Folk Art Mary

Gardening by the Lake, Curvey Path

Gardening by the Lake, Curvey Path was carved summer 2017 and painted winter 2018.

I am a gardener and love getting my hands in the dirt.

 The video below shows how I tried to do something different with this piece. I added two side wings when I ran out of space. It was one of those lucky mistakes that help me keep growing. After I completed carving the main part of the art, I realized I wanted to add a walkway but I had run out of room. So that's why I added the wings, for additional carving surface. The curvey path adds more depth and interest. Without it where would the wheelbarrow go?

 

(Note: after playing video if you want to see it again, click on the counterclockwise rewind symbol at the bottom left of the video)

 

 (Note: after playing the video andif you want to see it again, click on the counterclockwise rewind symbol on the bottom left side of the video and it will reset.)

Below, a picture of the back of the piece showing the added on (right and left boards) "side wings". You can see from this picture that I have once again used rough cut white pine. Affixed in lower left is the small sketch out of which this piece was born.

 

Below pictures of Gardening in various stages in painting:

first coat of paint

  a number of hours into the painting:

 Getting close to the final finished version:

 

 

Pre-painting and post painting detail shots.

  

 

  

Raven Steals the Light - Commission Completed in 2017

I don't usually show pictures of my commissioned pieces online because I want the person who has ordered the piece to have the special experience of being the first one to see it. And then, after the person gets the piece and is happy with it, I am on to new projects.

 

Fall of 2016 I got an email where a wife directed me as follows:

"I would like to commission a piece from you for [my husband's] upcoming birthday. Don’t panic — I know you would not be able to finish the piece by then, but I am hoping we could at least have a sketch by then. I could then present him with the sketch (or a copy) so he would know it is coming. This is a surprise for him, but it is something I know he really wants: We have been talking about having you do this for a while. So I am now taking the opportunity to act on it. It is a ‘big’ birthday for him.

  I would like the piece (to be entitled Raven Steals the Light) to reflect imagery from the Northwest American and Canadian Indian folklore of how Raven stole the light and then gave it to the earth... I was thinking the piece would contain a large raven holding the sun in his beak, but with the moon and stars dispersed across the sky - lots of stars. Either copper or the metal ‘studs’ you have been using. Or a combination. Whatever feels right to you. In my mind, I see the Raven in flight, but if you come up with a different idea, go for it. My only other request is that you incorporate our two dogs into the piece - looking up at the Raven? They do not have to be big, just in the imagery. One is a yellow lab - named Hawk- and the other is a black lab - named…you may have guessed this…Raven. Thus, the piece is in part an homage to [my husband's] ‘favorite black dog’. We were both also taken with the tale and imagery when we first heard the story, many years back."

 

I do not take on every commission but this one interested me in that it was about people and animals in nature. The subject matter fit right in with a number of pieces I was already doing or thinking of doing in that vein. Raven is special to me too - since I have made a number of trips to Utah and have been serenaded by ravens for hours throughout my walks there. I most like commissions when they are not an interruption of my natural flow as an artist. Commissions are best when they push me to learn something new about subject matter that is already of interest to me.  And so I took this project on. It became a very major piece, quite large. So large in fact that I had difficulty photographing it in my small studio set up. Instead I had to set up a special area of my house to take these photos. 

 

This is the initial sketch, there were several that followed but this provided the germ of the idea that I proposed.

 

Followed by the final finished piece:

 

 As it turned out, when I delivered the artwork I realized I had made a mistake. One of the dogs was supposed to be a golden lab and the other a black lab. I took the piece back and repainted this small but important detail. Unfortunately the above and below photos do not reflect this change.

 

 

 

other detail shots

 detail shot right to left

 detail show left to right

 

 

Woman, Yes, Pushed by the Wind

I had fun making this piece. The woman is off balance, surprised,

thrown by a quick gust of wind. But the word "YES" says she can do it.

 

Carving Stage: a close up of her face, this is new for me,

to make such expressions of surprise

 

Carving Stage: this view is from a little further out, You can see how I intentionally tore the

background wood by carving cross grain with a tool angle that increased shredding.

I like to do this textural type of effect because it makes things more interesting, plus

after the carving is painted you can see I'm working with wood.

 

Painting Stage: Early in the painting

 

Later Painting stage: half way through the painting, doing lots of

layers to get the look that tells me the work is done.

Musical Livingroom Close up Photos

Below are before and after photos showing various close up views of Musical Livingroom. Look for my earlier blog posting to see the piece finished.

 

 

 

 

 

instagram: #folkartmary

folk art mary

Musical Livingroom

Musical Livingroom is a piece that I carved several years ago but I didn't paint it until this past winter. I really like the colors in this one and how it has a glow. As usual it's much better seen "in person" than as a photo. This picture is true to my livingroom and yes it's a self portrait of me playing the accordian/concertina.

instagram: #folkartmary

folk art mary

Sailing Race on Cayuga Lake, Early Carving Stage

Sailing Race on Cayuga was inspired by watching  Cornell sailing team races and practice sessions that take place at the south end of Cayuga Lake. I've never been crew in a sailing race, but in another lifetime that is certainly something I might like to have tried.

 

The sketch

 

Finished carving:

 

Detail shots:

 

find me at instagram: #folkartmary

folk art self taught mary

Sailing Icon Number 30

Sailing Icon Number 30 tries to capture that feeling of wind and movement on the water, a sudden unexpected gust of wind that takes one's hat off.

Sailing Icon #30, $450.00. 13" x 10.75" x 1.5"

 

folk art self taught Mary

Woman Lies Down with Dogs, Painting Stages

Bear with me as I show all the various paint stage incarnations of Woman Lies Down with Dogs, #39.

From calm beginnings...

 

To the addition of a dark anchoring base...

 

Reds and more reds, but it needs more action happening at the top...

 

 

Trees and dots, now it has better top and bottom balance...

 

Getting close but it needs some toning down and dialing back...

Stay tuned for next week's posting to see the completed piece.

folk art self taught mary

 

 

 

New Work - Woman Lies Down with Protective Dogs, #39

Here's a new carving, still unpainted. Woman Lies Down with Protective Dogs, #39. Follow along next week when I show it go through the various stages of being painted. 

 

 

folk art self taught mary

 

 

Cow Icon 11

 Cow Icon #11, another carved and painted homage to the cow!

 

 

folk art self taught Mary

 

 

Cow Icon #10

This is a sweet portrait of friendship between farmer and cow.

Below, the piece unpainted...

 

Before the base was screwed on...

 

Painted...

 

Detail...

folk art self taught Mary

Changing a Leaf Allows me to Finish the Bird Tree Carving

 

In my last blog posting I showed a problem area in the Bird Tree painted woodcarving, see below. As I said then, the leaf that cuts into the chest of the top right bird just shouldn't be there. It's too big and it distracts me from seeing the full shape of the bird.

 

With a painting on canvas, you can just paint over a problem area. This is not so easy for me in that my work is painted on carved wood. If a shape is to change the only way to change it is to recarve and then repaint. Before I do this step - which cannot be undone once the wood has been carved away - I want to be sure. So first I paint over the carved area, as I have done below, to get a better idea of how the corrected area will look. With the leaf smaller, you can now see the plant stem going up to the shape of the bird's chest. I find this solution pleasing.

 

Below, I have now carved away all unwanted wood to create the desired shape.

 

I proceed to paint over.

 

 Below, the piece is done!

 

Close up of the signature area. I love this little birdie!

 Find me also at Instagram: #folkartmary

 

Self taught folk art Mary

 

 

 

 

Starting to Paint the Bird Tree Carving

The Bird Tree piece starts out with blue and burnt sienna brown as its basic colors. These colors will carry throughout into the finished art.

 

The birds look disturbing to me without the eyes, which are often a point of focus for me as I look at my work.

 

Below the piece with glass eyes and brass tacks. Much better but more to be done.

 

I often know what still needs to be worked on by the feeling that something just isn't quite right. Zoom in to a close up view of the top right bird. That leaf just shouldn't be there. It's too big and it distracts me from seeing the full shape of the bird.  I'm going to have to take care of that. Stay tuned to the next blog posting where I will show you how I solve the problem.

Find me on Instagram #folkartmary

 

Folk Art Self Taught Mary

Folk Art Bird Trees

I've recently made a bird tree piece. Google "folk art bird tree" and you will see examples of other artists' bird trees.

Here are pictures of the piece I've made in its  carving stages:

 

 

 

 

find me also on Instagram - #folkartmary

folk art mary

Croatia Commission: DONE!

The Croatia carved and painted commission ended up turning out well. It was a challenge particularly as it was done entirely from photographs. I grow from these challenges. So many thanks to Scott and Tricia for giving me the opportunity!

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folk art self taught Mary

 

Croatia Commission- Pictures of Work in Progress

 Below, my first ventures into colors (blues, greens, yellows) with the Croatia Commission piece. 

 

Making the blues and greens richer, adding shading...

 

The picture needs some reds and warmer colors now...

 

Adding dark outlines, shading and more warmth...

 

Close up carved detail of the red roofed houses...

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folk art self taught Mary

Croatia Commission - Memories of a Walking Vacation Trip

Last year I was approached by longtime patrons to make a commissioned painted woodcarving that would memorialize their hiking trip to Croatia.  Obviously the piece had to include the place - the red roofs, the ancient town, and its location by the sea. ... But it also had to include the hikers as they made their way down its well trod paths. I made this piece entirely from photographs (see below), definitely a challenge from which I could grow.

 

 

 

Below is the sketch we ended up going with...

 

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folk art mary

Ear to the Wind #4

For me, Ear to the Wind #4 perfectly captures the theme  of people fitting into nature. The swirls are meant to indicate wind, but they might equally well be water. The person holds their hand to their ear the better to listen.

The unpainted carving

 

 

Above, the carved and painted finished piece, 9" x 18" x 3", $495.00

Please make an appointment to come by my studio in this gift giving time of the year!

folk art mary

At least one more week at the Market...

Weather dependent, my outdoor studio season at the Ithaca Farmers' Market is close to done for me this year. This brings to mind a number of sketches I showed at this blog in the beginning of the 2015 Ithaca Farmers' Market season. All of the sketches morphed into carved and painted artwork over the summer season. One of the most recently completed is "The Old Couple" - below please find the sketch and a photo of the finished piece. I'm particularly fond of this one.

 

 

The Old Couple. $750.00. 10.75" x 16" x 1.5" Carved pine, acrylic paint, gold leaf

Please consider a purchase of my work in this gift giving time of year.

Folk art Self Taught Mary

 

 

    

Crows Show off, In a Circle

The sketch for Crows Show Off, in a Circle shows much promise. I am particularly fond of symmetry. I also like to juxtapose circles and squares

 

Below Crows Show Off, carved. I added two extra crows in at the bottom.

 

The promise of the sketch is realized. Crows Show Off, in a Circle could not please me more!

folk art self taught Mary

Busily getting ready for Fall Craft Shows

Summer is slipping away and I am busy getting ready for my fall craft shows.

For those of you near Philly, come see me at the 2015 Bedminster Traditional Artisan Show on September 12 and 13, 2015.

Kentuck in Northport, Alabama (this one is going to be a trek) October 17-18 2015.

Plowshares Craftshow and Peace Festival in Syracuse, NY.

 

What does getting "ready" for a craft fair involve?

Mostly it involves making new art- below a picture of seven pieces stacked on my outside work table in various stages of completion:

 

folk art mary

New Canoeing Carving

This newest canoeing sketch recalls pleasant times spent in the Adirondacks. On the left is the first version of the sketch, on the right is a cleaned up version.

 

Below, a close up of the carved detail:

 

By the time I traced the sketch onto wood it evolved away from being square and instead got stretched out horizontally to become a little more rectangular. Below, see it early in the painting stages:

folk art self taught mary

 

 

Cows and Snowy Day Barn, DONE!

I painted Cows and Snowy Day Barn several months back. As I painted, I took several pictures of it in process.

Early Painting Stages above, I intentionally wanted to keep this piece lighter than I usually do, so I started out with light colors.

 

 

Middle painted stages above, photo taken on an overcast day.

 

Above, the painted woodcarving is DONE!. It wasn't until this week that I took the final photo. I wanted to sit with the piece for a while before I considered it finnished. I worked on it until I felt my eye zoom into the center of the picture, to the farmer in red. Does the way I painted it work this way for you?

By the way, the sister piece to Cows and Snowy Day Barn, just sold this week. I call them sister pieces because the barns that inspired them are both located on Route 23 in the Catskill region. 

folk art mary

 

Snowy Day Barn

A new farm picture can start with the inspiration of a lovely barn, this one located in the  Catskills region of New York.

 

This photo led to a carving livened up complete with cows, farmer, a tractor and my usual clouds:

 

Close up of the cows:

folk art mary

Four Large Crows in a Circle, Carved

Last time I wrote I showed a crows sketch, which now has been made into the below carving. I'm feeling even more enthusiastic, this is going to be a good one.

Right now, it being summer, I am so involved in house and other outdoor projects that likely I will not get to painting this one for a while. It will just go on the stack of carved but unpainted work in my studio. If you ever see an unfinished piece here that you want to buy, just speak up and I will put it on the fast track for completion.

 

Below, my stack of unfinished work:

folk art mary

 

Crows Sketch

I'm pretty happy with this new sketch for an upcoming crow piece. I hope to start carving it next week.

Folk art self taught mary

Sheep Icon, Number 22 - Early in the wood carving!

I've been doing lots of carving at the Ithaca Farmers' Market, and have begun to accumulate a number of unpainted pieces. Below is the sketch for Sheep Icon, Number 22 and the carved piece (minus its base). As I often do, there's a large sheep with open eyes in the center surrounded by its sleeping docile friends.

 

Such warm setting sun evening light was coming into my studio for the picture above! Anyone out there have any comments they want to make about this one?

 

folk art self taught mary

At One with Nature #5

At One with Nature #5  - early painting stages....

 

At One with Nature #5 - DONE!

folk art mary

 

Ithaca Farmers Market Outdoor Season About to Begin

Saturday April 4 will be the first outdoor Saturday market at Steamboat Landing site. Until the time gets closer and I can see the weather (I do not like to carve when it is below 50 degrees), I will not know whether I will start on the 4th or a little bit later. But it is VERY exciting and you can know I am IN MY STUDIO GETTING READY.

Below are a number of sketches for new pieces in various stages of work. Please vote on your favorite!

Then watch throughout the season as each piece takes its final shape.

 

 

 

 

folk art self taught mary

Kayak in a Spotlight - How it Got that Name.

Unlike Revenge of the Crows Number Two (see earlier blogs), which presented quite a struggle, the painting of Kayak in a Spotlight proceeds simply and easily. Who knows why this happens, but I have had it happen over and over again. One piece presents easy color choices, another is difficult to paint from start to finish.

 Early painting stages....

 

 Adding the blues...

 

Adjusting and  lightening the blues...

 

After painting a few days more, something seems missing. The picture seems to be getting muddy. I can tell from my sense of struggle that I need to make some change.  I experiment by adding a sun as a point of interest in the sky. At first I just paint it on while I decide whether it improves the piece...

 

I decide to keep the sun so I express my commitment by carving it into the sky. Once I do this painting gets easier once again so I know I've made a good choice. The picture keeps getting richer as I add layer after layer of thin coats of paint. But it is still too dark. I decide to paint the kayaker in a "spotlight" of lighter color so the center of the picture just jumps out at you. Now you can see why I named this piece Kayaking in a Spotlight...

folk art mary

Kayaking in a Spotlight - Starting a New People in Nature Piece

Kayaking in a Spotlight is another of my People in Nature pictures. Compared to Revenge of the Crows Number Two, this piece is meant to be tranquil. Here the people fit into Nature - coexisting, reclining, placid, and calm. 

Every one of my painted woodcarvings begins with a sketch.

The first drawing can be very rough...

 

but then I clean it up to make a finished sketch...

 

The sketch is traced onto the wood and then laboriously carved...

 

Stay tuned next week to see this piece as I proceed to paint it.

 

folk art mary

Revenge of the Crows, Number two - Struggling through the Painting Stages

Below find pictures of various stages in the painting of Revenge of the Crows, Number 2.  As I proceeded  I struggled to simplify shapes.  The sharp grasses and beaks of the birds surrounded the people. The larger people in the tree area gestured to protect themselves. The small ghostlike people scattered in the grasses only increased the suspense.

 

 

I must say, this piece felt a little bit scarey the whole time I was making it. Perhaps it's because the feelings and ideas expressed were raw and still forming, but the picture did not come together easily. I went out to my studio most days in January 2015 to work on it dutifully, but even I began to doubt whether I could make the colors work in the end.

 

 

 

But then, after much color experimentation that seemed to go nowhere, finally in the last week there is some hope. Below find a color version that works. I've lightened the trees and sky so that the crows stand out. Less orange, more yellow and blue. Stay tuned to the next blog posting to see the piece done!

 

folk art mary

People in Nature Series

My People in Nature series has grown out my deep felt concern that we (the human race) are damaging our earth yet we seem oblivious as to how to turn the tide. I try to think of humorous ways to say this.

Some of the works in the People in Nature series are hopeful, presenting images of people co-existing with nature. The people are naked because they are vulnerable and surrendering, peaking out from behind the leaves. They are intentionally androgynous so that they can represent all people.

Other works in the People in Nature series use dark humor, showing my fears of what will happen if we refuse to surrender and co-exist with Nature. Crows attacking humans is a video of what I consider one of my first successful Revenge of the Crows pieces.

The sketch for my latest picture on this theme is below. I have decided to call it Revenge of the Crows, Number 2. I drew it several years ago in a quick fit of inspiration.

 

It wasn't until summer 2014 that I enlarged the sketch and began to put it to wood, making it more vertical than the original drawing. Below is the carving (dark photo) that resulted:

folk art mary

2014 Utah Trip, The Four of Us by Campfire

A trip to Moab, Utah in the spring of 2014 resulted in a picture that tried to capture the feeling of being outdoors under that big sky - how small people are and how big nature is. Those Utah rocks sure are ancient, they measure the passage of time. The initial drawing was made on top of a xeroxed copy of a black and white photograph.

 

I traced the above drawing, then added in my family as we stood around a campfire. I tried to capture a feeling of the person in the middle floating up to the sky, the idea being that they are so moved by the landscape that their body becomes light. The others around around the fire are well grounded to the earth.

 

A close up of the fire scene, carved but not painted:

 

A close up of the fire scene,  early in its painted stages:

 

 These are the colors that I used as a base coat - yellow, red and off white for the Utah landscape. Notice my tired out brush, I save the older ones for scrubbing paint into the pores of the wood:

 

Below, the carving completely painted. I call my work a "picture diary". I remember my trip to Moab, Utah in the spring of 2014  when I look at this piece. One full week of adventures condensed into an image carved out of a block of wood.

folk art mary

Commission for Bookcover, Sidewalk Psychotherapist

Late fall 2013 I was commissioned to make a carved and painted picture that was expressly designed to be used as  bookcover art for David Schwartz' book The Sidewalk Psychotherapist. Below find the first rough sketch and germ of an idea.

 

In the end we aimed for an image that captured a feeling of being outside doing therapy at a sidewalk cafe setting. The clock, which is ever present in a therapy session, was moved from being on a wall to being a small tower clock in a row of buildings.

 

 

The carving stages....

 

 

Below, the finished carving prior to taking a photograph that was used expressly for producing the bookcover image.

 

Next, the finished artwork with the title and author text photoshopped onto the photograph of the piece.

 

Two copies of the book lined up side by side.

 

Finally the piece was recarved a little bit so that it would stand on its own as a piece of art. The sky was textured and an inner carved frame was made.

 

 

A top and bottom frame, some gold leaf, repainting and DONE! Ready to hang on the wall.

folk art self taught mary

Sailing Icon #27, Topsy Turvey Waves - Carving Stages

Sailing Icon #27, Topsy Turvey Waves shows a wild day of sailing. The people and their boats are thrown every which way in the power of the wind and the waves.

The laminated sketch, stapled onto the back of the finished piece:

 

Below the work in various of its carving stages:

 

 

Close up:

 

Carving complete:

folk art mary

Waitress Icon #11, Here to Serve

Waitresss Icon #11 is, obviously enough, the eleventh in a series of waitress figures. It's a visual joke on the theme of serving. The waitress serves the customers but she herself is also being served up - on a plate complete with fork and spoon.

 

below, first coat of paint

 

below, finished

folk art mary

Catskills Barn, East of Oneonta, NY, Route 23- Finishing it Up

Below, I added a red color to the frame, and shaded in order to bring out the shapes.

 

More work done on the shading and coloring, here I've lightened it back up.

 

The finished piece!

folk art mary

Catskills Barn, Route 23- Beginning to Paint

In my last posting, I showed a quick run through of the making of Catskills Barn, East of Oneonta, Route 23 - from photos, to sketch, to finished work.

Way back in July of this year, I posted on carving the piece at the Ithaca Farmers' Market, so I must have started to paint it around mid August of this year. 

Below I will the discuss the painting of the piece, with the caption describing each image being written in the space above it.

After the picture was entirely carved, I began to paint it a kind of warm coral base coat color (see center of the piece). I quickly remembered that I had forgotten to take a photo, so I stopped myself to take a picture of the piece while it was still mostly unpainted.

 

Now the entire carved area is painted and sealed with this warm coral undercoat. It takes  time to seal all the edges and work the paint into all cavities...

 

I work out the major shapes by putting whites on top of the coral background and putting some shading into the places I want to receed.

 

Since the colors I used to do the darker shading are ones that I do not usually use, especially Manganes Blue Hue, I documented them for myself with a photo (something new for me). The colors were vastly diluted and put on as a thin glaze.

 

Below the piece with still more layers of darker glaze that makes the whites pop out. I have added yellow ochre in the inner frame area.

To be continued...

I intend to be at the market this Saturday, but I am coming near the end of my 2014 season. The temperatures steadily continue to drop.

 

folk art self taught mary

Catskills Barn, East of Oneonta, NY, Route 23

Recently I've been traveling back and forth between Ithaca and Hudson NY. As I pass barns that catch my eye, I stop and take a photo. This barn is on Route 23, east of Oneonta, NY. It has nice solid lines and its state of disintegrating repair speaks of younger days when New York State farms were more vital. The picture was taken last winter, that is snow and ice in the foreground.

 

 

Below is a picture of the same barn, taken a little bit further back and a from slightly different angle.

 

 

The sketch features the cows, farmer and tractor who once might have made this barn lively.

 

Lastly, below is the finished carving. I wanted you to see a really quick run through of the inspiration for this carved and painted picture, from photo and sketch to finished painted piece. My next blog postings will go into how I got from early to later and later painted stages of this work. Stay tuned for next week's posting.

I will not be at the Ithaca Farmers' market this weekend. My hands don't like to carve when the temperature is below 50 degrees. Soon, the best way to reach me will be via the internet or by making an appointment to visit my studeo.

folk art self taught mary

 

 

 

Sailing Race #26

Sailing Race #26 is one of my compact pieces that can go either on a wall or on a shelf. Below, the piece carved with its base still not attached.

 

Next find the piece partially painted as I hone in on colors and shading that works for me.

 

Below is the piece when I first thought it was finished. But something about it kept bothering me. There was no place for my eye to go first, I didn't no where to look, no sense of movement to the piece. The other thing that bothered me was the head of the guy in the sailboat that was farthest back, it looked flat and distracting.

 

At last it works for me in the version below. I put stripes on the sail of the boat in the foreground, and now I look there first. The other thing I did was cut down the wave profile that was behind the farthest back sailboat so that you could better see the determined forward slanting shape of the guy's head.

If I keep artwork around and there is something about it that does not work, it bothers me. I can't stop myself until I get the piece to my liking.

I'll have this piece at my booth at the Ithaca Farmers' Market tomorrow Saturday October 25, 2014. Please come visit!

folk art mary

Cow Icon #6

Here's a sweet cow piece I finished several months ago, below with its first coat of paint...

and finished....

My market season is winding to a close. I go until it gets too cold for my hands. Come visit me at booth #3 at the Ithaca Farmers' Market tomorrow March 18.

folk art mary

 

 

Rapahannock River Commission: DONE!

I continue to work with the colors of the Rapahannock River Commission, the below version is still too yellow!

 

 

Ah, here we go, starting to work for me!

 

Below, the finished piece! Notice I added an extra round shape at the top of the inner frame that directs your eye around from left to right.

folk art mary

Rapahannock River Commission: Struggle with Colors

As I wrote in my last blog posting, one goal is to get the two large shapes, the sky and the ground, in balance.

But the colors are still not right. I begin a long struggle of searching out colors that I think will work best. The only way I know this is to paint color changes and see if they look. If they don't it can be very discouraging and I can begin to doubt whether a piece will ever "work".

Below I have made the ground and trees a richer yellow/green.

 

I decide the above version is too yellow/green, so I repaint some of the yellow areas in the frame with a light gray. I tone down the yellow areas in the ground.

 

The above is too green so I repaint going back to more yellows, tans and browns.

The work described above of painting and repainting can go on for several weeks. Each day I come into my studio with fresh eyes. I look at it from a distance try to quickly decide what is working and what is not. Some carvings are more of a struggle than others. But I don't stop until I feel the work is perfect to the best of my abilities.

I know how to carve, but I'm always having to learn through trial an error how to become a better painter.

folk art self taught mary

Rapahannock River Commission: Early Painting Stages

In the early stages of painting this carving, my first aim is to paint a warm first coat that unifies all the shapes.

That done, next I start to define the two large shapes, the first being the sky with its wild wind swirls and second being the earth with its more solid anchoring bands.

Even in this early stage of painting I can see that the struggle for me in this painting will be how to balance these two shapes without weighing down the sky, which left to its own devices wants to fly off.

folk art self taught mary

Not at my Ithaca Farmers' Market Booth Weekend of Saturday August 16

This weekend is a rare weekend when you will NOT be able to find me at my Ithaca Farmers' Market booth. I'm going to a family member's wedding in San Diego, California.

Below find carved pictures of another barn located on Route 23 on the way to Hudson New York. The photo of this barn was shown in the previous blog posting.

folk art mary

 

 

Getting ready for the July 25, 2014 Artist Market!

Ithaca Artist Market takes place at the Ithaca Farmers' Market pavilion on Friday July 25, 2 PM to 8 PM. Over 70 artists will participate in this year's event! It's always a fun time!

Above see 7 small pieces that are in various stages of being painted, that's why the photo shows them as flat and a bit out of focus. I know I don't have enough time to finish painting them all in the next week, so I will likely choose to put my energy into the four pictured below.

 

 

 

folk art mary

Oneonta Barn - Further Progress

This Saturday at the Ithaca Farmers' Market I will be continuing to carve the Oneonta Barn piece. Below pictures of the work in progress.

 

 

I also will be selling a woodblock print I made inspired by pictograms seen during a visit to my son in Utah this past March. There are  a total of 14 prints in the limited edition, of which I have already sold three. Below, the print - titled Pointy People with Cayotes.

folk art mary

Barn on Route 23 Between Oneonta and West Davenport

It's Fourth of July weekend, and tomorrow at the Ithaca Farmers' Market I will be starting a new carving, of a barn I have passed a number of times on my travels to Hudson, NY.

Below, a photo of the barn...

 

Followed by the sketch I made, inspired by the barn...

folk art mary

Two Roosters Carved and Side by Side

 

Each Saturdays I continue to carve at my outdoor summer studio (Booth #3 at the Ithaca Farmers' Market). As I finish pieces I put them onto my "to be painted" pile in my indoor downtown Ithaca studio i. Below two roosters that are now mostly complete. Speak up if you want me to put your name on one of them for when it has been painted!

Roosters sketched onto blocks of wood.

 

Left Rooster is carved minus its standing base. Right rooster is still to be worked on.

 

Above, the roosters are both carved, except the right one needs its feathers. I hope to finish up this detail tomorrow at the Ithaca Farmers Market.

Folk art self taught Mary