THE MIND OF A ARTIST

2011-12-15T17:21:00.000-05:00

another few hours changing another old painting. second time for this one.
the top picture you can see the high gloss from the lighting where as in the second
picture i did not use a flash. the light plays well changing this picture expression from different angles.

2011-12-08T17:31:00.001-05:00

Today I play here...maybe i will be back to really painting soon.
This is an old painting that i never finished. maybe i will add some more to it
another day. What is important to me is that i picked up my basket of paints and brushes and actually sat for a few hours painting. I have been dreaming of making a huge picture. Something that i can actually paint for a year.

THE MIND OF AN ARTIST

2010-06-07T18:35:00.001-04:00

http://marlaakajake.redbubble.com/works
Vegas gets her close up.
Checking it twice.
Making sure i did forget to paint somewhere ,
which is why i photograph my work.
Much easier to see a small photo of a large painting.
and volia...another one bites the dust..
This one is 30 by 24. One of my smaller ones, but i happened to have an old canvas and 3 days of alone time to paint.

THE MIND OF AN ARTIST

2010-06-07T18:24:00.004-04:00

3 days
"Don't Ask" is finished!
Can you say attitude?

RABBITS MOVE VEGAS

2010-06-06T19:47:00.001-04:00

MOVING RIGHT ALONG

THE MIND OF AN ARTIST

2010-06-06T15:19:00.005-04:00

DAY 2
I'm calling this "DON'T ASK"

THE MIND OF AN ARTIST

2010-06-06T15:16:00.001-04:00

New painting started Saturday June 5.
It's been a long time coming.
I have two days to finish.
Her name is Vegas

SOLD TO THE LADY IN THE BACK

2009-02-03T07:47:00.021-05:00

FINDING THE RIGHT FRAME.

This weekend I went looking for a few frames to work together foran Art Show I am doing this weekend.Boy or boy are the fast frame it places a rip off..well I guess I should of looked sooner, but still the frames I wanted were 600 and up. After almost giving up I found an auction house that I dont know why I went in there..but they had paintings already framed that they sold the frames off them separtely and for very nice prices! I think this is a great idea to share w/any readers out there.Here is Kate and Olivia which I have shown here if you back tract down on my step by step work.

CLOSET CLEAN

2008-10-12T19:31:00.000-04:00

The ideas are finally here but I had to get the closet out of the way.
Golf tomorrow so maybe I'll start drawing on Tuesday.
Oh Honey Bunny(((((
I know you are laughing..
=(:-+)

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

2008-10-08T09:41:00.000-04:00

Clean your closets or paint a picture.
Why am i even writing this..answer should be easy, right?
Well you have never seen my closet if your answer was here...
and
Painting a picture is easy, but painting an original idea is another thing...
So...?

THE COCO PIGEON SISTERS

2008-09-25T17:00:00.008-04:00

SISTERS

FIGURE 8

2008-09-24T13:56:00.001-04:00

lots of tweeks and more to come.

here is what it will look like on a hallway wall.

Background now painted white and tweeked some more.

SHADES OF GRAY

2008-09-23T14:39:00.003-04:00

Got the color sceme going now for the tweeking.

FROM TOE TO HEAD

2008-09-22T12:55:00.001-04:00

I'M WORKING BACKWARDS

MORE FUN TO WORK MY WAY TO THE TOP

NO. 7

2008-09-20T14:38:00.001-04:00

DAY 5

Now there are seven.

7 is my lucky number so i think i will stop here.

Maybe start to paint on Monday

day 2/3/4

2008-09-17T17:30:00.006-04:00

Going to fill the room up with friends

Hello Day 3 and no. 3 friend

And then there were 4

Thanx to Margaret for emailing me and asking me if I'm painting...Well not yet,

but i'm getting closer.

Day 4 now has 5.

Room is filling up. Proportion is what today is about.

Changes made to sizing of 2 woman. Here is where the

computer comes in handy. Why do i see better on the computer

when the picture is right in front of my face? (:-)

FALL FASHIONS

2008-09-16T15:22:00.001-04:00

sketch of unkown woman

Time for fall fashions. I noticed this year is such a mix of old and new. Flowers, stripes, plaids, long, short but not above the knee, wide leg, skinny leg, hats big time and so I'm going to design my sketch with mixtures of all of this...so far one lady with stripes, a hat, anklets on top of tights and suede boots that i once had and wore to death. I modified the really short pea coat that is in... to a longer sillouette and i think i will make it a heather tweed. The hat is a combo of a knit like tam with a real hat shape and short leather gloves. more tomorrow.

POWDER PLEASE

2008-09-11T07:41:00.001-04:00

Since I did the last make over..I thought..why not do another make over from the
same grouping i have. This one I pretty much left alone with some improvements to her looks but i added more paint and heavier gloss again. I really like the heavy gloss for this type of picture.

Before:

After:

After Again

Oh My Darling Clemintine

2008-09-08T17:48:00.004-04:00

And now for some camera play...I love seeing what other colorways i may of liked also.

I do like the gold tones. I paint most all my faces in either grey or gold..so

this lighter tonal complextion might be something I can feel good about doing.

ACRYLIC PICTURE A RE BORN IN THE MAKING

2008-09-08T08:27:00.009-04:00

I picked up one of my pictures that was hanging in a restaurant for a year now.
I thought i liked it, but now I'm thinking it needs a make over....so today
I am going to try to paint over it and make it more interesting. Here is how

it looks before above. I will work on giving her features a more chiseled look.

I do want to keep her in that glazed stare because this picture is suppose to grab

your attention when you walk into a room. My intentions were to compliment a
very modern stark house w/large walls and sleek furniture. I will post my re do
later today. I welcome comments.

And here is how she looks now:

The new "Clemintine" is finished.
I re painted everything except her ear....
Here is the finished product.
The gloss makes it look great with lighting.
She is ready for sale again.(:-)

WHICH SIDE IS THE RIGHT SIDE

2008-08-20T17:00:00.003-04:00

Today I painted the sides of 5 canvases.

I usually paint the sides when I want the painting to wrap (pic above) and continue with
the flow of the picture,
But these painting will need frames or they can stand on their own (which I like)
if I paint the sides black or white or whatever the picture color is. I guess you might think this is a inexpensive way of framing before selling,,,, which it is... But.....
I also think this gives your work a clean look presentation.
Framing is a buyers decision. The home may be contemporary, modern, or old world..and by framing your art, you could detract from the interpretation of the eye of the buyer.
It's really all in

"the mind of an artist"

which we all are in some way. (:-0)~

GOING FOR THE GOLD

2008-08-16T11:14:00.001-04:00

IN HONOR OF OLYMPIANS AROUND THE WORLD AND ALL WHO HAVE WORKED HARD AND SET THEIR MINDS ON WINNING...CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

BLACK AND WHITE

2008-08-15T08:26:00.000-04:00

since i have not started a new painting i thought i would show you what

i did w/some of my work that lent itself into cards that said something

different in my black and white grouping. these pictures are also available w/out sayings on them as wall art or note cards also.

enjoy your weekend!

FLOWERS FOR YOU

2008-07-28T23:31:00.004-04:00

WINGS

2008-07-28T16:19:00.001-04:00

My friend said..."give her wings". She actually saw wings when they weren't there..
Now if that wasnt a sign of wings to come...

SHOE SHOPPING

2008-07-27T11:07:00.000-04:00

well now i'm thinking she needs something else...maybe this is for a childs room.

how about a rabbit? how about a rabbit with the same helmet hat holding the

same flowers...can you tell this picture is just not me? time to play.

TO BE OR NOT TO BE

2008-07-26T18:42:00.001-04:00

A HAT OR A HELMET?
TO BE OR NOT TO BE?
THAT IS SOMETHING TO
THINK ABOUT.

TIME TO JUMP IN THE POOL!

2008-07-20T11:57:00.001-04:00

OLIVIA IS FINI~

I like this charcoal frame from the Bubble,

link above.

TEXTURE

2008-07-19T15:42:00.001-04:00

I don't know if you can see it in this picture but the wall covering has a snake skin

feel to it. Trying to give this contempory piece a bit of a deco feel. just have to figure now what to put in the last three pictures and weather i want to make her hair a little wilder. anyone reading this can chime in. thanx!

KATE'S FRIEND OLIVIA

2008-07-18T21:10:00.000-04:00

Kate's friend is Olivia. Painted most of the day.

KATE'S FRIEND

2008-07-17T15:37:00.005-04:00

Kate's friend now has her head attached to her body. Not sure about the funky mini couch. Gave her a touch up too. I think she looks better w/dark streaks.

Tomorrow is another day.

I am back w/a new picture i started last night. I just blew up the face here.

I have sketched a body sitting to go along w/this head but she is sitting in mid air right now waiting for me to get back there and draw a couch or a chair or a

magic carpet under her before she falls off this planet. Oh Kate is a picture i did somewhere on this blog and since i plan on putting Kate in a show, it always looks nice having a hanging buddy near by.

ANGEL LOVE

2008-07-12T17:19:00.005-04:00

I THINK SHE IS FILLED WITH LOVE! FINI

CATS CAN PAINT TOO

2008-07-12T16:22:00.002-04:00

Today Remington decided he wanted to paint.

First he filled his paws with white paint by walking on the picture.

Then after his first clean up..he went for the brushes.

I gave him a brush and he was happy.

TENNIS ANYONE?

2008-07-11T17:31:00.001-04:00

DAY 2

THERE'S A NEW GIRL IN TOWN

2008-07-10T20:52:00.002-04:00

Day one of Tennis Angel.

ANGEL RUNNER NO. 5 AT THE FINISH

2008-07-05T20:21:00.004-04:00

ANGEL RUNNER NO. 5

2008-07-04T18:41:00.002-04:00

Remington decided to jump into the sky as i was painting.

He now has a blue ear.

Day 2 is over. if it rains i will finish it tomorrow.

NUMBER 5

2008-07-04T13:48:00.002-04:00

This angel got her number!

Painting is still wet and it's still wet outside as well.

Hi Lisa...this is how she looks so far.

ANGEL RUNNER

2008-07-03T19:47:00.002-04:00

Today i started the last of the series of three angels all being 30 x40.

I think they will hang well together in a show.

My husband named this one "Angel Runner"

Maybe i should put a number on her.

Maybe not.

THINKING OF YOU

2008-07-02T17:44:00.004-04:00

Finally finished.

Pooped as usual!

So what do you think?

PROMISED TO COOK DINNER

2008-07-01T18:30:00.002-04:00

my back is broken now. need to sit here a bit and then make dinner.

i'm through for the day. chow~

TAKING A BREAK

2008-07-01T14:00:00.002-04:00

LUNCH!

plus i need to let this angel dry and see how she looks from a far now.

WHO'S ANGEL IS SHE ?

2008-06-30T19:18:00.005-04:00

I started another angel today. The canvas is 30x40 and for some reason i

decided i should use the whole canvas today. Way too big for my normal

drawing but once i started i could not stop. So here is day one.

MERCURY RISING HAS RISEN TO THE TOP

2008-06-25T07:30:00.004-04:00

THE END (:-0)

4 DAYS LATER

2008-06-24T17:46:00.003-04:00

Mercury is just about over the top today!
I think this is just about finished now. I
signed my name so it must be. I will gloss it and
think of the next venture in my mind. I hope it is
well recieved. And now for some Chinese food. YUM!

IS IT HOT IN HERE

2008-06-23T14:42:00.005-04:00

Mercury is rising and i'm up for a breather now.

MERCURY RISING

2008-06-22T05:51:00.005-04:00

It started out as a sunny day but the thunder roared and the rain rolled in.

That stark white canvas was staring at me and while i ripped it open i thought

...it's not July.

Her face came out very regal and with the skies opening up and it being an

angel year i put her wings on temporarily, not sure if she has earned them yet.

She is in a precarious position and it is making me wonder what to do with her.

She could be wearing ice skates or riding a bike or in the mountains or a statue in a garden...but the one thing i finally figured out last night is that she looks like the old mercury coin from the early 1900's. I kept thinking where have i seen this face before...

WALL FLOWER

2008-06-17T14:50:00.004-04:00

IT'S GOING TO RAIN ANY MINUTE
I started this drawing the other day because of all the rain. Let me out((((
It really isn't that bad out ...but the barometric pressure sure can do a number on your head!
I painted this on a sheet of canvas that came in a book of 10. It is not easy to paint on and i will just use canvas from now on. It took so many layers of paint to just get a clean look and i didn't use water.
On to the next idea...

MOTHER EARTH

2008-06-11T17:36:00.002-04:00

I would love to say “Thank YOU” to the person who bought one of my prints today. I hope it makes you smile and feel lifes balance.
I have been very busy working on ideas for july and communicating with new people of interest and stores besides golfing my little heart out. I have only done dibbles of paintings. I put up Earth Mom today because of how green the world is becoming. Does Earth Day have to be Green by the way? Isn’t the earth
filled with all colors?
Pleasant thoughts to all, marla aka jake

FACE THIS

2008-05-25T07:07:00.011-04:00

I thought it might be fun to show you how i paint.

It starts off with a good breakfast..naaa..just kidding..strong coffee and the desire to get this creative thing going on.... OUT OF ME...like the fly movie said "help me, help me!"

I go for the penciled in look and a huge eraser sitting next to me for the just in cases. From there, I use my computer during the stages of progression to capture my thoughts through the lens and this way i am able to view a different perspective of what i am actually doing up front and personal.

When I use a large canvas it is hard sometimes to actually tell how it will look hanging on a wall, so by printing it out as i go..i can visualize it better.

This picture is called "Kate" because as soon as this face appeared i thought of Kate Hepburn.Then i went from there and designed her look and dress.

I did this one a few months ago.
She was finished in 3 days. I did work all day.

I hope this read helps someone who has never tried to combine the two working together. Man and machine united.

HAPPY MOMS DAY

2008-05-11T07:45:00.005-04:00

HappY MomS DaY!
Well before i leave to visit my Mom...i was thinking maybe i should write something
on my blog... i deleted all my original writings after i finished doing a project for hire and thought isn't it time to to get back to sharing my mind...after all it does fit with my blog title.
My girlfriend and i have decided to do a show this fall besides doing freelance work and this has me committed to producing. How do i produce when i have a time line is what i will share going forward. Since my commitment i have painted one picture in less than a week. This is the first time i did something where the creative flow was not already ready to poor out and i wanted to see what i could produce. I thought why not take a blank canvas and black dry mark and go for it..you can't erase it or paint over it..so this would be a fun or disastrous. I started off drawing big circles on a 30 by 40 canvas..some how they came out pretty even for just using my eye. then after i did this i wondered...why???? and what to put in??? so all i could think of was to do something that is easy for me which are faces...so i put faces peering in from every circle which became holes...peering out of holes were whimsy little faces w/stain glass like faces outlined in my black dry mark...filled in with heavy acrylic and put on some odd hats that i though would be reminiscent of the early 1920's and voila...i painted straight for about 2 plus days.. it's not my best work, but i was out of mind for doing something i could not erase...so for all you creative mind people out there...i do recommend that you give this a try.
so..what have we learned here about me...the mind of an artist can always try something different and will created something out of nothing...and the more you try something out of character the more character you will have. or you are just a character..ha ha ha...and that i am.

HOME ON THE RANGE

2008-05-06T11:50:00.010-04:00

Blogging Your Art

2008-04-24T10:56:00.006-04:00

I was originally using this blog as a journal of my artistic missions.
I started out writing a journal of my weekly works and then after falling behind,
I decided to just delete it all and put up a few scrolling pictures from a site i joined almost two weeks ago. It is called "Red Bubble" It is a lovely community of
artists, photographers, writers, and whatever's in the world of art. It is a place where you can be inspirational to others if you so choose or feed comments to artists. I like the way they format their site so that even a beginner can figure their way through. I also joined Image Kind. So far i'm having trouble understanding how it works. Please visit the bubble and let me know what you think. thank you.