Colors of the Day

 Red

White

Green

               A Public Service Greeting:

                    Have a Healthy Holiday!!!!!!!!!!

Color of the Day

 Red

White

Blue

The Heritage Quilters have done it again: produced beautiful quilts to give to local veterans. Really special gifts.

                  This was my favorite with it stylized stars.       

December 21

 If this is the shortest day, that means they all get longer after this. That's encouraging news.

Quote of the Week

 " A painting is not just a picture, but a dynamic response to light, color, and image." Frank Lorenzo

Happy Birthday

 Diego Rivera, born December 8th, 1886

Happy Birthday to Mexican mural painter, and husband to Frida Kahlo.

 Conditions have been just right this year for the trees in my neck of the woods to put on a glorious display. Just driving through the streets makes me happy, and this tree was actually stopping traffic.

Happy Tree

VOTE

The sign went up before sunrise.

There are still hours left before the polls close. 

                       Hand painted sign: stencil & spray paint.

                                     Simple, but affective!

Day of the Dead

My favorite COLORFUL holiday!

 

Art Display

 The Art Association has an annual display at the local library. Our city is fortunate to have this display place.

National Color Day

 Color, Color, Color!

Fall treats us to intense color!

Stencils

 Today I was having fun cutting stencils.

I use stencils when making prints:

                     clayprints

                     gel prints

A great way to add interest to the background.

But stencils are also great for decorating any mixed media piece.

They can be used with acrylics, inks, stamp pads & spray paint, and each will give you different results.

I cut my stencils from thin plastic index dividers that I got at the dollar store. Very easy to cut with craft knife & scissors, & durable enough to last for several uses.

                                

Color of the Week

Blue

     Blue

        Blue

 It had been way too long since I had been anywhere other than the grocery store, so I decided it was time for a road trip. So I took the opportunity to revisit the Blue Whale. I figured I'd avoid any crowds by visiting on a weekday, and I was right. And there he was smiling & happy; it made me happy just to see him again.

Hey, artist John Hammer also likes the Blue Whale.

Ol'e Blue by John Hammer

Quote of the Week

"When I get to heaven I mean to spend a considerable portion of my first million years in painting."  Sir Winston Churchill

National Post Card Day

 The little gift I received to celebrate the day!

artist Kenford Zell

Jerry Poppenhouse

Another local artist, Jerry Poppenhouse, showing off 50 years of photography.

I met fellow photo enthusiast, Lora, at the Lyon's Gallery to enjoy a remarkable display of a great photographic career. 

I was surprised that all the photos had been printed on canvas.

The Great Wall

What ? Moving water, rocks, tree bark?

Ducklings

John Hammer

 A friend & I met for lunch on the Price Tower patio, and as an added bonus we were able to enjoy the big bold art of OK artist John Hammer. They even let him paint a wall. His use of strong color just made me happy.

Mural

Double triptych

                                      

       thehammerstudio.com

Virtual Art Show

 Creative people come up with creative ideas. Why let a pesky virus sideline an annual tradition? So the delayed Spring Show became virtual.

Here are some examples of what you will see at bartlesvilleartassociation.org.

When you log on to the site, you will also get commentary from the judge.

Quote of the Week

"Art is the only way to run away without leaving home."

                                                                                   Twyla Tharp

Paint Anything

At a time when we are staying home as much as possible and finding things to do , why not paint paperclips. 

So while watching NUMB3ERS in my studio I painted paperclips with nail polish.

Actually it was quite a soothing activity.

Quote of the Week

"Critical to the creative process is understanding your fundamental sense of structure and balance. This is revealed by the characteristic attraction to either symmetry or asymmetry, which manifests itself in every aspect of your life."

                                                          Lisl Dennis

Frida/pain

Here is more of Frida; it's from an 2002 art journal. July should be Celebrate Frida Month!

Quote of the Week

"Creativity is contagious, pass it on.
                               Albert Einstein

Frida

Frida Kahlo 1907 - 1954

My goal for the day was to clean a corner of my studio, and I rescued "Frida" from behind a bookcase. I used this image of her in a Day of the Dead display years ago.

July is Frida's month: born July 6th, 1907 & died July 13, 1954.

I didn't discover her until years after her death, but she has influenced my work in color choice & subject matter.

I would recommend reading The Lacuna by Kingslover. Frida is a prominent character in this work of fiction. 

Quote of the Week

"Art is not about thinking something up it's about getting something down."
                             Julia Cameron

Celebrate Art & Celebrate Freedom

Mail Art

I love Mail Art. It's fun to make (I use mixed media) but more fun to get.
This little gem appeared in my mail box yesterday. It brought a smile to my face. 

Postcard by artist Kenford Zell

Quote of the Week

"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes.
Art is knowing which ones to keep"
Who said this?

Art of the Flag

Celebrating Flag Day!

Would we consider this flag art? 
Not homemade.
Probably mass produced in China.
But an important symbol of our country, 
and the freedoms we enjoy! 

Quote of the Week

"I am an artist. I am to live out loud." 
                                      Emila Zola

Prints, prints, prints

Busy in the studio making prints.

Color of the Week

                                                                  

                                   Flaming Orange

Sentinel

                                      Following the herd.

Sentinel

Sentinel

Bison keeping watch over our city when the streets are busy or empty.

Color of the Week

Rainbow:
Red
  Orange
   Yellow
    Green
     Blue
      Purple

The sidewalk chalk that has been in my "stash" for probably 10 years is finally put to good use.

Color of the Week

The color of Spring.

How can anything be wrong in the world when nature puts on this kind of show.

Thankful for...

Time to think about how blessed I am.
So I am thankful for TP,
                              The USPS, that is still operating,
                              and imaginative, talented, people who make wonderful things.

postcard by Kenford Zell

Quote of the Week

"Life's not safe. Your work isn't safe. When you leave the house, it isn't safe. That's why you have to enjoy the moment."  Unknown

National Quilting Day

Quilting is such a wonderful art form; I'm glad that it's recognized with its own day. This is one I found at a holiday house tour. What caught my eye was the great color & the interesting variation on the log cabin design.

Marker Mania

Do I have enough markers/pens?

Of course!

But between Tuesday Morning and the closeout section at Hobby Lobby I can easily be tempted to get more. 

Mixed Media

I worked in mixed media for so many years that is continues to lure me back.
This "Raggedy Journal" idea called to me. I'm always looking for ways to spice up my daily journal keeping. These covers involved tearing assorted papers, Mod Podge and a layer of tissue. Then I added some free motion stitching. A fun way to use the scrap paper that just seems to hang around the studio.

Taking Another Look

Last summer I attended an exhibit of art at the Oklahoma Museum of Art in Oklahoma City. I think it's visually interesting to watch the visitors as they move through the gallery viewing the artwork. I found myself snapping as many pics of people as of the art.

I love how I caught this trio of people intently studying the art. 

I purposely framed this shot to include the visitors in the background, and as an added bonus I got the interesting shadows that the sculptures cast on the floor.

Quote of the Week

"I'm happiest when I'm lost in the creative process."  Alex True

Chinese New Year

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Every year I send a Chinese New Year greeting to someone special. Well, where can you find a Chinese New Year's card? So I make it myself. 

This year is the year of the rat, so the dictionary piece is for "rat". The USPS actually has colorful special stamps, so the envelope was decorated as well.

Toward the end to 2020 I must remember to check the Chinese store for a New Year card.