P  R  O  J  E  C  T     N O. 3 

paintings & procrastinations

ENTRY 5

This is my new mascot. Origami Penguin (or OP for short). A very odd woman made this for me. I was amazed how this small sheet of paper took on such a personality with just a few folds. I love the contrast between his melancholy mood and his dapper attire.

Now I ask you, where else would you see a plaid penguin?

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paintings & procrastinations

ENTRY 4

We run a tight ship here at Cathryn Mezzo Design. 
All workers must adhere to a strict dress code and there are no exceptions.

We have a state-of-the-art facilities. 

Here is the mailroom.

Here is the production department.

(my son's ping-pong table.)

And last, but not least,the break room.

But I digress. This week I had my first Mod Podge experience as I continued exploring possibilities for my face project. It's called 

Face Book: Don't Judge a Person by Their Cover.I want to explore the concept of exterior vs. interior selves. It may become an interactive exhibit. I plan on creating many different characters on a variety of old books. The project is still evolving. I need to play around with it more.

 

My Vintage Painting series still waits for me. I've been collecting old photos for reference. I love the blurred edges and monochromatic color.

 But I spent more time shoveling than painting 

I did get to tape tracings onto the panels. Every time I walk by them, I hear the swish of paper lifting in my wake. They are calling out to me, "Paint, paint!"

 

P  R  O  J  E  C  T     N O. 3 

paintings & procrastinations

ENTRY 3

My creative muse has been buried under 8 inches of snow. Frozen in the backyard somewhere between the barbecue and the birdbath. I have no desire to paint. My face sketches have been slow to come. Wooden painting panels are propped up and ready to go, but I am not. "Don't panic," I tell myself, "this is the typical rhythm of an artist." I still panic. As I go back to bed after learning school is closed for the 3rd time, I fight the polar vortex with the blanket vortex and settle back into warm darkness. Outside is white and cold. Why can't humans hibernate? It just makes sense.

Above is a snowman standing in front of the local pizza place. I love his mouth of plastic knives and the fork arm. Refreshing to find humor at a strip mall.

On my way to food shopping, I played in a mud puddle. I just had to snap this spooky shot, but risked great embarrassment as I stood in the mirky water with my recycled food bags dangling off my arm. If you look closely, you can see my reflection, which of course ruined the shot. But you have to work quickly when a mini van is about to run you down.

 

A few more Face sketches for my collection: 

This is Spike. I see him pumping gas at a 1953 service station on Route 66.

 Next we have The Daydreamer and Nose´ (pronounced like Jose´).

The Butterfly for my cousin sits untouched. Need to fix proportions and layer on more colors.

Instead, it's back to the dentist. Arggg!

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paintings & procrastinations

ENTRY 2

This is how gray January days make me feel(see above). 

I don't feel like doing anything, except drinking good coffee and daydreaming out the window, which makes me 
feel guilty, so I end up doing chores, which makes me tired, 

so I nap, which makes me feel guilty.

While I daydream, I think about three new projects — my new Face project — which I have been adding to this week: 

Barrette Girl(above), and Mild-Mannered Man(below).

I want to create over a hundred sketches of faces (at #16 now). 
I'll choose my favorites and then do something special with them.
Not completely sure where I am going with this, but 
I'll let things unfold. I love the spontaneity of a sketch.

But then come interruptions. Arggg.

 

The Dentist! 

(Note the droopy novacaine look.) 

And then food shopping, 

cleaning out the fridge, bills, and laundry. 

Back to daydreaming. Ah... 

I came across this photo in the NY Times

which reminded me of my blue paintings. 

I started thinking about Project 2 — The Blue Rectangle —

drawings and paintings commenting on my distaste for 

cell phones, our new glowing appendage.

Project 3 will be paintings based on vintage  photos. I want to work with a more monochromatic palette this time. This may all evolve into something else. And that's okay.

My painting panels arrived this week, so no excuses now. 

I need to get to work.

But first…I must finish a painting for my cousin 

and get rid of a bad cold! Ah, life.

I  N  T  R  O  D  U  C  I  N  G

Project  No. 3:

paintings & procrastinations

Time to move onto something new. It was wonderful to start the new year as an artist/business woman by signing the necessary paperwork to make Cathryn Mezzo Design, LTD. completely official. I decided to jump in with both feet, and here I am. Now what?

A serendipitous opportunity to have my first solo show at Sip This coffee house in Valley Stream was what. It was a lot of hard work to pull together a 60 piece show in just a few weeks, but it was worth it. Having the chance to pull my art out of the basement and let it speak to all different sorts of people does an artist's heart good. It is then that your art feels complete. So thank you to my dear friend Luke for introducing me to David and Stephanie at Sip This. It is permanently on my "favorite places" list! Awesome lattes in big blue mugs!

        A room of ones own. Well, maybe just a corner.

With blog Projects 1 & 2 (Hair-Raising Thoughts and The Sidewalk) framed and hanging against the brick walls of Sip This, it's time to for a new project. I'm itching to paint again, and experiment with another illustrations project involving faces and old books. In between will be some sewing, knitting, collaging, laundry, bill paying, food shopping, dishwashing, and napping —— the procrastinations. Project no. 3 will be a documentary of sorts, following the life, frustrations, and joys of a mother, wife, sister, daughter, friend trying to have great relationships, keep the home humming along, and all the while hearing her inner artist scream, "When are you going to paint!".

Paintings & Procrastinations will be a little looser in structure than my previous projects. I'm hoping to give you a peek into the creative process, not just the final project. For along the creative ride, one experiences frustrations, failures, happy mistakes, elation, and self-doubt, but it makes you feel alive, and that is what art is all about.

Today I start the ride. Wooden painting panels are ordered, gathering vintage photos and old books, and created sketches of faces to choose from. 

But alas…time to make dinner.

THE SIDEWALK: MY JOURNEY AROUND THE BLOCK

Project 2  •  No. 34

The Ice Man Cometh

The cold outside and the cold inside (I have a terrible cough!) 

have canceled my walks this week. I have only ventured as far as the my backyard. 

Lo and behold, I looked down upon my forgotten bird bath 
and this image offered itself to me.
A frozen layer cake of summer, fall, and winter.

THE SIDEWALK: MY JOURNEY AROUND THE BLOCK

Project 2  •  No. 33

Simple Gifts

I recently heard a speaker on TED Talk say that we must 

Stop. Look. Go.

He went on to explain — slow down to notice what's in front of you, take time to look at it, 
and then go forward with renewal and awareness. Here are some simple gifts that "presented" themselves to me as I continued on my journey around the blocks of my hometown.

The Gift of Laughter 

(I would love to know where this came from!)

The Gift of Beauty

The Gift of Holiday Spirit

 The Gift of Life through Death

The Gift of Kindness 

 The Gift of Awe