Congratulations Linda, winner of my free print giveaway!

Congratulations Linda at momentsinaneye, your number just jumped out of the little copper pot I put them in when I shuffled them!  Please email me at originalslrdesigns (@) yahoo.com with the title of the print that you'd like as well as your mailing address.  You may choose a piece from my website http://www.lisarusso.com or any of the recent pieces that I have yet to add to my website.

Thank you so much Stacy, Masa, and Alex for featuring and/or sharing my giveaway!

My Favorite Spot at Descanso Gardens & Last Day of My Print Giveaway...

This is one of my favorite spots at Descanso Gardens in La Canada.  There's a bench you may sit at and stare out at the pond.  Some times of the year, the water lilies are blooming in the pond.  At the time I took this picture, there were yellow irises blooming along the bank.  Sometimes there are are dragonflies.  The koi fish come up close along the edge and are so wonderful to look at as they swim along.  

Whenever I visit, I try to spend some time just sitting here and reflecting.  It is a place of inspiration to me.

Today, Monday the 30th at midnight PST, will be the end of my free worldwide print giveaway.  I would love it if you stop by here and enter!

I am linking this post with Inspire Me Monday.

I have an unexpected deadline, so I haven't had the opportunity to finish up my second Degas post yet, but I hope to be able to do so by next Monday.

Baby Bears Rescued...

This is completely not art related, but so amazing!

 

 Couple Rescues Baby Bears Trapped In Dumpster (WATCH)
 By Neil Morton

"A mama bear's three baby bears got stuck in a dumpster recently, and it was a couple that came to the rescue.

The mama bear stayed up all night by the dumpster listening to her cubs cry, until Ruidoso, New Mexico couple Tom and Shirley Schenk arrived at light in their pickup truck with a ladder after hearing the bear cries as well.

"They know how to open the latch to the dumpster," Shirley tells ABC News. "This mother is notorious in the neighborhood."

While Tom backed the truck up to the dumpster -- with Mama bear watching -- Shirley lowered the ladder into the dumpster.

"I was not scared," she says. "I had my husband driving and I knew we'd drop it and go. … I would have never done that on foot."

Watch for yourself their amazing rescue effort..."

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/07/26/couple-rescues-baby-bears_n_1707085.html

The Start of a Bird of Paradise Painting & Some Listings...

This week I worked a bit on my Bird of Paradise painting.  At this point it is sketched in and my preliminary background is in place.  I consider this point to be the "bare bones" of the painting.  There's no color yet on the flower and I may change my mind as to the color of the background as I get further into it.  I love this soft blue, but I'm not sure if I'll keep it for this painting.  We'll see how it goes!

The canvas is 18"x24" and I'm working in acrylics.

Anyway, I'm having a print giveaway that ends on Monday July 30th, the information is here.

Also, I'm joining in this week with Paint Party Friday.  To see more participants, please visit:

http://paintpartyfriday.blogspot.com/

I usually try to get my prints up by Tuesday, but I just haven't managed that this week!  Connnected, a vibrant pink tulip is based on a small 6"x6" square original that I sold at a show.  It is available here.

As the square size is not a standard size, I also have it listed as a 5"x7".  This week is Little Owl's debut as a print, I don't have it up on my website yet.  In addition, Deep in Thought, a blue angel fairy, is also up as a print.  To see them all, please visit here.

Wordless Wednesday: A Summer Dinner at Gui Lin in Monterey Park

I took these photographs of our meal at Gui Lin in Monterey Park.  As a vegetarian, I was thrilled that they had not one, but two vegetarian soup options!  I've visited Gui Lin on two occasions and tried a different one each time, they were both excellent.  They also had cold cucumbers which were so amazing we finished them too quickly to get them in the picture!  I'd also highly recommend the cold mushrooms.  As you may see from the first picture, my companions were not vegetarian and there was an abundance of options that they highly enjoyed.  The decor was interesting, I posted a pic a while back of a toy yellow VW bug that they had suspended from the ceiling a while back that was indicative of their design concept, but the prices were good and the food and service outstanding.

One thing that they did that I didn't expect was adding peanuts to the soup.  I also didn't expect to like it, but I really did.  It added something nice.  However, if you should chance to eat there and you have a nut allergy, I would let them know not to add any.  They seem to add them to all of the soups, including the non vegetarian options.

They also had an array of delicious sweet drinks, in case you have a sweet tooth, which I definitely do...

Anyway, if you'd like to take a look, I'm having a print giveaway that ends on July 30th, the information is here.

Although I'm clearly more Wordy than Wordless today, I am participating in Wordless Wednesday.  To see more Wordless Wednesday links, please visit:
http://www.wordlesswednesday.com/newhome/
http://blog.aquariann.com/
http://www.create-with-joy.com/

Edgar Degas: Bodies in Motion at the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena Part I

On July 6th, I attended a talk at the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena on movement in the work of Edgar Degas.  After the talk, I took photographs of the pieces highlighted in the talk and I am sharing them here.  This is part one of two posts that I will make on the topic.

Edgar Degas, Horse with Head Lowered & Horse and Jockey & Prancing Horse

While Edgar Degas is best known for his paintings and pastels, he also made many wax sculptures.  During his lifetime, only one of his sculptures was exhibited.  Later, others were cast into bronze.  Norton Simon purchased the master models that are currently on display at the Norton Simon.

Edgar Degas, Horse with Head Lowered & Horse and Jockey & Prancing Horse

Edgar Degas was a frequent visitor to the race track and felt that the motion of horses could not be captured by painting alone.  Eadweard Muybridge, a photographer whose works showed some of the earliest documentation of horses in motion with not even a hoof touching the ground, was a great source of inspiration to Degas.  

Edgar Degas, Horse Clearing an Obstacle & Horse Galloping on Right Foot

In some of the models of the horses, you may see places where the wire was not covered and areas where the wax was pinched on.  It's my opinion that these weren't intended for display and were created purely for the love of art.  

Edgar Degas, Dancer Ready to Dance, the Right Foot Forward

Some of his sculptures are more polished and finished than others, like the sculpture of Dancer Ready to Dance.  However, they all have a sense of movement, implied or inherent to the piece.

Edgar Degas, Dancers in Pink

When Degas created Dancers in Pink, he had been working in pastels for twenty years.  They are caught in a moment of motion on the stage.  Pierre-Auguste Renoir included this piece in the background of a portrait of the owner's daughters.

Edgar Degas, Dancer Adjusting Her Shoulder Strap & Arabesque Over the Right Leg, Left Arm in Line & Arabesque Over the Right Leg, Right Hand Near the Ground

The Arabesque sculptures and Dancer Adjusting Her Shoulder Strap sculptures captured moments in time.   His sculptures tended to be small, but they had a huge impact.  Looking at them, I feel like I could almost be there in that moment.

This concludes part one of my two part series inspired by the talk I attended, I hope you enjoyed it!

Also, please stop by and comment here to enter to win a free print of my art!

I'm a little late, but I am linking this with Inspire Me Monday and Magical Monday.

My Newest Fairy Painting and Summer Musings...

This painting is titled "Azure Haired Beauty."  The painting is an original acrylic gothic fairy painting on 5"x7" canvas panel.  I love the color blue.  Sometimes I want to paint the world blue, but this week I've settled for painting this big eye fae almost all blue. 

I painted this to participate in Nibblefest, this month the theme is fairies so I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's creations!  I love fairies.  Mine is here, all of the entries start at 99c, no reserve... 

I've started on the sketch for my next big floral, it will be a Bird of Paradise.  I haven't made much progress on it yet.  Summer months tend to be my least productive time.  It's just so hot, all I want to do is nap...  And on a technical level, while I love that acrylics dry quickly, in the summer they dry so very quickly, any blending must be done so very quickly...  Does anyone else have seasonal variations?  I'm trying to fight it at least a little this summer, but it goes against my inclinations!

Anyway, I'm having a print giveaway that ends on July 30th, the information is here.

Also, I'm joining in this week with Paint Party Friday.  To see more participants, please visit:

http://paintpartyfriday.blogspot.com/

Wordless Wednesday: The Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen Sculpture by Edward Degas

Edgar Degas

French, 1834-1917

The Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen, 1878-81

Bronze

I attended a talk not so very long ago on Degas and movement at the Norton Simon.  I was reminded that I had taken this series of photographs of his Little Dancer in the round.  I am deeply drawn by the art at the Norton Simon, I love to circle the sculptures and see them from a variety of views.  Of all of his pieces, I think this is one of the only ones that he exhibited.  I learned more about this sculpture during the talk, but I intend to share more of what I learned in a Monday post at some point in the future.  For this post, I mainly wanted to share The Little Dancer in various views.

Also, I'm having a print giveaway that ends on July 30th, the information is here.

To see more Wordless Wednesday links, please visit: 

http://www.wordlesswednesday.com/newhome/ 

http://blog.aquariann.com/

http://www.create-with-joy.com/

Technical Difficulties and New Toys...

Due to technical difficulties, also known as the demise of my printer, I was forced to end some auctions before their time was up.  Fortunately, I have a new fine art printer now and I am pleased to be able to offer prints again.  Due to the untimely end of my prior auctions, I've relisted them.  "Violet Dreams" a Gothic blue angel loosely inspired by Leonardo Da Vinci is one of them, she's up at eBay here.

Prints additionally listed this week are "Dreamer," a fairy dog napping peacefully on a sunflower, "Sunlight Sunbright" a vivid sunflower, "Red Red Rose" a deep burgundy rose bud, "The Gift" a mermaid with a present for her turtle friend, and "Gentle" my little brown bunny.  They're all here starting today and ending next Tuesday.

I am also hoping to have a new small original by Friday for NFAC, but I'm unsure if I'll make it on time for the deadline!  I'll certainly give it a try though.  The theme this month is fairies, I love fairies!

In part because I'm just glad to have a new printer and in part because I planned to anyway, I'm having a print giveaway that ends on July 30th, the information is here.

Free Print July 30th Contest Information! Open Worldwide...

Monday, July 30th at midnight is the last opportunity to enter to win the chance to win a free print of your choice from my website!  The contest is open worldwide.  To enter, comment on this post.

For additional entries, follow this blog, like my facebook page, follow me on twitter, and/or be a member of my mailing list.  For any one you will get an entry; for more entries, do more than one.  Mix and match!

For each additional entry, post an additional comment.

If you win, you may choose any available print on my website at http://www.lisarusso.com

Here are the links to the bonus entry locations:
Twitter:  http://twitter.com/#!/LisaRussoArt
Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Art-by-Lisa-Isabella-Russo/201388569928216
My mailing list: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LisaR_art/

I will announce the winner on Tuesday the 31st!

Wordless Wednesday: A Sunflower...

Just something bright and pretty for this bright and pretty day...  I took this sunflower photograph a while back, the bouquet was a gift and I took a number of photographs of it as I often like to use flowers as my models...

To see more Wordless Wednesday links, please visit: 

http://www.wordlesswednesday.com/newhome/ 

http://blog.aquariann.com/

http://www.create-with-joy.com/

My finished white magnolia painting...

I had my doubts that I would ever call this painting finished, but I'm calling it; well, for now anyway!  It's an 18"x24" acrylic white magnolia flower painting on canvas entitled "Enchanting Light."  To see it on my website, please visit here. 

I know I skip around a lot.  Some days all I want to paint is floral art, other days, it's fairies, and so on...  I know it isn't technically correct, but I want to call myself an expressionist painter, because I am so emotively driven...  I tend to paint what I feel and when I feel it...  I know it would be better professionally to focus on one genre, but there's a whole world out there and beyond that, there's the world I imagine as well! 

I know that I'm stronger at certain subjects than with others, but at this point, I can't force myself to give up any of them...  Perhaps that will change at some point, but right now, I remain diversely driven...

Anyway, I'm joining in this week with Paint Party Friday.  To see more participants, please visit:

http://paintpartyfriday.blogspot.com/

Wordless Wednesday: Fireworks for the 4th of July...

I actually took these pictures at Downtown Disney, and it wasn't on the Fourth of July, but I still wanted to share these fireworks here today, since by chance this Wednesday manages to land exactly on the Fourth of July.  When it comes to photography, I'm generally someone who needs to take many pictures to get a handful of good ones.  Sometimes I'm lucky and that isn't the case, but usually it is.  I took many shots in this case and these are some of my favorites, especially the last one, I think it feels almost like a space photo.  Actually, some of the ones I liked the best were ones that were failures as shots of fireworks, but looked a bit like orbs.  For today though, and my wordy "wordless" Wednesday, here are some fireworks.  I hope that however you celebrate today, it is wonderful for you...  And if this is not a day of celebration for you, I hope it is wonderful for you too!

To see more Wordless Wednesday links, please visit:
http://www.wordlesswednesday.com/newhome/
http://blog.aquariann.com/
http://www.create-with-joy.com/

Four of my favorite Impressionist paintings from LACMA...

Claude Monet - Nympheas

I love Impressionist art.  I find myself at a loss for words to explain why it moves me so, but it does.  There is such a delicacy to the colors, yet so much movement in the application.

Claude Monet - In the Woods at Giverny: Blanche Hoschede at Her Easel with Suzanne Hoschede Reading.

Monet's water lilies are not only some of my favorite Impressionist art, they are some of my favorite art that I have ever seen.  It just fills me with joy.  There is a simplicity to the forms, but the result of that simplicity is pure genious.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir - Two Girls Reading (Jeunes filles lisant)

I can lose myself in these pieces, feeling like I am a part of the moment.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir - close up of Two Girls Reading (Jeunes filles lisant)

I have always felt a bit awkward about pulling my camera out.  These days, I try to battle past my awkwardness.  I want my experience of the art to be one with the moment while I am there, but still be able to experience the art when I am not there.

Paul Gauguin - Fruit Dish on a Garden Chair.

These images predate my resolve to try to be more comfortable taking photographs, but as awkward as I felt, I was compelled to take these shots...  I hope that you will enjoy them.

I am linking this post with Inspire Me Monday and Magical Monday