Barn Owl Love In Progress

Feeling pink with Valentines coming up - plus it was my granny's favorite color. This paper is from my vintage paper stash. I knew it was meant for this pair of Barn Owls. Did you know Barn Owls mate for life?  More on Barn Owl facts in the next finished post.

Hoped to be done a few days ago for Valentine cards, but I can still make digital ones to send :)

Owl Love - 8x10" colored pencil on pink charcoal paper.

Faber Castell polychromos pencils, Derwent chinese white pencil, Prismacolor Verithin pencils,  pink charcoal paper, Kum pencil sharpener, sanding paper, kneaded eraser, clear magic tape, fine paper embosser (to use with the tape to lift color in tiny areas)
More on how to use some of the materials in this POST

Little Quail & Colored Pencil Class Jan. 13

Playing with a quick little sketch.  More quail :)
The butterfly has been adjusted in Photoshop. Tracing onto heavy paper today.
The image might be available for this Wed. 13 night colored pencil class at the Kirk Bear Canyon Library.  Fun to color!

Sweet Little Arizona Gambel's Quail

These charming beautiful little birds are seen just about everywhere in Tucson.  I love watching them as they softly talk to each other while feeding. The round fluffy babies are adorable.

The call of the male Gambel's Quail is distinctive and pretty cool. To me it kind of sounds like haHA.
In the spring the male can be heard and seen calling.
I put an AZ colored ribbon on this study with a tiny copper star on the front.

A sincere thank you to Rob Boone Photography for letting me use one of his wonderful photos.

Happy Clients Make My Heart Glow ♥

It's part of the Why I like to make art. Understanding that art brings positive, happy vibes and happy people attract happiness and love.
Enhancing a person's space and life with art that is meaningful for them brings a smile that stays all day. Makes others smile back too!

Commission your own dog, animal or personal artwork at SueBetanzos.com

You are so very welcome Laurie, Susan W., Susan E., May, Patti, Sue, Nancy, and so many more I can't list. Thank you all for the opportunities to collaborate on your lovely special projects and for the wonderful, Beautiful letters ♥

My little Ruby Gem, sold

The other day a mosaic I especially liked sold at a gallery I have exhibited at since 2006 or so, Tohono Chul.
The partnership has been a nice collaboration. The gallery and I make money, get exposure, so it's a win win for both parties.
Tohono Chul and I have supported each other over the years, it's such a pretty little oasis with a lovely & tasty cafe, nature walks, galleries and classes.

I highly recommend breakfast or early lunch at the outside bistro where birds often come very close. A beautiful cardinal once perched on the chair next to mine and I was so fascinated I couldn't eat. No camera, no sketch pad that day!   Just my eyes and the unforgettable memory.

Ruby Throated Gem is a special mosaic, created with much thought and affection for the subject. The frame is hand made by a friend too - I will miss this piece and have to make another.

Hummingbirds are so charismatic, they capture the fleeting beauty of the natural world. There is a magical quality to their shimmering appearance as they hover near while feeding or sometimes just checking you out. - fearless.

Animal & Nature Keepsake Boxes

Playing with images on keepsake boxes that combine mixed media with hand painting and faux finishes.  Dogs, words, nature, mermaids and more will be explored.
Birds and boxes - summer studio fun.
The new Keepsake Boxes can be found on my new Etsy store Art Of Sue.

Deals for you! I'm clearing out my studio for new work in the STUDIO SALES section.

Aussie Keepsake Box, Risa StarGazer

Back in my mural painting, faux finishing days, faux/fantasy stone finishes were my specialty. Mostly on furniture.

It took many hours and practice boards to develop the techniques and I LOVE the wabi sabi of the stone finishes.

The boxes will all be different in mixed medias. They are sealed with two coats of clear sealer.

How I preserve my Artist brushes

This is the method I have used for Many Years to preserve and dry my brushes. Brushes are an investment for many artists. Although they eventually wear out and get downgraded as they wear down, a few simple steps can greatly extend the life of your favorite brushes.

1. Don't let the paint dry on the brush. Clean them whenever you are going to be away for more than an hour.

2. The anatomy of a brush and why you don't want to store them brush up when wet. The glue in the metal part called the ferrel should not be soaked or sit in water. Brush hair will start falling out.
Laying the brush on it's side does not do as well as hanging the brush head down so the moisture drips down and out.

3. Brush Washer. Hobby Lobby 6.00 or get it from Michaels, Dick Blick etc. Super handy - get a couple. I remove the metal screen at the bottom, don't need it.

4. Plastic coated mesh screen to put in your water container. Swishing the brush over this screen gets a lot of paint off and keeps it off while you paint. Don't stand the brush in it though - it separates the hairs too much and bends them.

5. Brush cleaning soap. Wash your brushes in the special soap thouroughly, reshape and hang Hair Side Down from the brush washer so the water drips off the ends of the brush, not back into the ferral.

6. When dry, store brush side up in a container and put a plastic zip over them to keep the dust off. Note: the spring/brush holder on the brush washers from H.L. too thick/stiff. Brushes tend to pop off,  but it can be replaced.

Mosaic Finished and Installed at TWC

 Opening day and Wilber the mascot logo mosaic is installed in Tucson Wildlife Center reception office. Looks nice and Lisa Bates (next to me) president CEO has done an awesome job not only establishing this wildlife rescue center, but also opening the Sam Goldman Wildlife Hospital, the only state of the art wildlife rescue hospital facility in AZ  with ultra modern medical equipment, surgery room and much more.

She is nothing short of amazing. Check out their website, donate anything (they have a wish list of things they always need as well as $$) and tune into their Facebook page for current rescue stories.

Tucson Wildlife Mosaic Installed

The new and Only wildlife rescue hospital at Tucson Wildlife Center opened earlier this month and the mosaic I did of their logo hangs in the reception entry area. This photo was taken before the grand opening with lots of people.

Mosaic - Tucson Wildlife Center 30" x 30"

The mosaic piece took much longer to complete than anticipated. After a family illness other things seemed to always come up. Then it was damaged during fabrication leading to more time in repairs.

So glad to finally see Wilber the Bobcat mascot logo hanging! It glitters with light and color in the office. Check out Tucson Wildlife's Facebook page for all the latest rescue news. Donate on their TWC website - every donation counts for this non-profit wildlife rescue that runs Entirely on donations.

Below are most of the work in progress steps for those interested in making mosaics. Due to to high detail and many tiny pieces, the Double Reverse Mosaic technique was used to make this mosaic mural. 

• After tracing the logo onto cement board, I cut the hardi backer cement board with an angle grinder.

• The traced logo was hand painted with acrylics like a portrait color study guide to match the glass colors.

• Clear contact paper is cut to the size of the painted board, sticky side up so cut glass mosaic pieces will stick to it and not move or shift. The contact paper is taped to the board edge in 8 places.

• The stained glass is hand selected to match the color references not only to the logo but also to Wilber the bobcat mascot at Tucson Wildlife Center.

• Stained glass is selected and laid out to match the fur growth direction, pattern and color. Then the glass is cut in shapes that match fur texture and color for movement. The grout will be black to help outline the movement and texture of the fur.

• Each piece of glass is hand traced with a sharpie pen, then cut and fitted into place with a glass wheel cutter (favorite tool). Tweezers are used to fit each glass into place.

• The eye is often the most important focal point of an animal portrait and the glass was carefully selected for color and fit based on several reference nature photos.

• Once the mosaic was finished, clear special mosaic tape was applied to the front making sure every tiny piece stuck to the tape. 

• Then the piece was flipped over, the contact paper was peeled off the back and the piece was pre-grouted and wiped so the black grout filled the spaces in the glass. Pre-grouting from the back helps keep the white cement from squeezing up through the front.

• The painted front of the cement board was skimmed with cement mortar and the pre-grouted back of the mosaic was also thinly buttered with the mortar.

• The two pieces were quickly, carefully sandwiched together with the backer board on the bottom, cement adhesive layer, then taped glass mosaic on top.

• Mosaic glass taped surface was carefully tamped with a large float so all layers adhered then left a few days for the cement to cure completely. Then the clear mosaic tape was carefully removed at a flat angle and grout touched up where needed.

Materials & Links: 

Iron frame donation Applby's Ornamental Iron local independent.

Mosaic Tape  Mosaic Supply

Stained glass Expressions Art Glass local independent.

Cement hardi-backer 1/4" board  local Home Depot 

Grout, sanded, black  Custom Grout

Cement mortar Laticrete thinset adhesive for glass

Acrylic paints for underpainting FolkArt or Liquitex Basics from local Michaels

Wheeled glass cutters (I had a pair)

Pistol glass cutter (had mine)

Tweezers (have several)

Sharpie permanent fine marker to mark glass

Carbon paper for tracing onto board

Projector (I have an Old one)

Clear contact paper roll

Paper to trace design on from projection if project is too big/heavy to hang on wall.

Angle head grinder for cutting shapes on cement board (messy but WAY less than Wedi board)

This mosaic method is called the double reverse method and is ideal for public art. It provides a super smooth finish and allows the placing of Many tiny detail glass pieces without them shifting and the option of changing pieces. The direct method of gluing down glass as you go is a one shot deal. If pieces don't fit right, it's very difficult to pry up glued tiny glass or fragile pieces.

Original logo

Tracing the logo for the mosaic onto cut hardi-backer board. A projector was used, then any distortion was adjusted.

Stained glass mosaic selections for color match. The logo, other bobcat photos were used for Wilber's face colors.

Cutting mosaic glass and layout matching the underpainting and logo. 

Hand cutting glass mosaic piece by piece

Hand cutting and fitting glass mosaic pieces using a sharpie, wheeled glass cutters and tweezers. The sticky contact paper keeps small pieces from shifting and allows for custom fitting.

Custom fitting glass pieces for glass mosaic and placing on the contact paper.

Custom color match and cut the eye - the "window to the soul" using hand traced paper templates that were then traced onto the selected glass for the eye, nose areas and fitted with tweezers. 

Glass Mosaic about 2/3 finished. 

Mosaic mural for Tucson Wildlife Center ready for grouting.
Last fitting with the iron frame generously donated by Appleby's Ornamental Iron to mark the grout border edges. Appleby's kind owner Ed Hocheder has been running the family owned BBB A+ Appleby since 1980 and is a pleasure to work with.