Angel of Survival

I say this about survival as this painting was getting very close to the wastebasket. In fact I had pulled the basket closer to the work table and was clearing away scraps and cuttings. Scraps and cuttings are infact hard to toss sometimes as they hold possibilities, it is discouraging to see the scraps and snippets look better than the piece I am working on. I also tend to save the really good things and I do understand that if I used some of the really good things perhaps success would be less of a struggle.

To get to the point, as I was cleaning up I thought maybe this will work on the wings, and maybe I could change this tiny face, so small, smaller than an almond in the shell. Maybe this paper doily could add something, and some paper punch birds. All this on the floor and table. I seem to have a short term memory that most art work has a stage of looking awkward, like anything developing, like a seed started in the house it gets long and stringy before it gets just the right thing to make it stronger. So here she is.

A story of Ifs and Mights

I had spent quite a lot of time on a photo collage mixed with a couple landscape paintings, If I had done my select all before the save I would of had more than the border to show you. If the angel I had painted wasn't going down hill I would of showed you that. If I wasn't worried about Christmas travel for family I might of not made mistakes on these projects. I might be able to rescue both these things but it will take sometime IF I didn't have to do other things that concern the season. It isn't that I am wishy washy, I just don't know if I should and it might not work anyway. :>)

So here is a gaudy woman who says if only I looked like the woman in the corner and I might if I didn't have green hair.

Angel Of the Day

I have painted many, 5 of them are in a large collage 18X24 behind glass , theire background is

stenciled newspaper plus stamping in the various colors of the paintings. How many times does something turn out exactly they way you want? It did for me this time. I cannot get a clear photo of it even without out glass. The angel yesterday is in the collage and the angel with the tree is also.

This kind of art is so much fun, one of the reasons it is so much fun for me is I don't have to worry about the perspective of things in the painting. It also offers a lot of surprises that are good.

What I learned today has nothing to do with art, but it helps a lot to have a pretty face to wear a stupid hat.

Angel Of Certainty

Not feeling so certain this morning, so much to think about this time of year, then it is remembering to think about the right things. Then there is always art floating around in my head, especially the betterment of the art. Betterment might not be a word. Like eyes and why

they are difficult to get lined up correctly across a face or the same size so at least they are simular. Also the presenting of the work on the blog, how it can look one way in imaging and another when posting, plus still another way on the camera screen. Just when I think I know something I find there is so much more to know. It is me or the equipment? There is pleasure even in the struggle.

Mac and Me

Good morning, and thanks for coming by, so appreciated.

This is me in 1953, age 8, I was a tall kid and became a short adult. In school group photos I stood in back row.

In one of the Somerset magazines Lisa BiBi had a how to on altering photos I was captured by the work. As a Child once said, Dad when did the world become colored it must not of happened yet in this photo of Mac and me. Mac and Me is what I wrote on the picture at that time.

I made a copy on card stock, did some watercolor painting on me and the background, I added the dots from paper. I am sitting on and old broken table that was quite low. Somehow it has a floating feeling. I get a Wizard of Oz feeling when I look at it. The original is also in this altered photo.

This is not important at all, but that dog was the naughtiest dog I can remember in my life. He sure looks cute there tho. We have all learned that cute and naughty can go together.

Frosty leaves

Funny how something tossed aside can become part of a piece of art work. I had stamped these leaves on paper, the stamping was not clean or crisp. It was on the floor, yesterday while painting, and I wanted something sort of dreary, they seemed just right. The texture you see in the background are crayon rubbings on a piece of old wood, wood that no longer has bark. The rubbings were done on tracing paper as it is stronger and takes pressure better than tissue. I hope to try dreary again today.

Something Found

I am at odds and sods this morning, I wanted to show you altered photo of me and my dog in 1953. I had it ready with some other tampering and decided I didn't like the bright white area in the work. I have tried to get some color behind objects and it is not working well so I will do that later. Plus it would be nice to have the original there with it, I have searched the files and can't find that. So odds and sods.

So I decided to post a pic of Hermie, he has become a rather Tubby Tabby, his excuse is he just wants to fit in. Meaning of course he is looking at us with a critical eye.

The butterfly is a rather charming piece of unique work, it is a lense from a pair of glasses, the butterfly paper was put on the back side of lense glued, and then a white piece of paper glued, last, the artist put gold cord around the lense, and a pin back. The piece has a curvature of course from the lense. I am always quite charmed by these little things found in thrift stores. I have charming all over the house. Too much sometimes.

Thre is also a pice or needle work in this done by me, it is twisted fabric sewed by machine unto felt, a doily piece in the center and some french knots.

I remember being charmed in 6th grade, for Christmas we wrote the Lord's Prayer with alphabet macaroni on a piece of plywood and then painted it with clear substance to give it a shine. Schools could not do that now, but I think of it often as a labor hunting those tiny letters and 35 children doing this at the same time. The glasses lense would of been much more simple.

I chat on...This writing is sort of about making something out of not so much. I had a photo of a blustery day and a strange setting sun. (Still learning about that camera) The bottom of the blog page shows some work with a not so good photo. So more making something out of nothing.

So simple, a dog waiting

I show this because, simple beauty is hard for me, I see space and want to put something there. I have even purchased books on keeping things simple, I can't find them, and if I do tend to disregard the advice.

Frequently I see this sort of look in rural Wisc. At one time Sharon had a photo on her blog that reminded me of this painting. This is the landscape now, we have had early snow compared to some of the past years. People do still hang clothes on the line in Dec. next to a lighted tree.

I want to paint today, and not thinking simple at all.

Remembing Family Home

This quilt was done of my Inlaw's home, rural Minnesota. The house burned a few years ago.

I always liked it and the location along a river that you can somewhat see at the bottom.

There were Oak trees in the yard, geraniums around in pots and bird feeders. It was green like you see in the biggest photo. The creating of this didn't go as planned, I wanted more of the back door with the red broom and flowers. just couldn't get that photo to be a big enough statement no matter how hard I worked with it. The trees got to be a more prominate feature because they turned out well with the minipulation. Some of the minipulation is not realistic and I wanted that.

These photos were printed on on ink jet printer on fabric covered paper, the fabric peeled off well. It took nine sheets of this and I only wasted some tiny bits. I didn't have many photos to work with and choose parts from, only two. There is also other fabric used and some stenciling that is rather vague, but still adds color. Measurement 22 inX 22in.

Quilt Sections

I changed my header, I thought viewers might wonder what that is. These are two more sections of the quilt It only measures 17X13. The photos of it seemed to be rather dark so I scanned it in sections and every part does not show. It is old fabric and new, painted faces that are really rather small. If you see embroidery, it was on the fabric already, it is also machine quilted. Even the swirls you see on fabric were already there on an old Nero Jacket.

I posted a photo of the tableleg angel. The person that made this carved the head separate, and made the wings out of other wood. The bottom has had an addition so she stands more firmly, this is just glued to the real end of the leg. Some of the fine gold trim is gone and there are chips in the heavy cream paint. Nice little carved hands. It is about 70 yrs. old.