Thinking Halloween

 My Tuesday Painters group went to the Coffee Factory in Muskegon two weeks in a row.  It has a plethora of Halloween decorations which were fun to do.  This was done this week....

Last week I tried skeletons, they are harder than I thought they would be so I moved on to a real life person.  He was reading his phone so he sat still long enough for me to get a decent sketch.

And now it's time to think about Christmas.  I've been working on poinsettias and snow scenes.  I'll post a couple of those next week.

Back to Lake Michigan and a New Gadget

 This week the Tuesday Group went back to our friend Marna's cottage on a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan.  It's our go-to spot when the weather turns chilly and the cottage is not yet closed up.

I think I spent more time visiting than sketching but that's part of the enjoyment.  That was Tuesday, I also got a new toy that day but didn't play with it until yesterday.  

A few days ago we had a visitor, she was actually in the yard next door but seemed quite content to stay where she was even while I took the time to put down my coffee cup and pulled my phone out of my pocket.  So what does that have to do with my new toy you ask -- my new toy is Sprocket, a pocket printer that prints 2x3" photos from a phone.  Had to try it.  

I've been doing 5 min something in this little sketchbook, 4x5".  This morning I used it for my 5 minute piece I added the photo.  Part of the fun of these little photos is there is a sticky back if one wants to use it so, of course, I had to try that too.

As long as I'm talking about the 5 minute pieces I'll share a couple of them.  This began as a challenge and I challenged myself to use an eco dyed handmade journal and the scraps that were in a pile on my desk.  It was a 15 day challenge but I had a lot more scraps and a couple more eco dyed handmade journals so I kept going.

I started this challenge in September.  Patting myself on the back for keeping it going.  

Painting with Tuesday Painters and Some Inspiration

My studio is getting a major overhaul.  There is constant clutter because of too much stuff so I'm pitching or giving away.  Of course, that also means I'm finding things I had forgotten which can lead to working on it and forgetting the overhaul.  This time I'm avoiding that.

However, I do still make some art.  I spend Tuesday mornings with some art buddies We gather between 9:30 and 10, paint, sketch or draw until 11:30, start packing up and go to lunch were we share for a friendly critique.  In good weather we are outside but rain and winter's cold keep us inside.  There are several indoor spots that welcome us.  Here are a few of my Tuesday sketches....

Another project recently finished.... a mosaic that the Visual Arts Committee at our church did based on this year's Lenten theme.... The Wizard of Oz.  Yes, sounds strange but think about it.  What did Oz tell all of them?  Basically the same thing Piglet told Pooh, "You're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."  Every week the congregation got something to hold as they prayed after listening to the sermon, then they put it in the offering plate and we added them to our mosaics.  Here are the finished pieces planted by our patio.

And the inspiration, another reason to get the studio overhaul finished.  Our son was able to crew for a friend in the Clipper Cup, a sailboat race across Lake Michigan.  He took some great photos.  It's time to get back to some watercolor painting.

And I have to share a piece our grandson did... 

I've Started the #100DayProject

This was the first one.  Here are the rest.... so far

Day 3 is the one I enjoyed the most.  It's mixed media, the rest are collage.

On another note we had a good time at Avalanche Water Park, part of Boyne Mountain.  Great fun racing my grandson on the downhill and riding through the tubes.  The tubes reminded me of a loge run.  I did one of those a few years back.... both fast and fun rides.  The downhill was like sledding only water was carrying us down the hill.  Hard to describe but fun!

Cairns And A Collection Of Stones

I am a collector of stuff for sure and I’m working at getting rid of some of it; however, there is one collection that I’m thinking can’t go away but can be used somehow.  I collect stones.  Why?  Who knows why but I have bowls filled with stones, bags filled with stones and jars filled with stones.  Some are a certain kind of stone like these chocolate rocks from a beach in Fennville.

Others are just random stones.  Some I’ve written a date and place on but most are just stones I’ve picked up on the beach.

Every summer during my art retreat at Spider Lake I build tiny cairns on the dock.  One summer I lined them up on the open stairway.  I have a photo but who knows where that is.

A couple days ago I came across Tonia Jenny’s website.  She too is a collector of stones and she had a little workshop on painting them.  I checked it out and here are two little 4x6 watercolors that I did, one yesterday morning and another this morning based on what she taught.  

How fun was that and as she said… very meditative.  I think I’ll do a few more.

A little history of Cairns (pronounced sort of like Karen but it’s a very quick en.)  I always thought of them as a stack of balanced stones much like I’ve painted; however, according to Webster and some photos I’ve found it’s actually:

“a pile of stones that marks a place (such as the place where someone is buried or a battle took place) or that shows the direction of a trail”  There is an interesting article in Glass Magazine that tells the history of cairns and shows images of some that are different than what we think of as cairns today.  Here’s a link if you’re interested, GlassMagazine.

And now back to sorting clutter but first... so much to be thankful for and I hope all of you have a nice Thanksgiving Day.

Exhibit Opening At The Gallery Uptown

The October exhibit, 4 X 4 X 4, opens tonight at the gallery.  The reception is from 5:30 to 8.  I'm excited to be hosting three super artists, Chris Brown, Ken Widing and Glenda VanRaalte.  I'm the 4th artist with some of my daily collages.

Here is a sample of the other artists work in order

Chris

Ken

 

 Glenda

Now that the exhibit is up I can get back to reorganizing my studio.  I'm pleased with how it's going though there is still a long way to go.  Patience is not one of my virtues, I am easily distracted if I find something that inspires action while I sort.  Often I end up finding something I had forgotten about and stop sorting to work on what ever it is I found.  I've been pretty good this time.  Instead of stopping I've set up files where I can put things like that so I can go back to them when I'm done with this task.

Did I mention that I am working on a memoir?  It's not necessarily my life but stories about the people and events in my life.  As I'm sorting through old papers and photos I'm coming across things that I should include.  That is one of the files that I've started.  

It's time to head back into the studio.... more sorting today.

Could Be A Solution

The mess in my studio seems to stay in spite of my constant starting to deal with it.  Every time I go in to sort I come across things in process -- often long forgotten -- and just move them to another spot to deal with later.

Finally today, well yesterday actually because I'm writing this in the morning -- before heading in there again.  Anyway finally the light dawned -- the only way to deal with this mess is to DEAL WITH IT, I mean really deal with it.  Don't move it, finish it or pitch it.  A few things got pitched.  Others I decided could stay so I'm working on those I came across yesterday.

The sailboat, a paper mache project to finish.  I'm a boat person, well a water person but I love boats too.  So when I saw this one I decided I had to try making one to add to my small boat collection.

And then there are the 6 paper boats that I made thinking it would be a fun project -- but what do I do with them -- I believe the trash barrel is a good place for them. The sailboat can go on the shelf with the rest of them.

You can hardly see my favorite, it's clay.  The brown bow between the yellow and blue is one I made in a ceramics class.  I made some fun pots too but this was part of my final project.  I worked on it first, the project was to make a house and when my instructor saw it he questioned why.... "that's not a house."  I told him it was part of it, probably the most important part.  Here's the rest of the project...

The other project I need to finish and move to our back yard is a mosaic.  The ball on top was on a pole in the garden but grandpa and grandson where playing and not careful... the bottom half hit a rock. Since I can seem to stand disposing of things that can be saved, here it is, still in process.  The crash happened 4 years ago.  It's time to get it done and out of the studio.

My goal today -- finish adding to the base of the mosaic and epoxy the pieces together; add another layer of paper to the boat and make a sail; and see what else I come across to finish.

But first -- I'm off to paint with my Tuesday Painters group.

Some Student Work and Some Grunge Journal Pages

This week my Creativity students did boiled pages.  This is one and here are a few more....

Great fun and I think everyone, including me, will be doing more.

I also spent some time in my Grunge Journal this week, first my Grandma Percy when she was a young woman and next a statue of Queen Victoria that was part of a wetcanvas Weekend Drawing Event several weeks back.  I saved the image and finally got around to doing something with it.  I don't consider these done yet but they are close...

It's been a busy week and this weekend we will be celebrating Memorial Day.  Plans are to take in the parade Monday morning, then back home where we will host a small neighborhood gathering. 

Wondering Where I'm Going?

I was doing acrylic pours and must confess they are fun to do; however, not something I want to do as my primary art form.  I've also been playing a lot in my grunge journal, practicing faces for no particular reason, just good to practice.  This is the latest....

It's my great-grandfather, Sylvanus T. Percy.  I recently had my DNA done by Ancestry and have been having fun finding more about my family history.  Of course, I knew about Sylvanus but there are so many other branches of the family tree to find... what an adventure.  This is another person on my paternal grandmother's side of the family.

I'm back to the 1400's and not sure where she fits but I think she'll be fun to draw so she will be the next entry in my Grunge Journal.  Looks to me like she may take me awhile to finish.

So what does this have to do with wondering where I'm going?  I've committed to Daily Paintworks and it's costing me money (which is the reason I signed up.) If I have to pay for it I am committed.  So far I've done some acrylic pours and some watercolor sketches but neither of those grab me on a daily basis.  So this month I plan to play... a lot... with several different things... two of the top of my head are 5 minute paintings and 10 minute collage.  Another possibility, Gelli Plate prints. They will all be small and may or may not be for sale.  Hopefully but the end of February I will come up with something that I want to stick with for awhile.  We shall see.

Oh, and some good news.  I entered two pieces in the Winter Arts Festival at the Gallery Uptown and both of them were accepted.  This is one and I just realized I haven't gotten a photo of the second one yet.  I'll have to do that sometime soon.

Sorting & Thinking

No, I didn't make the banner.  In fact, there isn't much art work getting done here this week.  My spouse had back surgery on Monday, came home on Tuesday and I am his nurse.  He is making good progress in spite of my lack of nursing skills, we manage. The photo is a banner that was in the chapel at the hospital.  I liked the various neutrals the artist used.

This is another work that was in the chapel.  Thinking of irregular squares, a grid as a possible banner.  I like the neutral and the irregularity of the shapes.

Instead of making art I’ve been doing some sorting and wondering thinking, putting some scraps together as I sort.  I have more blue scraps than any other simply because I love blue.  Here’s a basket of scraps, I See The Moon in process and some little pieces pinned together that may become something… or not...

Trying to keep my mind occupied with something other than what happened in France.

Thoughts about art and stitching and more on the Moon and Stars

I think I'll call this done for now.  I may cut off the part to the right of the black line I drew, not sure yet.  As I worked on this more I thought about stitching and painting and which I enjoy more.

No conclusions, I seem to enjoy the one I am doing at the moment.  And at the moment it seems to be stitching.  While sorting through fabrics I came back to a quilt I started a few years back. Each block was different and I wanted to keep it that way but was out of ideas.  I had all the squares done, strips put together and laid out ready to put it all together.  I realized two things... it wasn't big enough and I didn't like the center block.  So, it was set aside.

I'm not a quilter, I made one when we first got married and the teacher was an excellent quilter but also one who insisted on perfect.  I don't do perfect.  I finished the quilt and it became a blanket but that was almost 40 years ago and it's a bit worn.

That is what prompted the new one but once done and not really ready to be finished, I just couldn't work up the enthusiasm to do more blocks.   It was to be a blanket for our bed and since my thinking was winter, it was (is) whites and off whites.  The strips have been sitting unfinished in my sewing room ever since.


 This is the Center block,..

Much too dark for for the rest of the quilt.  I got to thinking about it and first thought, cut it our of the strip and arrange the rest of the strips around it instead of just long strips.  I cut it out.  Then decided I could probably do some embroidery using lighter floss and see how that works.  I may also just applique a piece over the top of it.  We'll see.  Doesn't matter, my mind is in motion and I'm inspired to take up this quilt again.  Hopefully I will be able to finish it this time.

And just to give you an example of how I stray from medium to medium, this is a ccokie jar I made a few years back.  I love it but we don't do cookies in our house so it sits on a shelf in our dining room.

The color doesn't show up in this photo but you can see there is a lot of texture.  I love texture!