New Years Eve

I just talked to a very good friend who called to wish me a Happy New Year!  She lives 5 hours away from me now so I don't get to see her very often but through technology we have been able to keep in touch and "be there" for each other although in an "arms length" sort of way.

Yes, it is New Years Eve!  I'm glad that I don't feel obligated to go out on the town, spend money that I don't have and worry about the cost of the cab to get home!! My hubby and I are happy to stay home.  We had such a great time for 5 days in Toronto with out daughter, son-in-law and grand-daughter that we think that "life is good" and there is not much need to feel like crap after a night of heavy drinking.

I chilled a bottle of dry rose in the freezer and I am sipping on the bottle now!  My hubby doesn't like wine as much as me so it is all mine!  I will save him a glass for dinner.  He is preparing a fine supper for us; a personal favourite, ham with hot mustard and scalloped potatoes!  How great is that???!!!!!

He had to go to a funeral today for a good friend of his; a fishing buddy.  I spent the time doing housework and trying to get some time for art in as well.  I wanted to get some of the substrate made in preparation for making the postcard's that I will be swapping later.  It is a time consuming venture but I love doing it anyway.  The only issue is that I like to have the house to myself so I can turn the tunes on (loudly that is) while I make art.  I am so lucky that my daughter has keep me abreast of technology and I am not a technophobe.  I have a great set of Bose speakers attached to my laptop beside the kitchen. However, all that really means is, I have less time to actually make art because I am spending too much time reading my e-mails and surfing the net etc.

Yesterday I took this picture while I was clearing my car of snow, shovelling the path out to the car and a path out to the bird feeder.  It was quite chilly but it wasn't too bad.  The only thing that got cold were my hands because I was too stupid to wear mitts.

I love how natures hoar frost has made prickly sweaters on the grape vines!

And again on these wild cucumbers!  I had thought of picking these to use in a project but forgot since they were just beyond arms reach and too close to the ditch. I especially love the prickles on the prickles.  Very fun mother nature!

I should have made more grape jam this year since it was a bumper crop!   I wonder what would happen if I tried it now.  Grape "ice wine" jam, perhaps??!!!!

I am not one to make new years resolutions..... so..... Happy New Year to all!!!!   See you in 2012!!!

Year End Fast Approaching

I find it very interesting to realize that I am not really interested in year end this 2011.  I look back and think that I am glad that 2011 is over but really it is only because of my father's illness and death that really has had a real negative effect on me!  I miss my dad!  Yup, he made me angry about some of the things that he did or didn't do but really - he was my dad and he was what he was!  Regardless, I miss him very much!

The best news of the year is that my grand-daughter was born and is now gaining weight.  As of yesterday she now weighs in at 8.14 lbs.  At the last weigh-in she was only one ounce past her birth weight of 8.5 so there was some concerns about her health.  She is such a little sweetheart and greatly loved by both grandparents.

We finally have snow!  We are looking like a winter wonderland now and here is a snap that epitomizes the colour of winter.

I love all of the shades of "white" or maybe I should say black, white and grey!  These snap were taken yesterday and I really loved how the snow was sticking to the trees and vegetation.  A few more months of this I won't be thinking that it is so very pretty!

The roads were still pretty clear but my car is firmly encased in snow.  You can see the hood of my car peeking up at the bottom of the snap.

My hubby thought that we had best get some of the maples trimmed because they are growing like weeds and overtaking the roof of the house.  He finally got most of his piled up before the snow fell.

Christmas Tree Collage

Here is another "doodle" for want of a better word.  It really is a "doodle" in the sense that I had the felt pens but I wasn't really going anywhere with them at first. Then I cut out the Christmas trees from the wrapping paper roll and applied them to my sketchbook page.  I had to cover up a lot of doodling but that is no matter.  Although this isn't fine art, it was fun to do.  I sometimes think that is more important for me!
I think it keeps me calm and it is good not to think about all the silliness (whatever it happens to be) for a few hours.

I couldn't find my white gel pen so I had to use correction fluid in this multi-media piece.  I love spending time in my sketchbook and feel naked without it.

Christmas Tree doodle

Here is one of the Christmas icon's that I love....the Christmas tree!!! This is just a simple rendition using watercolour paint.  I found a box of semi-moist colours some time ago and I thought that I should get them out and try them.

Great news!  Our precious grand-daughter who was born late on November 30th has finally reached a benchmark; she has surpassed her birthweight by one ounce!  Yippee!  My daughter was getting worried and my hubby and I were getting worried for them both.  So that crisis has been averted and just before Christmas!  We just received our second present! We are all "over the moon"!

I got this cool app on my iPhone and I took some snaps while I was in bed.  It was actually early yesterday morning when I got home from my night shift.  I was given another present from my boss who let me leave work early.

This is what my duvet looks like after using the Paper Camera app to alter the image.  My duvet is white and was all jumbled up because I was reading a book using my Kobo app.  I was very amused by how many variations the app offers.  Simple and fun!

Christmas Pears

This is day one of my Christmas holidays and how glorious is it when you get a bill in the mail that isn't.  Ontario Hydro says that I have a substantial credit with them and will not have to pay a hydro bill for many, many months in 2012.  Ticks me off that I paid too much all year though; I mean, I lost use of that money and could have used it to buy something really cool - like an iPad.  Okay, I'll quit whining since it is the Christmas season.

It was fairly quiet last night at work so I had some time to do a pencil drawing.   We are not allowed to have any "personal electronic devices" on our person so I feel that my pencil and sketchbook is still fair game.  I totally love drawing!  Each time I make a drawing no matter how small or insignificant it might seem; I get a charge of transferring that which is real and getting the image on to the page!  However, I need, I must, practice way more! Oh my, did I just make a New Years resolution and in black and white no less???!!  Very scary!

I think I love the essence of the pear.  My subjects are all different but I forgot to look to see which is which.  Okay so there is likely a bartlett but I forget the names of the other two.  I guess it is time go Google pears!!  Obviously, I don't need to admit that I might like the essence of a pear but I am no connoisseur of the pear.

I don't know why but I just couldn't seems to get the camera situated in such a fashion to take a better picture of my pencil rendering.  I don't normally have such a hard time but for some reason my befuddled brain just can't seem to comprehend what I need to do to get it right.  So, heck with it; here is the photo as is.

When I compare my drawing to the photograph, I can see some things that I should have included and that my perspective is slightly off for the pear laying down.  I should have measured better using my pencil so that it didn't look like such a "gourd".   But nightshift being what it is makes me not the best visual thinker.

I know that the Christmas doesn't make you think of pears but really we must remember the 12 days of Christmas song.  These pears are just no longer on the tree!!

I have signed up for a mixed media postcard challenge and have to make 10 postcards and send them to people who will be like me....patiently waiting for theirs in the mail.  This will be my first and I look forward to it beginning next month!  I should link to her site so you can join too.  I'm off to see if I can make that happen. The author mentions that I could have grabbed a badge but I'm not sure how to do that so haven't.  Here is her address that you can copy and paste instead.  It would seem that I have some learning to do about using blogger.

http://musingsonrealities.blogspot.com/2011/12/international-mixed-media-postcard-swap.html

I'm almost done shopping and have wrapping to do!  Looking forward to that along with some spiced rum and eggnog!

Our Angel has Arrived

No need for Christmas presents this year; our first grandchild arrived on November 30th and she is so totally adorable.  We have waited nine long months for her arrival.  It seems that home birth was a good thing for my daughter (I had my reservations about it).   My hubby has finally put up the Christmas lights so I feel a bit more Christmassy.  We were waiting for our angel to be born and put everything else on hold.  She was a good weight 8.5 lbs; pretty good weight for a girl too.  My daughter just sent us a video of her after her first 8 days of life.  wow!  Technology is so fantastic!

Last night was the final art class at the McLaren Art Centre (I will miss going to them each Wednesday night).   We were still working on egg tempera.  What a strange medium!  I only got two layers so there really isn't much of a picture yet.  I'm very ambivalent about this way of painting; it just takes so long! We got to see a local artist who had a showing at the gallery and her work was lovely but just not for me.  Now there was a pencil artist work on show and I really loved his; Kelly Wallace.  Fascinating work!

The Waiting Game

Here I am!  I'm still waiting for my first grandchild to be due; obviously "it" is overdue or past due (whatever suits your fancy).  I must endeavour to acquire the gift of patience; I see it as a character flaw that I need to continuously work on.  I know that we live in a culture of instant gratification and I have tried to ignore those yearnings but it is so very hard to do so.  It is almost as if we have never grown up and we are stuck in a childish rut.  It is as if we forgot to slough off some programming from when we were children.  In those days we always wanted for things and wanted it when we wanted it; meaning we wanted it, NOW!

This is a picture from a supper boat cruise that I went on at Toronto, Ontario harbour back in 2009.

Here is the results from last weeks art class.  I don't think that I chose the right picture for the medium that we were using last week - watercolour.  I got inspired by one of my classmates.  Several weeks ago during the acrylic class she brought a store-bought card of light reflection in water.  I knew that I had taken a snap several years ago with a similar subject matter.  I did find it and took it to class and here is my attempt. My photo included the cityscape buildings in the background so I cropped them out to make my picture similar to that of hers.

My reproduction of the picture is not as precise as I had hoped but that was due to the fact that the instructor flipped the picture upside down so that I would not concentrate so much on the photograph and spend more time on my art piece.  Having said that, I see that I would like to try this once again because I do indeed like the photograph and would like to reproduce it more closely because of the way it "flows"  I like the sporadic nature of the red "line" and I like how the yellow is only a "highlight" of the green.  I even would like to attempt re-creating the grey line as well.

Again I have to say that this is the reason I took this class; I got to play with different paint media that I might not have otherwise.

Persimmons

I can tell when I am tired and not necessarily hungry.... I pick up fruit and veggies at the grocery store to draw on my night shift.  I buy it thinking that I will have something interesting to draw on my days off.  However, it was desperately quiet last night which makes every minute feel like an hour and pure drudgery.  A new edict has put put out that we are not allowed "personal devices" and actually "on our person" while working.  Yup, that means no iPhone for me!  The thing is... it is also my calendar so if I take the procedure literally then I have to revert to paper copy.  I never thought that the day would come when I would have to revert to ancient technologies.  I mean, I finally got to present day technology, so far I am really enjoying my Macbook and iPhone and the Evernote app to reduce my paper consumption.  Strange.  I can understand it to a point but I think that not having it on your person so that it can be used not as a phone or as a vehicle to get on the internet is going just a bit too far.

I digress.  I bought a persimmon while I was picking up my salad for work; I bought it because it looked interesting.  The girls at work checked it out on the internet and it seems that my choice of fruit is not quite edible....yet.  The orange flesh of this fruit is quite hard and it should be soft to the touch.  I really chose it to draw and not to eat but I will not be consuming it myself anyway it seems.  Thankfully,  I have a hubby who likes tropical fruit so I hope he likes this.  From what they learned it is full of tannins so I think that I will stay clear in fear of getting a migraine.  I already eat too much other stuff that I shouldn't and I would be afraid that this would put me over the edge.  Maybe I can survive a  "taste".

I had forgotten my pencil case at home so I search all of the work stations to find a 2B pencil that still had an erasure on it.  It is just office supply quality but something is better than nothing.  I can see that my perspective is slight off and I think I should have made the background slightly darker to bring the fruit forward.  Now that I look at it again, my green centre is definitely not dark enough either.  Regardless is it a drawing to pass the time in a positive way.  It is okay after many months of not drawing anything since my fathers illness and death.  I love making a mark with my pencil; there is just something so very satisfying in its simplicity.

Art Class II

Here is a photo of my piece that I did in art class last week.  I was inspired by a photograph that I took last March and was created in water mixable oil paint.  This is my first painting ever in this medium and although it was enjoyable it has one draw back.....it is till not dry.  I know that all of the fine art painters would consider that to be a positive aspect, I on the other hand do not.  When I took my colour theory course in university (many years ago via long distance study), I received in mail a box of acrylic paints.  I have never tried anything else.  Of course that is the whole reason why I took this art class in the first place!

 Okay so this isn't the exact photograph but it is the only one that I have watermarked in iPhoto.  It certainly will suffice.  I took tons of photo's that frosty morning while the sun was rising.  My fingers were almost frozen by the time decided that I had had enough snaps.  I certainly was a sight to see and I was happy that I made the detour to the water's edge of Lake Simcoe to see it so early in the morning and following my night shift.

I find trying to capture the essence of my photograph is more difficult than I had first thought.  Isn't it always the way.....we always attribute simplicity in others work.... but... when we try it ourselves we finally realize that there is nothing simple about applying paint to canvas or in this case to canvas board/panel.

I have to say that I really do like the "look" of oil.  I has it's own look and feel that is quite wonderful.   Again, my photography skills do not do the colours in this painting justice.  I think I need to add highlights in the icy snow to show the reflection from the rising sun.  Not sure how I will accomplish that but I am thinking maybe oil pastels might be the answer.  I'll have to think about it before I actually apply the pastel.

Belize

Oh well....days off can't hang around forever!! I will have to force myself once again to get up at 04:30 hrs.  What is it with me?  There is nothing worse than getting up in the dark and coming home in the dark.

My hubby has returned safe and sound from inspecting our lot in Belize.  He bought it sight unseen and I am happy to report that it is high and dry!! I look forward to going down south myself but I will wait until my grand-child is born before I venture far afield.

Here is the only photo that we have of my hubby's trip.  It is taken by a fellow tourist because my hubby forgot to pack the camera.  Thankfully the resort is sending it to him via snail mail.  Check the resort out at www.matarocks.com

The day before his return it snowed and thankfully it has melted away.  I have to say that it was pretty but I was a tad tired on my way home from my night shift so I really didn't appreciate it that much.  I did get some snap while I walked in from the yard.

I think I would love to try for some late harvest or ice wine although there is not enough of this wild fruit to make any....even if I knew how to do it.

I haven't worked on finishing my painting and won't have the time today since I have to get all my stuff ready for work. 

Sunrise Painting

My hubby has been away checking out the plot of land that he bought in Ambergrise Caye, San Pedro, Belize.  I used my alone time to paint.  It has been some time since I have even felt like painting anything. I am almost happy with it but I can see two things that I want to change before I declare that I am finished.  Oh yes, I need to finish the frame as well.

Here is a photograph of my inspiration...I took it this past October and thought it might be interesting in a painting.  I use acrylics and it enjoyed the layering process to achieve the colour that I wanted.

Now this is not the exact photo that I used but it was taken the same morning (this is the only one that was already watermarked).  I don't live on the water but only about a mile away.  I just took a detour down to the public access on Lake Simcoe to grab a few snaps using my point and shoot Panasonic Lumix.   I usually carry this camera around  in my car with me for just such occasions- moments of spontaneity.  I could see the sky on my drive home and I was sure that this would be a great photo taking opportunity. 

However, what I don't like is the water.  I know that it is the lens of the camera that reads the water as dark when in fact it really isn't.  So, I will use some of artistic licence by changing the colour so that it does not read as "black".  There is no reason to be a slave to the actual photograph.

Now my photographic skills need to be improved, I think that I should have re-positioned the easel  away from the window a bit more.  I think that would have eliminated the glare on the right hand side.  Overall, I need to do a bit of tweaking of the water and the sky above the sun a bit and it should be considered done.  My hubby is a good creative critic and even he agrees with my intended modifications.

Home Alone

I have the house to myself for the next week!  I can watch all the television I want and pick my channel.  I can eat what I want, when I want.  I can do exactly what I want to do and when I want to do it.  Wow!  The choice!

So I have been busy trying to paint a picture that I took.  I have made some design changes that I think suit a painting although it will deviate from the original picture that I took last March.  It is actually a sunrise photograph and I love sunrises and sunsets.  I am having some difficulties because I don't really know my brush strokes well enough.  I don't know how to make the water resemble water.  I have done what I can and it looks kinda sorta like water but I'm not always the best judge.

Here are some pictures that I painted in class this week.  They are colour studies, one blue and one burnt sienna.

I ran the study in blue through my iPhone 100 Camera's program and it came out looking like an antique and in many ways greatly enhanced the original picture.

The burnt sienna picture did not fair well through the same program and looks a bit over exposed.  These are just studies so I should not be too hard on myself.

I'm not sure that I like water soluble oil paint as these were still wet and they were painted last Wednesday.  Okay so I know that oil painters (read fine art oil painters) love that very fact.  Me...not so much!   The more that I look at this photograph the more I think that I might have to revert this image to it's original.

I was busy try to reclaim a laminated board and frame as my next project (I firmly believe in recycling - regardless if it is art or not) so I only had a minute to sketch this 2" x 2" thumbnail.  I saw it on the web and I think it is a photograph taken in Scotland.   It is a quick sketch and I can see now that I have not clearly expressed the river bank from the river.

Art Class

On a whim I called to see if there were any spots left for an art class on painting techniques at the MacLaren Art Centre in town.  There were!!  I was so very excited!  I have had two weeks of class on acrylic painting and I look forward to the oil painting instruction that we will be having for the next two weeks. I have never worked in oil and I'm not so sure that I will like it.   Having said that, it is the what the impressionists used.  The instructor says that oil is very different to acrylic and I sensed that she preferred it over other forms of art.  I have checked around the house to find rags; no clean up with water when it comes to oil paint.

We had to select some pictures and I chose one that I took back in March; an early morning sunrise!!  Here is a pastel rendition of it from my sketchbook.

Okay so this isn't the "exact" picture that I used; I used this because it was the only one that I had already watermarked.  I will be very interested to see what happens when I paint this in oil.  I haven't had the time to take some snaps of my acrylic work but I would like to wait until the end of the oil work.  I want to see if I can improve my painting skill and improve upon the end result.  Looking forward to that!

Early morning Sunrise

I always complain about working night shifts; it is the bane of my working existence!  However, I must admit that at time I need to take the good that come with the bad.  The only perk I can think of is that of photo opportunities; I get to see the early morning sunrise.  If I wasn't coming home from night shift, I probably wouldn't.  Yes, I am awake usually but I would still have my pi's on and drinking my java (kinda like right now!).


I was able to snap these on my way home from work from Sunday night shift but it was actually Monday morning.

I could see that there was some red sky on my way home so I took a slight detour down to Lake Simcoe to get these snaps.  I never seem to tire of sunrise pictures.  My eyes always seem to drink them in, it must be due to the colour scheme.  The beauty of a simple sunrise.

I have something to look forward to today; I am going to be taking a class tonight at the MacLaren Art Centre called "Painting Techniques".  I can't wait!!!!

Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

It is in my nature to be very cynical - mostly learned behaviour due to the nature of my work though!!  So the "old guy" and I took a little trip to "disneyland" or rather we lived in the land of dreams for four days during the Thanksgiving holidays.  I remained hopeful during this time, I kept my negativity at bay and kept it pushed down but secretly I just knew...

Reality set in when my hubby spoke to the lawyer and he then spoke to the city planner for the area.  It seems that this property has an unusual designation:  EU.  I have heard of the European Union and I have even heard of EP for environmentally protected but EU is a new one.  It stands for EXISTING USE.  Right now it is a bush lot and it has been designated so since the 1970's.  We guess that they two adjoining property owners banded together and got the designation so that they can continue to enjoy their privacy and the property in the middle remains pristine.  We could buy especially since the owner has dropped the price by $20,000 but taking the issue to the OMB is a crap shoot so at this stage of the game it is best not to throw away our money.  Sometimes old adages bug me but in this case it does apply;nothing ventured, nothing gained.  We had fun trying!

Here is a picture from my sketchbook; it is a page that I did earlier this month.  The jumping off point for it is the tiny square on the bottom right-hand corner.  I cut it out from a free house design magazine that arrived that week.  I pasted it on after I had put the paint on the page and thought that it would be a nice addition.  The crab-apple leaf fell out of the phone book so I added it as well.  Okay so this is not "fine" a ret but those additions made this sketchbook picture fun!

The picture didn't scan as well as I thought it might and it really is not this "yellow"; it is more of a burnt orange.

Autumn Colours

I have to say that I do love the fall!  Not just because it is virtually insect free - no giant sized misquotes or black flies to make me itchy but due to the colourful splendour that is Canada!  This picture truly depicts the idea. 

The old boy and I took a trip up north to Parry Sound Ontario and spent a few hours checking out a piece of lakefront property.  Very small frontage but lakefront it is.  This lovely view is directly across from the lot.

I have to say that this was the first "hunting for property" trip that I have taken with my hubby where I was not whining and complaining that I wanted to leave; the property wasn't too wet, too bushy, too anything really.  Very nice.  A bit pricey but the offer will hinge on the daughter.  If she will never go up and use it then there is no sense in making the purchase.  It is intended to be a long term investment and commitment is needed to make the changes required for habitation.

Raining cats and dogs

We need the rain but really....where did that old adage come from? What do cats and dogs have to do with rain? In the summer, hot days are called the "dog days of summer" which I can understand but not the one about the rain.

My daughter sent me an invite to Google Plus and I have accepted but there are some things that I like about this new addition to the social networking sites and others that I don't. It is a small thing but it bugs me that I can't see what I have added as a post. What I like is that I can keep people separated; I can keep my work colleagues separate from my friends and family. The real problem is that no one is really "on" this new site for it be viable in my life. Yes, my daughter is but she and her hubby are the only ones on at this time. will that likely change? I'm not sure. When there was some concern that FB was going to charge money for using their site, I think that Google would certainly have a better chance.

Colorsplash

Good late morning! that is okay because I'm on holidays! And it is good-by July and hello August. Unbelieveable!

No time to do any art but I had a chance on my night shifts to check out an app on my iPhone that I had downloaded sometime ago called "Colorsplash". The app came with some videos on how to use it. I like app's like that. I had a good time converting this photo.

I think that this photo epitomizes being on holidays!! Just add people and some beverages - life is good!

Oil Pastels in sketchbook

I thought that I would try this out using some cheap dollar store oil pastels that I have. I made a zentangle of a flower some time ago and like the motif so I created another coloured zentangle using the oil pastels. Then I smeared odourless mineral spirits on the drawing. It took quite some time for the sketch to dry in my sketchbook but it finally did.

I liked using the mineral spirits on woodless pencil much better as it makes the lay down look much more painterly. I haven't got a picture yet but will take one later and post.

My dad has finally decided to take the morphine so he feels a bit better and I feel a bit better too. It is easier for me to see that he is not in pain when I visit.

Dominoes

My Dad's condition worsens with each passing day and now I am trying to cojole him into agreeing that pain medication is alright. In this day and age, there is no need to feel pain. I don't know but he might just want to "feel" something. I just got upset to see that he was not feeling well and frustrated when he wouldn't let the nursing staff give him the medications that would help.

I ahve not been keeping this art journal up because I haven't been doing too much. I started a simple project but I don't have all of the supplies so can't finish it. I really think that these are fun and easy to do and love the fact that I was able to find the dominos at the Good Will. I have never seen this white type of plastic domino so was thrilled to use them instead of the "adult" ones that I found. I think the children ones are cute too because they have great colours that cold be used as pendants all on their own.

Here is a picture of my prototypes. I used Ranger Inks and applied the ink using the applicator (sold separately). I then used some Triple Thick coating that I got at Micheal's. I found a website that had a bit of a tutorial but I couldn't get what she recommended as a sealer but I think that this product does the trick.

I don't really like the effect of the stamp on the one domino; it is just too thin and insignificant, so I will have to change that. I had run out of ink on the applicator and decided that I didn't mind the mottled effect but I should have inked the sides of the domino to make it appear "complete".

Happy Canada Day!!

My dad reminded me yesterday that this use to be "Dominion Day". Happy Dominion/Canada Day to all!

Define FUN!!

Wow! It is the end of June already! So far it is a fabulous morning with the bright sunshine!

One of the girls at work brought in these mini candy bars on our first night shift. The words "FUN SIZE" caught my eye. Often I think that the creative minds behind the marketing do an exceptional job. This time however, I think they missed the mark. How does the size of this bar make it any more fun than its' full-sized counterpart? I have no idea. I am not sure how eating a mini chocolate bar and any chocolate bar can be considered FUN! I don't think of eating as a "FUN" activity since I don't consider chewing to be an active activity and one whereby you consume more calories than what you spend in the process of that consumption. Really, eating nutritious food is a "necessary" requirement for our bodies.

I know that this is not rocket science and there is no ah-ha moment here but it is just something that gave me pause on my last night shift. I find that I contemplate the oddity in life that catches my eye.

Summer Projects

I have a few projects that I want to start but I have a painting "started" or rather one layer on the canvas. I will finish it. The next two projects are not paint related; one is to make something useful out of the mess of spools that I purchased and once that is finished to start a abstract painting using collected fibres. I have it partially imagined in my mind but don't want to get too solidified so that the end result won't look too deliberate.

Here is a picture of a "tag" project that I completed with a group of fibre art enthusiasts called "Marmalade". It epitomizes what it is that I want to do (and no, I don't want to replicate this project but just give you an idea where I might be going with the abstraction concept).

I have been trying to clean up my computer and off-load some stuff (like movies and videos etc) because they suck up so much space. I am not too sure about the idea of CLOUD storage but I will put some of my documents there for safekeeping. I purchased an external hard drive to hold all of the stuff that I don't need regularly. I am also removing many of my photo's for the same reason but I want them to be "safe" so I will be adding them to the hard drive as well. I have tried to be a bit more "brutal" by trashing some of the "not-so-great" photographs. Honestly, not every photograph I have taken needs to be kept.

It is hard but I have reclaimed 2G of space on my hard drive already. I had best get back at it.

It is such a beautiful day and I want to go out for a long walk too. Need to get a move on....

It might only be a Bic pen but....

Okay... so I know that it isn't "fine" art but ya know... I just love to doodle if that is all the time there is, so be it. When there is a bit more time but that time is sporadic I still enjoy trying to complete a picture and not make my doodle a "zentangle" (which I have to say I also enjoy!).

I was trolling the internet and came across a photograph of a a teapot. It reminded me of a "Brown Betty" that I had purchased "back in the day" when I was in my late teens and early '20"s. I know that I am NOW a coffee-holic but everyone needs to own at least one teapot in which to steep some jasmine tea, if nothing else. I have to admit that I am very partial to a "blueberry tea" even though it is of the alcoholic persuasion (a very close and good friend of mine introduced me to it).

So the bottom line is this.... making art doesn't alway have to be about making "fine" art but just about exploring a new medium, a new image or whatever. The fact the matter is that I enjoyed the time that I spent creating this doodle and that is what it is....a doodle. I am proud of this "doodle" even though it is not quite "right". I "eyeballed" it so often I find that my perception can be out of line at times.

Honestly, I don't think this was created using a "Bic" ball point pen per se since it is just a blue ink pen that I found at work. If memory serves, the advertisement on the pen was for a national hotel chain. The point I am trying to make is to make a "mark on the paper", it does not have to be "fine art" just a form of art. I have to say that the memories that sparked in my mind where fun. I recalled the times when "back in the day" we spent hours upon hours contemplating the universe and drinking tea. It feels like a minute ago although I don't want to say just how long ago it was...fun times!

So my advice is....just do art.... it is all about the "DOING" and not always about the art!

Vintage Thread Spools

So how many is too many?

I bought three bags of these vintage spools at a local thrift shop. I couldn't help myself. They didn't have any thread on them when I bought them.

The clerk asked me what I was going to do with them. I actually had no idea but I know that the internet will supply me with some ideas. Yup! Some of them will have a new purpose shortly! When I get them re-created into something new I will post them here!

I wonder who had these and why they threw them out. I find it strange that each one had every bit of thread removed. I have found a few other spools but they usually have a least a little bit of leftover thread on the spool. Someone went to a lot of trouble to remove the thread from all of the spools. I haven't counted them yet and all I can say is that they are "numerous".

Made me laugh

This iris was growing on the side of the road, obviously transplanted by rodents from the neighbouring garden. Very pretty! I love how the "mouth" of the flower with it's lucious tongue attempts to lure you inside. If I was a bee, I don't think I could resist.

It is strange sometimes what tickles my funny bone. When I saw these birds yesterday on my walk I immediately thought of the birds on wild beasts in African travelogues that we see on public television. I just couldn't help trying to get some snaps.

Now, we all know what it is that these birdies are waiting for don't we????!!!

My Dad is failing with each passing day. Although he is now on the list for long term care I don't believe that he will make it. It is sad to see him in such a way because I truly don't believe that he would not want this for himself. I am sure he would rather leave this world quickly and not by this long protracted method. He does not have any quality of life!

So, I must find as many pleasures in my life as I can so that I do not become melancholy too. Walking and listening to my iPod is one of my greatest pleasures.

Back to Work - Bummer

I can't believe that I have to go back to work! How inconvenient for me since I was hoping to be around for when my dad gets the results of his most recent tests. Oh well! I have until June 15th to close up my Dad's apartment. Gawd! I absolutely hate that job! It just seems like I cleaned out his house (it was just a year and a half ago after all!).

I have almost finished my niece's wedding card so I am very happy about that! I just have to make the envelope yet but I have two weeks so I'm not going to stress out over it.

I cancelled my art class for the summer because I just didn't think that I would be able to "do" everything and get bogged down and not be able to do the art homework each week. It is an expensive class so I don't want to waste my money. I have been thinking about trying out some classes that I see on the internet that I can do at my own pace. Hmmm sounds like a possiblity.

Blooms are here,summer is coming!

I still go and see my Dad almost everyday at the hospital but since I am on holidays I try to do something creative once in awhile. Sometimes it is just my camera and what I see in the world around me. Sometimes that has to be good enough.

I went for a walk a few days ago and decided to take a detour in the woods and by chance it was the right day. I found these lovely trillium that are in full bloom. I have not noticed them anywhere else so I was especially happy to come across them.

I really am so lucky to be able to take a walk in the woods. Actually it is a skidoo path but that is okay with me since it makes it so easy to walk under the canopy.

So it seems that everything is in bloom in readiness for summer. At first, I thought the flowers below were for some sort of weed until I took a better look and realized that these pretty little flowers will soon be wild strawberries. YUM! YUM!

I have said it before and I will say it again...I love spring and I love summer!

Objects are Smaller than they Appear

It makes me chuckle every time I see the caution statement on the side mirror of my car, "Objects are closer than they appear" . In this picture the minnows are smaller than their shadows. I am not a fisher woman, it is my husband who claims that interest but I know we have a "minnow can" somewhere in the garage. Regardless as to the smallness of some of them, I think that the holes would not be large enough to capture some of these bait fish. Not that my hubby is really interested since he is away on his annual fishing trip with the "boys" up north (a four hour trek)

I have been trying to finish off my wedding card for my nieces wedding that is fast approaching. In the meantime, I have decided to get my brushes in some paint and slap it on a blank canvas that I have had hanging on the wall. I had found it at a local charity shop but had to gesso out the horrible picture that had been digitally sprayed on my machine. The canvas is completely square and measures 22" x 22". It will be a simple painting because I don't have the time for something too time consuming and complex but I am just so happy to be mixing pigment and getting paint on my brush! This really satisfies my attention deficient disorder; while I am waiting for the paint to dry on the card project then I get add the next layer to the painting.

What is this?

Since my dad had taken ill again and has now been diagnosed with a terminal cancer, I haven't been spending as much time on-line or doing any sort of art. I've got to clean out his apartment, make sure he is properly taken care of , pay his bills and that sort of thing. It is a lot of responsibility. He has made some specific requests as to what he wants at his funeral and I am not sure just how to go about it. The piper is easy as there is a local pipes and drums corp that do play at funerals. It is the pall bearers that I am having some difficulties with. I have no idea who to contact at the local armed forces base to ask if they can send 6 men and perform a community service for a 91 year old retired serviceman.

I was trawling the internet last night and came across a photograph of what was likely a ceiling to a church or some other historical type building. I think my drawing looks a bit like a spider web and I wonder if the design was created originally from that motif. However, I had a few minutes of time so I made a sort of "zentangle" of the photograph. Now that I look at it and if I was to imagine myself as being "very small" and looking up at a ceiling; now I can "see" that it indeed could be a ceiling of a church. Having said that, I am also looking at it with a different perspective. What other ways could this pattern, this motif be used? Would it lend itself to a rendition in fibre art or a mixed media piece? Hmm... I think there are certainly possibilities.

Dreams are Free!

"DREAMS ARE FREE!" I heard this phrase in a song from a popular television show N.C.I.S.; it is called Genie in my Dreams and sung by Sharon Little. "When you can't take the living, remember: dreaming is free". I remember my mother telling me to stop "day-dreaming" and she said that she could tell because of my eyes. I do understand what she means by the way one's eyes often become "fixed", "glazed over" or a person just looks "far away". I wasn't thinking really, I was "day dreaming". I still day-dream and when I can't sleep, I night dream before I finally just say the heck with it and get up.

These dreams come in many forms; some continue to be day-dreams or "I wish" thoughts, some are thoughts that are attempting to conjure up a solution to a problem. More often than not, I do "dream" the answer to whatever pickle that I am in. It could be a workplace issue, or an artistic technique one (since I often do not have a set of instructions follow I need to think through to the next few steps).

Then there are always the "I wish" dreams but when one gets to a certain age, these rise to the top very often and must be stuffed back in the box because they are pointless, the past can not be changed. The future is the only thing that we have and we need to make the most of it! I consider myself lucky that answers do actually "come" to me in my day and night-dreams. I wonder if this should actually be called "lucid" dreaming? To answer my own question, yes, I think so.

A friend of mine told me about this incredible internet sale, Interweave had a sale on some old videos regularly priced at 19.99 for .10 cents (imagine that!). So, being the cheap type that I am I couldn't help myself. I had a ton of fun making some stamps from cheap dollar store vinyl erasers (4 for a $1). The DVD I downloaded was originally designed for use on fabric but I gave it a try and paper is also a suitable substrate.

This really fits in my my "childish" self; that self that still daydreams, daydreams about making time to "make art". This doesn't really take too much time and it really is worth the effort.

I love the results because it is so simple and close to "immediate" gratification.

Print on a piece of paper your word (making sure it fits on the eraser) and pressing hard to get lots of graphite on the paper (so a softer 2B is preferable to a 2H). Then rub hard over the word you have printed and once you have then fill in the "rubbing" so you can see your work clearly. Yes, it will be backwards when you are cutting it out but remember it will be "right" again when you stamp on your page or on your fabric.

The only other piece of "equipment" one needs is an x-acto style knife of utility craft knife the type that has the triangular shaped blade with a long skinny point. The point is used to pivot in the eraser to get a really great circle.