Friday, December 30, 2011

Big Hair Day

Fiona is having a Big Hair Day.  Woo-hoo!
"Fiona", © Susan Calvert, all rights reserved
She's getting ready for the upcoming B-52's concert (my fave band).  Here they are singing "Wig".


And here is a photo of some groupies wearing big hair wigs from the concert we attended at Chastain Park Amphitheater in 2010.  It was a rockin' good time!


On the neon, neon side of town. On the neon, neon side of town....

Many thanks to everyone reading my colorful art blog.  I truly appreciate your support.  Happy 2012!

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Adoption: "Susannah"

Original painting, "Susannah", has been adopted (sold). Here she is and below her image is a comment I received from her newly adopted family.

"Fiona", © Susan Calvert, all rights reserved

To her new family:  May Susannah's spirit bring happiness to you and all who enter your home.  Thank you for supporting my art.

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Merry Christmas

A friend of mine posted this 1-minute video on Facebook a few hours ago.  I remembered it from my childhood and decided to share it with you.  It's totally awesome.  Go ahead and click on the arrow to start it.


My friend gave me a fabulous compliment comparing the video to my art.  She said:


I thanked her.  Her compliment was a wonderful gift to me this Christmas.

You see, compliments keep me painting when I don't feel like it.  I run my own business designing, manufacturing, marketing, and selling my thoughts without receiving a steady income for my completed work like most folks.  I pay up front to create and display my art in galleries and shows.  It's a high risk career, especially introducing a new series like this one, Imaginary Friends, to earn the respect of an audience.

An artistic career is a true calling of the muse.  In terms of business, I believe artists are "Game Changers" or "Change Agents".  They take risks and start trends.  A compliment, next to a purchase, is golden to an artist.

Back to my friend...  I indicated I would be posting new art today.  Upon looking through my paintings, I came across "Kirby" and decided my friend was absolutely on the button with her comment.  Talk about happenstance!  Kirby reminds me of those goofy birds in the video too.

"Kirby", © Susan Calvert, all rights reserved
Tweet, Tweet!  Follow me on Twitter and/or like me on Facebook.

Thank you for being a part of my audience.  Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!

Thursday, December 15, 2011

New Art: "Sukey"

Here is Sukey, my Asian inspired painting:
"Sukey", © Susan Calvert, all rights reserved
Sukey (top row, third image below) is available as a signed & titled 4x6" print on Kodak Premium Photo Paper printed using HP Vivera Inks for only $10 (price includes postage). She will arrive in your mailbox packaged in a crystal clear package as shown in the display below.

Contact me at Susan@SusanCalvert.com if you are interested in purchasing her.  Place "4x6" Print" in the subject line of your email.  I will email you a Paypal invoice and she will be on her way to your home in time for the holidays!  (All of my other paintings are available in this format too.)

4x6" titled & signed prints in clear packages

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

New Art: "Zelda"

Meet Zelda!  She's a modern woman with attitude.  Her stature reminds me of one of my favorite singers, Lady Gaga.  What's your impression of Zelda?

"Zelda", © Susan Calvert, all rights reserved

Friday, December 2, 2011

Inked!, Part 2

In my previous post entitled "Inked!", I posted this picture of drawings that I drew to paint:

BEFORE
Inked Drawings for Paintings
© Susan Calvert, all rights reserved

Well, here they are now, all gussied up with paint:  (Go to "view" on your toolbar and turn your "full screen" view on to compare both pictures at the same time.)

AFTER
Row 1: "Sally", "Reginald", "Zelda"
Row 2: "Riley", "Boyd", "Amelia", Matilda"
Row 3: "Edgar", "Sukey","Ainsley"
© Susan Calvert, all rights reserved

I will be posting the paintings on my website throughout the month of December.  If you see one you would like to purchase and it's not on my website yet, give me a shout by email.

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

New Art: "Edna"

Here's Edna! She seems to be dancing with delight. She reminds me of Ann B. Davis, aka Alice, the housekeeper, on The Brady Bunch.  Oooooo, how about a dancing housekeeper?  That's exactly what I need since I've been ill most of the month of November!  Hence the lack of blog posts.

"Edna", © Susan Calvert, all rights reserved
As I turn the calendar page tomorrow to the month of December, I am still sick.  I blame it on the steroids I took for a spider bite, an antibiotic reaction and poison ivy.  So, Edna, please, please, stop by my home soon to help me tidy up in time for St. Nick.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Anatomy of a Painting: "Fanny"

Here are the steps taken to create "Fanny".  The first 5 photos have much to be desired.  However, you will get the general idea from them.

I have created over 40 paintings in this series, "Imaginary Friends", so far.  With the exception of the monochromatic painting of "Amelia", every painting has at least 14 colors on it (layer after layer after layer).  Each painting takes between 3 to 3-1/2 hours to complete.

Drawing / Illustration
Hair
Facial Features
Clothes
Background
"Fanny", © Susan Calvert, all rights reserved
Fanny is available for sale on my website.  She is much clearer and colorful in person.  (Her resolution has been downsized for the web.)

Monday, November 7, 2011

Name This Painting, Part 2

Last week, I took a poll via Facebook and this blog to name the painting below.  The name choices were:

Ainsley
Claire
Genevieve

The votes have been tallied.  And the winning name is:
"Ainsley", © Susan Calvert, all rights reserved
As a thank you to all participants who voted in the poll, I'm offering one free ATC print of Ainsley.  Email me at Susan@SusanCalvert.com with "Ainsley" in the subject line or send me a message via Facebook with your name and address and I will mail you your print.  (Offer expires November 30, 2011.)

Again, thank you very much for your time and support.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Name This Painting, Part 1

My friends and fans on Facebook are presently responding to the naming of my painting pictured below by taking a poll.  I am opening it up to my blog readers too.

"Ainsley", © Susan Calvert, all rights reserved
Be a part of the naming of this painting by selecting one of the names below:

Ainsley
Claire
Genevieve

To participate, place your answer in the comments section of this blog or on my Facebook Fan Page. Whichever name has the most votes will be the name of the painting.

Naming ends on Sun, 11/6/2011.  I will post the name on this blog as Part 2 upon closing of the poll.

Please vote.  The title of this painting lies in your hands!

Here is Name This Painting, Part 2.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Occupy Wall Street

Four new paintings in response to Occupy Wall Street:
"Earnest", © Susan Calvert, all rights reserved
"Darby", © Susan Calvert, all rights reserved
"Darby", © Susan Calvert, all rights reserved
"Darby", © Susan Calvert, all rights reserved
I watched the television show "The Chew" and they mentioned the birds on Wall Street were eating well these days.....

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

A few weeks ago, I learned my friend, Kathy, has breast cancer again.  I believe this is her third time with it.  

While I am saddened my friend is ill, I am happy she has pulled through her previous battles and is getting through this episode.  And although there may be days of helplessness for her and others with breast cancer, I believe there is more hope of survival today with the advances and options in medicine than in the past.

I painted the simple character, "Amelia", in bright pink colors as a symbol of hope for people with breast cancer.
"Amelia", © Susan Calvert, all rights reserved
Sending big hugs and healing thoughts you way, Kathy.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

New Art: "Delphia"

 
"Delphia", © Susan Calvert, all rights reserved

The original painting of Delphia is available for purchase on my website.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

New Art: "Reginald"

For the past few days, I have been polling people on Facebook about my new paintings.  The poll was as follows:

6 NEW Paintings!  Which name sounds most interesting to you?  The one with the most votes will be released FIRST.

Delphia
Fanny
Morton
Reginald
Sage
Villard

For some additional fun, I provided sneak peek snippets of these paintings.

The votes have been tallied.  And the winner is....

"Reginald", © Susan Calvert, all rights reserved

What a hoot it was to read the comments and see the answers.  A comment made by one of the voters was:  "I'm going with 'Fanny'.  Makes me wonder what the rest of her looks like."

Thank you very much to everyone who participated in this lighthearted poll.  Hope "Reginald", with his bone necklace, brightens your day.  Ah yes, all 6 paintings can be seen on my website too.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Sneak Peek: Wk of Oct 17, 2011

Here's a sneak peek at my 6 paintings being released for sale next week:

"Reginald"

"Delphia"

"Villard"

"Fanny"

"Morton"

"Sage"
Hope you've enjoyed this preview. Which snippet appeals to you?

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Inked!

I got inked yesterday!

While preparing to create my next paintings, the bottle of ink needed to be shaken (not stirred) to mix it.  I do this periodically during the drawing process to ensure good, even ink coverage.

As Murphy's Law would have it, I forgot to tighten the lid to the bottle and shook it.  'Twas a mess all over my hands and table.

I use fadeproof and waterproof ink for my art.  I scrubbed my hands with a brush and today, my hands are still inked!
Inked Drawings for Upcoming Paintings

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

New Art: "Macey"

Added SIX new Imaginary Friends paintings to my website this week. "Macey", shown below, is my fave. Can you say "quirky"?
"Macey", © Susan Calvert, all rights reserved

Monday, October 10, 2011

Sneak Peek: Wk of Oct 10, 2011

Here is a sneak peek at the new paintings I'll be posting on my website this week:

"Basil"

"Osbourne"

"Harvey"

"Igor"

"Macey"

"Bolivar"

Which one looks most interesting to you?

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Painting: "French Kiss"

This painting is the companion to "Vulva". I created it using acrylic on canvas with gallery wrapped sides (the staples are on the back). It measures approximately 38h x 45w".

"French Kiss", © Susan Calvert, all rights reserved
I named the piece "French Kiss" after the logo from the musical group "The Rolling Stones" and my leather chair of the same name shown in the photo below.
Profile view of "French Kiss" chair on left side.
Here is how the painting looks on a wall.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

My Favorite Artistic Advice

"Gomez", © Susan Calvert, all rights reserved
This is an inspiring video for artists. I relate to it completely having had artistic dry spells for months, even years, at a time.  I would obsess over techniques, what my message "should" be, if my art was good enough, etc.  Fortunately, I recently found my way back.

I LOVE my latest painting series entitled "Imaginary Friends".  The images are free spirits, like myself.  One of my art professors personal advice to me was "It doesn't matter how you get there, Susan, just get there." Feels great to have found my visual voice again.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

New Art Preview

Am turning the page of the calendar today and saying: "good riddance" to August 2011.  I was ill almost the entire month due to a spider bite and two allergic rashes from it.


Autumn is upon us though it really doesn't feel that way here in Atlanta.  We are still reaching 90 degree temps during the day.  The temps at night have started falling into the 60's and 70's--a welcome relief.


As with the change of season, so comes the new television shows.  To follow suit, I am  releasing a new art series in a few weeks too.  It's colorful, fun and a bit crazy.  Hope you enjoy the sneak peeks of it throughout this post.