Holiday Greeting

This year is the strangest holiday time that I can remember. 'Confined' by this pandemic, we have had to  creatively adapt to the limitations imposed on our traditional holiday routines.

Yes, we did put up our Christmas tree...that  helped to set some atmosphere. But, we scaled down decorations this year: some greens on the fireplace mantle, a small arrangement on the dining room table, a bit of holly on one door and the creche that I have had for over 50 years. 

For me, there was no walking around a mall listening to Christmas music, no attending get togethers with friends, no Holiday parties - no reason to get dressed up. I did put on tacky Christmas earrings for a couple of zoom calls...

So, the time usually spent in 'getting ready' for Christmas has been a slower pace. I put on Christmas music and wrote cards. I put on Christmas music and finished up some painting projects (which I can't post yet - they are presents). I put on Christmas music and did laundry. I put on Christmas music and cleaned the house...has it really come to that???

It is a different season, but amazing in all the ways we are finding to be with one another. We have met with our House Church outside and in a friend's heated garage (with open window ventilation). We turned our sunroom into our CCR - COVID Conversation Room. We can heat it, have cross ventilation and 'socially distance' for a few people... and feel fairly safe.

Last night we 'attended' a live stream concert put on by a grandson and his wife - very talented musicians. We are hoping (weather permitting) to attend a 30 minute outside church service on Christmas Eve - gathered about fire pits. We expect to zoom with family on Christmas Day.

OK, what does all this have to do with my art blog? It's all about saying where I am in my head and my heart during this time...and getting to the image on our Christmas card this year.

For the past few years I have played with Christmas puns. I had one all ready to go (I had worked on it last summer...thinking/hoping that we would have COVID behind us by now)  

My husband and I went through several different ideas while watching the unimaginable rising death toll from this pandemic. The planned card certainly did not fit this holiday season. It's a sobering time. 

We finally settled on a simple candle...a symbol of light. 

Our message to you is 

"May this coming year bring light into all our lives"

Happy Holidays to you all. Best wishes for a healthy new year!

November Sketches...

It's December 1st ... Let me see how many sketches from November I can post before this month turns into January...

The either/or first day of the month is always challenging. In November it was War or Peace. That phrase always makes me think of 'beating swords into plowshares', but that seemed a little complicated in this small space. I just took away the bullets and substituted flowers.

Candle and Smoke - I think I probably had war and peace on my mind as well as the protests that are taking place in our country around Black Lives Matter and election issues. Candle becomes a vigil candle. Smoke could relate to the candle, but I am making myself learn about hands so a cigarette works here.

Fire engine and Lunch - I've always thought the hook and ladder fire engines were cool. It's noon, lunch time. Lunch bag, sandwich, fruit and drink - maybe the fireman packed his lunch today.

Goldfish and Flamingo - I'm not sure why...but my first thought about goldfish was the little crackers, not the swimmer. Flamingo makes me think of one of my granddaughters who was really into those amazing birds. I wonder if flamingos eat goldfish?

Shadow and Colossal - Here is another chance to draw hands, so shadow becomes shadow puppet. I thought a while about colossal and finally settled on the Colosseum. I imagine that are some amazing shadows in that old structure - all those archways!

Hero and Remember - The heroes of today are certainly the front line, first responders: doctors, nurses, firemen(EMT) and the police. Remember - That seemed an odd thing to draw until I remembered how people used to draw a string around a finger to remind them of something. Of course, you had to remember why you tied the string! These two could easily go together as we are thankful and remember the helpers.

Kaleidoscope and Camouflague - Didn't we all love kaleidoscopes as kids? The shapes and colors were fun. I did not want to draw camouflague clothing - too 'warlike' - but I am always fascinated at the way animals are camouflaged in nature. The leaf bug is always hard to see. I guess these could go together as almost opposites - kaleidoscope colors are bold and 'out there'...camouflage, not so.

Reflective and Zebra Crossing - I wanted to think of reflective and going inward and thinking - voila, the Thinker! When I saw the word prompt zebra crossing, I immediately thought of a road sign, like deer crossing. When i looked it up, I found out that the stripes painted at street crossings are called zebra! Who knew? Hmmm, it takes some reflective thinking to figure all this out!

Wheels and Steam Train - WOW, there are so many kinds of wheels! Water wheel, bike wheel, tractor wheel, wooden wheel, caster....  Those old steam engines are always fun to see. I imagine they were terrible pollutants, but had such character. Certainly, the steam engine had interesting wheels.

Umbrella and Dancing - It's been raining a lot here, but I was going for a beach umbrella and sunshine (couldn't resist adding a small umbrella in a drink next to the chair). The dancer was fun to draw...I can't imagine my body in that position...ever! Putting these two thing together? Remember Gene Kelly in "Singing in the rain?" He danced with his umbrella!

Pouring and Leak - Whoever was pouring from this bottle, missed his mark! It was interesting to make splashing liquid. We have recently had some plumbing issues in our kitchen...leak is something I know about. Hmmm, with all the rain we have had, I should have done pouring rain and leaking roof!

 

Scottie dog and Tail - Thinking back, I suddenly remembered the scottie dog figures that were on magnets that we had as kids. There was a black one and a white one. We had them chase each other around. (a friend told me that those weren't scotties - but that is my memory). We have Eeyores all over our house. He is known for losing his tail.  Two childhood, treasured toys.

Giant and Sink - There are a lot of gigantic things to draw, but I wanted to show big and little so here is the Jolly Green Giant with two little people. Sink probably meant the kitchen sink, but I've got a boat sinking. If the Jolly green giant got on the boat...well...

Think and Several - I had already drawn the Thinker, so I changed this word prompt to 'What was I thinking?' The next word prompt was the day after Thanksgiving .. after a meal of many traditional foods, I needed to consider several healthy snacks. Here are several containers of things that are good to eat. How do these go together? Well, I guess...what was I thinking about all those Thanksgiving pies!

Rabbit and Ring - Cute little rabbit - not so cute when he eats my garden. I was tempted to just draw a circle or a diamond ring...but, I saw another chance to draw a hand - ringing a door bell.  After doing this I looked again critically and saw that the hand and bell were huge and the bricks very small. I was emphasizing the ring, I guess.  How do they go together other than both words begin with 'R'? Maybe the neighbor is ringing the bell because the next door rabbit ate his garden.

Cupid - the end of the month. It seems to me that Cupid should have been in February, but here he is! He is also on the page with December 1st so we'll have to wait until the end of the year to see what he might relate to. He looks a little chubby. Too much Thanksgiving dinner...soon time for Christmas cookies!

October Sketches - Part 2

Most of the election rhetoric has died down ...I am no longer avoiding all the news.  So, I am back at my computer to post the rest of the October sketches.

Closed - A closed door indicates closed, but I added a sign to be sure. During this virus lockdown, unfortunately, there are a lot of closed doors. Jampacked - all I could think of was a suitcase. Sadly, there is not much travel happening these days. The suitcases are put away. These words could be related easily if the jampacked suitcase ever got closed.

Cello - I love the sound of the cello...plaintive, melodic, beautiful. Sausage Dog - I have never particularly liked dachshunds and did not want to attempt to draw one. However, I do like Polish sausage 'dogs' with chili and mustard! Imagine sitting and eating this hot dog and listening to cello music... aahhh...

Steep - We are into another spike in COVID 19. When I look at the steep graphs, I find it scary! Drop - I am often looking for opportunities to draw hands. They are not easy and I am trying to use this time to practice. A hand dropping a ball seemed appropriate. How are these two connected? To get a little political here...If our current president hadn't dropped the ball, I don't think the spike would have been so steep! Interestingly, I did not have that thought when I was sketching...

Embarrassed - I don't like to draw faces, but here's another occasion to draw a hand (I can cover the face). Beanstalk - There is no way to not think of Jack...although I didn't draw him. Related? Maybe a little crude, but if you ate too many beans....embarrassment!

Magic - Of course, a hat, a rabbit, and a wand. I tried to make the rabbit hiding from the magician. Pumpkin - Just fun to draw and seasonal. There are lots of stories about magic pumpkins... the first one I think about is Cinderella and going to the ball!

Garlic - My son is an organic farmer and used to grow LOTS of garlic. I love the way it looks - and the way it adds flavor to things. Phobia - There are so many phobias - things to fear. This guy is trying to keep everything away! (And I could practice hands again) We all know that garlic keeps vampires away - if that is your phobia...

Superstition - There are also a lot of superstitions! Crossing your fingers for good luck - yes, hands, again! Bat - I think the intention with this word was the creature - bat. We sometimes had bats in our house - I am not fond of them. So, I went the baseball route - after all, when I sketched these it was World Series season. These could be easily related - have you ever watched the baseball players go through 'good luck' routines before a game?

After Dark - the end of the month! I read that this October was the first month since maybe 2018 when we have had a blue moon! (that's two full moons in the same month - it rarely happens) So, 'after dark' is the full moon shining on the water.

We are well into November - more to come!

October Sketches - the first half.

 The days run into each other...and suddenly it is the beginning of another month. Today is election day and I am trying to stay busy. I do not want my reptilian brain responding to 'Breaking News' - those little computer or smartphone beeps that insist that I look right away. So, I'll spend my time posting the first half of the October sketches.

Cheese or Wine - Each month begins with an either-or choice. I usually sketch them both.  Bubble Bath - I love the look of old tubs. At my age, I dare not try to get in or out of one, however. As to how these are related... soaking in this bathtub with a little wine and cheese...

Waterfall - I went to my picture file and found images of a trip to Yosemite - lots of waterfalls there. Smile - It's a tough time right now to see any smiles. We are all wearing masks. How I miss smiles! Maybe these go together to remind me to get outside and social distance so I can take off a mask.

Lipstick (plant) - I added the plant part because I didn't think a lipstick was very interesting. Spider - I looked up spiders and was really grossed out. Just going for 8 legs. Maybe she is ready to make a web on the lipstick plant.

Earthworm- When I saw this word it took me back to high school biology and how interesting it was to disect a worm. (Weird associations, I admit)  Hedge Hog - cute little guy. He actually looked cuddly in some of the pictures that I saw. I guess they both live on/under the earth.

Heavy - I don't know exactly what is on these scales, but it sure is heavy. Scarecrow -  This was fun to do. He's out in some sort of field. These two may be opposites. I always think of scarecrows as being light. They are made of straw after all.

Road - I wanted to make this a little more interesting by trying to make it a hilly road. Chicken - I first thought of a live chicken, but thought it would be easier to sketch a roasted one. I was picturing lemon-rosemary. Okay, I have a road and a chicken. It sounds like the beginning of a riddle...'Why did the chicken cross the road?'

Llama - I think the most interesting part of the llama is his upright neck and head. They do have cute expressions. Stranger - The handshake makes us more like friends than strangers...and it is missing today. The virus compels us to not touch. Hmmm, I can't imagine shaking hands with a llama, but I guess you could make friends with one.

Martini - Sort of speaks for itself... my husband likes olives or a twist of lemon. Telephone - Today's youth will not recognize this! Anyone remember talking to the operator and telling her the number? There was a time in my life that I made a drink at 5:00 and called a friend to check-in and talk about our days.

That's the first half of the month and enough for now... as 'they' say, "Stay tuned!" I think we may have several days of 'Breaking News' post-election results to avoid. 

More September sketches...

 Taking some time this morning to finish up posting the September sketches. Beginning where I left off - September 17th.

Silhouette and Pot Plant - This silhouette is a sketch of one of my grandmother's sisters. It was given to me by her daughter who told me how it was done. Apparently, ladies and gentlemen of the time would sit before an artist who would cut out their likeness from a piece of black paper! It was framed in an oval frame. When I first saw Pot Plant - pot is what I thought of...but I am sure it could be any plant in a pot - I would call that a potted plant.  As to how these two images might be related...I can't imagine Great Aunt Mary smoking pot...but she probably had house plants

Odd and Empty - I took the easy way out with Odd... odd-numbered balloons. I had fun with Empty. I tried to take pictures of my hands holding something and emptying it. Not easy to hold something and take a picture at the same time! Throughout all this sketching, I have been pushing myself to learn more about drawing hands.  Comment about these two - it does seem odd to pour out a gallon paint!

Skeleton and Crocodile - I had done a skeleton for something else so it wasn't too exciting. The crocodile sent me to google to find out the difference between gators and crocs. (I knew all that once...) As I now look a the sketches, I see I unconsciously faced the croc away from the skeleton... I must have already been planning how they go together...or not!

Ancient and Rhinoceros - I love ancient trees. Their twisted limbs are amazing. I always imagine that each tree has so much history to share - stories to tell. The rhinoceros always seems like its old...walking in a plundering way. It probably dates back quite a ways...would it have stories, too?

Thirsty and Blob - I tried to think of all the things that I like to drink so I won't be thirsty. Blob really could be anything, but I imagined that someone knocked over a full glass of red wine on a white tablecloth - the dinner party nightmare! It wasn't me - I don't drink red...

Similar and Zigzag - I did a lot of thinking about similar. If I look in the mirror, my image is similar, but reversed... Tiny sketches of faces are not my thing, but I was challenging myself with this one. Zigzag could have just been a back and forth line, but I wanted to play with color a little. I have no idea how these two go together!

This is the last page of the month... one of my favorites!

Yoyo and Quack - Yes, working on hands again. The perspective on the yoyo is a little off, but once the ink is there, I'm stuck with it. Quack takes me back to many very giggly times. I can't remember just when Pringles came on the market, but my children and I (and more recently some 'grown-ups) had such fun making duck faces with the Pringles! QUACK!  Both these sketches bring back memories of play...or if you went public with the duck face, someone might call you a 'yoyo.'

I'm well into October...plodding along daily...

September sketches - half of them today

 And, another month has passed! I feel like I am a little more organized right now...at least I have all the September sketches in one place... but, there are quite a few so I am beginning today with the first half of the month.

As in past months, I am entertaining myself with trying to figure out how the two sketches on each page can possibly be related. It really is quite random - I don't pick the word prompts and yet, there they are appearing together.

Actually, I learned something on September 1st. Each month begins with two words - an 'either-or.'

Less or Fewer: I confess, I looked it up. Less has to do with a quantity that is not easily measured. I sketched a glass of wine and a bottle of wine. The glass has less wine in it. Fewer has to do with things you can count. I did several pots of flowers with lots of flowers in each pot (you can easily count them) and then I did two pots (fewer) with fewer flowers.

Hummingbird: they come around all summer to feed at our feeder...but I guess they could feed on the flowers in the pots. It's now September and they have gone for the winter. We will be seeing them less.

Squirrel and Eagle: There are squirrels everywhere around our house and in the garden. I think the eagle is keeping an eye on them and maybe even assist in population control...

Spade and Torn: I sketched two spades - one from a deck of cards and one to use in the garden. Torn could be the shirt worn by the hard-working gardener!

Dragonfly and Ladybird: I had fun drawing the dragonfly. I love those fragile-looking wings. I had to look up Ladybird. I had no idea that it was the same thing as a Ladybug! (all I could think of was Lady Byrd Johnson who planted wildflowers all around the highways! - I am aging myself) So, I am thinking that the dragonfly and ladybird can both be seen in the garden with the spade and the gardener with the torn shirt. How nice that these two opposing pages go together so well.

Dandelion and Kudu: Thank goodness that this dandelion is not in my garden and spreading its seeds! As for this Kudu ...I had no idea what that was. He is an interesting looking animal with amazing curling antlers and white stripes on his back. I have no idea how these two things go together...

Books and Camera: I love sketching books...and reading books. I also enjoy reading on my tablet, but there is something about holding a real book. My husband is a photographer and has MANY cameras. The one I like the most is the large format camera made of cherry with brass fittings. He says it's difficult to use - it's heavy and there are a lot of things to remember, but it takes lovely photographs and is a beautiful piece of woodwork. Old fashioned books and cameras easily go together - and bring lots of pleasure.

On the Shelf and In the Cupboard: Both of these were fun to draw. I had to decide just what I wanted to put On the Shelf ...look in my closet or make it up - you guess. In the Cupboard presented the same dilemma... you decide where these things came from. These two ideas do go together ...storing things.

Sherlock Holmes and Squeak: The first things that came to mind for Sherlock Holmes were, of course, his hat and his pipe. And then, there's Squeak... I thought of a pig, a squeaky door, a stair tread... then I remembered the Tin Man who needed an oil can! I would sketch an oil can to fix the squeak! I am sure Sherlock would have solved the way these things go together...

This gets me halfway through the month and enough for now... thank you if you persevered and read this far!

I'll post the rest of September next week... one of my favorites is at the end of the month...

"Meditation"

Over this past summer, our local art museum sent out weekly emails. Each week there was a word prompt - theme for the week. One week the word was "Meditation." A good challenge so I got out my sketchbook...pencils, pens, brushes, and paints...

I do not consider myself a true 'meditator,' but I am inspired by nature and music and can ‘lose myself’ in certain special places.

I began thinking about a lot of different things... The slow oscillating sprinkler. It’s gentle back and forth spray is mesmerizing.

Water is important to me in so many ways... 

There’s the birdbath... I love to watch the small fountain and the antics of the birds.

 When weather permits, I try to swim every day. I love being in the water...

..and on the water. One of my fondest memories is of canoeing on Wisconsin lakes in the summer.

Some of my quietest times have been just sitting on our deck and looking at the water. It’s a very healing place.

Of course, my garden is also a place for thinking and healing. When the deer are not eating all my plants, it’s a peaceful place.

We live surrounded by tall trees...black cheery, locusts, maples, oaks, and tall pines. There is something special about forests.

In the winter, we are forced to be inside more, but there is nothing like being in front of a blazing fire ...

...or just sitting in front of a glowing candle.

And, the other thing I depend on is music. It transports me to peaceful places. Unfortunately, this sketch went onto two pages so there is a crease in the middle. 

Having a suggested theme was helpful. It got me thinking about possibilities. 

More sketches to come from another week's theme...