, some painters, some potters, some photographers ... encaustic, too. I was camped out just outside Macy's, next to where Douglas and Mallori Rouse were doing an interactive, anamorphic, 3D chalk art drawing, so naturally I got some good traffic. Many browsers took cards for my teddy bears, so I hope I get some calls for that. I sold my "Freedom Isn't Free" eagle painting, a mouse pad with my "Under the Sea" mural on it, and my horse painting on a quartz slab.

I realized I forgot to post pictures of the actual show when it happened back in October, so here they are.

My booth:

The work of Reveille Kennedy.

Can't remember this artist's name.

Bonnie Olson's work.

Pita Carrasco's work.

Yours truly.

My son Matt and his girlfriend Tiffany came to visit. His "Labyrinth" painting that I did for him was "on loan," so he had to come make sure I was taking good care of it. LOL

My Women of Worth Bible Study Sisters came to see me, too! I love my Sisters!

Pita, husband Mike, and son Lazarus modeling Douglas Rouse's artwork.

My writer friend Deb bought a mouse pad from me.

Thanks again to all who visited and supported me during my very first art show! Hope to see you next year!

To see more pictures of the art show, click here.

Christmas Ornaments

2011-01-07T23:53:00.000-08:00

My best friends like it that I'm always so broke, because I can't afford to buy them lavish gifts for Christmas. However, they like it that I'm an artist, because that means I MAKE them gifts! Here are the hand-painted ornaments I made for them this year.

A poinsettia for Treavor.

A pink rose for Jan.

A cardinal for my grandmother that I painted to match the blanket I made for her.

A gold cross for Holly.

A red cross for Angie.

This is what the gold cross looked like at first, but I fixed it. ;)

And Betty Boop for Jennifer.

I still owe Teresa a horse and a Bible scripture for Jenny, so now that the holidays are over, I'm back from my Bahamas cruise, and my hours at work have been cut, maybe I'll get them done before Valentine's Day! LOL

Happy New Year!

2011-01-07T23:07:00.000-08:00

The New Year 2011 has gotten off to a great start: I just finished my first painting of the year, and it's a commission at that!

This client wanted to have a nude painting done of herself for her boyfriend as a birthday present. She spent several modeling sessions in my home studio and these are the progress photos.

I started off with a charcoal sketch on a 20" x 24" stretched, gallery-wrapped canvas. I normally work with acrylics, but I did this painting with oils so that I could work at a slower pace and be able to mix and paint over several days while the paint was still wet.

Added a dark background because I wanted her to be the focus.

Laying in the flesh tones...

Adding some shadows.

Adjusting values.

Pink, her favorite color, for the pillows.

Figured I'd better get the face put in so it doesn't look so awkward. (I waited until the last possible moment to do the face for fear of ruining the painting.)

Adjusting the values ...

Just about done. He likes the "yin yang" symbol, so I sketched one into the background to be completed after her last modeling session. The belly was to serve as the lower circle.

During the last modeling session, I made some last minute tweaks to the face and hair, and added the jewelry. Each piece she wore was a gift from her boyfriend and held special meaning for her.

The background is mostly Phthalo Blue, the top part of the yin yang symbol is mostly Ivory Black, and the bottom part of the symbol and top circle inside are Alizarin Crimson. Again, I kept the background dark (as opposed to painting a stark black and white symbol) because I wanted her to be the focus. Her "tummy" area is the "bottom circle" of the yin yang.

Close-up of the model's face.

The diamond tennis bracelet and pink heart ring.

The star and circle belly button ring.

If you or someone you know is interested in commissioning a painting, please contact me for pricing information at stepmercjohn@gmail.com or call me at 719-237-1273. I can work from live modeling sessions or from photos, whichever you prefer. Thanks for looking!

Art in the Hills Art Show at Chapel Hills Mall

2010-10-11T21:58:00.000-07:00

Volunteering is near and dear to my heart. Any chance I get, I jump. So when non-profits ask me to donate artwork, as a new-on-the-scene artist, I donate, flattered and honored that they asked. Some (well-established) artists say I'm a sucker, but I see it as a chance to advertise for free.

Little did I know that all my donating would pay off in a big way. Nora Hardin, who helped organize the Memories in the Making art fundraiser for the Alzheimer's Association, has invited me to be a participating artist in the "Art in the Hills" Art Show at Chapel Hills Mall coming up on Saturday, October 16th from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. (some artists will be there earlier/later). Earlier this year when she came by my studio at Cottonwood to pick up the palette I was donating to their fundraiser, she had mentioned her plans to start an art show that would give back to the artists who so generously give of their time and talents, so I was happy to hear that all her efforts were coming to fruition when I received her invitation to participate.

In order for an artist to participate in this show, they had to have donated artwork in the last three years. I more than qualify! There's a nominal booth fee, but the most important thing is that ARTISTS KEEP 100% OF ALL THEIR PROFITS! Woo hoo! No commissions! No splits! Who says donating/volunteering doesn't pay?

So ... what qualifies me? Here's my impressive list-in-progress:

I donated a mural to the Community Youth Organization in Pueblo, CO in October 2009.

I donated 2 palettes and a hat box to Cottonwood Center for the Art's fundraiser in March 2010.

I donated a recycling bin to Colorado Springs' Adopt-a-Bin Recycling Program (the bin is located in the front lobby of the City Administration Building at 30 South Nevada & Colorado Ave. downtown).

I donated a recycling bin to the Starsmore Discovery Center, plus did a newspaper article for their Canvases in the Canon art show in September 2009.

I was a volunteer artist for Sunday on the Town in September 2009, although that didn't require donating my finished artwork.

I volunteered with the remodel at Radiant Church in September 2008, investing over a hundred hours working with Premier Concepts from Arkansas. I also most recently did 2 murals for Pastor Todd Hudnall's new sermon series, Another Dimension, which launched on September 19, 2010, and runs for 12 (I think) weeks.

I'm a volunteer artist on the 12 Mural Project.

I volunteered at the Bemis School of Art through the Imagination Celebration in the summer of 2008.

I was a volunteer artist for the Imagination Celebration's "What IF?" Festival in September 2010.

I volunteered for 6 weeks (March - April 2009) at the Cottonwood Center for the Arts, helping them get their new building ready for their grand opening.

So ... yeah, I think I qualify.

Anyway, the Art in the Hills Art Show is coming up THIS SATURDAY, October 16, 2010, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. I will have a booth outside T-Mobile, near the water fountain on the first floor. Douglas Rouse will be doing an anamorphic chalk drawing on a stage next to where I'll be, so just follow the crowds. I will have all original paintings on sale, including "Freedom Isn't Free," "Amazon Beauty," "Wyoming Rig," "Mini Garden of the Gods," "Garden of the Gods," my petrified wood and quartz slab paintings, "Labyrinth (taking orders for giclees of this one!)," "Pikes Perk," and other stuff, some of which is on back pages of this blog.

So please, come on out and support your local artists. Especially ME! I have lots to show, lots to sell, and am really excited for this show, my VERY FIRST! I will have artwork available from $25 to $2500, so I'm sure you'll find something you really like. I accept payment plans. Or even if you really, really, really can't afford anything, just come to say hi and check out all the beautiful artwork and jewelry! And bring me lunch. LOL

National Coffee Day at Nemo's Coffee

2010-10-11T20:30:00.000-07:00

After I posted my Starbuck's Mermaid photos to Facebook, I received a request from JD Anderson at Nemo's Coffee Shop to come "fancy up" their sidewalk. JD and wife Tracy are founders and owners of Nemo's, a mom-n-pop coffee shop (which, incidentally, is one of the best blogs I've ever read) located at Pikes Peak Avenue and Printers Parkway in Colorado Springs, next to the Pikes Peak Workforce Center.

When I received my work schedule for the week and saw what days I had off, I shot JD a note, "How's Wednesday, the 29th?"

"Perfect," he responded.

Turns out it was TOO perfect! It was also National Coffee Day! Who knew? I sure didn't. (Click here for some interesting facts about coffee.)

I showed up with my canopy and chalk pastels and set to work. JD provided several reference photos, out of which I chose three: the Nemo's turtle logo, of course; a cup of coffee, of course; and a flag for the background, in honor of JD's patriotism. After 8 hours of sketching, bending, squatting, stooping, drawing, blending, brushing, and coloring, it was done.

Getting started on the coffee bean turtle body.

The letters for "Coffee" were too scrunched up so I re-did them.

The coffee cup with heart added by me. Gotta' love coffee!

Starting on the blue field of stars.

I used the "swirls" from Nemo's logo for the coffee steam.

I didn't have enough white to do the stripes of the flag, so I had to leave it blank sidewalk.

Went back the next day for some daylight shots since it was almost dark by the time I finished.

Added my name and Web site, www.stephaniessmorgasbord.com.

Happy National Coffee Day Sept. 29th from Nemo's Coffee!

Posing with my masterpiece. (I'm wearing my "What IF?" t-shirt)

JD sprayed it with shellac, so it'll probably have a longer sidewalk life. :)

If you have a business that you would like to promote with some chalk art, please give me a call at 719-237-1273, or email me at stephaniejohnsonmurals@gmail.com for pricing information and availability. Mention you saw this blog and get 25% off.

Thanks for looking!

Starbucks Mermaid

2010-10-08T11:11:00.001-07:00

I was so excited to try another chalk art after I did Imagination Celebration's "What IF?" Festival that when I got an unexpected day off, I headed to Starbucks at South Academy and Hancock to buy my normal Mocha Frappuccino Lite. I almost chickened out before I asked the barista, "You know how you have chalk for the kids to draw on the sidewalk outside? Well, I was wondering if you'd let an adult do some?" He looked perplexed, so I told him I was a professional artist and would like to do some chalk art outside. No charge. His face lit up and he said, "Sure!" I told him I had my own supplies, but would it be okay to borrow a bag of their coffee so I could do their mermaid? Again, the affirmative.

So, I went to my car, dragged out all my stuff, and set to work. I didn't realize I left my camera's battery at home, so I had to take pictures with my cell phone and sent them to Facebook as I worked. After I finished, I ran home to get the battery and shot these photos. I was gone 15 minutes and already someone had walked on the artwork. Oh well, that's to be expected with this kind of art.

Here are the finished photos. If you'd like to see them from the beginning on my Facebook page, click here.

Thanks for looking!

Starbuck's Anniversary Blend, Est. 1971, Spicy & Bold.

The drawing I worked off of was black outlines on a brown bag, so all the coloring is mine.

Imagination Celebration's What If Festival

2010-10-01T08:43:00.000-07:00

I got to participate in Imagination Celebration's "What IF?" Festival in downtown Colorado Springs on September 11, 2010. IC is well known for its Butterfly Project, where artists decorate large steel butterflies that are displayed throughout the city, then auctioned off to raise money for area school art programs. I was out of town for my step-daughter's funeral when the call to artists landed in my in-box, and was unable to participate this year, but they contacted me with an invitation to the What IF festival: "You didn't get to do a butterfly, but you can do a chalk art butterfly...." I signed right up!

The acronym for their theme is STEAM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics. When designing my art for the festival, I wanted to use all 5 topics. I knew I wanted to do a butterfly to tie in with their Butterfly Project, but wasn't sure how to get all the "STEAM" items in. I started with "Science": what do I think of when I think of Science, and how can that be a part of a butterfly? I thought of a microscope and decided it would work well for the butterfly's body.

Second was Technology. I thought of a computer chip, and wanted to incorporate that into part of the butterfly's wing. I have to admit, I was clueless for Engineering, so I had to Google that one and found some cogs/gears that would do beautifully for a flower. For Art, I would do the real part of the butterfly, but what to do for Mathematics? Hmm ... what body parts of the butterfly weren't spoken for yet? Antennae! I was reminded of our elementary school days when we used compasses (also called protractors) to draw circles and other designs, then color them in, so I knew a mathematical compass would be perfect for the antennae!

Working from several reference photos, I came up with this rough sketch:

Then I colored it in and added the "What IF?" theme, and spelled out the STEAM acronym so that viewers would know what my butterfly was all about.

Here I have my sketch laid above the 4'x6' space of asphalt on Cascade Avenue in front of the Pikes Peak Center where all the chalk artists were working their magic.

It's very faint, but I've sketched in my drawing here.

Getting started on the cog flower.

I even wore the antennae that I used for the Day of the Dead Artwalk at Cottonwood last year when I dressed up as a ladybug.

My cog flower finished. It was after this that the high school student next to me, Alyssa, shared that you blend the chalk into the asphalt with your fingers to give it a smooth finish.

Adding the microscope body and compass antennae.

My "Art" wing of the butterfly.

Chalk art is hard work!

Computer chip wing.

I ran into Eric of www.eclecticasylum.com fame and told him I saw his barbeque sauce artwork at the Squash Blossom opening. He told me to use the sponge that came with the chalk pastels to blend the chalk into the asphalt. What a skin-saver that was! It was much smoother, too!

Here's my placard. People were allowed to vote for their favorites. I still haven't found out who the winners were.

My finished work!

Note the "IC" for Imagination Celebration on the glass slide on the microscope. I thought of everything! LOL

My cog flower, complete with crack.

"What IF?"

Compass antennae.

The date hidden in the computer chip wing.

Math symbols on the wing.

Close up of art wing.

Signature, of course.

Posing with my Masterpiece!

After removing the duct tape.

Thanks for looking! Hope you can come next year!

Rock Art

2010-08-19T19:55:00.001-07:00

I helped a woman at Hobby Lobby yesterday who was choosing background fabric for some rocks she was framing. Turned out the rocks were petrified wood, so I told her about the painting I did on a piece of petrified wood that John Brown, a fellow artist at Cottonwood, found at Sand Creek. He had seen an article in Rocks & Gems about a woman who painted animals on quartz slabs, and asked if I could paint a scene on the petrified wood he found.

First, I studied the wood's natural shapes to let it "speak" to me, uncovering its secrets. Then I made several "photos" of the wood using a copier so that I could draw sketches of what I had in mind on the copies. Once we decided on which scene to go with, I painted it on the original piece of wood. I really like how it turned out.

When I got started on one of the quartz slabs, John said he wanted more of the rock to show through so I sanded all the paint off and started over, finishing with a horse. On the second quartz slab, I painted a fox. Below are photos of the processes. I really enjoyed this collaboration with John, and hope to do more.

I mentioned to the woman I met that I would be interested in purchasing some of her marble slabs, so as soon as I get some paintings done, I'll post them here. I've been invited to participate in the "Art in the Hills" show at Chapel Hills Mall in October, so I plan to get them finished before then so that I can sell them at the show.

Thanks for looking!

In the background is the colored sketch on paper that I made by laying the petrified wood on the photocopier. The original wood piece is in the foreground, untouched.

Putting down some color.

Adding more layers and detail.

More details and clouds ...

All done, and varnished.

Details...

This is the first quartz slab I started. I allowed the natural markings to dictate the scene.

But John didn't like that you couldn't see any of the quartz after I finished.

So I sanded it all off and started over. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me this day so I don't have progression photos, but this is what I ended up with. As you can see, the quartz is more visible.

Horse detail.

Getting started on the fox slab.

Lots of paint layers!

I'm gettin' there!

Almost done.

Adding grass.

Added some background trees but pretty much left the slab in its original state.

All done. What do you think?

I appreciate any and all comments, so please feel free to leave some below.

12 Mural Project

2010-07-25T23:55:00.001-07:00

I am very excited to announce that I have been selected in the first phase of artists to participate in the 12 Mural Project being organized by Douglas and Mallori Rouse.

I first heard about this project through the Colorado Springs Art Examiner, and after reading that they were seeking volunteer artists, I contacted Mallori for more information. I quickly filled out the application and submitted 3 photographs of my work (one of the Ocean Room Mural I painted for Karen Linamen, one of my Labyrinth painting, and one of "Freedom Isn't Free" eagle painting). I received the voicemail message on July 22nd that I had been selected, and was eager to attend the All Artists Meeting on the 24th.

Here are a few of the photos I snapped during the meeting, but stay tuned to see more of the process in the weeks to come. (To see more photos, click here.)

The west wall of The Warehouse Restaurant and Gallery on Cimarron in downtown Colorado Springs is the wall with the biggest impact on tourists, as it faces those entering downtown from the Cimarron Bridge.

The two murals (three walls) will be covered up, then repainted with a trompe l'oeil design of a columned and arched building with people, a water fountain, and garden along the bottom.

Organizers Mallori and Douglas Rouse in front of their studio.

Douglas Rouse discusses the design plans with the volunteer artists.

The first All Artists Meeting, Phase I. Our first mural site is The Warehouse Restaurant and Gallery on Cimarron and Sierra Madre.

You can read more about the 12 Mural Project here.

For more on Douglas Rouse, see his Web site here: http://www.rouse66.com/.

Art Open House/Ocean Mural Unveiling

2010-03-24T12:04:00.000-07:00

Photos of my Art Open House/Ocean Mural Unveiling. I'm having issues with uploading, so I'll add more later.

Cottonwood Auction/Fundraiser

2010-03-07T15:15:00.001-08:00

Would you like to own this original painting of a Labyrinth goblin on a wood palette? Then come to Cottonwood Center for the Arts' Jubilee Artwalk on Friday, March 26, 2010 at 5:00 p.m.!

Cottonwood Center for the Arts, located at 427 East Colorado Ave., Colorado Springs, CO, is celebrating its 1 year anniversary of being at its new downtown location! The party, called JUBILEE, is Friday, March 26, 2010, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Our Stilts Walker, Jester, and Face Painter from our Mardi Gras Artwalk in January are returning to help us celebrate. We'll have refreshments in the artist's studios, live entertainment in the galleries, and a Silent Auction to raise funds for Cottonwood. This is also an art show that will showcase original artwork by the Cottonwood studio artists (no outside artists this time).

Each of the 80+ artists are asked to decorate a wooden palette, or heart- or star-shaped hat box to donate to the auction. I signed up to decorate two palettes and two boxes because I want to do all I can to help with this fundraiser. Bidding starts at $15 (small box) to $25 (palette), so this is a fantastic way to purchase original art, as well as help a great cause. You won't want to miss this exciting evening!

While you're there, come see me in Studio 212, and wish me a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Cottonwood is a unique art center and the largest in the region: 36,000 square feet of galleries, working art studios, and home to the Cottonwood Artists' School where different classes are held throughout the year (spring classes now enrolling!). Whether your forte is sculpture, photography, watercolor, pottery, jewelry, fabric dyeing, pastels, drawing, printmaking, encaustic, acrylics, or oil painting--there's something here for everyone!

See http://www.cottonwoodcenterforthearts.com/ for more information or call 719-520-1899.

"A Mother's Love" Charcoal Drawing

2010-03-07T14:38:00.000-08:00

My best friend (and Matron of Honor at my wedding!) Teresa's birthday was March 6th, so I did this charcoal drawing for her as a birthday present. As a starving artist, I was too broke to buy anything, but I know she appreciates my artwork and would prefer something handmade over something store bought. She loves, loves, LOVES horses, so of course, that's what I chose for the subject matter.

The drawing took 5 hours, and I covered it with fixative. She's going to get a frame for it so that I can display it at my Art Open House/Ocean Mural Unveiling on March 20-21, 2010.

I do accept commissions for pets of any kind, so if you're interested in having your own done, please contact me at stepmercjohn@hotmail.com.

Initial sketch. Gotta make sure all the measurements are correct when it's in this preliminary stage.

Darkening the darks, defining shapes.

Adjusting values, adding background.

Shading.

Lots of blending with fingers and a chamois is required when working with vine charcoal.

Done with mare except for highlights, which are done with a kneaded eraser.

Starting on the foal.

Because of the values in the bottom of the drawing, the foal took a lot of tweaking and artistic license to get right.

Starting on the highlights. Note the wisps of mane and ear fur.

All done.

Muzzle detail.

Foal detail.

Head detail on mare.

Thanks for looking!

To see this drawing in person, come to my Art Open House/Ocean Mural Unveiling on March 20-21, 2010. It'll be at Karen Linamen's house (where I painted her ocean mural), 15185 Deby Drive, Colorado Springs, CO. Saturday's hours are 6-10 p.m.; Sunday's are 2-5 p.m. Hope you can make it! I will have photos of my other murals, cakes I've decorated, my Web site www.stephaniessmorgasbord.com on display for guests to peruse, some teddy bears I've made, and art work for sale. Please come!

Wyoming Oil Rig, Greg's Birthday Present

2010-03-07T14:13:00.000-08:00

Greg is (was) a Floor Hand, aka Roughneck, on an oil rig. He took photos of a rig in Wyoming that he was working on, and hinted around that he would like a painting done. So, for his birthday (which is coming up on March 16th), I made this for him. He really liked it, but a man who visited my studio at our last Artwalk at Cottonwood Center for the Arts said I needed to add some people to it--it looked too deserted. I think I'll leave it as is.

After painting the background and sketching in the rig.

Blocking in the basic shapes for the subframe, rig floor, dog house, and wind walls.

I used a palette knife to paint the derrick framing. This is what I had done after Day 1.

On Day 2, I used a liner brush to clean up the palette knife work and add smaller details.

The "Geronimo Lines." I reworked the ground about 5 times because I simply wasn't happy with how it turned out.

Left side. Note the American Flag.

The right side.

Middle.

Hills in the background.

Ta da! All done and hanging in my studio!

This will be hanging at my Art Open House/Ocean Unveiling on March 20-21, 2010. Email me at stepmercjohn@hotmail.com for details if you'd like to attend.

Black Butterfly Painting

2010-03-07T13:04:00.000-08:00

Back in 2007, I signed up for a painting class at Bemis School of Art. I specifically wanted to learn how to blend, and apply what I learned to my eagle painting (posted right before this entry) as well as future paintings. Unfortunately, halfway through the class, I received a call that my father was dying and was unable to finish the class. The painting I was working on sat in my studio ever since, mocking me as yet ANOTHER unfinished painting.

Last week, I took the painting out of its hiding place and decided to tackle it again. John, my teacher, had taught me a stippling technique, mixing the paint with a medium, but it was a time consuming process and not necessarily one I wanted to continue. So I decided to experiment.

The experiement was not satisfying, and in a fitful tantrum, I angrily stabbed the canvas with large swaths of color, mixing greens and yellows in a fevered rush so the paint wouldn't dry while I was still working with it. This is one of the drawbacks, and sometimes a benefit, of working with acrylics: the paints dry way too fast. I wanted to work without adding any mediums, but it was fast and furious, and often frustrating, work.

After finishing the bottom half of the canvas with quick, angry slashes, I stood back to study it. "Hmm, I kinda like it!" So I continued. As I worked my way around the canvas, I fell into a groove, things clicked, and the background began to take a shape I liked. My temper tantrum led to something beautiful, so I kept at it.

What resulted is a very loose, abstract background--a first for me. I kept the butterfly and the flower on which it fed a bit tighter, although I still had fun with a larger brush and kept the strokes fun and loose. I am very pleased with the completed painting.

Following are the pictures of the process. I hope you enjoy. Many who have visited my studio since I finished the painting have showered it with compliments, so I hope you agree.

The painting will be for sale in my Art Open House/Ocean Mural Unveiling on March 20-21, 2010, at Karen Linamen's house. I painted an ocean mural for her and she's showing it off to friends, family, and business acquaintances, so if you'd like to attend, scroll down my blog for further details or see my Facebook Invitation.

Don't forget to let me know what you think about the painting! I welcome comments!

Detail of the stippling technique that the Bemis teacher taught me.

This is how far I got while the class was going on. Initially, I started the painting out similar to using watercolors, with light washes of paint, but soon reverted back to my old ways of laying it on thicker.

Attempting to blend, but not liking the results.

Blocked in the butterfly.

When I first painted the stem of the flower the butterfly was resting on, it was straight as an arrow, so I used a "subtraction" technique to curve the stem.

This is after the "angry stabbing" started.

Re-adding the yellows and oranges.

Starting the flower the butterfly is on.

I continued the flower using a #2 flat bristle brush, and was surprised at the small details I could get. Of course, I had to switch to a small liner brush to do the antennae and dots on the butterfly's back. Here it is, all finished!

Head detail.

Flower detail. No, the stem isn't thorned, it's just really fuzzy.

I love the looseness.

Kept the foreground flowers a little tighter, to give the impression that it was closer to the viewer.

The finished painting in my studio, hanging next to the Purple Irises I painted in 2004. Compared to the Irises, the butterfly painting is REALLY loose!

Freedom Isn't Free Eagle Painting

2010-03-06T22:58:00.000-08:00

Several years ago, I came across a photo of an eagle in front of an American flag. I liked the out-of-focus look of the flag in the background compared to the clarity of the eagle in the foreground, and attempted to duplicate it. Being that "blending" with acrylics has always been a huge challenge for me, I quickly gave up, frustrated beyond belief.

Until I discovered the airbrush, that is.

Darle Bowman with Premier Concepts showed me how to use the airbrush in 2008 when I helped his company do some murals at Radiant Church. As they were packing up to leave for Arkansas after the murals were done, he handed me an airbrush as a thank you for all the volunteer hours I put in. "We couldn't have finished on time without all your help. Next time I see you, I expect you to be a pro."

Well, I'm not a pro yet, but I have been practicing (did you see my Ocean Mural post?). Greg borrowed an air compressor from his father-in-law, so I set up shop in the garage and put my new (to me) Iwata Eclipse to the test. The first photo below is how it looked after I finished, but in my studio it sat for over a year until just recently when I discovered Cottonwood Center for the Arts (where my art studio is) is having an Armed Forces Tribute in May. Perfect time to drag the painting out and git 'r done, especially now that I own my own compressor. Yay!

(Drum roll, please!)

Here it is: "Freedom Isn't Free," in acrylic on stretched canvas (gallery wrapped, so no frame needed).

This will be available for purchase at my Art Open House/Ocean Mural Unveiling on March 20-21 at Karen Linamen's house, 15185 Deby Dr., Colorado Springs, CO at an Art Show special price of $250. If it doesn't sell and hangs in the Gallery at Cottonwood for the Tribute Artwalk, it'll be up to its regular price of $325. However, mention you saw it on my blog, and I'll sell it to you for the Art Show special price.

Enjoy!

This is the painting after I airbrushed the flag.

Had to block the eagle back in.

Blended in the stars and started on the eagle head.

Adjusted the neck feathers.

My Stars! (Sounds like a Looney Tunes cartoon! LOL) I actually like how I blended these!

Starting on the eagle's eye.

Took about 5-6 layers before I was happy with it.

That is one handsome bird!

Title on the back.

As well as signature and year completed.

Gallery wrapped, so no framing necessary (mostly because this starving artist can't afford to get it framed!).

With much appreciation to all our troops! The Tribute will be in conjunction with The Phoenix Project, a group of artists who are serving in various branches of the military. The opening reception is May 28, 2010 from 5-8:30 p.m. at Cottonwood Center for the Arts, 427 E Colorado Avenue, Colorado Springs, CO, if you can attend.

See www.cottonwoodcenterforthearts.com for more information.

Art Center Magazine Article

2010-02-09T17:12:00.000-08:00

I need your help!

As a freelance writer and member of the Marketing Committee at Cottonwood Center for the Arts, where I'm also a studio artist, I am researching art centers in the United States to write a magazine article about Cottonwood. We believe we are the largest art center of our kind in the state of Colorado, and possibly this side of the Mississippi River.

Others may have heard of such art centers as the Torpedo Factory in historic Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, or the Workhouse Arts Center (formerly the Lorton Correctional Complex) in Lorton, VA, so anyone who has an art center in their hometown that they adore and would like to be included in my research, please email the center's name and location to me at srmerchant326@hotmail.com.

Thanks for your help, and stay tuned for the finished article!

Ocean Mural Unveiling Official!

2010-02-02T17:07:00.000-08:00

How many people get to be the honored guest of an art opening AND celebrate their birthday all at the same time? Well, the date of the opening isn't exactly my birthday, but it's close enough!

Karen Linamen and I were finally able to pin down a date for the unveiling/open house of the Ocean Mural I painted in her home (scroll down my blog to see the rest of the story)! Because we want to make it a "real" open house and allow as many people as possible to attend, we decided to schedule it over a Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon. Not only that, but I'm going to be the FEATURED ARTIST in Cottonwood's February Newsletter, and get to include an open invitation to all the newsletter recipients--that's over 1,000 people! My writer friend, Jon Horton, sent me a link to home builders in Colorado to invite, and also suggested contacting real estate agents and others who might have access to high-end homes. I'm in the process of drafting an invitation, along with photos of my work, to send out to as many people as possible.

Karen and I are hoping to serve ocean-themed appetizers: shrimp cocktail, crab dip, and calamari. Today, she mentioned we HAVE to have bowls of Goldfish Crackers! I couldn't stop laughing! I plan to make a cake in the shape of a fish, shark, or maybe even an octopus, to show off my decorating skills and drum up more cake business. I will have a laptop in the hallway with my Web site up, www.stephaniessmorgasbord.com, so that people can browse my site to see what work I do. In the hallway upstairs before entering the Ocean Room, I'll have another laptop with a slideshow of the mural process. In addition, I will have my Stephanie's Smorgasbord brochures, Bearing My Soul Custom Teddy Bears postcards, my Artist/Writer/Cake Decorator business cards, and photo albums available for all to peruse and/or take home with them. Of course, I'll have my calendar ready for anyone wishing to commission their OWN mural in the theme of their choice!

I'll be hanging other original artwork in Karen's hallway entry, such as Matt's "Labyrinth," "Contemplating Heaven" of my dad in Paris (I promise I'll ship it to mom after the Open House!) that I did for Cottonwood's Dia de los Muertos Artwalk, my miniature paintings I did for the November Artwalk (minus "Dakota" because he sold through my Etsy site!), and some older pieces.

As beautiful as the pictures are, they simply don't do the mural justice, so the best way to really appreciate all the detail is to come to the Unveiling! This will be a great opportunity for people to see the mural up close and personal, network with other folks, and make new friends. Besides, the more friends over to celebrate my birthday, the better!

Who: YOU

What: Ocean Mural Unveiling, Art Open House, and Stephanie's Birthday Party!

Where: Karen Linamen's House, 15185 Deby Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80921. Take I-25 north, head east on Baptist Road, right on Tari (just past the tree line), left on Becky, right at stop sign (Stella), then immediate left on Deby. House is on the left (look for the balloons).

When: Saturday, March 20, 2010 from 6 to 10 p.m. and Sunday, March 21 from 2 to 5 p.m. Because this is an Open House, guests are free to come and go during these times.

RSVP: Call Karen at 303-868-3255 or Stephanie at 719-237-1273. Email Karen at karen@karenlinamen.com or Stephanie at srmerchant326@hotmail.com. RSVPs are greatly appreciated so that we'll know how much food to prepare.

If you have any questions or need more information, please feel free to contact me at the number or email above.

Can't wait to see you!

Mural Finalized

2010-01-27T12:34:00.000-08:00

Clear coated the Ocean Mural in Monument yesterday, pulled up all the tape and plastic, vacuumed, put the bed and furniture back, re-hung the "water" curtain, and now it looks like a real bedroom again!

These are the final photos from the mural, but if you'd like to see more, go to Ocean Mural on my Facebook page.

Standing between the Coral Reef and Octopus.

The Fish Pillows. These were the "models" Karen and I used to paint on the walls to tie everything together.

Peeking through the "water" curtain.

The Dolphin Corner.

Coral Reef/Octopus Corner.

Sea Cave Bed, window, and Pirate's Trunk.

I really love the "bubble" effect on the curtain--it really gives the illusion of water when you're sitting inside the Sea Cave.

Signing my name.

Plug for Another Artist (Free Giveaway!)

2010-01-26T12:48:00.000-08:00

Every chance I get, I try to plug another artist's work, regardless if they're in direct competition with me or not. I do it a lot on my Facebook page and Web site (http://www.stephaniessmorgasbord.com/), but this is the first time I've done it on my blog.

Back in October, Greg and I went to an arts & crafts fair in Monument at the local high school. There I discovered The Patchwork Ark. Owner and artist, Carolyn Robbins, makes the most beautiful miniature bears (and lots of other very reasonably priced stuff) by hand! I only bought one because Greg was with me, but there were at least 4 others I wanted to get! Next year, I'll have to go by myself! LOL

Well ... I just got an email from Carolyn that she's doing a FREE DOLL GIVEAWAY! All you have to do is leave a comment on her post (she'll keep it private) and include your name and email address. On February 2nd, she'll draw a name for the winner of "Val and Scarlett," two beautiful dolls she made herself!

So here's the link: http://www.patchworkark.blogspot.com/. Go there now and enter her drawing, you'll be so glad you did!

Best of luck to the winner!

Oh yeah, the red bear is the one I purchased from her--I only wish it had black dots on its back and antennae on its head! :)

Abby Cadabby from Sesame Street

2010-01-21T01:08:00.000-08:00

Writer friend and knitter extraordinaire, Deb Buckingham, ordered an Abby Cadabby (from Sesame Street) cake for her granddaughter Jasmine, who turned 3 last weekend. She provided me with an Abby party invitation from which to work, and said a flat sheet cake (as opposed to a 3-dimensional sculpted cake) would be sufficient for this young lady's birthday.

Princess Jasmine knows what she likes: strawberry with whipped cream frosting. Yum!

I sketched Abby with a toothpick after smoothing out the frosting's surface.

Got the photos a bit out of order, but this is a close-up of Abby's face after I drew and/or colored her eyelashes, eyeballs, hairband, mouth, and nose with a toothpick dipped in food coloring.

The photo below should come before the photo above, but here I am using a toothpick to "color" the nose red. Whenever I have a small area to do, I use a paintbrush or toothpick dipped in food coloring instead of mixing up a batch of colored frosting.

Adding blue reverse-shells to the top edge and pink shells to the bottom of the cake.

I added cake flower confetti and sprinkles for "magic dust" and butterfly details.

Dress and wings detail. I added extra layers to the bottoms of the ruffles to give the dress more dimension.

Face detail.

I shook the sprinkles out so that they'd "flow" out of Abby's magic wand.

Gotta' advertise every place I can!

Feel free to visit my Web site, www.stephaniessmorgasbord.com, to see more of my custom cakes, murals, heirloom teddy bears, art classes, and many more crafts!

The Cake Decorator Strikes Again!

2010-01-20T23:30:00.000-08:00

Known as The Artist, The Writer, The Cake Decorator, I've had my share of decorating cakes over the last two-plus years since taking lessons at "Creative Cakes by Carol" at Circle and Galley. Carol Hildebrand is very generous with her almost 30 years of experience baking and decorating cakes, even allowing students to stop by her bakery to watch, space and time allowing.

I've done dozens of cakes for birthdays, fundraisers, baby showers, graduations, going away and bachelor/bachelorettes parties, and even grooms! I've done a 3-D dinosaur for a 2-year-old, a skier cake for a dentist, a guitar, zoo animals, a football field, a Low Rider, a turkey, a Mazda, and even Abby Cadabby from Sesame Street, but receiving an order for my FIRST OFFICIAL WEDDING CAKE this weekend put my skills to the test!

I failed big time trying out my new cake pans during Round One, overfilling them with batter because I didn't know how much they would hold. After dumping that experiment, I started Round Two the next day (luckily I started two days early!) and decided to do the batches separately, then stacking the layers on top of each other to make an even thicker cake. Round Two turned out successful!

The bottom layers in the lowest tier of the Devils Food cake was separated by strawberry filling; the middle tier's layers were separated with whipped cream frosting, and because the top tier was a single layer, it got topped with plenty of roses. The customer's only requirement was "blue," so I added blue roses, buds, and fleur de lis accents, green leaves and tendrils, and white ruffles, shells, and star-tip ropes.

The scary part was transporting, but we arrived at the party house with all the layers intact and set it up on the kitchen table without incident. Because I knew the couple, my husband and I were invited to stay and celebrate, have some cake and eat it too! It turned out delicious and the bride and groom were very excited to receive a "real" wedding cake (they were only expecting a "sheet" cake).

We dutifully removed the top tier, wrapped it up, and stuck it in the freezer for the happy couple's first anniversary, and the bride brought the leftovers, as well as several of my business cards, to share with her coworkers on Monday.

Here are the photos.

If you are planning a wedding on a shoestring budget and can't afford a lot for a cake, please give me a call at 719-237-1273. Because I'm just starting out and need the practice, I can offer affordable prices, as long as you're not a Bridezilla!

I do not work with fondant, but with whipped cream and buttercream frostings, so some requests may not be grantable depending on the design. But give me a call for more information and pricing. And feel free to leave comments!

Round Two of baking proved more successful than Round One.

I separated the layers in the bottom tier with strawberry filling. YUM!

I used a Size 16 bag and large basketweave tip to pipe the frosting on instead of piling it on and spreading it. This was a huge time saver and was very convenient!

After smoothing out.

Adding the middle tier. After I inserted the supporting dowels, they extended above the frosting layer, so in the picture below, you can see where I had to add more frosting to cover the dowel tips.

Hammering in the supporting dowels.

I wield a wicked hammer! LOL

Third and final tier after plates and pillars added.

Securing the plate to the pillars.

After adding ruffles and ropes.

Piping roses onto air-dried marshmallows. Fresh marshmallows are too soft; besides, the hard marshmallows soften and are completely edible after the frosting softens them back up.

Carefully placing the roses on the top tier.

Adding shells and reverse-shells.

After adding fleur de lis, buds, tendrils, and leaves.

Top tier detail. I partially blend the green food coloring to give the leaves a variegated look.

Added shells to cover up the pillar bases.

Bottom tier detail.

Bud detail.

Separating the top tier and placing in boxes for transporting.

Safe and sound at the bride and groom's home.

Kevin and Siiri cut their wedding cake.

They behaved themselves by not smashing it into each other's faces. ;)

Evidence of a delicious cake!

Congratulations, Mr. & Mrs. Murphy!

Ocean Mural

2010-01-20T19:52:00.000-08:00

Well-known author and speaker Karen Linamen chronicles taking on a big "Ocean Room" project in her book, "Only Nuns Change Habits Overnight," after her daughter Kacie mentioned there was "something missing." Together, the mother-daughter team built a Sea Cave Bed out of plywood and spray-painted rocks on the outside, mounted a sheer blue curtain with hologram circles to mimic water, hung a sea-inspired chandelier inside the "Cave," and painted the bedroom walls three shades of torquoise. Unfortunately, the project became abandoned as life got in the way. Karen later moved to a larger wing in the house while Kacie took over her mother's master bedroom, vacating the Ocean Room for an occasional student to use for a semester while attending a nearby college.

There the room sat ... with its trunk of Pirate Treasure gathering dust and the fish-shaped pillows longing for a head to rest on their softness, or at least to be engaged in an all-out pillow fight of giggling teenagers spending the night for a slumber party.

As the ocean waves ebbed and flowed, Karen got tired of the room being a constant reminder of yet another unfinished project in her life, so she hired me to finish it once and for all! She gave me free rein to complete the room however I saw fit, her only requirements being that I include an octopus and blend away the turquoise "stripes" on the walls--her attempt at "darkening" the water as the ocean deepened.

The Sea Cave Bed was covered in what Karen and Kacie laughingly refer to as paisley-, candy corn-, and bean-shaped rocks, an artistic faux pas easily corrected. I decided to extend the cave down both walls to make it look more natural: one side would wrap around to the bedroom door; the other would cross the top of the window and fall like an undersea cliff to the other corner, essentially covering two walls and toning down all that turquoise. I wanted to include a dolphin and coral, as well as duplicate the fish pillows to tie everything together, all while working within Karen's budget. The folding closet doors would make the perfect hideout for the octopus.

I started the project the Monday after Christmas, December 28th, putting in 15 hours in the first two days. Then I returned on the 31st and spent the night, putting in another 15 hours over those two days. Over the next two weeks, I put in another 60 hours, bringing the grand total to 90.

I sketched the layout with vine charcoal, blocked in the basic shapes with interior latex paint, blended the "water" with cellulose sponges, then finished details, shadows and highlights with my Iwata Eclipse airbrush. For the octopus and dolphin, I did do a bit of "real" painting, blending paints and colors as I went, but for the most part, everything else was single, basic colors. Karen saved me some valuable time by painting the inside of the Sea Cave Bed solid black, did rocks and coral, and the Gray and Purple Fishes. She did an excellent job, too! I didn't know she was so artistically inclined!

Below are some of the "Before," "During" and "After" photos. If you'd like to see more, please see Ocean Room Mural Part 1 and Ocean Room Mural Part 2 on my Facebook page.

As always, feel free to leave comments! And thanks for reading!

(I apologize--after much fiddling, I couldn't get the captions to exactly match up with the photos, so you may need to scroll down a bit before you find the picture that goes with the caption! It looks fine in the "Draft" and "Preview" views, but as soon as I hit "Publish Post," it gets all messed up!)

The Sea Cave Bed made out of plywood by Karen and Kacie Linamen. Note the "bubbly water" curtain. The chandelier is hanging in the corner, hidden by the curtain. Karen purchased a new pendant and sconce lights for inside the cave--perfect matches for the ocean theme!

The famous "turquoise-striped" walls, fish-shaped pillows, and treasure trunk in the corner.

Sketching the dolphin with vine charcoal.

On the left on the closet door is the sketch of the octopus, and on the right, you can see where I've started painting the "mortar" between the rocks to the left of the Sea Cave Bed.

After blending away the "stripes."

Painting in the new rocks. I changed the rocks to match the cutouts in the plywood, continuing the shapes on all sides to make them look 3-dimensional.

I found reference photos on the Internet.

Handprints from Karen and Kacie inside the Sea Cave.

The Sea Cave after the rocks are painted with basic colors and the inside is painted black.

Painting rocks inside the cave, even on the ceiling.

Hooray! The basic colors of the rocks are DONE! I spent about 20 hours just painting rocks!

Working on the octopus. I continued the design inside the cracks of the doors.

Starting the coral reef on the left.

Karen painted this "Red Tree Coral. "

I made it a little thicker to better match the photo reference.

Blocking in the "Brain" Coral's basic colors. Wait till you see the finished product!

Finished blocking in the basic colors for the "Flower" Coral (I don't know its real name).

Blocking in the basic colors for the dolphin, plus I blended in some of the underbelly.

Airbrushing the Octopus (the tentacle in the middle isn't done yet).

Starting airbrushing on the rocks. They're beginning to look less cartoonish already!

Starting the airbrushing on the Brain Coral. I used "Sand," "Light Brown," "Dark Brown," "Peach," "White" and "Black" by the time I was finished.

Adding color highlights to the rocks to make them more 3-dimensional.

Airbrushing done on the dolphin (along with sunlight streaks around him) and Corals.
I used scouring pads dipped in paint and blotted on the wall to create the texture on the Coral Reef.

Starting shadows on the Coral Reef. Note the shadow below the Gray Fish on the right.

Window wall complete. I also added highlights to the tops of all the rocks to mimic sunlight coming through the "water."

Octopus done.

Dolphin close-up. Ain't he handsome?

Sea Cave Bed done. Once the clear coat is on, the black airbrushed rings around the rocks won't be so visible.

Ocean floor detail. I added streaks of "Sand," highlighted with "White," then deepened the colors with "Brite Blue," "Deep Blue," "Caribbean Blue," and "Black."

Showing off my Corals. Didn't they turn out awesome?

Coral Reef complete. Note the streaks of sunlight above and the shadows under all the corals.

The Yellow Fish. He started with a basic Yellow Background, then I airbrushed Orange, White, Brite Blue, Deep Blue, Black, then Yellow, all in that order, onto him.

The "Flower" Coral. Airbrushing took Red, Green, Orange, Yellow, White, Deep Blue, and Black to add details, shadows, and highlights.

Clown Fish (no, he's not Nemo or Merlin!) detail. Even he took Orange, White, Black, and Deep Blue to highlight and shadow.

Brain Coral done. I added black to deepen its "innards," then did a light coat of black to darken the bottom half to make it recede.

Dolphin detail. I really like how the sun shading/reflections turned out on his head.

Coral Reef Corner in all its glory.

Coral Reef with Octopus.

Red Tree Coral detail.

The mural as you enter the bedroom.

Karen will be hosting an "Open House Unveiling Party" in March (some time around Saturday the 20th) to show off her new Ocean Room Mural. Really folks, these pictures don't do the mural justice. She's allowing me to display several of my other paintings for sale. We'll be serving shrimp cocktail, calamari, and crab dip to go along with the Ocean theme. Details to come soon, or email me at srmerchant326@hotmail.com if I forget to post the information! I sure hope you can make it!

No Run-of-the-Mill Cakes Here!

2009-12-01T00:14:00.000-08:00

Is your idea of a "personalized" cake one that you've picked out of half a dozen at the grocery store, then had "Happy Birthday Billy" spelled out on top in whatever color the bakery attendant chooses? Or is it one that you've chosen out of dozens of photos from Walmart's cake album, only to have it look nothing like the picture when you pick it up?

Most grocery stores have a "central location" (such as Denver) where all their cakes are baked, frozen, then shipped to other locations (such as Colorado Springs, Monument, and Woodland Park) throughout the state only to sit in the freezer even longer until they are thawed out, frosted, decorated with your basic trim, balloons, and confetti, then stuck in a refrigerator case where they sit for days, causing the frosting to crack and colors to bleed, all the while hoping someone will take them home. If you're lucky, you get a "manager's special": a cake that's been sitting so long it's on the verge of being dumped in the trash. Even if you order from a bakery, chances are the cake was baked a week or two ago and has been frozen until your order comes up, and the frosting used to decorate it was possibly made days ago for someone else's cake and you get the leftovers!

What if you could choose your own flavor of cake, filling, type of frosting, colors, and personalized greeting? What if you could ask for a motorcycle, a dinosaur, or martini glass--items that can't be found in assembly-line fridge bins at the local grocery store? What if you could order your cake as fresh as possible?

I bake all of my cakes either the night before or the day of your order. The frosting is prepared right before I decorate, not days before and stored in the fridge where the coloring and cream can separate. I make every single cake to order, down to the cake's flavor, filling, colors, picture, and message. I can do whimsical, three-dimensional, and/or "painted" cakes; sheet, round or square cakes; tiered or three-dimensional cakes for any occasion!

Sure, they cost a little more, but people will be talking about your one-of-a-kind cake for weeks! And aren't you worth it?

E-mail me at srmerchant326@hotmail.com with questions or to place an order. Please give at least 3 days notice.

Below are some cakes that I've done over the last several weeks. Please let me know if you have any questions or feel free to leave comments.

(One of these days, I'll figure out how Blogger lines up the captions with the pictures, but for now, you can probably figure them out!)

Mazda 6 for Bob Penkhus Mazda.

Turkey cake for Thanksgiving Potluck.

Three-in-One Twilight Cake

Guitar Cake for Going-Away Party.

Martini Birthday Cake.

Hawaiian Baby Shower Cake.

Motorcycle Groom's Cake.

Sugar Skull Cake for Dia de los Muertos Holiday.

T-Rex Cake for 2-year-old's Birthday

Miniature Show Paintings

2009-11-30T23:15:00.001-08:00

I rent an art studio at Cottonwood Center for the Arts, located in downtown Colorado Springs, CO, at 427 E. Colorado Avenue, Studio 212. Cottonwood features new exhibits in the main gallery every month, and have an opening reception on the last Friday to kick off the new show.

November's theme is "Miniatures," where no canvas can measure greater than 12 inches in length or height (the frame can be larger, though). I had grand ideas of having 3 series with 5 paintings each: Pets, Flowers, and scenes of Colorado Springs. Not sure where the month went, but I only got 3 paintings total done! Time sure flies, doesn't it?

Anyway, the 3 paintings I finished in time for the show were Rascal, a Schnauzer/Terrier mix, my friend Sandy Higginbotham's new puppy; Dakota, my son Matt's Keeshond in Garden of the Gods; and Zeb, my late two-point domestic long-hair (he died in February). These sell for $85 each.

Unfortunately, traffic was very slow for the Artwalk (too many people hitting the malls for Black Friday and recuperating from turkey comas from Thanksgiving the day before) so the Gallery only had one sale. Many of the 90+ artists weren't in their studios either, not that we had many individual sales anyway, so I guess they didn't miss out on much.

But anyway, these are photos of the paintings I did for the show and are still hanging in the Gallery. The show runs through January 14th, so even if you couldn't make it on November 27th, you can still go shopping! You're sure to find something for even the pickiest person on your Christmas Gift List.

The November show is important for Cottonwood because it's also a fundraiser: half of all sales go to Cottonwood (they normally only take 30%). Because of their small sizes, many of the original paintings are priced within many peoples' budgets. This is a great way to add to your own collection as well. If you want to see more, come to Cottonwood during business hours because many artists have plenty more miniatures for sale inside their studios. WINTER business hours are Tuesday - Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and closed on Sundays and Mondays.

I have several pochades (rough drafts) for sale for $25 each in my studio as well, and I finished a 4th pet today, Neo, a Beagle/Pekinese dog that belongs to my friend Teresa.

My miniature pet paintings measure 5x7 inches and are on gallery wrapped canvases, which means they don't need framing. The pochades are on 6x8 inch canvas panels, so you can display them on a small easel or shelf, or get them framed. My painting "Labyrinth" is also on sale for $2350 and measures 24x48 inches (not a miniature!) on stretched canvas.

If you'd like to have a portrait of your own pet done, please email me at srmerchant326@hotmail.com, mention you saw this blog and get a 5x7 painting for only $50--that's a savings of $35! For out-of-town folks, I can sell the painting through my Etsy Web (www.nepneeart.etsy.com) site or you can pay by check or money order.

Thanks for looking, and be sure to leave your comments!

Pop Pop in Paris

2009-10-31T22:32:00.000-07:00

Cottonwood's theme for their October Artwalk was "Dia de los Muertos," or "Day of the Dead," a Mexican holiday that celebrates loved ones who have passed away. Typically, the artwork depicting this holiday includes macabre images, skeletons, cemeteries, and the like.

When I visited my Mom in June this year, I was struck by a photo of my late father on her fridge, one my sister had taken when Mom and Dad visited her in Paris while she was working as a nanny. They had visited an artist's studio, and Dad was in a typical pose, hand to chin, looking out the window. The way the light was streaming through the window, I pictured him in heaven with angels' wings behind him. This is what I wanted to show in my painting: Dad "Contemplating Heaven."

So, I went to work, sketching it out and simplifying the composition because I wanted the focus to be on Dad. I added a cross to my painting similar to one a friend gave me as a gift years ago that she picked up in Mexico. Also, instead of the alley scene on the artist's easel, I made a miniature painting of my "Purple Irises" that hangs outside my studio at Cottonwood. As a finishing touch, I airbrushed the light streaming in through the window.

I'm happy to report my painting was accepted into this juried show. I didn't win any prizes, but I'm so thankful that I was able to share this memory of my father with all the folks who attended the Artwalk. There were TONS of people there, and I received many compliments on my painting.

Thanks to all who came! Below are photos of the process.

Sketching the details.

Blocking in the darks.

Adding some color.

When I paint with acrylics, I use several layers like watercolors, so the painting takes a long time.

Doesn't look anything like him. :(

So I painted his face out and tried several more times.

Blocking in the Irises.

Adding a whisper of wings.

More layers to the Irises.

Added some paintbrushes to the table. I like how the shadows turned out.

At first, I painted Dad's eyes closed, but then I "opened" them. I like them better open. :)

Irises done, sunlight airbrushed.

It was difficult to see the items on the bookshelf in the background, so I made up my own. At the recommendation of another artist, I made the wings more visible and added yellow candlelight to the wings from the candles on the fireplace mantle.

The finished painting: "Contemplating Heaven," a/k/a "Pop Pop in Paris."

The show is over the third week of November, so I will be getting it framed and shipping it to Mom as a Christmas present. I'll be getting giclees made, and my brother Mark has requested one, so that'll be his Christmas present this year as well.

Starsmore Recycling Bin

2009-10-18T02:59:00.001-07:00

Back in June? July? I painted a recycling bin for the City of Colorado Springs. I did the Labyrinth, with goblins on one side and the M.C. Escher scene on the other. It's now in the lobby of the City Administration Building at 30 S. Nevada (& Colorado, northwest corner), so if you get a chance to go there, keep an eye out for it!

Back in August, I did a story for the Starsmore Discovery Center about a fundraising art festival called "Canvases in the Canon." While chatting with Cathy Railton, program coordinator and my interview victim, I told her I'd volunteer to paint a bin for Starsmore if she contacted the City to have it delivered to my studio. It arrived a few days later. Cathy invited me to do a demo at the festival, so I brought the bin to work on, and passed out brochures to those who stopped to "admire" my work.

Here is the completed bin, but if you'd like to see the work in progress, please click here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2035822&id=1387599568&saved#/album.php?aid=2035822&id=1387599568&ref=mf.

Labyrinth is DONE!

2009-09-09T10:29:00.000-07:00

I started this Labyrinth painting in 2006. I invested 5 months and over 60 hours into it before I lost the DVD cover. I met a woman at a birthday party in June while I was in MD for my daughter's graduation, and she had a copy of the correct DVD cover and mailed it to my studio so that I could finish it. Now, 3 months and over 30 hours later, it's done.

I waited until after taking a portrait class with local Colorado Springs artist Dan Schultz to do Jareth, and the difference between Sarah and Jareth is enormous! Almost to the point where I want to re-do Sarah. But the painting in its current state says a lot about the growth I've made as an artist, especially over the last 3 years. In fact, I can see a big difference between the characters on the left done 3 years ago and the characters on the right, done these last few months.

The painting is listed for sale on my Etsy site for $2500 because I have to cover Etsy fees, but for anyone who buys the painting directly from me, it's $2350. It's hanging in the hallway at Cottonwood Center for the Arts right now, where I have my art studio, so if it sells off the wall, Cottonwood gets 15%.

To see more photos of the process, check out my Facebook photo album, Labyrinth.

Please feel free to leave comments on the painting, good or bad, and thanks for looking!

I apologize in advance for the sequence of the photos, but it's way too difficult to move pictures around in Blogger, not to mention I don't have the patience for it! Also, I apologize for the huge spaces between pictures--if I don't do that, the captions don't match up correctly. :(

The completed painting:

Hanging outside my studio at Cottonwood Center for the Arts:

Sir Didymus:

Ludo:

The Goblin City next to Ludo:

Fiery:

Goblin City in the background:

"TURN BACK! THIS IS NOT THE WAY!" A False Alarm:

Sarah with the Worm above her and "Labyrinth" below her:

Wise Man with Bird Hat ("It's so stimulating being your hat!"):

Hoggle:

"Did she say it?"

Toby:

Jareth that I painted in 1994. I've come a looooooong way!

The Worm ("'Ello!" "Did you say 'Hello'?" "No, I said ''Ello,' but that's close enough!"):

Jareth in 2009, before adding the purple frames.

Jareth with the purple frames:

The Art of Recycling

2009-07-20T13:04:00.000-07:00

The City of Colorado Springs launched an Adopt-a-Bin Recycling Program earlier this year. Through a special partnership with SBM Site Services and BETTR Recycling, fiber barrels were provided to the city to be distributed throughout city buildings to encourage employees to recycle their aluminum cans, newspapers, plastic products, and other recyclable items. The goal of the program is to "implement a low-cost, creative, and infectious recycling program that can be easily copied for the inspiration and convenience of our employees and our community." In fact, the employees have been so supportive of this program that they donated their own money to help purchase the bins.

In order to promote the program and encourage others to participate, the City sent out a Call to Artists, naming it the "Art of Recycling," to get people to decorate the bins to attract attention and make recycling more fun. Eileen McCullen with the City contacted Cottonwood Center for the Arts to see if any of their studio artists would be interested, and over a dozen have taken advantage of this opportunity.

The decorated bins are adopted by city employees and positioned throughout city buildings, where the employee is responsible for emptying the bins and taking the items to recycling. The City even scheduled a judging for city-employee-decorated bins, with the First Place Ribbons tying for the Stormwater Customer Service and Hillside Community Center's Teen RISE Club.

I agreed to decorate a bin because of the opportunity to display my artwork in front of hundreds of people on a weekly basis. It's free advertising, and hopefully, will result in some commissions or murals.

Below are pictures, but because they take so long to upload, I didn't include many on the "process"; rather, I included more of the finished product.

My bin was adopted by Nick Kittle, Fleet Finance Manger, and was installed at the (very busy) City Administration Building at 30 S. Nevada. He is a big Labyrinth fan and claimed my bin the instant it was brought into City Hall. Also, he wanted it to be "front and center," where it would get a lot of exposure, and this building is one of the busiest in the city.

Let me know what you think!

(I apologize in advance: the spacing is all messed up--Blogger really frustrates me!--and I don't have the knowledge nor the patience to fix it. Hopefully everyone will be able to figure out what caption goes with which photo. Sorry!)

After three coats of primer, I sketched in the M.C. Escher scene at the end of the Labyrinth movie on one side, and the goblins on the other.

Blocking in the darks.

All finished and signing my name under a staircase.

Adding my Web site: http://www.stephaniessmorgasbord.com/.

These are the completed goblins:

In the lobby of Cottonwood before heading to City Hall for the judging.

My completed masterpiece!

Studio 212

2009-06-30T22:16:00.000-07:00

I've been so busy with projects and volunteering that I haven't had a chance to update my blog, but since I have so much good news to share, I HAD to get on and update!

First of all, because I am doing so much more than murals, I decided to change my blog name to "Stephanie Johnson Murals AND MORE!" That way, I won't have to keep taking "commercial breaks" to show what projects I've been working on.

Secondly, Greg and I volunteered for 6 weeks at Cottonwood Center for the Arts, helping them get set up in their new digs in time for their Grand Opening in April. I loved the artists and environment so much, that I decided to get a studio there! Good thing, too, because Matt, and now Shaina, have taken over my basement art studio.

Each artist is allowed to decorate their studio to their taste, and I really wanted to show off my mural business the most (in addition to all the other stuff I do). In the front "client" area, I decided to paint a mural, and found inspiration in "The North Star," by Peter H. Reynolds (I also own his books "Ish" and "The Dot"). I changed the blonde boy to a brunette girl (for obvious reasons), chose several of my favorite scenes, and paraphrased the text to come up with my mural. My studio neighbor's granddaughter insists it's the "coolest studio in the whole building" (that's saying a lot, considering there are over 80 artists!). My friend Mike Pach says "Your photos don't do it justice, people really need to see it in person to get the full impact."

Consider this your personal invitation to come on down and see it! Cottonwood is located at 427 E. Colorado Ave., Colorado Springs, CO 80903. I'm in Studio 212 on the second floor. Take a right at the Studio B sign (it doglegs at the utility sink), turn right at the dead end (at Jo Carol's studio) and I'm the first door on the right. Look for the Purple Irises painting on the wall. Cottonwood is open Monday through Friday 10-6 and Saturdays 10-2, but call ahead (719) 237-1273) to make sure I'm there, as I'm still teaching classes outside the studio.

Cottonwood also hosts "Last Friday Artwalks," where we feature a themed gallery show, and all the artists are in their studios to give demonstrations and answer questions. Talk about great exposure! So far a woman from Parade of Homes and another interior designer have shown interest in my work, so cross your fingers they lead to jobs!

In the meantime, I made a bear for a client who found me on my Etsy.com Web site, I'm finishing up Matt's Labyrinth painting, and the fellow who hired me to do his Winnie the Pooh drawing wants me to do another project.

Here are photos if you can't come down right away. Let me know what you think, and if you run into anyone needing a mural, please keep me in mind.

Commercial Break: Illusionist Props

2009-02-11T19:37:00.000-08:00

Here's my latest project!

A local illusionist commissioned me to paint some props someone made for him to use in his "magic" shows. The props are cut out of 1/2" MDF board.

He asked me to paint "wiggly bricks" on them, but didn't really have an idea of what they should look like. He told me to use my imagination.

This picture shows them in my art studio before I got started.

Here's the side view. The back panel folds in first, then the top panel folds down. They're only about 2" wide, so they're very compact and can fit in any car trunk. This one shows a cut-out in the top.

Because they're made of MDF board, the props required two coats of primer, otherwise the paint would end up peeling off in a couple of years.

They also required two coats of black paint for the background. This picture was taken after the first coat of paint was applied.

I attempted to make a template out of Con-Tact paper but it was too flimsy and kept tearing. So I used the cut-out bricks and traced them onto the fronts of the props. I wanted them to have the same "organic" shape of the props.

Here you can see the penciled outlines on the boards.

These are my "tools of the trade": latex paint, cellulose sponges, scouring pads, and brick templates (the rolled-up paper in the top right corner).

I bought basic black, yellow, and red paint, and used those to mix the other colors in Cool Whip containers: red-orange, orange, and brown.

Red, brown, orange, and red-orange were used for brick bases, while all the colors, including black, were used for texture and highlights.

Here I am using the cellulose sponge (a large one cut into fourths) to block in the basic brick colors.

So far I've painted in red, red-orange, and orange bricks. I allowed some of the black to show through for texture, and painted some of the bricks with a second layer to make them brighter (the top right brick and the left brick in the third row of the prop on the right are both red--the brighter one has two layers).

Close-up of a red brick: note the texture the cellulose sponge makes. The more black showing through, the more contrast.

I then used the scouring pads to add texture and highlights to the bricks. You can see the prop on the right has some of its bricks done. I used layers and layers of different colors for each brick, and each one turned out unique, even though there were only 4 basic foundation colors.

I wrapped the bricks around the edge of the board.

Here's the completed prop.

Or so I thought...there was still something missing.

I posed too soon with my masterpieces.

I decided to add some finishing touches.

To make the bricks stand out, I added a "shadow" along the left side and bottom of each brick using Ivory Gray, but against the base paint, it wasn't very visible. So I used Mars Black. That helped, but not much. So then I added a gray wash to the "mortar" to help the black shadows look even darker than the mortar. These changes allowed the bricks to look even more three dimensional.

Here's an outside photo--you can really see everything better in the natural sunlight.

Here are close-ups of the bricks:

And of course, my signature: "SRJ '09." I always try to make my signature look inconspicuous so that it doesn't take away from the artwork.

The illusionist was really impressed with his props!

Feel free to leave comments and let me know what you think. Thanks!

Web Site Launched!

2009-01-30T15:49:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note to announce that my new Web site, Stephanie's Smorgasbord, has been launched! Here it is:

www.stephaniessmorgasbord.com

It features all the wonderful stuff I love to do: paint, write, teach art classes, decorate cakes, make crafts, create teddy bears, paint wall murals, and so much more!

So take a look and let me know if you'd like to place an order, need an estimate on a mural, have an exciting craft you'd like me to make, a scrapbook album you need me to put together, or a painting project you'd like to commission.

Thanks for visiting and please share the site with all your friends!

And a huge thank you to my son, Matthew Merchant, who built the entire site. It's his very first! He's interning with GetWebEdge in Jacksonville, Florida. You can contact him at matthewtm@getwebedge.net for information about having your own site done. He's fantastic!

P.S. Here's the new business card that matches the Web site:

The Bear Cave

2009-01-09T16:21:00.000-08:00

The third classroom I did for Radiant Church was the Bear Cave.

Premier Concepts did the artwork out in the hallway (I helped), and my job was to duplicate the Bear Cave theme inside the classroom.

For the order of pictures in this blog entry, I'm going to show the progress of the individual critters instead of the chronological order of the entire room so you have a better idea of what's involved from start to finish.

Here I am working on part of the mural in the hallway.

A close-up of the hallway bear after Mingo Garcia finished airbrushing it.

Me working on the Bear Cave exterior in the hallway.

Here's the owner/founder of Premier Concepts, Darle Bowman, pretending to sleep on the bear after it was mounted to the wall. The last few hours before the deadline were exhausting, so he's not exaggerating how tired he was!

The hallway finished. Note the doorway to the classroom on the right side of the picture. I matched its style on the inside of the classroom.

As with the Fox Den, the critters were to be cut out of MDF (medium density fiber) board, so I sketched them out first, another volunteer cut them out and sanded them, background colors were painted in, then I airbrushed in shadows and highlights, and added final touches with a paintbrush if applicable.

Here's one of the MDF boards with several figures on it.

In the photo below, I call the middle bear "Sleeping Bear." I was working on foxes and bears at the same time I was working in Duck Pond 1, so the cut out critters are all in the same picture. The rest of her pictures are further down the page.

This one is "Honey Bear."

Painting in background colors.

Airbrushing in the darker colors.

With his white highlights done, paintbrushed mouth added, and surrounded by his three bees, he's now ready to be mounted.

These are the bumble bees that go with "Honey Bear."

I call this one "Baby Teddy." If you look above at the picture showing all the bears on one board, this one is in the bottom left corner.

"Papa Bear."

Here's "Mama Bear and Cub."

Here are the "Twins."

Twin One.

Twin Two.

Sleeping Bear (sounds like a Native American Indian name) with her airbrushing and paintbrushing details done.

This is "Happy Bear."

Getting started on the den inside the classroom. I didn't like the first and second versions, so I painted over it and started again. I finally settled on the third version. I used cellulose sponges to paint the majority of the interior of the den, and the airbrush to paint the exterior.

A cabinet was going in on this wall, so I painted rocks around the cabinet to to make it look like a pile of rocks.

Cave painting details.

My painting apprentices got tuckered out.

The aspen tree.

As I was painting the black details on the aspen tree, I realized I painted two "eyes" too close together, so I made it into a face to smile at the kids. Because it's on a "bumpout" in the wall, you have to be standing at a certain angle to see it.

All done. Let me know what you think!

"Commercial Break": Canvas Painting

2009-01-05T22:21:00.000-08:00

WE INTERRUPT THIS PROGRAM FOR A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT....

Ha! Ha!

I know this isn't a mural, but I was so excited with how this painting turned out that I had to add it to my blog.

A former classmate commissioned me to do a portrait of her sister's dog Bummer, who is a terrier/Shih Tsu mix.

First, I sketched out a bust of the dog in the top right corner, then a full body shot in the lower right, to take up most of the canvas.

At first, I was going to do an all-green background to represent grass...

...but decided to put a tree, bushes, and a little bit of sky in the background in the upper left corner.

I wanted to use my airbrush and use some new techniques that I learned, but Poppy needed the compressor, so I simply made layer upon layer of brush strokes using #8 and #10 liner brushes.

Here I'm putting in strokes to mark the direction of the fur and outline the basic colors.

Adding more layers and getting ready to paint in the tongue. I purposely turned up the corner of her mouth to add more of a smile based on the dog's personality.

Here's the finished upper right "bust" of Bummer, shown with the photo I used as a reference.

Eye detail.

Collar detail.

Here's the lower left full body section...I'm marking in the direction of fur and putting in the underlying, darker layers.

The lower left full body version.

Showing closer detail of the face. I like Bummer's "Alfalfa" sprout on the top of her head.

Leg/chest detail.

Back detail.

I added an alizarin crimson wash to the grass to tone it down just a bit. Here's the finished portrait.

Thanks for looking! Let me know what you think!

The Fox Den

2009-01-05T18:35:00.000-08:00

For Room Number Two (out of five) in the Early Childhood Wing, Radiant Church wanted me to do a Fox Den. The entrance was done by Premier Concepts (PC), so I wanted to match their style as best as I could. Because painting the critters directly onto the wall was so time-consuming, Pastor Todd asked me to do all the critters in the remaining rooms in "cutouts," like PC did. I was happy to oblige, because I knew how much of a time-saver it would be, plus the cutouts gave the illusion of "popping" off the walls. Working with cutouts was also more "forgiving," being so new at the airbrush.

Here's the entrance that PC did in the hallway for the Fox Den, a/k/a Fox Hole (other volunteers and I painted the background colors but Mingo Garcia did the airbrushing):

Inside the classroom, I sketched out how I wanted the grassy hills to appear and volunteers blocked in the colors (they were prepping this room for me while I was still working on the Duck Pond 1 Room). Then I used sponges and the airbrush to add details.

I knew where I was going to mount the foxes, so I used the sponges to paint in their shadows.

Here is a close-up showing the grass at the entrance to one of the dens and some highlighting/shadowing on the hills.

The critters were to be cut out of MDF (Medium Density Fiber) board, so I sketched them onto the board and other volunteers at the church cut them out, rounded the edges, and sanded them.

Volunteers helped me to paint in the basic colors on the fox critters. Here is Stephanie Cooper painting foxes and flowers.

Because purple is the complement of orange, I used purple airbrush paint to build up the shadows on the orange parts, then used red to build depth, and yellow and white for highlights. I used gray to shadow the white parts.

I used a paintbrush to add ear hairs and lines for eyes.

Here's one of my flowers.

Wendall Cooper mounted the critters to the walls using silicone and a nail gun.

I added yellow highlights and dark green shadows to the hills, as well as blue to the clouds. I wanted to incorporate the white cabinets as clouds, so I painted white around them, then added blue airbrushing to the cabinet faces. They almost look three-dimensional!

Welcome to the Fox Den. This fox is one of my favorites.

Getting started on the aspen trees.

Almost done...mounting the flowers came about a week later, but the clouds, grass, and highlighting are done.

Duck Pond 1 Complete

2009-01-05T17:40:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's been waaaaayyyyy too long since I've been able to post! Been busy with my book proposal, the holidays, etc.

So, back to my murals. Now that I'm better at navigating, I can post more pictures and add captions.

First I start with sketching the critters on the wall:

Then I paint in the basic colors:

Then I add red airbrush paint:

Then orange:

Then white highlights and dark green for shadow underneath:

Here are the finished critters, but blank white clouds:

Then after I airbrushed blue in the clouds:

These were my first clouds, and I think they look rather lame, but wait till you see the clouds in the Fox Den, Bear Cave, and Duck Ponds 2 and 3!

To paint the aspen trees, I started with gray for the base, then added white highlights to one side, dark gray to the other, then black "eyes" and other details.

Then sponge painted the trees starting with dark green ("Greenbelt?"), medium green (no clue what the name was), then light green ("Electric Lime"). I forgot to take pictures of the green stages in this room, but I will post them for the other murals.

The finished Duck Pond 1 Room:

More Duck Pond #1 (out of 3 rooms) Pictures

2008-08-30T19:49:00.001-07:00

Can I really only add 5 pictures at a time?

Duck Pond #1

2008-08-30T19:23:00.000-07:00

After Premier Concepts left, Radiant was going to paint simple rolling hills, skies, and clouds in the other nursery classrooms in the Early Childhood Wing. As a result of my volunteering with PC, Radiant discovered I was an artist and invited me to complete the classrooms in themes: Duck Ponds, a Fox Den, and a Bear Cave.

PC cut critters out of MDF board, painted in basic colors, Mingo Garcia did the airbrush work, then the critters were mounted to the walls for a 3-D look. For the room Radiant wanted me to do, they decided to have the critters painted directly to the wall, so I sketched ducks and frogs after PC's work, then used clip art to add grasshoppers, bumble bees, ladybugs, a squirrel, birds, butterflies, and dragonflies.

This on-the-wall technique proved time-consuming, so future rooms would have cutouts. I incorporated bumpouts (weight-bearing studs) in the walls as tree trunks, sponged in the aspen leaves, airbrushed the clouds to make them more realistic, and added shadows under the animals.

In the pictures above, the original wall sketch of a duck is shown, then blocking in the basic colors, then airbrushing dark colors/shadows, then white highlights. I added a shadow on the ground. I also included a picture of one of my favorite critters in this room: the purple dragonfly. Not too shabby for my first airbrush job, huh?

Now if I can figure out how to upload pictures correctly, I'll add more.