Temporary titles for temporary times

Well, it's been a long time since I wrote in the blog. To be honest, my kids got busy and I didn't make time for my art or my writing. I have since decided that it is crucial to my soul that I keep creating, so I don't yell at my kids or myself. Or eat too much candy, or get sucked into Twitter or Netflix or all the other distractions that keep us from the creative life.

As I write this, we are at the end of day 2 of the coronavirus social quarantine. My kids are home from school for the next 3 weeks and I am trying to work with them in the apartment. My husband's office has also been closed & shit over here is real. Our 900 square feet, 2 bedroom offers no relief from each other & there has been some tension. The spare TV was moved into the kids bedroom, so that their screentime will not interfere with the "office" in the living room and the second "office" in our bedroom. As we live in a condo community with many older folks, we have been taking the stairwell up & down 27 floors! That's right, I now have a free gym membership and will one day utter these words to younger generations: " Back when we had the corona pandemic we had to walk up and down 27 floors with our groceries! So quite your pissin and moanin. And give grandma some social distancing."

I'm trying to keep the kids busy with activities and adventures other than the screens.....which has temporarily made me a teacher, a chef, an adventure guide, a baseball coach(although I'm terrified of the ball) and a therapist. I take each day as it comes and hour by hour. We are in this together. Before this past week, I would scream about too much screen time & feel guilty for letting my kids have too much of it on bad days. Now, on day 2 that ship has sailed!

But, in this time, we have to be gentle with ourselves and it's Ok to have the screens parent our kids if we need to work or think or hide or cry.

This shit is scary.

I was originally gonna name this painting
"Screen time is OVER!"
But, in light of the current situation, the temporary title is now:

Screen time is OVER / I'm trying to work, go find something to watch on a screen
11x14 Acrylic & googly eyes on canvas with 1.5 inch profile 

I'm trying to work, go find something to watch on a screen!

As my late mother in law always said: "Take care of each other"
So, that's what I plan to do.
-Cheree

Healing with hummingbirds

One of reasons I decided to do the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge, other than my artist block, was to help heal from the recent grief I have been experiencing.

In the early spring, my husband lost both of his parents. They passed 16 days apart from eachother. And while there is a sweetness in them being on the other side together, the suddeness and shock of the loss is so much harder than any of us ever thought it would be. I wasn't one of those who ever made in law jokes, as I always valued my in laws as another set of parents. I never thought I'd be so sad losing them and now there is a void that cannot be filled. I miss them so terribly sometimes. 

When visiting their house in Wisconsin each year, I loved watching the hummingbirds out their windows and around the flowers. During this daily painting challenge, I often did not know what I was going to paint on the pattern. Then, these little hummingbirds made their way out of my block and my grief and onto the canvas. They make me happy. 

I don't question these little guys, but rather know there may have been some guidance helping me get to where I need to be.

Hummingbird on midcentury circles 2018
Acrylic, glitter, googly eye on canvas board 6x6

Hummingbird wants a rocket pop 2018
acrylic, glitter, sequins, googly eye on mounted clay board 12x12

Hummingbird on midcentury morning glories 2018
acrylic, glitter, sequins googly eye on canvas 8x8

You've got a rainbow lolipop?! You bet I'll be there  2018
acrylic, glitter, sequins, googly eye on canvas board 8x10

Yep, looks like someone just got out the desserts 2018
acrylic, glitter, beads, sequins on clay board 8x10

Hug the ones you love, cherish the time you have, and sit down sometimes to watch the hummingbirds. They will make you happy. 

-Cheree

I finished!

I finished the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge! 

And here's what happened: 

1. I was exhausted for the first 3 weeks trying to get into a good routine to be successful; and I found out how many days I can realistically go without a shower (It's 2 and must be over the weekend).  

2. My kids ate snacks for dinner or mac and cheese for basically a month & so they really want me to do another 30 in 30 again. 

3. I went to work, the kids school, flag football games and many more places with glitter all over my face. 

4. I really wish that I could put googly eyes on my children when they are fighting with eachother. 

5. I am really behind on my Netflix shows. 

Here are weeks 3&4 with some left out for other posts I'm working on. 

Day 23: I don't know, where do you want to eat? Oh I don't care where do you want to go eat?
(And the weekend dinner choice fight begins)
Acrylic, glitter, googly eyes and sequins on clay board 8x10

Day 24: Oh man...all the pizza rolls are gone.
Acrylic, glitter, googly eye on gesso board 6x6

Day 18: There's a chill coming, time to get out the ascot
Acrylic, glitter, googly eye and a pearl on gesso board 6x6

Day 21: Wait a second...it's way too quiet up there.
Acrylic, glitter, googly eye, and sequins on canvas 10x10

Day 26: I hope there's donuts in space.
Acrylic, glitter, and beads on gesso board 6x6

Day 28: Sunflower posers
Acrylic and glitter on canvas board 8x10
SOLD

Day 22: Houndstooth Swan
Acrylic, glitter and googly eye on gesso board 8x10

Day 29: Put your dirty clothes in the hamper, just one time!
Acrylic, glitter, googly eye on canvas 9x12
SOLD 

Day 30: Looks like Mom is making dinner, so I'll just fill up on snacks.
Acrylic, glitter, googly eye and sequins on canvas 6x12
(This one was commissioned by my 5 year old...I'm pretty sure she will never pay me for this.)

Actually, I really wish I could just put googly eyes on everyone and watch them all go about their day. 

-Cheree 

Loving on the process

When I've done my art in the past I did it for the end result and to be done. I'd get bored and frustrated and I'd have a big pile of unfinished works. I've heard so many artists and professionals talk about "their process"...their routine. I'm not the most routine/process/repetitive type of persons, but these last couple weeks, I can honestly say: I AM LIVING FOR MY PROCESS!!! I live for the tediouness of the pattern and the slow progression it's giving me into carpal tunnel,  the struggle to get the color palette right, (or even to have it be off), the thought process with what to put on that pattern. Glitter choices. All of it. 

I now anticipate & feel frustrated with disruption of this process. 

Day 8: Monarch on argyle #2  2018
 6x6 Acrylic, glitter & pen on gesso board

Day 9: Flamingo on Midcentury circles  2018
8x8 acrylic, glitter, and googly eye on gesso board

Day 11: Orange popsicle in the sky  2018
6x6 acyrlic & glitter on gesso board

Day 13: Looks like there's donuts in the breakroom   2018
6x6  acrylic, glitter, & googly eye on gesso board

Day 14: Get off my lawn, I just mowed it   2018
10x10 acrylic, glitter, sequins & googly eye on canvas with 1"profile 

But more importantly, I finally understand why my husband likes to do the same thing over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. Why he gets crabby when the routine gets "sabotaged". 

He's just loving on the process. 

-Cheree 

PS. There are a few missing from this week, I will be posting about those seperately soon. 

$hit tons of glitter

About 2 years ago, I did a 30 paintings in 30 days challenge and I absolutely hated it. I wasn't really very orgaized for it, and I over thunk each painting. For almost 6 months now I have had a bad artists block. I wasn't painting at all & what I did paint, I hated & couldn't finish anything. At the encouragement of one of my art friends, she said I should do the 30 in 30 again to help get out of the rut. 

This time around, I decided I wasn't going to over think any of it & I wasn't going to care if anyone likes it or if it was "arts & crafty"....because let's face it, I AM arts & crafty. I also decided smaller is better & I will make them big later. This time I'm focusing on all my loves: patterns, glitter, metallics, Glitter, sequins...more glitter again...& whatever the hell else I decide is awesome. 

So here is week 1: 

(To follow this journey daily, I post them each on my Instagram account

Chereeapalona)

Eggplant on stripes 6x6
acrylic & glitter on gesso board

Apple on stripes 6x6
acrylic & glitter on gesso board 

Male peacock on argyle 6x6
acrylic, glitter & pen on gesso board

Lady peacock on argyle 6x6
acrylic, glitter & pen on gesso board

Monarch on argyle 6x6
acrylic & glitter & pen on gesso board

Rooster on houndstooth 8x8
acrylic & glitter with googly eye on canvas board
SOLD

Golden chicken on houndstooth 6x6
acrylic & glitter with googly eye on canvas board
SOLD 

Golden chicken on houndstooth 6x6
acrylic & glitter with googly eye on canvas board 

PS glitter is hard to capture in a photo but there is a shit ton of glitter going on. A. Shit. Ton. I promise! 

Oh & some googly eyes too. 

-Cheree 

It's time for my closeup

For quite some time I have been wanting to paint some of my carosel pictures I have been collecting on my phone. I probably have a good 50-60 photos of carousels and their detail parts throughout Paris and Denver that I have taken. I started to paint these carousels initially with the entire carousel, only to discover that they were all very boring & were basically complete crap. So, I put the carousel idea away for almost 2 years....

Then, at the beginning of this year, I started to look at them again in a different way. I started to take my photos and zoom in on the closeup parts of the carousel and found that these were much more interesting & seemed to tell more of a story about the carousel. It really brought these horses to life. 

The painting below is from a seasonal carousel that is on the 16th street mall during Christmas time. They ask for a nonperishable food item to ride the carousel & the proceeds go to help the homeless. 

Carousel CloseUp (2018)
Oil on canvas board 6x8

There is a lesson here in being patient, persistant & never deleting anything off your phone...EVER... so that way when you are your child's 2 hour baseball practice & your sitting in a windoless batting cage, waiting for it to end, because you left your book at home, you can just focus on your closeup. 

-Cheree

Turbo Pet

Sometime last year, I was asked by my work wife to create a painting for her husband for Valentines day. They had recently lost thier beloved dog, Henry, and she wanted to have a special memory of him.  I was honored that she asked me to paint their dog, but, I was not sure I could create him for her. I said: Let me try and see how it turns out. So, in true form, I delayed staring on it, then I got it most the way done & then I procrastinated the final touches until the last minute. Which is basically the same way I do our taxes.

Not long after, another friend asked me to paint her dog for her husband & this one proved to be a great challenge, as the dog, Aspen, was an all black lab. Finding color in black was something I hadn't done a lot of, so I said the same thing: Let me try and see if it will turn out. Once again, I delayed start, then got mostly done, then procrastinated the finish..executed it just like our taxes.

Not long after, I offered to paint a pet portrait in our silent auction for my son's school fundraiser. The winning bid was this little cross-eyed siamese cat, Clarabelle. Once I received the pictures from the winner, I did what I do best....performed my taxes.

Clarabelle 2016
Oil on canvas 8x10

Aspen 2016
Oil on clay board  12x16

Henry 2016
Oil on clay board  12x16

In all honesty, each of these pets, I was deeply honored to paint. Pets bring a joy and a love to a person and a family like no other. My Dad says "Dogs are the best people" (I would add that cats are too). 

Also, painting pets is way more enjoyable than doing taxes. 

-Cheree