To say that 2013 has not been my year,would be an understatement.  While on vacation in Florida last week,I tripped an fell on a boat dock.  I suffered an open dislocation of my right index finger.  Needless to say, it will be a long road of physical therapy before I can paint again. Thank you for stopping by my blog to check the progress of my painting.  I am considering teaching myself to paint without using my index finger!  

More on the Plastic ocean

This is the next phase of the painting.  I am starting to add more detail here.  Worked a little on the Sargassum and added some detail to the sand.  Including bits of plastic and debris.  This is of course,the whole point of the painting.  Many beaches now are made up of plastic bits of all shapes and color.  Not a pretty sight.
At any rate, if this seems a little lacking,it is because it is.  I still have a long way to go on this project. This is the point at which I must silence my inner critic,and carry on with what I know I need to do!  And by silence,I mean blindfold, gag and bind her and put her in the corner.  Honestly, do all artists go through this?
In the mean time, I have created more designs for my Zazzle shop.  Here is just one of them:

http://www.zazzle.com/grey_angelfish_blue_ocean_laptop_commuter_bag-256629981592440974

Last year, I entered the Art Prize contest in a nearby community.  I am beginning to plan for this year's entry.  I am thinking of doing something along the lines of this painting, perhaps in 3d or sculpture form.  If I do this, I will most likely blog about it!

Still working on it!

Just to check in, yes I am still working on the painting from the previous post.  Got very much side tracked by the holidays.  A particularly nasty case of the flu was involved,as well. I have been busy, though.  I have set up a shop on Zazzle http://www.zazzle.com/maryscove.  Please check it out,when you have a moment.  For those who are not familiar with Zazzle, it is a web based company that prints designs on merchandise.  So if you would like one of my designs on,say, a tee shirt,this is the place to go.  They have literally hundreds of options,mugs,clocks,hoodies,cards,messenger bags.  I will strive to have different designs for this shop,than on my Etsy page.  Though,if you would really like to see those designs on Zazzle merch, just let me know!

Plastic Ocean

Once begun is half done(I hope)! I don't do much in the way of sketching.  My sketching is done to indicate  where to put masking fluid.  I work in acrylics,but I prefer a watercolor style. I like the effects that can be created by thinning acrylic to watercolor consistency.
This is really the first "layer".  I will add more detail with each layer.
This is what the next step looks like:

From Plastic Ocean

About Art

People keep telling me that I should be writing about my art.  Hmmm,since a picture is worth a thousand words,that could be difficult. Still, I should at least try.  Since my work is directly influenced by my diving, I will start by discussing a little of that,first.  My recent diving experiences have shown me that the Oceans are in a state of decline.  I have seen it first hand.
My paintings have always been about the beauty and the joy that I feel when I am able to visit the Ocean.  Now, I feel, I must come back to reality,a least for a painting or two.
Recently, my husband and I visited our favorite beach in Florida.  We have been vacationing at this beach for at least seven years.  This year we arrived early,on Labor Day weekend.
The beach was packed on that day,more people than we have ever seen at this beach.  As we walked along the beach, we noticed a large amount of trash.  All kinds of trash,but most notably,plastics. Unfortunately, this trend is not new. We began gathering bits as we walked.  Plastic grocery bags,fishing line,plastic sandwich bags,bits of plastic children's toys,plastic water bottles,plastic coffee can lids,plastic sun glass frames,single serve plastic coffee machine cups,and one half empty can of WD-40 oil,just some of the items that we retrieved. In just a short,1/2 mile walk,we both had our hands completely full.
This area of Florida( the east coast) has a three tiered reef system.  It is close enough to swim to from shore.  My husband and I try to include a visit to our favorite "house reef" each time we visit.
You know how you have that one Aunt(could be Uncle or Cousin,for that matter),who you only see once a year?  If they loose twenty pounds,people who see them every day might not notice.  Because you only see them that one time a year, you can really notice how much they have lost.  This reef has been that favorite "Aunt" for us.  Every year that we go back to visit, we notice a little bit more of the reef that has simply disappeared.  
I don't pretend to know the cause,let alone the solution.  If I lived there full time, I might be able to help with the problem.
So for now,I can only write about it,and create art about it.  My sincerest hope is that I can in small way be "a part of the solution",more than I am "a part of the problem"
Meantime, here is the video that we created while we were visiting Florida,this year!

Art Stuff

I did not realize that I had not blogged here in such a long time. Just a quick up-date. Over the Summer, I participated in an "Art Battle". This is a competition of ,in this case, twenty artists. We were to finish a piece of work in just three hours. It was quite a challenge for me, as I have not ever finished a piece in such a short amount of time. The good news is , I finished! The not so good news, I did not win. I will say that any of the people who were involved with the challenge could have easily won. Very talented people,including, my son. The weather was no help either. We were out-doors, in a tent. It was at least 85 degrees. Then it started to pour rain. Then we had thunder and lightning. Then torrential rain, leaking tent, running paint. My Husband arrived halfway through the challenge to point out that I was standing in a river of rain, and my roll of paper toweling was soaked! I guess that you could say that when I paint, I kind of have blinders on. I had not even noticed! I will say that it was a wonderful opportunity to meet many new people, all with an interest in Art.
As a result of being involved in this event, I will be having a new showing of my work. I will be participating in the First Thursday Art Walk in Bay City. The date is December 4th. I will be at "Dive and Glide". It is located at 707 Washington. I will be there between the hours of 5:00 and 8:00. This business is a perfect match for me. Not only because I enjoy painting marine life, but also because the owner was my instructor for scuba! So I hope that you will come out and see me. I will have some of my works there for sale. Maybe you could get some early Holiday shopping done. Bay City has experienced a revival in recent years. It should be quite nice, all decked out for Christmas. See you there!