Some New Directions

 As we get older it's harder to part with things -- not because things are important as "things" but because they represent a life -- mine.  This week I started doing a morning drawing and today I decided to add one of the "things" that I can't part with. The pear was done a couple days ago.

Here is a photo of it in real life sitting on top of our Hoosier Cabinet.  It was dropped and broken by someone, either a child or a cleaning person, but it was put back together and most of the mistakes are on the back.  It was my grandmother's, given to her by Uncle John.  He was experimenting with crystal glazes and this one was a reject.  I think of both of them when I look at it.

He did perfect the glaze and according to a book about him, his recipes are at the DIA.  I've seen current artists who say they developed the glaze and I'm not doubting them.  But it isn't new.  As I said, this was my grandmothers, she died in 1958, that's when I got it.

Recently I've been working on brushstrokes and have been watching Jean Haines videos.  She's the one who got me started on the stones which I can't seem to stop doing but that aside.  Another video showed up that caught my attention, Shirley Trevena.  She does very interesting still lifes.  I'm not thinking mine will look like hers but I think adding some of my "things" may work in one or two.  The brushwork practice has been good so it's time to think about some serious painting.

Meanwhile I still have a few mixed media and collage works in process.  That will be another post.

Still Playing With Stones

And I'm beginning to think about Christmas.  This little guy may become a gift tag.

I've also been thinking about a Christmas card.  I lost several addresses when a not so good technician moved things to my new laptop so some may not get one.  I've found a new technician but that's another story and it's too late for the mailing lists.

Since I'm moving back into watercolors I want to try something different -- perhaps a poinsettia, we'll see.  Meanwhile I'm enjoying playing with washes and rocks.  Yesterday's wash turned out to be a disaster.  However, I saw a couple rocks in the mess so I started playing.  There's still a ways to go and it may end up being okay after all.  What do you think, is there any hope?

Meanwhile I'm beginning to search for poinsettia images.  If you have any would you share?

The Art Tribe Exhibit Is Open

Finally, it's up and a very interesting show at the Gallery Uptown.  Seven of us did collaborative pieces for the show.  This is mine...

Each of us started one and then it went around to the rest of the tribe, Margaret Benefiel, Carol Cousineau, Bette DelVecchio, Barb Fugazzotto, Sandy Meyer and Annie Morgan.  Each piece is different and interesting. Putting the last minute touches on the opening kept me busy which is why I haven't posted in a couple weeks.  It was worth the time it took. If you are able, go see it.  

I still managed to do my 100 flowers, not in 100 days but I got them done.  The last bunch were done in my morning journal.  Here are a few of those --

And yesterday I met my dear friend Terry in Portland where we meet to sketch and catch up with what's going on in our lives.  She lives on the other side of the state.  This is the sketch I did, love the flowers, the stone wall -- not so much.

 

And now looking forward to another of my friend Karen's Remission Picnics.  I'm not sure what number this is but I'm guessing at least 20.

My Muse Is Back

I've recently started working on new pieces and doing so made me aware -- My creative muse has been missing in action for a very long time. Yes, we need rests, we can't be creative all the time but sometimes we extend those breaks longer than necessary and I'm guilty. I don't know if my daily walks and Art Journal practice have helped get my muse back but it certainly hasn't hurt.

Today's Walk, Harbor Island's walkway has been cleared.

I came into the studio earlier in the week intending to do something in that art journal but remembered that I needed to take more work to a gallery in Grand Rapids at the end of the week. For the first time in quite a spell I was inspired to do something new.  I have a lot of older work so it wasn't as if I didn't have anything to take but I really wanted to paint. And in the process of starting I realized a truth -- action is better than inaction. As I worked I was enjoying the process of adding texture, marks and collage materials. And I began to think about one of my Art Journal spreads. 

I don't think it's a good idea to force things.  Working on a piece when one doesn't feel inspired is going to result in a piece that just doesn't make it.  But playing in a sketchbook, making collage papers, messing about with some paint just to see what happens -- maybe that will shift ones thinking.

Another confession.  Sometimes I have so much fun making collage papers or playing with paints that I want to keep doing that instead of actually working on a painting.  Maybe best for me to stick to working in the Art Journal for awhile.  Even when I just make a mess like this bunch of experiments on a spread.

I can always cover it up with collage or gesso

Tuesday Painters and Starting A Review

 This week my Tuesday Group went to the Spring Lake Library.  Libraries are favorites in winter months,winter is starting and we have 3 libraries to choose from.  We also do coffee shops and that's on the docket for next week.  This is what I did this week along with my morning 5 minutes.

And here are a couple of my 5 minutes in the morning pieces.

I'll continue doing the 5 minutes, at least until the end of the year.  And my Tuesday Group will continue and maybe I'll get out even more since some of us have joined Urban Sketchers West Michigan.

Meanwhile, it's time to begin a review of my year.  I read a few blogs,  Nicole Warrington is one of them and she had a list of review your year questions on her blog a couple years ago.  I kept the questions but never used them for my year end review.  This year I'm going to, they're good questions.  Here are a few of them in them:

    What did I discover this year about my art or my creative process?

    When during the week/day did I feel most creative?

    Where did I find support or community for my creative soul and my creative practice?

    What elements of 2022 do I want to bring forward in 2023.

There were several other posts on Nicoles blog that got me thinking about some things I may add to my morning routine.

And I did another feather this morning...

Until next time....

At Odd Sides With Urban Sketchers West Michigan

 Missed painting with my Tuesday Group this week but joined some of them to sketch at Odd Sides here in Grand Haven with #uskwestmichigan.  It was fun meeting new sketchers and at a place the Tuesday group often meets in cold weather.

I had recently tried foreshortening sketching a chair and decided I needed to work on that so I choose this long view.  I really do need to work on foreshortening!  At the last minute everyone behind the front counter moved and I spied the coffee grinder.  This is the type of thing I like to sketch so I did a very quick one.  The elipse is off but I don't care, next time we're there I'll do it again more carefully.

And I'm keeping up with my 5 Minute Challenge, now 82 collages done and 2 and 1/2 eco dyed journals used.  This morning I tried something different, I used stitching to add a piece of bark that I picked up on my walk yesterday. 

Another type of fragment.  This may lead to a whole new series.  Time will tell.

More Tuesdays and November Dailies

Yesterday Tuesday Painters were at Hemlock Crossing... a favorite foul weather spot because there are great views from indoors and it is open all year.  This is what I did....

And I'm participating in an Art Everyday Month, November Challenge.  The only day I don't have to show is the 2nd; it was an anniversary card and I gave it away before I got it scanned.

The first day was a sketch bag that will live in my car.  The one I was using finally gave out.

 This one was some leftover paper from the anniversary card...

 And more paper from the anniversary card...

On my morning walk the leaves on the ground looked like angel wings so I picked one up and used it for this little one...

 And while sorting I came across this divider.  I had done a little daily on it in October and put it aside. The flower picture was in the same pile so I added it to the page.

And now I'm off to Virginia for a wedding.

Thinking February

Which makes me think of Valentine's Day so I have done a few in my collage sketchbook.  It started with one I did for my spouse but I don't know where I put that one. It wasn't in the sketchbook. I will remember before Valentine's Day.... I hope.  If not I'll have to make a card from one of the sketch book collages.  

The collage journal and a couple sketches is all I did in the way of art making this month,  I've been concentrating on rearranging my studio.  I'll post the rest of the hearts at the end of this post.  So if you just want to see the art you can skip on down and have a look.

This year instead of a long range goal I am doing weekly goals.  That worked well for this month; I concentrated on a different area of the studio every week except this last week.  I'll get to this last week later. 

Several things that I only use maybe once or twice a year got moved to the basement storage area.  Other things moved out completely, some donated, some to friends and some to the trash or recycle center.  There are still some areas that need rearranging but for the most part I have space to work.  

This last week aside from the hearts I didn't get much done.  My spouse is still sick, sicker than I've seen him in the almost 50 years I've known him.  And so I have been a nurse and let me tell you, there is a reason I didn't consider nursing when I was in college.  I am not a good nurse!  However, he is not a complainer and he knows nursing isn't my thing so we are coping.  I've also been shoveling snow because he isn't able. That I am pretty capable of doing.  Fortunately our son is a teacher and has been off school so he and our grandson have been over helping with the shoveling   

I am hopeful that next week brings fewer snowflakes and a husband that is feeling better so I can get into the studio and get to work on some major art making.  I have to get ready for a show in March.

And here are the rest of the hearts....

I think I need to give this little guy a heart.

A Few More In My Collage Journal

 The last day of last year, trying something new.  I wrote about it a few posts back and did some regularly but then got involved in finishing some other non-art related projects.  Now I'm back to making some sort of art every day.

Yesterday's collage in my collage journal

I also did a watercolor sketch yesterday when my Tuesday Painters Group got together but I haven't scanned it yet.  On to more collage work....

This morning's collage in my journal

And this is a little 2"x 2" done on a piece of scrap watercolor paper.  

Just having fun with it and getting rid of lots of old scraps of paper.

Almost half way to 100

Still working on the little 4x4's.  My aim is to finish 100.  Some of them have been a little bigger than 4x4 but they are in the count so far, may or may not stay in the series.  Here are a few more...

5 more to be at the halfway mark.  And I'm still working on the black and white workshop so the last half of the 100 is going to take awhile.

Dailies, Black and White and Spider Lake

My annual art retreat at Spider Lake... thank you brother Charlie and Vernell.  Terry and I do appreciate our time here so much... This is the view out the door to the deck.

I've been doing my dailies; now I'm aiming for 100.  Here are a few I've recently finished...

And I started an on-line black and white workshop with Jane Davies.  Here are a few collages from the first lesson...

Making art and enjoying the water … that's our week.  This year I'm only enjoying looking at it.  Good swims the first couple days but then I injured my big toe and have to stay our of the water.  That's what I get for not paying attention.  Slipped on a slippery step coming out of the lake.  Oh well, lesson learned and I can still enjoy looking at the water, listening to it lapping on the shore and hearing the loons that come to our bay to visit.  Life is good.

Almost Done

This is today's; one more day before I start the black and white series.  However, since I still have lots of ephemera from all the old papers I've unearthed I'm planning to continue this series.  They won't all be 4 x 4 but most of them will be.  

Some will be even smaller.  A friend gave me a bunch of small canvases that will make their way in to this series.  Here are a few more of the recent pieces.

Once they are all done I may go back in and make a few changes.  I'm also thinking that encaustic would be a good way to finish them.  That's yet to be determined since I haven't done a lot with encaustic.  Then.... I've not done a lot of collage before either so may as well go for it.