Art Friends, November 15, 2007

Hello Everyone,

Unbelievably, the holiday season is upon us. I know this only because of the many holiday happenings that involve the arts. Here is a sampling. Be sure to look for me --

Holiday Art Postcard

Red and Green Cookies
© 2007 Barbara Sistak Baur

This is a new work and I created it especially for holiday postcards, which are at the printer as we speak (or write). The reverse side says: "Have a cookie. (Have two.) Happy Holidays".

For the first time, I am offering my holiday cards for others to purchase. I have packaged 8 postcards for $10 (plus $2 postage and handling). If you would to take advantage of this, just pop a check in the mail (use the Island Lake address below). I will send them off to you right away.

Have a wonderful holiday season!

Warmly,
Barbara Sistak Baur, Artist

Now Online http://barbarabaur.blogspot.com/
-- A new figure drawing – click the Figure Sketches Art topic.
-- Resume and Artist's Statement. I put this there for easy access by others. Click on the topic Resumes and Such.

Barb's Blog
Fresh Paint! - Paintings, Sketches and Studies
http://barbarabaur.blogspot.com/

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Art Friends and all images are ©2007 Barbara Sistak Baur and all rights are reserved. If you wish to copy this material to other publications or mail lists, great!! Just let me know so I can give you permission. Thanks for your respect.

Barbara Baur Art
Lively, Textural, Vibrant
3404 Highland Dr.
Island Lake IL 60042
and
2944 S. Harlem #4
Riverside IL 60546
708-372-2798
barbarabaur@comcast.net

Holiday Art Postcard

Red and Green Cookies

© 2007 Barbara Sistak Baur

This is a new work and I created it especially for holiday postcards, which are at the printer as we speak (or write). The reverse side (see below) says: "Have a cookie. (Have two.) Happy Holidays". For the first time, I am offering my holiday cards for others to purchase. I have packaged 8 postcards for $10 (plus $2 postage and handling). If you would to take advantage of this, just pop a check in the mail (email me for my Island Lake address, if needed). I will send them off to you right away.

Studio Cat

Geechi Portrait, 9"x12", charcoal on paper, in sketchbook
©2007 Barbara Sistak Baur

Hello Everyone -- I have cat who basically lives in my studio. Her name is Geechi (first syllable rhymes with “glee”; second syllable rhymes with “me”).

My studio cat sits in a chair next to my easel. I trip over it sometimes but she likes to be by me and I like to reach down and pet her. From time to time, a cat hair will get into a painting. I also have a chair for her next to my office chair. She follows me to my desk there. We also have a special place in front of the studio tv. I have a small sofa and a cozy blanket. Both of us often snug up there for some late night relaxation.

Because she is a studio cat, she is often my unwitting model for warm-up sketches that I do before I begin work. Of course, the problem with animals is that they don’t like to stay still. So it is very difficult to get a long sketch – with them awake, that is. I can get a longer pose if the cat is not aware of my presence or is ignoring me. Here is a portrait I did of her in charcoal. She was very tired so I was able to get a longer pose – but not so long that I could actually get her body.

I know I am writing in the present tense but the very sad news is that recently I lost my studio cat. She just got old and sick. She was 13.

So I went through my old sketchbooks and found several “attempts” of sketching her. I enjoy looking at them and so have posted them online. Some are line drawings with pen and ink and others are charcoal. It is an interesting collection of parts and pieces of cats in a variety of media. To see them, click the Studio Cat topic.