Twilight Calls the Dream of Art

'Regalia' in ink

2011-08-29T23:00:00.001-04:00

It's been awhile since I've posted here sorry….art fair season has me crazy busy. I suspect that's because I'm new at it. Next year when I know what to expect I'll have it all under control. (Who's fooling who now?.…LOL) Anyways I had a bad go in Traverse City which was saved in the end by a private showing in which I sold 6 framed drawings and netted some badly needed cash. Thank you patrons of the arts….you are wonderful! Now I have holes to fill for the Funky Ferndale Art Fair in September……off to work I go!

Turn

2011-05-25T21:22:00.000-04:00

This is a tad crooked…but I think you can still enjoy it's merits…….LOL

Tumbled

2011-04-28T16:54:00.000-04:00

51st Artcenter Traverse City Outdoor Art Fair

2011-04-21T17:14:00.000-04:00

51st Artcenter Traverse City Outdoor Art Fair

July 30th, 10 am- 5pm: Traverse City Michigan....I'll be there...will you?

NEW WEBSITE!

2011-04-14T16:32:00.000-04:00

Finally finished my new website.....please go take a look and let me know what you think!

www.wix.com/MOTStudios/theArtworkOf_MariaOlivaTyra

Berkley Art Bash 2011

2011-04-11T20:13:00.003-04:00

Looks like I made it into the Berkley Art Bash!

www.berkleyartbash.com

Royal Oak Outdoor Art Fair

2011-04-11T12:35:00.001-04:00

Just got the offical word.....I'm IN at the Royal Oak Outdoor Art Fair.....

http://www.ci.royal-oak.mi.us/portal/departments/recreation/special-events

More info to follow!

'Behind"

2011-03-20T21:35:00.000-04:00

Royal Oak Artist's Market Show and Sale

2011-03-05T17:16:00.000-05:00

So I finally entered my 1st show....after much pushing by all my near and dear. It was crazy throwing it together on such short notice but I'm really glad I did it. I learned a lot, had a lot of fun, and am really looking forward to doing another art fair again. People were really great and I had a lot of positive comments and that in itself was a real ego booster. It's nice to have your ego stroked once in awhile! I sold my art to some wonderful people ( It's nice to see my little dears going to good homes where they'll be appreciated!) There were a lot of really talented artists there as well. I had some of them comment positively on my art as well and THAT really means a lot to me. It's nice when the lay people tell you you've done well but when your peers tell you it's really nice. One of them told me that my work was destined for the DIA one day....which floored me to say the least. It was a fine complement coming from another artist and I was really amazed to get it. And if she ever reads this I hope she understands just how wonderful that was to hear.....and THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!

Here's the booth all ready to go. The hubs did an AMAZING job setting me up with this at the last minute. He's so handy and a real trooper. I'm blessed to have him.

Close up of the interior. We used office cubicle partition panels. They were a pain in the @$%..... to put together but once together they worked really well. He put together some wood stands to lift them up about a foot higher than they would be normally. He really did a great job and it all pulled together well and really looked good I think.

'Lotus'

2011-02-10T23:11:00.001-05:00

'Lotus'

Working on getting pieces ready for a show.

Here's the newest piece to spill out of my overworked brain.

'Tear Away Shrimp'

2011-02-10T00:15:00.000-05:00

This piece has been waiting around in the studio to get finished for awhile. I finally got to it this last week. There's so much going on right now that it's amazing I found time to get to it!

Chloe as a Christmas Gift

2010-12-03T22:57:00.001-05:00

My husband's family has decided this year to give handmade gifts, with a approximate value of $20. They did this last year also, with moderate success. The women in the family, all very creative, were very happy to make and give handmade gifts. We like to create. The men......not so much. One of my brothers-in-law made a paper airplane out of a twenty dollar bill (which, I gotta admit, I thought was quite creative. It fit the rubric...it was handmade and had a $20 value) and the other taped a check for $19 to a cinder block and wrapped it. (He said the block cost $1...LOL)
Now this year I was not so keen to do this because December is really hectic for me and the kids can't seem to do anything like this on their own which means that I have to practically spoon feed them to get them to make something. It just is a pain and makes my December that much more hectic and that much more stressful. But, in for a penny, in for a pound. I got my brother-in-law, paper airplane guy, in the gift draw and decided that I would do a portrait of his baby daughter (Remember I LOVE faces...LOL) I sure hope he likes it because I don't know what else I could possibly make him that he would like.
Anyways here she is.....Chloe.....whatcha think? She's kinda cute huh?

Oh I forgot to add....it's been at least 30 years since I worked with pastels...no lie. I had to blow the dust off of them when I pulled them out of my cabinet. All things considered I think I did rather well.

My ArtSwap Came!

2010-12-03T22:41:00.001-05:00

Oh my Twitter #ArtSwap came and I was soooo delighted to get it! It was from Tasmanian artist Kim Foale, @frogpondsrock, a wonderful ceramic artist. I had seen her post it on the #ArtSwap stream and thought to myself: "Oh I would sooo LOVE to get that for #ArtSwap!" And for once in my life (well once that I am conscious of) the Universe heard me! AMAZING! She makes wonderful pieces that pay homage to the human connection with art, leaving personal traces like fingerprints in the glaze or the slightly off center edge. No mass produced every one perfect and perfectly the same bellybutton pieces here. This is truly OOAK and I just love it! Here it is....check it out! Isn't it beautiful?!

#ArtSwap Fall 2010

2010-11-18T00:41:00.002-05:00

This is my piece for #ArtSwap Fall 2010. David Pringle is the man behind the scenes for this wonderful Twitter based swapping of creativity. A truly wonderful idea! Dozen's of artists on twitter trading art...enjoying and reveling in each other's creativity. I had a great time preparing this piece but I'm even more stoked about what piece of art I will end up with......keep your eye on this space 'cuz as soon as it get's here I'm gonna post it ;-D

Looking Through

2010-10-28T13:51:00.000-04:00

"Looking Through"

This piece is currently for sale in my Etsy shop. Just click the button in the upper left hand of the blog to view my shop and everything there.

WaterMarks and Etsy

2010-10-28T13:49:00.001-04:00

Okay I finally learned how to watermark my images. So expect to see them appearing in all new artwork as well as the old images as I replace them little by little. I don't like having to watermark but it's so easily copied and printed by anyone with a printer and a desire. As a 2D artist I feel I need to take all precautions to protect my work.
I also got my Etsy shop up and running. I'm slowly loading work for sale on there so keep checking it for new items. I put a button in the upper left hand of the blog for easy access to my Etsy shop "ArtdreamsStudio". Please check it out and let me know what you think. I'm open to suggestions and would love advise from any "seasoned" Esty shopkeepers! Thanks!
Ok....I'm off to create......

Turtle Bee

2010-10-25T18:58:00.000-04:00

"Turtle Bee"

Flowers 55

2010-10-06T22:17:00.001-04:00

This piece was another commission for a friend who was giving it as a 55th birthday present. She wanted a lot of flowers in this pieces, "a lot, I mean A LOT of flowers, and two nickels, and time again." So I found myself really pushing the flowers into this piece. My favorite part of this piece is the lotus at the bottom of the piece. I may explore that form more in other pieces soon.

No. 132 Attitude

2010-09-08T23:10:00.002-04:00

I did this one UpNorth. I don't really like drawing there because I am without supplies and I am constantly interupted....but it turned out nice.

Blue Hibiscus

2010-08-06T00:06:00.000-04:00

'Blue Hibiscus'

I was unable to scan this entire drawing as it is rather large but most of it made it... :)

Wedding Reception Invite

2010-07-27T23:59:00.002-04:00

For my BFF's Wedding reception......

Heal

2010-07-14T22:16:00.004-04:00

"Heal"

This piece was commissioned by a friend as a birthday present for her sister whose cancer has finally gone into remission.

Yea!!

2010-07-08T00:00:00.002-04:00

Yea!! She liked it....or they liked it! Mission accomplished!

Rings

2010-07-01T10:09:00.006-04:00

This is my second attempt at a wedding announcement for my oldest friend. Some elements she asked for were cats, books, coffee, and gears (her partner repairs clockwork). The first one you can see in earlier posts was a little to "dense" for her. She had trouble seeing the cat. So I decided to try a more delicate approach for her...it is a wedding after all. The 2 colors, green and purple, were colors she had asked me for in an earlier drawing. I hope she likes this one....ha!

Blue

2010-07-01T10:02:00.002-04:00

I made this sketch while my daughter was at her swimming lessons. I had thought to bring my sketchbook and pencils but had forgotten them, much to my dismay. All I had on me was a ballpoint pen and some computer paper. But I wanted to get my #draw365 done and I figured it never bothered me in High School...LOL...so this is the result. While I do much better in pencil with a kneaded eraser by my side there is something to be said for working in a medium that you can't erase. It teaches you to think first and to learn to adjust your plans while you work to accommodate "happy accidents"....serendipity.

Fragile

2010-06-18T00:52:00.003-04:00

"Fragile"

No.119

2010-06-14T22:19:00.002-04:00

System

2010-06-09T11:26:00.003-04:00

Spyros

2010-05-19T00:48:00.004-04:00

This is a portrait of a Twitter friend @heniadis. He has always been one of my most enthusiastic supporters of my weird steampunk heads. He has a series of portraits on the web called Portrait A Day so it was very easy for me to get some pictures of him to do this portrait. Or at least I thought it would be easy....heehee. His portraits are a wonderful artistic exploration of self...however they did not give me enough facial views to get a complete view of his full face. I persevered and pulled enough views off the web to complete this piece. I thought he would LOVE it if his own head became one of my steampunk creations and HE DID!....that's the best part when they love it! I'm so glad he did. He purchased this piece from me as well and became my very first customer for my new business: MOT Studios. Thanks Spyros! He even posted a video of him opening it onYouTube!

Knitting

2010-05-18T00:03:00.001-04:00

I draw knitting almost as bad as I actually knit....lol

Tulip

2010-05-11T23:11:00.002-04:00

Tulip......in honor of Spring.....

Jose's Flags

2010-05-11T23:09:00.001-04:00

In order to get my #draw365's done in a timely manner I've gone back to graphite sketches for awhile. I do LOVE the look of the line art with ink wash. I'll head back that way as soon as possible.....promise.

Obilisque

2010-04-28T01:04:00.004-04:00

ButterCatfly

2010-04-25T23:17:00.001-04:00

My friend asked me to design her wedding invitations. This is the first design I've completed for her....hope she likes it. :)

Nautilus

2010-04-22T01:01:00.001-04:00

Nautilus

Um...yeah....okay

2010-04-20T22:01:00.002-04:00

It's a.....ah.....um.................yeah, okay........bye.

Snail

2010-04-13T22:44:00.001-04:00

GlassFly

2010-04-07T23:40:00.001-04:00

100th #draw365

2010-04-07T23:38:00.001-04:00

My 100th #draw365.

Summer Night, Riverside

2010-04-05T22:29:00.006-04:00

Feeling Floral again....must be all this Spring stuff going on......

My oldest friend saw this on my Facebook page and told me it reminded her of this poem. I had a feeling of circa 1900-1910 when I did the drawing and she tells me the poem is from the same era. Amazing...

Summer Night, Riverside

In the wild soft summer darkness
How many and many a night we two together
Sat in the park and watched the Hudson
Wearing her lights like golden spangles
Glinting on black satin.
The rail along the curving pathway
Was low in a happy place to let us cross,
And down the hill a tree that dripped with bloom
Sheltered us,
While your kisses and the flowers,
Falling, falling,
Tangled in my hair. . . .

The frail white stars moved slowly over the sky.

And now, far off
In the fragrant darkness
The tree is tremulous again with bloom
For June comes back.

To-night what girl
Dreamily before her mirror shakes from her hair
This year's blossoms, clinging to its coils?

Sara Teasdale

Judith's Request

2010-04-01T23:44:00.002-04:00

My friend Judith asked for purple and green..........

Fish

2010-04-01T00:21:00.001-04:00

Okay my fish loving friend this one's for you! You know who you are!!

AligatorDragonfly

2010-04-01T00:20:00.001-04:00

Whisper

2010-03-28T21:39:00.003-04:00

Mad Muse

2010-03-28T21:37:00.001-04:00

Oh the Muse was mad that I had to give up Studio Day to sub! She pouted all morning! I took advantage of a Special and while the kids were off at Music I scribbled off this drawing of her in my pocket sketchbook. What a Primadonna she is, pouting away!!

Patel

2010-03-24T00:21:00.001-04:00

Took forever to do this one....started on Saturday, finished on

Tuesday.....

Collin

2010-03-19T00:10:00.001-04:00

GearHead Girl

2010-03-18T12:02:00.001-04:00

I love faces...............and cogs.

I started this one on the 17th but the Muse left me, to go get some green beer apparently, so I finished it on the 18th.....drawn and then inked.

Stacy

2010-03-16T22:00:00.001-04:00

This lovely lady came from the TV.....my "live model" source.....lol

Nero

2010-03-14T22:08:00.004-04:00

For some strange reason I want to call this guy Nero....even though he feels South American to me. I know....trust me....no one's more confused about it then me.....

Indira in the Stars

2010-03-12T13:01:00.001-05:00

A qucik 3 minute sketch today as I have to go to a 1 year olds birthday party tonight and won't have time to get anything else done.

YellowAlice

2010-03-11T22:40:00.001-05:00

Played with ink tonight. Ink with a brush that is.....usually I ink with a Rapidograph but @SideshowSiren suggested a brush and I thought.....ok, why not.....I like it.

Iris

2010-03-09T22:32:00.001-05:00

I love faces........

Ian

2010-03-08T23:12:00.001-05:00

Trish's Baby Drawing

2010-03-05T22:18:00.003-05:00

Edith

2010-03-04T21:52:00.003-05:00

Nadine

2010-03-03T23:38:00.002-05:00

Elsie

2010-03-01T23:46:00.001-05:00

Imhotepaket

2010-02-28T22:42:00.001-05:00

Brian age 2

2010-02-26T18:57:00.001-05:00

The Squid when he was 2.....18 now...**sigh**

VicToriAna

2010-02-25T15:01:00.001-05:00

Touch of color on this one....bramching out...as it were....

Myan

2010-02-23T23:02:00.002-05:00

Regalia

2010-02-21T23:56:00.001-05:00

LuanTea

2010-02-18T23:11:00.001-05:00

This is a little different than my usual Muse offering...it reminds me of a tea box for some reason.

Selma

2010-02-16T22:31:00.002-05:00

A Valentines Heart for #draw365 2/14/2010

2010-02-14T23:09:00.000-05:00

Robert

2010-02-12T23:26:00.001-05:00

Claire

2010-02-11T23:57:00.001-05:00

Et Tem

2010-02-11T11:55:00.002-05:00

Esther

2010-02-09T22:41:00.001-05:00

Call the Fish

2010-02-08T23:49:00.001-05:00

David

2010-02-05T00:05:00.001-05:00

E Muerte

2010-02-03T23:27:00.001-05:00

Natale

2010-02-02T23:05:00.001-05:00

Desert

2010-02-01T23:03:00.001-05:00

Soup

2010-01-28T15:48:00.001-05:00

#draw365 No. 61

January 27th, 2010

2010-01-28T14:43:00.000-05:00

#draw365 No. 60 A bit of wanderlust showing up I think......

An accompaniment to No.60 for @kitchenartist.

Cleo

2010-01-26T22:27:00.001-05:00

Theodora

2010-01-23T00:05:00.001-05:00

Children=Future

Phyllis

2010-01-21T16:45:00.001-05:00

#draw365 No. 56.......for the StainedGlass Series.........

Twilight Calls.....because......

2010-01-21T16:44:00.000-05:00

Twilight calls the Dream of Art................because I have a day job....or Sunrise would be calling the Dream of Art.

Simon

2010-01-20T21:31:00.001-05:00

I had a hard time getting this done because the very bratty kitties kept walking across the drawing and plunking themselves down on it WHILE I was working on it. But I managed to get it done...and here it is kitty smudges and all...

A Mind of it's Own

2010-01-18T22:33:00.001-05:00

My pencil...it has a mind of it's own. When I sit down to draw I never know what is going to come out of it. I rarely know what I want to draw when I start. When I sit down with nothing to draw in particular the most unusual things leap from my pencil and onto the page in front of me. Usually my hand wants to make circles, twists, waves or other undulating organic shapes. I always want to try and stop myself from repeating the same things over and over...so I wave hand with the pencil around over the page trying to see if making the circles without making the marks will satisfy whatever it is that wants circles. It is rarely satisfied. I will end up making them anyways. The muse has definitie ideas as to what she wants to see on the page and I am only the vehicle she uses to put it on paper.

Tyrannia

2010-01-18T21:30:00.001-05:00

Sometimes things just show up in my pencil...and then they have to come out.....

Peter

2010-01-17T23:42:00.001-05:00

I was definitely trying to make a male face this time....sometimes I think there are to many females faces in my artwork. I like faces. It seems my hand always wants to draw faces. Invariably they are female faces. Perhaps because they are softer, rounder. My hand ALWAYS wants to make circles.

2010-01-17T23:37:00.002-05:00

Really...I don't know where this stuff comes from.....

Dolores

2010-01-17T23:35:00.001-05:00

I really was please with this drawing....something about it was pleasing...not sure what.

Inside

2010-01-17T23:32:00.002-05:00

Cicadia

2010-01-17T23:30:00.001-05:00

FallenFeather

2010-01-17T23:28:00.002-05:00

Pierre and Tolouse

2010-01-17T23:26:00.001-05:00

This is from December 8th...a little bit of fun for #draw365.

Starting Over

2009-08-29T16:57:00.001-04:00

I decided today that I need to start again on this blog. I deleted the old posts. I shall try to post regularly, or more regularly. This is my place to think, to talk, to view my life....I hope it works.