Willowing Arts: A Year of Magic & Fairy Tales (January)

When I taught school, one of the older kids (a 4th grader) would come on the intercom at 8:05.  He or she would lead the whole school in the Pledge of Allegiance. That would be followed by the school creed and motto:

At Holcomb School, 

we are a diverse community 

of respectful, responsible, and creative 

life-long learners. 

Aim High!

I haven't said that sentence daily for a nearly a decade, but I think I'm holding true to being a life-long learner! 

Acrylics & paint pen

Masking fluid, watercolor, paint pen

Watercolor, paint pens, colored pencils

Watercolor, paint pens, colored pencils

Pen & ink drawing, collage, stencil, acrylic inks

Acrylics, paint pens

Art Journal Cover, gesso, acrylics, paint pen

Watercolor & salt, pencil & blending stump, splatter, gel pen

Layers of collage papers, craft paint mark making, paint pens 

My Girl

I love my job.

Ok... so it's not really a job.

I love being asked and being able to put someone's treasured image onto canvas.  I asked Dayna if she wanted to give the painting a title and write something about it.  I don't know this kitty, but I love her through Dayna's words.

15 years ago this January, I walked into the Windsor Humane Society looking to adopt a cat. Cliché as it sounds, I remember it just like yesterday. I think within minutes of meeting Harper, affectionately nicknamed ‘Lovebug’, she instantly started purring and I instantly started crying. Something just clicked in that very moment, a bond that my husband years later would refer to as my ‘outer organ’. Often, people refer to their pets as their fur babies or children and I have always thought of Harper as mine. But reflecting on our last 15 years together, I now realize that she’s truly mothered me over every one of those years instead. She was my only friend when I found my new footing in a completely new life across the country from anyone I knew. It was her that would give me all the kisses and head butts after a hard day at university or an awful day at work. She’s laid motionless by my side when I would have migraines that would take me out for days, been my ‘something to hold on for’ for years of depression and mental health challenges and still harasses me when I spend too much time in my office or away from her when I must travel. She’s my shadow, my moufette, the pookster, the Harpster…she’s my girl. 

This is not this kitty's first time to appear on my canvas. if you look really closely... back there in the trees... zoom in... at the base of the third tree from the left... Ah ha!!! There she is!

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

Pretty Pink Daisies

 

The cards have spoken...

Bloom... Magenta... Add More Texture

✓... ✓... ✓...

This was  good time to try out my new "stuff."

Here's where I'd like to say how much I loved using it and how it made the paint thick and able to hold rich textures with swipes of the palette knife.  I'd like to say how it was so fun to use and I can't wait to use it again.

But...

It didn't really seem to do much of anything. Hmmm... I'll give it another try soon. 

These pink daisies (coneflowers?) grew in the back yard of my parents home.

Original Oil Painting on 6"x 8" Wrapped Canvas

Click Pretty Pink Daisies if you'd like to purchase this little painting.

Willowing Arts: A Year of Magic Taster Sessions (11-20)

More lessons... more fun... more surprises...

Watercolor & Pen
Gathering (fairy) inspiration from what might be outside in the yard

Acrylics
Using only 4 colors: 2 browns, red, white

Colored Pencils

Craft Paint

Acrylic on paper, then gesso over negative space

Collaged notecards, then ink over negative space.
Story cards, showing what 's personally important.

Watercolor in blobs then inks to find floral possibilities.

Markers, overlapping doodling

Gesso mixed with baby powder
Applied then scratched to remove creating runes

Collage with acrylic, papers, stencils, pictures, doily
Let some images/words escape the border of the picture

I Like... (12/25)

Thank you to Leeanne of Not Afraid of Color for reminding me to notice things I like. 
Click on HER BLOG to see what positive things others like. 

I like having chickens in the backyard.

i like having friends over for a paint night.

I like tomatoes from the garden.  These are the last ones of the season to ripen.
That's it until next summer!

I like watching an amaryllis bloom in winter.

I like making a little Blurb book each year to show all the paintings I've done.
Click HERE if you want to see.  After it opens, click "Preview" then click on
the corner to flip through the pages.  

 I like our new bird feeder.  It shows us birds who've been visiting.  

It also tells what kind of bird and how often they've visited.

  but it didn't recognize this species...