Saturday, November 28, 2015


no black friday shopping for me ....

instead, i repainted this piece






the colors were all of similar value

and she did not stand out as a focal image.






a little collaged village, new hair,

paint layers and  some whimsical flowers 

were added.  




Thursday, November 26, 2015






colored pencil, pastel pencil, markers


have you joined the coloring book craze?

i was given a coloring book.   i did not think

that i would enjoy it as much as i do.  

i do not find it mindless as many others do.

it allows options such as selecting a color palate, 

whether to stay within the lines or whether to color or not

... and quiets the mental chatter.

i like it a lot.



i have been trying my hand at pastels. 

here are my attempts.  gulp.  there is definitely 

a steep learning curve!  one thing i discovered

after asking around is that it is possible to 'erase'

using a stiff bristle brush.  







lastly,

i would like to share a few photos for your

enjoyment from the  spectacular 

collection and architecture 

of the new broad museum, 

downtown los angeles








while i do not pretend to understand much of 

contemporary art, i do appreciate the artistic and 

creative expression of the artist.  



originality doesn't mean making something
that's completely new; 
nothing is completely new.
originality means bending and shaping
what's come before until it belongs 
to you
~robert hunt



i am especially thankful for your visit
today during this busy holiday season



posting with paint party friday
visit the various artists who regularly 
post their work on friday thanks to
 hostesses eva and kristen









Wednesday, November 25, 2015

witness



on my easel.  

not sure where it goes from here

but loving the colors.

it's the process that counts





Monday, November 23, 2015

flowerhead



a simple warm up collage using pattern paper

and various other ephemeral.

pure fun

Friday, November 20, 2015




often you do not realize you have a particular style,

a unique way of inhabiting this world, a manner

of applying paint until you attend a class or workshop

where the instructor has a different way of 

approaching things.  that is what happened when

i took katie kendrick's layers of movement class at

studio creshendoh.   


katie does not approach a canvas with a

subject matter.  she might use a reference image as a starting 

point but other that using a few lines from that image will abandon

it altogether and take her next que from the paint itself.  she works

in small sections applying paint, looking at the transitions between the

colors and lines and then moves to another small section.  at a point she

will stand back a distance to see what is forming, still unaware of a direction 

for the whole piece.   i feel katie has an innate trust in the process.  she stays 

with it until she feels it is complete.  


i found that while i often start a piece without a  subject in mind, 

i work on the canvas as a whole, not in small sections.  i didn't

know this about myself until this workshop.  i thoroughly enjoyed

experimenting with this and found it freeing and allowed me to focus intensely

in the section i worked.  normally, i freely apply paint and focus at the end

when an image or subject appears.   


i am grateful and admire art instructors 

who have the ability to teach what they do.


do you attend art workshops?  do you find them of value?  how do you

stretch your skills?


i am posting today with my creative friends 





Thursday, November 19, 2015


delia



sketching faces is a humbling practice.  hands even more so.

still, i keep trying.  i have been reading 'what the lady wants' 

about marshall field, the founder of marshall field and company 

in chicago.  his long time love was delia spencer.  i like the 

old fashioned name.   but did she give me a hard time.  

i finally decided to stop for now. 




torrance art museum



Tuesday, November 17, 2015

pastel sketch



i am not experienced in working with 

pastels. while taking misty mawn's face to face 

online workshop, i attempted a portrait with pastels 

on pastel paper. here is the results.  no matter how much pastel

i added, it just blew off of the paper.  i was stumped as to 

how to get a more intense color from  the pastel paper which 

textured in such a way that the pastel does not sink into the 

recessed grooves.  i asked what to do on the online class forum.  

i was told to add pastels more heavily and rub with my fingers.

aha!  i will let you know how that turns out in a future post.









Thursday, November 5, 2015

pencil sketch


sketch, sketch, sketch






from time to time i remember 



sketching from tv



how important it is to practice sketching




micron pen



so in a flurry, i sketch for a while.

until i forget again.




how about you?  do you sketch or draw on

a regular basis?  



in my world recently

































hello to paint party friday friends
and other visitors today.  just a note~~
i will be attending a weekend workshop 
and reply to your comments on monday.
thank you for stopping by today!


...may a flock of colors,
indigo, red, green 
and azure blule
come to awaken in you
a meadow of delight...
john o'donohue
beannacht














Tuesday, November 3, 2015

crayon drawing on rice paper



do you remember drawing with crayon?







i shaved some of the colors with a pencil sharpener






sprinkled the shavings on the drawing







then ran an iron over the whole thing.

oh so much fun!



happy tuesday