New things, New Year!

First of all,  I am wishing everyone including myself a Happy "Ninja" New Year!  I am excited.  I gave myself permission awhile ago and I hope I continue to listen to my voice telling me to "go ahead, do it, do it."  I know.  .  .  "do what?"  Well .  .  .   "whatever within reason."  That means a  lot.  I have opened my own Etsy shop.  If you would like to take a look, type in Peggi Kroll Roberts in the search box, click on that and it should take you to my store.  This is where I am selling my "personal, experimental, not what the galleries want" work.  And because of that I am able to sell it at affordable prices.  Heaven knows there are so many artists and works out there that I would love to own but I simply cannot afford most of it.  I do trades but I can't come up with the $$.  AND! I wish people would look for ORIGINAL art and not all these giclee prints!  I mean it's simply "Ink on Paper" and I think they are WAY OVER PRICED!  Priced accordingly I would NOT have a problem with it. Now that does NOT INCLUDE wonderful woodcuts, mono prints etc.  I want to know the artist had a real hand in it.  I mean you can go into a museum shop and find a wonderful poster of a master work for what? 25 bucks??  So why would I pay $1000 for a print!  And especially if it had a run of 200 or more.  Come on! I don't believe they will hold their value.  Sorry, but that is the way I feel about it.  Buy Original art.  

"Ninja Lady"

Below are the recent works in gouache that  I will be placing in my Etsy store.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained.  "If you don't ask, you don't get."  I simply want to "Paint, teach and sell." 

(And travel.)  

"Long Flowing Hair"

SOLD

"Table Top with Blue Creamer"

"Table Top with Olive Oil"

SOLD

"Table Top with Bowl of Fruit"

SOLD

"Table Top with Backlighting"

SOLD

"Table Top with Yellow Coffee Pot"

"Table with Flowers"

SOLD

Building a Series.

I continue to work on my series of gouache paintings and I am trying to build a body of these that cross over into abstraction.  I am loving it and whenever venturing in a new direction one must build a "portfolio" to show this direction was fully explored.  Sometimes the reaction is "wow, these are so different for you."  Well, not really.  This has been inside of me for a long time and I plan to continue to explore as much as I can.  And BTW they are for sale!

March on!

"Center of Attention"

Gouache

6" x 9"

$65

Plus shipping and CA tax where applicable

"Floral"

Gouache

6" x 81/2"

$65

SOLD

"Portal'

Gouache

6" x 81/2"

$65

Plus shipping and CA tax where applicable

"Loops"

Gouache

6" x 9"

$65

Plus Shipping and CA Tax where applicable

A few new works and "Nonsense Work No.1"

I wrote in an earlier post about how I was going to "explore more".  Well, I have been working in gouache and creating works to translate into larger pieces in oil.  I am hoping they will work up well to about 30" x 40" in size and I plan I limiting my number of strokes so that means using some BIG brushes.

"Palm in Window"

Gouache

8" x 6"

  

"Floral, Pink Vase"

Gouache

8" x 6"

Can you see this as a large oil painting?  We'll see.  I have to give it a shot.

"Nonsense #1"

Gouache

Now hence, part of the title of the post.  I am creating what I title "Nonsense Paintings No. 1"  and the numbers will go up from there.  I don't know the name of that poetry style where you "just write whatever pops into your head". Anyone know that?  So I am gathering reference, giving it no preplanning and just filling a page.  I am working in Gouache and am having so much fun.  That's what it needs to be.

Ok, while I was in Scottsdale teaching a workshop I revisited a few times, a favorite spot to paint.  We lived in Scottsdale for 13 years.  This pond is home to ducks and swans and geese.  It is so peaceful and in the middle of the city.  I have done many paintings here.  I stopped and did a few tonal works with my white and burnt umber gouache.  I miss this spot.  

Just a peek.

I have a lot of artist friends.  Aren't you curious about what their homes look like?  I am.  I think there is a notion that all of us artists live a somewhat eccentric life.  And maybe our homes would reflect that.  Ours is modest and I love our home.  It's about 1400 sq. ft.  The garage is a two car garage but we use it to store everything but cars.  Our studio is a separate building about 50 ft. from our front door.  We have another building that we'd love to turn into a guest house someday.  So how about a peek into our home.

A hallway to the back bedrooms and I use these walls to hang work by artist friends and family.   

One of the bedrooms.  Our smallest one but it works.  Found this great rug.  Look how good Auggie looks on it!   Wish I had matching bed frames.  But there was only one and it is Rock Maple and it was $17!  There are a few decorating blogs I follow.  I would love to intern for someone like Katherine Ireland or Bunny Williams.  I dream of having a "put together" home and some people have an incredible knack.  And we have had to do ours "on a dime" but finding a bargin is a thrill.  Plus we have had to keep in mind (when decorating Ha!)  the three kids, all their friends,  all the pets, living in the country.  Looks like I need to straighten some frames!

This was our sons room.  Now it's a guest room.  But Rex, honey, you know it will always be your room!  Simple.  And look how good Auggie and Benny look on the guest bed!  

This is really my favorite room.

 You can see a nice fire going in the wood stove.  Today it's pretty chilly out and I love to sit in this room and work and keep Ray company while he watches NBA.  The fire gets roaring and keeps us so toasty warm.

You should have seen this kitchen before!!  We have knocked out a few walls in the 15 years we have lived here.  And this was also done "on a dime".  Thank you Lowes.  

Our dining area "slash" command central "slash" scheduling headquarters "slash" conference room!  I hate the light over the table!  Cannot  believe I chose that thing.  Was in a rush, very little to choose from so I settled in a hurry.  Bummer.  Will change that someday soon! 

And I have accents like this all over the place.  I love this bowl.  I bought this while on a trip to Nashville.  My host took me to a "market" where this elderly gentleman and his whole family created these marvelous ceramic works.  I had to have this for $40.  His mother made this piece of art!