Saturday, May 3, 2025

creatively speaking this week.... watching paint dry, and progress on sewing projects

 

My focus on art this week (shared with doctor visits) was split between fabric and watching paint dry, along with some planning of my embroidery project. 

The color of the month at rainbow scrap challenge is green not blue but I'm catching up on scrap colors so I did another hexie spiral in blues...

Green showed up in a small portrait painted in my scrap paper art journal though

using leftover gouache paint

yogurt lid palette holds the paint for days. Look at the lovely mixing of color on the lighter blue/purple bit. You see that on the portrait too. Painting in an unnatural color allows you to just see shadows. 

green tones cut at 2.5" ready to do this month's color in the hexie spiral. How will these hexie blocks come together in all the colors? I'll think about that later when each color is done

I want to embroider a wisteria vine around my pastel bowl (EPP pentagon bowl) shown last week, so I got out my reference books to figure out how I want it to look

and realized I don't really have much purple floss/perle cotton. Or purple seed beads to use on flowers

that led to a bit of online shopping but no order made yet
back to painting... I knew a mixed media workshop was starting this week, so I got into the mood days before with this
a collage of magazine pages, some cast off paintings of mine cut out, some printed words, a mouse drawing, the back of a printed napkin.... and glued them into one of my junk art journals. 
That led to  painting over it with gouache paint and some inks


which was the start to that color palette on yogur lid in the image 
The embossed metallic stick came from a box my lancome lotions/potions came in at Christmas. Cut out in thin strips, I liked the shiny 3-d of it on this collage. 

in making the stars I cut away tiny triangles of blue/teal I couldn't throw away seeing them pile up

which led to piling them on scrap of batting into a blossom shape
which led to free motion quilting it with golden metallic threads
then cutting away excess batting, and thinking of a tulip with added leaves and stem
or a lake
sure but... so I took the photo for this post, and in looking at the photo I saw a face emerge
see it? subtle shading created lips, a wide-ish nose, eye sockets, a chin and cheek shape. I printed two  paper copies  of this to draw on later, and see if an abstract can become a portrait. 
(clapping hands in glee for future project and learning !!!)

I returned to the idea of green scraps to try a pattern too

scraps pretty but too small to use for this pattern

each block is formed from two 2.5" strips cut across width of fabric. Sew, cut, sew, cut, sew

and these were done. Dull as the only WOF strips large enough were dull colored. But... in ALL the colors, it might end up looking very cool right? 

By now the mixed media workshop began, and I want to do all the lessons. My doctors appts and back nerve pain got in the way of sitting at the table to paint all but one... an abstract 

done with watercolor paint, pencil lines at random, pen/ink lines , dragging the brush stem to etch lines (in that purple rectangle) taught by Laura Horn. See how mixes of color blend, how lines influence it, with no end in mind. Just getting lost in color. 
DH came out of his office and said 
"I see a house at top right, see the roof?" 
The workshop is offered by Tamara LaPorte and goes on two weeks online, and is free. 
Posted by at 11 comments:
Labels: ,

Thursday, May 1, 2025

I Like Thursday # 449 May Day, rugalach, books that make you laugh, and flowers

 

what? Thursday again? welcome to this week's list of likes starting with a metal sculpture I bought at a craft show in Maryland. I love the cutlery as rays!  the spoon on it's side for a mouth! 

I like that artists see the world in unique ways, and are driven to interpret it

The lilacs have bloomed on our bush

delicate scent, and color. From deep purple/plum to light lavender

I Like shadows....Shadow photo of the week

tree in bud

attempt at mixed media 

 here is a close up of a mix of magazine pages, drawings, cut out watercolors, napkins, paint and ink... story and pic on Saturday's post

attempt at rugalach (recipe from allrecipes)

Book Love 

audio one of the funniest cleverest books in a long time. I laugh OUT LOUD over and over

a sample phrase... a man looking at an apt to rent, sees an old kitchen and thinks ' that kitchen knows the difference between Red Skelton and Red Buttons'


Ebook a very clever period novel reminds me of Bridgerton a bit, VERY well written

 


a sample phrase, in a time more formal, a man and woman are drawn to each other, "he reached out a hand toward me over the small table, and I put mine in it because if felt natural to do so'

it is also very funny, and hard not to laugh at night while reading, so as not to wake dh

food likes

new to me fruit yogurt, heard of bilberry? me either

good consistency, not very sweet, top with granola

sounds good to me! and cute but not on a skewer

Conversation Starter this week, the merry merry month of May

National Salad Month – What are your favorite kinds of salads? Does Fruit Salad count as a salad? How about Tuna Salad or Chicken Salad?

I love salads from a simple wedge of iceberg with dressing to a large elaborate dinner salad with chopped veggies, olives, tuna salad, and croutons! 

Dressing is important. I always like Thousand Island best but also like a good vinaigrette, poppyseed, many Amy's brand, or simple balsamic. 

Curried chicken salad, potato salad, 3 bean salad, jello salad, citrus salad and waldorf salads are all good in my book

what about you? do you have a good recipe for dressing? share with me!

New to me blog  

saw this on the blog post: https://canwehaveanewwitchoursmelted.blogspot.com/



I like facts

okay y'all  please visit these fine folks to see what they like this week! 

 https://wordweaverart.blogspot.com/

 


Posted by at 16 comments:
Labels:

Saturday, April 26, 2025

creatively speaking.... this week, two portrait drawings, and several sewing projects

 

I love a hexie shape, and doing EPP hexies. I saw a spiral set hexie block online (can't find it now) that intrigued me for rainbow scrap challenge. This one is all together, so I'll catch up with the colors from last few months, and then figure out how to put them in one quilt top. (of course it's done by hand)

For this week, I have two pencil line drawings to share, and two other sewing projects in progress

First the sewing projects... 

after looking at the red improv piece on the design wall this week I decided to make it larger and include more colors.  I made some red stars with turquoise this week, they are 4" star blocks
I had just enough of the center fabric for 5 2.5" squares, it's one of my faves but virtually used up now that I cut 5 centers from it
design and making stage is messy!

Got four made, one to go... then decide on which colors I want to add to the whole


I enlarged the pentagon shapes to make another bigger basket. You baste fabric around the paper with glue since you're leaving in the papers this time. I plan to hand embroider vines around the top before sewing the side seams rounding the basket. You make two units, and tuck one into the other so all edges are finished when bowl is done.
 Also gives it more stability. I plan to embroider just the inside pieces you see when the basket sits on a table
when cutting the shapes some fabric was wasted but I hate waste so I just overlapped them onto a batting scrap and sewed over them...
and it goes back into the parts dept for some other project... maybe a brooch? with some beads? 

the colors are so pretty, I forget how pretty pastels are in my reach for saturated colors

Drawing in the art journal

I like these erasers... I want to practice drawing to develop my skills so I need good tools

these will smear or shade pencil lines a bit


AND different pencils have different hardness

a place to draw and paint
I love B & W photos from the 1920's and loved this cheeky pose... so here goes!
My attempt to capture a gesture photo

thought I would paint it but changed my mind, so the washi tape wasn't needed, shrug...
what's not right... something in the mouth proportion this time. LALAMO (live and learn and move on)
next, a man. I find them harder to draw plus a hand? yikes! 
top my drawing, inspiration photo copy tucked beneath
I print out a photo for inspiration, and tuck the loose copy next to my drawing and turn the page
I did use a tombow fudenesco pen for brows and eye liner
I like the shadows around his hair line. 

Drawing teaches me to SEE.  You must look closely for details that make a unique face, n'est pas?

Posted by at 22 comments:
Labels: ,

Thursday, April 24, 2025

I Like Thursday # 448 blossoms, messy desks, shows, a journal page

 

Blue skies and blooming trees 
blue skies, blooming trees, and a wee bit of snow equal a Colorado Spring... welcome to this week's list of likes  
red stems and white blossoms on this neighborhood bush

Reading

trying to learn French part Deux 


Edenbrooke come back for me to continue reading



Watching On TV 

Murdoch Mysteries (Canada) Wolf Hall (PBS) and back finally, Brokenwood Myssteries (N Z ) 

we found on ACORN a new to us series we LOVE  Darby and Joan   

Fine dining 

Made hot cross buns this weekend, FABulous 



who knew?  Kitchen hacks short video


I like conversation so this is our convo starter this week


where do you do your computer work, or blogging?  For example at the kitchen table like me or on your lap in front of the tv? at an actual desk? Do you use a larger computer or do it from your phone or ipad?  show us a pic if you can, of your set up for blogging. 
I write posts from the kitchen table here. I have a laptop, can't figure out how to use my ipad. I keep a place for morning coffee, and water here, have a new rolling chair (I have shorter legs so need to adjust)  my sketch books and art supplies are always out


so I use them more often. I have a small desk calendar too, to make notes on or see what day it is

I like things in sight to use, and keep more supplies behind me on the kitchen desk.  
Back in the day, I kept things in organizers on my desk top, along with pics from good times, and knew were everything was. Those days we had to take longhand notes on home visits, so pens were very important. I had a secretary to type up official forms I'd written for court/judges, I wrote them longhand and she not only read them but corrected my misspellings! 
I need organization, I get flustered with too much visual clutter now. I feel better when I clear off the piles. 



we are the "pilot" family, pile it here, pile it there, and eventually I put everything away or back in it's container. 
I write on this laptop and am quite a fast typist thank you to the summer class in typing during high school. 
I am not technical so I don't store more than I have to on the computer. Therefore papers are a big challenge to keep organized. 
you'll often find paint and brushes on my desk area


I've loved painting with gouache (opaque watercolor) paint lately... art journal entry
click to enlarge


Farewell to Pope Francis, who believed and worked toward biblical directives to be a good steward for the earth (environment and all creatures) and to accept diversity, and care for all humans. 
quote
"We all have the duty to do good"
 

Please visit these people to see what they liked this week and join us with your everyday likes, let me know if you write a post for me to include
Posted by at 19 comments:
Labels:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)