Illustration Friday - Worry

This was a good week to think about the word worry. What came to mind was Jesus' lesson about worry that can be found in Matthew 6: 24 - 34.
I love these words: "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them." "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" You can read the entire passage that inspired my watercolor sketch by going to the link above.

I journaled about this verse and did several quick sketches of lilies with a bird. I'd like to follow this up with a more detailed painting. By the way, the text was added in photoshop after scanning my painting.

We have a lot on our plate, and it's easy to be overcome with worry. The reminder to not worry has been very timely. Here's another verse that reminds me not to worry, but instead turn to God in prayer. Philippians 4: 6-7.

Blessings to you, Dear Readers.

Illustration Friday - Wide

It's been a very busy month with not enough energy left to keep up with blogging. But a bit of serendipity has worked to give me art to submit for IF this week. I've been working on a couple paintings. I audition some of my color schemes on ATC's. That's what you see in this post. This acrylic on paper.
Now just how does this fit the theme "wide"?
After I added the calligraphic marks on these cards, I realized they resembled the form of a woman's torso. Then I had to smile at a memory. Years ago hubby & I were visiting his sister & her hubby. We played Pictionary, women vs. men. During one round, both teams had to draw and guess. The word was "wide". Oh boy, what to draw. I drew lines similar to those on my ATC's. I drew a horizontal line with arrows across the area that would represent the hips. My sister-in-law quickly understood and shouted out, "Wide!" The men were stupefied. How did we get that so fast? My hubby was attempting to draw something that would represent a truck with a wide load. It was much too complicated for the competition.

I got a bit of good news today. One of my colored pencil drawings has been accepted in the Octagon Art Center's Community of Artists Show. You can see it here.

Other good news from this month is that I've been accepted as an exhibitor at the Central Iowa Art Association's Art Fair on July 20th. I'll share more details later.

Illustration Friday - Seed

I put this ATC together quickly so I could make the IF deadline. I've actually had sketches and ideas jotted down since January with this quote.
I used an HB pencil to write the quote on 185# paper. Glazes of green gold, cobalt turquoise and turquoise deep were added as well as the clip art of the mustard plant. Mustard seeds were pressed into a layer of soft gel medium. More layers of glaze were added.

In January I heard a sermon called "God's Quiet Kingdom" by Kip Hamby. He based the message on Matthew 13:31-35 . The Kingdom of God is compared to a tiny mustard seed that grows into a large plant. I found inspiration in this statement: "It is God's good and mysterious way to use that which is small and hidden and quiet." There is much to contemplate in that statement.

So, prompted by the Illustration Friday topic Seed, this is my first version - quickly rendered as an ATC. I'd like to do a more developed painting in the future.

Golden Acrylic Collage with Gel Transfers Workshop

This weekend it was my great joy to attend a workshop at the Art Store in Des Moines which was taught by Bonnie Cutts, who is one of Golden Acrylics' Working Artists. If you are interested in working with acrylics, doing collage or transfer techniques, I highly recommend attending a workshop. Check out the link to see if there are offerings in your area.

I attended a lecture/demo on Friday night, which was very informative. There were so many sample boards! The Saturday workshop was a lot of fun. I learned more getting to work directly with the wonderful Golden products that were supplied to us. I've posted the collages that I worked on plus a sample board of direct transfer images. Bonnie prepared acrylic "skins" that we could include in our collages. These could be as simple as a textured gel that was tinted with Golden Fluid acrylic and left to dry on releasable surface such as glass. We adhered the skins to our collages using Gloss Soft Gel. We were also provided with transfers that were partially prepared. Clip art that was printed using a copier or laser printer (not regular ink jet) is coated with 4-5 layers of Gloss Soft Gel, drying between layers. Once the gel is thoroughly dry (no longer cloudy), put the image in lukewarm water to soak the paper. Place gel side down on firm surface & rub away the paper. Your image has transferred to the gel & it can be collaged onto your surface once it has dried (lay on a towel so it doesn't stick to surface while drying). Use Gloss Soft Gel to adhere transfer to the collage.
I have made transfers before using Liquitex products with satisfactory results, but I wasn't able to rub away the paper as thoroughly as I could with the Golden product. I think the toner bonded more thoroughly to the Golden film than it did to the Liquitex.
I would like to do more with the collages I started and will add an update when I get to that point.

Bonnie made the workshop a lot of fun as well as informative, and I recommend her very much. She is based out of the Twin Cities area. Check out her web site for workshop opportunities and to see samples of her art.

Follow-up to IF Save WIP

As time permits, I've been working on the graphite portraits I posted for Illustration Friday a couple weeks ago. This is the finished drawing. I learned a few things along the way. I'll work on a toned ground for future portraits which should help with establishing values. My husband was helpful for spotting trouble spots, which helps me develop an eye for ways to improve. I know this isn't perfect, but I decided that it could easily become overworked at this point. I'm happy with my progress, and now it's time to try another.

Illustration Friday - Primitive

Today while reading Fannie's fabulous blog, Imagine Create Inspire, I was reminded of this ACEO I created that fits the IF theme Primitive. The first thought that came to mind for the word Primitive was of naive art created by untrained artists. Then I remembered the art created by The Quiltmakers of Ghee's Bend. In 2003, they were featured on PBS, which is where I first learned of these artists.

Last year I was introduced to ATC's. (Artist Trading Cards) They are 2.5 x 3.5 inches, which is the same as any regular trading card. When they are made for sale, they are called ACEO's. (Art Cards, Editions and Originals)

This card was made using gesso, Liquitex paints, and colored pencil on paper. When I realized my abstract marks looked like a primitive house, I added the canceled postage stamp using acrylic matte medium. It was a nice bit of serendipity to have painted with the same pink as one of the fabrics in the quilt.

You may contact me for purchasing information.

Signs of Spring

Yesterday I took a few minutes to enjoy the sunshine and capture signs of spring. We have a grouping of old fashioned lilac bushes that promise to be loaded with blooms in a few weeks. Seeing the multitude of tight groups of buds was thrilling. The lilacs came from shoots that we harvested from hubby's parents' plants. They had started their lilac hedge from shoots that came from their parents. I love the connection to family in our yard.

Not so thrilling was the realization of how much work awaits me. Our largest perennial bed needs a lot of clean up. I need to make a temporary home for some perennials from a bed next to the house. We'll be replacing siding and windows in a few weeks. I don't want my hostas and siberian irises to be trampled. Several years ago, one of my sisters gave me divisions from her garden. When I think of us moving from this property one day, I have a hard time thinking of leaving my plants behind since the majority have a tie to family.

I'll share more of my treasures in the weeks to come. I also have an update on the graphite portrait to post once I scan it.