http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2012/02/18/145786298/portraits-of-a-daughter-on-magic-road?sc=tw&cc=share
Day 8: 2012 Portraits of a Daughter on a Magic Road
I was alerted to this wonderful series of photos by my niece-in-law Meme. I didn't know that NPR has a "feed" called the "Daily Picture Show" where people submit photos. This particular series of photos, with an introduction written by the father, was a superbly pleasant way to start my morning. Spend whatever time you have available enjoying this small girl and perhaps? You could stop the feed and paint a gestural painting? a portrait? Many painting opportunities in this series of photos.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2012/02/18/145786298/portraits-of-a-daughter-on-magic-road?sc=tw&cc=share
http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2012/02/18/145786298/portraits-of-a-daughter-on-magic-road?sc=tw&cc=share
Day 7: 2012 The Wordle Website
The Verdugo Hills Watercolor Society's latest newsletter had an interesting blogsite mentioned by the editor. She challenged all of us to go the Wordle website, create a wordle and send it back to her for inclusion in the next newsletter. It is so darned much fun to create these things. Take a look at Wordle and then take a look at what I made. Such fun!!
I am so jealous of this guy. He has the ability to write code like nobody's business. I'd give anything to be that computer savvy. He was working for/with IBM when he developed this Wordle site, with their blessing. He's now working with Google in Cambridge, Mass and thinks that it's hard being a beginner at Google. If he thinks that's hard ...................what hope is there for the rest of us wanna-be-nerds!?!
Day 6: 2012 How to Paint Glass from Robert Burridge
Interesting video by Robert Burridge showing how to paint glass.
Thought some of you might benefit from this.
It made me think differently for sure.
Thanks Robert.
Day 5: 2012 - The Sketchbook of 2011
I've talked about it off and on over the last few months: The Sketchbook Project run by the ArtCoop in New Jersey. The final product from 2011 is due on January 31st. Nancie Johnson and I ran a "Conversation" in watercolor, sending pages back and forth from California to New Jersey, having a transcontinental "talk".
I'm now frantically binding the project into a book since there's no way at all that our project will fit into the original Sketchbook. The rules were that you could rebind, redo in any way at all as long as the original measurements of 5" x 7" held. Our book is going to be about 3/4 of an inch thick, with photos and envelopes and some kind of tie to hold the whole thing shut.
I've been dreaming about this, pondering this, wandering through the Dick Blick store's supply of bookbinding kits, went to a class there about making journals.......
I feel like I have a huge high school/college exam coming up that I need to cram for!
So tonight I started in on it.
Two pieces of thick chip board, cut to 5x7 size by my friends at Anthony's Framing in San Marino, California. They are the nicest group of men, always so willing to help me!
Then I covered the chip board with a nonspecific gift wrap paper, creating a spine at the same time.
This is what the outside looks like at this moment.
I'm using a bookbinding product, gummed linen tape, to create the hingeing in this project. I used it to make the spine, thinking that it's a pretty sturdy product. You can see it in picture one.
So she took this photo and changed it to this:
I'm now frantically binding the project into a book since there's no way at all that our project will fit into the original Sketchbook. The rules were that you could rebind, redo in any way at all as long as the original measurements of 5" x 7" held. Our book is going to be about 3/4 of an inch thick, with photos and envelopes and some kind of tie to hold the whole thing shut.
I've been dreaming about this, pondering this, wandering through the Dick Blick store's supply of bookbinding kits, went to a class there about making journals.......
I feel like I have a huge high school/college exam coming up that I need to cram for!
So tonight I started in on it.
Two pieces of thick chip board, cut to 5x7 size by my friends at Anthony's Framing in San Marino, California. They are the nicest group of men, always so willing to help me!
Then I covered the chip board with a nonspecific gift wrap paper, creating a spine at the same time.
This is what the outside looks like at this moment.
I'm messing with our photographs. Nancie sent me a picture of herself that she painted several years ago. It looks as if it was a photoshop image (which she didn't think was very nice of me to say) so I asked her to photoshop the photo of me so that we'd look kind of alike.
So she took this photo and changed it to this:
And then I cut them down the middle to see if I could create a combined person and have it look anything but really weird. It's not all that bad but I don't think I'll use it. I think I'll use full size photos that have been photoshopped.
Still working hard on it. Gotta get it finished tomorrow as the weekend is taken up with a 40th anniversary celebration. Our adult children are driving in from San Francisco and taking us out to dinner. Whoopee!
Day 4: 2012
There's a painting blog I've been following for about a month now. A man, James Gurney, who dreamed up and illustrated Dinotopia, a book I've loved ever since the first time I saw it. I've asked permission of him to use parts of his blog in mine and then I thought that everyone who is interested should just subscribe to his emails themselves and enjoy his take on painting as I am.
james gurney, himself
Day 3: 2012
A friend of mine knew to start my day, today, Sunday the 8th of January, with, I think, one of the most beautiful things I've seen in years. The site Ted.com features motivational and educational speeches by famous people. I've seen some of them over the years, but today's presentation by Louie Schwartzberg on the subject of Gratitude brought tears to my eyes and wonderful thoughts to my brain. I'd like all of you readers to watch this to the very end and then try to tell me that you weren't stunned by the beauty of his thoughts.
Open your hearts to the incredible gifts civilization gives to us.
Open your heart to expressiveness and let it flow through you that
Everyone who you will meet on the street will be blessed by you
Just by your eyes
Just by your smile
Just by your touch
Just by your presence
Let the gratefulness overflow into blessing one another
and then it will really be a good day.
It would take me a month to shoot a four minute roll of film because that is all I could afford
I’ve been shooting time lapse flowers continuously, nonstop, 24 hours a day
7 days a week for over 30 years
And to see them move is a dance I will never get tired of
Their beauty immerses us in color, taste and touch
It also provides a third of the food we eat
Beauty and seduction is nature’s tool for survival because we protect what we fall in love with
It opens our heart and makes us realize we are a part of nature and we are not separate from it
It also connects us, every one of us because it’s clear that it is all connected and one
It you could see my images you might say
“Oh my god”
Have you ever wondered what that meant
Oh means it caught your attention and made you present, makes you mindful
The my means that it connects with something deep within your soul
A gateway for your inner voice to rise up and be heard
And god, god is that personal journey we all want to be on, to be inspired, to feel like we are coonected to a universe that celebrates life
Did you know that 80% of the information we receive comes through our eyes
And if you compare light images to musical scales it would only be one octave that the naked eye could see which is right in the middle
And aren’t we grateful for our brains
That can take this electrical impulse that comes from light images to create images in order for us to explore our world
And aren’t we grateful that we have hearts that can feel the vibrations in order forus to allow ourselves to feel the pleasure and the beauty of nature
Nature’s beauty is a gift to cultivate appreciation and gratitude
Part of the gift I want to share with you today is a project I’m working on called “Happiness Revealed” and it will give us a glimpse into that perspective from the point of view of a child and an elderly man of that world.
It’s the one day that’s given to you today
It is given to you
It is a gift
It’s the only gift that you have right now
And the only appropriate response is gratefulness
If you do nothing else but to cultivate that response to the great gift of this unique day
If you learn to respond as if it were the first day of your life and the very last day
Then you will have spent this day very well.
Begin by opening your eyes and be surprised that you have eyes you can open
That incredible array of colors that is constantly offered to us
For pure enjoyment
Look at the sky
We so rarely look at the sky
We so rarely note how different it is from moment to moment of clouds coming and going
We just think of the weather
And even with the weather we don’t think of all the many nuances that make it up
We just think of good weather and bad weather
This day, right now, it is unique weather
Maybe a kind of view that is never exactly in that form again
Formation of clouds in the sky will never be the same ever again
Open your eyes look at that
Look at the faces of people whom you meet
Each one has an incredible story behind their face
A story that you could never fully fathom
Not only their own story but the story of their ancestors
We all go back so far
And with this present moment, on this day,
All the people you meet
All that life from generations
And from so many places from all over the world
Flows together and makes you
Like a life giving water if you would only open up your heart and drink
Open your heart to the incredible gifts that civilization gives to us
We flip a switch and there is electric light
You turn on a faucet and there is warm water and cold water
And drinkable water
It’s a gift that millions and millions in this world will never experience
And these are just a few of the enormous number of gifts to which we can open our heart
So I’m wishing that you would open your heart to expressiveness
And let them flow through you
That everyone who you will meet on the street will be blessed by you
Just by your eyes
By your smile
By your touch
Just by your presence
Let the gratefulness overflow into blessing one another
Then it will really be a good day.
other videos by Louie Schwartzberg: http://www.ted.com/talks/louie_schwartzberg_the_hidden_beauty_of_pollination.html
Open your hearts to the incredible gifts civilization gives to us.
Open your heart to expressiveness and let it flow through you that
Everyone who you will meet on the street will be blessed by you
Just by your eyes
Just by your smile
Just by your touch
Just by your presence
Let the gratefulness overflow into blessing one another
and then it will really be a good day.
…….intro
I didn’t have much
money but I had time and a sense of wonder.
So I started shooting
time lapse photography It would take me a month to shoot a four minute roll of film because that is all I could afford
I’ve been shooting time lapse flowers continuously, nonstop, 24 hours a day
7 days a week for over 30 years
And to see them move is a dance I will never get tired of
Their beauty immerses us in color, taste and touch
It also provides a third of the food we eat
Beauty and seduction is nature’s tool for survival because we protect what we fall in love with
It opens our heart and makes us realize we are a part of nature and we are not separate from it
It also connects us, every one of us because it’s clear that it is all connected and one
It you could see my images you might say
“Oh my god”
Have you ever wondered what that meant
Oh means it caught your attention and made you present, makes you mindful
The my means that it connects with something deep within your soul
A gateway for your inner voice to rise up and be heard
And god, god is that personal journey we all want to be on, to be inspired, to feel like we are coonected to a universe that celebrates life
Did you know that 80% of the information we receive comes through our eyes
And if you compare light images to musical scales it would only be one octave that the naked eye could see which is right in the middle
And aren’t we grateful for our brains
That can take this electrical impulse that comes from light images to create images in order for us to explore our world
And aren’t we grateful that we have hearts that can feel the vibrations in order forus to allow ourselves to feel the pleasure and the beauty of nature
Nature’s beauty is a gift to cultivate appreciation and gratitude
Part of the gift I want to share with you today is a project I’m working on called “Happiness Revealed” and it will give us a glimpse into that perspective from the point of view of a child and an elderly man of that world.
You think this is
just another day in your life
It’s not just
another dayIt’s the one day that’s given to you today
It is given to you
It is a gift
It’s the only gift that you have right now
And the only appropriate response is gratefulness
If you do nothing else but to cultivate that response to the great gift of this unique day
If you learn to respond as if it were the first day of your life and the very last day
Then you will have spent this day very well.
Begin by opening your eyes and be surprised that you have eyes you can open
That incredible array of colors that is constantly offered to us
For pure enjoyment
Look at the sky
We so rarely look at the sky
We so rarely note how different it is from moment to moment of clouds coming and going
We just think of the weather
And even with the weather we don’t think of all the many nuances that make it up
We just think of good weather and bad weather
This day, right now, it is unique weather
Maybe a kind of view that is never exactly in that form again
Formation of clouds in the sky will never be the same ever again
Open your eyes look at that
Look at the faces of people whom you meet
Each one has an incredible story behind their face
A story that you could never fully fathom
Not only their own story but the story of their ancestors
We all go back so far
And with this present moment, on this day,
All the people you meet
All that life from generations
And from so many places from all over the world
Flows together and makes you
Like a life giving water if you would only open up your heart and drink
Open your heart to the incredible gifts that civilization gives to us
We flip a switch and there is electric light
You turn on a faucet and there is warm water and cold water
And drinkable water
It’s a gift that millions and millions in this world will never experience
And these are just a few of the enormous number of gifts to which we can open our heart
So I’m wishing that you would open your heart to expressiveness
And let them flow through you
That everyone who you will meet on the street will be blessed by you
Just by your eyes
By your smile
By your touch
Just by your presence
Let the gratefulness overflow into blessing one another
Then it will really be a good day.
other videos by Louie Schwartzberg: http://www.ted.com/talks/louie_schwartzberg_the_hidden_beauty_of_pollination.html
Day 155: Christmas Gift Ideas ;-))
Watching Sunday morning news shows and saw the Heissmann trophy winner Robert Griffin's socks!
Superman socks with an attached cape which you can just see peeking out of his pants leg. The socks are now unavailable anywhere except on EBay for lots and lots of dollars. Would have been a fabulous Christmas gift if I'd known about it ahead of time.
So.......went looking for other strange ideas and found this:
Here's the text from the website:
A lot of people put interesting artwork, magazines, or even novelty toilet paper in their bathrooms to take your mind off what they are there to do. I’m not really sure that it is a good idea to be distracting someone that probably has attention issues to begin with, why else would they pay attention to these things, but if you’re going to do it, do it right!
The Fish ‘n Flush Toilet Tank Aquarium Kit is definitely doing it right. This aquarium kit turns your boring toilet tank into your own personal fish tank and will be turn your bathroom into one of the most talked about things in your home. The two-piece tank separates the flush water from the fish water, so you won’t have to worry about losing your goldfish to some random flush. Get the LED light and enjoy watching your fish all night long.
The kit includes everything you need to get your own 2.2 gallon Toilet Tank Aquarium up and running.
You can tell I'm a'wastin' the morning, not painting. Christmas is getting awfully close and I'm getting busier and busier with all those frantic thoughts of ..... trees, decor, gifts, food
so I thought I'd throw the fishtank toilet out there for those of you who are looking for gift ideas! ;-))
Superman socks with an attached cape which you can just see peeking out of his pants leg. The socks are now unavailable anywhere except on EBay for lots and lots of dollars. Would have been a fabulous Christmas gift if I'd known about it ahead of time.
So.......went looking for other strange ideas and found this:
Fish ‘n Flush Toilet Tank Aquarium Kit
Here's the text from the website:
A lot of people put interesting artwork, magazines, or even novelty toilet paper in their bathrooms to take your mind off what they are there to do. I’m not really sure that it is a good idea to be distracting someone that probably has attention issues to begin with, why else would they pay attention to these things, but if you’re going to do it, do it right!
The Fish ‘n Flush Toilet Tank Aquarium Kit is definitely doing it right. This aquarium kit turns your boring toilet tank into your own personal fish tank and will be turn your bathroom into one of the most talked about things in your home. The two-piece tank separates the flush water from the fish water, so you won’t have to worry about losing your goldfish to some random flush. Get the LED light and enjoy watching your fish all night long.
The kit includes everything you need to get your own 2.2 gallon Toilet Tank Aquarium up and running.
Turn your bathroom into the most interesting room in the house with the Fish ‘n Flush Toilet Tank Aquarium Kit. Available at JL Ryan for $171.50.
- Two-piece Aquarium Tank, Dual-Filter System With Pump, Two Nine-inch Artificial Plants
- Basic Aquarium Guide, Flushing System, Flush Valve, Fill Valve
- Fits two-bolt tank to bowl configurations with a two-inch flush valve and a bottom-mounted, fill-valve inlet
- 2.2 Gallon Aquarium Volume Fish ‘n Flush 19.5″ length x 8.5 ” width x 13.75 ” height
You can tell I'm a'wastin' the morning, not painting. Christmas is getting awfully close and I'm getting busier and busier with all those frantic thoughts of ..... trees, decor, gifts, food
so I thought I'd throw the fishtank toilet out there for those of you who are looking for gift ideas! ;-))
Day 1: 2012 "A Great Year Ahead"
I wake up every day determined to both change the world
and have one heck of a good time.
Sometimes this makes planning the day difficult.
E. B. White
Everywhere I go, everyone I talk to, Everyone, absolutely Everyone, is thrilled that 2011 is gone, totally, over, through! And Everyone is absolutely thrilled that 2012 is here, the year of the Dragon, the year of good things happening to good people.
So here's to 2012, a good year, a good vintage, happiness, friends, having one heck of a good time.......all those things that make life wonderful.
Haven't painted since 2011, before Thanksgiving. Things get crazy in everyone's lives towards the end of the year and if you haven't figured out how to control yourself and your time? Painting time takes a backseat.
Today, because of a looming deadline of January 31, I painted most of the day away. The project?
"The Conversation" I've been having with my internet friend Nancie Johnson of New Jersey. The final version of the "Sketchbook Project" must be postmarked by January 31. We took the sketchbook issued by the ArtHouseCoop apart and created a conversation based on the book by Milton Glaser and Jean Michel. I've mentioned this book before because of its fascinating format. These two men had a long distance conversation with paint. Whatever was on the right hand edge of a page had to be continued onto the next page by the second painter until the final page of the conversation which was supposed to "wrap around" and connect back to the first page. I think Nancie and I did a pretty good job (as beginners at this long distance thing) and tomorrow I'll be photocopying it for posterity. Then I'm going to learn a few bookbinding skills in order to get all of the pages securely back into its cover.
As soon as I finish photographing our work, I'll show you the final progression of the two conversations we had. We both painted a painting to start the book and I'm planning on mounting one book visible from one side of the Sketchbook and the other book starting at the other, reversed, end of the Sketctchbook. I know this is all as clear as mud, but perhaps when I can get the pictures up you'll understand more.
And then to complicate my life with a few more deadlines, I entered the Limited Edition Sketchbook Project which has a deadline of April 30.
All of the sketchbooks get digitized by the ArtHouse Coop, which gets their funding from all of us who buy the Sketchbooks and participate. The books also tour the United States in various cities: This year the tour comes to Los Angeles!! Last year the tour went through San Francisco and my son and daughter and their friends went and looked up my book and Nancie's book (this is how we met - I commented via the internet on her book) (I think that's how we started) (maybe she commented on my book via blog watching).......
More on Day 2: 2012.
Oh, and in the interim, there was plenty of time to waste cruising around the internet looking at other peoples' blogs. Found some wonderful stuff out there which I'll be posting. It's absolutely amazing to me how many talented, talented people there are out there!
Day 153: A retraction - a little retraction
I reacted way too fast, with not enough knowledge to Annelein's blog post for today. Her artwork wasn't stolen! She has licensed her artwork through an agent and the agent, obviously, "sold" her wonderful rooster/chicken paintings to the calendar company.
Annelein said that she wished she knew how and where her artwork was going to be used, but that it was wonderful to know that her agent was active on her behalf.
I'm sorry I leaped into the fray so quickly, but my comments about the other two artists still stand.
Annelein said that she wished she knew how and where her artwork was going to be used, but that it was wonderful to know that her agent was active on her behalf.
I'm sorry I leaped into the fray so quickly, but my comments about the other two artists still stand.
Day 153: Another rant about stolen artwork
Heard from Annelein Beukenkamp, in Vermont, today that her artwork was "stolen" by somebody and turned into a calendar that a company in Canada is selling! How rotten!! This makes artist number five or six who has had their art "stolen". Jean Haines of Watercolours with Life in England realized that someone was copying her fabulous paintings of racehorses and selling the finished paintings as if they were their own originals...........Jean was forced to take all of her racehorse paintings off of the internet so that it couldn't happen again. How rotten!! A crazy friend (and I say that with admiration) who writes "Flourish in Progress", Elizabeth Jayne Liu, had her whole total blog stolen by a man who would just copy her blog and post it under his name.........she googled something on her blog one day, trying to find out if there more of that cartoon or item and instead found her whole blog!
With the internet so available I guess anyone who wants to be lazy and cheat and not do their own homework, or painting, or research, or............can just steal from other people. I'm not sure how anyone can truly protect their work. We've all been so generous showing our work not thinking for a second that somebody would copy it and sell it.
Perhaps we all need to put big "copyright" signs on top of the work as it's displayed - but then all of us are being punished for the few horrible thieves out there.
With the internet so available I guess anyone who wants to be lazy and cheat and not do their own homework, or painting, or research, or............can just steal from other people. I'm not sure how anyone can truly protect their work. We've all been so generous showing our work not thinking for a second that somebody would copy it and sell it.
Perhaps we all need to put big "copyright" signs on top of the work as it's displayed - but then all of us are being punished for the few horrible thieves out there.
Day 2: 2012 Miranda July and "A Handy Tip for the Easily Distracted"
I'm involved with a book festival in Pasadena: The Pasadena Festival of Women Authors. Our event this year is March 3, Saturday with a fabulous lineup of new women authors and two well known: Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey (A Woman of Independent Means) and Fannie Flagg (Fried Green Tomatoes) and Susan Straight (Take One Candle Light A Room ) and Heidi Durrow (The Girl Who Fell From The Sky) and Michelle Huneven (Blame) in no special order.
Because we are always on the lookout for new female authors with a new book, I've been coming across Miranda July lately. Not known to me previously but the name is sure known now. She just won the world's richest short story competition, the Frank O'Connor Award, for No One Belongs Here More Than You. Someone sent me the above video just because I've been asking people if they know anything about her. We just might have to track her down for next year's Festival!!
My friends know that I have a seriously warped sense of humor which is why I find the above video enchanting. Count yourself one of mine if you find yourself with a slight smile at the end....or maybe even a big smile?
Day 152: Two days to go and the Turkey is a'gettin' ready
It's easier to work on the computer than it is to go to the grocery store, pondering what you might need, what you might cook.......I have the best of all possible worlds getting ready to happen. My two adult children are returning to the nest, one with her new dog Gertrude and one with his wonderful girlfriend and her two children.
I'm going to be cooking a turkey the incredible way that the Los Angeles Times figured out several years ago. Go to this link if you're curious. You've never tasted a turkey like this!! It's called the "Judy Bird" after Judy Rogers of the Zuni Cafe in San Francisco. This recipe in the Times created so many questions that it had its own follow up pages in the Food Section. Here is a discussion by Russ Parsons the Food Editor.
The rest of the menu is up for grabs. Because everyone likes to cook and everyone has a new recipe or two, we actually go to the store on Wednesday and Thursday to buy what we need.....and we've never had a bad meal yet!
Reading the Wall Street Journal the other day created a hunger for a fine roast chicken because of the article with 3 chicken recipes. We cooked the first one, the "Naked Roast Chicken". OMG is all I need to say. Here's the link to the three recipes. This chicken recipe is very much like the turkey recipe above if you're wondering why in the world I'm talking about it.
You can tell I'm far away from painting even though I did work, yesterday, about 2 hours on the drawing of a little prairie girl. Can't wait to paint it next week.
Here's to all of you having a wonderful day together, with family? by yourself with a fire and a good book? in the rain? in the snow? in the gorgeous 70 degree blue sky weather of Pasadena, California? This weather in Southern California during the winter months is why all of the east coast had "winter houses" here. Blue, blue, blue skies. Purple San Gabriel mountains. White, white clouds. Because of rain a few days ago our mountains are actually dusted and look like this. It's spectacular and we're grateful.
A full house and a house full of gratitude
that this is where they choose to be.
My best possible world? A houseful of family.
I'm going to be cooking a turkey the incredible way that the Los Angeles Times figured out several years ago. Go to this link if you're curious. You've never tasted a turkey like this!! It's called the "Judy Bird" after Judy Rogers of the Zuni Cafe in San Francisco. This recipe in the Times created so many questions that it had its own follow up pages in the Food Section. Here is a discussion by Russ Parsons the Food Editor.
The rest of the menu is up for grabs. Because everyone likes to cook and everyone has a new recipe or two, we actually go to the store on Wednesday and Thursday to buy what we need.....and we've never had a bad meal yet!
Reading the Wall Street Journal the other day created a hunger for a fine roast chicken because of the article with 3 chicken recipes. We cooked the first one, the "Naked Roast Chicken". OMG is all I need to say. Here's the link to the three recipes. This chicken recipe is very much like the turkey recipe above if you're wondering why in the world I'm talking about it.
You can tell I'm far away from painting even though I did work, yesterday, about 2 hours on the drawing of a little prairie girl. Can't wait to paint it next week.
Here's to all of you having a wonderful day together, with family? by yourself with a fire and a good book? in the rain? in the snow? in the gorgeous 70 degree blue sky weather of Pasadena, California? This weather in Southern California during the winter months is why all of the east coast had "winter houses" here. Blue, blue, blue skies. Purple San Gabriel mountains. White, white clouds. Because of rain a few days ago our mountains are actually dusted and look like this. It's spectacular and we're grateful.
Day 154: English painter Jean Haines
Peggy Reid, a watercolor teacher, told me about an English blog: Watercolours with Life, run by Jean Haines.
Juicy, delicious, colorful, enchanting........not enough words to describe her work. She lives somewhere in Great Britain, undisclosed location.
Look at her painting of an owl!
and then yesterday I made note of the fact that Jean's famous horserace paintings were being "stolen" via the internet, painted by someone else, and sold by someone else so she's had to take all images off of the internet. Not fair! She has an exhibit going on at the Wey Gallery in England. If you take a look at her work, as shown at the gallery, you can see some of her fabulous race horses. Hope no one steals those too!!
Juicy, delicious, colorful, enchanting........not enough words to describe her work. She lives somewhere in Great Britain, undisclosed location.
Look at her painting of an owl!
and then there's this beginning painting of a hare,
not a rabbitt.....this is Great Britain!
and then yesterday I made note of the fact that Jean's famous horserace paintings were being "stolen" via the internet, painted by someone else, and sold by someone else so she's had to take all images off of the internet. Not fair! She has an exhibit going on at the Wey Gallery in England. If you take a look at her work, as shown at the gallery, you can see some of her fabulous race horses. Hope no one steals those too!!
Day 151: Another bit of humor
Chuckled out loud. Thank you my Maineac friend!
-----Laugh for the day......
Click on the link to see the latest DUI test.
Day 149: The Army of Women and the Month of October, 2011
This month, October, 2011, has been dedicated in so many ways to Breast Cancer, its research, its organizations, its causes. Football teams have been wearing pink shoes. I'm sure if the basketballers had been doing their jobs rather than on strike, they too would have had pink on their shoes or their uniforms. It's been an interesting month seeing everyone's involvement.
For about 2 years now I've been involved, as a volunteer, with the Avon/Susan B. Love "Army of Women" and have asked you, all of you, several times via this blog, to please become involved.
Last Sunday, October 30, was a huge push across the nation to get to the one million mark of women who are willing to be part of this research project. I spent the morning at the Panera Bakery in Glendale, California approaching every single woman above the age of 18 asking for their help and participation. There were 4 other wonderful women there and between the 5 of us, we signed up 78 women. By signing up, I mean they were willing to give us their email address and their name. The involvement after this point is totally up to them. By releasing your email address to the Army of Women you will receive one email. It will ask you if you are willing to receive one or two emails a month regarding breast cancer and women. Here is the link to become involved: https://www.armyofwomen.org/getinvolved
There are studies going on all over the United States, using women, not lab animals, to see if they can isolate causes of cancer. One of the women this morning, for example, is of Eastern European Jewish extraction. She took part in a study that only involved her sending a sample of her saliva, in a provided kit, to the researcher on this particular project who happens to be in Milwaukee? I'll have to go back and read up on that one to get the actual fact. I volunteered about a year ago to have blood work done at a local lab, paid for by the Army of Women, and the blood would then be sent to a project where they are comparing people who don't have cancer and who don't have cancer in their families, with families with genetic markers. Easily done! I have been part of the Women's Health Initiative, a project that's been going on for probably 15 years now. I volunteered early on in the WHI because they were trying to find out if hormone replacement caused problems, if nutrition made a difference in menopause - all kinds of things having to do with women. I think because of the WIH, I was sent an email by the "Women's Army" and I signed up immediately. I don't have cancer but I know so many women, and men, who do that I feel it's necessary for every single one of us to get involved who can.
So please do me and every woman the favor of at least looking at the Army of Women's website and signing up.
For about 2 years now I've been involved, as a volunteer, with the Avon/Susan B. Love "Army of Women" and have asked you, all of you, several times via this blog, to please become involved.
Last Sunday, October 30, was a huge push across the nation to get to the one million mark of women who are willing to be part of this research project. I spent the morning at the Panera Bakery in Glendale, California approaching every single woman above the age of 18 asking for their help and participation. There were 4 other wonderful women there and between the 5 of us, we signed up 78 women. By signing up, I mean they were willing to give us their email address and their name. The involvement after this point is totally up to them. By releasing your email address to the Army of Women you will receive one email. It will ask you if you are willing to receive one or two emails a month regarding breast cancer and women. Here is the link to become involved: https://www.armyofwomen.org/getinvolved
There are studies going on all over the United States, using women, not lab animals, to see if they can isolate causes of cancer. One of the women this morning, for example, is of Eastern European Jewish extraction. She took part in a study that only involved her sending a sample of her saliva, in a provided kit, to the researcher on this particular project who happens to be in Milwaukee? I'll have to go back and read up on that one to get the actual fact. I volunteered about a year ago to have blood work done at a local lab, paid for by the Army of Women, and the blood would then be sent to a project where they are comparing people who don't have cancer and who don't have cancer in their families, with families with genetic markers. Easily done! I have been part of the Women's Health Initiative, a project that's been going on for probably 15 years now. I volunteered early on in the WHI because they were trying to find out if hormone replacement caused problems, if nutrition made a difference in menopause - all kinds of things having to do with women. I think because of the WIH, I was sent an email by the "Women's Army" and I signed up immediately. I don't have cancer but I know so many women, and men, who do that I feel it's necessary for every single one of us to get involved who can.
So please do me and every woman the favor of at least looking at the Army of Women's website and signing up.
Day 148: Early snow in New York
My son sent me this photo from the NY Times, showing the first snowstorm of the "season". Enjoy it. It's gorgeous. It's so amazing the amount of damage it did to those trees, fully leaved out in fall colors. The snow was heavy and wet and really tore the trees apart.
and then all the power and the gas were lost......brrrr! But look at this photograph as if it were something to be painted. Wow! Those headlights, that red coat, that John Salminen blur of the architecture.
xxx...xxx...xxx
A friend and watercolor painting teacher, Rose Sinatra, sent out a few paragraphs from a friend of hers, Robert Glenn, regarding painting or any artistic endeavor. It was well written and sure described what I've been mentioning in this blog for days. The inertia on my part, the lack of things to paint, the feeling that it's a must rather than a "wanna". Read his comments and ponder on them yourselves.
Recent studies of teenagers' use of cellphones and other electronic devices have revealed some interesting results. Apparently, if you deprive kids of social networking for a week or so, a high percentage become significantly depressed. They also lose efficiency, will, enthusiasm and sleep. Their marks go down and their lassitude goes up.
For many artists, something similar happens when "the work quotient" is taken from their lives. A couple of unproductive days can send some creative folks into the dumps. They may not even be aware of what's happening to them. "Fear of restart" and permanent creative catatonia can set in after long-term abstinence.
Fact is, good easel time is a noble dependency that makes you a happier, more generous person--better able to enjoy an enriched family and social life.
and then all the power and the gas were lost......brrrr! But look at this photograph as if it were something to be painted. Wow! Those headlights, that red coat, that John Salminen blur of the architecture.
xxx...xxx...xxx
A friend and watercolor painting teacher, Rose Sinatra, sent out a few paragraphs from a friend of hers, Robert Glenn, regarding painting or any artistic endeavor. It was well written and sure described what I've been mentioning in this blog for days. The inertia on my part, the lack of things to paint, the feeling that it's a must rather than a "wanna". Read his comments and ponder on them yourselves.
Recent studies of teenagers' use of cellphones and other electronic devices have revealed some interesting results. Apparently, if you deprive kids of social networking for a week or so, a high percentage become significantly depressed. They also lose efficiency, will, enthusiasm and sleep. Their marks go down and their lassitude goes up.
For many artists, something similar happens when "the work quotient" is taken from their lives. A couple of unproductive days can send some creative folks into the dumps. They may not even be aware of what's happening to them. "Fear of restart" and permanent creative catatonia can set in after long-term abstinence.
Fact is, good easel time is a noble dependency that makes you a happier, more generous person--better able to enjoy an enriched family and social life.
Day 146: You can tell I've not been painting!
Here's the humor I try to provide in each post.
and then the real world:
This weekend was the Art Expo here in Pasadena, California. I went early Friday morning and took a plein air class from Frank Eber. He had some gorgeous landscapes/cityscapes on view around the classroom.
Look at this beauty and look at the atmosphere!!
I have a feeling it might be Frank's favorite as well
as it wasn't for sale.
Some of my friends from Peggy Reid's painting class were also there. Peggy kept saying "tonal paintings, tonal paintings - it all depends on the value of the paint". I didn't understand and was really in a not too nice mood. I've been thinking about his process though for the last 48 hours and am feeling much nicer about maybe?? having learned something. I need some time to paint and just try it out without the stress of having to "produce" in 3 hours!
Bought some Richeson 300# paper just to have some much less expensive paper than Arches to work on. I know that I paint way too wet for the 140# paper I've been using and it just makes painting so frustrating when the paper buckles and warps.
Day 146: Far flung friends, Carol Marine's challenge, Annelein Beukenkamp's portraits
In my plea in a former posting, I wanted farflung friends to send handdrawn postcards to.........like those lucky people in the Postcard From My Walk blog. I've heard from 3 people who expressed an interest. I'll contact you and let's see if we can get something up and running!! Looking forward to our discussion via the internet.
On another note: Always looking for something to paint and once again, Carol Marine is leading the charge on the website Daily Paintworks. There is a Challenge mounted every week or so. This week's challenge as posted by Carol is an easy one. Take a look and give it a try!!
And then I got today's posting from Annelein Beukenkamp, a fabulous watercolorist who lives in Vermont. I've followed her blog for several years and so enjoyed her peonies, iceland poppies, flowers in general. And then she became obsessed with portrait work. She hired Ted Nuttall to come to Vermont and present one of his fabulous workshops (I've hired him to come once again to Pasadena on May 14-18, 2012 if you have any interest) and since then has been posting some really fabulous works of hers on her blog. Look at her latest:
And I've asked her to come to Pasadena for a workshop in October of 2012! How can we even know if we'll still be painting by then!!
On another note: Always looking for something to paint and once again, Carol Marine is leading the charge on the website Daily Paintworks. There is a Challenge mounted every week or so. This week's challenge as posted by Carol is an easy one. Take a look and give it a try!!
And then I got today's posting from Annelein Beukenkamp, a fabulous watercolorist who lives in Vermont. I've followed her blog for several years and so enjoyed her peonies, iceland poppies, flowers in general. And then she became obsessed with portrait work. She hired Ted Nuttall to come to Vermont and present one of his fabulous workshops (I've hired him to come once again to Pasadena on May 14-18, 2012 if you have any interest) and since then has been posting some really fabulous works of hers on her blog. Look at her latest:
And I've asked her to come to Pasadena for a workshop in October of 2012! How can we even know if we'll still be painting by then!!
Day 145: Challenges
http://www.rookiepainter.blogspot.com/
A fun challenge is posted every 2 weeks with results posted. Recommended by Karin Jurick.
http://followingthemasters.blogspot.com/
This group is reading a book: The Art Spirit by Robert Henrimonth. The painting challenge is devoted to him and his later influence on The Ashcan School. The book discussion will go through Challenge 10. They're on Challenge 2 at this point. Lots of interesting paintings.
http://www.illustrationfriday.com/?medium=8
An interesting challenge spot. A "word" is posted every Friday. You paint what that word means to you and post it. A link is included to your site or your blog (if you have one). This week's word is "propagate". Interesting paintings of clouds, a bed pollinating gorgeous flowers - the artists' interpretation of that word.
http://www.sketchcrawl.com/
An website that schedules sketching one day a year and invites the world to sketch and submit their sketches of the cities they live in. A site with links to flickr, picasa and other photo websites where everyone's sketches are uploaded.
http://virtualpaintout.blogspot.com/
Intriguing website using "Google Street View" as its source material. Wonderful paintings of various sites around the world. Each project begins on the first of the month and ends on the last day of the month.
A fun challenge is posted every 2 weeks with results posted. Recommended by Karin Jurick.
http://followingthemasters.blogspot.com/
This group is reading a book: The Art Spirit by Robert Henrimonth. The painting challenge is devoted to him and his later influence on The Ashcan School. The book discussion will go through Challenge 10. They're on Challenge 2 at this point. Lots of interesting paintings.
http://www.illustrationfriday.com/?medium=8
An interesting challenge spot. A "word" is posted every Friday. You paint what that word means to you and post it. A link is included to your site or your blog (if you have one). This week's word is "propagate". Interesting paintings of clouds, a bed pollinating gorgeous flowers - the artists' interpretation of that word.
http://www.sketchcrawl.com/
An website that schedules sketching one day a year and invites the world to sketch and submit their sketches of the cities they live in. A site with links to flickr, picasa and other photo websites where everyone's sketches are uploaded.
http://virtualpaintout.blogspot.com/
Intriguing website using "Google Street View" as its source material. Wonderful paintings of various sites around the world. Each project begins on the first of the month and ends on the last day of the month.
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