Bragging...

A friend of mine recently told me that it really was OK to brag...   And, then there is that "don't hide your light under a bushel" thing... 

So - drum roll...I recently won Third Place in a (non local) art competition! A member of my art group belongs to an art league in a different area and is always urging us to enter their shows. The February show was themed 'Love, Love, Love.' 

I had just finished a pastel painting - see blog of January 12th - titled 'The First Grandchild.' It seemed like it fit the theme.

I received an email notice last Friday that my painting had been chosen and that there would be a zoom reception that evening.  I screen shot this photo as they were showcasing the award.

Thank you to the Art League of Ocean City (Maryland) for this honor! I was told that there were 70 entries and have enjoyed viewing all the artwork. You can view the exhibit and see the judge's comments at https://artleagueofoceancity.org/online-exhibits/

January Sketches

 The new year began...and my daily sketches continued. I wrote to Marion Boddy-Evans, the artist from whom I got a year's worth of word prompts, and thanked her for helping to keep me sane during these last many months. Having committed to daily sketching has focused my drawing and kept me being creative during this coronavirus lockdown time. However, since I began my year last April, I will run out of word prompts at the end of March! I hope she will offer another year's worth of words...unfortunately, it's going to be many more months before our world becomes 'normal' again.

So, here are the January sketches and my attempts to connect the images on each page in some sort of creative story:

Yes or No and Reddist - Day 1 of each month is always an either/or... Yes or No seemed simple enough. Thumbs up or down are universal symbols by now.  I had misspelled reddist - it should have been reddest as in the most red. Trying hard to figure how these two are related... Maybe a judge could decide if the red blob is 👍 or 👎!

Sharp pencil and Letter - The sharp pencil was fun to draw and it takes me back to some long ago school days when we had to raise our hand to get up and use the pencil sharpener in class. The letter also takes me back to the days when we wrote real letters! Although as I age, my handwriting has gotten harder to interpret - maybe email reads better. These images go well together, except that we were supposed to use ink not pencil when we wrote letters.

Stamp and Read - I think stamp was supposed to go with the last page - too obvious - I had a guy stamp his foot in a puddle of water. Read could have been part of reading the letter that had been stamped and written with the sharp pencil... Stretching my brain here, this guy is reading a book. I putting these together ....this guy is reading a story about a rainy day and a guy playing in puddles.

Together and Jump - Someone always gives me a puzzle for Christmas and I spend a week or so putting it together. There are so many things for jump - I decided to go with the trampoline. I have spent a lot of time watching grandchildren jump together on the trampoline!

Yellow and Sunshine - Well, yellow is yellow - what else? It's dreary winter here...I love the feel of warm sunshine on my face. These go together so simply!

Full moon and Carrot - We had the first full moon of this new year a few days ago. I understand it is called the Wolf Moon. I'm sure there is a long story there, but I don't know it. My son used to grow carrots. I have always thought they were beautiful with their tops on them. Okay, often the full moon is orange as it comes up... OR, maybe if we ate enough carrots we could see better even without a full moon. (Yeah, I know, that's pushing this 'how do they relate' thing)

Luck and Glitters - There are a lot of images for luck - I remember looking for 4 leaf clovers a lot when I was a kid. The word 'glitter' is one that sometimes makes me shudder. Have you ever done any arts and crafts projects with your grandchildren...and then tried to clean up the glitter???  I went with glittering stars instead. Relationship between them...With any luck, not too much of the glitter got on the rug or stuck to your hands that were also full of sticky glue!

Darkest and Green  - Years ago when we had children bringing baby grandchildren to visit, we looked for the darkest blackout shades we could find so we could put them down for naps in the middle of the day. When the shade was pulled down, it was the darkest.  Green is green... I tried to go from dark to light. It is interesting that when it is the darkest, you can't see color - it's a black and white world. There is a little green when the shade is up.

Envy and Grows - I had no idea what to draw for envy so I looked it up. Did you know that there are symbols for each of the seven sins? This is what envy looks like...easier to draw than someone looking over a neighbor's fence. In order to show grows, I thought I needed to do a before and after...small plant growing into a larger one. Relationship between these two...sadly, envy grows. 

Eats grass and Acorn - Well, there are a lot of animals that eat grass. The first one I thought of was a dog...I remember being told that they do that when they are sick. I did not want to draw a sick dog. I love the way giraffes have to spread their legs in order to eat grass. We used to live in an area that was surrounded by oak trees. In the Fall, the acorns fell everywhere. We had to sweep and shovel them up.

Obviously, these are both animal food - easily go together!

Top and Spiral - I first thought that top would be the top of something - but what? But of course, it is also a toy. We may have all had this kind of toy growing up. You pushed the handle up and down to wind it and then watched it spin. And, then there is spiral - fun to draw! There would certainly be a lot of different spirals watching a top!

Blue and Hole - I guess that blue could have been sad...but it was fun to do several shades of blue. I couldn't just draw a hole. It had to have something coming out of it! I guess I could be feeling blue if I had a hole in my bucket.

Rain cloud and Bird  - When we used to go sailing on the Chesapeake Bay we always watched for rain clouds toward the end of the day. We no longer sail so this cloud in over land. I was challenged with the word bird...  I think I was having a very down day - a little angry at the coronavirus still hanging around - so my drawing for bird turned out to be a hand gesture. So as not to be 'blackballed' from the internet, I offer this instead. Relationship here? Angry rain and angry gesture...

Flying and Fluffy - I don't have space for the whole story of flying except to say that flying a kite on this day has special meaning. I am thankful for treasured lives in my life. On the same page as flying...a fluffy cloud seemed appropriate!

Apple and Mixture - Now, apple could have been my laptop, but every artist learns to draw spheres not computers. I can practice drawing skills on an apple. (And if I was much younger, I could probably practice drawing skills on the computer) Primary and secondary colors - ever since I learned about this I have marveled at how this mixture works. It was fun to mix some of the primary colors to paint the apple.

Cake - And, I end the month with cake! For the past several weeks I have been craving sweets - and my husband keeps making brownies... By the time we are able to get beyond this pandemic... well... we will be draping the mirrors!

See you next month!

Riley

 Last Fall, a friend saw some of my paintings on line and asked if I would be interested in painting a portrait of her dog. I told her to send me some photos and we could talk about it. A few months later, she began sending me photos of Riley. She wanted to surprise her husband with a special Christmas gift. 

After looking at all the photos, I picked one that I thought I could work with. She and I talked about 'the life of Riley'... he seemed to loll around on the sofa quite a bit! You can't see it in this photo, but his right paw just draped off the sofa cushion - casual, nonchalant... 

I began with a sketch on sanded paper.

I decided to work on his face first to get a feel of what he might look like. I got in the suggestion of his body and wasn't sure what to do about the sofa...

...maybe just a simple background of a complimentary color. The more I worked on it the less I liked it! I did like that he popped out with a dark background, but I kept fighting with his body.

So, I gave up the landscape shape and thought I would try it as a vertical. I could crop out a lot of his body...  I cropped the photo...and got rid of those pesky legs!

I began again - this time on Art Spectrum paper that comes in dark gray. It's a better start.

 Now I am really liking his face, but still finding the legs a problem.  What if...maybe just a head shot... I'll erase his body.

If I put in a bit of neck, he could look regal...

Ta da... It is really about Riley's face.

The First Grandchild

I love being a grandmother! Watching all those firsts... Taking pleasure in just being there for them as they move from one stage to another. Our youngest grandchild is now 14, too big to carry around...but we have good friends who are just getting started in the 'grandparent' role. It is wonderful to see love in action.

I dropped by a friend's house one day when her grandson was visiting. I had not met him before so I spent a few minutes in some silly chat. I went inside to visit with his grandfather and when I got ready to leave, I went back outside and found him and his grandmother. I wanted to say good by and also wanted to take some pictures! 

I asked if I could take his picture. His grandmother was holding him, he turned around to look at me...and I snapped a few pictures.

One of the things that I love to paint is relationships. The photo captured that!

I began with a sketch on sanded pastel paper.

I wanted to begin with the lightest parts of the painting. It has always intrigued me that with pastels, you can create skin tones with all the light pastels. I used pink, green, blue, yellow... on the faces and his arm.

Then I began to create the rest of the painting. I got this far and showed it to my art group - they are great critics. 

We all agreed, that even though I had followed the photo, the angle of her arm was awkward and his hand needed work. I also wasn't sure what to do about the background...  I worked on the arm in several different ways. That meant that I had to also redo his pants...I had to make up that part. I tried different colors for background. I do not remember why I thought this would work. Actually, I think I picked up the wrong pastel!

So, lots more tweaking and redefining... changing the angle of her shoulder...finishing his hand...changing his pants some ...and here it is. 

It was a surprise Christmas present. So much fun to watch her open it!

December Sketches - Farewell 2020

 I have not talked to anyone who did not look forward to saying farewell to 2020. It has been a rough year in so many ways. I am grateful for the discipline of a word prompt everyday - it has kept me creative in little ways...and posting each month has been an interesting exercise as I make up ways that the two sketches on each page might be related.  So, here is December:

Give or Receive - Yes, I am still into hands. A hand out to give and one to receive. It is the season...

Librarian and Dragon - As I was thinking about as image for librarian I kept remembering all the SHHH! when I was young. I don't think there is as much of that these days. The dragon, of course, became a cute little tame creature. However, I have seen some librarians become dragons!

Knight and Viking - As far as I am concerned, a knight must be in a suit of armor. I have no idea what a viking looks like but I did find references to the 'tools of his trade.' These two certainly seem related - ready for battle.

Cyclops and Donkey - When I looked up cyclops, I found this little microscopic guy...one eye and a light purple body! The donkey looks a little sad to me. I do not have a clue how these go together - maybe just that they are animals...or both have an 'o' in their name!

Kangaroo and Spaghetti - Someday I would like to see a real kangaroo - can't not think of Winnie the Pooh's friends, Kanga and Roo. A plate of spaghetti...and meatballs...ready to eat. Hmmm, I wonder if kangaroos would enjoy a plate of spaghetti.

Spade and Wobbly - Interestingly, spade was a word prompt a few months ago and I drew a garden spade and a spade that I would see on a card. I needed to do something different so I did several cards with spades. Who (of a certain age) does not remember "Weebles wobble, but they don't fall down"? I guess these are both things you play with...

Sculpture and Pudding - I decided to create my own sculpture. I used to be a woodworker and have always liked 3-D art. I wondered about chocolate pudding, but that's probably too messy. I like the shape and color of this custard. It might be interesting to make a sculptured pudding someday!

Important and Celebration - An explanation point certainly calls attention to important! See? How can you have a celebration without balloons, bubbly, fireworks and streamers? These two easily go together...celebrations are important!

Mozart and Circus - I have seen lots of pictures of Mozart. I did not want to try to draw him...but I could write out some of his music. See if you know the beginning of this piece. When I was growing up in rural Illinois, the circus came to town in the summer. It was thrilling to go into the big tent and see the circus acts. I do not remember ever hearing a Mozart piece played at the circus... or ever hearing that Mozart attended a circus...

Talisman and Owl - I confess, I had to look up talisman to get some ideas. There were a lot of different good luck charms and symbols on chains referring to various gods. This one had something to do with the sun. I frequently hear owls in our woods. They call to and answer each other. I guess a 'wise owl' wouldn't need a talisman.

Armadillo and Glasses - My college roommate lives in Texas and used to describe the armadillos she saw there. She told my naive husband that the the roads were very hot there and that these creatures had to wear little boots so their feel didn't get burned! I guess if he had been wearing his glasses, or drinking from some, that he might have had two different ideas about that.

Hidden and Cuckoo clock - Have you ever noticed that so many things that we can't find are hidden under the bed? I can't imagine having to listen to a cuckoo clock every hour! Although, we have a ship's clock that chimes 'bells'  - sometimes confusing. Are these connected? Maybe you could time yourself when looking for a hidden object ...or go cuckoo looking!

Mistletoe and On My Mind - It is the season for mistletoe - a standard decoration for December. The prompt for Christmas I found bittersweet. On my mind - I was thinking about past celebrations, being able to be with family and friends -  not 6 feet apart - and this year, having zoom conversations. There was no kissing and hugging this year - but I am thankful for electronic conversations.

Shut and Allsorts - I was going for simple - the eyes are shut. As it turns out, Allsorts are a certain kind of candy. I started to draw all sorts of food and then found images of this candy. I guess you could eat all this with your eyes shut. Is it true that if you eat with your eyes shut, you don't consume any calories?

Tortoise and Tuba - There are so many tortoise images... I had fun with this guy...fat little legs and all. When I thought of tuba, I was picturing the marching band instrument. What I discovered is that is actually the sousaphone (which is of the tuba family). Who knew? These go together? Probably the tuba would be the instrument to play a tortoise walking. Certainly not the piccolo!

Ice cream and Fireworks - These seem more like the 4th of July than New Year's Eve... Where we live it's a little nippy to eat ice cream! Although...ice cream is good anytime. Fireworks are fun for lots of occasions. There are plenty of weddings around here - we hear fireworks on many weekend evenings! So, we are celebrating the end of 2020 with fireworks and ice cream. 

Happy New Year!

 

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!