brb!

busy! christmas! new years! makin' stuff! eating too much!

I'll update in about week!

Fun new art stuff and paintings and all that. Lots of work.

Happy Holidays and New Year, internet!
xoxo

hey monday

draw draw draw

happy wednesday!

I didn't have time to finish my portrait at tonight's dpal session - this is about 1/2 done. Still happy with what I've got so far tho'.


The watercolor I'm doing right now is a re-work of an older idea. This is the little rough sketch for it. I'll talk more about this piece next week :)

work work work!
<3

The Message

I use photographs as reference for a lot of my work, and for this portrait of JoeV I used a photo by the very talented Lucy Jodlowska. Her work is lovely and it's interesting to use a photo for reference that didn't come off of my cell phone.


The Message, Watercolor on paper, 30 x 40 cm

The task of the Cicadas is to watch humans to report who honors the Muses and who does not.

figure class

So TONIGHT I went to see my buddy Gary's painting on display at the local college faculty show, and then stayed for cookies and coffee and figure drawing. I did a quick color study of the model using my pencils again:

Gary is a great painter and beer-&-bluegrass buddy, and also a pretty fantastic teacher. I always pick up a few good bits of info and ideas when hanging out in his class. And, he's good at giving me shit about loosening up and making more of a mess. Which is something I've always struggled with in my sketching and life drawing. I do enjoy making detailed portraits and watercolors, but it's good to remember to let the paint fly and get dirty. This weekend I should finish my painting of Joe and the Cicada, and probably another Strawberry Bird or two for the Etsy shop. And then I think it's time to make a mess.

wednesday nights

So, tonight the Cowboy was back at the League! I had the same view to draw from, so I went with color pencils. I haven't done a color pencil portrait in four years and it was fun remembering how to layer and hatch.

workin'

So this is about half done. Should be finished this weekend!

Strawberry Bird

Strawberry Birds are super sweet but slightly creepy little creatures.

And this one is in my just-re-opened Etsy Shop!
www.melissasuefineart.etsy.com
Check it out.

HI!

Been workin' a lot. Here's what's on the desk today. Joe and a cicada having a friendly conversation.

Also, desk-job is going well. The holidays are always a fun time at desk-job. Sometimes I get to go on glamorous business trips too.

Desk-job road-trippin'. Love it.

Two nights ago I spent the evening hanging out at (and with!) OhNo!Doom in Chicago. Super fun and a ton of laughs. Check the gallery / space / collective out.

I think I might have more to write about, but I really have to get back to painting.

You can get more regular/daily updates over at my Twitters.

Happy Monday, xoxox

eat it, wednesday!

Today I had about 3,000 tiny reasons to not go to the League to draw. Right up to, and including, "I left my EFFING PAPER at home.".

But dammit, I went anyway. And the model was dressed as a cowboy. And I drew a picture of him.



Because loving what you do means you go do it even when you don't bloody want to.


Also, still listening to this.


Happy Wednesday, internet!

hey there

I've gotta start getting to the league earlier so I can get a different angle to draw from.


I've started planning my next show, and it's going well.


November is full of a lot of really exciting things. This is my 'happy about november' face.

slowly now.

oh, hello

"If we live truly, we shall see truly"

"Trust thyself. Every heart vibrates to that iron string"
~Emerson

Dear Internets,
I've been pondering what to write to you for a week or so now. I mean, I've been blogging with you since at least 2005. I feel like some sort of update on what's happening is in order. And your emails and support and thoughts have all been wonderful lately. Thanks for thinking of me.

Well, of the last six weeks of my life, I'm not going to say anything. Maybe in a year or two (or maybe ten, or maybe never) I can write about it. It's been more difficult than I can actually explain right now.

For today, here's all you really need to know:

I live in the suburbs of Chicago

I got my old job back.

I'm a brunette now



I will be getting back to work - art work - this week. So stay tuned for that. If you're waiting for an email or an update from me, it'll come by Tuesday. Commissions should be open in time for the Holidays. Etc. I'm excited for the new paintings and I think you will also enjoy them.

Again, thanks for your thoughts and support. Don't worry: I got a big smile and a big heart and a big pile of work to do.
I bounce.

xoxox
melissa sue

New Painting!

The Eggplant on the Alp

Watercolor and colored pencil on paper, 15cm x 19cm.
Hey look you can buy it if you want

Dear Internet,

Taking a break. See you in a couple months or so.

xoxo
melissa sue

the gods are leaving us

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/22/arts/lucian-freud-adept-portraiture-artist-dies-at-88.html

sigh.

ETA: I should say: Hans Peter is my neighbor, co-worker, drinking buddy, good friend.

what the what

internets, you've seen most of this stuff before. but hombrechtikon has not, and they will! next week! just framing and getting ready. tonight more drawing and painting.

i promise to talk more about these things later. right now i just have a few more *new new* pieces i really want to get done in time for the show. drawpaintdrawpaintdraw.
and i still need to watch this week's true blood, omfg.
i might even wear my sookie stackhouse 'merlotte's bar' uniform when i do that.
I AM DORK. RAAR.

hey there!

I should post more pics and do a food blog and talk a little more about my trip to Chicago. However,

^this is pretty much all I'm doing right now.

Details are on my website!
www.melissasuestanley.net

study practice doodle stuff

it's miller time.
because 'it's feldschlösschen time' just doesn't quite roll off the tongue.

calm

here we go

what?

Really I just want to watch Star Trek*.


*We've been burning through the movies. Besides glimpses I've caught on HBO as a kid (Mom was a fan, right? It's fuzzy) I've -never- watched ST. So now I'm catching up and there's a strange trend emerging....







omg, logic. very cute logic.

rock and roll

The last few wild months of my 20's. I did this all day. Now I'm going to watch Star Trek. Tomorrow I'm going fishing, but I'm probably going to bring my pochade and do that while the boys yank poor bastard trouts out of the lake. Then I will eat trout.

blabla working bla

hey look it's one of my desks!

doodle doodle

bla bla bla

hey let's draw oregano


Have I told you today how much I love my little Italian neighbor? I went to say hello and he presented me with a gorgeous bouquet of fresh garden-grown lettuce. Some men, they just get it.

bla bla bla

doodlin'

sketching inside today
bonk bonk

ooooooooooh

FedEx just dropped this off:

Dorky girl rant: I've been bag shopping for about six months. My last bag was very special to me - it's been all over the world and holds everything and is quite sentimental. But it's starting to fall apart and it smells like a dead hobo.

I saw this gem on Etsy last week and knew it was the one for me.

Smells much better than a dead hobo. Awesome.

Pochade - day one

I'm a generally shy person. Painting outside, in "public", ooof.

But it was one of my goals for this Spring, and today was the day. The husband was out the door, the dog was walked, the groceries were bought, the house was cleaned, the German was studied, and the yoga was yoga'd. 11:30 AM came a-tick-tock'in and so, with no further excuses, I packed my little bitty backpack and grabbed the dog and went outside.
Day one, check.
Day two, tomorrow.
And so on.

Hey I brought you a radish.

Eat it.


Hey look over there.


So! I have new shoes, but no information on exploding snowmen heads. I postponed my Zuri trip until thursday - and then we're all going to the Kino! (movie theater) I haven't been to a movie in a theater in over a year, so I'm pretty excited.
It's springtime-raining outside and I need to clean my art studio. Heave ho back to work.