Saturday, April 23, 2011

My morning walk

While I was on  my morning walk I was listening to music and the song "Stay the Same" by Joey McIntyre came on.  www.youtbe.com/watch?v=qCmmsPJ0KYM&feature=related  I found myself getting teary eyed especially at the part about believe in yourself.  Normally I would have tried to compose myself in case someone would see me, I wouldn't want them to notice my emotion.   Instead I chose to stay in the moment and, in a heartfelt way, listen to the song.  Really listen to the words.  I am so glad I did.   I played the song again and again but this time I was singing. :-)  After I got home I realized I had just received an answer to a question I have been asking.  Believe in yourself!

Thursday, April 21, 2011

I can't wait!

I have diligently been searching for a painting class I could attend.  Whenever I start something I have never done before I feel I need this "jump start" to get me going in a direction I want to go.  I have this tendency to want most of my duckies in a row before I begin a new project.  My organizational skills kick in and I have questions that I want answers to.  As simple as, how do you begin an abstract piece of art? I know the one answer is just to begin.  I practice that strategy often with other things in my life yet I still yearn for instructions.  Jump starting is simply some details on what to do.  Once I get started I can improvise and change/alter etc.  I am reading books but it's not the same as doing and watching, so I turned to youtube.  Which is also a good way to learn.  It's not what I am seeking.  So then I start to question my real motive.  Is it  because I am intimidated by the big white space on the canvas?  Could be.  In the meantime, I'll keep searching.

I have never been once to wish my life away but I find it extremely tempting to wish August would come soon.  You see, I just signed up for a painting class with a artist I admire tremendously, Mary Beth Shaw, and she will only be 2 miles from my house.  Yippee-Skippee!!        http://www.createmixedmediaretreat.com/

Can you tell me how you actually began painting?  Did you have previous experience?

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Here's part of my story ( a short version) that goes like this.....

             As Kelly Rae Roberts says in her artwork "your story matters...tell it".
This will be a sneak peek into my world.  After 58 years I have lots of stories to tell.  I do not profess to be a writer, I am just wanting to share some pieces of who I am.

The spring of 1993 I was sitting on my bathroom floor crying  really hard about something disappointing that happened at work that day.  I can't even remember now what had me so upset.  I cried for a long time and all of a sudden I realized all the energy I was wasting and wondered what would happened if I took the negative energy and turned it into positive energy.   I got up from the bathroom floor and went into my
and drew this picture. 
I cannot not find the proper words to describe what kind of feeling I got when I was done.  All I know is that it changed the direction of my life.  From that time forward smiling became more important to me.  The big wide grin became part of me.  I had professional cards made, on the back side was written "If each of us would find a way to bring a smile to someone's day, we could make a difference in the world.".  I would drop that card any place I could, anyway I could to get the message across.  The message is much deeper than just showing your teeth, but that is a great beginning. 

A couple of months later I had a dream, when I got out of bed I drew a picture of an angel and then as soon as I could I made one.  She is a Good News angel who delivers the same message, "If each of us would find a way to bring a smile to someones day, we could make a difference in the world". 
                                   Here she is.
I love this little angel!  Oh my gosh, I just realized... she is 18 years old.  Whew!!  There has been alot of hands to help make her in those years.  When my daughter was a teenager her boyfriend use to paint the shoes for me so he could have some spending money.  To this day he will still talk about the Good News angel.  I use to put her in baskets with a sign that said Angels for Hire and people would take them to their work and sell them because they believed in the message, as well.  I've sold them at craft shows.  I would enlist a friend to help me and we would take sheets and wrap around us to dress like angels.  Wearing a sign around our neck that said Angels for Hire. We sold angles like crazy and we had fun!  My friend, Pauline, called me one day with some cool news that she had been to someone's house, someone she didn't know, and one of my angels was hanging on the wall.  Pauline was so excited to tell me that and  I was excited to hear it. 

The way the Good News angel came into my life is bigger than I can totally comprehend.  I am going bring her back into the world again.  The message she delivers is just as important today as it has been in the past years.

There's more stories......later.
I'd like to hear your stories.





Sunday, April 10, 2011

I pulled out my camera

I pulled out my camera, dusted off my telephoto lens, and got pictures of my grandaughter, Delaina.
She's 20 months old and is starting to become familiar with me taking pictures of her over and over again. 
Isn't she adorable?


Sunday, April 3, 2011

I have vintage style artwork to show

I have been creating and it feels so darn GOOD.  I have completed 5 projects, only 3 of them will be listed.  Silly me, I gave 2 pieces to my sisters and I forgot to get pictures of them.  Oh well!  My sisters loved them and that's what matters most!

As I have said before, I have been using book covers as my canvases.  As I become more comfortable I will move on, but until that time I am enjoying right where I am.  Anyway the big canvases sorta intimidate me.

I have been using photos of my mother's youth and displaying them in a way that enhaces their age and time frame they were taken. 

These pictures are of my mom when she was 16 years old.  I have 2 different styles.  Tell me which one you like best.  OK?

                

The other project I completed was the photo album I made for my granddaughter, I will be showing the front and the back.  She loves pointing at pictures and saying who they are.  I thought it would great for her to have her own book.  There are photos of people who love her that aren't around alot.  Not all of the people who love her have the privilege to see her often so I thought if she could see their picture it would help her stay acquainted with them.

        
         

Wanna know something cool about this book?  If was made with the cardboard from the back of writing tablets.  I glued them together, put masking tape around the edges, and gessoed them like crazy.  They turned out very stiff.  I just happen to think that's cool to be able to use something you already have. 
Go Green!!!

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