Monday, March 12, 2012

Monday-8:45am

We had some sun yesterday.
Karma yawning in the sunshine--LOL!!
I have been puttering away on Cathy's class.
We were supposed to do a multi-colored wash...
...so I tried to create one of those gold and orange sunrises I love. Not an easy task. Nature does a much better job. ;)
While that was drying I got out my art journal I made and used white liquid gesso on a page spread. Didn't cover very well. Was pretty thin.
I am always having something from other pages leak or drip onto the pages underneath. Even when I try to use newspaper or paper towels or something under the pages I always make a mess.
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I see people gesso pages in art journals all the time on youtube, so I gessoed another page spread in black, too. Now this did totally cover the pages! LOL!
The last project for lesson one of Cathy's class was to make a journal entry of something we like. I love wildflowers.
I've been using my old Moleskine watercolor journal for Cathy's class. It buckles quite a bit with washes, so I'd just as soon use it up.
So I picked out a photo (black & white and colored)...
...drew a pencil sketch...and started painting. Obviously, this wild columbine is not the right color. Mixing colors is another thing I need to learn how to do. It ended up orange instead of pink--LOL! Artistic license?
My paint wasn't juicy enough to scrap in lines on the petals. Was just too dry. So I'll have to try that another time. Another thing she wanted us to try was spattering paint and making drips. I think I got a little carried away. ;)
This morning I finished the page by writing:
"Wild Columbine.
Eagles. Doves.
Contradictory symbols--
from cuckoldry, foolishness
to faith, fidelity, holiness, innocence"
I definitely need my photos and pencil sketching, but I'm having fun! :)
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And while I watched TV the last couple nights I wrapped embroidery thread onto spools. This box has odd threads (textured, metallic, thicker, etc) and ones that are several pieces of the same color wrapped on the same spool.
This box has all the regular skeins I had left. Not in any final order because I was too tired to mess with them any further, but at least now I can see what I've got! Nice!
So that's what I've been up to. Now I can finally start on Cathy's second lesson. I think we draw a building this time.
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Oh and I have slowly been organizing the mess in the bedroom, too. I have some things to bring out to the garage and trash to go to the dumpster. Wouldn't you know--it's raining. So I am not sure if I will do that today or not. The new intern may see an even more chaotic place than it could have been--LOL! We'll see. The things I'm taking out to the garage I really don't want to get wet. Maybe it will quit raining before 1pm. If not, too bad. I'm just glad I'm getting some of the bigger projects done. :)
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Well, I best get moving here. I could at least tidy up a bit around here and make space for her at the table so she can sit and take her notes. ;) Have a super Monday!!
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"Each of us has a fire in our hearts for something. It's our goal in life to find it and keep it lit."
Mary Lou Retton

30 comments:

TexWisGirl said...

your painting looks like what you'd see on a seed packet. :) nice!

G.Dowell said...

I just came from a site that showed how to grow columbine, my favorite flower, then I came to your site through CED, and found your beautiful painting of a columbine. Made me smile.

Desiree said...

I love the picture of Karma yawning. What a marvelous shot, Rita! Enjoyed seeing and hearing about all you've been up to and love your Columbine page, even if you say the colours aren't true to life. I couldn't produce anything half as good. I hope the rain stopped so you could take some of the stuff to the garage. I'm impressed with your neatly wrapped embroidery thread 'thingamajigies' You have so much patience!

Beth said...

I love the pictures of Karma!

You are doing great with your artistic endeavors.

Anonymous said...

Look at you go! I'm so glad you are having fun and it looks like getting organized on top of it all! Way to go!

Crazy Life of a Writing Mom said...

Those look amazing! Orange is my favorite color--this is another example of why--it's gorgeous when used by a master's hand! ;)

That picture of Karma yawning is one of my favs ;)

Toriz said...

As long as you're having fun, it doesn't matter what colour things are, or how much mess you make! ;)

laurak/ForestWalkArt :) said...

i LoVE the karma yawning pic!!! what a great shot!!

and Rita!! your sketching/painting of the columbine is wonderful!! you did really good! and hey...anyway...all that matters is that you're having a good time doing whatever it is you're doing!! keep it up!! >>uh oh...a house...i don't think i could do very good with that one! good luck! :)

((and i'm still always so amazed at your organized STUFF!! wow.))

have a great week! feel good!

Carolyn Dube said...

The sunset journal page is awesome- love the scale of it- the big sky and the distant trees. Makes me think of how powerful those beautiful sunrises are! Your flower rocks! So much creativity here!!

Intense Guy said...

Mess? What mess?

I love your art!! You really are too modest...

Friko said...

I love your columbine; I have some in the garden which are exactly this colour! So you didn't get it wrong.

Serena Lewis said...

Great shot of Karma yawning, Rita!

You're doing great with the watercolours. They aren't my forte at all as I'm so used to acrylics. I am learning a fair bit via Kate's class tho. Your columbine is gorgeous! I love the finished page.

Good luck with your organising. Before my surgery, I want to get in and do some of the bigger house-cleaning chores that don't usually get done each week...such as windows and fly-screen cleaning.

Have a lovely evening ~

Love and hugs,
Serena xo

carol l mckenna said...

Love the journal page ~ very creative and colorful and well done ~ Bravo ~ Love, love, love the photos of Karma ~ Way to go, girl! ~ namaste, Carol ^_^

Nezzy (Cow Patty Surprise) said...

There is nothin' quite like washin' a beautiful sky with watercolors!

I do love the spattered affect.

I believe maybe Karma has the best idea of all though! Heeehehehehe!

God bless and have yourself a sunshiny kinda day sweetie!!! :o)

Megan Adamson said...

Loved reading this. I am so disorganised, but I love your boxes.

I found a tip that I find very useful. Use hair irons for ironing small items like ribbons or lace that you use in your crafts. It also works with paper. Saves getting out the iron to do small things.

Following from Ms A.

AliceKay said...

Mary Lou Retton was a little spitfire. I loved watching her perform in the Olympics. :)

I absolutely loved your first photo of Karma. The second one was cool (got that tongue pretty good) but the first one was my favorite.

I thought you did a wonderful job painting the columbine. :) What TexWisGirl said about the seed packet was dead on. I agree!

I hope the rest of your Monday was a good one. *hugs*

DJan said...

Nice Karma pictures, and I think the columbine looks great! The color might not be exact, but that's not the important part: your artistic talent shines through! :-)

Queenie Jeannie said...

I love your sunrise!! I've tried doing that with sponging and it turned out so badly that I had to scrap it. I have no talent for drawing or painting either, so I'm in awe of you!

Have fun "puttering"!!!

Jenny Woolf said...

Gorgeous pictures! I think orange is great, specially if it is a colour you love. It's your picture and it's about you too!

Deanna said...

Doesn't it feel good to get organized? You're doing good!

I forgot to mention in the last post comment that when Jim was an art teacher he ordered all of his supplies from Dick Blick because they were always less expensive than the other supplieres.

pauline said...

Your work is great, Karma is too precious, and I loved that quote by Mary Lou Retton... how true. Thanks for posting! (ps: your watercolor blended sky is wonderful!) xoxo

Trixie said...

Making progress on the spools I see.

Desiree said...

The columbine looks wonderful! And I do not think the paint splatter was too much. I really loved how it came out, but I know all to well how what it is when what is in your head does not match what is on the page,lol. But I also have found that if I do not look at it for awhile and come back, I normally like it, not always lol but most of the time! :D I tried looking that watercolor class up but you need an invite to the ning site, I guess it is a ning site, does she have a regular web site or anything to look at, lol not that I need another class to do haha

glad you and Karma got some sunshine, it was freaking in the 80s here seriously crazy weather!

Cindy Lane said...

Visiting your blog Rita is like sitting down to a smorgasbord of colour and humour, with a bit of kitty goodness thrown in!

Onwards and upwards!

Dee Ready said...

Dear Rita,
Like many of your other readers, I liked the boldness of the columbine. It declared itself. Quite lovely.

Karma yawning so reminds me of Noah, a cat with whom I lived in Stillwater for over 17 years. He yawned all the time. A favorite pastime of his.

Peace.

Gwen said...

I share your love of wild flowers...just could not live without them.
Your Columbine flower is beautful.
If you mean scratching into the paint...I often do it when it's dry. Splashing is great with an old toothbrush.
An art teacher once told me, not to overdo the splashing...or it might look as if you got the idea for Christmas:)

Thank you for your sweet comment

Have much fun :)
xx

Anonymous said...

I love your painting! You know, sometimes I change the colors to whatever I want anyway. It looks great in that color. I also love love love your organized thread. I didn't think anything about it when you first mentioned your new boxes but now that I see how you organized the boxes with those balls in there I've realized I could get some of those for my tatting threads. That would be so much better than what I've got. Thank you so much for the inspiration! I love the picture of Karma yawning. I think I might try to draw that :O) You know, be glad you're not on facebook now because now they've added word verification for extra security - for adding certain things like videos to your wall.

Karen Smithey said...

Love the columbine! Beautiful painting.

And the pix of Karma are stunning! perfect with the sunlight shining off the whiskers...

Pattie Wall said...

Nice job on the watercolor! Karma is a cutie pie! Thanks for sharing your blog address on strathmore discussion.

Far Side of Fifty said...

Great painting! I see you got some of the boxes to organize your floss..it will make sense of a tangled mess and be less frustrating for you! Isn't the weather grand!!! :)