WINDMILL EASEL

Windmill Easel

All of the easels I have used over the last 30 years were cheap or free, wobbly, hard to use and generally unsatisfactory. I have known about windmill easels for a few years but never had the nerve or the money to purchase one. After I retired from my open air tent art show career I took the earnings and the advise of my artist friends and splurged on this a windmill easel.

I can set it at any angle.

This easel suits my style of painting because I like to use the drip technique so being able to turn the canvas or paper at different angles aids in getting the paint to flow in any direction. I can easily set the easel at any angle (upright for acrylics and 45 or so for watercolors) and even lower it to a horizontal position for mixed media work. The windmill arms turn 360 degrees in both directions.

It rotates 360 degrees.

Solid horizontal position.

No regrets but the down side is the size of the easel. I have a 10x12 bedroom as my studio and it is difficult to find a spot where the light is just right but I don’t trip over it or hide storage that I need to get to. In my next life I will order a bigger studio but until then I will be happy with what I have.

PAINTING WITH JOHNNY DANIELS

INLAND POND

I had the pleasure of taking painting lessons from Johnny Daniels in Fort Pierce, Florida. Johnny Daniels was one of the original “Highwaymen” of the 1960’s era. 

      Under his instruction, I emulated four of Daniel's paintings that he had in his gallery.

The fourth painting is in a private collection.

http:/www.koseroriginalart.com

OCEAN-FAIR SKY

OCEAN-BLUE SKY

LIGHTNING STRIKE

     Wide expanses of beach, such as those found on our Treasure Coast, Florida,  are prone to intense lightning strikes, which melt the quartz in the sand into a thin tubular or amoeba-like shapes also called fulgurites. We might call these convoluted structures “glass”.

I tried to capture the overwhelming energy of a lightning strike as well as the shapes that that form into fulgurites. 

Just thought you would like to know!

Lightning Strike can be found within my  Abstract Gallery on    http:/www.koseroriginalart.com

TO BLOG OR NOT TO BLOG

It means "I don't know"

Yes, that is the question.
I am reviewing the time I spend on taking photos and writing my blog compared to the stats of the viewers I have.
Next I need to set some on line art goals:

* Drive traffic to my web site: http:/www.koseroriginalart.com

*Drive traffic to my DailyPaintWorks.http:/www.dailypaintworks.com/artists/mary-ellen-koser-5892/artwork

 * Spend more time painting new art work for those two web sites.

* Increase sales on both web sites.

Now you see my dilemma. The ratio of time spent  reaching my goals to writing a blog is disproportionate. Please don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed sharing my art and personal events with you. I have learned to do something that I knew zip about before I tried it but it is time to hit U Tube and learn new skills, like how to use Pinterest, Facebook Business and Google Plus to reach my sales goals. Oh, and throw in learn how to make and post a video to the internet.

Sooo....for now I will blog off and return when I have met at least some of my goals.
Be well.
Mary Ellen

CHICKEN TODAY- FEATHERS TOMORROW

This one pecked me and drew blood.
Off with her head.

     My son has chickens and more eggs than he knows what to do with. I had forgotten how yellow a yolk is on free range chicken! He purchased a real fixer upper with an acre of land in northern Michigan about four years ago which he has improved with each passing season . We flew up to visit him for his 40th birthday and  to spend time with him.

I enjoyed watching the chickens.
Nice little birds.

The weather was perfect Michigan summer weather for the five days we were there. I love the pine trees, the forests along the roads as we drove out of town for the "good" ice cream. It felt good to just remember what I loved about where we used to live but then I remember the cold dark days of winter that lasted the vast majority of the year. My very favorite season was fall. In my life I have seen some of the most colorful spectacular cool crisp autumns.

                                                               

Tool shed.

               

A lobster dinner for a brand new 40 year old.            

Now for the rest of the story; we went up to help Matt with some projects around the house. It did not matter what we did with him, just so we were with him!  I painted one intricate spice rack that he build into his wall, two window frames from dark brown wood to shiny white
( that means a primer coat then the semi gloss around all those straight line edges....jeez) , touch up numerous wall patches including the wall below the spice rack. I darned about 100 socks as we all watched videos at night.


Not too shaby for an old lady and I still had a smile on my face when we left at 3am for the airport.