Fairy Godmother's Birthday Card

Four days ago I mentioned that I had made my "Fairy Godmother" a birthday card but I was not going to post it until she received it. She does read my blog,after all. That wouldn't be too fair for you to see it before she did. Here's the front of the card.

It's made with recycled painty baby wipes. Here's the inside- with fold out from recycled "Nut-Thins" cracker box, stamps paint, of course, and a few paper pieces of my original art, which you might recognize.

And here's the back of the card where you can see some of the lettering through the paint.

I was pretty happy with the way it turned out and so was fairy godmother. There's nothing sweeter than something hand made and the fact that you've made someone else feel warm and fuzzy. Over the next several days I want to share with you a few more pages in my Smash Overhaul book. So, please come again. Thanks for stopping by............................................jo

Thank Goodness

Thank goodness for coffee and Morning Pages to spill my crappy stuff on to. Thank goodness for faces to cover it up. Thank goodness for my knowing this helps me to start my day.

What do you do to empty your head? Do you use art? Thanks for visiting.

I Just Couldn't Help Myself.

My daughter was sorting through some of her boxes in her bedroom recently and came across an old sketch pad of hers from when she was a little girl. She was, at first going to throw it away, and I suggest she just might want to save it for "posterity." She put it, and some of her books on a downstairs book shelf and it was then forgotten about. A couple of days ago I had to lift up the sketchpad to use the dictionary. (Does anyone besides me still use a real dictionary?You know. The kind that you can hold in your hand? It seems to me I could have used the online dictionary but it was like habit to go get it. Anyway, I opened up Liza's sketchpad and I just couldn't help myself. Here is the earliest photo where I have begun to add color but you can still see the original outline of her sketch.

Here it is finished. Yes. I said finished. How many times have I said I don't know whether it's finished or not? This is finished.

Can you tell I had fun with this? This piece makes me smile- big time. Liza got lots of laughs as I sent her photos every time I would add something new to it. She loves it as much as I. So. I told her she would have to think about doing some more drawings before she started her new semester in college. In the meantime, in the lower right hand corner are both of our names as the artists. Stay tuned. My fairy godmother's birthday card is done but I can't show it to you until she receives it. She reads my blog so it wouldn't be fair for her to see it here first. Thanks for stopping by..................................................jo

This Morning

I wrote about Seth's open call for submissions back in April, of my deciding to bite the bullet, life is too short, maybe my art is not that good enough etc.etc. But I persevered and told the critics to take a hike.com. I am very excited to see my work here Thank you, Seth. Thank you for stopping by.......................jo

The Art of Being An Artist

I ran across this recently. It speaks volumes. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10 Things Artists Should Be Thankful For Sylvia White September 22, 2011 Art of Being an Artist “Gratitude is when memory is stored in the heart and not in the mind. ” Lionel Hampton By the time most artists come to see me, they are usually beaten down and depressed by the struggles of the artworld. They have been abused by their galleries, taken for granted by their collectors, misunderstood by their families and exhausted from juggling real life with creative need. It is so easy to forget how special you are, when there is no one around to remind you, but you. So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I give you my list of 10 Things Artists Should Be Thankful For. Print this out, fold it up and put in your wallet. Send it to your artist friends. Read it whenever you feel all your work is for nothing and you are thinking maybe you should just stop making art and grow up. Post it in your studio when you are wondering what the heck you are going to do with all this work? But, most of all…believe it. Remember, it is impossible to feel thankful and be depressed at the same time. 1. I am thankful that I am not one of the majority of people in this world that wakes up every morning, goes to a job they hate, just to come home and do it all over again. 2. I am thankful that when I am away from my studio, my ideas come with me, they keep me company everywhere I go. 3. I am thankful for this passion that gives me so much joy (and angst) but mostly joy. 4. I am thankful that when I have left this earth, I will leave something meaningful behind. 5. I am thankful that I have a mind that can not sleep, I will never be bored. 6. I am thankful that there is a part of my life that nobody can control, except me. 7. I am thankful that no one in the world can ever take this gift from me. 8. I am thankful that I am brave, it takes courage to pursue my gift. 9. I am thankful that I am never satisfied, it forces me to move forward and grow. 10. I am thankful I discovered this list! Pass it on

Thanks for visiting.

We Gather Together

The Chair is finished. I rather like it. I played around with photos of it today.

I hope you are enjoying this day. Thanks for visiting..................Jo

I was sorting through some computer art files recently and rediscovered some art I made when I got Carla Sonheim's Drawing Lab book at least two years ago. She has a chapter in it called Imaginary Creatures. Out of paint blots and marks, these creatures appeared.

Maybe I should name them. What do you think? Thanks for dropping in.....................................Jo

Shhhhh

Shhh. I'm making a birthday card for my fairy godmother. It's not done yet so if she reads my blog post she'll get to see it in progress and know that it will be late getting to her.

Recycled cereal/snack/cracker boxes and baby wipes.......... Yes, the baby wipes I ironed one night while watching a Netflix movie. I saw a container with flowers on this so that's what I turned it in to, and having just come from running an errand where the fall foliage is in its peak, I tried to bring those colors home.

I drew and painted a leaf.

And here's another page in The SMASH BOOK OVERHAUL.

And lastly, my folders in my WHAT'S ON MY ART TABLE NOW have met each other. Duh. What does that mean? A year ago today this is what I was working on.

and this

Some of these pages still look like this. lol! But I've done a lot of art in between all those pages. It's a good day! I'm so happy to be not at work today. And my twin brother bought this from my me

I don't think I got it right with the above but here's hoping I got it right now If you haven't yet checked out my shop, please do. Hope you have a great weekend. Thanks for visiting........................jo

The Chair Project Con't

It's coming along. Not finished but not far from it. What do you think?

Look! It's the Joanna Bennett signature chair!

Seriously !How cool would this look in a child's room?! What do you guys think? Thanks for stopping by...........................jo

More Smash Book Overhaul

I think the last time I showed you this it looked like this.

That now looks like this.

and some closeups........

Glad you stopped by.............................jo

Smash Book -Esprit

I took a French newspaper fashion page and glued it on as a background. I was still into 'faces' mode so sketched in the face on top of the model. I like how the face of the model is visible through the face that I drew. I like how this page turned out.

Thanks for stopping in.............................................jo

Brother John got a kick out of the mail art I showed you on the last post. I posted on his FB page. I told him when he actually got it in the mail he could show it to his "force." Maybe they'd keep him on or maybe they wouldn't. In the meantime, here's a few more faces I've been doing in the mornings. I am beginning to think they're looking the same, but then I think they all seem to take on different personalities. I think it's time to get out my mini, somewhat flexible wooden model and add bodies to the faces.

Hope everyone doing ok. Thanks for visiting..................jo

I 'm Going to Arrest Her

My twin brother decided at 50 yrs old he wanted to do what he'd always wanted to do, and that was to become a police officer. Why? I do not know. I made this for him. On Tuesday I shall post this on his Facebook page, maybe embarrass the" badge" off him. Ha ha ha ha. I found some spelling tests from 1964 and incorporated them into the card- front and back.

I rather like it. In fact, I think it's pretty darn clever. Notice on the backside of the card the word for #5. Thanks for visiting..............................Jo

In the Van

Just playing in the Moleskin in the car...........of course

My heart and prayers go out to those persons who have been displaced and devastated with the latest storm. I have some family in lower Manhattan who have have been struggling. I found myself a bit anxious, as I'm sure many did, with the strong winds and rain, although, not nearly as strong as the previous storm where I found my self taking sudden shelter in a downstairs closet. No damage this time. It is good to see the sun today and feel a bit warmer temperatures. Thanks for stopping here...............jo