Face Painting for Feast of The Dead

Alright, here's a little side painting that turned out to be a blast. Did I say I love to paint? My canvas can be traditional, cookie or face/body.
These are a couple of the Many faces I painted for Tucson Botanical Gardens Feast of the Dead event this past Saturday.
The theme was Day of the Dead so it was mostly skulls except for grandmothers who just wanted something on their cheek or the little ones who wanted animals or something very simple.

I am grateful someone took these photos because the reality was that almost as soon as I got there (and I arrived 20 min. early) people started lining up to get their faces painted. My plans to have photos taken never happened because the line for face painting never let up and was at least 6 people deep for the next 2 hours.

There was another face painter there whom I never formally met because even though I arrived early - he was there Earlier already painting!
He had a large kit full of paints, sequins etc. and as it turns out, he is a professional face painter so his kit was very tricked out and he was very experienced. I brought some nice Snazzaroo face paints, my paint brushes, some wipes and water thinking I would have time to get fresh water, wipes etc. - never happened.

It was an intense two hours of painting and at the stroke of exactly 7 pm the other face painter packed up and left - quickly. He was already booked for another gig and knew as long as he stayed, people would keep coming.

I stayed an extra 30 minutes to finish the little ones that had been waiting and one lovely Mariachi girl, then I packed it in too. 

What a fun event - I was buzzed on adrenaline driving home thinking wow, I had a great time AND got tips! Actually it was the other painter who put out a tip jar and people just started giving me tips too - which made me smile All the way  home.   A bit of extra cash to keep my Risa in cans of her favorite doggy food - LOL :~D

I hope TBG keeps me in mind for next year. Then I will be a bit more prepared for the crowd, with more glitter colors (love using them!!) sequins, glitter paint. As it turned out I did pretty good with eight colors, two glitters, a water bottle, some wipes and a handful of brushes. Plus when people found out what I paint for my day job, dogs/animals, they asked for my card.

Painted lots of skulls - calaveras. All the while in the background there was a fabulous Mariachi youth band which I loved and could have listened to all night.

Keep your eyes open for next years Tucson Botanical Feast of the Dead event. Music, food, sugar skull decoration, presentations and Face Painting "~)

The next event will be the Luminaria Nights December 7, 8, 9 from 5:30 - 8 pm. A lovely evening at the gardens full of twinkling lights, music and treats.

More adventures in Porcelain Painting

Desert Kit Fox porcelain painting (click to enlarge)

Another experiment in porcelain painting as I explore this new media. It will be added to the que to fire at the end of this month. All of the plates will eventually be put up in the cookie store as decorative serving plates.

Foxes are such adaptable creatures. In the UK they are common urban wildlife much as the coyote is in the southwest. In the Tucson, AZ area kit fox is rarely seen, being mostly nocturnal. This plate painting is of of a San Joaquin kit fox which is endangered due to habitat encroachment. They are California residents.

Though wildlife Do Not make good pets due to their wild nature they are born with, there is a story of a man who rescued an injured red fox that is so touching! Watch the story of Cropper The Fox  HERE.

"You had me at Hello"

Loved Companions 

Honoring our loved companions that had us at the tail wag "hello". From the first look, lick, tail wag or bark, they have our hearts and give unconditionally of themselves. For this and so many additional reasons I do not tire of portraying the love. Doing my best to reflect and capture the spirit of the bond that owner and dog have.

I have only seen that look of innocent, trusting love and devotion in young children. Oh, and my Risa every day when I return or speak to her "~)

Beautiful Leaves

Fall,  my favorite time of year. Cooler days and crisp nights perk me up after the summer heat.  It motivates me and for some reason, I need less sleep!  Instead there are more late nights in the studio.
This year I want to get out more instead of getting caught up in the usual hustle of pre-holiday designing and gearing up. It would be great to Enjoy my favorite season so I am resolved to get out of my studio, off the design computer and touch the lovely trees.
I do miss the gorgeous fall colors. When I visit my parents their streets are lined with a kaleidoscope of fiery reds, rich yellows, golden oranges. Makes me want to jump in the leaves and toss them in the air!

I have created a fall gift box to help scratch that itch and will also Try to get a couple of paintings in of fall leaves.  These sugar cookies are light and crisp in texture and taste, decorated with sparkling sugar crystals. They will look pretty on any table.
I wanted to create a porcelain botanical painting of leaves to go with this set, but might be running out of time :~( .   If only I didn't need sleep - I'd rather be in the studio!
A porcelain painting of a kit fox and a couple of others coming soon...

Fall Holiday Sugar Cookie Gift Set

Retriever Bonnie

Bonnie was a wonderful Chespeak Bay Retriever. Lively and always ready for action, these sporting dogs are strong swimmers and have a lovely, curly coat that comes in two colors. This is the light cinnamon and it was fun to paint the curly hair. A nice memorial portrait of a sweet girl who lived a long, wonderful life.

Sweet Dreams

Panda Play - Overglaze on repurposed porcelain plate

Sweet Dreams - Overglaze on repurposed porcelain plate

Two more paintings on repurposed plates I found hunting at a thrift store.  It is really interesting as I learn the possibilities of painting with overglazes on finished porcelain ware.  A whole world of ideas has been opened!
Most of the focus will be on endangered animals. The porcelain ware will be varied.  Repurposed or new, each is hand painted with no two alike - no mass productions here!
Originally started as a concept for cookie plates, the project has taken on a life of it's own and moved toward my beloved wildlife, animals, dogs, botanical subjects.

My friend Carol Hedgedus from Handmade Tile Studio has empowered me to pursue this interest by loaning me paints, her super helpful book China Paint And Overglaze by Paul Lewing, and giving me an older kiln. I am forever grateful to her for her generosity.

The kiln will not be ready for some time due to a bit of electrical work, so meanwhile I am looking for local sources to fire my plates and tiles.

Sweet Dreams and Panda Play will be available as limited editions thru my Etsy cookie store MoonLight Cookie Art. 
Enclosed with every Wildlife plate will be a few facts on each subject and a portion of the proceeds is donated to World Wildlife Fund and Nature Conservancy - two of my favorite educational charities!

While there is quite a bit of information on Pandas and Polar Bears, below are a few facts I have learned from a book I recommend The Great White Bear by Kieran Mulvaney.


Did you know:

• Polar bear fur is not really white. The fur is colorless and absorbs the colors of surroundings.
• Pandas have only one baby born about 5 inches long.
• Many male bears will kill the cubs if given the chance.
• Pandas diet consists almost entirely of bamboo, unlike most bears.

More will be added to this list as I learn about these endangered, beautiful animals.

Dogster Art "Pics We Love"

Yay! My work has been featured in the national magazine Dogster.

http://www.dogster.com/the-scoop/sue-betanzos-dog-art-public  Check it out, it's a fun magazine for dog lovers and their mate Catsers is for kitty lovers. There is a link for it on the page :~)

They showed my acrylics and mosaics below including a few of sweet Risa, my 24/7 K9 companion.

I am excited and honored by this and most of these are available on my website, just click on the purple title to visit the art link.

Betsy - acrylic on canvas

Olivia - acrylic on canvas

Risa Belly Rubs - acrylic on canvas board

Risa Stargazer - mosaic, reverse glass painting

Risa in Yellow - mosaic, reverse glass painting

Adventures in Ceramic Illustration

Tender Fawn

Hummingbird

Porcelain repurposed plates ready for new life

The Illustrations on porcelain are cookie plates that are food and dishwasher safe because the glazes and paints are fired on.
Cookie Panda was the very first attempt with this medium and I am still getting the feel for it. These are ready for firing and I can't wait to see how they will come out!

The fawn and panda are done with oil based mediums and the tiny hummingbird with a water based medium. Will see how the detail holds in the firing.

Went to a thrift store and picked up more inexpensive porcelain to experiment with. A variety of sizes ranging from the 6" as in the hummingbird to a large stoneware platter with a blue rim.

Staying with pure white for plate colors and black/white illustrations with maybe one additional color.

Endangered wildlife will be most of the focus, but I am already planning a few dog designs. And o.k., fawns and hummingbirds are not endangered, but they are good practice as I get a feel for the medium.

More later as I design for my new loot of repurposed dish ware!

Art Enriches Our Lives

Mural for Wright Elementary School - Finished!

Mural Vinyl Lettering Installation

Mural Vinyl Lettering Application

This charming, welcoming little mural is for the John B. Wright elementary school entry lobby.The school has a focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, hence the STEM in the school title.

In collaboration with the principle, Maria Marin, the design features a bit from several areas.
The Monarch butterfly life cycle on the left will reference the school garden in the courtyard that will teach students plant life cycles and butterfly life cycles by planting the milkweed which is the food source for the caterpillars.

Clouds and rain illustrate climatology. Our solar system on the right shows our planets place in our solar system ruled by our sun.

Little R2's cousin is the robotic technology reference and will provide the students with an opportunity to name it - maybe a contest!

Erupting volcano and sedimentary rock layers the robot is standing on remind of the earth's geological history.

A family of little quail reference the natural world and biology of nature.

Seek and find numbers from 1 - 12 are hidden in the mural. Some are obvious, some more hidden and a few require that special and most important ingredient - Imagination!

Where would we be without imagination of inventors who thought - "what if" and invented cars, electricity, computers, even air conditioning.

Before the mural - the original entry.

The vinyl lettering for the professional finish to this mural was generously donated by the Cook Sign Company, who did the school's original outdoor sign many years ago and has been making signs since 1976.
Another invention - digital lettering! Hand lettering is not common and today almost every lettering and sign is fabricated on a computer digitally and applied either by hand or machine.

These letters were carefully rubbed onto the rough surface using fingers on the thin fragile letters. The letters are self adhesive and merely require a super clean surface to stick, much like decals.
I wonder who Imagined this brilliant concept.....

As this mural demonstrates, art is meant to be shared and enriches our lives.

Have you found all 12 numbers?

Lucky Dog Art Cookies

Lucky Dog Art Sugar Cookies

Art cookies ready for shipping to a national dog rescue charity event and Reverse glass painting at the Tohono Chul Park art reception tonight.

Sugar Cookies are comfort food in any language and almost always guaranteed to bring a smile to kids of All ages.
I am glad to be able to help those who have no voices. Well now they do thru the hard work of all the volunteers it takes to make these charity events run smoothly and find homes for dogs rescued.

Off to the studio  - working on Border Collie paintings and wildlife porcelain plates - cool!

Bat Night Magic - reverse glass painting

Oh, the reception at Tohono Chul for the Pollinator's Exhibit is tonight and as one of the participating artists I will be there to answer all questions regarding reverse glass painting and my work. What is reverse glass painting? How is it done? How long have I been an artist?
Look forward to seeing familiar faces there - meeting new ones "~)  It's not easy for me to get out of the studio and speak to lots of strangers, but I know the more I do this, the more comfortable it will get.

I "Heart" Cookies

Today I went to my friend Carol's house and as usual fell through the time worm hole. No matter my intentions on time management, as soon as I step through her front door Fwwwwp **Zap*'! hours pass like minutes. 

I had contacted Carol about painting on porcelain plates since she is a ceramic guru. Inspired by artwork I had seen on Etsy, I wanted to do a few plates as a complement to my cookies. Cookies on a plate with possible mug for a 'cookies and milk' offering that I will list in special section.

It was very experimental and fun. She is such good hostess, with lots of very cool, exotic teas. I had an ice tea of lemon, berry and something else. It was delicious!

Oil painting is a medium I have not tried until today. No reason, just never got around to it. This plate was done with ceramic oil paints so until it is fired, it never dries. I came home with two more plates to play with and the materials to do them with - wow! The cool part is since my paintings are fired, they will be dishwasher safe - unlike some of the artists who use paints that are not permanent or dishwasher safe. 

Tomorrow after my meeting I will do the other two plates and order some materials.  Since animals are my strong suite I will do more of my animals eating - Cookies'! Also some with quotes I like. I am already excited because these are more cost effective than my beloved mosaics and super fun. I want to keep them simple, black and white with a punch of color. I can already see raccoons, birds, otters, panda, dogs. Maybe even a mermaid or other fantasy since I love fantasy and the magical.

Meanwhile isn't this a cute Panda cookie plate?! Stay tuned for new works in art, cookies and life.

Purple Rain

Storm Ahead

Lightning Show in Tucson

July and August is monsoon season in southern Arizona with dark indigo purple thunder clouds and lightning forming almost every afternoon. Thunder rumbling, brilliant flashes of lightning, then powerful torrential downpours that can flood areas in minutes, at times causing flash floods that have stranded many a motorist who insist on driving through.

Sometimes it's a big buildup and then just enough rain sprinkles the ground to make the pavement steam - a rain teaser.

Other afternoons, like last week it comes down so heavy and hard that the parked cars outside of the supermarket (where I was stranded) are barely visible in the grey curtain of heavy downpour. But typical monsoon style, it ended after about 10 minutes of fascinated observation by everyone who decided to wait it out inside and respectfully watch the storm.

Like many, I had decided to wait out the violent, heavy downpour with the winds whipping the rain sideways. Of course there are always the brave souls who walk in (or out) soaked, squishing onto the soggy token carpet at the entry. 

Observers, like myself, burst out laughing at one lady who squished in, drenched, raccoon eyed from melted make up, with her straw hat clinging limply to her head and announcing "it's only water, you won't melt!".  It was one of those memorable Gary Larson, The Far Side moments.

O.k., so she doesn't mind squelching through the store in puddles and soaking the seat of her car when she leaves, (she wasn't going to let a little rain stop her) but the rest of us did mind and were willing to wait out the 10 minutes or so, taking the opportunity to chat with each other as we watched the parking lot fill with water, the shopping carts getting pushed around by the wind and torrents of rain. When it slowed to a light sprinkle, we all splashed to our cars. Soaked shoes, mild wet, o.k. - soaked clothes in high wind and sideways rain - no thanks (given the choice...). 

Short, heavy outbursts laced with spectacular lightning shows are what the monsoons are about - then the sweet, clean, cooler air, birds chirping, and often spectacular sunsets. 

One birdie wasn't chirping though - the one I found on my driveway when I returned. Poor thing had been blown out of the tree in the high winds and lay, feet up, in the center of the drive. I did the plastic bag shuffle, scooping it up and disposing it in the overgrown wash where it would make a meal for some critter - recycling.

No matter how many times I have seen the heavy rains/lightning, each time is new as I stare in fascinated wonder at the raw power and beauty of nature (from a sheltered place- like a car or store).

**I did not take any of the pictures in this post. They are from images under Tucson Monsoon.

What not to do when it floods