Owl Gifts

My original artwork, Pygmy Owl in Snow, was used to create this series of holiday ornaments. Red zig-zag stitching is used to sew up the sides. I had a lot of fun with this creative process! It combines work I do in creating appliques and sewing (www.babybirddesigns.blogspot.com) with my fine art and design skills. A combination of all is seen here. 

Display It!

Just wanted to show what a couple of prints look like printed on watercolor paper and mounted on foam core. The foam core is a thick .5 inch so it gives off a nice solid look. Nice shadows are also created on the wall next to the work. Little prints become little paintings just like that!

Show Opening

Thanks to everyone who attended my show opening. It was so much fun to chat about art with friends and to have everything set up for people to look at.

I'm having some trouble uploading the show card so I'm placing this series of daises for you to enjoy.

Big Feet

This grouping of Feet is a cornucopia of fun -- all the little toes are waving. I repainted my feet in fall colors over and over again.

Red, Blue Feet

Two Sets of Feet

Two Owls in a Tree

Two Owls in a Tree 

Oil on Canvas, 24" x 24"

Horse

Horse

Oil on Burlap,, 24" x 24"

Dancing with a Bird

Round and round we go. Oh, how fun it would be to hold wings with a bird and dance!

Dancing with a Bird

Oil on Canvas, 24" x 24"

Inspiration Childhood

As I rummaged through my childhood drawings, that my family had the insight to save, I became fascinated with a child’s perspective on image making. As an adult, I wonder if qualities have been forgotten to make way for the accumulation of knowledge

received over the years.

In this body of work I focus on my early drawings not as an observation of the past, but as a catalyst for new expression. A belief that some psychological and spiritual aspect of self exists within our most fundamental marks has led me on the exploration.

Thus, this series of work was born, as I recreated new works from childhood drawings. The search has brought me closer to my already intuitive approach toward creativity.

Each painting with also be posted individually.

Grouping of Three Birds

Groupings on Display!

This grouping of my little paintings is on display at a local chiropractor's office. They recently moved into a new space and painted their walls with bright colors and wanted some bright paintings to grace them.

This grouping is of the floral and aquatic nature.

If you are interested in any of these paintings . . . just let me know and I can fetch them for you.

Barnyard Donkey

This little paper collage donkey is made to go with the rooster and dog as a set. Please see the Barnyard Dog post for more explanation. I tried three times to make a cat that looked decent with no luck.

Barnyard Dog

This paper collage Barnyard Dog is made in the same style as Barnyard Rooster. A lot of dog-lovers viewing my blog saw Patchwork Kitty and wanted a dog to be showcased. Everyone is not a cat-lover after all or a bird-lover. So for all you dog-lovers, this one is for you. 

My mom gave me the idea of doing a series of four paper collage animals representing the Bremen Town Musicians, the folktale by the Brothers Grimm. I'm running with the idea so please stay turned for a cat and a donkey next. Below you can see the rooster and the dog together.

Sand-dollar Bouquet

If the starfish is the star of the sea the sand dollar is the flower of the sea. These critters have lovely flowers painted right onto them and for being mostly white--they sure do have a lot of color. What if sand dollars bundled together for a picture-perfect bouquet?

Blue-footed Booby 2

This is the second Blue-footed Booby image. I wanted to give this little guy more personality and character so this is my attempt. I don't think I'm finished with this yet . . . just haven't figured out what's missing. Any ideas?

Blue-footed Booby on Buttonhole Sea

Today I was practicing making buttonholes with my sewing machine. I really enjoyed the way the little patch was looking with the contrasting shades and with the bright blue string. Suddenly it came to me that the blue in the buttonholes would bring out the blue in the Booby's feet. Thus, this image now has the added element of collage. The square and circular shapes also contrast nicely on the bottom of the page, I think.

Note: I just changed the name of this painting. It started with the brilliant idea of my friend, Ariel, to include the word "buttonholes." Great idea Ariel!

Blue-footed Booby

Ink on translucent paper, size 4" x 5.25"
I have had the recommendation from a very smart nature-lover (thanks to Laurie:) to create a Blue-footed Booby image for a long while now. I always thought this was a fabulous idea so I painted this little guy. The name booby comes from the Spanish term bobo, which means "stupid" or "fool"/"clown". For this reason I want to work more with this image to give it more personality and this characteristic. 

Flammulated Owl--The Original

This Flammulated Owl ink drawing was my first in this style of drawing and painting. Yesterday's post referenced this image so I wanted to display it today. I have a feeling I may continue to explore this avenue for a bit of time now. 

Pygmy Owl in Snow

This little pygmy owl is fluffying in the cold white snow. What a beautiful winter view he must have. 

I really enjoyed pulling my quill pens and ink out of the closet for this piece. I had done another owl in this style in the past and wanted to create this little owl in the same manner.

This painting has an image size of 5" x 5" and is framed in a 8" x 8" frame. 

Daisies and Rocks 1, 2 & 3 (The Series)

Set of three Daisies and Rocks paintings shown here with the square vases and the actual daisies and rocks that acted as the visual reference. Shown in this order: Daisies and Rocks 1, 3 & 2 from left to right. The flowers have wilted some, although paintings never fade which is the benefit of them. Regardless, I thought this was a fun little photo collage of elements to make. To put the paintings together as one big "image" without the 3D crutch, I think I may need one more painting for this series. It's always endless . . . isn't it?

Daisies and Rocks 3

This is the third in a series. This little glass box full of daisies was painted with a top overlooking view of me peering right down on it. This allowed me to get a really up-close view with the flowers. I concentrated more on them this time and allowed the rocks to take on less of an influence.  This is a square box surrounded by a square border (made up of a swooping blanket in red) painted on a square. I enjoyed breaking up the structured geometry with organic fluid lines. 

Paper Bird

The shape of the bird is formed through the shapes on the paper. Both interact with each other.

Patchwork Kitty Framed

I also wanted to take this chance to show you what the prints look like framed as shown here with Patchwork Kitty as an example. All prints are printed on watercolor paper for added texture and quality.  Custom orders on alternate stocks can also be made.  They are enclosed in a clear plastic display bag, unless framed. 

The top image is of the 12" x 12" print inside a 12" x 12" black frame. 
The below image is a matted 8" x 8" print inside a 12" x 12" black frame. 
Please note that all of the images on this blog site can be made into prints. Please email rachel.a.potter@gmail.com for details.  Thank you so much for your interest!


The original painting (Acrylic and Watercolor on Canvas Panel) is also still available. See pull-down menu below:

Yellow Tree, Blue Tree, Red Tree

 

This set of three trees in encaustics showcase the beauty of fall and winter season. Yellow/Orange and Red leaves can be seen in the fall, which turn to Blue. It's lovely really.

Daisies and Rocks 2

This is the second of a series of three, I hope to create, of daisies inside a square glass vase surrounded by river rocks. The use of watercolor in this one has allowed me to leave some areas "unfinished." The area by the rocks has the least amount of paint to let the water and rocks feel fluid and translucent. 

Daisies and Rocks 1

This weekend I went to a wedding and they had all these little daisies in little square vases filled with rocks. I was instantly drawn to them and later when they were given as favors and decided to paint them. It's so lovely how the rocks manage to be just as beautiful as the flowers.

Poppies and Reflection 2

  

This is the same concept as the previous post, but in this image elements from outside the car are also seen (such as trees and clouds.)

Poppies and Reflection

Down by the beach, I collected a little still life of poppies and crab apples. We were going on a long car ride to Leavenworth, WA so as a lucky passenger having some time to create I placed the still life in the dash board and began drawing. The top images are the shapes seen reflecting in the window. They are not as bright as the actual items but still there.

Fancy Owl

This pretty owl is based on a design I had designed for a greeting card. Painting and collage work hand and hand here, or should I say "wing" and "tail." I like how the shapes on the paper and the painting interact with each other--a happy chance!

Barnyard Rooster

Okay . . . okay, I know this isn’t really a painting in the traditional sense of the word. However, this is where “thinking outside of the box” took me, to literally break out of the box with a pair of scissors and paper. I have been wanting to explore paper-collage for a long time now. I think it will connect nicely with the work I have been doing for my cut-paper greeting cards seen on my company website, Baby Bird Designs.  Check it out:  babybirddesigns.com 

This little rooster is ready to rock-n-roll. 

Nautilus

  

This little guy is in keeping with the under the sea theme. I wanted to paint a nautilus seashell, but since I added the creature inside the shell with his great big blue eye, it gives a more creepy feeling. Nevertheless these under sea creatures are really fascinating and beautiful.  

I don't really think the circle inside the square format is working . . . next time I'll try to think outside the BOX.

Seahorse Magic

I made it through one week of a painting a day!

My paintings have always been about what is going on in my life. Now that I am a mother and painter, my paintings are shaping themselves into paintings for children. Couldn't you see this in a baby's room or in a children's book? It's my new goal to help these happy paintings find themselves homes in such places.

I will post a link soon of some of my older works so that you can see how much my style has changed. Actually, it's not so much my style as much as the subject manner and in this case size of the paintings.

Dancing Starfish

I worked more on the starfish concept today. The idea behind this was to focus on shape, pattern, and texture. The natural designs on actual starfish are really quiet amazing. 

I enjoy the way these starfish paintings can dance together.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Starfish

My son's favorite bedtime song is Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. I painted this painting with him in mind. Why wouldn't a child see a starfish in the sky in a dream?

Summer in the House

I have been enjoying carrying vases and vases of roses and other flowers from our garden into the house this summer. This painting is an essence of that. 

The roses started out as white, but since this is a painting I took artistic liberties with the colors. 

Lilac Bellied Birdie

 

This is the opposite of the rainy owl from yesterday. It's a sunny tropical bird with a tropical flower. I must be homesick for sandy beaches and the stillness in the air that only comes from places with constant sun. 

Wanting my painting to have more detail and definition, I reintroduced the use of pen and ink--an old favorite of mine. I like combining drawing and painting qualities into one composition.

Snow Owl Prepares for Winter

It was a dreary last day of August as rain filled the NW sky and I was home with a cold. I imagine this owl to be a sort of self-portrait as she is packing nuts and leaves away in her owl den. (No mice for me, please.) The reds, yellows, rusts and oranges are to represent autumn, the season to prepare for winter. Happy September everyone!

I should add that my two-year old son was painting with me this afternoon and managed to whirl out nine beautiful paintings to my one.

Patchwork Kitty

This little Patchwork Kitty is a tribute to a kitten I used to have.

I am used to painting with oils and encaustics, but thought I would give acrylics a chance because they would be safer around my son. I imagine we will paint together on several occasions. After all, the idea behind this series is paintings for children, babies and the young at heart.

How It All Began . . .

Upon hearing about the painting a day project (based on Carol Marine’s workshop) from a friend and fellow artist, Layne Cook, I have decided to give it a go. Being an artist returning to my craft after a two year sabbatical since the birth of my son, I am both excited and challenged by this undertaking. What better way to get my hands “wet” so to speak than the constancy of creating a painting a day. I have been working as a graphic designer so shapes and designs are fresh on my palette, but there is something rich and direct about painting that my creativity has been craving. Wish me luck as I begin this journey. . . . The idea behind Dreamscapes is to create common items, animals and landscapes, as they would be in a dream with fancy colors and a wild imagination. I like to imagine my paintings are the reality a child would see in a dream.


The following painting, Cat in Magic Forest, that I created a few years back served as inspiration for Dreamscapes . . .