PAINTING WITH LOTS OF COLOR

Art Journal

A Girl, A Table & A Vase of Flowers

Magazine Inspiration

Watercolor pencils, water soluble crayons

Who doesn't love a vase filled with cut flowers in their home....I tore the photo of this vase of flowers out of one of my magazines.  Last night I drew a sketch  and started to color it.  I changed it up a bit.  The background was entirely different shades of water soluble crayons.  There was no girl in the painting when I thought I was finished with it last night.  But when I went to look at it this morning....I could see a girl in the background and I had to bring her into the painting.  It's funny how these things happen.  I still wanted to keep her in the background, but I think she makes the painting more interesting.  When I finished this a little while ago, I didn't want to throw away the beautiful photo, so I trimmed it and glued it to the opposite page, added a little color around the left side of it and then wrote about the art I created.  This is the early stages...

I need a lot more practice with faces, so I kept hers pretty vague.  Actually, I need to work on my flowers too!

Here's another journal entry.  Jungle Boy with Bird.  My sister thinks he looks like Frida Kahlo's son would have looked...she calls him Fred Kahlo.  I have painted this exact same face in another journal with a Russian hat....I really need to work on faces.  I wasn't going to show this one but might as well.  A journal is what it is.

Actually, the picture above...partial face and bird...I like better than the entire head.  I have to remember that next time....not to paint the entire face on the page.  I  do like my bird.

I like making up birds....he looks like he has some place special to go.  Bye, bye birdie!

PALM SUNDAY -ART

Prayer Flags

Displayed in Church

for Palm Sunday

It's been awhile since I posted....not that I haven't been creative, just working on this prayer flag project.  I spent a couple of hours this morning, hanging them with my very creative friend, Meredith.  The prayer flags were created by the youth and adults in our parish over a couple of Sundays in March.  And there are a few flags from non-parishioners. The lighting wasn't conducive to taking great photos this morning because of the bright white from the snow that's still outside.  I like the above photo where you can get the idea of them hanging along the wall down both sides of the church.

There are also torn strips of fabric that parishioners made knots on as prayers were said for their loved ones or for all of the things we know need some prayers.  The strips are hanging in between the flags.  

The eagle flag was created by Audrey;

 photos printed on muslin with a wonderful quote.  

I may not have stuck to what I gave up for Lent, entirely; but what I accomplished  with this prayer flag project was very fulfilling.  Amen.

PRAYER FLAG

Prayer Flag

Photo printed on muslin

Beads and trim

It's Lent and this is the 5th prayer flag I've created.  I printed this photo of Tom when he was in 1st grade dressed for the elementary school Halloween parade...many years ago!  What I love about doing prayer flags is that it's not about creating a perfect work of art. I don't care about sewing perfect lines or cutting threads to keep things looking "neat".  It's about what or who you are praying about/for.  On the reverse side of this is an American flag which I did not photograph.

"Let us pray for the peace

of the world; for statesmen and rulers,

that they may have wisdom

to know and courage to do

what is right."

Actually, no piece of art is perfect. Prayer isn't perfect either.  

Wave Goodbye to Winter

ART JOURNAL

ACRYLICS

I know I wasn't going to paint one more picture with snow....but I couldn't resist this last one...That is actually what my glove looks like.  If I wave goodbye to snow....can we hope this is the last of it???  PLEASE!!!

I REFUSE TO PAINT SNOW

ART JOURNAL

Acrylics, Gelli prints, ink, collage

When I look at this post next year, I'll remember that this was quite the winter if I title the post "I REFUSE TO PAINT SNOW".  I'm about to head out and shovel some more....there is a sheet of frozen slush under the newly fallen snow.  The area roads I travel on my way to work are beginning to buckle.  Today I caved in to the weather and stayed home from work to take care of my house.  I paused to create some art to distract me from what's going on outside.  While it is beautiful....we've had it.  

The bird pictured here was in a packet of fun papers my sister gave me at Christmas and she carved this bird.  Love it and love when I find the perfect home for things...Birds are on my mind as I'd been putting out suet for them.  But the suet is gone and I don't have any more and I'm not sure I could even get to the tree to replace it...the snow is quite deep.  

I threw a baked oatmeal cup under the tree and hope that there is something there they will eat....

The snow in the front is piled about 4' high.  There is a boxwood hedge somewhere in there.  But the tree...you don't see much of the trunk....that's how deep it is and that's where the suet is hanging....all I can say is....it's not Boston.....

PLEASE STOP SNOWING.....

Art Journal

Acrylics/Pen

Seeing all of this snow continuing to fall, is stressing me out.  Until a couple of years ago, i never worried about the snowfall and how much was on my roof.  After all, don't they build houses to be strong and to protect us from the elements?  Well...because the snow is uppermost in my mind...that's what I put in my journal.  It's all I can think about.  So there I am in the picture literally holding up the roof...while the snow falls and swirls about.  Close up....