Ok So I didn't finish the "Twenty Minutes" of art pieces I showed you on the last post but I did finish the 12 x 12 pieces of wood I introduced to you on the post before that. When I started taking pics of them I noted that the last one I worked on needed more color, especially red. Then, I just felt like they were all lacking something and so I set about flicking paint specks on all of them. Here are some closeups. I'm not sure how I feel about these. I am debating on putting some words on them.I like how I challenged myself to work on lots of layers and that they are different yet similar. Maybe I've been working on them for awhile so that I'm tired of looking at them. Maybe I need to leave them for awhile and come back to them. What do you think? On another note, I have been drawing faces IN THE VAN in the morning before work. These are all out of my head. I notice I also get into certain hair styles as I am drawing. At one time I thought I wanted to be a cosmetologist so maybe the hair thing is a result of that. Here's a few faces.

I hope you've had a good weekend. The weather was wonderful today. Thanks for visiting.

Twenty Minutes

Just felt like doing something...... I didn't know what except I had the need to slap some color down. I have to get my hands painty before the day is over. Where am I going with this? I dunno. Stayed tuned.------------jo

Twelve By Twelves

I showed you this 12 x 12 on wood on September 1st. It has now become this and it has some additions. With the exception of two stencils which I purchased, the other stencils were ones I made from found things around the house, like the plastic steam tray inside Healthy Choice Top Chef entrees. It makes a great stencil. Compound joint tape from the hardware store also makes a great stencil plus it's sticky on one side so you can just push it down leaving it there without gluing. It makes for great texture. The top left one with the yellowish green background is made with recycled baby wipes which I ironed and glued down. And if you look closely there is real lacy fabric which my Fairy Godmother sent to me some time ago thinking I might want to use it somehow in creating art. It was perfect timing when I found it stashed in my drawer and began to cut little pieces hoping it wouldn't then fall apart. Pretty cool, don't you think? I'll show the missing piece when it's done. I am enjoying the cooler weather. I smell Fall in the air. Thanks for stopping by.................Jo

I thought when I first started these I'd cut them up and use them as mail art but the more I worked on them the more I like them so I'm not sure what I will end up doing with them. They look a little different from when I last showed them to you. Sorry. The last one is blurry. I like them all together. And here's a couple more mail art on index cards. I like doing art on an index card. It often leads to larger canvases. Hope you're having a good day. Thanks for visiting...................Jo

Finding Peace

I'm so glad I can come to this space of mess and color............. and find peace. Do you feel that way when you go to your creative space?

I saw these glass "thingies" at the Dollar Store. I say "thingies" because I really can't see them being called glasses for drinking or even mini vases, for that matter. But maybe that's what they are. I'm sure they hold numerous possibilities, however, my extent of going in to the Dollar Store most of the time is to find something I can use in art. I have bought those 3 page children's books for altered books, dictionaries for background pages, various kitchen gadgets for stamps, plastic containers to hold some of this stuff, tissue paper, and poster board, just to name a few. So, what ever these "thingies" are really called, I couldn't resist trying my hand at "decoupage" in hopes of coming up with something really cool. This is what I came up with. It reminds me of when somewhere in my childhood of decorating one of those tall, glass candles that you'd send home to your Mom for Mother's Day or Christmas. Was it art class or Sunday school? P.S Thanks for all your comments. I love the feedback. Keeps me going and motivated.I think I'm getting my mojo back. And for those lovely, funny, creative people that have sent me recent tidings of good cheer please email me with updated postal addresses so I can make your mailboxes happy.------------Jo

Here's a few of the index card/mail art stuff I've been working on using up left overs on and around my art table. Using the "catch all" wax paper from my art table seemed like a really cool thing to do but when you get to the point of adding things like lettering or certain markers it makes you think twice when the markers just slip and slide and there is no evidence that it had been there at all. I had to search the house for just a plain old ball point pen. But I do like that it is see through The first one has a Dina Wakley stamp on it. (The figure.)That also was hard to get clear on the waxed paper. Instead of using waxed paper to protect my work surface right now I am using a big piece of foam board (I think it's called) that I got at the dollar store. I turn it every once in a while. I think it will make a very interesting canvas when I decide I'm done using it. Later.....................................Jo

Weaving

I know a lot of people don't like spiders, for many reasons. I can't say I dislike them but I can say I am intrigued by what they create. There are some people who believe that if you come in contact with certain animals, or certain animals tend to show up or show themselves to you, they are trying to send you a message. They are your animal totem. Spiders, it is thought represent creativity. It's not hard to understand. It makes sense to me. Look at the amazing webs they weave. Some spiders are so small, it's really amazing they can weave such enormous canvases. I have been aware of my seeing a lot of spiders for a very long time, and no, not just because it's been summer time. I don't particularly like seeing spiders in my house or running in to a spider web, but I don't as a rule, go out of my way to search and destroy the web, or kill the spider. I believe there is a reason I keep running into or coming upon them, both spiders and webs. The day was beautiful yesterday, clear, blue sky, sunshine and very pleasant temperatures. I really could have enjoyed just sitting outside sketching or reading, but, knowing there were some things weighing heavy on my mind and I needed to work through them, I did some necessary yard work. I got out my carving tool. and I proceeded to carve and cut and chip away.......... And I touched the crepe myrtle. Thick, strong and smooth but getting choked by the overgrowth and ivy. Kind of like when sometimes people in your life consume too much your energy and focus. It takes a lot of work, strength, and a brave person to realize this. It takes more to keep going, to face forward, to hold on to your dreams. I gathered, collected, trimmed some more. Ok. so it's not perfect, but it's a heckovalot better than it was. And I walked to the mail box and my mail box was happy once again. Lovely mail art from Nydia in Connecticut. I am enjoying being a part of making happy mailboxes Thank you, Nydia. And lastly, I found another sign, another yes-you-are-doing-what-you-are-supposed-to-be-doing-right-now message from the ones that weave. The sun was bright and it's not a great picture but you get the point. You know what I am talking about. I'm glad you stopped by.---------------------Jo

Art is the only way to run away without leaving home~Twyla Tharp

I still don't feel like I've got my mojo back yet. I really don't feel like I've accomplished anything much this week. I did some playing this morning. I just wanted to see some instant results so I threw a lot of stuff down on 4 pieces of card stock, trying to use as many resources that I could put my hands on. I think they might get added to the last pile of index card art which will become mail art. I found this sweater at a thrift store several years ago. I got it because of the colors. Not surprising I see these colors show up over and over in my artwork. I don't know how you feel but I'm looking forward to a new season. Thanks for visiting. -------------------------------------------------------jo

Egyptia

I hadn't intended to be absent so long. With some difficult circumstances on the home front with family and personal issues, as well as in the work place, life has been just a wee bit stressful. It's amazing what can be sucked out of a person. While I always have gobs of ideas running around in my head, I haven't felt too motivated to produce too much since I last posted. If truth be told, I have felt pretty down lately. I came across the box I have stashed in my studio that holds a lot of my childhood. By that I mean, my report cards, photographs, from elementary school, letters I wrote to my mother while away at college, memorabilia . you get the picture. Ok. So, I am amazed that my mother saved what she did. Like my spelling tests on the lined paper when you were learning how to print and spell. It took me back to when my mother made our bagged lunches. There were four of us. We couldn't afford hot lunches for four children on a minister's salary. I remember feeling pretty envious seeing what was on the plates of the kids who had hot lunches. And what I remember eating a lot of was either peanut butter and jelly, cheese (American, which I can't stand to this day, or bologna(which I also detest) sandwiches. I never offered my kids the last two, but they did enjoy pbjs often. So, when finding an old school picture of me, a piece of a page torn from a dictionary, and a spelling test, I through it all on one page, proclaiming myself "Egyptia," who was very disappointed to open up her lunch bag and find yet another bologna sandwich...... which, you know, kind of cracked me up when I glued it all down.I was trying to work my way out of this funk. I think I can still produce that same expression and sentiment even today. Thanks for stopping by. I hope to be back in the groove before too long.

Short and Sweet

Usually when I sit down to post on my blog I am pretty tired after my work day, when I've been around so many people and my brain is fried. People are draining. So tired I cannot think of what I believe is an appropriate post title. I often sit here and ponder what the title should be, probably more than I need to and I don't want to say the heck with the post because of a dumb post title...... so duh. I'm sharing with you what's on my art table. Here is a work in progress I started last night. I like working in this huge Moleskin. And my mail box was very happy today when I received a lovely post card from Lera in Moscow. Thank you, Lera. Oops. Let's try it again. So that's it. Short and sweet. Hope you've had a good day. Thanks for stopping in.---------------jo