Big and Small

I just got back from a small vacation, and let me say that it gave me time to think! I have so many ideas, some big and some very very small. ;]

I have a list as long as my arm with all the subjects I want to tackle. I have made the decision though to keep all of June's pieces a secret. This means that there wont me many very new things in the blog to look at for a little while. Except for the rest of May's pieces, which I still have to upload, sheesh.

Things to ponder.
- The ocean is amazing.
- Sun burns are not fun.
- A cloud had about a million colours in it.
- Accessories, accessories, accessories.
- Summer should be filled with music.

Paintings / May 18-24

So I have switched subjects a little and I am now working with more flora than fauna.
-*Fiddle Heads 1

-*Fern 1

-Fiddle Heads 2

-Fern 2

-*Pine 1

-Pine 2

-Pine 3

*Click on the image to magnify.*

$30.00 (3x5) and $45.00 (* 5x7) each.

Paintings / May 11-17

These are some Chinese Style paintings. Continueing on with my "essentials" collection. I'm trying to bring it back to basics and keep it simple. I left out one of the seven because it was horrible. Will be re-doing that one.

-Bamboo Bones 1 *SOLD*

-Cherry Blossoms *SOLD*

-Chrysanthemums *SOLD*

-Pine Tree

-Bamboo Bones 2

-Fish

*Click on the image to magnify.*

$30.00 and $25.00 each.

An FYI

Someone may, or may not, have noticed this but I have been pre-dating my posts. I have been doing this for a couple of reasons.

1. To keep all of my work in order, in the time they were produced. Some works I haven't posted right away because I want to devote a little more time to them, or I might have an after thought I want to implement.
2. I am just plain lazy about posting the pieces as I complete them. Sometimes it takes me a week (maybe 2) before I post a completed week.

So, there is a good excuse to scroll down in this blog and check back to make sure you haven't missed some new pieces. The new posts might not be at the top of the blog.

Its tricky I know.

Paintings / May 4 - 10

More faces. Inspired by the work of Mucha.
The last piece is a self portrait with Mucha style hair. :)
* Click on the image to magnify.*
$25.00 each.
Self Portrait is not for sale.

Paintings / Apr 27 - May 3

I decided to try coming at this project from a 180 degree angle. I am calling these "Essentials", as I am going back to basics and painting only the most essential elements. The drawings are still done with my raised paint technique and so have that textural quality I enjoy so much. Its too bad the paint strokes dont show in the scans, as I did actually paint in the white background.

-Optimism

-Curiosity

-Pessimism

-Desire *SOLD*

-Sympathy

-Contentment

-Frustration

*Click on the image to magnify.*

$25.00 each.

Paintings / Apr 20 - 26

A new set of birds, kind of in keeping with the previous two sets, composition wise. I have focused on the faces and have them coming in from the side of the canvas. Off center, kind of like me. :)

"Face Off"

-Blue Jay *SOLD*

-Bald Eagle *SOLD*

-Parrot *SOLD*

-Brent's Goose

-Flamingo . *SOLD*

-Pelican *SOLD*

-Snowy Owl

*Click on an image to magnify.*

$45.00 each.

Paintings / Apr 13 - 19

More stealthy creatures. These ones decided to try camouflage.

Bee *SOLD*

Ant

Lady Bugs

Butterfly

Centipede

Praying Mantis *SOLD*

Grasshopper *SOLD*

*Click on an image to magnify*

$45.00 each.

Paintings / Apr 6 - 12

These guys are sneaky. Its hard to catch a glimpse of these stealth fish, because they are away as soon as you try to snap a pic. You never know when they are going to peek around a corner.

- Pipefish *SOLD*

- Lizard Fish *SOLD*

- Orange Roughy *SOLD*

- Bream *SOLD*

- Porcupine Fish *SOLD*

- Moonfish *SOLD*

- Archer Fish *SOLD*

*Click on an image to magnify.*

$30.00 each.

Playing Catch Up

Ooooooh I am so close to being all caught up again.

• I finished my "Popfly's".
• Last weeks fish paintings are done. Woo Hoo!
• This week I am on track, on schedule with my paintings.
• I will (hopefully) be able to sneak the last few finishing touches on the 14 aceo's I have from 3 weeks ago. They are drawings of feathers and I had an idea I just haven't been able to implement until now.

It's all coming together now. Of course if I wasn't such a perfectionist, my life would probably be a lot easier. I don't know why I put this pressure on myself to not only get the artwork done, but also to have them be "good". If I create something in a day that I don't like, then I feel compelled to create a whole new work (which makes 2 pieces in a day) that meets my standards. I just have it in my head that each piece needs to be showable.

I'm now looking into MyPublisher, to create coffee table books with my artwork. I think it would be really cool to have that.

Paintings / Mar 30 - Apr 5

Sold

Sold

I am calling these Popfly's because of the contrasting colours in each painting. Bright contrasting colours are very "pop". ;]

*Click on the image to magnify.*

$30.00 each.

Trials and Tribulations

The last few weeks have been more challenge than art. I have been extremely busy with life, and finding the time to create every day has become difficult. Currently its about playing catch up, and I am a week behind in my artworks. Hopefully I will get all caught up this week because I have lots of cool, and creative ideas that I would like to get going on. I need to be focused though to begin those projects. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.

I spoke to someone recently that had also tackled the painting a day project (they did graphite drawings), and their story ended after 160 days. An amazing accomplishment to be sure, but I hope I can avoid the same sense of tedium that struck this artist after 5 months.

Here I go into month number 4.

Aceo / Mar 16 - 22

Yay for feathers! Some pretty simple drawings, but I often find the most simple compositions to be the most challenging. I am such a detail oriented person that I am always tempted to fill up that visual space. Leaveing a piece of paper blank is hard.

- Black Crow

- White Swan

- Flight

- Down One

- Down Two

- Down Three

- Down Four

*Click on an image to magnify.*

$12.00 each.

Paintings / Mar 9-15

Robot Heads are fun. That's all I have to say about that. ;].

From top to bottom ...

-Auntie Tenna. *SOLD*

-Chrome Dome

-Bucket Head. *SOLD*

-Tetsujin

-Sentinel

-Robby

-Radar Robo. *SOLD*

*Click on an image for a larger version.*

$30.00 each.

Interview

I did an interview for this cool blog called "Artist Shout Outs".

Go and Check it out!
http://artshouts.blogspot.com/2009/03/artist-feature-erika-schulz.html

Aceo / Mar 2-8

More studies of flowers. These ones, like the others, are supposed to be like mini paintings. I drew them exactly like I would if I was to tackle a canvas. The composition and the backgrounds are totally indicative of my process in acrylic.

-Begonia

-Daliah

-Lily

-Columbine *SOLD*

-Honka Daliah

-Daisy

-Cone Flower *SOLD*

*Click on the image to magnify.*

$12.00 each.

Aceo / Feb 23 - Mar 1

More and more aceo's. I did these ones like I would my paintings. They are little thumbnails.

Bleeding Hearts *SOLD*

Lanterns *SOLD*

Lilies *SOLD*

Violets

Prairie Mallow

Magnolia

Tradescantia

*Click on the image to magnify.*

$12.00 each.

Paintings / Feb 16-22

Spaceships ... what's not to like? Nothing. Its allllll gooood. :)

Actually these paintings were a little harder than the average painting. Trying to design something that dosnt look like a classic/cult design is challenging. The 5th piece is the most classic though. Its design is based on the Mercury Capsule. The 4th painting is also a classic design used in tin toys.

*Click on the image to magnify.*

$30.00 each.

Paintings / Feb 9-15

Ok, so I will eventually get the hang of actually posting my one a day artworks when they are done. As opposed to weeks after the fact. Until that day comes though, you just get to enjoy them as they come. ;]

Here they are. Just pure fun.
MICROBES!!!

From top to bottom they are;

STD 123

Silicate

Blue Algae

Acute Syndrome

Bacterium

Polyp

Viral Agent

*Click on the image to magnify. *

$40.00 each.

Aceo / Feb 2-8

*SOLD*

*SOLD*

*SOLD*

*SOLD*

*SOLD*

*SOLD*

There should be seven drawings here, but I dont like the way one turned out, so im not showing it. These others though, I really like. I was tempted to colour the leaves in, because the actual colours are really beautiful, but I am always afraid I will wreck a drawing by adding colour. If I intend for it to be a colour drawing from the begining thats a different story, but there is something to be said for the purity of a straight on ink or graphite drawing.

*Click on the image to magnify.*

$12.00 each.