Patterns and Perceptions

One night, as I was lying on the floor getting a marvelous foot rub from The Donald, I looked at the ceiling fan with new eyes, from a new perspective, from a new angle.

I had never before noticed the reflections caused by two different light sources. The patterns changed as the fan revolved and as the light sources varied.

How much of life do we miss by always looking from one viewing spot.....  from one point of perception?  There are a multitude of variations, but we usually see what we expect to see, what we want to see. 

What we know makes us comfortable. New viewpoints can shake that comfort zone.

We think we know all about something, but if someone or something breaks through our stubborn consciousness, we can learn much more about life when viewing from someone else's angle or perspective.

Try looking in a new way, from a new place, from a place of not-knowing....... today.  What will you find that is different from what you expected?

Sketch a tree.......

Here is another process that I use in my journals.

I would love to have a sketch journal, but my sketches have a lot to be desired.  I do have an inner artist that can draw splendidly.... too bad she can never come out to play!  Here is a way to draw without having the necessary skills.

The tree photo was taken on a vacation and then altered with an iPAD app.  It was reduced to a light pencil sketch, which I am now using as a basis for "my" colored pencil drawing. Some of the branches are continued onto the page which was first painted with several layers of the typical scrape, wet, and blot technique. The left page is darker in the photo than it truly is.

I like not finishing a page so I can come back to it, almost as a child with a coloring book, spending several hours in peaceful contemplation.  A theme reoccurs.... getting away from the world into a quiet place with my trees.

...and other pursuits

What joy can be found in many activities of life!  Can anything be more special than visiting the grandkids?!  (Well, seeing their parents was also nice.)

We had a wonderful time reading, playing games on the iPAD, and doing some art activities.  I can hardly wait till they visit here one day so we can paint some pages and bind some books.   Alli and Amanda already have a small studio set up in their basement with a storage area for supplies, hooks for aprons, and an easel. It is never too early to start and they do love art time.

We were using the light rail and heading to the airport when the east coast earthquake was felt.  There was excitement and wonder expressed on the train as many were calling people to see if they were ok, and if they felt the quake.  Many buildings in Philly were evacuated and people were sent home from work making the train station a very crowded place. Trains were delayed and some tracks were closed.  The airport even closed for a short time and the security lines were the longest we had ever seen.

Back at home, the mail had piled up, but I quickly found my new Kindle 3 skin made from an image of one of my painted pages.  I had uploaded a photo of one of my pages to Gelaskins.com and here it is applied to my Kindle. Pretty cool!!    

                                                                                               

                              This combined photo was made in the Photowall app on the iPAD.

Well, back to the studio!  More donations for GW need to be sorted out and boxed up!  Purging time!!

Leaves of Green...This Time

Leaves and trees are part of my place of peace.  I could stare up (or down, as the case may be) at them for hours, loving the interplay of colors, lights, and shadows.

In this spread, the pages are painted, paste paper is adhered, another small page is tipped in, and the photos are altered.

The leaves on the plant on the left have additional color pencil added with the leaves being drawn out onto the page.  This photo was also altered with the Color Splash app on the iPAD.  That app turns the picture to black and white and then you draw with your finger over the areas you want color to reappear.

The plant photos on the right are scraps cut from another photo.

Written journaling will be added at the proper time.   WHAT is the proper time?  When the words come, when the thoughts need to be poured out onto the page....THAT is the proper time. Until then, turn the pretty pages and enjoy the colors and photos as they are.

By Golly, It's Gear Time!!

Mary Beth Shaw, through the website stencilgirlproducts.com, offers a multitude of high quality stencils for us to use in painting our pages.

This page, a signature in my art retreat journal, is many layers of paint, textured with blotted sprays of water, and a top layer of burnt umber wiped off through Mary Beth's gears stencil.

LK Ludwig got me started on this process and I am playing with the possibilities almost every day. Painting papers is totally meditative to me and there is no stress about "getting it right".

 Love those "It is what it is!" activities!!

The Man on a Bike

We were on a small ship cruise from Rhode Island to Chicago when we came upon this hard working guy in front of the art museum in Manitowoc, WI. Made of bronze, riding an old fashioned bike, he was going as fast as he could with coat tails flying in the wind.

I love the determination in his face....exerting energy, yet peaceful and wise. There is still far more showing in those eyes that intrigues me....I just cannot decipher the meaning.  What would he tell me if he could?

"Keep calm today as you endeavor to do that which must be done."

He is trying to get me to understand that and much more.

Painted pages,  Caran D'Ache water soluble wax pastels, photo

Why Blog?

I always wondered why people would take the time to blog about their activities and thoughts. I believe I am already starting to understand why. It is a great honor and fun to share. The sharing helps to clarify what you are doing and why you are doing it.

Will anyone read this? It does not really matter. It is the writing, the thinking, the clarification of thoughts that matters.....the process, not the result. Sounds like ART to me!!

The Yellow Book

The binding is a sewn-over-tapes binding using waxed linen and a thrift store belt. LK Ludwig taught me this binding one year at Art and Soul.  The covers are re-purposed book board covered with paste paper made in an Albie Smith class.  Inside, the pages are a variety of colors and textures using very inexpensive watercolor paints. Making the pages is a great way to play in puddles of water and pigments....no stress. What you get is what you get!

The First Day!!

Hi There!!!

Today is the first day in the life of this blog. Who knows where this will lead? Perhaps the learning curve will be more than I can manage..... or I could publish a book!! The sky is the limit.

Stay tuned for painted pages which I make almost daily. The topic of the day will usually have something to do with painting, making books, using photos, and anything else that comes to mind.

Thanks to all who have encouraged this beginning.