ANN STANLEY

more of ...not sure if I'm done yet

2009-07-26T17:22:00.000-04:00

am I done yet???

2009-07-26T17:20:00.000-04:00

more photos July.25.2009

2009-07-25T19:59:00.000-04:00

July.25.2009

2009-07-25T19:57:00.000-04:00

Sundayu, April 3, 2009

2009-05-03T20:58:00.000-04:00

Saturday - worked on mountains of books and bridge of books and octopus...getting things checked off my to-do list.

April 30,2009

2009-04-30T21:21:00.000-04:00

May 1st tomorrow and I'm not done yet.
:-(

here are my latest endeavors.
not sure I like the symbols on the books.
I like the idea, just that they are too dark, too much contrast.

April 28,2009

2009-04-28T21:37:00.000-04:00

Brandi and I have talked about her painting a little something ever since I started this mural.
I mentioned that I think/hope my sister is going to paint three little lady bugs (one for each of her kids). Brandi saw where I had chalked in the idea of two skelelton keys hanging on a hook. Brandi has two kids so she did the two keys.
Brandi found pictures of keys and sketched it all and painted it all herself. If you look close you'll see she included her initials.
-and don't forget you can double click on an image to enlarge it.
Way to go Brandi...lookin' good!

Sunday, April 26,2009

2009-04-26T21:24:00.000-04:00

yesterday was hours of fix-it stuff that isn't even worth trying to photo.
today I only had a couple hours. worked on dragon's head and bling- still need to title her book.

Tuesday April 21, 2009

2009-04-21T21:30:00.000-04:00

These show a few sections of the mural I've been working on lately.
The horizon and the objects in the zipper tree.

April 18 2009

2009-04-18T16:39:00.001-04:00

I didn't get anything of merit done today. But Victoria and Abigail got fish and a cheetah up on the wall. Good job girls!!!

April 14 2009

2009-04-14T22:18:00.000-04:00

aaaahhh, back to the painting after a few weeks. Have started the river of quotes (that flows from the mountains of books). Have about 15 quotes on it so far. Might add a few more.
(don't forget you can click on the picture to see it larger.)

Sun.Mar.22.2009

2009-03-22T17:03:00.000-04:00

Mar.15.2009

2009-03-15T20:05:00.000-04:00

Had not painted for awhile. Spent Saturday visiting with Mom and then at the library drawing in lots of shapes. Today, Sunday, I painted a few odd areas and then painted this fairy playing a violin. She is sitting on top of earth dangling her feet in the ocean. I like the colors.- this little corner makes me smile.

Several people have asked me where I get my ideas- I wanted to include music in this mural and when I sketched her on the earth I hadn't really thought about the ripples of water by her feet- got that idea from one of the ladies at the library. Thanks Diane...that's just what it needed. Then, I was tired of making decisions so I called Tracy and she said "Yes, the figure should have fairy wings, and no, not pointy ears, just normal ones." Thanks Tracy.

So, there you have it. I beg and borrow ideas wherever I can get them.

I've spent toooo many hours at school lately and still don't feel caught up...would rather be painting on this mural. So instead of hours at school I will try to get to the library every night this week and paint a little something.

Mon.Feb.23.2009

2009-02-23T21:07:00.000-05:00

Mon.morning.Feb.23.2009

2009-02-23T09:42:00.002-05:00

coffee tasted much better this morning drinking from my new mug.
and there was the added joy of playing hooky from school just to paint all day.
aaaahhhhh!

Sun.Feb.22.2009

2009-02-22T18:01:00.000-05:00

Someone asked so here is a somewhat close-up shot of the river border. Lots of touch-up needed.

Here are a few shots showing the blue water tree. I'm adding LOTS of objects to it and then will fill it with tons of swirly branches.
There is no rhyme or reason to the objects I chose...just lots of things with curves.
I took a personal day tomorrow from work so I get to paint from 9am to 9pm.

Tracy's mug

2009-02-22T17:51:00.000-05:00

Actually it is now MY mug. Isn't it awesome? And it fits just right.
Tracy has been practicing on the wheel and so I got a VERY early birthday present.
The first picture is how I'll see it before coffee and the second one is how I'll see it after a few cups.
Mr. Tacky Lavender Squirrel is looking on.

Sat.Feb.21.2009

2009-02-21T19:04:00.000-05:00

had not painted for more than a week and haven't posted pictures for 3 weeks-
have had camera issues.
I wonder what deadline I should pick now?
I've set aside the whole weekend for painting and am also taking a day off on Monday to just paint, paint, paint.

Sun.Feb.1.2009

2009-02-01T20:59:00.000-05:00

Sat.Jan.31.2009

2009-01-31T17:24:00.003-05:00

I worked in this same corner all day today. Everything I worked on will still need more details, but at least they are started. The giraffe face- eyes still need highlights and eyelashes, and frames around the windows. The green figure blowing bubbles, the blue figure reading- both not quite done. I'll take close-up pictures when they are done (hopefully tomorrow).

But is was a good painting day and I'm still happy working on this mural.

Jill is almost done with her mural

2009-01-31T17:20:00.002-05:00

Jill's is one of the three of us artists working on murals at the Crawfordsville library. She is almost done. She is just going thru and adding texture and details to the grassy areas.

Sun.Jan.25.2009

2009-01-25T19:05:00.000-05:00

Sat.Jan.24.2009

2009-01-24T18:40:00.000-05:00

The giraffe tree is finally getting its spots.
They are the texture of the tree so it is like you can see thru them to the tree.
I suppose I should take a close up picture...I will when I'm finished with it.

And the zipper tree is coming along nicely.
Will be adding more branches once I have the person painted.
And, I might have the zipper wrap around and go to the bottom of the tree.

Jan.19.2009

2009-01-19T06:15:00.004-05:00

Saturday the branches on all the trees got blocked in with pale colors. Sunday I worked on this checkered tree. Then I added the dark orange base coat. It won't be quite this dark once other colors are used to add texture.

Meetings at school all day today- ick! Can't wait for the school day to be over so I can go paint at the library this evening.

Jan.17.2009

2009-01-17T17:14:00.002-05:00

It was a two iced-coffees day today.
I had not painted for about 2 1/2 weeks and so I spent the whole day today painting.
It felt good to be painting again. Today I worked on the trees. I kinda blocked in some of the branches and now will spend the next few days painting them.
Looking at the photos of what I did today, I realize the branches need to be thicker. And, more of them need to "go off the page" into ceiling line. But that is an easy fix.

Tue.Dec.30.2008

2008-12-31T18:22:00.000-05:00

Mon.Dec.29.2008

2008-12-29T21:25:00.002-05:00

I got a little side-tracked with projects at home today and so

I only painted for a few hours at the library.

I didn't feel like being up on the ladder finishing the dragon

so I picked a different spot to work on.

The checkerboard floor is really books floating in space.

They are looking like I had hoped they would.

Lots of people stop and comment - they are very positive which is nice.

At this point I don't know when I'll get done,

but I'm still having so much fun painting this mural.

Sat.Dec.27.2008

2008-12-27T15:09:00.000-05:00

STILL not done with the dragon.
Some folks at the library think there needs to be a contest to name her.
:-)

Fri.Dec.26.08

2008-12-26T18:04:00.000-05:00

I worked on the dragon all day...slow going...and she still isn't done.
Yes, the book will be bigger.
And yes, she will have large diamond rings and dangling earrings.
Should her book have a title? something like "Humans...fact or myth?"

Wed.Dec.24.2008

2008-12-24T17:33:00.003-05:00

Worked on the mural for 7 hours today... just on the dragon. She is coming along nicely. I got up and down from the scaffolding a million times to step back and look at it. I finally have her proportions the way I want them and have the colors and the scales figured out. I only have the end of the tail completely done.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-23T21:19:00.002-05:00

Tue.Dec.23.2008

2008-12-23T21:08:00.005-05:00

It is so nice when my "should do" list and my "want to do" list match. Paint, and then paint some more.

It was VERY quiet at the library today. Usually that place is hoppin' but the holiday and the weather kept people away. Tomorrow I'll get to crank up the music-that will keep me painting all day.

It doesn't look like I did much today, but I did enough to feel like I accomplished something.
I'm so thankful that everyone at the library is so patient and positive. I've changed my idea quite a bit and they still seem pleased. The design is still the same idea- that reading can let you imagine a whole new world. I don't have any really deep symbolism- just a lot of whimsy and fun. I'm hoping when it is all done that the shapes and colors keep the eye moving throughout the whole scene...keep you looking for more things hidden in odd places.

Dec 22 2008

2008-12-22T21:22:00.000-05:00

Mon. Dec 22

2008-12-22T21:15:00.000-05:00

If feels good to be back at the library working on the mural again.
With some help from my niece and nephew I got the Little Giant ladder in and set up as a scaffold. So I was able to sit while I did some of the stuff up high.

I love this little fish. I painted one like this at Lissa's house once. I worked from a photo and I don't know what kind it is, but it is cute.

Tuesday, Dec 2nd

2008-12-02T21:39:00.000-05:00

Back to working on the mural at the library. Brought back all the supplies after working on the baby room. Tonight I did lots of paint mixing and sketching. Have painted flowers and planets.

Heather and Joe's baby room

2008-11-30T18:55:00.000-05:00

I should have been working at the library, but this was a fun mural to work on. Friday Heather's mom helped me get the basic colors on the walls and start the swirls and the trees.
As usual, it took me longer to paint than I anticipated. But it was relaxing to work on this whimsical room. Joe calls it the happy room and says he may have to sleep in here.

The colors and shapes mimic the crib linens that Heather bought. (Martex brand- "down under" set) Everything has either a pattern on it or is outlined. Even though I didn't use black (I wanted to keep it cheerful) I think the colors are strong enough to work with the black crib and dresser that will go in here.

A fun, productive way to spend the holiday weekend.
:-)

more spots and squares

2008-11-16T18:18:00.000-05:00

November 16, 2008
I had not painted for over a week. So yesterday and today I painted more background stuff. Lots of spots over to the left, and green squares in the sky. Can't get back in to paint again until Thursday. I'm hoping to make a lot of headway over Thanksgiving break.

Sunday, Nov 2, 2008

2008-11-02T17:11:00.000-05:00

The library is only open from 1-5 on Sundays...I just painted lots more spots today.

The Smolls came by today- they found the name of a bird that starts with X so that I can have a creature that starts with every letter of the alphabet. Can't wait to finish the large background areas so I can do the fun details.

Saturday, Nov 1, 2008 Lots of spots

2008-11-01T20:04:00.002-04:00

So who says that the sky has to be blue and the ground has to be green? I had this discussion with a student this week. She showed up today while I was working. I heard her before I saw her..."see the sky is green...this has to be it"

You can't tell it from the photos, but I spent about 6 hours painting irregular spots today. And I'm still not done! It is tedious work, but I want all areas to either have realist images or areas of flat repeated patterns. Hidden images will be added to this area later.

So...for what reason did I pick these shapes?
a)because I wanted rough looking pebbles on this "ground".
b) these shapes repeat the spots on the giraffe.
c) these shapes resemble the ice cubes in my iced coffee.
Will anyone ever know the real reason???

The library tech guy took this photo.

Saturday, Nov 1, 2008 other mural artists at the library

2008-11-01T19:50:00.006-04:00

This is Michael Bowman and a picture of his lastest work...still in progress. His mural is behind the Youth Services desk and extends around the corner. I didn't get a clear shot of the rest of it. Will try to include it later.

This is Jill Stockwell and a picture of her latest work...still in progress. It is located in the young childrens section of the library. She is also creating several characters on thin wood that can be moved to different locations around the library.

Monday, October 27

2008-10-27T21:10:00.000-04:00

After school I put in a few hours at the library. I finished the spots which is all I really wanted to finish today. Didn't get much else done, but did chat with an assortment of nice people.

Lissa is working on my list of animals. I want at least one creature for every letter of the alphabet. I was going to put one thing for each letter, now I want one creature and one object for each letter. I'm taking suggestions for any of these.

Also, I'm taking suggestions for quotes. I have been given a few and will have to post them soon so everyone can see which ones I'm considering.

It is a public space and my design is flexible so I figure I should take suggestions from all sorts of people.

Speaking of flexible. The people at the library are so accommodating. The space is the best ever because there is a work room right near where I'm painting. It has large tables for all my stuff and a sink for clean up. But the people that work at the library are even better than the space. They are so helpful and encouraging. I hope they speak up if I'm doing something they do not like- whether it has to do with supplies or the mural.

Until today I have been very self-conscious every time I climbed up the ladder. Ever since I fell last winter I've been a bit hesitant. But, today I didn't worry at all and was comfortable the whole time I was on the ladder. Whew...I'm glad for that, or this mural would have been a bit too stressful.

It was a good day.

Sunday 10-26-08 Starting to add patterns

2008-10-26T17:30:00.000-04:00

So the library is not open for very long on Sunday.
I was able to paint for a little over three hours.
I worked on the wall where I need to transition from Mike's design to mine.
The bottom green area is doing what I want it to. The top green areas still need a lot more green circles before I can remove the blue painters tape.

This design is going to be full of texture and pattern. I don't want everything to be as dark or bold of color as I used today. I had to use these colors to get the transition I want. I don't want to use black in my painting, but had to because Mike did. The trees and dragon will be bolder color...and all the background color will be pale. That blue gray on much of the lower part will be softened a lot.

Saturday, Oct 25th

2008-10-25T17:56:00.000-04:00

this picture shows the mountains of books that will have a stream of quotes flowing from them.

Today I worked on the Giraffe tree and the lavender squirrels. It doesn't look like I did much, but it was a good painting day.

In a picture in the previous post you can see Mike's mural to the far right. Our styles of painting and our designs are totally different. I hope to merge our two pictures using patterns of color and repeating circles. I hope it turns out how I see it in my head.

finally adding details

2008-10-25T17:47:00.000-04:00

I got all the big shapes blocked in and then got to start on the details. I'm pretty happy with how this book tree is turning out. I'm going to put in a lot more images before I start adding any foliage around the trees.

2008-10-25T17:36:00.000-04:00

My mural is underway. I expect it to take several more weeks and so thought I would try to post information and photos to show my progress.

The mural is at the Crawfordsville Public Library.

It all started with a letter from the Teachers' Retirement Assoc. here in town. They sent a letter out to about 8 local artists asking us to submit proposals for a mural in one section of the library. As it turned out only three of us turned in proposals. The TRA turned the sketches over to the library. The library board then accepted all three proposals and asked us all to paint.

We had all three submitted drawings for the center part of the Youth Services Area at the library. I had to re-draw mine to fit in an area to the left of that wall. The other two artists, Jill Stockwell and Mike Bowman, started their murals weeks before I did. I imagine they are about done and hope to post pictures of their work as well.

My drawing is surrealism. Four large trees dominate the picture. They are not normal trees, but rather a tree made of books and a patterned tree that unzips, and a giraffe tree and a water tree. The other dominate image is a dragon reading a book. I need to work on the dragon soon. She doesn't really look like a dragon yet and people think she is a kangaroo. (Next Saturday she gets painted.)Anyway, pictures to be posted soon.

First day of mural

2008-10-25T17:24:00.000-04:00

So... on the first day all I did was take paint and sketch in the larger shapes. No, that is not a kangaroo. She will be a beautiful purple dragon when I am done.