Sunday, August 11, 2013
Sisters
I decided to make a little collage in preparation of my upcoming "Creative Collage" class in the Villages on Friday.
I took pictures along the way, and will make a little lesson plan, showing my process and what I was thinking as I did the piece. That way, I won't have to do a collage while I'm teaching -- those usually don't turn out very well!
Thursday, August 8, 2013
The Summer of the Birds!
This has been a very strange Summer! It seems we have been infiltrated with birds! Several weeks ago, I started hearing little bird noises coming from the fireplace. Now, they are great big bird noises! Every time Mom and Dad come into the chimney to feed their little ones, they scream pretty loudly! Looked them up on the Internet, and they said that when they're at their loudest, they are about 1 week from flying away - hope that's true! And, no, this isn't a picture of MY birds, just an example of how they live in the chimney.
Then, about a couple of weeks ago, I realized that a little bird (now I think it's a wren of some kind) kept flying in and out of my garage. We keep the garage door up so we can get some light in the kitchen. So, one day, I saw her fly out of a pot I store on a shelf above my washing machine. Low and behold, baby birdies appeared! Now, we can't put the door down during the day - poor babies might not get their food!
And, to top it off, my neighbors asked me to keep an eye on their Tropical Birds that they keep in their back sunroom. They had to go out of town for three weeks! At least, these guys are in cages - but that pretty yellow one has a mighty loud screech! The neighbors come back tomorrow, so then I'll just have to put up with my "houseguests"!
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Collage Class
What a great day I had in Mount Dora today! Here's Lynn - our Hostess and Owner of "Under The Cherry Blossoms". We were setting up in her brand new classroom!
The ladies in this class were just awesome! Full of fun and ideas - they all did such great work! Here's a look at their finished canvases!
Clockwise from the left: Rosie, Nicki, Amber, Toni and Mary
From the left: Kristin, Leah and Rebecca
Thanks for such a fun day, ladies!!
Friday, August 2, 2013
Collage Class Tomorrow!
I'm packing up and getting ready to teach "Creative Collage" class at "Under The Cherry Blossoms" in Mount Dora tomorrow! It's always such a challenge to figure out just what to take! There are so many fun things to use in collage - I wish I could take my whole studio!
I'll be doing it again at "She Scrapbooks" in The Villages on Friday, August 16th. Give them a call at 352-259-6226 if you're interested in signing up!
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
An Updated Bathroom
I'm so fortunate to have a son who knows his way around power tools! I invited him down to Florida for a long weekend to help me update my little bathroom. He arrived on Thursday, and between then and today, he demolished the old one, and fixed me up with a new one! He even had time to kayak on the river this morning!
On Sunday, we drove to Orlando, and went shopping for shelving at Ikea and The Container Store! Score!
So, he drywalled holes in the walls, painted and replaced the vanity and sink - and just made it all look so pretty! I think when he retires, he could make a lot of bucks as a handyman! Thank you, Eric!
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Surprise!
I have two 20" square canvases that I intended to make coordinating abstract paintings to go in my new upgraded bathroom later this month! So, I put lots of modeling past texture on them, painting an underpainting, then covered that up mostly with creamy white/titan buff paint. Then, I started using a makeup sponge to add some green paint on the texture, and look what happened! It turned into a landscape! NOT what I had in mind! I'm still going to play with it and see what I can do - there's still a long way to go to finish.
But, I really shouldn't be surprised. When I painted a lot of watercolor paintings, most of them were landscapes. I seem to gravitate to them. But, the second canvas just doesn't have the same "feel" - so maybe it will actually be an abstract.
Here is a closeup of some of all that yummy texture! Love it!
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Creative Collage Class
I'll be teaching the class: "Creative Collage" at Under the Cherry Blossoms in Mount Dora on Saturday, August 3, from Noon - 4pm.
Price: $40 - almost everything is included. I'll supply the substrates (we'll do 2 collages!), and have lots of paints, papers, stamps and tapes on hand! You can bring anything you'd like to add to your collage, and we'll discuss color and composition theory and have an afternoon filled with fun!
Contact "Under the Cherry Blossoms" or call them at 352-735-3090 to sign up.
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Yet another face
After watching Jane Davenport's little video, I decided to try some of her techniques. I really like the way she teaches drawing eyes. I did the background by tearing up some napkin, but I don't like where it overlapped, so that's probably not going to happen again.
I'm feeling a lot more confidant about painting these faces - not really sure what to do with them - but I'm getting a nice assortment in my art journal.
I'm getting ready to paint and update my bathroom. I've got an idea for a couple of abstract paintings to do for it. Anyone want to place bets on if that will be come a reality? With my track record, the odds are pretty slim!
Friday, July 5, 2013
A Practice Face
So today, I downloaded a little video from Cloth, Paper, Scissors about painting faces from Jane Davenport. The audio and video skips about every other word, so it was kinda hard to follow, but I did get some great info! I played around with this sketch while I was watching - and I really like her! But, of course, when I try to paint these faces, something always goes wrong. I'm going to try to paint one again tomorrow - so we'll see!
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Refill With Love
Playing with another face today in my art journal. I still need so much more practice, but I do enjoy making the faces. It's kinda like a box of chocolates -- you never know what you're going to get!
I do especially love the quote: "Note to Self: When empty, refill with love"! I do this regularly by calling my kids, hugging my husband or petting my kitty or doggie! There is so much love around - no use letting it go to waste! I bought a page of stickers with "love quotes" on it, and I love every one of them!
I do especially love the quote: "Note to Self: When empty, refill with love"! I do this regularly by calling my kids, hugging my husband or petting my kitty or doggie! There is so much love around - no use letting it go to waste! I bought a page of stickers with "love quotes" on it, and I love every one of them!
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