New Pieces

"Playing by the Beach", is an oil pastel on board, approximately 18" x 24".  "Polo Down Under", a mixed media 18" x 18", is the final of Wax Spin seen in an earlier post. It has fish and other creatures swimming around with real shells, and the ball is being commandeered by a fish at the bottom left. It sold at the show in Middleburg, VA. "Steeplechase" is an 18" x 24", oil pastel on board.

New pieces to be posted

Here is Ruffles guarding the prints that have pencil illustrations at the bottom. Animals are always welcome in the studio and there are many cozy beds scattered around for snoozing. Also, here is a diorama called The Polo Picnic, and it measures about 14" wide and 10" tall. The background is from one of my paintings, and the foreground has many details and goodies: a little dog about to scarf down someone's unguarded sandwich, bottles of Gilbey's Gin and Chevis on the table, a cake, pastries, cheeses, Cokes and grapes underneath, and a bucket of carrots and apples on the chair with a halter, polo mallet and ball close by. There are plants, grass, a little fence, and a basket of watermelons. This piece will go on the website when I return from the World Equestrian Games in KY, but if you are interested in investing in this fun work that is guaranteed to make you smile, you may reserve it now for $500.00. More detailed photos from different angles are available.

Paintings in the Nandina window

The box for In The Sleepy Country has been built, I'll hand rub some white color into it, and then I'm ready for the resin pour. Meanwhile, Nandina, here in Aiken, carries my work, and here is a photo of their current window with four of my paintings. Nandina offers fine home furnishings and design services, especially for the growing polo community that is establishing polo playing and breeding farms in and outside Aiken. We now have, at last count, forty eight polo fields!

In The Sleepy Country

Here is In The Sleepy Country, a very mixed media piece of paper, wax, oil pastel, crayon, ink, fabric, plastic, canvas. It is 12" x 24", and is the experimental piece to embed in resin. I hope it works. Ah, what fun!

A question for you

I've just completed a piece that is encaustic (molten wax) and mixed media (plastic, oil pastel, paper, fabric, pen, etc.), and I'm wondering if any of you know about encasing encaustic in resin? I'll post the piece next time...drumroll in anticipation...before I ruin it by experimentation. Resin, while it cures, becomes very hot and that could lead to some pretty undesirable melting effects with wax! Maybe I could put a thin skin on it first which wouldn't heat up the piece too much, and then the work would be protected for the next pouring of resin. Just thoughts...any advice?
It feels good to get back in harness again in the studio. Life is good! I'm reading a really interesting book called The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubin. She dedicated a year to figuring out how to be happier; it's a wonderful and instructive read guaranteed to make you thoughtful, in a happy way, about your own life.
A little chuckle for you: my sister recalls seeing a garbage truck many years ago driving through the little town of The Plains, VA that stated on its side, "Satisfaction guaranteed or double your garbage back". Have fun today!

I'm back

Hello, everyone, I'm back from a long time out. I had a month long show at the Byrne Gallery in Middleburg, VA and then another month's show at the Lombardi Cancer Center in Washington, DC.

I was asked to provide awards for the winning team of a 20 goal polo match, also in VA, so four large prints, with unique hand drawn illustrations at the bottom, were given to the victors.

I am switching everything over to my new website, so if you are on littlehouseart.com, please go to louisemellon.com and see the new pieces that have ben added. Very soon, the switch will take place completely. This blog is available on both sites.

I have been busy taking encaustic workshops working in molten wax and producing pieces in that medium. Several mixed media pieces were sold before I could get them on the website. I was so exhausted from the three shows, one here in Aiken, one in VA and one in DC, that I had to take a break. But, I'm back at work in the studio again and producing fun pieces very suitable for Christmas presents.

Margueritaville is once again pumping out on my stereo, and I've got renewed energy to "get on with it"!

Wax Spin

What an experiment! This is an encaustic piece, painted in wax and oil pastel on board. I hope to finish it tomorrow. It is a challenge painting on such a rough, textured surface, but I need to keep challenging and pushing myself to grow as an artist.