Friday Feature

Rosie Fog Enamel and Silver Earrings

Pegg from fiveforty on Etsy has created these contemporary and edgy earrings utilizing my torch fired enamel beads.

Edgy yet still pretty in pink are these amazing earrings dangling from an oxidized sterling silver chain.

Click to view more amazing photos of these Rosie Fog Earrings.

Pegg is an artist, weaver and jewelry maker from Ontario, Canada.  See more of her work, it has the elegant simplicity you are yearning for:
fiveforty Etsy shop

Watercolor Wednesday

Sunflower
by Artist Rita Squier

Original Watercolor on Yupo
Size:  11 x 14"

A sneak peek at tonight's watercolor painting class project.

We will be painting Sunflowers on Yupo paper.

This is my afternoon practice piece.

Tuesday's Tips and Techniques for Watercolor Painting

Wet into Water 

You may have tried wet into wet watercolor painting, how about trying wet into water?

You can get some really cool effects using this technique.

• Paint a shape with clean, clear water.
• Using rich, creamy, strong color, float the color around the edges of your shape.  
• Leave it alone.
• Let it dry without touching it.

Depending how much water and how much pigment you use, you can create some really cool effects.  If you float in pigment into a very wet puddle, you will get more interesting effects.  The pigment and water will begin to dry at different rates.  If you DO NOT touch it, it will change as it dries. Allow the water and pigment to do it's thing without fiddling with it.

If you float a more watery mix of pigment into your clear water shape, you will get more of an even tone once it is dry.  Less dramatic effects.

Notice the difference between the left and right squares.
The 4th photo in the bottom right corner is completely dry.

Give it a try and let me know how you did!

Second Twitter Art Exhibit Video

The 2nd Twitter Art Exhibit video is now up on YouTube.  It is filled with amazing artwork and the music is moving.  I feel honored to be in such a wonderful exhibition.  Watch for my dew drop painting at the 1:03 mark.

The paintings are currently on exhibit and are for sale at the Moss Library in Norway.  The money from the sale of the paintings is for the Women's Crisis Centre in Moss, Norway.

The Bead Board

Yesterday's bounty fresh from the torch!

Torch fired, glass enamel covered metal beads.

My torch fired beads can be found for sale in my Squier Etsy Shop.
http://squier.etsy.com

Friday Feature

Blue Cauldron Necklace

Ashley from AshleySpatula on Etsy has created this fun Blue Cauldron necklace with one of my torch fired enameled beads.

Witches and wizardry comes to mind.

Wander through her AshleySpatula Etsy shop to view this and more of her fabulous and amazing jewelry.  She has some magical hand painted pieces.  They're stunning and unique!

Browser her mystical jewelry and accessories:
http://ashleyspatula.etsy.com

A Puppy and A Race Car

Trophy Puppy posing nicely next to my latest race car design.

I designed the graphics for this Cheetah race car and Michael printed, installed the graphics and pinstriped the car.  Racing graphics are our specialty.  

Check out our website: Squier Design Racing Graphics http://squierdesign.com

Tuesday's Tips and Techniques for Watercolor Painting

No More Outlines in Watercolor

Whether you need to fill in a large space or a small space with watercolor, it is better to fill in most of the area with a large brush then go back and smooth out the edges while the paint is still wet.

If you outline the entire area and then fill in the middle, most likely when the paint dries you will see the outline.

A massive area of watercolor paint, big or small, takes longer to dry than a thin narrow line.

Your outline will dry with a hard edge that will show once you have filled in the interior section.

Monday Morning with Minnie

It's been a crazy Monday morning ... I think it's time for a french vanilla iced latte!

Nothing makes a latte more fun than a Minnie Mouse cup! And this is going to be hot day, the double walled cup keeps my latte icy cold and there's no condensation dripping off the sides onto my desk or art table.

Can a silly plastic cup replace my fancy crystal glasses?

Maybe. :)

No need for a napkin, but I still use a coaster!

Friday Feature

Burnt Orange Earrings

Karen from CatchingWaves on Etsy has created the perfect earrings for the orange lover utilizing my torch fired enamel beads. A sizzling pair of 2 1/4 inch dangling earrings. Perfect for looking glamourous at the beach to a night on the town.

Karen offers unique ocean themed jewelry and needle felted creations in her CatchingWaves Etsy shop.

Dreaming of the ocean? Looking for ocean and beach inspired items? Head on over to see these gorgeous Burnt Orange Earrings and more at CatchingWaves!

Twitter Art Exhibit Opening

The 2nd Twitter Art Exhibit

Opening is Tonight

in Moss, Norway

It will be at the Moss Library. The charity the sale of the paintings will benefit is the Women's Crisis Center.

I donated my Mystical Dew Drops watercolor painting, it will be there for sale.

The poster is available for sale through David Sandum's blog: DavidSandumArt

Search Twitter for more info and news on the #TwitterArtExhibit and to see who else is involved.

Tuesday's Tips and Techniques for Watercolor Painting

Label it T S O

On the rim of every watercolor palette of mine you will see a T an S or an O next to each well written with a Sharpie. At a quick straight down glance, this little guide will tell me if the color is Transparent, Sedimentary or Opaque.

This is a great way to learn your palette. To learn and remember which colors are Transparent, Sedimentary or Opaque. And if you can't remember, the letter code is there.

Marbled Easter Eggs

Happy Easter!

Friday Feature

Torch Fired Glass Enameled Lantern Earrings

Kari from Kari1121 on Etsy has created these elegant earrings with a pair of my torch fired enameled beads.

There is beauty in simplicity.

Click the image to view more photos of these gorgeous earrings in her Etsy shop.

Kari and her daughter collaborate on Maravillosa Designs and have filled their charming Kari1121 Etsy shop with lovely things "Handcrafted from the Heart".

The photos are amazing, they make it easy to want to spoil yourself.

Go ahead and shop!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/kari1121

Sneak Peak

The Foggy Gazebo

by Artist Rita Squier

Original Watercolor Painting

Size: 11 x 15"

Here's a sneak peak at tonight's watercolor painting class project.

I created it in 45 minutes this afternoon, so hopefully I can squeeze it into tonight's two hour class. They'll have to paint fast!

Tuesday's Tips and Techniques for Watercolor Painting

The Dreaded Dirty Palette

There's nothing worse than having a fantastic idea for a watercolor painting and wanting to begin right away, then you open up your palette and it is dirty!

If it's really dirty and messy, you gotta spend time cleaning it up. It could take a while and if you only have a short amount of time to paint, you will end up spending most of it cleaning up your palette. You can't paint a quick, bright, beautiful painting with a sloppy muddy palette.

For me, the yellow is always the dirtiest.

When you're done painting for the day, clean up your palette. Wipe out the mixing area with a damp paper towel or a sea sponge. Take a damp flat watercolor brush and swipe off the tops of the paint wells.

The next time you go to paint, you will be ready to go with a clean palette.

Kitty Food Storage

A plastic file box makes an awesome kitty food storage container.

Sure you can go to the pet store and pay a small fortune for a specifically designed for cat food storage bin. The fancy little flip tops and gadget scoops don't really work that well.

A simple plastic file folder box with a snap on lid, works great! It has the same snap closure on two sides. A little handle if you need to carry it somewhere, but who really does? The handle is good for holding the lid, while your scooping food into the cat dish.

This file folder container holds a 16 pound bag of cat food and it is made by Sterlite.