Creative Dawn

So, last fall my friends and fellow Parrotheads honored me with the request to paint a Chuppah for their wedding.  "Yes of course I would love too" I said.  "What is a Chuppah?"   Basically, it is the canopy under which the wedding ceremony is performed and symbolizes the home.   This was a daunting task for me for a few reasons, one because it was for there special day and two because painting on fabric like silk was new to me.  The only requirements were dolphins needed to be included and the colors.  For months I thought about what to do and finally, this past spring an idea came to me.  I drew up the designs and sent them to the couple.  Yeah!  They approved!  OK, now how to paint on silk...yeah for you tube.  Found a great tutorial and went to work gathering the supplies needed.  I can do this!  Uh-Oh...just totally ruined that piece of silk.  :(  Better get more.  With just a few w...

I have posted quite a few Adirondack chairs on this blog and will probably post many more.  The chairs are fun and the opportunity to paint them came about because my husband broke his leg in 2000.  Weird huh!  We are in a Parrothead club and went to see Jimmy Buffett at Alpine Valley in Wisconsin.  My husband had broken his leg early in the summer and he wanted me to paint it with a tropical design because we were going to see Buffett.  The then president of our Minnesota club, StMinnesomeplace, saw the cast and asked if I was able to paint some chairs.  Well, sure, why not!  Thus Dawn the Artist came to be, that is how that name was started.  I just finished the chairs that will be auctioned off at the end of March and got news that the club founder, the one who asked my to start painting chairs had passed after a battle with cancer.  Jerry was my inspiration to start painting tropical designs.  It was because of him...

Hello!  So, I'm slacking a bit but no worries, Christmas is approaching and there will be more posts as gifts are created.  Plus, there is something in the works that is a bit more time consuming.  That should be finished in the next week...hopefully. A very wonderful lady that has me paint a lot of stuff recently asked me to paint a small table top for her.  You know those round tables that are fairly inexpensive? That is what the 'canvas' was. She is in the Parrot head club so of course it had to be tropical.  This is the only picture taken of it.  The final design had a small beach chair added, but oops, it slipped my mind to take a last photo. She is going to put it on top of the milk can from a previous post. (March 31, 2011)  

Hello everyone!  It has been a while, but I have been experiencing some technical difficulties.  My camera is not working so my phone has become my new 'camera.'  I really need to post some of my sewing stuff soon.  I have made clothing and some bags and they are turning out really well.  In many of my past posts I have mentioned Parrot heads and the chairs that I paint.  Here are the two chairs for the club that they are auctioning off towards the end of the month.  The styles are very different from each other.  Not feeling too chatty today so here they are. Fins up and seriously there will be more stuff soon I promise!!

So, I haven't posted in a while but at this point, I am having technical difficulties with my camera.  :(  There are a few pictures that are usable from my phone but they just are not great.  As the new year began sewing started to become the thing to do.  Seriously, there will be pictures and details soon, I promise.  There are also some new drawing and crochet projects in the works.  Also look for two new Adirondack chair paintings.  Once again the parrot head club has asked me to paint them for a big event in March.  What a busy girl I am! Flower drawing - taken with cellphone This year so far is not the best, but I try to stay positive.  My job is good, but, the money isn't and getting ahead isn't happening at this point.  My hubby started a new job in November but since the new year has been unable to work because of a back injury.  It really sucks, but that's life.  We are muddling through as best we can and hav...

I have had many post about Jimmy Buffett related art that I have done and the Parrothead club that we belong to.  Recently we found out that the founder of our club had Cancer.  He is a great guy and one of the people that helped my to get started doing artwork for the club and charitys.  My nickname in the club is also because of him.  After hearing about his illness I decided to make a simple get well card that was a Parrothead design.  The card has a shark fin and the words Fins Up from the song 'Fins' by Jimmy Buffett.  It seemed appropriate for a cheer/get well card.  It's like keep your head up and think positive.  It is my little way of giving to someone that needs a bit of cheer. Just a side note to anyone that has never been to a Buffett concert.  When this song is played it is the coolest thing to look at the entire crowd singing and putting their hands together like shark fins.  You see a massive wave of people all in a si...

My husband is not in the medical field, but he loves to wears scrub style shirts in the summer.  When he first asked me quite a few years ago to make him some, I thought he was weird!  I finally decided to get a pattern and make him one.  He of coarse wanted something in a tropical style.  There was so much variety and so many fun bright colors to choose from and once I made it, couldn't believe how simple the pattern was.  Now, I try to find new fabrics whenever I am shopping.   We were on a cruise a few years ago and people were asking where he got the scrubs and were surprised when they found out the shirts were homemade.  L ast year we went to see Jimmy Buffett, since we live in Minnesota and the closest he usually performs is at Alpine Valley in Wisconsin.  We get on a bus with numerous other Parrotheads and travel across the two states partying the whole way.  Along the way, we stop here and there and at one particular...

Today is the day that my hard work in painting will hopefully bring in lots of money for a good cause.  Two chairs one with a footrest, a set of bean bag toss games and a small item that is my post for today.  I will let you know how much our charitable event raised as soon as the totals are in.  I know I am a dork, but watching the auctioneer and the excited participant as they bid on something that you created is fun for me.  Knowing that in some small way because of my abilities another person or group is benefiting.  Nothing feels better than giving to others! My small personal contribution is this little gift box.  I embroidered two towel with tropical drinks and added in the note cards that I made from the March 4th post.  In addition a fun deck of flip-flop playing cards and some colorful beads.  This is for the silent auction, but every bit helps.  I always jump at the chance to help others and will try to do another item ...

The Parrot head club had kept me busy for the past month.  This is another chair for their auction at the end of the month.  I have done so many tropical themed things that I decided to do more of a nautical theme this time.  Anything sailing, beach or travel related can be associated with Jimmy Buffett.  The color scheme is more basic and not so bright this time.  The turquoise and yellow are more washed out to go along with the motif.  You can see how the seahorse from yesterdays was worked into the design.  This is a new concept for me and it was fun not  painting palm trees and sunset like I do on most things for the club.  Believe me, I appreciate all of the work they send my way, but as an artist variety makes it more challenging and creative.    A little Jimmy for you today: These changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes, nothing remains quite the same.  Through all of the island and all of the highlands i...

In the past six months I have painted a variety of things.  There are a few items that are found at thrift stores on a regular basis.  They always have a lot of wooden shelves which are not the most conducive to a creative project, tons of frames, wooden trays and of course cutting boards.  I like to use three of the above mentioned when I find them.  Read some of my past posts and you will be reminded of that.  Today, I have another cutting board, this one is the most common size and shape that you will find.  It looked like something from the seventies to me with the lettering and colors.  As with most things I get I just covered the design with paint.  If it isn't an object that suits your taste, cover it in paint and make it your own.  Because of the size of this cutting board and most of them for that matter it is best to keep the design simple.  Since there is a Parrot head fundraiser coming up at the end of the mon...

What a weekend!  I spent it working on various projects and watching season one of Angel.  My husband stayed clear of me during the duration of my TV marathon.  You see, I went to the library yesterday and was excited to find the DVDs.  Buffy is one of my favorite guilty pleasures and had only seen a few episodes of Angel, so I figured why not!  It was a great way to hang out on a snow filled day in Minnesota.  Let's see, a bit of sewing, painting and planning my post for today and in the near future.  For today I promised to get away from felt so I painted instead.  This is part one of the set of beanbag toss game boards that I am working on.  A very nice man in our Parrot head club asked me to paint them for the upcoming event in March.  This is the same gathering that the chair and footstool are being auctioned at.  See the posts dated 1/22 and 1/24 for reference.  Yes, more tropical themed stuff, but as I menti...

Remember I mentioned some time ago that people mostly want me to paint things for them in a tropical theme...well, here is another one and I promise you that after this I will go onto new ideas.  Actually I have something in the works that is the opposite of tropical.  I'll save that for another day.  Someone in the Parrothead club asked me to paint a small table for his wife.  There were two Jimmy Buffett songs that she liked and wondered if I could incorporate one or both on the table.  I was able to do both and it really turned out well.  My favorite part is the top with the sunset.  The design was inspired by a postcard that I had from Hawaii.  I have a box full of postcards that I save from trips or from friends and relatives travels.  You never know when something in there may be useful.  Sometimes I must sound like a pack rat with the things that I save, but it is all very organized and I only save things that I could use.  ...

This is the finished chair for the Parrot head auction in March.  Typically any where from 225.00 - 350.00 is raised from the auction for the chairs that I paint.  It is a great way to use my talents to help others without a monetary donation because I am not always able to give money.  I generally don't have much extra after the bills are paid but doing this makes me feel good and gives others enjoyment.  Here are a few views of the chair.  Here you can see the gecko design that inspired my painting.  The places listed on the seat are either in Jimmy Buffett songs or locations that are associated with him and his music.  St. Minnesomeplace is the Minnesota club that I do all of my painting for.  The website with more information about the club and the causes it supports is:  st-minnesomeplace.com .

As I have mentioned recently, there is a large project that is in the works.  It is for a Parrot head charity auction in March.  This is the small portion, a foot rest that goes with an Adirondack chair.  After some trial and error, it finally came together last night.  I was up later than anticipated, but it turned out well.  There is a challenge in painting things like this because of the slats.  If you do a design that is too small or too complex, the details are usually lost, so bigger is better.  The flowers were a last minute addition because it looked a bit monotone with just brown and green.  Being tropical, color is the order of the day.  Hopefully the chair will be finished in the next day or so, but I am stuck right now with the design.  If I sleep on it, something will come to me.  Fins up!  It's Tiki time!

 My Stencil  Lately, I have been working on an Adirondack chair and foot rest.  It is for a Parrot head charity auction in March so it has to be a tropical theme.  As I was deciding what to do, I came across a picture of a gecko wall decoration and thought it would be perfect.  I painted a gecko on each arm of the chair from a stencil.  Once the chair is finished, a picture will be posted so you can see how I used the gecko design there.  Enough background story, on to the post for today.  I started to think that these cute creatures would make a great addition to my tropical bathroom decor.  This is a 16 x 20 canvas that I had in the basement just gathering dust.  I used my homemade stencils and painted them in bright colors.  It's fun and bright and will look great on the wall once I find a good frame. 

I am officially half way through drawing my 2011 calender.  Today I added Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville to my growing stack of designs.  I have said in the past that my husband and I are Parrotheads, but for this one to go with my style, I did a more modern type design.  It still has a tropical feeling to it.  Makes me think that I may need a Margarita after work tonight.  Fins up!

Today, I had to run a few errands.  It was right around the time that the sky is starting to dim, the clouds were wispy and it was beautiful.   I love sunsets!  The sky was mostly a soft blue with a hint of pink and yellow.  This made me think about painting, so I went home and gathered up my stuff.  This piece of wood was a find at a home improvement store.  They always have odds and ends of cut wood that are next to nothing for cost.  This one was less than a dollar and a really nice heavy piece of oak.  I just brushed on yellow and pink and let them mingle together a bit for the sunset effect.  Then added the palm trees.  A little background about the trees, my husband is a HUGE Jimmy Buffett fan and has got me into the music as well.  Before I met him, I really didn't do much for tropical, but he got me involved in the fan club and once they found out about my art, they started calling me for items that w...