Pond Reflections

A new painting group has formed for 2024. We've come together and discussed some guidelines for the year. Those guidelines are there to get us started, but we've already started to change them.  We don't all know each other or know each other's work well, so we're anxious to see what we become!

We don't even have a name yet!  We have lots of ideas though!  One will emerge.

Our first prompt was "Reflections."

I fretted for over a week without a good idea.

Finally I settled on one that was obvious and tangible, reflections on a pond. (This one was outside a cabin we stayed in at Big Cedar in Missouri.)

The more abstract reflection is done in thought.  For me, I think/reflect best when writing.

These are some of my diaries and journals.  That blue one on the right was my very first one.  It shows my very first entry. "January 1, 1973 - I watched the oreng bole parade and traist in my coloring Book." 

A diamonte poem is something I did with my 4th grade students.  It's when you take two seemingly unrelated things and find the commonalities.

1. 1 Noun
2. 2 Adjectives
3. 3 Verbs
4. 4-Word Phrase
5. 3 Verbs
6. 2 Adjectives
7. 1 Noun

Original Oil Painting on 9"x 12" Wrapped Canvas
[SOLD]

Word Weaver Art 2023 Blurb Book

It came today!

Yay!

When I took those first lessons back in 2007, I wouldn't have dreamed that I might still be painting  in 2023.  

When I wrote my first blog posts back in 2009, I couldn't have imagined that I'd keep it up, that I'd love it, that I'd "meet" so many friends.

I have a Blurb book for every year since I began. I am a huge fan of Blurb and would recommend them any time.

My little collection of Word Weaver Art books grew today.

If you'd like a peek inside, click HERE.  Once it opens, click PREVIEW.  Then you can click the pages to flip through the book. If you read my blog, you've basically already read it, but it's fun to see it all put together in a book format.

Do you know my favorite color combination... go ahead... take a guess. 😊

Crafty Month

I was feeling like I hadn't done much in the last month or so. But then I started actually looking at all the things that have come out of my little garret art room.

I made a bunch more Holland Pouch Bags. 
I never intended to sell them, but surprise surprise
friends wanted them to use as Christmas gifts and asked.
*Note the cat trying to be in the photo...

I haven't given up on watercolor / mixed media.
I'm getting better.

And... I made even more of those little bags. 
No, I don't have to even think any more.
I can just sew them on autopilot.

Any excuse to use the palette knife is a good day at the easel.
True my blue heron's neck should be longer and more graceful,
I just decided it was a baby whose neck hadn't grown yet.

So, of course, I made a few more.
Perfect little special gifts when I need one.

Making a quilted fabric collage from a painting has become my newest favorite thing.

Finally, after making nearly a hundred (that's not an exaggeration) of the other little Pouches, which I discovered on Wendy's blog a couple of years ago, she had a post about another kind of bag.  I think it's time to move on to a new bag. I got the pattern and gave it a try. This one's called a Japanese Rice Bag.

This is happening!

So excited!

We'd love to see you there!

From the Heart

Art Show Dates

February 1 - February 29

Art Show Reception / Meet the Artists

Saturday, February 3, 2023

2:30-5:30

Red Kite

Coffee House

1852 N. Crossover Road

Fayetteville, Arkansas

Reception February 3rd, 2:30-5:30

I Like Thursday 1/24

  Thank you to Leeanne of Not Afraid of Color for reminding me to notice things I like. 

I like that my kids and grand kids each have an Amazon Wish List.
I can set a $ amount, click, click, click, click...
Then wait for the packages to arrive.
Shopping done!

I like our ornaments.  
Each one holds a meaning or a memory.

I like my colorful little flock.
Zeb, Fancy-like, Elenore, Trudy, Beauty, Judy, Pip,
Vendi, Twinkle, Pauline, Jolene, Foxy, Ruby Jean, 
and... Pete.

I like sharing our little piece of the earth with forest friends.
But if they can't leave the chicken houses alone,
 they have to be relocated to a different woods.

I like our raccoons and possums and turtles and deer and birds and
squirrels and armadillos and whoever else pokes around in our woods.
They just need to stay in the woods and out of the chicken coops.

I like firecrackers.
I love the recipe which is  in my beautiful late sister-in-law's handwriting.

I like word games...
Wordle, Quordle, Crosswords, Cryptoquotes...

LeeAnne's  get-to-know-you writing topics this month:

Do you have a favorite appetizer in your family?  My family loves homemade Chex Mix and Firecrackers.

Would you rather have buffalo chicken dip or artichoke dip? Ummm... neither... But, more importantly why did Kraft stop making French onion dip!?!? My favorite summer meal of tomato-bacon-tomato sandwich with Ruffles and French onion dip has never been the same!

What do you try first when you go to a party with snacks? Probably a sausage-cheese ball, maybe some chips and salsa, a little fruit to balance it out.

Do you have plans or desired to learn something new this year?  Yes! Always a life-long learner.  But, I don't have a plan for something specific I want to learn.

Do you have a goal for this coming year?  Hmmmm...I should have an answer here. I do have daily goals, if that counts.   

An event that had a big impact on you this year.... and how did you handle it?   I like signed up for and participated in an year-long on-line multi-media art class called Life Book 2023. There were 30+ teachers and 80+ lessons.  I committed myself to learn new mediums and ways to create.  I did. It was hard.  It was uncomfortable. I loved it. But, I'm ready to get back to my good old comfortable friend oil paint.                 

Does your family play games? What kinds and are any of them new ones this year? Cards? Board Games? Puzzles? Action games like darts or horseshoes etc?  My family is made up with 6 grandkids ranging in age from 1-5. Soooo... the main games played are chase-each-other-with-sticks-while-squealing, pretend-to-hide-then-squeal-and-run, or dump-boxes-of-toys-in-the-floor-and-squeal.

Working Puzzles

We have 6 beautiful grandbabies. The youngest is about to turn 1, and the oldest hasn't turned 5 yet. We are blessed  beyond measure.

We love to have all 6 here together. There is lots of chasing and squealing when we do.

One family of three has blue eyes. The other family of three has brown eyes.  We call them our Browns and our Blues.

We love to have one family at a time here. We have routines that they know, love, and expect.

And we love to have time with just one by himself or herself sometimes. 

This little sweetheart is the 4th in our line up. She's my little puzzle worker.

My weekly-ish challenge was "Toys." Puzzles are toys, so I met the challenge... and added a little person too! 

 

Original Oil Painting on 10"x 10" Wrapped Canvas
[NFS]