My Blog is Moving!

Hey Friends!

Since I built my new web site more than a year ago, I've been maintaining two blogs: the one at my new site, and this one. Well folks, this takes me a lot of time and I'd much rather be creating art! So from here on, I will no longer be posting to this blog. You can find all of my future posts here.

I want to thank you so much for keeping up with me here for the past nine years and I hope you will continue to follow me at my new home!

All the best,

Christine

P.S. You can also find me elsewhere at these links. Hope to see you there!

Facebook
Etsy
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Pinterest
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Christine Brallier Art
Christine Brallier Mosaics

Kitty Studies

 

Experimenting using Golden fluids with acrylic paints, ink pen and gel pens. Working on lights/darks (top one not so much) and being loose (bottom one was the loosest).  What are you working on with your art?

Cat and Dog Painting

 

My newest painting with acrylics. This one is on a 5x7" canvas so I painted the edges to match so it can be framed or not.  I've always loved working small, but I am gradually increasing the size of my art as I get more comfortable with working larger. This one is in my Etsy Store if you'd like to add it to your art collection.  :)

 

More Painted Cat Magnets

 

They look so fun together!  Find them in my Etsy Store.  :)

 

 

 

 

Painted Dog Magnets

 

Find them in my Etsy Store :)

Painted Kitty Magnets

I found some little blank canvas magnets and these kitties magically appeared on them! I painted random marks of color and then looked for who or what wanted to be painted within the shapes and these guys showed up. They are 2 1/2 inches and are painted with acrylics. I rather like them and can't wait to do more!

 

Paint Lab 4

I took my inspiration from Paint Lab 4 and used some foam board (rather than a squeegee) to spread paint in a few layers. I saw a teal window (below) and so added a few more.  Once I did that, I saw almost the entire painting!  Can you see it?

 

Here were the next steps that led to the final painting.  For some reason, it took until the very end to create a face on the second person.

 

 

Framed Cat Painting

I love this wooden off-green frame I found for my new little painting! You can see from the photo below that I started with green and I didn't veer too much from my initial sketch. By the way, I just discovered how wonderful watercolor pencils are for drawing over the dried paint. So easy to just wipe away with a damp towel until you get it just right!

Sleeping Cat Painting

 

Another little painting I finished for the Goleta Valley Artist Tour last month.  Acrylics on sassafras wood, 5x5".  It was inspired by the sleeping cat I painted for Pianos on State.

Raymi and Red, Painted Cat Ornament

 

I painted this ornament of our two cats Raymi and Red and stuck it in my son's stocking this year. We got Raymi from a shelter nine years ago for my son's birthday. She was the queen around here until Red came along. He was my mother's cat who came to live with us after she passed away four years ago. He has tried to make friends with Raymi ever since but mostly she will have none of it and will swat at him whenever he comes near. There have been some moments of her allowing him to sleep a foot away and she also "sort of" plays with him but pretends like she's not. We're getting there slowly so there's hope!

 

 

 



Hand Painted Bird Ornaments

 

It's that time of year again when I start making ornaments! Each year I make a series of ornaments using a medium I haven't used before.  In the past, I've made ornaments with  drawings, mosaics, felt, cross stitch, crochet, polymer clay, and embroidery. This year I am painting wooden ornaments with acrylics. Here is my first group of sweet little birds. I'm just finishing some Christmas trees that I will post next. You can find them all in my Etsy Store - they make great stocking stuffers!

 

Public Art - Painted Piano, Lots of Cats!

I was chosen to be one of 12 artists to participate in Pianos on State, an interactive musical experience that takes place in Santa Barbara during Arts and Humanities Month in October. Pianos are painted by local artists and are then displayed at various locations on State Street for impromptu playing as well as scheduled performances.

The eighth annual installment runs from October 2nd - 16th, 2017. My piano is located in front of The Red Piano at 519 State Street. Let me know if you see it! The design was inspired by my love of both cats and music, which includes musical terms and notations attributed to the various cats. You can watch me talking about it in this YouTube video. The title of my piano is Giocoso, which means fun and joyful, the theme of the piano and my life!



The "f" symbol is forte and means loud. Therefore "ffff" is very, very, very loud! The symbol next to his claws means "double sharp." 

 

 

Stentato is a musical direction to play loud or boisterous. The symbols underneath are crescendos, to gradually get louder.

 

Dolce means sweet, 'cause just look at them!

 

The musical phrase is from the song "Everybody Wants to Be a Cat."

Scherzando means joking, lighthearted or playful.

I wrote "Coda" on its tail which literally means tail.

Calando is on the left of the resting cat and means a gradual decrease in tempo and volume. The symbols around it are a whole rest, a quarter rest and an eighth rest.

On the right of the resting cat is a series of p's, or pianissississimo...very, very, very soft. And the mark at the end is decrescendo, to get softer.

The "p" stands for piano and means soft. 

Misterioso is mysterous. The symbol next to the cat's tail is a Coda, which literally means tail! 

The pattern below the keys is made up of little sideways "s" symbols which are musical "turns" and glissando which surrounds the center segno.

I put fermatas on either end of the keys.

Giocoso is the title of my piano and it means fun and joyful. At the end of Giocoso is a symbol telling you to go back to the beginning and repeat over and over again, so basically have a fun and joyful life.