Tapestry Butterfly

I think I must be going through a butterfly stage. I guess it could be worse.

"Tapestry Butterfly" - digital collage

Two More Crabs

I finished Crab In Blue and Crab in Gold to go with Crab In Red. I love their jewel tones. And although I'm willing to sell them individually, I think they'd go great together as in my example below.

"Crab In Blue" - 6x6 - Mixed Media Collage

"Crab In Gold" - 6x6 - Mixed Media Collage

Dragonfly & Polka Dot Box

Dragonfly & Polka Dot Box.
Click here for more information.

Love my dragonflies!

Single Poppy

"Single Poppy" - 4x12 - Mixed Media CollageListed on Etsy

Maximum Flight

"Maximum Flight" - 4x12 - Mixed Media CollageAvailable on Etsy

On Monday, May 7, I received a text message that my daughter-in-law was in labor and I hastily packed a bag and drove 90 miles to be there when my grandson, Max, was delivered early the next morning.

When I returned, home (a week later) I saw the piece I was working on when I got the call still lying on my work table and decided to name it in honor of my new grandson.

On the flip side of the emotional coin, before returning home from Maryland, I swung up through Pennsylvania to pick up artwork from the Yellow Springs show. This show has always been very successful for me, so it was a kick in the gut to discover that this year I sold nothing except for one bin piece. After commission and the price of gas to make the 230 mile round trip twice (once to drop off; once to pick up) not to mention the time spent... well it's probably a loss.

In the world of art, nothing is guaranteed and counting your chickens before they hatch is certainly a dangerous proposition. And things go in runs, as well, and I think I've had a very good run there and have certainly enjoyed my experience working with the enthusiastic volunteers at Yellow Springs.

So for now, I'm going to focus on local venues and trying to promote sales in this area. crabulous fine art is getting ready to embark on its first ever season of outdoor shows and festivals, so it will be a whole new adventure.

The Paisley Bathtub

"The Paisley Bathtub" - 5x7 - Mixed Media Collage

I think this has to be my favorite "bathing beauty" to date. If I could have a paisley claw foot tub, don't you know, I absolutely would! And most definitely a head wrap to match.

Hydrangea Crabulata

"Hydrangea Crabulata" - 10x10 - Mixed Media Collage

I've done so many paintings of hydrangeas over time that I've run out of names. So, I decided to name my own variety. Of course my special hybrid has seed pearls growing in the flower centers.

Another Bathing Beauty

"Mirror, Mirror" - 5x7 - Mixed Media Collage

Just had to create another little bathing beauty because the last one was so much fun!

Retrospective Part 5

Collage

"Geisha" - Collage - 9x12 - 2007

Since this is the final day at Mom's this is the last part of this particular Retrospective series; although it could go on much, much further. I swear, it's like being in the Kristeena Crabb Museum of Art! 

I began to dabble in collage during the summer of 2001. After creating about a dozen pieces and exhibiting them in a well received show, I went back and forth between collage and pastel until mid 2004 when I took up collage exclusively. In fact, I no longer even own any soft pastels.

"The Long Rainy Day" - Collage - 6x15 - 2008

Retrospective Part 1

"Two Pears" - pastel - 4x5 - 1996

I'm currently visiting with my mother who lives 650 miles from me; so I don't get to see her often enough. Being the supportive mother that she is, she owns the world's largest collection of my artwork. This collection covers the gamut from my very beginning days until now. It's always great fun and a great education for me to review these pieces whenever I'm visiting and it has inspired me to create something of a retrospective exhibit within my blog.

I was 39 before I discovered that I had the ability to draw. I was never one to take art classes in high school and I really never doodled or dabbled in art. But, I've always been an art lover, a frequent visitor to art museums, and a collector. Finally, one day, I just had to see if I had the ability to create anything of my own.

My first foray into creating art was learning to draw with charcoal and pencils. Unfortunately, I don't think any of these early works are in existence. I was over zealous in cleaning out my studio one day and... whoops!

After spending time just honing my drawing skills, I stepped up to using color. Pastels. The little piece above is the very first pastel I ever did. When my new box of Nupastels arrived, I broke them in and practiced using them by creating pears. Ever since then, whenever I try something new, I almost always experiment by using pears as my subject. My art friends tease me about it being my favorite fruit. As far as I'm concerned, the shape and countours of pears allows you to fully experience the extent of the capabilities of a new medium.

Shortly after the pears, I painted the image below from a photo of my parents' back yard.

"In A Southern Garden" - pastel - 18x24 1997

This was probably my first attempt at flowers and you can see I had a tough time with them. I love their silliness. I became much better at flowers later on.

Note Card With Ants & Circles

I'm having way too much fun with these note cards. Lot's of cheery colors in this one, too! The circles are made from some sort of pages from a book over which I've melted crayons. That's always fun to do. Oh, and the very bottom paper is a piece that I made some years back. You can pretty much tell when I've made the paper because invariably you'll see glitter in it! I haven't made paper in awhile. All my paper making tools are in the attic. I think it might just be time to unpack them and have some fun again!