Simple Efforts

I am quite amused, last evening we were watching PBS, the show was about people from Norway, the culture, the food, traditions, art, all of these interesting. Then they said that Norwegians can't leave any surface undecorated, my husband found this highly amusing. You understand how truth about another can be serious or amusing.

I did decide then to do a painting and be as simple as I could, I did fairly well.
I will do another also. The painting that is lightest in color is the original.

Fabric, Paint, Cardboard, Snow

The snow part is we are having a big snowstorm, many inches again on the melted areas we did have. A set back in spring, I don't mind this always use to happen in
March it is just that it hasn't for a few years so we get complacent and then are annoyed when we get normal. At times the snow reminds one of a sheer curtain moving in the wind, gusts carry snow across the landscape giving a tranparent look and an opaque look all at the same time in various degrees and areas.

I started another quilted/fabric journal, I enjoy doing them when the sewing mood strikes me. I think this will be the cover, on the inside pages I want pockets with a small item inside showing a bit. My SIL sent me some fabric that has a pocket design, I want to use some of that fabric. These are previous posted paintings sized small for the book. The journal is 5 1/2 X 5 1/2 in. If I was or if I had been thinking I would of added some text in making my sheets to cut apart for this. I usually owrk how I feel and not write, except in a different journal that is a lot of pasteing and messy writing.

I also have this painting on cardboard, caqrdboard that has been distressed and ripped, the painting is not done, It could be, but I want something else in it.

Spring Gathering

That is the focus of this angel, the search for spring, if you look carefully a lot of the finds are not from nature. That is how it would be in Northern WI if I searched.

I also noticed a note pad on the table, I liked the cover so I scanned that design into the computer to use in this art work, these pages go into a journal. A journal I have worked on all winter, many of the pages in this blog since last August are journal pages.

Anticipation, Journal Work

Thought about that word today as spring drags it's snowy, muddy feet north. Anticipation has always been as good as actual doing to me. Ihave thought of poppy pods for a long time, I wanted wonderful, georgous, I didn't get that, but I did get interesting. This is journal work.

I thought about anticipation at 6am, that is the time I get to the fitness center to ride stationary bike, and walk on the New Step, one other exercise and then arobics for one hour in the pool. This is about getting strength back in my leg and it is quite strong, but it is shorter now so I can't really walk even. I suppose this could happen after knee replacement, then breaking that leg and having a rod put in one thigh. You just can't rent a leg stretcher around here. :>) I do well with a cane, and I have called a shoe cobbler about working on the soles of shoes, making it thicker.

There is collage on the original seed pods, also the brighter deeper colors are the original colors, and the pale tones are a digital alter along with a photo of my garden poppies.

Scrappy bits

Really this is what this collage is, a lot of scraps laying on the table, scraps I sort of like, I suppose I could put them in a folder and title it "My Best Scraps"
Instead I decided to use them workable or not, that is sort of a labor as one thing does not always go well with another so colors have to be added to the background to help the scrap fit in.
Also a lot of texture from paint is not the best when doing a face, lumps and bumps tend to add distortion to an eye, lip, or nose. This all came from inner thoughts of being brave, however the art is having so much a look that is the same. For now that is OK because I did want 4 that were sort of simular using the photos of cut up buttons. Sometimes people want 3-4 prints that are sort of in the same vein. Sometimes I make cards that way to give. The point is brave still turned into a rather typical work.

Also a couple of these are digital alterations, the reason I save the prints of the alterations in a journal. Journals become like shoes or coats, very personal, just faces, just fun prints, small works from other people. I do get satisfaction from seeing several on a table. It even seems at times that I cannot possibly do them fast enough, isn't that missing the point of journaling, being in a hurry to finish, somehow that doesn't seem honest. There is an except.....Journals can be made as gifts and then you just leave room on the pages for them to take their time writing. That is a great gift to give, do people then say.....I could not bring myself to write in this. Perhaps this blogger has scattered thoughts this morning.

Painting, A Struggle

This painting sat partially done for a couple weeks while I did the quilted journal, and BTW I have not yet taken a decent photo of it in completion. When I did go back to this painting I had the face mostly done and background also. "Done" that isn't quite right, I had done some work in these areas and at the time, had a feeling for where I was going, I was doing a series of faces using photos of buttons for embellishments. Still I had lost the idea, the feeling, however, I do think I ended with the same feeling even if buttons were not used.

I enjoy backgrounds that have been scraped, sanded, paint reapplied, with more sanding and scraping yet it has to hold some clean color, have visible designs and please me. It took several hours to get this to some satisfaction. Winter has a mean grip on the north, I do feel a need for some color, also some flowers, even some temps of 40 would be nice.