Yum, muffins and pansies - Creative Touchstone New Cards

I find it interesting the greeting cards with my paintings on them are out selling those with my creative photos.

This one has not been truly tested as well as my other cards. I have them at Dark Canyon Coffee in Rapid City, SD and in Victoria's Garden Florist, Rapid City, SD. The time and effort on my part has not been invested at this point but are still selling.

I have always wanted to do greeting cards and market them as long as I can remember. I am doing them more regularly but not updating and creating to my potential.

Www.CreativeTouchstone.com is online and live but comes after all my other endeavors. Another words the site gets little attention from me, unfortunately.

I think of Grandma Mose . She didn't even start painting until she was in her 70's. Her cards and artwork were true Americana and have a distinct style. I have a few more years before I am in my 70's so there's no problem.

I will be the tortoise, keep slowly moving forward and eventually I will find my way in the world of creative expression as Connie Savage Thiewes. I love so many things and more importantly don't want to create just anything.

I want to become competent and respectful of artwork and its place in our world of 2009.

Muffins are not serious artwork. But I love to cook, paint, workout in many different ways and most of all, do things with family and friends. The trade-off of time to artwork has to make sense and add value, not take it away from my life. It will take stride and is still on track to attain before I am 70.

Black Hills Buffalo Skull Painting by Connie Savage Thiewes

The top of skull was representative of the Black Hills. The blue vein travels as the life force supporting the Hills and right through the center of the buffalo and on down to the point of being released from the piece itself.

These elements all give to life its essence in fluidity and renewal for generations to come.

Midway through the project - One week to finish

This was a quick acrylic wash sketch. Midway through the project it becomes trickiest to keep my lab away from the skull. I hung it to prevent damage to the skull and to allow ease in painting.

The surface was very receptive and much like other more conventional surfaces. There is some pressure not to destroy such an object by making a mistake on the painting but it went well.

The next image is the finished product which was a well received gift. I love it when a plan comes together.

Buffalo Skull Painting presented challenges

Never painted on a buffalo skull. I have painted on canvas, watercolor paper, masonite board and even a turkey feather. I treated the skull as canvas and did a preliminary sketch on canvas to determine the layout and positioning on the skull.

This was a gift for a friend who was a taxidermist and had a special connection to the Black Hills.

I really wanted to do this piece given the challenges of the unknown. Also the subject of buffaloes has a special connection through my father Jim Savage all those year ago in Custer State Park. The next photos are midway throught the project and the end project before I applied the protective finish.