Tuesday Painters

This time a drawing, never got to the painting part.  We spent too much time talking.

 

And the photo is not good, this is just graphite line on white drawing paper, no shading.  I may go further with it; then again, maybe not.  It's time to think about putting all of the Christmas away.  I hate putting it away.  Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year, I love seeing all of the decorations and lights.  Everything is so festive... and calm at the same time.  A time for reflection.

 

It's a time when I look back at the year that has been and begin to think about what 2018 will bring.  I'm looking forward to a terrific 2018.  And though it's late... a wish for all of you...

 

Finished....

It's finished and in place

Now to do something about cards

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Last Tuesday my Tuesday Painters group went to Hemlock Crossing again.  This time instead of looking out at the woods, I sat in front of the fire with a cup of hot chocolate and sketched some of the decorations.  They may end up part of a Christmas Card exchange ... or just stay in my sketch book.  That is yet to be decided.

 

For the past few years around this time I make a Christmas table runner.  I bought what I thought was a package of coordinated fat quarters in blues, greys and taupes thinking this year it could be a winter table runner since I already have several traditional red and green runners.  What a surprise to open them up and see one piece was a long section of trees.  I decided to keep the trees in the center and put a boarder down each side.  That's done.  Now it's decision time... do I quilt and finish it for this year or do I embroider with the idea that it will be done by next Christmas.  the color in the photo is off, different lights in different parts of the room.

I'm leaning toward quilting because I'm anxious to see it done, I have a perfect spot for it this year.

 

More Grunge

I'm a sucker for a cherub, love these little guys and when I see a statue I usually snap a photo.  We have a few in our garden but this is one I saw at Grand Haven Garden House.  I may have to do another mixed media piece using him.  This one is in my Grunge journal on a teabag.... thank you Jane Ruiter.  She is a tea drinker and gave me a bunch of used bags for my journal.

I'm not sure where I found this fellow but I liked his hat. He's also done on a teabag and off to the right are parts of coffee filters.  They don't work as well as the teabag.

 

While I haven't gotten any paintings done I have been doing some watercolor sketches with my Tuesday group.  Here are the last few of those....

I usually journal when I finish which is why there is an open area on the last one.  We were talking so much that I didn't finish in time to journal.

More Grunge and Our Winter Blanket

Last week I managed to get three drawings done in my Grunge Journal.  After doing Verdi I decided to try two of my favorite artists.  Can you tell who they are?

The third was a drawing of my friend Joan.  I wasn't able to go to the funeral so during that time I did a drawing of her. She was a beautiful woman, inside and out.

 

I spent most of my week in my stitching area.  I started a quilt to use as a winter blanket a few years back.  Finally got around to finishing the top and it is now ready to go to someone who can do the actual quilting.  Since it's not done in perfect blocks like most quilts, it will be a challenge for someone.  It is straighter than the photo shows, but not perfect.  I don't do perfect.

 

Here is a close up of one of the squares...

 

Now it's time to get to some paintings.....

Sad Day

I just wrote a very long post about the loss of a friend; probably just as well that I lost it because I did tend to ramble... we've been friends since 7th grade which wasn't just yesterday.  She was one of my gang of 11 that graduated from high school together and her death was unexpected.  She had been diagnosed with cancer recently but was expected to live a couple more years.  She had a heart attack which in a way is a blessing... no more pain.  Have to look at it that way.

Here are a few of us a few years back, Joan is the last one on the right.

More Grunge Journal

In between working on my Wonky Angels I've been drawing in my Grunge Journal. Here are a few of the images...























I've been trying different ways of covering the page, just gesso eats up a lot of pencil so I'm looking for an alternative. One, I think, would be a thinner coat of gesso but I'm also trying some collage. So far what I like best is a tea bag.... that's what I used on the page with the doorway/ The only problem with that is that I don't drink enough tea.... I'm a coffee person. That's it for now, back to work on the Wonkys.....

Lots Of Works In Process

I've been working on a variety of things..... Focus eludes me.  Above is another drawing in my Grunge Journal.  That's what I do to start the day.

Below is a free form crochet piece that I think may become a scarf.  Then again, it may become a vest or a hat, maybe a purse.  I only have two skeins of the yarn so I know it won't become anything very large. I crochet when I'm waiting for an appoinment, for a meeting to start or in the evening if we're watching tv.

This is a close up of the top...

And with the holidays approaching I need to get some things done to sell at the gallery so Wonkey Angels are in process too.  That's my daytime project for the next few weeks.

Didn't mean to chop her halo off.

And a little painting, a birthday card for our son.  It's a painting of his newest project, a boat to restore.  It's not quite finished, I need to add a sail number but can't do that until I find out from him what that number is.

Now... back to work....

A Chapter Closes

This weekend a new family took possession of the house I called home growing up.  It was bittersweet, I haven't been able to enjoy that lake that I loved growing up for many years but still loved that I was able to grow up there.  I would have liked for my sister to buy it but that wasn't to be.

Have to admit that more of my time was spent doing this... or swimming.... or waterskiing.... but the red house on Union Lake made it possible for me to enjoy all of the above.

Our grandfather had the house built when our dad was 8.  I don't remember how old I was when our dad bought it from Grandma after Grandpa died.  I was probably in 3rd grade.  There is a lot of history there, lots of partying too.  No one can take those memories away, not only of the time we lived there but stories our dad told of his childhood there.  And since Grandma lived with us, she too had lots of stories and lots of family and friends who visited.  Lake living means company... Our parents rule was.... "You're welcome anytime, bring your own meat and a dish to pass."

Time now to move on.

Playing In A Grunge Journal

I made a grunge journal from an old book a few years ago.  The book was not very good but also  badly damaged so I gessoed over pages intending to use it as an art journal.  This page is the only one that was done back then.

Life got in the way so I put it aside.  Recently, while looking for something else, I found it again and got it out.  Time to practice some drawing and this seemed to be a good place to do it.  The following are some of the some of what I've done so far.  Some good, some not so good but the practice is always good.   I think I may play with some design in it too.  

My Annual Art Retreat

 

Once again, a wonderful week away doing nothing but make art and swim.   It is always refreshing, the water calms my soul.   Most of the work that I did consisted of starts but I did finish three that are just for me.  The one above and the next two... using family photos that I don't want to get rid of but that are taking up space. 

 

    

Now to find a place to hang them....

 

The water.... that's the other part of the retreat, my artist friend Terry and I swim every day, 2 and 3 times a day, in this beautiful body of water.

And we make art, here are all of the starts I did.  Some of them I may decide are finished.  Others I already know will need a lot more work.  I didn't think about anything other than getting things down on the paper using my gelli plate and a bunch of collage papers I took along.

It was a great week!  Now to get to work on finishing some of these.

 

Crack #8 Continues to Evolve

I posted this one awhile back thinking it was done; however, the more I looked at it the more I began to think maybe not.  Today I started playing with it a bit and I'm beginning to like it better.  There is still more I see that I want to do but it's wet, had to stop.  I'll post again when it's finished.

Painting With Friends

New Work And A Great Day

This week I finished two more of my series of 8x8 monotype colleges. A Walled Garden Gate and another Cherub, Just Restin;.  Stone walls, shacks and cherubs are three favorite subjects... and, of course, old boats.  But old boats don't lend themselves to the monotype collage technique that I enjoy playing with.

Another fun thing this week, an afternoon at Meijer Garden with my good friend Terry Brancheau. She's another artist and if she had an art site I'd put a link... she doesn't. She's also one of my dearest friends so getting to spend the afternoon with her visiting such a lovely place...perfect!

And on my morning walk this morning.... another photo to add to my sidewalk crack collection but this time a stone wall...

Now it's time to get back into the studio....