Retrospective: FACES

2009, collage on recycled cardboard, above.
Scraps of painted papers & cardstock,
hand-carved stamping, acrylic paint,
Sharpie drawing over pieced collage.

2009, Collage on recycled cardboard, above.
Cardboard cut into profile shape and collaged.
Watercolors, scrapbook papers,
hand-carved stamps, magazine words,
negative & positive shapes utilized.

2009 crayon drawing
glued into my art journal--
I colored right along with
a 3-year old...

12.26.08 Blue Faces
a "use up the paint on the palette"
painting, in acrylic

2009 pen drawing
of African mask,
in my art journal.

2008 "Botanical" collage.
Magazine images, drawing of
female face in Sharpie, columnar paper.

2008 "Flower & Face"
acrylic paint, painted cardstock, fabric,
sticker, hand-carved stamps,
magazine image, in my
art journal.

2008 "found poetry"
and drawing in art journal...
'strata of rocks' theme resurfaces...

2008 pen sketch
after DaVinci...
"Why does the eye see a thing
more clearly in dreams
than the imagination when awake?"

2007 pencil drawing in
my art journal--
self-portrait in reading glasses.

2004 watercolor in my art journal--
Muslim woman's face.

Playing with collage and paint,
2004 art journal page.

2003 matte acrylic painting from
a magazine photograph of
a Mayan sculpture & glyphs--
in my art journal.

My 2003 drawing from a magazine photo
of a Mayan artifact that was
carved from bone.

"In painting or anything, you cannot have hate. If you have hate, you destroy the picture and yourself. You can have hunger, you can have thirst, you can have great feeling for texture, you can be sensitive to touch, you can be sensitive to color, but for the head you've got to be sensitive to love. Otherwise it will not work...Now, that love won't change the shape, but it will add something...this radiates out from the person...it's in the air between myself and the object I'm looking at."
- Ivan Albright, painter

Black & White Day

Doodling while killing time in a fast-food restaurant... seems I spend quite a bit of time just waiting for people... spouse, kids, grandkids... listening to the restaurant music lyrics... might as well use the time creatively!

More
Art journal
pages...

"Art of the Middle Ages"

a book gifted me by a
kind friend inspired these
drawings.

Even facades of ancient
churches have motifs
worth utilizing!

Sketched in pencil,
then inked in Sharpie
and shaded using

"stipple" method.

Give-Away Winners!

Vintage "Congratulations" postcard image for you
to copy and use in your artwork, if you like...

Thanks to all who have visited my blog and followed
my journey through art! Your comments
are very appreciated. Creating and updating this blog
has helped me make artwork more often,
and therefore grow...

May the "bluebird of happiness" sit and sing upon your shoulder...
another vintage image for you...

I decided to add a third gift to the give-away...
Two ATC's featuring Asian images. The background is
hand-painted watercolor with stamped images,
the Asian ladies are purchased ephemera.
These are the only two in the edition
....and the winner of the two ATC's is...
DENISE!
Please contact me through my email
(click on e-mail on my profile page)

This little hand-made book with blank pages
should make a quick little project for
collages, photos, or any greetings...
...the winner of the mini accordion book is...
an evolving artist@swallowcliffs.blogspot.com
Please contact me via email. Hope you enjoy it!

The last (and my favorite) gift is the Art Doll...
She is created from muslin, hand-painted & hand-sewn.
Designs were drawn on in permanent marker
and stamped in acrylics with hand-carved stamps.
Some glitter glue and seed beads add
a bit of sparkle...
...the winner is...
Kiwicarole!
Remember, all winners should contact me via e-mail
by July 27th,
so that I am able to get your contact information
and send these gifts to you. If I don't receive a reply,
I will draw another name after July 27th.

Congratulations to all the winners, and
Thank You so much for encouraging me on
my journey in Art!

Anniversary

One year ago, on July 12, 2008, I started this art blog. This painting is in my art journal, done about a year ago...mounted in the journal just before the first collage I posted on this blog. It is an acrylic, after O'Keeffe...just a little piece of one of her flower paintings.



To celebrate, I am going to have a Give Away...Leave a comment on this post to enter the drawing for the Art Doll or the Mini Book. The Art Doll is 6" long, not including hanger and fiber tassel. The Mini Book is 2 1/2" by 2 1/2". It's an accordion book with blank pages. Check back by July 19, 2009 to see if you are the winner.

I look forward to hearing your comments, critiques, or whatever is on your mind. It's been a learning experience and I'm still working on improving!



I'll reprise one of my favorite quotes...

"Start by doing what's necessary, then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible." - St. Francis of Assisi

Skinny Book

Skinny Book pages created for the Altered Book Club Yahoo Group swap in celebration of 6 years since its creation. Dimensions three inches by 6 inches. Background is watercolor on 140 lb. watercolor paper. Texture applied with watercolor using a sea sponge, swirls created by stamping black acrylic paint with a stamp from Autumn Leaves by Clear Stamps. Letters and numbers were printed by computer onto drawing paper which had a watercolor wash applied. They were then cut with a one-inch circle craft punch.

The "birthday girl" was hand-drawn & painted with watercolors. I then reduced in size and made copies at an office supply store. Other embellishments include striped fabric and gel-pen drawing & writing.

The other swap members outdid themselves! All the pages were varied in technique and outstanding in execution. With 24 swappers, the quantity was a challenge for me but the final Skinny Book will be well worth it! Thanks ABC!

Art Journal Collages

Very little time to make art recently, but couldn't resist a quick journal spread before turning in...used scraps of hand-painted cardstock, scraps of images, origami paper, words from magazines, collage papers, & vintage sheet music...added just a bit of drawing on the right...it's an image of a petroglyph found in Ohio, carved into rock. I find I am fascinated by ancient forms of word art, hieroglyphics, carvings, etc.

Journaling at Boy Scout Camp

Art Journal Page: Craft acrylic paint, gel pen, ball point pen.

Another "use up the paints in the palette" composition--
I hate to waste paint!

Spent a couple of days at BSA summer camp,
volunteering in the Handicrafts area. Leftover paint creates
the background. Images and journaling completed after
returning home.

There were over 300 scouts in camp during the week
I helped out, and 123 merit badges were worked on
in the Handicrafts area, including Woodcarving, Leatherwork,
Basketry, Sculpture, Indian Lore, and Art. It has been
7 years since I was the Director of Handicrafts at the camp,
so several things had changed, but not the
way the boys enjoy their time at camp...

Beautiful sunshine, the sparkle of the lake, the shouts
of boys swimming, the laughter and singing at
meals, the rush to finish their merit badge requirements
on the last day of camp...

I hope you will click to enlarge the picture
to read the journaling on these pages.