Art Journal

I recently got this really cool book called Art Escapes. It is a book about keeping an art journal and trying to work in it every day. The idea is to keep your self fresh and having fun, and to record new ideas etc. You are supposed to do it just for yourself and without the intent to show it to anyone.
The lady who wrote the book is mostly a watercolorist. Perusing through her pages I was really inspired to get out my watercolors. Now I have virtually no experience with watercolors, but being the extreme art stasher that I am, of course I have a watercolor set tucked away somewhere. It was in the basement.

So I pulled it out. (Oh and by the way, I also have a gorgeous hardcover watercolor journal just sitting around here too. If hubby only knew!) I intended to just play around a little bit, but instead got carried away, and well, it turns out that this watercolor is all I am getting done today! The kids will be home in about an hour and its time to figure out dinner. I don't think spending all day on one "doodle" was the intention of the art journal. But man I had fun! :)

I've been tagged!

ooo I feel so a "part" of bloglandia now! I was tagged by the gorgeous and amazing doll artist Nina Mason of Nina Mason Dolls.
Thank you Nina, I'm so honored!


Here are the rules:

1. Link to the person that tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
4. Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
5. Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.

OK, here are my 6 things.

1. I write 3 pages of long hand journaling every morning before I begin to work. I find this really helps me clear out all of the extraneous thoughts and "stuff" rolling around in my head and helps me have room to create. It also helps me focus on what I need to do that day. These writings make no sense and are complete ramblings.
2. I live in the same town I was born in, barely a mile from my childhood home, where my mother still lives. Its a small town and we are part of a traditional catholic community where my kids go to the same school where my brother, a catholic priest, is the principal .
3. I am a shy person-uncomfortable in large groups, but great one-on-one.
4. I love to make soup from scratch. It takes me all day and the whole house smells wonderful!
5. I make my kids look at my newest painting every day first thing when they come home from school! ha! ha!
6. I always read at night before going to sleep. I have a huge and unruly pile of books and magazines on the floor next to my bed at all times. I read everything, and the kids often have to look through my pile to finds their favorite books.

ok. I know its supposed to be 6 things, but I have 1 more thing to share. Probably because this is on my mind this morning as my dh was just teasing me about it yesterday.

7. I never, ever get caught up on laundry. And the things that are not clothes, like rugs and extra blankets get thrown on a pile and I never get around to washing them. My husband calls this the "do not wash" pile!

OK now I have 6 people to tag, so here goes:
Michelle at The Blackberry Briar
Jenn at Noodle and Lou
Monique at Inside Number Twenty
Renea at Pocket Full of Pretties
Sandy Mastroni
Sylvia Anderson

More Snow!!

Snow Queen

Wow!

I cannot believe we are getting another foot of snow! This is clearly the longest winter that will never end! My kids are expecting yet another snow day tomorrow. I do believe there is a conspiracy out there to make sure that kids are NEVER in school an entire week. My 3 youngest kids attend 2 different schools, and at least one of them has a day off or a half day every single week. Or there is a snow day. Or one of them is sick. I love my kids-don't get me wrong-but it is very hard to create art with constant neediness surrounding you.

I am bittersweet about this subject. I am getting to the point where I can see a light at the end of the tunnel. In less than 5 years I will only have 1 teen left at home. And you realize I have been at this parenting thing for over 20 years. I am ready to play artist full time and mommy part time. But I know I will miss them terribly.

OK, enough venting. I will go back to my sunny self. Lets see..ok. Ahem.

"Oh joy! Rapture! a snow day tomorrow! Yippee!"

Do you ever get to the point...

where you just have to take a step back , give it a good look, and then admit your work has problems?

I worked on this one all day today. There are some things I like, but it has some major composition problems. Probably because I didn't really sketch it out well before I started. I was too excited about the cool background I wanted to try. See the little polka-dots back there? That was created by laying circles punched from contact paper lightly on the surface, and then painting a wash over them. I allowed the paint to seep under the contact paper and it created a very subtle design. I learned this technique while reading a collage book by Claudine Hellmuth, last week when I was sick. I couldn't wait to try it out.



Then I went forth with my painting and 3/4 of the way through realized my bird was floating in mid-air. And not flying either-that would make sense-just sort of aimlessly floating there. So I gave him a branch. And that made the rest of the space look too empty so I added a couple more flowers. Then I only had one leaf in the whole thing, just one little bit of green. This bothered me so I added green polka dots on all of the sides. That was ok, but my branch just ended abruptly at the edge of the canvas, while the flower wraps around. Oh what to do! I could continue to paint the branch around the side, but then the tongues at the top and bottom seem to end abruptly. AAhhh!! So now I am toying with just painting all of the sides black. But should I try to remove the polka dots and the flower wrap around first?
And just now, while looking at photos of my piece, (which is a good way to get another perspective), I am thinking AGAINST painting the sides all black. I think I could wrap the tongues and branch around the sides. I would only have to remove 2 polka-dots. Or maybe collage right over them? Hmmm...I don't know. What would you do?

A good morning...

and that was all. I painted this little painting and then went back to bed.Funny how that was my one priority. OK, well I did do the dishes but that was it. I laid in bed all day reading books about collage art. (what did I say about prioroities?) I didn't get my errands done, so tomorrow I have a lot to do. Sunday is a brunch for my Mom's birthday, she is turning 82. We are also celebrating Isabel's birthday which is on Tuesday. So I have to go get a gift for my mom and make 2 quiches for Sunday. Here's to a better tomorrow. :)


I like this little painting very much. I think I am getting better. I am not ready for prime time yet, but I really find all this painting so exciting. It makes me very happy. :)

I feel lousy!

I have a stupid head cold. Last night I took some Nyquil and it made me feel drowsy and out of it all day today. I only took half a dose too. I didn't paint at all or get anything done really. And tomorrow I have to run around all day doing errands. Blah! That means I only got 1 painting done this whole week. That stinks.
I feel really down and out of sorts. Maybe I will try to paint tomorrow morning and do my errands in the afternoon. Isabel is going to a friends house after school which essentially means I have until 5:00PM before I have to be home. Yes, thats the ticket. I can work until at least noon or 1 o'clock.

I spent a lot of time today looking at other people's work and trying to feel inspired. Do you ever do that? Cruise around bloglandia just looking for inspiration? Its kind of fun. But today I was feeling so lousy I just got depressed that all of these artists are getting so much done while I am sitting here~a worthless lump~getting nothing done. OK, enough of that! I have learned not to go there! Better day tomorrow, right? I will post a pic of a past creation just to make myself feel better, and maybe it will inspire someone else!
These dolls are a set of twins I did in 2006. I like their collars. Is it me or do they both look like they smell something bad?

redware bird

I need to work a little more on the circles.