Green Cardigan

I bought some acrylic yarn for this mens sweater. I think wool feels very nice and luxurious, but it is a little fussy when it comes to washing. This acrylic yarn is such a pretty shade of green, I thought it would make a lovely, easy care cardigan. I am trying out a new vintage pattern that features cables. I think the acrylic yarn will keep the cable stitches nicely defined. The ribbing for the back hem is on the needles, so away we go!

No Peeking

Acrylic on bristol 8" x 10" work in progress. A young adventuress roams a dark and mysterious forest. This is one nebby forest! (nebby means prying and too curious in western Pennsylvania). We know what will cure that. A poke in the eye with a sharp sewing needle! You can get a better look at the finished piece here at My Good Babushka.

No Peeking

A work in progress. Acrylic painting on bristol 8" x 10" of a young adventuress in the dark woods. Mysterious eyes are peering up through the serpentine tangles of tree roots. But don't worry! Our heroine is armed with an oversize and very sharp sewing needle, and she is very brave.

Minestrone Still Life

With what we know today about food photography, I have to wonder how much of the food in the original photograph was real. Though I like the pictures very much, cookbook photography often looks a bit surreal and not quite appetizing. Maybe it's just me. You can see more of this finished painting and decide for yourself at My Good Babushka!

100 Greatest Hard Rock Artists Portrait Challenge!! Nirvana

The Hard Rock Portrait Challenge (self-inflicted) rolls on with this little painting of the influential, but sadly brief band, Nirvana. I remember listening to Nirvana during my senior year at high school, in the car, and while working late nights closing our local Burger King. Smells Like Teen Spirit was one of the first songs my older son really liked, that he really wanted to own. I think it may be the first song we downloaded for him. I showed him my old scratched up cassette, but unfortunately, we don't have the technology to play it anymore! Sometimes I try to put it out on a timeline in my mind, and I think that my son liking Smells Like Teen Spirit would be like me, at his age, really liking The Twist. It doesn't seem like so much time has passed, but I guess it never does.

100 Greatest Hard Rock Artists!! Nirvana

Nirvana is number six on Vh1's list of the 100 greatest hard rock artists. I've set myself the ridiculous task to paint all the artists on the list. For fun, and to keep my portrait fingers nimble. I'm not making any prints of these works. These are "once and done" opportunities. And here is how the finished painting looks in my etsy shop. You can get a better look at it here at My Good Babushka!

Ladies at Supper

My Ladies at Supper painting is wrapping up. I am pleased with the limited palette and the row of pretty maids. I hope I have been able to capture some of the charm of the original photograph. I have never been a big tracer of genealogy, but I can look into nearly any old photograph and see some of my ancestry. I think there are continuous threads of custom that make up our common cloth, and that's what I hope to find in these paintings of my favorite vintage snapshots. You can see more pictures of the finished work and get a closer look at Ladies at Supper at My Good Babushka.

Ladies at Supper

More progress on my Ladies at Supper painting.

Santa Baby

Little acrylic painting on paper 5" x 7" from a vintage photo. If you would like a little painting from your new or vintage photo and have $60.00 plus $5.00 for shipping, contact me at julie_schuler@comcast.net

Santa Baby

Another little portrait on 5" x 7" paper of a little girl in a rocking chair, holding a Santa Claus doll.

Acrobats!

Here is my progress on the acrobats painting. I have been waffling on my color choices. At one point I thought I would make the background green, but then I changed my mind back to blue. Now I'll have to lay the stars back in. Bother!

The New Father

Here is a little portrait- 5" x 7" on paper. I culled another photo from my family album and gave it whirl. Even though this picture had the same kitchen wallpaper as the one I rendered in a birthday picture I did a little while ago, I left it out. It was too busy for the composition with all it's pots and pans and ducks and tea kettles! I felt this was better simple. I pulled up some details that were very dark in the original photo, like the boots, and the coat and hat hanging on the doorknob. The infant is me, but the man is not my father. It is a family friend who is trying me on for size. I think his name was Pete. It's a nice little composition, though, you don't need to know all the backstory.

Acrobats!

I got a little tired of dissections so I'm going to try some acrobats. I got the configuration from a vintage photo of some child acrobats, but I put in my own background and I will be inventing my own faces. Just for fun.

The Holiday Story no. 12

Our three characters examining the plate. Loosely painted.

The Holiday Story no. 11

I think this is a pretty effective painting on a section of a plate rim. I put a lot of effort into the crackling and shadows and shine. I hope you like it.