Salt And Light Studio - Debbie Foster

I've Been Working on the Railroad

2011-10-13T19:10:00.000-07:00

The artist and new painting owner Terry Klassen pose with the painting. In fact, the railroad is a caboose and it is finished and already in the hands of private collectors, Dennis and Terry Klassen. Dennis took the original reference photo during a trip they took to the East Coast. This caboose was found near Woodstock, NY. This painting is entitled "Recluse Caboose."

Twenty days across the U.S.A., with a Yetti

2011-10-05T19:56:00.003-07:00

Today, I met Cathy Short, a writer, who is traveling with a Yetti. Point of fact, he is her very own Yetti. Cathy's dog, Yetti is one of a relatively small breed of Finnish Lapphund ("Lappie") which have been herding reindeer for ages. This breed was recognized by the American Kennel Club in 2011. Yetti is double-coated and is a great companion dog. Cathy Short is taking a long

Baptism at the Beach

2011-10-02T04:48:00.028-07:00

Seeking a time of respite and Between visits, I decided to drive over to the beach. I parked in a nearly empty parking space at a stretch of beach, across from the street the Ventura Harbor Village. After a few minutes of "rearranging the furniture" inside of Sally Forth, numerous car doors were heard closing nearby. This continued for probably ten more minutes before my curiosity took

The Painted Dog

2011-09-30T04:43:00.001-07:00

For some time now, I have spoken of my trusty miniature weinerdoggie, Holly. She lives in her own little world and is friend to no man, unless they have food. Holly travels with me in Sally Forth and has her own doggie carrier parked in the passenger seat so she can snooze or sniff the world from a higher vantage point. Recently, while I was painting outdoors at Old Paths Assembly,

Paint, Glorious Wet Paint!

2011-09-29T02:58:00.013-07:00

My fingers have missed the watercolors. There is always so much that gets in the way of painting... Many things to see and do. The watercolors, my old friends are like the elderly aunt who squishes your cheeks. I am reluctant to visit for lots of reasons. But, when I go, her house is full of the smell of freshly baked yummies and a generous soul. Today, I put aside my reasons and

Polls, Planters and Pickled Watermelon Rinds

2011-09-26T16:57:00.000-07:00

Masking and painting begins on the monkey bars. First there was the planter. On successive visits to the Stanfields and Old Paths Assembly, I painted three pieces of playground equipment, some poles and door jams. For the metal, an oil-based paint was required. I am not used to working with oil-based, exterior paints, but I learned that they stay soft for a long time before they dry. I also

The Idea Factory

2011-09-26T03:32:00.020-07:00

Lee and Debbie in front of a painting by our friend, Sally Miller, in the Hodges' home. A visit to another artist's studio enriched me today. A long-time friend, Lee Hodges, invited me to work in her studio at the beautiful Art Gallery of Grace. She generously gave me use of any of her art supplies. We discussed many things and prayed together. A germ of an idea began to take shape as

Girl Time and Apple Crisps

2011-09-20T09:44:00.009-07:00

Suz and Liz and apples, and apples, and apples... I am encamped in a driveway somewhere near the California coast. My friend, Suz, has generously offered me her hospitality. We were just beginning to face the morning when someone new popped into the house. "Have any coffee?" No knocking, these are backdoor kind of friends. So it was - that I made a new friend, Liz. We three later

Night Falls on Sally Forth

2011-09-17T21:00:00.008-07:00

A full moon shines through the Joshua Trees in the Mojave Desert. Living in a camper gives one a new perspective on the world. It also forces one to reassess what they really "need" in order to get by. Unpacking a box today caused me to wonder why I had bothered to move that stuff. It is good then, that some of the really wonderful things in life don't have to be carried in the rig

Starting Anew in Sally Forth

2011-09-01T16:26:00.003-07:00

Though not my wish, it was my lot to depart Arizona and return to California. It was a sad occasion but one which held a fresh start in life for me. At dawn, on the allotted day, I left the state for a new state of mind. I hope do I shall be able to paint more in that new state of mind. My belongings are to be stored. My home and art studio are now a camper van, which I have

Painting with Cement

2011-08-27T04:36:00.013-07:00

Painting has begun on the right corner. I usually paint with pigment and water. Sometimes I use acrylic or a few other media. Never have I painted with concrete paint, until now. It all started when I saw that ugly white planter... I recently stayed with friends in Lucerne Valley, CA. They attend Old Paths Assembly, a Messianic church fellowship there. While I was there, I looked

The Face of the Future

2011-08-20T04:47:00.002-07:00

The night before the big move, at a restaurant, I could hardly think straight. I seemed unable to concentrate on the conversation. A woman kept staring at me. Her expression mirrored my own sadness. Finally, I got up to confront her. She was only mirroring what she saw, which in this case was a wall ornament nearby.What will the future hold? I don't know, but I know WHO holds my

Corgi Fans - part 2

2010-04-17T12:24:00.000-07:00

The Corgis are coming along nicely, however, the fur is flying...so to speak. Painting a representation of the thick fur is quite challenging, as is getting the likeness just right. As you can see, I have under-painted the background in a variety of colors using the wet-into-wet technique. I plan to lay one or two more thin layers of paint over the background, adjusting the values as necessary

Peeps Shows Equal Tasty Art

2010-03-13T23:12:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, I wrote a serious blog entry. Today is not serious blog entry day. Yesterday, I criticized some modern art I have seen. Today, I point out some Modern-Not-So-Art that you can click and take a peep at: miniature sugar sculptures. This art may not be very artistic but some of it is really creative. At the very least, you can have some laughs and get your virtual sugar fix at the

Trendy Art Talk and Other Gobledegook

2010-03-12T22:53:00.000-07:00

Recently, I handed my husband an art brochure from a nationally known gallery because I thought he would enjoy reading about a particular exhibit there. Later, he gave the brochure back and commented on the over-use of a single word to describe three artists represented. Since then, our word for high-brow artspeak is that word, "duality." I almost never appreciate Contemporary Art,

Art in the Loo

2010-02-22T19:33:00.000-07:00

In lieu of my own art today, I'm sending you some loo art. They didn't have to do it, but someone did. Someone dressed up the walls with tile mosaics in some of the rest stop rest rooms across Texas. I don't know why but it was just a nice surprise. The walls are thematic to icons of the West. Instead of drab cement or plain white tile, there be lizards, wagon wheels, cactus and more.

Corgi Fans

2010-02-05T14:12:00.012-07:00

The long and short of it is that I love Corgis. I married into a Corgi-owned home. Brother and sister litter-mates. I developed an abiding love for these furry and strong-willed herding dogs. We had two Pembroke Welsh Corgis. They were red-headed tri-color Corgyn. We lost them both last year as their bodies broke down and our hearts broke in two. So, today, I have been painting two Corgi

Who's on Frist?

2010-01-20T20:34:00.000-07:00

The Frist Center for the Visual Arts is located in Nashville, Tennessee. On a recent visit, I wandered through the vast galleries but came away a bit disappointed. The banner touts "Georgia O'Keeffe" in large letters. She gets top billing over Thomas Hart Benton. The other exhibitions get no billing until you get the information booklet. Once inside, however, one is soon underwhelmed if one

Here today, gone to Morro

2009-11-15T20:12:00.001-07:00

Here today, gone to Morro As the blog says, I'm a wandering watercolorist. Sometimes I'm watercoloring, sometimes I'm wandering and sometimes I'm busy wondering when I can wander next. I have the wanderlust deep in my heart. I love to go places that are new to me and revisit favorite spots too. I often spot a road I have not been down before and take it, just to see where it goes. I prefer

My Mind is in the Gutter

2009-11-08T05:46:00.018-07:00

I'm beginning to feel like the person in those old cliche's dragging himself on his hands and knees across the burning desert sands. He is parched and ragged. "Water" he rasps, as he reaches for a mirage, grasping desperately at empty visions to quench his thirst. I am dragging my body, painful, stiff and sore home to the studio. (Well, ok, I'm riding in style and comfort but the body still

Why I Can't Be a Treehugger

2009-09-30T15:30:00.000-07:00

I could never be a tree hugger. It would be too painful. Besides, the kind of trees I'd like to hug aren't even really trees at all. Joshua Trees. Saguaro Cacti...they are my kind of trees. Ok, to be honest, perhaps they are not trees at all but they are the "trees" I've learned to love. I've lived most of my life in the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts and I have become quite attached to this

Scootin' on Over

2009-09-26T11:14:00.004-07:00

Having chronic health problems means I can count on not being able to count on doing what I want to do when I want to do it. There are days I cannot paint, shop, paint, clean, paint, etc. There are even more days when I cannot scoot. But on this particular Saturday, I felt pretty good and needed to get somewhere when the Hubs had the car. So, I rolled out my trusty scooter, Buttermilk.* I

The Hands of Time

2009-09-19T11:00:00.007-07:00

Not so long ago, I was overjoyed to visit with my very first art teacher, Sally Miller. She is a treasure and has had a long career as both an artist and an art teacher. I enjoyed hearing her recount her adventures of a life well-lived and still going strong. I asked her to tell me her age and she said "I'm just middle-aged. 'Old' is always ten years older than I am, so I'm always

"Help, I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up!"

2009-01-24T23:05:00.016-07:00

"Help, I've Fallen And I Can't Get Up!" A long-running commercial uses that line and despite the seriousness of the sentence, it has at times, become a punchline. Sometimes I do have those wandering thoughts unrelated to watercolor and this sight gave me a laugh. As soon as I saw it, I laughed out loud and said, you guessed it, THAT line. I was at an art convention in Pasadena, California.

How Could I Not?

2008-11-18T21:21:00.115-07:00