Still life with flowers

This is one of my old paintings from the last year.I painted it when I tried to paint a painting a week.The colors in the picture are kind of darker than those in the painting but anyway you can get the idea.I sure had fun painting it.

Smoky

Smoky is my step kids' cat at their mother's house.He is so beautiful that I fell in love with him the moment I first saw him.He reminds me about a cat I had many years ago.He was the same color but with shorter fur and was such a loving and cuddly boy.His name was Richy.

So,when I saw Smoky I felt I needed to paint him .

Still life with a flower

I painted this little painting in August just before the flood.I remember at that time my daughter started playing pretty good with the little girl across the street leaving me with a big amount of "me"time,which I used to paint or prepare for new paintings.With this painting I decided to experiment with the post card size-5x7.It was a real fun doing such a small painting and also pretty fast which worked perfectly in my situation.That's why I like to paint with acrylics at the moment.They dry fast,no bad fumes like the oils,they have vibrant bright colors and most of all they are fun to work with.

Poppies

This is one of the new paintings I told you about yesterday.I painted it last Thursday and I was happy with the result.I had great fun doing that.It is acrylics on stretched canvas.I under painted it with cadmium yellow and used cadmium red for the red poppies and phthalo green and emerald green for the background.

I painted this painting to decorate the FEMA trailer we live at the moment.It is nice and comfortable but the colors are on the boring side.Now with my painting on the wall it feels more like home.

Decorative Floral Composition

This is another painting from that prolific winter.I painted it last January experimenting with composition and color.My main idea was to create some joy for the eye.

I have some new paintings too but I don't know why it takes me so long to put them in the computer.

Fall in Minnesota

Ipainted this painting using a reference photo.This farm is close to my house by the bike trail I like to go for a walk.I've taken a lot of pictures of this barn but I like the fall ones the most.Fall is my favourite season and I usually can't wait to take tons of pictures for my reference files.Last year I was disappointed because the cold weather came too early and the leaves fell off the trees before they could turn the beautiful yellow and red colors.But this fall I am good,I managed to capture the beauty of the season just in time and the fall in Minnesota is really pretty.

One Summer Day

I painted this painting last winter using a reference photo I took on a trip the summer before.I am kind of photo addict and I bring my camera with me wherever I go.I usually look for landscapes that can turn into interesting paintings.

In my reference photo there were not any road or barn but in the process of work I decided it would add more interest to the painting and I think it turned out pretty good.

Summer

Let's talk about art again.I painted this last winter using a reference photo I took the previous summer on our way back from the Cities .I like the way the skies turned out.
It is acrilics on canvas panel.

Sketches From the Red Cross Shelter

I thought it was going to be a blog just about my art but as that disaster became a part of my life I can't avoid mentioning it.I just can't pretend it never happened.
We hadn't been allowed to visit our houses on safety reasons for 3-4 days and we had to spend long hours in the Red Cross Shelter waiting for information and directions.So,I took advantage of this unexpected "free"time to sketch the Red Cross volunteers doing their great job and some of the flood victims.
The volunteers at lunch.
This boy is waiting for his mother to to finish her interview with the Red Cross volunteer
These teenage girls are watching a movie while their parents are standing at a line for food vouchers.

Flood

This is the window we could get out of.That thing on the roof is my favourite blanket.We had to spread it over the broken glass to protect our bottoms and feet from getting cut.I took this picture3-4 days after the flood and you can see the tons of mud on our sidewalk and our yard.

FLOOD t
In this picture you can see how my dining room looked like after the flood.
The second one shows my kitchen.
We had to throw out everything that was on the first floor because the water was contaminated with colli bacteria.The only thing we managed to save during the flood was the computer.It was submerged in the water about 4-5 inches but we decided it was worth the try and the miracle happened. It worked!!!
And a tip from me in case something similar happens to you.You can salvage your CDs and DVDs.They are covered with some kind of protective layer and water cant damage them.I wish I new that before I threw away my daughter'sDVDs and my CDs.My husband salvaged half of his CD collection .He decided to give it a try and it worked perfectly.You just need to clean them gently with rubbing alcohol.

FLOOD
Finally I'm back.I haven't been able to post anything for more than three months because my family and I became victims of the flush floods that hit South East Minnesota in August.The small creek that passes through my town turned into a raging wild river in the middle of the night and flooded two thirds of it.We ended having five feet water on our main floor.We tried to evacuate but it was too late to use the car.We tried to walk to the local school but the water was getting deeper and one of the firefighters told us to find a house with a second floor.We went back to our house as we had a second floor.We had to wait for about four hours to be rescued watching the water level rising.The volunteers came with two canoes and a bigger boat.We were all five of us-my husband and I ,my stepdaughter/14/,my stepson/12/and my five-year-old daughter.We had to break a window on the second floor to be able to get out.In such a situation nothing works properly.We had to slide down the porch roof and got into the boats helped by the firefighters.
It was the weirdest ride in my life.It seamed so surrealistic to glide down the main street of our town in a boat avoiding the roofs of the submerged cars,drift wood,plastic yard toys and floating packages of potato chips.It felt so unreal as if watching the news on TV or an action movie.
The most interesting thing was that I did not feel afraid.I had that deep faith in me that every thing would be OK.And it was.Everybody was safe and sound.I mean not only in my family but also all the flood victims in my city.God bless all the volunteers and firefighters who risked their lives to rescue us.God bless all the people who helped my family and my city.
Now we live in a FE MA trailer rebuilding our house and our lives.
The picture I'm posting now is one I took during our long waiting to be rescued.The water level is still less than 3 feet.The picture is kind of dark but you can still see the floating furniture .

The Old Town Of Plovdiv

I haven't mentioned before that I am of Bulgarian background.I came to the USA six years ago when I married
my wonderful husband Greg.
I did this painting using a reference photo I took in the charming Old Town of Plovdiv .Plovdiv is the second big city in Bulgaria,but the old historic part is well preserved and is a magnet for the artists.Before I had left for the USA I took tons of pictures of the places and people I loved to help me go through the homesickness.I have one more reason to love
this city an be emotionally attached to it-I went to the University there.
I painted this piece with acrylic paint on board.

A pencil drawind of Sonya

I started this blog inspired by the movement of the Daily Painters.I borrowed this great idea to keep myself focused on the thing I love to do the most.
As I was unable to create a painting a day I transformed the idea into A Painting A Week.It worked for me quite well during the winter and the spring.It kept me motivated and organized.I slowed down with the paintings in the summer but went on drawing and sketching.
This is a drawing of my daughter Sonya.As it is so hard to make a small child to stand still and pose even for a couple of minutes I had to use reference photos.

Still life with flowers

Finally I found the courage to create a blog of my own.I love to draw and paint and I enjoy doing that whenever I have some spare time.

I have a busy life-a family,almost a full time job and a demanding five-year old daughter,but i can't imagine my life without my art.Painting and creating my art journals help me feel my life more complete.And as I am brand new in blogging I would like to be excused for the mistakes I will make down the road and I would appreciate your help and advise.I am also looking forward to hearing from you your opinion about my art.

In my first post you can see a painting I created for a friend last year.It is acrylics on canvas.