It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

My cards are almost done.  That is a record for me, I'm usually mailing just a few days before Christmas -- and sometimes way after the big day.  A plus from the pandemic -- more time.  Here's the card.  Well one of the cards.  Each one is an original... all similar but no two exactly alike.  

The Gingerbread House is done...

Some of the Santa's are in place.  One made from Dad's red sweater ....

Another made from one of Ed's worn out Pendleton...

Of course we had to have Sinterklass... 

My angel choir....

And finally, the tree is decorated....

There's still more to come up but for today, I'm done with decorating, back to wrapping. The only gifts under the tree now are from our grandson.

Clutter, I realized I need it

 My studio is off limits to visitors – usually.  Recently one of my very pushy artist friends came in and brought a few other artists with her.  I was horrified.  However after they left I had an aha moment.

I need that clutter and this woman may be the reason why ---

Grandma Foster, my mother’s mother, was a widow who lived in the back of her knit shop.  Well, it was more like a general store.  Needlework was her primary business but in addition she sold school supplies, Hallmark cards, gift wrap and Berkshire nylon stockings.  There was also a lending library in one corner of the shop.

There was a sign above the counter in the front of the store.  I remember two lines, the first -- “Maybe Helen has it.” And the last -- “you wonder how she found it.”  In the back of the shop there were three rooms and a bathroom.  One room was her living room, bedroom and office.  Her couch was her bed and when I visited I slept on a cot.  When my bed was set up there was just a path to get through to the kitchen. Off the kitchen was a small bathroom and a storage room.  Extra merchandise was stored there but the overflow was everywhere else in her living quarters.  Clutter – everywhere.

I stayed with her often.  Looking back on it now I realize why – I was comfortable there -- and loved.  She accepted that I was a tomboy, smarter than some thought and an artist. She encouraged my art while others tried to steer me away from it.

Guess I’ll stop trying for a neat as a pin in my studio – it’s just not going to happen and I probably wouldn’t be able to work in there anyway.  As long as the rest of the house is neat I can still shut the door. And maybe I should get a lock.   

I did that sketch of her several years ago.  Since I've recently been doing family drawings in my grunge sketchbooks I think it's time to do Grandma.

Supporting the Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum

The Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum is free and open to the public except now during the COVID pandemic.  It features a collection of objects that span the 70-yearcareer of the sculpture.  We have one of his sculptures here in Grand Haven and Meijer Garden in Grand Rapids has several.

The museum is doing a Mail Art fundraiser.  What is Mail Art?  The concept has been documented back to the 1950s and has been used throughout the decades for artists to share their work.  A perfect practice for times such as we are going through right now. Media most often used in mail art include postcards and other visual arts on paper though it can also include other items.

This fundraiser is asking for 5x7 unframed works of art.  I'm offering three studies in black and white.  The one above and these two --

New Work Off To The Gallery

And even newer work matted; getting ready to price and put in my Etsy store.  It hasn't opened yet but I'm working on that too.

But before more work on the Etsy Shop it's time for a break so I'm working on a drawing in my Grunge Journal.  The Grunge Journal is an old book, usually one that is falling apart.  I gesso come pages, glue some together and tape some that are coming loose from the spine.  Sometimes I add collage papers but not always. The Grunge Journals are just for me -- no pressure to get it done or to get it done well, if I don't like it I just do it again on another page.  This time I'm working on Uncle John.  Actually, he's my mother's uncle but I claim him because he was an artist -- and I like the photo I have of him.

Here is the work in process.  I may post it again when I finish 

Another New One

 

Once again, no title.  I was thinking Calm but there's a whole lot going un under the surface so perhaps not.  Once again there are many layers under there.  Layers seem to suit me as I experiment with three things -- acrylics, mixed media and abstracts.  

Without something specific to paint I just put things down, cover it up if I don't like it and try again -- several times.  I do enjoy the process and finally arrive at something I like but I never have been good with titles.  My husband usually ends up doing that part.

Where Did Summer Go?

 It's been a good summer but it went too fast.  I love being able to do my morning routine of diary entry, devotional reading, journaling and sketching on our patio.  The sketches are simple, quick and a long way from perfect but that doesn't bother me.  It's doing it that matters.

The Zen Painting workshop I was working on at Spider Lake continued and I had two more pieces that she wanted us to do.  Those weren't so relaxing.  I did finish but after several layers and do overs.  These are both 16 x 16 inch and I'm happy with them but it was not a Zen like process.  I'm glad I did it and I did enjoy doing the smaller ones. I'm glad I took the class and will do more -- but not 16 x 16. These are suppose to be non-representational.  They aren't but they aren't realism either.  I did learn a lot about crackle medium while working on them.  I learned that it doesn't always work and sometimes it works too well.  Any crackle that did show up got covered up in the end.

Now I'm working on new pieces for the October exhibit at the Gallery Uptown.  This is one that is finished.  It's 18 x 18 inches.  I have two more this size and four 8 x 8 inch pieces in process.

I'll post the finished pieces as I finish them.

A Relaxing Week Away

My annual art retreat at Spider Lake was a refreshing week away from any news, just water, art and conversation with my dear friend and fellow artist, Terry.  I was taking advantage of a workshop, Zen Painting by Jodi Ohl. Like many artists during this pandemic, Jodi offered some of her classes at a discount rate.  Given all that has been going on this year I figured I could use some Zen time. It was relaxing -- some of the time.  

I got carried away with the doodling and think I over did but it was/is relaxing once I accepted that I wasn't in charge of the outcome.  This photo is four 6" x 6" pieces.

I have a few more mixed media pieces in process and I got a couple watercolor pieces done before coming back to reality. This is one of the watercolors.

and this guy done in mixed media was fun --