Doodling?

This past year, I participated in a workshop online through an art chat site.  I have always been a doodler, but just whatever scribbling happened, nothing intentional.  So, I was excited to learn a little about the whole zentangle process.  At first it was difficult to get going, but after awhile, it was a ton of fun.  This is my final project.  I would like to add this into my lesson plans for my more active students.

The Call of the Islands

This summer the hubby and I got the opportunity to visit Hawaii for the first time.  The best way I can describe the trip was a banquet for the senses.  Immediately when disembarking the plane, the air wafted sweet with plumeria and other tropical smells.  The warm tradewinds were like a warm, gentle touch on the skin.  No matter where we looked, the sky, water and greenery were intense with color.  I now understand why people return to the islands over and over again.

"10 of Hearts"

I have had an awesome summer, but alas, have pretty much forgotten about my blog. Sorry 'bout that! I will definitely try to catch up! The past several weeks I have been furiously working with friends on a mosaic heart that will be auctioned at a dinner in December held by Los Ayudantes. The funds from the auction will go directly to All the Arts for All the Kids, the foundation that provides art education to children in the Fullerton school district.

Some of the end results of this project, other than the obvious completion of the heart, have been the hours spent with good friends creating, talking, problem solving, laughing, grumbling, and laughing some more, and generally having a good time for a very good cause. The friends that I have had the pleasure of working with are: Gail, Joanie (new to me but fun!),Julie, Nancy, Nina, Katherine, Kirsten, Shelley, Sue, and Vicki.
I am so glad I was able to participate! Even though I was in Hawaii and Idaho during the planning, my friends still let me join in.

After all the hard work, I now have the joy of being able to look at the finished product and see bits and pieces of my good friends reflected there.Here are some pictures of our heart-it truly has been a labor of love.

1)  Completed and delivered to the Fullerton Museum

2) Grouting and cleaning on the last day  3) Sue's fused birds  4) Kirsten's fused ladybugs  5)  Fused dragonfly

Cats in Bed

My friend Katherine has been working with me to try to get me to break loose and draw. I am trying, but one of the hardest things is to let go and just draw and silence my inner critic.

At Artfest I took a class from Carla Sonheim, a delightful and whimsical artist as well as a delightful person! Carla's drawing lab book was just released, and an online art group is going through each chapter, lesson by lesson, exercise by exercise---I've joined in.

The first exercise in Carla's book is called "Cats in Bed". She encourages students to place heavy drawing paper on a pillow or on their bed. Using a permanent marker pen, draw at least 30 cats and the pillow or bed will cause the paper to "give" so there is fluidity in the lines (and a good excuse if you don't like it! ha!). This is one of my quirky cats. Believe it or not, giraffes are next!

Evening with the Artsy Craftsy Club

Last night my daughter and I went to a good friend's house for what she calls the "Artsy Craftsy Club". This is a totally fun evening where friends show up, eat snacks, talk and laugh, and play with art. Jamie, our fearless leader, provides all the art supplies and a project idea to work on. She is an incredible artist who also happens to be a new mom, a pediatric nurse, and lots and lots of fun! You can see her incredible artwork at www.therustyartichoke.etsy.com.

Last night Jamie chose a collage project from an art magazine with step by step instructions, and Jamie kept us moving in the right direction when we were stuck. Interestingly enough, Jamie says she could NEVER be a teacher, but shhhh, don't tell her, she really IS a teacher and a great one at that! Each person's final product was very unique, even when a few chose the same color palettes.

This is my completed project. I think I'm going to frame it and put it on my art wall in the den. At the end of the evening I felt invigorated (Playing with art is like that for me!) Thanks again Jamie, for a great evening.

Color

I love color...the more intense and varied, the better. My Dad was an artist and I don't know if I just absorbed his love for color or what, but color "floats my boat". This is a shot of fresh tulips at Pike Place Market on the wharf in Seattle. I would go broke if I lived close by...beautiful, yes?

A Tree Planted by Rivers of Water

I often forget to take pictures of the mosaic work that I do, and end up giving pieces away or selling them without realizing I have no record of what I made. So, when I was visiting my kids in April, I took a picture of this mirror that I gave them sometime last year. It belongs in their home in the gorgeous woods of N. Idaho. The design on the mirror is of a strong tree, planted next to a pure, rushing stream. I made it as a visual image of Psalm 1:3 which says (with a minor change-teehee) "and she will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever she does, she prospers." This verse is talking about a person who loves and delights and obeys the law of the Lord.
Hope you enjoy it, too!

The Old Hitchin' Post

After Artfest I took a quick side-trip to see my oldest kids and grandkids in Idaho. While I was there, the whole fam joined together to "help" Dad (my oldest son) make a hitching post for the horses in front of the "livery". I just had to post this picture of the whole crew after he finished! Aren't they great??!
The logs were from downed trees on their property--my son cut and peeled them, notched the posts and heaved the long post on top. It made me tired just watching him!!! LOL The second picture is where the short crew stayed while my son heaved that big log on top (just to make sure nobody got in the way). Can't wait to go visit them in the summer!

Artfest 2010

When I got home from Artfest 2010 and a short side-trip to see the kids and grandkids, I hit the ground running since it was Easter weekend, a new semester with new courses/students, etc., and so I haven't really had much of a chance to slow down enough to post. Sorry 'bout that, for many reasons---I'll try to do better! :) {By the way, the date above shows I posted March 29th, but that's only when I started this post--it's really May! ha!}
First of all, I had a terrific time! I took classes with Carla Sonheim (whimsical drawing/watercolor), Julie Haymaker Thompson (Dr. Suess-like paperclay characters), and Susan Kazmer (altered surfaces on metalwork). Not only did the three classes use different mediums, but the instructors were totally distinctive in personality, teaching style, etc. The students in each group were diverse so each day was its own unique slice of Artfest. Two friends, Sue and Vicki, were in the metalworking class with me so that made it all the more fun. I'll post some about each separate class as I get the opportunity, but for now, the pictures are from a walk I took all by myself, something I rarely do. Enjoy!

Treasure Boxes

When I was a little girl, I saved all sorts of odds and ends--pieces of ribbon, postcards, notes, broken jewelry, coins, special rocks, seashells. I used an old grungy shoebox that I hid in my closet to store my treasures, but somewhere along the way, I misplaced my box. To many people the little tidbits I saved would not have meant a thing, but to me they were equivalent to valuable crown jewels or old handwritten manuscripts.
A few years back I was talking with a friend about her husband's baseball cards that he kept in an old cigar box. It reminded me again of my childhood shoebox, and I decided that I needed to give each of my grandchildren a special box to store their personal treasures. So, I've made each a box with their name and some design that is personal to them (and hope to continue as we have more grandbabies). For example, the oldest loves animals, the second loves monster trucks, the third loves music, etc.
When we visit, I love to sneak off to their bedrooms and take a peek to see what they've hidden inside. Shhhh! don't tell! : )