Take the long way home

Yesterday as I was driving home, I decided to take the long way.
This time of year I just drink in the jungle-green foliage, after
what seems too long enduring the leafless trees of winter. So as
I drove I was studying the different "designs" in nature --the way
the leaf formations differ, the variety of wildflowers, ferns, vines,
weeds, and all...
When I got home I got out my sketch book and jotted down my impressions
of all this flora for design ideas. Sketching them out even led to
doodling a few of my own. It was just what I needed for that "artist
block" I was having on the project in my last post.
The latest was another postcard piece. Not quite finished, but here
she is:

Next trip, I hope someone else drives so I can take notes as I go!

A little catch-up

Boy, I hate it when I spend a lot of time working on my art and have
nothing to show for it!  But, you know... art takes time.

Over the weekend, I did just a little sculpting on my doll project
(previous post), partly for fear of getting too engrossed in it.
I can easily sculpt away an entire night with all the doing and undoing
and redoing...

Having a yard sale on Saturday took up a good deal of my weekend,
only to have it yield nothing. Except exhaustion! :(

So I dove into another new thing (for me) that I've wanted to try
for a long time. (Seems to be my summer for trying new things.) :)
I've heard that you don't paint on fabric with acrylic paints, but
I have lots of paint and some fabric just sitting here, and besides,
rules are made to be broken, right? So I did.
Here are two stages of a portrait painting (you can see where I wet
the fabric first) and in the 3rd photo, a small angel with stitching
added. She's going to be a postcard:


Last night we made fruit smoothies --mine was Peach/Raspberry/Banana--
mmmmm....! I partially thawed some frozen blueberries which no one
wanted, so I think today I'll make a pie.

After the smoothies, we watched Australia, the movie. Oh my! Why
did no one tell me it was this good? I'm no movie critic, but I
like how it was filmed --the panoramic views, the saturation of color,
the dust and mist, smoke and shadows and sunsets. And the people.
My heart just cries for the Aborigines and the injustices
done to them. Quigley, Down Under is one of my favorite movies, also set
in beautiful Australia.
Oh, and you know I fell head over heels in love with "Nullah"!
Head over heels, I tell ya!

Enough catching up on blogging... I think I have laundry to catch up now!

Doll project, part 1

Wouldn't you know I'd just get into a new project as the weekend rolls around?
I'm probably in the minority of people who don't like Fridays. For me, it means
a trip to pick up supplies for my husband's business. And I'm such a home-body!
Especially when I have a new project started.

I've wanted to make an art doll/figure forever. I finally made the armature and
baked on a little padding night-before-last. Then last night as I was up with
a late load of laundry, I started adding a layer of "skin" to the scrap clay
"bones".

She WILL be wearing clothes, so I don't have to deal with anatomical details, but
that's just how I am. So detail-oriented. And I LOVE the sculpting process!
I can't show you the front. Sorry. You're just not old enough. ^_^

More to come...

Hope YOUR weekend is a good one!

Is this the blues?

Everything I've made lately has been blue --aqua, turquoise, midnight, and
just plain blue. I even wore a blue cowboy shirt today.
I heard a musician asked by an interviewer if people these days can "get"
blues music, or are we too far removed from it. He said something like,
"everybody's had days where they lost their wallet, or their job, or their best
friend, so yeah, anybody can relate to the blues."
I could use some good ol' blues to listen to right now, but I don't know that
I have the blues. I've been too busy to notice. I guess I just love the
cool side of the spectrum.
My latest is a little blue house:

because I do cherish my home! :)

Pencil on clay

I told you I had lots of projects in the works. I probably erased more than I drew
on this one. Finally got the look I wanted. It's colored pencil on white clay.
I meant it to be Red Riding Hood, but her hood turned red-orange when the top coat
of clay was baked on. Turns out, I like it better that way with the indigo blue. :)

I don't know if you can tell it has a convex shape. And needs a hole at the top.
After a little mis-hap with my drill, I'm kind of skittish about that part.
Meanwhile, I may try to come up with a different method for hanging it as a pendant.
Besides... my hand needs a rest after all that sanding and buffing!

The news, such as it is

I've been on another long blog hiatus. I dunno... I think of things to gab about
when I'm away from the computer; then when I sit down it evaporates, or I just
kind of... clam up. I go through a lot of shy phases. And I don't have an exciting
life to document.

The past weekend was nice, getting to see my family for a cousin's wedding.
I helped serve at the reception and really enjoyed it.

Also spent some time at Border's bookstore in the malll and caught up on a bunch
of magazines I can't afford to buy (but would totally fill my house with if I could!)
They inspired me to get back to altered books. I had a few underway already,
and started a new one.
I have more WIPs (Works in Progress) right now than I think I ever have! Last week
everything hit a snag. I'd get stuck for the next right element.
It's okay, though; they're all waiting patiently for me. :)

Of the magazines I read, one had an article about the sculptor, John Fisher. I just
can't wrap my mind around the process of sculpting by chipping AWAY at a chunk of
rock, especially on a grand scale. I think I could sooner create a rock itself!
Naturally, I admire his horse sculpt!


(You can find a short video of him working on it *here*.)

Back to my Works in Progress and just plain, everyday Work. Have a great week!

You Name It!

What a sucker I am for certain fonts! At the thrift-shop recently,
I picked up a handbook on letter writing (and other correspondence).
Not only did I love the typeface, but the ficticious names used as
examples really tickled me, too. I cut out a few of my favorites.
Some were just funny:

Others would make great character names, don't you think? Maybe for
those doll sculpts I plan on making some day...

Or maybe I'll use a few in collages. And stuff. ^_^

Anyone else out thrift shopping? Hope you find something good!

Kind of Sketchy

These days I'm still sketching (doodling) at bedtime, but sometimes
I trade it in for reading.
Thought I'd show you a few... (Sorry these are so dark; I was too
lazy to scan them, and I draw so lightly.)
Anyway, they're just for fun, for practice & for relaxing.


"Romeo & Juliette" (Why are guys so hard to draw?)


I based this pose on an ad showing a little girl from India. My best friend
in college was from India. Unfortunately, I lost track of her, but I bet
she's a wonderful doctor somewhere now. I hope you're well & happy, Shashi!


As I drew this girl, the radio had a little story about the game of Scrabble
turning 60 years old. My husband and I played a lot of Scrabble when we
first got married. Probably because we didn't have satellite TV and internet!




Practicing birds. I was using a bird guide as reference and found it
interesting that so many of the Latin names contained "trogolodyte",
which for me, conjures up images of neanderthals. Must look into that...


Another girl face. She actually has a house on her head, but I didn't want
to show you that part!


One night my son said, "Good night. Don't let the bed bugs bite."
That's where this little guy came from. (It's a tiny sketch.)
My older son is the one who encouraged me to get back to drawing,
and the younger one got me in the habit of taking my sketch book
to bed. So thanks to them both, because I do enjoy it!

Loving this...!

A DAY IN THE ARTS



The FREE daily art magazine


This is an awesome little e-zine I subscribed to a few weeks ago.
I've come to really anticipate reading it each night to help satisfy
my art hunger. ^_^

The site says,
"We search the mainstream media and the industry press
to bring our readers up to date news. Feature articles
look back to the great legacies in art and forward
to the emerging talent on the horizon."

There's also an art-related Word of the Day, quotes, links and a simple
challenge to stretch your art skills every day.
You'll appreciate the excellent writing as much as these features and,
of course, the beautiful art and photos.

So rush over and get your Day in the Arts email subscription started.
And don't forget to check the back issues you've missed!

I'm so glad Cherish told me about it. Aren't you glad I told you? ;)

Respite from the Rain

After lots of rain, we finally have a sunshine-y morning. Yay!

Earlier in the week I took my camera along when I took my son to piano lessons.
Together, we documented a a drizzly spring day.
He wanted to photo this huge old tree:

I would say it "lives" beside a cemetery, but it's dead. Fitting, huh?
I expect it will be cut down soon.

He liked the effect of shooting through the rainy car window,
so I took one of him walking into his teacher's house:


He did put down the window for this street scene:

He was really into black & white that day...

This is a little creek I cross over on the way home. I pulled over to snap
this shot because of the way the swollen banks were framed by the soft green
foliage of spring:


I also stopped along the road for these cows. They were pretty comical with
their curious looks. The calf kept running from one side of his mom to the
other and looking at me:


Lastly, me & my li'l camera. In the car. In the rain. (But notice that
bit of green!)

SMILE!

Fee Fi Faux

I know I said I'd come out of my cave, but I've been busy. And a bit of winter
came back for a visit. So I stayed inside today and worked on embellishing
some of my "Oh So Faux Gemstones". Just thought I'd show you...
Be back soon!

Coming Out of Hibernation

So... I haven't been around for a while... If you noticed, thanks! And please forgive me?
I didn't think anyone would expect me to hold up one end of the blogosphere, though...

The last few days I've been practically sleep-walking (thanks to a bout of
insomnia),  so today I took my fold-up chaise  into the wilds of my backyard.
Which is pretty quiet here on the edge of this small town.  
The sun was streaming down warm and golden.
A whisper of wind was stirring the tops of the pine trees.
Bumble bees were bumbling.
Honey bees were hunting. Nectar, I suppose.
Birds were singing lazily.
Squirrels were chattering in the trees and having their own little cirque du soleil.
Didn't take long before the sounds faded away and I drifted off like the wispy
clouds....

Now! Maybe I'm ready to come out of my cave and play.
I might even say something now and then, just for the heck of it. ^_^

Hope you'll stop by and see me!

My Winged Heart

It's pretty rare that I like something I make right away without any tweaking. Amazingly enough it happened with my newest pendant.
Winged hearts are among my most favorite designs; I used to doodle them on everything. But I gave this one a different spin.
Took me a while to think of a way to suspend it. I knew I didn't want jumprings or an embedded screw-eye.
The chain is some I bought from MinxyCherub on Etsy when I was still new there. I wonder what ever happened to her... I hope she's having a great time wherever she is. Maybe Canada. ^_^

And since this heart is in honor of LOVE & Valentine's Day, I do hope we're all thinking of ways to honor someone we love!

3 Blogs

I know I'm not alone in wishing I could read blogs all day. I have several folders
in my Bookmarks to file my favorites. It's a good day when I can steal an hour or
so to go through them and see what these bloggers have been up to.

I thought I'd show you a few that I've had open recently.
(Naturally, these are artistic blogs by creative souls who inspire me!)



Devi, of GlasFaden gives you a glimpse of her part of the world through her eyes,
always with kindness, thoughtfulness, and beauty. You'll love her photography
and creations --from glass to felt to sculpted clay!
You'll want to visit her Etsy shop and read her profile there.



K.C.'s blog is called OrganicOdysseys, and you know I love organic designs.
I think, like me, she never tires of leaf shapes and textures. She also has a great
way with color. No wonder her style resonates with me!



Valerie Aharoni is a prolific clay artist who brings her fascination
with form and color to her blog as beautifully as she does her art.
I love her writing! Her unique designs inspire me to s-t-r-e-t-c-h my imagination.
And she promises some hearts (which she professes to "abhor" but has had fun with).
Can't wait!


So here are 3 of my favorite blogs by 3 of my favorite creative bloggers.
I think you'll see how their exuberance for life and their sweet spirits
shine through. Visit them soon and enjoy!

A new week in bloom

I hope the weekend was good for you all... I think the sunshine gave me energy!
My patio enjoyed some spiffing-up, I can see the surface of my art table now,
and actually managed to make some new things.

The flower (above) is one of my drifting-off-to-sleep ideas, manifested.
What I had in mind was for the text to show through since I started with
a book page, but I got a little heavy-handed with the paint.  The torn
paper gave the petal edges a nice texture, though.  I also wanted a red
flower, but that didn't look right, so this is what happened.
No matter, I used red in another project.

So... a very nice weekend for me. I'd love to see what all you artsy people
have made lately, or hear about the non-artsy projects you've been working on.
Don't you love Mondays? ..the start of a new week...  And bringing new things
into being?