Wordless Wednesday

Collage Challenge

Sometimes I use a "round robin challenge" philosophy when working on my morning collages. I start out with one collage, reserving a bit of one of the elements. Then I use that bit in the second collage, while reserving a bit of one of the other elements in that collage to use in the third collage, and so on. This description is probably clear as mud, but you'll understand better as you see this challenge unfold. Here is the first collage.

Persistance is Rewarded

Gardening is not for the timid. Every time I plant seeds or bulbs, it is a crap shoot as to whether or not they will actually grow. I do much better with starter plants. This Spring I was suckered into ordering bulbs again as a fundraiser for a rescue. Here is my scorecard:

Grecian wildflowers - 0 out of 50 bulbs

Elodie Lily - 2 out of 3 bulbs

Tennessee Ostrich ferns - 2 out of 3 tubers

Caladium - 2 out of 5 bulbs

Not a great success ratio!

But ..... instead of focusing on that, I have been patiently watching my two Elodie lilies, slowly growing and maturing and preparing to bloom. Yesterday my patience was rewarded as the first bloom appeared. What a glorious sight! And this is why I keep trying every year.

Zeke

Yesterday I took the dogs over to a friend's house for some play time. We had 9 small dogs (under 15 pounds) all running around and having a blast in her backyard. Zeke and Mya really enjoy this, because they rarely get an opportunity to play with that many other dogs at once. Above is a photo I took of Zeke taking a break for a few seconds.

Wordless Wednesday

Roses Galore!

I looked for a few years before I was able to find a Joseph's Coat rose for the garden. This is one of my favorite roses, because of all the colors that can show up on one single bush. Now that it is blooming for the season, here are some of my favorite photos from this past week.

Total Cuteness!

I have a friend that made her little dog, Bella Faith, a tutu out of pink and lavender toulle. I commented that Bella was so cute in it, so she made a matching one for Mya. Today we had both girls together --- in their black leotards and glittery tutus.

Mya

Bella Faith

Total Cuteness!

Wordless Wednesday

A New Start

Recently I have been re-evaluating my life, and specifically, the way I spend my time. I retired from accounting in order to be in the studio full-time, yet more and more, other people and their projects have been taking up my time. So, I am ending some pseudo friendships, leaving some groups, and re-focusing on studio time. It's a new beginning!

The photo above shows some canvas scraps that I re-painted this morning --- in an attempt to give them a new beginning. They were painted in pastel shades, which is not at all my palette of colors. Now they are bold, and once they dry, I will start cutting and stitching them into new mixed media artwork. (And look at that gorgeous piece of paper that will remain!)

It feels good to be taking charge of my life once again!

Keaton's New Mom

I took Keaton to his new home this morning, and his new mom was so excited to see him again. We took him out to the backyard, and he promptly rolled and rolled in her grass --- giving it his seal of approval. I am so happy that he has found the perfect forever home!

Lessons Learned

I have been participating in a collaboration with another artist, and it has been both challenging and rewarding. Neither of us are printmakers, but we set printmaking as the technique for this collaboration. Each of us added the initial print(s) to several pieces of paper, then we swapped and printed on each other's work. I have learned a few things from this endeavor:

1. It is scary to work on someone else's work!

2. Less is more. The simple, minimalistic prints were much more effective.

3. I have a lot to learn about how the design on my printing plate will transfer to the paper.

4. I want to keep experimenting with printmaking.

5. Fluid acrylics do not work for monoprinting.

6. The reason I love collage is because I can rearrange and add and remove the elements before it becomes a final design. Printmaking is not so forgiving!

After our collaboration was over, I was ready to return to a medium that is more familiar. This is a watercolor that was done except for adding the black background and a bit more shading. I am pleased with it, but I can also see where it can translate to a woodcut print. I guess printmaking is still on my mind!

Going Home!

It's official! Keaton is going to his new home on Saturday morning. While I am sad to see him leave, I am also happy that he has found such a great forever home.

Keaton is sporting his new "going home" bandana in these photos. Katie Wyatt in Maryland sews these bandanas and donates them to rescues to use on their dogs. Thanks to Katie for the handsome blue bandana that Keaton will wear to his new home!

One last photo of my boy. It has been an amazing journey, watching him grow from a scared puppy mill puppy into a playful and loving puppy. We are going to miss him, and so will Zeke and Mya!

Wordless Wednesday

Texture, Texture, Texture

I love texture, and I love photographing examples of it occurring naturally in the environment. The photos above were taken in our yard --- macro shots of a knot on the trunk of an ash tree. I love the organic coloring and all of examples of texture. Mother Nature truly is a master artist!

Wordless Wednesday