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Hihihi — I’m the one who pestered Charlie about starting a thread-spot for chitchat about us, the artists, rather than specifically just watercolor, so I figured I’d probably better use it now that it’s up.
I see a lot of you in the forums and such, but our profilebits don’t tell us all the awesome stuff about you, so TADA! An introduction thread. 🙂
I’ll start:
I’m Elizabeth, a cantankerous old lady with paint-stained fingers and a penchant for dogs, trees, and tacos. Not necessarily in that order. I’m fairly new-ish to watercolor — I’ve used it off and on for yeeeears, but only actually started paying attention to using it correctly in the past couple.
I still don’t use it correctly. I’m kind of okay with that.
I make a lot of stuff, but I write for money. I’m married to a sideshow guy, and have a dog who is above average in everything from cuteness to intelligence. I may be biased.
I’m also 100% sure that Charlie’s conspiring to make my hips the size of blimps with all his doodlewashes of food. Again, I’m kind of okay with that.
So tell us all about you! 🙂
I’ve lived in the Portland, Oregon suburbs all my life, with brief breaks in London, England and Petaluma, California (which was the chicken capitol of the World – not sure if it still is). I tend to obsess about strange things – bodybuilding, beading, Beanie Babies, Mastiffs, and Alexander the Great just to name a few. Through it all, I’ve always drawn or painted, so I guess that is my life’s obsession.
I’m pretty sedate, directionally challenged (just ask Rebecca!), and currently retired. I’m working on a book that may or may not ever get finished.
I love giveaways, whether joining them or holding them.
If you want to know more, I was one of the featured guests and you can read about it here
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I grew up in rural New York State but moved to Florida 20 years ago and I live in an area that has a very active arts community (I am so lucky). I think I have probably attempted every craft ever invented…except for macrame (and that’s because I can’t tie a good knot to save my life); stenciling, decorative painting, candlemaking, bookbinding, glass bead making, off loom bead weaving, sewing, the needle arts, nature printing….
I currently make my living as a silversmith but I believe I have watercolors running through my veins and enjoy every minute I can steal away with my brush and paints. I was so happy to find Doodlewash; Charlie’s prompts for each month help inspire me to paint. And, the community of artists and their support and encouragement is amazing. What a wonderful thing you’ve done Charlie O’Shields.
While I’ve never actually had the burning urge to visit Petaluma, now I totally do. CHICKENS, THAT’S WHY.
And you must spill about this book. Is it an art book? Fiction? A book about Alexander the Great from the POV of his Mastiff, Spot?
Agreed. Charlie rocks. 🙂
Also, clearly, you and I are related somehow. I don’t think there’s an art activity on the planet that I haven’t at least tried once or twice. I keep joking with J (the husbeastie) that I’d totally get a job at Michael’s or Blick….but then I’d have to pay them to let me work there because I’d want to bring everything home.
🙂
No, no. Alexander’s dog was named Peritas! He probably was a molosser – one of the precursor’s to the current day mastiff. Ha! And you probably thought you were joking, lol. I’m trying to put my Fun & Easy Landscape step-outs into a book. But it’s one thing to draw up that kind of thing and another to make the drawings work in a book. I hate the process. I thought it would be more fun, but, ick. It’s almost as bad as WERK! (anyone here old enough to remember when Bob Denver was Maynard G Krebbs?)
Me, too. I’ve done all the crafts that don’t require too much cutting or fire – ’cause they don’t let me have sharp instruments or things that can burn, lol. “They” being anyoe who has been around me for more than 5 minutes and observed my complete lack of natural grace.
Just another gal from the PNW that has too many hobbies.
What are those hobbies you say?? Knitting, Spinning (yarn, to knit with, naturally) baking, quilting, sewing, used to make beaded jewelry but my eyes can’t do it anymore. Zentangles, ATC’s, and of course, Watercolors.
Just lately I am trying my hand at some basic embroidery. My goal is to make a running stitch that doesn’t look like a Drunken Running Stitch. And then to do Big Stitch Quilting with it. We’ll see.
I’ve tried other mediums besides watercolors and and disliked them, I love the flowing and mixing of colors. Might be a bit of a nerd about paints and pigments. For my birthday one year I bought myself Hilary Page’s Guide to Watercolor Paints and read it straight through.
And then there was my love affair with Michael Wilcox. Maybe I’ve made just a few charts…uhmmm, I’ve lost count. Then I may have read a book all about the color red, and perhaps another one about the color mauve. There is one about the color blue, but I have not got around to it yet.
Did I mention the nerdiness? OH, and I’ve followed Charlie’s Blog over the last few years and am so glad he started up this group. Also, I now want a Lamy and a bottle of that Sepia Ink!
Sandra is a great encourager and fun to hang out with, however, in the future, I will drive over to her area. I also hope we can have a Portland/Vancouver Area Meet Up sometime!
Well now that I’ve already figured out all the many ways you can get lost on your way to the Overlook Restaurant, there is a 75% chance that I could get there on time if we went there again. If I give myself an extra hour or two. At least a 65% chance.
With respect to Maynard G. Krebbs: Yes I am.
I would love to o work in an art supply store but definitely would spend every penny earned on supplies.
Well is seems we’re all cut from the same cloth. I’ve also done, it seems, every darn craft, art, artisan thing on the planet. I HAVE done macrame, then there Pysanky (Uranian easter egg painting), ceramics, cross stitch, crochet, candle making, beading and even had my own designer wedding cake business where I made cold porcelain flowers for wedding cakes, that lasted 8 years. I’m just happy I finally admitted to myself that the only thing I ever really wanted to do was paint. I can totally see myself hoarding all the craft supplies if I worked at Micheals but then the same thing would happen if I worked at Chapters book store. I wish there were more hours in a day so I wouldn’t always feel like I was splitting my time between my two favorite things, books and paint.
Oh, I’m Canadian and have lived in both the East, Ottawa area, Praries, Saskatoon and West Coast, in Vancouver and the Island. I’ve actually lived in something like 30 homes, my parents were house flippers before that was a “thing”. My mom was an artist and an interior designer and I get my love of color and art from her.
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