Another Barn Quilt

I was busy as a bee painting another Barn Quilt with teacher Cindy Oard at It's a Girl Thing.

I found this church quilt block on line, and Cindy had the pattern all ready for me when I arrived.

I painted my first 2 Barn Quilts is bright colors with strong contrast. This time I used a more monochromatic color scheme.

The next time you see my Barn Quilts they should all be hanging in the carport.

Color of the Week

The color of the week is Tomato, Tomato, Tomato, Tomato.

What color is a tomato?

As you can see, these tomatoes from my plant are happily ripening on my kitchen counter; changing color day by day.

Abstract Art

Abstract Art, what is it? 

I like this definition of abstract from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English : existing as a quality or concept rather than as something real or solid.

In Abstract Art the artist is more concerned with presenting color, shape, form, texture, line, than in making an actual representation of the world around us.

In Abstract Art you subtract a lot of detail, and what you are left with is color, shape, form, texture, and line.

Here are two examples of Abstract Art that I found on my last trip to TX.

What makes these art pieces interesting?

Colors of the Week

The colors of the week are:
                                 Blue &
                                 Orange
And according to Chagall they are lovers. So much for color theory.
I only know that I love them together, so they were an obvious choice for my latest Barn Quilt, Don't Drink and Quilt.
A simple design that simply POPS with the combo of Blue & Orange.

Don't Drink & Quilt 

Quote of the Week

"All colors are the friends of their neighbors and the lovers of their opposites." 
Marc Chagall

Mail Art

The Mail Art of Kenford Zell

At the Library

The Bartlesville Art Association has a great display at the library. Check it out.

Frida's Garden

 Learn about Frida Kahlo and her love of plants at Frida's Garden, now on display at Price Tower until Oct. 20th. 

Frida was born in a blue house with a courtyard filled with plants. Plants became part of her life and art.

911

I love MAIL ART. And the Remember September project gives me the opportunity to create a tangible remembrance of the day. How many people will see and touch this piece of mail, and remember?

Blue Ribbon

Are you tired of seeing this Barn Quilt, or what? Well, too bad. It won a Blue Ribbon at the Washington County Fair last weekend in the decorative painting category.

Summer

Labor Day reminds us that just like the yellow paint of this seasonal sign, summer is fading.
Are we sad?
Did we appreciate summer enough and all it had to offer?

Van Gogh is Going to the Fair

I put a little yellow frame around him and he's
 ready to go.

Fairs are for people. Whether they are County Fairs or State Fairs they give people the opportunity to show off what they have been doing over the past year. Farmers show off their crops and livestock. Women show off their domestic skills. Kids from Scouts and 4H can display their projects and animals. And there is also room for hobbies and crafts. If no one enters the fair then there will be on fair. So every year I try to enter a few things: art, crafts, photos, or plants. So this year you will see Van Gogh at the fair: the Washington County Fair.

Photography

I was talking to a fellow photo enthusiast today, and it reminded me that I should post more of my photos on this blog. After all, photography is an art form, and this is my art blog. So maybe I should start Photo Sunday.

Painting the Barn Quilt

Painting a Barn Quilt is more technical than artistic. 
The straight lines and crisp edges are produced with the help of tape.

Start by drawing a grid on the primed wood. The pattern off to the side is the one I chose, but I'll be changing the single white star in the blue field. There were hundreds of patterns to choose from.

Next step is to tape off the areas that don't get white paint.

Paint all the white spaces with 3 coats.

There were 7 of us gals painting different sizes and designs.

Lots of concentration; we really got in "the zone".

Now taping to add the red.

The red is done; now spacing for the stars.

Painting the blue field. The white stars have been protected by tape.

Tape protects the red, white, and blue while I paint the edges.

Here's the group of enthusiastic gals I painted with. Teacher Cindy Oard is in the purple. She's got this class down to a science, and has all the paint and tools to complete a wonderful Barn Quilt. You can find her at, Barn Quilts by It's a Girl Thing, Blackwell, OK. 

My Barn Quilt is 16"x16", the perfect size for my sign post.

Barn Quilt

What did I do this weekend? I painted a Barn Quilt. How fun!

Look in the center of the stairs for a surprise!

Studio

Here is a spot in my studio that needed help to keep my pigments & cleaning supplies in order.
I found the "over the sink" shelf at a thrift store. It fits just right. 
Perfect place to keep my pigments handy & visible, & room underneath for a bottle of sink cleaner & sponges.
Of course I intended to snap before pic, but the urge to get the spot arranged just came over me, & within minutes the area looked so much better. 

One spot clean; several more to go.

Quote of the Week

"Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art." Leonardo de Vinci 

Scrapbooking

I haven't done "scrapbooking" for years. But our local library has set up a Scrapbook Center, and I went to the introductory session. This is the page I produced.

This is just a glimpse of some of the activities our Mah Jongg group, Mah Jongg in the 'Ville, has participated in. It's good to remember the fun we've had.

Quote of the Week

"The purest and most thoughtful minds are those which love color the most."              John Ruskin

Tomatoes

Friday I took a mini workshop led by artist Jim Buchan. We painted tomatoes in watercolor.
I use watercolor regularly in my mixed media pieces, but rarely do a complete painting. 
I quickly get in "the zone" when I do creative work, so it was an intense 4 hrs. for me.
I recorded the stages of the painting.

 Underpainting with the palette: Aureolin yellow, Scarlet Lake, Sap green, Cobalt blue, & a sprinkling of salt.

 Tomatoes 2

 Tomatoes 3

Tomatoes dry the next day on the easel.

One thing I do during a short class is attempt to make 2 paintings at once. I can experiment with ways of handling the paint to create different effects.
These paintings need more work to be complete.

OMG

What happened? My Jan 1 post revealed an orderly art table ready for clay printing. And now I'm reduced to enough space to what: making a postcard.

I have a love/hate relationship with paper. I can't seem to help myself when it comes to an interesting paper: the image, the texture, the color; I want to save it all. But paper is like rabbits, it seems to multiply. Then what do you do with all of it?

The postcard swap got me thinking about postcards & postcards means collage, & collage means paper. And every piece of paper requires a decision.

Is there any hope?

Quote of the Week

"Color is power which directly influences the soul."
Wassily Kandinsky

Independence Day

Independence Day, a day to count your blessings.

The art work is one of my clayprints. My interpretation of the flag of Cuba.

Their flag may have the same colors as our own "stars & stripes", but it certainly doesn't stand for the freedoms that we enjoy. 

Today, celebrate & be thankful for the USA.

More Postcards

Here are more post cards from ihanna's swap.

Postcards/artwork from Rachel, Susan, Michelle, & Ellen.

I got # 9 card from Jacqueline (UL), but I'm still waiting for card # 10.
The other 3 cards in this pic are mine.

I really enjoyed seeing the various art techniques used to create these little gems.

Quilt Show

Quilters showing off their talents in Dewey, OK.

Always a visual feast to attend a quilt show. 
As I've said before: a quilt is a fabric collage.

             I love the bold colors in this "graphic" quilt.

         All the symbols of the great state of Oklahoma.

               A fun variation of a log cabin pattern.

                       A beautiful flower garden.

Tattoos are all the rage.

As usual, I picked quilts that I like & would photograph well.

Postcard Arrival

I love getting something fun in the mail. That's why I signed up for this swap.

These are the first 4 cards to arrive.

The artists are: Roxanne, Arielle, Debbie, & Glenys. Thanks for sharing these mini masterpieces with me.

Postcard Postscript

Thursday, May 30th was the goal date to mail postcards for the swap, & I mailed them on schedule. Postcard postage for the USA is 35 cents.

Most of my cards were made on 140 cold press WC paper, & the textured surface made them a challenge to address. So my next batch of postcards will be on hot press (smooth surface) WC paper. A smooth surface works better for collage.

Post cards are a fun project to work on. Their small size (USPS regulation 4 1/4" x 6") allows for a quick opportunity to make a complete composition. And no mat or frame required.

Will I receive my first postcard today?

Postcard Swap

My postcards are ready for the mail.

Mixed media & collage.

2 cards I added to after the first pic

Matte Medium

Matte Medium, how do I love you, let me count the ways:

*You are a great glue for light weight paper.
Just this morning I was assembling journal pages & you were my glue of choice. I applied you with a foam brush, & pages came together quickly.

*You are a great sealer. After gluing down paper, a thin layer of MM over the top will seal it. And once dry, paint or pencils can be used over the top.

*You are a friend to water soluble crayons & pencils. You can be used over the top & they turn into paint. And after playing with the "paint" it is also sealed.

*You turn powered or pure pigment into paint; O the color possibilities!

*You leave a very pleasing matte, milky finish.

A friend to mixed media artists

Postcard Swap

 Contact www.ihanna.nu/postcard-swap for the Spring Postcard Swap. Deadline: May 26th.

I found hanna on You Tube, and was delighted that I had time to participate in her spring swap.

Months ago I started making postcards. It was a project that I could work on in the wee hours of the morning when I'm wide awake.

I used 140 cold pressed watercolor paper. The "frames" around the edge of each card are collages of prints and magazine pages.  This is the way Teesha Moore starts her journal pages. It's an easy way to set a color pallet. Then I put down a layer of free form watercolor. This gave me a great base to make my compositions.

4"x6" cold pressed watercolor postcards

Just add watercolor