Roxy

This is Roxy. She is inspired by the flappers of the 1920's. She has a flashy feather head band, a feather boa, black lace and rhinestone embellishments and black net knee stockings with lace garters.

Madeline

Introducing Madeline. She is a very stylish school girl in her red beret, black tights and red plaid dress with its pristine white lace collar.

These are my dolls, I call them Gloria's Girls. Today is their debut and they are dressed to party and celebrate. My little red head is Ashley,

the beautiful lady in the bright colors is Ariana and the sassy girl in the striped socks is Lucy. They have lots of sisters and girlfriends that are also waiting for their coming out parties. You can watch for them here on my blog and if you are in the Sacramento area, you can visit them at my booth Gloria Grandy Designs at the Market Place, 11395 Folsom Blvd., Rancho Cordova, 95742.

As always, communicating through art,

Gloria

Happy Halloween!!!

Just wanted to share with you some of my Halloween images and to wish you all a happy and safe Halloween season.

The Fountain

This beautiful fountain is in the Natomas area of Sacramento. It's done in white charcoal on black paper. I love how it seems to glow.

My Guardian Angel

"An angel cried for me today and prayed to keep me safe. She knows I am not perfect yet still she's at my side. Guiding me, protecting me and loving me until my time is done."

The Survivor

This piece is dedicated to all who have survived cancer and all whom we have lost. My friend here is still beautiful, still hopeful and reaches for a better and healthier future.

The Power of Love

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, we'll have peace....." Jimi Hendrix

Homeless In Sacramento

THE SUNFLOWERS

How many times have you driven past this man standing at the freeway offramp?

Homeless In Sacramento

TALKIN' TO THE MOON

This woman was standing on a park bench facing the moon and talking to it as if it was her best friend. Her shopping cart was parked below with everything she owned and everything she had left to treasure.

Homeless In Sacramento

THE VET

This man reminds us that once we saw him as a hero who defended our country.

Homeless In Sacramento

BLUE EYES

This young man had the most beautiful blue eyes shining out of a dusty face and tangled dreadlocks. He was too thin but he had a proud confident, attitude that bordered on arrogance. It was as if he was an out of place rock star who had been abandoned by his band. He smiled and waved at the cars that drove by and talked to and took change from the drivers who stopped for the traffic light. I kept thinking, this young man is some body's son.

I have fallen in love with barns. I want to draw lots of them. The shapes, the aged wood, the surrounding landscape. The challenge is great for any artist and I will look for more opportunities to to draw them.

Homeless in Sacramento

This woman was my inspiration this week. Please know that the homeless are there. Don't treat them as if they are invisible and remember that the causes of homelessness are not a choice and that we are all just a few steps from being there too.

Geraniums

This week I've been working with tinted charcoal and dry pastel pencil. I did this same stilllife a few weeks ago in colored ink/watercolor and wanted to try it in pastel pencil.

Kitchen Jars

This is a still life pencil drawing of my glass kitchen storage jars.

Homeless in Sacramento

Still able to smile.

We walk past them every day trying to pretend that they are not there or that we do not see them. Those MEN and WOMEN holding signs asking us to acknowledge them for one brief second and to recognize that not everyone's lives are as fortunate

Homeless in Sacramento

We can't forget that there are mothers and children out there too.

Can we even imagine how we would handle our lives if we were homeless. What kind of homeless person would we be? How would we live if we had nothing to live on? How close are we to becoming a homeless Man or Woman? A job? A paycheck? An illness? A divorce? A foreclosure?

This is the Point Reyes Lighthouse. The afternoon light changed the colors to warm, coppery hues. The ocean became a beautiful teal blue green.

Ocean Side Shed

This is a painting of a little shed near the Point Reyes Lighthouse. The water was so blue and the roof of the shed was a bright red so the contrast in color was just beautiful.

Flower Power

Watercolor by Jaden Grandy'

I love pink and blue.

Watercolor done by my granddaughter Maya Grandy.

My cat's name is Whiskers

This is a paper and paint sculpture done by my grandson Jaden Grandy.

Homeless in Sacramento

This painting was inspired by a man I saw standing on a corner holding this sign. We need to remember that some of us are still out there struggling and becoming homeless is a reality for so many.

Mai Lin

Loved this little girl's face. Couldn't wait to draw her.

Oh say can you see!

Happy July 4th to all!!!

William Land Park

This a drawing of another park in Sacramento called William Land Park done in a combination of black vine charcoal and white charcoal.

'The Stinkin' Rose'

This was another charcoal assignment we had to draw for art class. We were supposed to bring fruit to draw but I was so intrigued by the shape, color and texture of onions and garlic that I had to draw them instead. When I was done it mad me think of the name of a restaurant in San Francisco called the Stinkin' Rose. I've never had the pleasure of going there but everyone who has says the food is great.

This is a charcoal landscape that I did earlier this year of a beautiful place in Sacramento called William B. Pond Park. The light was very unusual that day, it was shaded by the larger trees and the opening between them made the light shine down on this small tree below and made it seem to glow. If not for that little bit of light every day, perhaps this tree would not have survived.

Traditional

This was my first charcoal still life drawing. I took my first real art class this year and learned to used materials I've never used before. I had an excellent, sensitive, creative art professor named Patricia who taught us how to use and not be afraid of using new mediums and techniques.

"H" Street Pedestrian Tunnel

This is a stippled drawing of a pedestrian tunnel in Sacramento California. It is made up of "thousands" of dots to create the light and shadow areas of the drawing. I love the contrast between the light and shadows here.

Moon Watcher

This painting was inspired by a beautiful costume that I saw at a Native American Pow Wow at American River College in Sacramento. I have a fascination for the moon and a lot of my paintings include the moon.

The Simplicity of Geraniums

This painting is of red geraniums in a white washed wood planter just as the geraniums were going to seed at the end of summer. I loved the 'rusty' colors of the leaves and the orangey colors of the flowers.

Agave

This is a Prisma color pencil drawing of an Agave flower garden. It was drawn from a photograph I took in San Juan Batista several years ago.

Sutter Fort, Sacramento Ca., May 2010

I loved painting this building. Sutter Fort in down town Sacramento is a great study of light and shadows. The contrast is so strong in direct sunlight. It is a great subject for a black and white drawing.