Trying to find my stride

So....  you know those pansies that i was talking about needing to plant back in October?  It may come as no surprise to you that they are still plunked down in the garden in the plastic containers that i bought them in.  For shame!  .... the good news is, they still look great and bloomed all through the winter.  go figure.

This little blog, however, did not bloom all through the winter.  I will not give up though.  I am bound and determined to do this.... and although you may not be able to see much of what has been happening with me over this last year and a half, i can assure you that i have been working really hard.  I have been making tons of work.  I have a wonderful assistant who comes and helps me a few days a week with a lot of the studio chores that slow me down.  I have been beginning to develop new systems for making and doing tasks more effectively....I have been working on my picture taking skills. ....Many efforts that will start to manifest themselves in more and more concrete ways as time goes on.

One confirmation that this is all important work, and crucial to my business are the requests that i am getting on a regular basis from galleries and shops around the country wanting to wholesale my work and/ or carry it in their gallery.  I have been getting these requests for years, but now more of them are coming in from wonderful established places where i would be thrilled to have my things.  Stay tuned for more about that.

As i write this, i have a whole cheerful table of work waiting to be sold (and hopefully selling!) at a fantastic clay show down in Macon called Fired Works.  It is the first time that i have participated in this show and i am honored and humbled by the company that i am in there....

And the most exciting news that i have to share is that a few months back i was invited to do a solo show at my favorite local gallery--  Mudfire.  It is an amazing honor for me and i am so thrilled.  The show opens this friday and goes for a month.  If you are a local friend, i would love it if you come and check it out!  here is a link to their page on facebook -- https://www.facebook.com/MudFire?fref=ts

Trying to stay on top of things

Today, in the midst of preparing for Halloween festivities in our neighborhood, doing some last minute decorating outside ...and maybe getting those pansies planted..... i am focused on gearing up for the rest of the fall shows-- particularly my own studio show and sale.  Tomorrow is the 1st of November and my show opening is on the 30th of November.  My "to-do" list may be more overwhelming than ever!!  In the next few days i will post some pictures of my disastrous work spaces so that i can then share the "after" photos and they will have more impact!

For now, i will share the front of this year's show invitation which my friend Patty helped me with.  It is fun and colorful and i love it!

And here is the back, which i have modified to share online (blacking out my address) ...Not that people couldn't find me if they wanted to, but it just doesn't seem prudent to post it here.  Anywhoo, here it is:

Hope everyone is having a great day.  Best wishes to those folks who were affected by the awful storm this week.  My head is filled with images of its devastating effects and my prayers are with all those recovering from it.

Hump Day Giveaway at the Inkspot Workshop Blog!

Happy Wednesday everyone!!  

check it out!  and enter to win TWO 50.00 credits-- one to  my etsy shop 

and the other to Elemen O Pillows!!

Hump Day Giveaway – Happy Home Maker

Checking in

Well, the first couple of fall shows have come and gone- in a crazy blur!  The Yellow Daisy Festival in early September marked my 11th year of doing that show.  It was a good one, despite some foul weather and a leaky tent ;o)  I had some great sales, saw lots of friends and "regulars" ;o) and made many new friends.  I collected a lot of names for my studio show and sale mailing list, and at some point in the next week or so, i will be adding those names to the address book for my show/ sale e-vite.

I also did a show outside of Chattanooga in early September as well as another wonderful show here in GA- the Norcross Fall Festival just two weeks ago.  The aftermath of these shows includes unpacking lots of work from containers, washing table skirts and tablecloths, going over inventory, entering e-mails into mailing lists, photographing work to list online, editing photos.....   and of course, making lots and lots of NEW work!!  This year marks the 5th year of my studio show and i want it to be better than ever!!  So i am creating lots and lots of new pieces to share with the folks who come!!  Between creating work for that, my etsy shop and a few upcoming gallery shows, i am keeping pretty busy.  Here is a shot of a table laden with some of the pieces that i am working on right now:

Today i am busy taking and editing photographs and listing some new items for a cool blog feature that it happening tomorrow.  I will share the link on my facebook page-  facebook.com/charityelisedesigns - as soon as it is live.

Hope that you are all having a wonderful and productive day!  Another cup of coffee for me, and i am OFF!!

What a crazy few months it has been!  Usually things ease up a bit around here after the studio show/ sale is over....  but somehow this year, life seems to have accelerated in some ways.  Obligations at the children's school, my DH being out of town, multiple illnesses back to back.... have kept us hopping around here!  My daughter's birthday party was this past weekend and i am just putting the finishing touches on a large project for the school, so i finally feel like i can breathe a little bit.  .... though i won't breathe for too long- because spring shows are just around the corner and online sales continue to ramp up.  My stamp sales to other outlets- namely the pottery supply store here in town- Atlanta Clay- have gone way up and so i need to make a more concerted effort to keep them well stocked at all times!

All in all it is good, productive stuff.  Exciting things are happening....  a book with my art in it was just published and i continue to get painting commissions (to my complete delight!)....  now to get myself well....  start taking some more walks, say my prayers and get down to business!!

Thanks for reading.  leave me a comment if you feel so moved.... it encourages me to write more!

Here are the mosaic flowers and leaves for the school auction project that i mentioned.... in this picture we are laboriously gluing on each little tiles to get ready for grout.  definitely a labor of love!

This is a shot of the birthday cake from this last weekend.  I guess i have mosaic on the brain as the two projects contain a fair amount of visual overlap!  The mosaic here is made with colored and textured (with my handmade stamps ) fondant; the smaller note-book cake is covered with white fondant and painted with edible markers and watered down food coloring... the art palette and paints are made with white chocolate. It was a lot of fun to make and a fun, colorful tribute to a fun and colorful little girl!

Studio show and sale 2011

This has been one crazy year-- and the last few months, kind of the icing on the crazy cake.  With unbelieveably mixed feelings, we had to close our wonderful tea house in early October.  The details and "fall-out" of that process continue to unfold with no great clarity....  on the heels of the closure of the shop, my husband began a long stint of working out of town which has him in Baltimore for two week stretches back for a quick weekend, and then off again!  To say that these things have been difficult on us would be a great understatement.....

With Dan out of town, i wondered if i would be able to pull off my - what is now annual- studio show and sale.  This would be the 4th year, and i hated the idea of not doing it.   It seemed like a tragedy to skip it-- it is, after all, really gaining some momentum now.... and my guest list is fairly long-- i didn't want to disappoint!  So, unsure of whether or not i really had enough work to even justify it, and not sure how exactly i would pull it all together, i went kind of nuts getting ready.  My children probably suffered the most for it....  but they are such very good sports... and actually really helped me a lot with cleaning up the house and preparing.

Somehow, it all came together.  As it turns out, it was my best show yet, and i had more than enough work to keep it looking bountiful and well stocked!  I sold lots of work-- many paintings included!  -- and this is really the most wonderful part to me-- the paintings.  because that is what i love the most!!  In the next couple of days, i will start to inventory what is left and begin packing things away.  I have a few "appointments" set up for folks who want to do a bit of last minute shopping, and then i will move forward with putting our house back together and beginning to work on creating more work!  My goal this year is to try to stay ahead of the busiest show seasons.... the key element here is to stay/ get busy working again right now and adding to the existing inventory that i have and just to keep churning it out and stocking it away.  I would really like to avoid the pitfall that seems to trap me every year; where the winter months seem to pass by without my doing a great amount of work and not getting down to business in the studio (in a serious way) until sometime in the spring.  This year i will strive to keep up with production all along, thereby (hopefully) avoiding the summer stress-out that i usually end up in.   we'll see how it goes :o)

Here are a couple of photos from the show before i take it down.  To see more, check out the album that i posted on my facebook business page: chARiTy elise studio show 2011

the last photo shows a couple of the paintings that sold.  so excited to get back to some painting!

Featured Artist at the Yellow Daisy Festival this year!

so, i haven't been here for awhile and that is because i am out of my mind preparing for THIS!!!

                                                            come and see me if you can!

                                                            Yellow Daisy Festival 2011

studio goings on

The summer is in full swing and the crunch of preparations for fall shows is on.... Normally i start panicking around March and try to dive into big-time production around that time.... Now, with the tea-house and other responsibilities added to the mix, March, April and May came and went, and here we are nearing the end of june.... starting to feel the pinch of the "closeness" of fall, and specifically the Yellow Daisy Festival; my biggest show of the year and the beginning of my craziest season.  So, these days i am diving into studio work as often and as much as possible.   These last few weeks have been packed with all sorts of different work.  My wooden magnets with funny/ inspirational quotes/ messages/ pictures are sort of a bread-and-butter item for me, and so i try to get oodles of those made before anything else.

so many bits of paper to cut....

The photo above shows a step mid-way in the process of creating these magnets.....    Another item on the list this week are bud vases.  On Monday and Tuesday i spent the day (s) making as many as i could from an entire 25 lb. bag of clay....  aching legs, feet and wrists and 263 bud vases later.....

They don't look like much now....  but after some cleaning up, sponging off smoothing, under-glazing, an initial bisque firing, some staining, more wiping off, glazing on the inside and drying out, then some glazing on the outside- in many different colors.... another firing, after which i will glue super-strong magnets on the back of each and every one.....  i will wind up with a tidy, colorful pile of something like these:

and on that note, there are really only a few available minutes for studio time today....  so i had better hop to it.  Today i need to work on a painting- the 4th revision-- for an exciting project that i am not ready to disclose to you quite yet.  stay tuned though, because i will be making a formal announcement soon.  I can't wait to tell you about it! 

It doesn't look like much yet.....  

Snow day number 4 and "stuck" in the studio

So, Atlanta has been hit with some snow and ice.  In any other city- where there are more than 8 plows and maybe a salt truck or two... the maybe 5 inches of snow that fell on monday would be a total non-issue; dealt with on monday... a quick pass through with the plows, a scattering of salt- maybe some sand- and good to go.  But here in the south, we are just not prepared for weather of this nature.  It literally shuts us down.  School- and all county and government agencies- has/ have been closed for the last four days.  There will probably not be school again tomorrow-- and then it is the weekend!  oh- and MLK day on monday- so no school then either!

I know that many people around here are getting pretty stir crazy.  Admittedly, it is a little harder having children around for so many days in a row.  Thank goodness my in-laws are so amazing and helpful- aaaaand- right around the corner.  The children are with them for the day and having a grand ole' time.   And i am here, "stuck" in the house and i couldn't be happier.  Really.  I could be "stuck" here for weeks on end and not have a thing to complain about.  I am listing things on Etsy that i haven't been able to get around to forever; like this tray and these earrings....  and many other wonderful things!

I have also been taking photographs of many more items and editing editing editing....  as well as finishing out some other pieces so that i can run a bisque fire.  Trying to stock the shop with some items that will be good for valentines day.  I also just finished a painting and am beginning another right now.  These paintings- the images - are intended for a very special occasion/ opportunity that i can't mention yet, but hope to be able to soon.  stay tuned!

I hope you are all having a great day.  If you are feeling "stuck" inside, i challenge you to do something creative.  Maybe pull out some watercolors and doodle with paint...  Grab a box of your kids' crayons and get down to some scribbling.  Crayons are really underrated. :o)

here is a shot of our cozy, twinkly house as the snow was falling on Monday night

snow days are also great for organizing cupboards and cabinets

and for photographing the hundreds of items you have waiting to be listed in your etsy shop

Now, if you will excuse me, i have some scones to make. :o)

so.. yeah. um.... it's been five and a half months

do you think that i will ever get into this regularly?  because i would very much like to.  

not to mention.... i was going to do a give-away when i hit 50 followers, and now i am at 63.  which is great!  except i haven't done my give-away yet!  grr...  so today i will gather a couple of goodies together and draw a name and we'll see who we get!  it will be good to cross that off the list!!

it was a crazy insane summer leading into a doubly insane fall.  the tea house is a busy place that consumes much energy and resources... and that is wonderful.  it also makes it a lot harder to be in the studio for any regular hours, and so my ability to work on artful things is pretty cramped and hindered by other responsibilities.  i don't say this to complain, but only to help me keep things in perspective.  like this blog :o)  i want to write regularly and i see it as something that will evolve....  but i need to be understanding enough with myself to see that there really hasn't been an opportunity for it to become a part of my routine yet.

Anywhoo...  i babble. 

when i have been in the studio, it has been great.... and as always i have so much fun working with the materials- whether it is clay, or paint or wood....   i was spending a lot more time painting through the spring and into the summer than i had in years, and that was feeling really good.  I am working with a friend on a book of prayers for   children, featuring my artwork, and it has come along really nicely.  hopefully we will get it fine tuned and off to a publisher soon.  We have a thumbs-up for the most part and now are just waiting to get it completely polished.  That will be fun to share with you when it is available.

Other than that, i spend time with my true love--- CLAY!  making lots of dishes and serving pieces as well as jewelry and buttons galore.  i have so many pieces to photograph and list on etsy and have been so busy running in different directions that i haven't had a chance to photograph and list them.  I just keep renewing items that are already there so i stay visible in the category... but i need to get listing some new items because i have so many fresh pieces just waiting in the wings!

Okay, well, i must get back to my house-cleaning - which is the task of the day (and much neglected of late.  the dust bunnies have morphed into something more closely resembling cattle, and i fear that my small children may be trampled if i don't take care of them)....  but i will leave you with a couple of photos of this and that...

hope you are all having a happy, cozy sunday.  i and i WILL be back again soon.  i promise. 
pinkie swear.

this is a painting/ clock that i did for a fundraiser held last moth for G-CAPP and an even that was held at Ikea here in Atlanta.

here are some of my leafy tapas plates getting ready to go out for a custom order.  i have some left that i will be listing as sets and individually in my etsy shop soon. 

magnetic bud vases-- all of these have been listed- chARiTyelise.etsy.com and a few of them are already gone... but there are some still for the taking.  They make such great stocking stuffers and teacher gifts, that i really need to get making more so that i can have a bountiful selection for the rest of my holiday shows.

okay-- that's all for now.  have a great day!





















  

bloggety blogging.....

...is so hard for me!!  but i really want to get better at this!!  ....  i am so inspired by people who post regularly- and interesting, thoughtful things....  i feel like i spend so much time running around like a chicken with my head cut off, that sitting down to write about it seems like a waste sometimes.  but i really want to cultivate the regularity of it and make it a habit for myself.   so- don't give up on me y'all!  i have a lot to say..... i just need to remember what it was!!  hehe.

in other news, i got out of town for a few days last week.  it was a much needed and very appreciated time away from my day to day, and a renewing and invigorating opportunity to be with other artists and people who appreciate the arts, at a wonderful conference in Pensacola, Florida.  The conference is called, "Wings to the Spirit", and aims to explore, among other things, the relationship between art and our spirits.  There were a number of wonderful presenters and workshops...  One of my favorites was a talk given by a wonderful, and very well known Canadian painter named Sasha Rogers.  SashaRogers.com  who also happens to be the daughter of another painter who i love named Donald "Otto" Rogers.  Her work is evocative of great landscapes and expansive vistas, but none of it is painted from landscape....  she talks a lot about her work describing the "place-less" and as an exploration of light and the spaces in between....   this is a terrible summation of her work, and she describes it all so brilliantly and articulately....  (you can read more about her work on her wonderful website).  I was inspired, not only by the works themselves, but the way she spoke about them, her process and the things that are the most rewarding about others experiencing her work.  The people who buy and live with her enormous, incredible paintings, often come to her telling her that they sit with their coffee in the morning and look at the painting... and that it is sort of a meditation for them that helps them start their day in a wonderful way.....  or that, when they come home and sit and experience the image that it calms and soothes them; helps them to find peaceful places within themselves.  She said that this type of feedback is the highest compliment that she can receive.

It got me to thinking more about why i do what i do and make what i make.  It is not a new question that i posed to  myself, i think about these themes often...  but since i have been doing more painting of late, and was getting ready for an exhibition at the tea house...  i found myself thinking again about my artist's "statement"....  which i have never really formalized into something that is typed up and printed out for anyone to read....  i have always found myself sort of stumped by what to say, and feeling like what i make is too "all over the map" to describe or talk about in any kind of tidy or succinct way; so i always veer away from trying  to describe it too much.  Anyway, i have been thinking about it more and more and what i feel about it right now is that my own work is very much about joy.  Joy that i feel from the process of creating it, joy as the "stuff" from which it is inspired... and joy as the hopeful outcome and experience for other people.  For me, one of the highest compliments that i ever receive about any of my work is that it brings other people joy; that they are happy when they see it, or use it- or give it as a gift.  There are other ideas and themes that i like to explore and that i could talk about here, but i will save that for another post.... because what it all boils down to right now, as i think about it, is this theme.  JOY.

well....  that's all for now.  heading into the studio for a few precious moments to see what i can come up with.  joyfully!

yellow butterfly

one year ago today my best friend's father passed away.  He was like a second father to me and i loved him as if he were my own daddy.  (and i still do).  i was with him when he passed, along with so many of his dear loved ones.  For days we surrounded him with prayers and love- for him, for one another.... and with song-- one of the languages he spoke so well.  and our hearts broke and simultaneously rejoiced as he slipped from this life into the next; no longer plagued by his pain.... the spring trees were bursting with blossoms and the birds were singing with all of their hearts; yellow butterflies flitted between the trees and flowers and Danny's soul departed from his body as we sang him home.


I think about him almost every day.  His  life example inspires me and spurs me on to be better and greater, more patient, more loving, to work for unity and peace and create work which makes others happy.... which may, in some way, inspire someone else.  Thank you Danny for your love in this world.  i feel your spirit whenever the wind blows.

27 followers!

thanks guys!  yay! i am more than half-way to my first goal of 50 followers!  thank you so much- i appreciate your being here!  i am working on a few things right now to make part of the surprise package when i reach my first 50 followers, and i will post a picture soon of the actual contents of the box!  for now, it is back to the studio to finish up this mug order, glaze some earring components, work on some paintings, do some paperwork and catch up on some other orders.  oh- and list some more pieces in my shop  --like  this one 

 Have a great day all! thanks again for being here!

hi there!

hey there!  just checking in to say hello and that i have not forgotten this little blog!  i have been sick with the cold that never ends for a couple of weeks now and i am finally on the mend.... but nursing a bit of a head-ache today....  that, coupled with the gray and rain today sort of make me want to just drink peppermint tea and curl up with a good book.  Alas, i am fasting and there will be no tea for me until after sunset and i have approximately 19,000 things on my to do list, and so i don't have the luxury of doing much relaxing today. 

i pulled a fairly good sized mug order out of the kiln the other day and was so relieved to have it out of the way, as it had been hanging over my head for much too long.  The mugs were picked up and the check was written and then i got a phone call; "The mugs are too small".  all of them.  and so i need to re-do them all.  harumph.

but i did pull some other sweet things out of the kiln that are colorful and springy and now i need to take a bunch of photos....  but let's see if i can find a picture to share with you for now, before i head back into the garage to throw some bigger mugs.  ugh.

   totally unrelated to the post above....  these are some little magnets i made about 2 years ago.... i am thinking of making some more.....

and these little flower components...  because they are so bright and cheerful

and i am so eager for spring!

where have you been all my life?!?!?

OMG.  i never really say that.  but it kind of makes me laugh.... and it did seem sort of appropriate right now because i am sooooo excited!!  so- OMG!!!  PRECIOUS METAL CLAY--- where have you been all my life???  my friend Molly, of Rockwater Glass, here in atlanta, gave me a little package of this stuff to play with a couple of months ago... and then she fired it for me and it went for a little tumble in her rock tumbler the other day.... i used a silver tarnish on one set of beads- just experimenting, and the other pendant and beads i left in their super, shiny, fresh from being tumbled state--- and i am IN LOVE!!!  these photos aren't the best, because i have missed the best light of the day and am taking these in the office with very poor light--- but i was just too excited to show them off to wait for the correct lighting!!

i think i am going to have to keep these for myself.  Then again, i always say that, and somehow, i always end up selling the things i like the most.  I guess i will just have to make more!!  my head is swimming now and i can't wait to get  my hands on more of the stuff!!!

 

  

  

 

i can't wait to try something else!!  look out for these 

and forthcoming pieces in my my etsy shop soon!

woot!

so i am up to 20 followers now!!  thanks guys and gals!!  now that i know that SOMEone is reading this blog (besides my mom) i am inspired to write more often, share more information and do some fun give-a-ways and things of that nature!  SOOOOO..... i have set a goal for myself...  to get 50 followers!  of course, ultimately i would like more than fifty followers :o)  - but for the time being, that seems like a doable and realistic goal to shoot for in the next months.   When i reach 50 followers, i am going to do a fun give away....  a little care package of sorts....  a little jewelry something, maybe a mug and some magnets or something of that nature-- a little assortment of fun goodness!!   when the number reaches 50, i will print out everyone's names on paper and do a good, old fashioned drawing from a hat! (or maybe i will use a bowl-  but you catch my drift!)  and then i will announce the winner and send them their goodies! 

In the next week or so, i will draw together the things to be included in the giveaway and then share some photos with you!  so, spread the word!  this blog is going to get bigger and better!  stick around!!

a little teaser.....  sample mug and earrings.....  

something like what you might get if you are the lucky winner!

piles of possibilities

i often like to take pictures of materials, tools and unfinished work even more than finished pieces!  To see the mounds of pendants, beads, buttons and other components grow before my eyes as they wait for their bisque firing is so much fun!  i thought you might get a kick out of seeing some of the yummy little things waiting to go into the kiln this week!  ...along with a big custom mug order.... that i need to get back to right now!  ...cause i am running late, and only 22 minutes left with the babysitter here!!  gotta run!

 

can't wait to see these bathed in color!

 

the lighting is a bit different here.....  

 

buttons, and pendants and earrings- oh my!!

front page news!

it isn't too often that i get featured on etsy's front page, so when i do, i do a little happy dance! (insert happy dance here!!).... check it out!

playing catch-up

The thing about having two full time jobs- in addition to being a mom to two small children, is that you are never, EVER caught up!  Work for the tea house- the fabulous- you must visit and/ or buy some tea- tahCha.com has been keeping me most busy for the last few weeks, and i have only been able to dabble in the studio....    yesterday i was finally able to get in there and do some much needed cleaning-- so at least this lays the groundwork to be able to begin working in there again!!  additionally, i took about 700 photographs (well, probably more like 300) and then uploaded and edited them on the computer.... (you can't sell your work online unless you take pictures of it!).  Today i hope to list a few of these newly photographed things...  but it remains to be seen whether time will allow.  The children will be back soon and then there is the business of feeding and bathing them.  i just made them dinner last night, for crying out loud!  why do they have to eat every night?!  (of course, i am just joking here.    mostly anyway).   Otherwise, the rest of the afternoon will be spent in the garage continuing to throw mugs and yunomi for custom orders, the tea house and my dwindling selection on etsy.

Here are a few pics of some of the things i was photographing yesterday and hope to list soon.

 

I just realized that i had not yet listed anything in my shop with this design...  People at my shows buy them all up!  

starting to get some spring fever i must say....  these pendants

are awfully fun- and so very springy!!

are you sensing a theme here?  i love the bright colors on these rainy days!

here are a group of them together.

Some of these little cuties will  be listed here soon--- so come and visit and check out what i have going on in my little corner of etsy! 

getting back to work

The holiday season, family obligations and the business and "busy-ness" of the tea house have kept me from being in the studio very much, and from being able to list new things on etsy.... all great reasons, but still a little frustrating....  largely because i have so many pieces ready to go that are just waiting to be photographed, or worse yet- have ALREADY been photographed and are just sitting and twiddling their thumbs waiting to be shared with the world!  not that there are too many people waiting with bated breath to see what's coming out of the studio....  but anyway....

so today, after a phenomenal business meeting with my partner and a woman with whom we may work in some capacity (more cannot be divulged at this point...  but it is exciting stuff), i picked up my littlest one, played on the playground a bit and then took her out to lunch.  That was a rare treat as we don't get too much one on one quality time any more, and she was delighted by the opportunity to be with mama for a little while before she went to her grandparents for the day.  i was delighted too!  upon my return home and after certain domestic chores involving dogs and taking out garbage etc...  i finally got out to the garage to work on some mugs for an order that i got a few weeks back.  I threw a few pieces but then had to take a break because my clay is not as nice and soft as i like it to be for throwing, and i wasn't coming out with forms that i loved...  so here i am; thought it would be a nice chance to check in with this blah-blah-blog and say hello.  maybe i'll mist the clay and wrap it up for tomorrow.  I have a couple of paintings in the works that i could spend some time on instead.

here are the first few strokes on a canvas that i worked on throughout my show last month

 color number two introduces itself... a nice warm ochre...

mmhmm... let's get some red in there...

bringing in the green...

okay- this is starting to get fun!

a detail of what is starting to happen....

now we're getting somewhere.

almost finished....

detail of almost finished painting

 

 

all done!

this and other paintings will be on display at tahCha tea house in an upcoming show...  i'll keep you posted with details of the event and the opening reception.

this painting measures 2 ft by 4 ft and is painted in a combination of acrylics and oils.