Altering Spring

Good heavens it took me almost as much time to do these photos as it does to paint a face. But I enjoy it. So it seems the days are brighter longer but shorter, so many interuptions it seems. Cleaning and cooking seem to interfer, and being outside is a pleasure. The mail lady brought my neo crayons and was thrilled with the garden, such a nice interuption to have someone exclaim over something I have worked hard at.

I have beedn painting, but I had such a prim person in the painting it bothered me,
she wasn't just there I felt she was judging the world. It seemed things weren't up to her expectations, which we all do somewhat, but I don't want someone looking at me that way.

So I took photos of the garden, the sky, and the dog. Josie is rather scared of the camera,she thinks I will put her photo on the internet, silly dog. So the basic photos, and my altering. Background in the altering is fabric.

Spring collage and Laura's News

A lovely spring day, such cool air from such dryness. Early spring flowers last.
If your a gardener, and an artist, and all the other things most of you are, your feeling spread a little thin, not to mention a job that also interferes with your
day. No time to paint so I did a collage of a book, garden flowers, and a bird.

Also Laura Pace has a giveaway which has a lot of interesting things to add to your collection go Laura's Giveaway

I also have a photo on the right of her Misc. fun stuff. and you can also click on Found Memories to the right. You will find her.

May basket for Mae

I have had May baskets on my mind lately, when I was a child we made them and put real flowers in them, mostly fern and violets. We wrapped the flowers in damp paper and used saved wrapping paper over that, they were quite perishable but pretty.
We folded colored paper in funnel shapes and put handles on the with glue or those push spead apart fasteners. There was not an abundance of things to use for
artful creations like now. We didn't even have a stapler. You had to hang the basket on someones door knock and run and not get caught. I think if you got kissed you had to do the same next year and if you didn't they had deliver.

I think now of the pretty flowers you could make with ink blots and a little yellow paint. So many things to use and all the pretty papers. I even know we could of been much more imaginative then we were, we had blueing for laundry and food coloring. We could of made potato stamps, and cut papers for stencils. I do think we used left over wallpaper sometimes. Fun, I want to do another.

The Torn Veil

That is what I think of when I look at this, I like it but it seems rather sad to me.
and the facti is it is a bit messy, but still it suggests a day not gone well. It also suggestes a scattering of things for me this month and more scatterings of things next month. It is all listed, mapped out, and hopefully remembered. In fact I made two lists incase I lose one. This leaves you no place to rest your eyes.

My garden

In the fall when I plant bulbs I always think I will remember the new ones in the spring, I don't, I don't even remember if it was more tulips than daffodils I planted, in the spring is doesn't really matter because I am so glad to have green and flowers. I sort of wonder why I do this to the extent I do, gardening takes a lot of time and energy. I do it a lot for the look out the window, flowers for inside, and the exercise. Now I can't keep flowers on the kitchen table as Hermie, my cat gets up there and takes them all out of the vase. Silly of me not to have more discipline for my cat.

I brightened some of these a bit as it was quite dark outside, we did get a bit of rain. It usually looks like this about sunset time.

Unrest, ailing

I believe this rabbit has colic and a slight rash, and angel needs to come and do some holding and consulation, plus consultation with mom. Mom is off eating clover.

I did a sketch of this weeks ago or around Easter, it looked sort of lame, but it is what it is and if nothing else it has color and a story. I feel that the baby and the angel sort of look alike and that in itself is amusing.

I never quite know what I am going to get I just go along after the background is in and add or subtract, mostly add, until I think it is done. the baby didn't have a rash until I put dots on her jacket. My opinion is it is the red dye that is the cause. It could also be that I am messy with painting lately, can't keep colors clean and sharp. Also a little of that spring thing of staring out the window and thinking. It is a slump of sorts that rambles from one thing to another. Things that can't quite get finished up, Things I don't have control over, always pending more information, more calls, more appointments. Anyway here is the painting.

A Bolder Rabbit

Back to painting, can the bin of compositions be getting empty? Sometimes one thinks I can't think of anything different, and themes sort of take over, like this rabbit who is showing up in my work lately. Then there are backgrounds trying to be more creative and have things take a different look. Then there is trying to stay original which isn't so hard, because I paint a lot it seems to come out as me.

A good friend's daughter recently lost a dearly loved pet rabbit, so I have one more
rabbit painting I am working on, have had the beginnings going quite a while, and keep changing it before I do too much and make changing really difficult. This one I did with a May Basket idea but then it also changed. There is acrylic paint, stencils, colored pencil, napkins, in this work, a painting with collage.

With so many things to be focused about right now it is hard to focus, should be doing and the I want to be doing, and not to forget I have to be doing all get
jumbled. Spring is always like this, and because spring came so early to the North this year, some of the have to be doing doesn't even have to be done yet.

Stress Quilts

Stress quilts, I have a lot of them, tiny 4X4 some smaller made on felt, I make them when feeling stressed and can't think how to compose a painting or can't do much of anything, especially in the winter. In summer I can go outside and do things that help. However, I did these because I was moved to do blue and rather dark blue. Blue isn't my favorite color but it strikes me more than other colors and gets my attention quickly. Not a blue mood either. Just a mood and an inspirtaion of tiny bits I have saved in a box, and a lining of a jean jacket.

Misc. photos

Today's photos, a day outside, I really have some scrubby looking roses this spring I hope the pruning and feeding will give them inspiration to put forth new growth.
The weeds are highly inspired. And I have started the buying of plants, pansies and mums, mums so they hae a chance to really grow before late summer and fall.

Hope you can see the angel in the wear to the old silo, and the board with the diamond shape reminded me of a collage. The light hitting the blue on the counter looked pretty and the rest what is blooming.

Painting and Quilt

What I want to do is have a little personal fit, but if I have it here it won't be personal will it? Public fits aren't in very good taste.

The program not the printer scanner, the program that holds my images would not enlarge my thumb print photos so I could work with the photo. Then there was another program that came with the printer and I downloaded that, but a window came up that said it was fixing my problem, and at least for now it seems fixed.

I went out then and after to pull weeds for a while, I noticed that the rose bushes need a good pruning of dead branches. I hate that job,I always looks like I got a new cat and it isn't tame yet. You have to put on heavy gloves and a winter coat.
I will do that shortly.

The quilt is only 8X8 inches, the painting is quite bright not quite what I had in mind, if you visit Norah's you will see she gave us a challenge to paint our background in bright squares and I did this,
but maybe my mood was not quite right as things didn't go as planned. I may try again and do a better plan. I want to do some things that have a May, the month of May feel. It is a month I like a lot.

Suddenly I feel better, one has to remember if you state your inner anger in a proper way it will reduce the size as much as if you make a scene. If I make a scene then I have to get over that also and I have two things to work through.

Painting, and talk and more

What I did was upload photos first, It sort of froze up before and would not respond so I tried uploading first before I typed.

The photo of the two girls with the nest is my daughters second painting, Angie sent me her work today and I thought it so charming and the side faces were done nicely I thought.

Mine is sort of typical, except I put effort into more transparency with the butterfly, worked with very hard eraser, next time I will use watercolor and lift color and that will work better I think. Working on layering and more transparency.

The quilt show was good and fun and also exciting. I could of talked longer, then I sort of remembered all the other things to do. Others had to talk. As with things some people very interested in that type of quilt, people who are sort of in a hurry like me. It is a good thing we are not all alike. Isn't that why we visit other blogs to see how other people think. It enhances our lives to see. I so appreciate the work others do. It is expanded education of sorts.

Photos , quilt show

I should be talking to myself outloud, but I want to speak from the heart about quilting and faces, so I have a few notes. Because the printer scanner is goofy
and broke I nearly couldn't get my notes printed but the printer gave a gasp and I felt its heart start and it printed it for me. Bless it's little broken communication with the computer.

I have not had a nervous feeling until this morning and this is the day I realized, this is the day I have to speak and sound like I know something and not be boring.
Here are a few photos, you will know which are mine. The quilts are so beautiful that the classes made, so many hours of work and prefection. I sort of hurry along and also have standards, but they are different standards, if it isn't right I can can a piece off, I don't have to worry. I don't have to use a ripper.

Painted Plate

This is a very large plate, 38 inches around and very shallow, it is wood and found at thrift. The inspiration is Diane
she does beautiful work on furniture and other found items.

I have not put a finish on this work yet as there is something that bothers me and it is not her eye, her eye is in a tiny groove and that is how it should be unless I sanded out the ripple. The thing that bothers me is on the left top there is a white shape that looks just like the white garden spiders I have in my own garden.
They are a hekpful insect, get quite large, and can be several colors denpending on the plant they are near or on. All compliments aside for this spider I am not sure I want it there. Thinking about what to do is not hard, just if it seems quite Ok for me viewing as the plate will be behind the kitchen range on the wall.

There is also the worry if the protective glaze is flammable and might be dangerous in this area. (Visions of disaster) It is the little things that get you sometimes.

Digging around in the Barrel

My scanner is down, probably done, I don't have time in the next few days to get a new one. I will post anyway, try using the camera, I have somethings I can post.

This painting is sort of at the barrel bottom, not old tho, just that crooked building, I could of shaped it up but that is when the scanner died, in working with this. It is the lamp. She is rather a Spring Queen and the doily in her eye is no accident. You can surmise the reason. The doily by the church looks like parked bikes.

I did like the backgound a lot, and I know I have seen this woman before in my paintings she shows up every now and then.

Thanks for coming by, and I enjoy seeing what you all have been doing.

Preparing a Door Prize

Next week I am a guest speaker, I have talked about this before. I will be a
Fabric, Fiber artist talking about quilts with a face in the compostion, using recycled materials, yarn, ribbon, stamping, and stencils. Really mixed media with fabric. About a 130 women come for dinner, show and speaker. I said 180 once but that is what I heard the first time I asked.

I prepared one of the door prizes, I made a bag with one of my paintings on it, filled the bag with bits and pieces that go with two other smaller paintings.
There is lace, fabric, ribbon, yarn. buttons, and some stenciled fabric, enough things to create an art quilt. I am sure they have things at home that can go into their work also. So the bag is nice and fat with things.

I spent the day making signs to put by my display of quilts, about 20. Making the bag and choosing things to go into it.

Listen to The Mocking Bird

Silly name for something where the bird is so tiny, however I like that statement, it invites pleasant thoughts, thoughts that say I may not have anything else to do but listen for bird song. In a book and I can't remember what book the author said that the only thing I want to do today is stir the soup and feed the birds. Well I have days like that and I think I wish I had only the washing of the potholders and cleaning the doorknobs. Maybe paint of quilt.

The dear rabbit had to visit another, he makes rounds and shows some maturity with no spots today. Really I know rabbits aren't born with spots, and he probably isn't a rabbit, he most likey is a hare, Wanda called him Jack.

I nearly did a painting with out much color then suddenly failed with her dress.

I had to renew my drivers licence today, another 8 years before I do it again. Why I would stress over doing this I don't know, it was not a stressful experience at all.
I guess there is a deep seated fear the employee will say, no drivers licence for you, we aren't letting old women drive anymore. He will say to me they drive with their blinker on for miles and can't see over the steering wheel. They shouldn't even be in a peddle car. Well that didn't happen. I have always been very capable of thinking up the worst senerio for a situation. It is called awfulizing. I could give a class on this way of thinking.

Say hi to my Hare and wish him many visits.

Painting, quilt plans

Working on paintings, working on quilts, adjusting the photo shop so I can make the most of the color when printed on Fabric, it looks different on paper, brighter, and I don't want that bright spot in the face area of the quilt I want blending seamless look, yet in a quilt you think seams are appropriate. Yes....but still the composition has to not direct your eye to a bright spot. That is not quite right either bright is not the right word, white is better.

I am posting the painting, and a cropping of the painting and then two examples of how the painting looks altered with fabric behind all done on the computer so the painting is altered.

Mom and Daughter painting

Our daughter Angela is here today, I asked her if she would like to paint a face, so we did, this is her first face. A good job I think. For a first time there wasn't much fussing or adjusting. Hers is the one with the warm tones.

We sat down to paint together but went in different directions, I am not quite done with this, eye adjustment, maybe not, other things and maybe not also. For some reason this looks like the same person I painted a while back and down a few posts.
Funny how that happens.

A lovely warm Easter for our area, birds, flowers, working the earth, doors open.
We even had potatoe salad which is a summer thing and chicken fried then roasted.
Cucumbers and strawberries it all seems summer.

Hope all of you that visit had things of great enjoyment in your day.

A Spring Totum

Inspiration from A Floundering Star was the influence behind this painting. I really didn't even know it until there is was. It is an inner voice that speaks to one because of what another has said or done. You will see her blog, "A Floundering Star" on the right and visit her glass totums of influence.

I knew that I wanted a rabitt in this painting, he is the influence of a weather vane, maybe he should of been on top, I wanted him looking at the person. I like the piece of painted paper doily on the side of her face, thinking of doing a face with paper doily all around. The wings on the angel in my header are the same. It always seems to me tacky to use paper doily, everyone knows what they are, no mystery at all, but they have a workability that is pleasing to me. They take paint well, they also work good as a stencil. I may use one again today.

Thinking Easter

Of course not just thinking of the things we see all around us that mean Easter, but the real meaning. I always feel renewed in this season, seems to me it is more of a time of reflection than New Years. The newness of life is so much more evident.
However we hardly ever hear about Easter Resolutions, it just sems a good time to make change along with the changes of the season.

However my photos today are just the cosmetics of the season, however it all ties together in my mind as I remember the all aspects of Easter.

BTW I have never liked jellybeans, or peeps, and friends rave about these. I have never passed up a cream filled egg tho. So wishing you a cream filled egg and blessings on this day and the weekend of celebration.