Keeping pens and pencils and brushes alive in October!

I am doing little bits a pieces of my life these days...I sketch while Greg gets his haircut and after I get mine done.  I've put a little bit of diluted black ink into a watercolor aqua brush.  It makes lovely back grounds and shading!  

 

The Hawthorne Sketch group met on the 14th down near the pool in the picnic pavilion. This is an "interpretation" of how it looked there using crayons, white charcoal, white ink, cray pas, watercolor pencils.

All on black drawing paper.  Kind of fun to mix up the media now and then.  

I've shown my work for the Inktober project as I went along, but it is now finished.  31 prompts for the 31 days in October.  Everyone has the same prompts and it's just amazing to see all the wonderful interpretations online on the many Face Book groups that Zentangle lovers join!  

Day 4, 5 and 6 in the Sketchbook Revival Prompt Challenge

This is a quick view of the next 3 prompts.  The artist who give the prompts are listed on the right page at the top.  The "Easter bunny" prompt was from a book illustrator...actually kind of fun to draw and the then the background in the distance is a prompt from an architectural artist.  

I continue to use the "block page" organizer as a theme for holding the whole series together.  I decide ahead which of the two artists will get the more "featured" response from me, but I try to acknowledge them both in some way.  

The botanical artist was lots of fun...I actually enjoy that kind of art a lot.  The petal was done with colored pencil (which is not really my medium) but this is about pushing out the borders here.  The leaf was done in wc. The font making is responding to the other artist, Joann Sharp who I have already taken a class in person with. Very fun.  

There are two photos here of Day 6.  One with the page folded shut above.  On the page I have a photo of all the materials I pulled out in response to Karen's prompt.  I didn't use them all, but did use quite a few.  I worked with rubber gloves on as this was very messy.  But I would enjoy doing it again some time.  the other artist asked us to pick a word of the week/day/or year to think on.  I found a word I loved written by Maria (from Zentangle). Then made list of things I'm grateful for.  

So below is the page folded back out.  This had a lot of charcoal and graphite so I did have to spray it with a fixative so it wouldn't be rubbing all over things.  (That's one of my favorite tangles: lollywimple).  

Creative Nonsense as a Way to Keeping Balance

Keeping sane in crazy days...well one way is to join an online "prompt" group.  This one is also on Face Book so that everyone in the group can post their contributions and interpretations.  Interpretation is the key to this silliness.

So I have set aside a small journal dedicated to the prompt...it's is set up by an organizer who offers this for free.  The reason artists are willing to participate is that they get their name out and they offer further (paid) classes.

Most of the artists are "multi-media" artists...folks who enjoy lots of wild and interesting ideas prompting people to draw more, collage more, and try new techniques.  

Karen Abend sets up Sketchbook Revival.  It must be a lot of work!  Artists tape their 15-20 minute lessons and then she organizes them and sends them out via email subscription at the times she promotes.  I think she has hundreds of people on this prompt...which turned out to be WAY more popular than normal for obvious reasons.  The point is that she had no way of knowing how well this timing would work out...it just happened that way.

So keep in mind what you see me "playing" with is not meant to be fine art or or not mean to change my style of drawing or my own journal making.  It is just "creative play".  

Below are the first 3 days of responses from me.  There are two artist each day...I get the prompt around 9 am EST.  I believe it lasts for 12 days..so 24 prompts.  The first artist Carla Sonheim prompted among other things a block set up for one of the pages in the prompt. Optional of course. But I liked it...and I am going to use it to tie the theme of the prompts together.  The right page of each response will be blocked off for "daily writing"...a short place to comment on what's going on in my life and in my head.  (nice for right now, huh?). Then a place to make a "list".  Whatever kind of list I want.  Then I've added a place to put a daily Zentangle® (which is my own addition).  

The first prompt above was a "blob" prompt.  Making imaginary things from little blobs of paint.  Just to get creative juices going.  

The second two prompts had to do with "collage" making using paper, stencils, and ink (in her prompt it was just a free drawn).  And the second was more of a meditative prompt involving drawing a symbolic drawing of yourself or a person in general and accessing the ways you bring joy in to your life.  I combined the two. 

The third prompt had to do with embracing our own "quirkiness" by drawing a Quirky Bird with distinctive and fun little attributes. I wish I could share the variety of birds that evolved from this.  It was AMAZING.  People were SO creative.  And the second artist talks about font making.  Delightful...something I love anyway.  

So on to day 4 today.  

Ordinary Days

Just a normal day...one of those days that we forget to appreciate...ordinary.  I continue to play a little with different kinds of toned paper.  I did this little sketch while watching Greg get his haircut.  My hair stylist does this in her home and she had a shelf with a cute doll, a file cabinet and some other baskets behind her.  Fun shapes to play with.  Ink, wc pencil, wc crayon, pastel pencil and white charcoal.  

Lots of signs of spring around now...our bottle brush tree is blooming like crazy...always a March/April event.  The birds enjoy the blossoms and so do the wasps! Although I haven't seen the latter yet.  But we have some 90 degree days coming right up and that'll bring them out too.  It's a fascinating blossom when you look up close.  

Most of Alphabet book is finished!

Just a few more pages to go and then the cover and the little alphabet book for my great granddaughter will be finished. 

A great way to ignore the rain up here in the Northwoods!  

This is actually my new knee.  

My granddaughter, Maddy

Play "find the nose". Violet's nose is one of them and her mimi,  my daughter, Beth.  

Couldn't resist since Maddy is big into yoga.  

Got a little drippy here.  

In honor of Great Grandpa Greg's love of trains.  Learning position words.
This one is done colored pencil and used a stamp for the train.  

learning about containers

This photo says it all.  

Hand printed papers teach about shape. 

Hey...we get our own page!  And G for Greg and G for Ginny too.  

Proud dad.  

Quilt is made of bit of my hand painted Washi tape.  

Art As Story: Bobbi Baugh

So here is one last artist from the Deland Art Tour on Feb 25.
This is Bobbi Baugh.  Bobbie is a self described mixed media artist who works with paper and fabric.  She sublists her media as  "monotype, collage, textile art, and art quilts.)
You can find her here.
Because I play with many of the same mediums (less quilting) it is inspiring me!!!

Not only is her art amazing...her thoughts are amazing too.  Her blog contains bits of what is happening in her life and in her journey through it.  They are worth following just to make you try out thinking more about what makes you tick.   

Bobby shares her art so genuinely and freely.  She has such thoughtful stories that spin through her art.  I absolutely love her stories and her art.  

How is it with your soul today?

Daughter, Julie, and hubby at the Deland Arts Tour last Saturday

"So how is it with your soul today? Your mind may be filled with lists of things to do or problems to solve. Your heart may be brimming with new life or breaking with sorrow. But how is it with your soul? Whatever the day may bring or has brought, how are you experiencing God in this time?"

Talitha Arnold

I am privileged to get a daily devotional.  Something to get you thinking about the "real' stuff of life for a few moments usually at the start of the day....before you get distracted. 

Today's devotional reminded me of some thoughts and experiences of this past weekend.  Being reminded about the mystery of the journey we are on and about the way art is involved in the "stories" I tell about me and my pathway.

First I am reminded of the the lovely visit from my younger daughter this weekend.  Her life is full of lots of "soul searching" and exploration.  Seems like she has been given the task of taking me along with her and she travels.  Every time she spends time with us I am left with new books to read, new poems to think on, new ideas to share, new examples of how to connect with people and new ways of looking at life or even at the end of life.

Second I am touched by the artists I met this weekend on the Deland Florida Arts Tour.  Several of them gave me a chance to pause and give new consideration to "how my soul is today" and how my art responds to this question.

In the next few blogs I will share a couple of the artists that I met.  So be watching.  Meanwhile, how is it with your soul today?

Frog's Restaurant on Cedar Key

5 x 7 canvas wc and acrylic, graphite and pen

Frog's Restaurant on Cedar Key, FL.

At least my "interpretation" of the restaurant.

It's not signed yet.  I have a few more things I may do.

This will be my gift to the Fine Arts group for the brunch on January 16.  

Journal prompt

9 x 12 Journal page, acrylic and multi media with photo.

Journal prompt for my FB group…the prompt is "Masks".
That's all…just "masks".  You interpret as you like.

My theory is that we all wear masks most of the time.
Some wear heavier ones and remove them less.
Others wear kind of cool ones that reflect the person underneath.
Mine is sort of "steam punk" with cogs and sails blowing in the wind…it might also reflect that I had a hard time sleeping last night because my flags and cogs kept churning.  Every have that happen?  

This is prompt #44.  The group has done one a week for almost a year now.  Whew.  THAT was one fast year!!!  I am wondering if we'll stay together for another year now.  My suggestions was two prompts a month instead of 4.  I'd like to feel I had a little more time to play with the ideas given out.

Jane Davies' class at Dillmans

Dillman's Classroom Monday September 14

Isolating "elements" in a design.

I look at these 3 ( out of maybe 10 I did today) as the three I like the best.  They are not finished, of course.  I also see them as mildly amusing.  That I could spend all day working on these and come up with something so simple and "unfinished".  Hmmm.

I was to find 3-4 elements and change them up differently on each 10 x 10" square.  Try showing them differently.  Mask them with a "veil" of white paint in areas.  Looking forward to tomorrow…as I float along trying to make sense of all of this.  

To be continued….

Needing a title for my painting!

8 x 10 Mixed media on canvas

I posted this en plein air painting a few weeks ago on a white background and asked my blogging friends for suggestions as to whether to leave the background stark white or paint in a background.

The vote came out heavily in favor of a dark background. I didn't want to lose the nice ground shadow, however, so I compromised.  A little white remains.  It's not signed yet, but I think it might be done.  

Does anyone have a title for me?

Watercolor and Zentangle

"Add  Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Cloves"
Watercolor/pen and ink/graphite
11 x 15

This was inspired by a spice cabinet I saw at a garage sale recently...but obviously MY interpretation.  I am not sure if the background reads "wallpaper" or spice cabinet.  But either way I sort of liked it.  I think I ready to sign it.

Time now to get ready for the Hawthorne Fine Art and Photography show that starts at 1 pm tomorrow here at our park in Leesburg, FL.  This piece is for another show. I still have some wires to put on paintings for that.  I am showing 4 pieces AND in charge of the Zentangle special exhibits table!  Set up for that starts at 9 am Sunday!   

Today is going to be one of those wonderful but too wild days for me today...Leesburg Art Association has a demo being offered at 1 pm (Don Getz).  I would hate to miss him.  I have some of his videos.  And to top it off it will 87 degrees and I would die to be at the pool!  

So my goal is to get all my errands done before lunch, hit Don's demo, and then go to the pool.  HA.  I'll let you know how THAT goes.  But our forecast has rain for Sun-Tuesday so this my chance.