Eclectic Studio - Tammy Morrison-Koenig

SOLD I have been working on "loosening up" and "get it right the first time" direct approach to painting in watercolors. Not an easy task as watercolors dry alot lighter so when you look at dark thick masses of color on your pallette it is kind of scary. :D These are small quick studies Angelic study 3.75 * 5.25 inch on 140lb CP is done using a limited pallett of Burnt Sienna, aureolin and paynes grey Venus Abstract 3.5 * 5.25 inch watercolor on 140lb CP Hope this inspires you to step outside your comfort zone and experiment a little. Tammy

We have all seen these 1970's hanging lamps or we even have one stuck in the very back corners of our basements. Well this is a product of my husbands creative brain at work of turning what was once an eye sore into something useful and lovely. :) I cant take any credit for this at all, and when he first told me what he was doing I thought he was going to the birds.. hahaha But our little woodland creatures LOVE it. It also seems to be hail, squirrel, and big bird proof (jays, black birds, magpies etc...) He took out all the electrical, plugged the holes left by that and stuck rubber stoppers under the glass to lift it enough for the seed to be gravity fed. We decided not to paint it as it blends nicely into its surroundings, but did seal it with 3 coats of outdoor sealer. Hope you enjoy. Tammy Backyard Projects For Today's Homestead "Maximize Your Outdoor Living Space Through Creative Woodworking"

The past few weeks have been really bad for hail around here. Up to this point I havent had anything compared to the people around us - but it finally caught up to us and I dont have much garden left. Thank heavens for the greenhouse at least we have tomatoes and peppers. ;) So in order to cheer up I decided to paint a pretty little picture to remind me of the beauty that once was. :( Hope it brings a smile to your face too. :) 4.25 * 6 inch Watercolor on 140lb CP SOLD

Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. I put together this mini demo on how I work in pencil to achieve the different textures on this monkey drawing. 5 * 7 inch chimpanzee in graphite on copy paper aprox 4 hours. I wish I would have done him on better paper, but i have stuck him in a frame and he hangs proudly on my wall. :) Start with a basic line drawing blocking on major shapes and patterns. Work around your subject comparing one area against the next, varying your pencil strokes to represent the changes in textures you are drawing. The hair would be done in long, wispy strokes and the face would be done in more of a confined circular stroke, avoiding harsh lines but varying value. Final touches are then added and or subtracted from your subject.

I really haven't been in the mood for anything this past week. And it has really been hard to get anything started let alone get anything completed. So when I saw this weeks WDE (weekly drawing event) and the challenge that went with it, I thought this would be just the escape that I needed. This is a small painting of an emerging hibiscus using only a 3 secondary color triad. For this painting, I chose Magenta, Brilliant orange and Cobalt turquoise. These are colors I seldom use so I thought I would try it out. Pretty flowers always make me feel better. :) Hope you enjoy 4.25 * 4.75 in watercolor on 140lb CP

Its finally starting to green up around here. I have 1/2 of the greenhouse permanently planted the other half are in cold frames and almost ready to go to their outdoor location. I have radishes, spinach and lettuce that have popped through to say hello and my annuals are up and waving to the world. :D So now I have been on a search for interesting containers to put all these extra pretty ornamentals. HMMMM Have you actually checked out the prices of some of the big pots and outdoor decor. It is crazy! So off to Google I go for inspiration and this is what I came up with. This Moai planter is 3 ft tall and made of concrete, Styrofoam and reinforcing wire The inner pot can be removed for easy planting or changing out plants as the year goes by. I'm thinking of putting some big bushy purple verbena in for hair. Happy Creating :D For a more detailed step by step and another crazy head planter idea visit here:   http://tampster1.blogspot.ca/2012/05/new-concrete-planter-head-for-ga

SOLD A small painting of a little African girl carrying a basket back from the market. This painting was done in a limited pallet with the addition of some cooler yellows for the clothing. 4 * 5.5 inch Watercolor on 140lb CP Strathmore paper

Been working on a few small childrens' portraits in watercolor. Children are so full of character and innocents and are such a joy to paint. Both paintings are were done in a limited pallet using 3 to 4 colors and just letting the layers of color and value brings these babies to life. Hope you enjoy these. SOLD to USPACE GALLERY Haitian Hider 5.5 * 6.5 in watercolor on 140lb CP arches Baby Wonder 4.5 * 5.5 inch Watercolor on 140lb CP Strathmore

Every once in a while I get a chance to stop by my favorite artists site and participate in their weekly drawing event. You try and complete a painting in 2 hours from 16 reference images provided by a different host every week. This week I managed to get 2 done during nap. I guess when you are on a roll it just flows out of you, it also helps that I havent unpacked my travel painting bin from holidays,;) oops, so I had all supplies ready and at hand. mini 2.75 * 2.75 inch acrylic on stretched canvas 5 * 7 watercolor on 140lb CP arches

A quick painting to get me back in the swing of things. The reference image comes from Dewi over at Wetcanvas WDE. This is a weekly drawing event where participants are given 16 images to choose from and 2 hours to create. This week I chose this lovely creature because I Love cows. They have such personality and are really hard for me to turn down when given the chance to paint them. ;) He looks a little chilly standing in the middle of a frozen field. 8*10 acrylic on stretched canvas available for purchase

Back from a week at the beach and couldn't be more refreshed and inspired. :) Anyways as always Im a little behind the 8 ball when it comes to posting but I have been invited to participate in Calgary Art Walks 2011 in conjunction with Canadian Artists for the Poor in support of ending poverty. I have donated my Mountain Bluebird Painting in support of this project. So come on down for an afternoon of all things beautiful. Thursday July 7 between 10-3 on Stephen Ave Mall. I Hope to see you there. :) http://www.artistsforthepoor.ca/calgaryartwalk.html *** update - with a few thousand people in attendance, wonderfully talented artists and mother natures co-operation it made the show a complete success. :)

This is probably the absolutely best outdoor project we have taken on. We have an enormous yard for being in the city and for years it has been neglected. The gardens have grown over and the perennials were being chocked out by the thistles. So last year we tackled the main veggie gardens and 1 small circular perennial bed to add some interest. All veggies are started from seed and all the perennials have been graciously donated from friends that have been dividing up what they have. This year I really wanted to add some extra seating and maybe some extra pretty things - because you can't have enough pretty flowers. So few weeks ago BHG sent out their weekly newsletter - a pergola special, and after explaining to my DH that the word pergola actually exists LOL we came up with some VERY rough sketches and I sent him to work. Hahaha K is really enjoying this woodworking thing and as long as he enjoys it I will keep coming up with projects. :D This year we also tackled the

I have never been a big shopper - especially in high end boutiques. But when I was thumbing through a decorating magazine I came across this massive fake clock from restoration hardware. 2 reasons why I would never buy this product - 1. it doesnt work - lol - not very practical 2. It cost $1495.00 Can you imagine paying that for something that doesn't work ... Oh my! I was going to ask my DH to cut me out a big cirle from some of our left over wood projects, but my neighbours beat me to it. They had this stone tabletop (use to be a sundial) with a broken plaster pedistal and asked if I could use it before it went into the trash. **** You betcha***** And low and behold I came up with my own version. 4ft round marble. It will be sitting in my yard for the summer and I "will" find a place for it in my house this winter. I LOVE it!! And the best part is that it cost me NOTHING. I have bins and bins of paint and outdoor sealer so all it took was a little geometry and so

Its been busy around here, Ive managed to finish 3 dresses, 2 skirts, 1 shirt for my little girl and pj pants and a hat for my little boy and a skirt, top, 2 hats and an 50's inspired apron for myself.(ill post those when my model is not so ill. Plus Ive started a new watercolor painting. - ill post that tomorrow. But the best"est" ;) project we have taken on is my prized Greenhouse. Measurements are 7 * 7 *3.5 feet :D This will save ALOT of post hail tears - hopefully. My husband works for a lumber yard which has come in handy for the summer project wish list. The lumber used was fall down (stuff they cant use because of estetics and would have been cut up and tossed away, (which is no bother to me ;)) and the poly are the sheets that cover the wood as it comes into the plant. So total cost of the project was my husbands' love and much appreciated help from our neighbour. :D I can't wait for everything to start blooming and producing.

So after pulling out one of my art history books I decided to do a masters painting with a twist. I chose my color pallet based on Klimt and the image is my rendition of Rosetti's Venus. I have a big empty space above my stairs that has been crying out for something for quite a while.This is a work in progress but it shows where I am trying to go with this. Hope you enjoy. Tammy

So the past 2 weeks have all been about SPRING. Dont you just Love that word. :D I have got my seeds that I can get started now up and growing. Yesterday I planted a bunch more herbs and bedding out plants. The greenhouse (more of a lean-to) design has been finalized by the man of the house. ;) Working for a lumber yard has its privlages. :) My wonderful husband has also started on my new raised garden bed boxes and 2 planters made from recycled pallets. Ill post pics when they are planted up. On top of the smell of dirt in the house I also have bits and pieces of fabric laying around. My BFF is expecting again and being a mom of 4, I think I have a pretty good idea of what works and what doesnt. So when I came across this pattern for a baby swaddler from Craft Gossip I just couldnt resist. There is Nothing better than being able to have 2 minutes to breathe when the babies are little. So can you imagine not having to burrito wrap every 2 minutes because the little one has kicked its

Anything can be used as a substrate when you are feeling creative. In our home, we strive to reduce our carbon footprint as much as possible. So after 3 years of my husband working for a lumber yard, I had a light bulb go off. Some days that light bulb doesn't turn on at all so I'm pretty happy with these short-lived moments. LOL :D I got him to bring me a bunch of finished off cuts primed them up with Gesso and went to town with a few quick little paintings. Still life trio of peppers acrylic painting. 4.75 * 4.75 * 1.75 inch acrylic on sealed hemlock black painted sides

Hi everyone. Well TGIF. Early in the week I had to take my computer into the doctor - It wasnt feeling very well. I think it came down with a virus. ;) lol But it is back up and running, so that means back to work. :) Spring is in the air, and there is a little more of a hop to everyones step so I decided to go big and bold. Well big compared to what I have been doing. :) 12 * 16 inch acrylic on stretched canvas Open Edition Prints and Cards available Contact me for more info Happy Painting

A little something I started yesterday 16 * 20 acrylic on stretched canvas. So far so good but I am a little stuck, to much open space in the middle ground, may add a sheep or two or maybe make it into a golf course. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Happy Painting Tammy

I was inspired to paint this big momma elephant by a reference photo taken by "exfordy" over at Flicker. Its not a position that I would want to be in. According to the story, the week before a Japanese tourist was killed after getting out of his car to take pictures and admire these magnificent animals. We have the same problem here in Banff.. ppl getting out of their cars to admire the baby bear cubs, or the cute little baby moose. What they dont understand is they have very protective Momma's close by and they will give you a licken if your not paying attention. LOL Anyways this is another miniature 2.75 * 2.75 inch artist grade acrylics on stretched canvas initialed on front and signed/dated on back included in sale is a miniature display easel $25.00 ***FREE SHIPPING WITHIN NORTH AMERICA