ICAD Summer 2013

Pictures of the Index cards I created from June 1st to July 31st. ICAD 2013 was created and curated by Tammy Garica of Daily Yellow.  Tammy has many projects for the creative spirit.  It was wonderful to be part of a group of really artistic ladies.  Each week we were given prompts to use to inspire the daily card.  You had the choice to use the card or make up your own.  My cards are a combination of the prompts and things that just popped into my head.  Please visit Tammy's blog/website www.daisyyellowart.com.

I am truly inspired by the kindness and encouragement I received from many members of the group. I know that I will participate again next year (Lord willing). 

Dear Reader, if you have the opportunity, sit down and think about something you have dreamed about doing and for what ever reason put it to the side.  Pick it up and try it.  Enjoy the process of learning, enjoy the process of making crap as you move on to something you really like.  Allow yourself to just plain old have fun.  You will not regret it.

Inner peace

Inner peace, a photo by momoo50 on Flickr.

I am posting this today because I like it a lot. This is another lesson in using what you have. The painting is related to week 31 of lifebook 2013. Jeanette House was the teacher and she presented three wonderful videos.

I have to tell the truth because I was herring tired of doing faces. Not because they are not fun, but because I was committing a cardinal sin----comparing my work with others. I look at many portraits and they look so life like, in my eyes mine don't. So I have an inner struggle before I draw one.

This project kept calling me so I decided to use one of my journals to give it a try. Lo and behold, I fell in love with the finished product. Now I cannot wait to get home and really work the portrait. It will be so much fun, but in the mean time, I am happy that I tried.

Random thoughts tuesday

My beautiful grandchildren Lauren and Kellen.  It has been so fun spending this time with them.

Today's thoughts are truly random.  So much has been going through my mind lately, from how we should treat ourselves and others, friends who are ill and anniversaries of those who have died that meant a lot to me.  In fact last Thursday I spend the day quietly in honor of friends who are on the journey of cancer treatment.

When I woke up today I decided to spend the day in relative quiet and peace for two friends that I just found out need to have surgery later this month.  People are going through so many trials and they just need a hug, or a prayer or both.

ICAD:  later this week I will post some pictures related to the 61 day Index Card Art Project that will end on July 31st, tomorrow.  It was a lot of fun to do and allowed me to work on a small art project daily.  I find that it has improved my technique.

DOODLE CAMP:  doodle camp is over but I am on day 19 of the 24 days of concentrating on one concept, drawing something everyday.  I chose doodles and zentangles and it has been very revealing.  My plan has been to interpret and existing zentangle on one day and the next make up my own.  Will post picture next week.

LIFE BOOK 2013:  I have not done anything for this project while in Michigan, but will play catch up when I get home.  I am really excited to get started again and my main goal is to complete the Mitzi B project.  When I left home I did not like it at all, but I was looking at it from a very negative space.  After watching the Jeannette House video yesterday, my perspective has changed and I will look at it with fresh eyes.

You know sometimes you just do not have anything really profound to say.  Life just moves on at it's own pace and basically you go along for the ride.  At least that is how I feel today.  It is coming up on the 7th Anniversary of my Mom's death and I just realized that the last time I heard her voice was August 2nd, 2006.  She has a bad cold/cough and was very busy with meetings that week.  I remember I finished the conversation with Love You Mom, and I am so glad that I did.

Well dear reader, that is about it for this week. Time to finish my art projects for today and work on my knitting homework for Stitches Midwest.  Take care and be blessed.

Photo Friday - Market Day in Orvieto

Random Thought Tuesday - Stretching Myself

Pink Flower

Last September I painted this picture as part of the Art Retreat class I took in Orvieto, Italy.  I had one of the most patient teachers in the world, TracieLynn Huskamp.  She was so encouraging as I stretched myself beyond belief.  To say I was a nervous wreck is putting it mildly. 

First we went on a photo shoot throughout Orvieto, I was drawn to the flowers in the flower shop, they were fantastic.  Then we picked out the photos that we liked and they were printed so we could race them on muslin and then paint them.  When I first painted the picture above I absolutely hated.  I could not get the shading right.  Infact, I just could not comprehend the concept of shading at all.  Internally I wanted to quit, but I just couldn't.  I had to stretch beyond my comfort zone.

I look at the painting now and cannot believe I actually did it.  I am so happy that I did not give up, that I listened to Tracie and embraced the work.  I have grown so much in the past year.  I have continued to take classes and try new things.  I am stretching in ways I cannot imagine.

I have made books with multiple signatures, I have finally learned how to draw zentangles.  Faces, forget about it......I am getting more comfortable with each portrait.

Face Drawn for Radical Wellness Class

 

What does stretching yourself mean?  For me it means attempting to do things that either I have never done before or have been afraid to attempt.  Over the past couple of days, I have given this a lot of thought.  A friend named Monica encouraged me to just be me.  Spend time doing what I love to do, not as a job or work, but as a time to give peace to myself and just be.  It really feels good to take her advice.  Orly Avineri, one of my favorite painters and bloggers gave this concept in the last class I had with her:  :Create, do not Produce."  These words mean so much.  Creativity should not be a production line, rather, for me it must be a time of discovery, allowing myself to be imperfect and love it.

 

Stretching myself has given me peace and joy.  When was the last time you stretched yourself dear reader?  Tell me about it.



Photo Friday -

Today starts a new series, Photo Friday.  I have taken a lot of photos throughout the years and for the most part they just sit on my camera or computer.  Photo Friday gives me an opportunity so share some of them.  No words other than a basic theme.  Just sit and enjoy.

Flowers of San Lodovico in Orvieto, Italy

Random Thoughts.....Using What You Have

I read a post this morning by Danny Gregory (http://dannygregory.wordpress.com/author/dannygregory/.  You should go and read it, it is very good.

This post started my mind churning, thinking about what I have been doing lately.  I am currently in Michigan visiting family.  I packed a limited amount of art supplies for the trip.  If an outsider were to look at my "stash" it would seem like I brought the house with me, but it is really just a little bit of this and a little bit of that.  I participated in Doodle Camp from July 8th to the 12th and found that with imagination and letting go you can make do with what you have.  You can also learn to use those items more creatively.  I am now really comfortable with using a watercolor brush.  This really neat tool is great for traveling, you fill the barrel with water and paint away with your watercolors.  I have used Tombow watercolor markers for years but never to their full potential.  The colors are so rich when scribbled on watercolor paper and activated with a watercolor brush.

I cut squares of freezer paper and used them as a really inexpensive and easy to carry palette (saw this idea on pinterest).  I took my water soluble crayons and colored on the palette and then activated it with water from a mini spray bottle.  whoo boy the colors are so vibrant and I solved the problem of writing over the painted area.  You see  these crayons are waxy and when you color directly to your paper and then wet them, they leave a waxy film.  If you want to write over it, your options can be limited.  BUT......if you rub them on the palette paper and then activate, the act just like any other watercolor and can be written on with anything.  Of course a lot of people probably know about this, but it is news to me and what makes it more pleasing is that I was willing to experiment and try something new.

One other aspect of my art that I have found interesting is the color palette I have developed.  I find that I am liking vibrant colors, reds, oranges, turquoise are so yummy.  It is so fun to paint backgrounds for future work and these colors as a base just sing to me.  Plus that is pretty much what I have with me in various shades and hues. 

Since January of this year, I have been really exploring my creativity and Using what you have has been buzzing in my head for quite some time.  But it was more of a "suggestion" rather than a must do for me.

Now "Use what you have" has taken on a whole new meaning.  I will be taking a class Mastering Twinkling H2O 101 when I return home in August.  I purchased some Twinks, but I have some paints in pots called Angel wings (this may not be absolutely right because I can never remember off the top of my head).  They are little cakes of shimmering paints similar to twinks, so I figured I would use them as well as the Twinkling H2O's.  Colors are just as vibrant and they have the same shimmering quality.  We shall see how it works.

Using what I have has been a learning experience and it makes so much sense.  Why make life harder than it has to be?  Well those are my random thoughts for today..

Peace to you dear reader, thanks for stopping by.

Faces

Faces, a photo by momoo50 on Flickr.

I am learning how to doodle. I know it should come naturally and anyone can do it. While this is true, I find it hard to just sit and doodle and then not compare my doodles to others. I participated in an online Doodle Camp last week hosted by Dawn Devries Sokol. Let me tell you that it was so much fun.

The photo here is part of that class. We had to draw a random series of wavy lines and then find areas where we could draw faces. I thoroughly enjoyed the process and the camp. It lasted 5 days and we had assignments each day. I find that I am still working on them tweaking color, adding more doodles and just plain old enjoying myself.

I made the book that I used for the camp. Making a book was a part of the process and some really great books were designed by my fellow campers. I do hope that we have camp next year. It was a really inexpensive treat.

Art Has Become a Major Part of My Life

Art has become a major part of my life.  I find that things I did not know exist are coming forth and it is so interesting.  I started the process wanting to develop backgrounds for my greeting cards and the entire journey has taken on a life of its own.  Which is so amazing to me.  I love to try and see what I can do.  I love the colors and the mixtures as they appear on the page.  I love the words, the symbols, everything about it.

The one thing I need to learn is how to relax and let go of expectations.  Just let the emotions and feelings flow.  That will be my goal for the last six months of the year.  To paint without a prescribed agenda, just let it flow and see where it goes.  As Donna Downey says on Inspiration Wednesday, I do not have any idea what I am going to do, so we will just have to see.

So dear reader, I have no idea where the next six months will lead me artistically, we will just have to wait and see.

--Pilgrim