Susan K

His name is Chewie. Short for Chewbacca. Also appropriate because he chews on EVERYTHING!!

We have 11 pets - 5 dogs and 6 cats. This is the latest addition. Also the first pet photo I came to. There are LOTS!!

It also allows a person to add more context - which is especially helpful since the character limit on a post AND a reply are so limited.

Thanks.

Photo from the first person perspective (mine) looking down at my bare legs in shorts. I’m wearing striped, colorful Chucks and you can see parts of 6 of my 21 tattoos - a turquoise and navy blue dragon on my right knee, a cat’s face on my upper right shin, a potato plant on the back of my left calf, and a Celtic knot circle on the inside of my left ankle.

A photo of the memorial tattoo I had done after my mother passed. It includes the Three of Swords tarot card, with an anatomical heart pierced by 3 swords. The base of the card includes her birth and death dates. Surrounding the card is a cluster of lilies (my mother’s favorite flowers) and cherry blossoms. The piece is mostly back work. The only color is the red of the heart and the pink in the lilies. It’s a big piece and covers most of the front of my left shin.

Photo of the memorial tattoo I got after the death of my father in 2017. The design, my own artwork, is a botanical-style illustration of a blooming potato plant with roots and potatoes. It also includes his birth and death dates. My father worked for the JR Simplot company for over 30 years and was part of the R&D team that invented the frozen French fries that are sold exclusively to McDonald’s around the world.

Photo of a pair of tattoos I have on the inside of both forearms. Both are my “tools of the trade” for my favorite hobbies - cooking - and creating art.

#MakersmARTch | 12 | a different take on #ink

Post 2: the art of #tattoo. I have 25, all my own artwork - no #flash. I have a list of at least that many more I’d like to get. Alas, early retirement in #mexico has its costs and I think my collection may be complete. These are some of my favorites.

Photo of a framed pen and ink framing of a Norse Viking, wearing chain mail, armor, and a flowing fur cape. He is holding a sheathed broadsword in his left hand and a large metal shield with his right. He is wearing a type of pointed cap and there is Cyrillic lettering on the carved background behind him. The pen and ink style is done with a combination of pointillism and crosshatching. This is a large piece, done with a technical pen on hot-press art board - approximately 24” wide and 36” tall, not counting the mat and frame.

Photo of a drawing of a horse, done with black and red Sharpie fine point markers and a white acrylic paint pen. The drawing is done on a piece of marble flooring left from our house build project in Mexico. The style is similar to that done by the Northwest coast Native Americans. This was made as a gift and given to one of the workers who helped build our house. We saw him nearly every day for 2+ years. He is a hard worker and I wanted him to know how much we appreciated him and his work ethic. He said his favorite animal is a horse.

#MakersmARTch | 12 | #ink

With the 4 photo limit, I’m going to break today’s theme into 2 posts.

1st are 2 #pen&ink drawings I did. The #viking I drew in high school (‘87) & hangs in my oldest brother’s office ( #vandals ). The #horse I did recently and was a gift for a friend.

#expatinmexico

We picked this munchkin up Sunday. He’s 11 weeks old. We’re going with Chewie for his name.

Yellowstone? I’ve been a couple of times, usually in the fall. Best to get up super early to see the sights and beat the crowds of tourists. Just you, the sunrise, the elk and bison. Maybe other critters if you’re lucky.

#MakersmARTch | 11 | #paint

Post 2

Since I couldn’t combine video & photos in one post, I opted to add this separately. This was my first go at an #acrylic #wallmural. An #expat friend wanted this line from a song painted outside his workshop - but in Spanish.

#huichol #expatinmexico #bestfriend

Photo of my first large-scale acrylic painting, which happens to be painted over an existing painting my friends didn’t love. It came with the house they bought. They wanted something more “Mexican” with bright, vibrant colors, so this is my take on a “day of the dead” Chihuahua. The background ombré was created using leftover house paint from their guest bedroom. I learned a lot with the project. Like how some acrylic paints are opaque and others are not. Some lessons are learned the hard way.

Photo of a painting I did of the Mexico flag using diluted acrylic paints on a rusty piece of corrugated metal roofing. The center detail is a mix of acrylic paints, Sharpie markers and acrylic paint pens. It’s hanging on the outside of our house on the front veranda. Approximately 30” x 18”

Photo of another painting I did on a scrap piece of rusty, metal corrugated roofing material. Bienvenido means welcome. And La Casa Loca is what we’ve named our house. This is now attached to the outside of the gate to our driveway. Approximately 18” x 6”

Photo of a “mural” painted on two sides of a chimney on a flat roof. This was my second “mural” project, done for Canadian expat friends who live in Mascota. It’s a stylistic representation/interpretation of the Canadian flag.

#MakersmARTch | 11 | #paint

I retired early in ‘22 and moved to #mexico. I’d been in #graphicdesign since I graduated university. Now it’s time to #play and #learn and try new things. No medium or project is out of scope. My list of ideas/projects far exceeds my expected lifespan.

#expatinmexico

Meme/quote from Helena Bonham Carter. Life is art.

#MakersmARTch | #meme

#lifeisart

Photo of a poster with a ven diagram on how to be an artists - including the advice that mistakes help us learn. Make more art!

#MakersmARTch | Day 8 | #pin

I got nuthin’ for today - except a good reminder… “How to Be an Artist”

#expatinmexico

I’ve never heard of landscape agate - but it’s gorgeous!! I thought it was a miniature painting at first.

Reminds me of Watership Down - well done.

So lovely! You captured the vintage style perfectly. And the garnet is stunning - I’ve never heard of “rose cut” - but I’m not a gemologist.

I bought a stack of them from salvage when they closed Watt a Cafe. I have a few left - waiting for inspiration. If you come visit, you’ll get one as a gift. 😉

The lamb was HUGE!!! I used 12 bags of cotton balls - I cleaned our local farmacías out!

The birthday boy - for scale.

Photo of a decoupaged plastic lunch tray - covered in printouts of vintage fruit labels - all with dogs on them. I can’t find Modge Podge in Mexico, so I used old-fashioned school glue - then covered it in several layers of spray on polyurethane. The lunch trays were salvaged from my former place of employment when they closed the employee cafeteria.

Photo of a decoupaged plastic lunch tray - covered in printouts of vintage lingerie ads. I can’t find Modge Podge in Mexico, so I used old-fashioned school glue - then covered it in several layers of spray on polyurethane. The lunch trays were salvaged from my former place of employment when they closed the employee cafeteria.

Photo of a decoupaged plastic lunch tray - covered in printouts of vintage illustrations of Hilda, the voluptuous pinup model from the 50s. I can’t find Modge Podge in Mexico, so I used old-fashioned school glue - then covered it in several layers of spray on polyurethane. The lunch trays were salvaged from my former place of employment when they closed the employee cafeteria.

Photo of a decoupaged plastic lunch tray - covered in printouts of vintage flower seed packets. I can’t find Modge Podge in Mexico, so I used old-fashioned school glue - then covered it in several layers of spray on polyurethane. The lunch trays were salvaged from my former place of employment when they closed the employee cafeteria.

#makersmARTch | Day 7 | #glue

Take 2 - I forgot about making these #decoupage lunch trays. I made a bunch, so I picked my favorite 4. I haven’t found #modgepodge in #mexico, so I just use #schoolglue then give them a coat of polyurethane. Made with prints of #vintagelabels or ads cut out by hand.

Photo of a large piñata made in the shape of a lamb. The base was a large balloon. The entire surface is covered in cotton balls that were glued on one at a time. It’s “legs” are toilet paper tubes painted black. Its face and ears are made from pieces of painted cardboard. One ear has an ear tag with the number “70” printed on it, as this was made for a friend’s 70th birthday. It’s also decorated with a black ribbon with white polka dots, tied in a bow and glued at the neck under its chin.

Photo of a large piñata made into a penguin. The base was a round balloon and it’s covered in black and white crepe paper cut into shaggy strips that are glued in place. Two wings were made separately and glued on. Cardboard feet, painted black, are glued to the bottom. The beak is made from pieces of yellow foam paper. This was made as a gift for a friend’s 60th birthday. I asked what his favorite animal was and he said a penguin.

Photo of my friend and the “portrait” piñata I made for his 60th birthday - a giant pot leaf with half-mast eyes and a droopy “joint” hanging from its mouth. I asked the birthday boy what we should name him, he said, “Doobie!” The structure is made from sheets of cardboard with dowels glued to create the dimension/thickness. It was an engineering nightmare. The whole exterior is covered in tufts of green crepe paper glued on one at a time.

#MakersmARTch | 7 | #glue

I was sure I didn’t have anything to share today -then I remembered how much glue goes into making a #piñata It’s a LOT! I’ve made 3 since moving to #mexico in 2022 - all for friends’ birthdays. #lamb for a 70th. #penguin for a 60th. #doobie for a 60th.

#expatinmexico

It’s a king bed - we have 6 cats, a chihuahua and 3 big dogs that sleep outside. The cats all take turns, since they don’t really get along well enough to sleep on the same bed.

I used to make and sell stuff at craft fairs - but not anymore. This is now my “private” collection.

Photo of the sun rising over the foothills of the Sierra Madre mountains in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The sun is just peeking through the clouds with rays breaking across the sky in shades of blue, periwinkle, peach and gold. The foreground is a protected mangrove/estuary, still in shadow.

Photo from first person perspective, sitting in bed with a chihuahua under the blanket and 4 cats snuggled in during morning coffee time.

Extreme close up of a donkey’s soft, fuzzy nose.

“Portrait” style photo of a blond Pomeranian, with her head turned and looking at the camera. Her mouth is open and it looks like she’s smiling. She has a bright sparkle in her eyes. The background includes an orange blanket and dark shades, out of focus (bokeh).

#MakersmARTch | Day 6

#soft colors
#soft light
#soft heart
#soft fur
#soft noses
#soft focus
#soft spot

#photography #amateur #artforfun #expatinmexico #jalisco #bokeh #sunrise #cats #dogs #dogsmiles #portraitmode

Gracias.

Photo of a shallow wooden bowl painted with acrylics. The design is an eagle done in a northwest coast Native American style - with outstretched wings arcing around the edge of the round bowl. The bird is painted in black with red accents and a red sun is centered over its head. The rim/edge of the bowl embellished with a green flame pattern with red accents. The background of the design is covered in a pattern of very small white dots.

An oblong wooden bowl is decorated/painted with the figure of Our Lady of Guadeloupe. The style is very bold with graphic, geometric lines and details. Her coat is painted in a metallic teak/blue color and it’s filled with tiny dots of paint. Her dress is filled with tiny dots of red and gold paint. An angel in a blue tunic and white wings holds up a gray crescent moon where the figure of the Madonna stands. Behind the figure of the Madonna is a starburst filled with a graphic spiked shapes. The border is filled with gold and red pointillism dot painting. The space surrounding the starburst background - to the edge of the wood bowl is filled with dots of white paint

Photograph of a painting done on a side slab/cut from a pine log cut to make lumber. The bark was peeled off and the wood was sanded smooth before sealing and painting with acrylic pains and acrylic paint pens. In the center of the piece is a knot hole from where a branch was connected to the tree. The image is a raven perched on a twig, done in the style of the northwest pacific coast Native American people. The spaces above and below the figure of the raven are filled with “tribal” style designs, done in black and red.

Photograph of a sign I painted for friends for their guest suite in their home. It was made from an end cut from a felled tree - which happens to be almost heart-shaped. The sign reads “Vista Verde” which translates to “green view”. Their guest suite overlooks the front courtyard garden space. The colors used (golden yellow and dark burgundy) are the same paint colors used to pain the room. The border around the edge of the design is a dotted border in the darker burgundy color. The sign hangs from a length of rough twine, which is treaded through holes drilled through the wood slab.

Day 5 | #MakersmARTch | #wood

I moved to #mexico after retiring early & I have to pinch my pesos. I repurpose, reuse, or find low cost items to use as a “canvas.” Sometimes I buy rustic pine bowls or find end cuts/side cuts from trees cut for lumber.

The world is my canvas… I can paint on that!

My husband and I moved to what we call the middle of nowhere. We’re a 3-hour drive from Puerto Vallarta - in the mountains. Our closest full-time neighbors live about a mile away. The nearest town is a 40-minute drive. But it’s quite and peaceful and we love it.

“Portrait” photo of a tarnished, shallow copper pan full of beaded bracelets. Most are made with assorted glass beads. Some are stone, some are amber or resin - all of the colors of the rainbow. I wear them in multiples, usually 5-10 at a time. I just start pulling out whatever matches the outfit I’m wearing.

Photo of a tarnished, shallow copper pan with handles (traditionally used for making candy or caramel) full of beaded bracelets. Most are made with assorted glass beads. Some are stone, some are amber or resin or plastic - in all of the colors of the rainbow. I wear them in multiples, usually 5-10 at a time. I just start pulling out whatever matches the outfit I’m wearing.

Photo of a wooden earring rack I purchased at the Portland, OR Saturday market over 30 years ago - filled with all types of earrings, sorted by color or material. Most are ones I made myself (all of the beaded ones). Even some of the metal ones I made in jewelry classes I took in college in the late 80s/early 90s. Some I’ve had since I was in junior high. I culled down a much bigger collection - these are the ones that made the move from Idaho to Mexico in 2022.

MakersMartch / Mkrsmartch calendar for anyone interested in participating. Join the fun and show us what you’ve made. The world needs art and beauty and joy - now more than ever.

Day 4 - #MakersmARTch - #beads

Going into a #bead store or #craft store is like going into a candy store for me - so many colors and textures! I went through a #beading stage years ago and have these #handmade treasures to enjoy for years to come.
Maybe I was a raven in a past life? #expatinmexico

I’m so sorry for your loss. This memorial is absolutely beautiful! I moved to Mexico (from the States) in 2022 and Dia de Muertos is, by far, my favorite holiday. I’m not “religious”but I am very spiritual, and the holiday is all about remembering those who came - and went - before us. ❤️🇲🇽

Those are beautiful!