Mermaid ceramic vase

my latest ceramic design...

accompanied with some of my other turquoise creations.

Italian inspired ceramic dish design

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Still inspired with all the great photos from my latest adventure,

I've just completed under glazing a dish with a Portofino design on it.

It is in a green ware state so the colors aren't true yet,

they will change in the firing and hopefully it will come out wonderful.

Another watercolor

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This one I did from a photograph,

unlike the others in my journal that I sketched and painted on site.

I like this one well enough to frame.

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Mediterranean Travel Journal

I kept a journal of all the charming places and people

I met this past 2 weeks

My adventure began in Rome and continued through

some of the Mediterranean's

and Adriatic's most unique ports,

including Monaco in France, Portofino, Sorrento,

Corfu in Greece, Split in Croatia,

Slovenia, the island of Malta and my all time favorite Taormina.

The journey coming to an end with several days in Venice.

While visiting Corsica, France

I had an opportunity to do a water color of the Cathedral

Santa Maria Assunta in Ajaccio

I loved all the architectural details on this building in Portofino,

it is called Casa Dei Leoni

as there are 4 large concrete lions guarding the entrance.

Nearby the town of Monaco is the sheltered bay of Villefranche sur mer

where I painted this view from a shady town square.

The main square in Sorrento is the Piazzo Tasso.

This is my rendering of the statue of San Antonio Abate.

Directly behind the statue is the Corso Italia,

one of the most beautiful streets in Sorrento.

Welcome to Valletta,

Malta with the oldest free standing structures in the known world,

megalithic temples on Malta date from circa 3250B.C.

a mass of honey colored limestone with a history larger than life.

Marsaxlokk is Malta's main fishing village.

It is the best place to see the colorful traditional Maltese fishing boats,

the luzzo, with the mythical eye of Osiris

( Phoenicians' god of protection from evil ) painted on the prows.

With a latte and the waiters ball point pen

a rendering of an ancient cathedral located in Saint Trupiano Square,

Kotor becomes my subject matter.

This was a quick rendering of the coast as our ship was pulling out of port

and circling around slowly with one last glimpse of this ancient town

I step out side the crowded ancient Roman palace

built between 295 and 305 by the emperor Diocletian

as his place of retirement in Split, Croatia

and find a quiet place to paint in the large square

with the beautiful water fountain.

I stop for a respite and latte at a sidewalk cafe

and sketch a rendering of the architectural details

on the building across from the bustling square.

Just having fun with paints and adding the eye of Osiris in the sky...

Portofino Painting

Grateful to return home to my own little seaside paradise

after exploring so many other ports across the globe.

A ripped page from an Italian magazine becomes the perfect canvas

for a fun watercolor painting

I created while visiting the colorful town of Portofino, Italy

Exploring new worlds

Almost packed and ready to go

a very, very, early a.m. departure time

Camera and art supplies a must

This trip is all about sketching and painting

Exploring new worlds and making new discoveries

Mostly just having fun !

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Vintage luggage remake

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Originally intended to carry a girls makeup or used as an overnight case,

this little number had been through the test of time.

When I spied it, the inside lining was in sorry shape and the plastic handle missing,

but not to worry the forlorn piece had some redeeming values.

The size and shape was perfect for my needs

and with a little effort and ingenuity it was given a new life.

Vintage flower stamps where decoupaged to the outside

to perk up the lack luster color and a new leather handle added.

A bright plaid lining replaced the faded, stained, and torn satin lining

and a velcroed pocket with pouches was fashioned and added in to hold paint brushes.

It's now ready for traveling...

I'm thrilled to have Cloth Paper Studio Magazine share the post with their readers!

Black and White

I've been creating with a limited color pallet,

but using various glazes, on my ceramic designs

including india ink, crackle glaze & chalkboard paint.

Here are a few of them.

This was a gift of gratitude I made last year,

using chalkboard paint on the center of the bisque vase shape.

I cut holes in the design for knitting needles before firing,

so she could use it to keep her yarn in place.

I glazed the inside and base so it could also be used to hold fresh flowers.

And I used a crackle glaze on the exterior and then added black india ink to the cracks.

The center I painted with chalkboard paint so she could add in

a favorite quote or saying as she wished.

The card was a charcoal rendering of a favorite shoe design

I created just for her...

( The gal loved the color scheme of black, white and red,

she enjoyed needle crafting, writing, and had a passion for shoes )

Decoupage, paper doilies and drawers

Probably everyone has seen the storage boxes from Ikea

that are similar to this one shown.

I found a smaller version of it at a thrift shop for $3.00

and having a fascination for boxes and drawers, couldn't pass it up.

( not being fond of the finger holes )

I flipped the drawers around and drilled holes in the front of each.

I already had 2 misc. drawer pulls and created 4 more new pulls with clay.

I painted it white, decoupaged bits of paper doilies that I aged in the salt air first

then added the new drawer pulls.

( I like that I can create more or different ones as I wish,

I created more drawer handles with crystals here )

and a vintage luggage update with decoupage here

I love how the bird came out !

Then having bits of paper doilies left over I went in search of something

more that needed a little something...

Just a little fun in the studio today...

Cotton string and clay...

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Inspired by nature,

and the feathered guests visiting my garden

I've been experimenting with a ball of cotton string

some liquid clay and my satin glazes...

success, and another new ceramic design.

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Inspired by vintage ceramics

Lately I have been experimenting with mason stains to create glazes

that will give me a similar look in colors to the pieces I've been collecting

of Hull, White and Mc Coy pottery for the past 20+ years,

Here are a few of my latest creations...

{ click on photo to enlarge }

Art in the Garden Party

The guests were greeted with

sunshine, blue skies, and cool ocean breezes...

The perfect garden party weather

{ Photo credit top by Pat Klotz and below by Robin Cambre }

There was a constant flux of camaraderie, creativity and conversations...

Sherry Ford's lovely watercolor rendering of the garden fountain was created...

The swing was a favorite perch,

and the talented Lorenzo George gifted the guests with conte sketches

by 6:00 cocktails with excited afterglow conversations were enjoyed

then an impromptu dinner was created and served alfresco style in the courtyard

the party finally coming to a close at 10:30 pm

having been enjoyed by all...

Here is a snap shot of Mary Aslin's pastel painting begun in the garden

(see top photo of her working on this piece )

& more Art in the Garden Party here

What grows in my garden...

Besides the fruits and flowers

spices and herbs,

Creativity and Inspiration...

Friendships and old and new !

How I color my world !

A blank canvas...

a pallet of juicy oil paints...

a simple seashell

and a colorful imagination!

Bright happy colors

Taking creative license

just because I can...

with water based oil paints