October 27,2012

I think part of being an artist is the ability to see the beauty of something and feeling a connection with it.   I do that a lot with God's green earth and there is just things in nature that you just can't reproduce, I don't care how good of an artist you are! 
Like the sky on the way home from work the other night was very colorful. The remnants of the rainy fall day left just enough clouds to pick up the color of the setting sun.  The leaves had turned and the sun was casting long shadows across the farmers field, illuminating the colors of the trees to "BAM! Kick them up a notch"!  I tried to take a photo, but it just didn't record on digital like the breathtaking scene I was seeing.  I thought maybe I could paint it and put those colors back in, but then I realized I would be trying to copy work of the Master.  And I knew I would fall short.
Living life being able to "smell the roses" sure doesn't get you to places on time, and I have been known to stop the car, get out and just say, "Ahhhh.  Thank you for this beauty."  I hope that my husband, and kids, and people I have been around, that have had to stop WITH me, have maybe learned to see what I am seeing rather than worry about where we were supposed to be and at what time.
I marvel at the patterns of pinecones, and plants, and the perfect geometry of everyday living things: acorns, butterflies and leaves, and it wasn't man-made with a protractor or ruler, but with nature!  A dragonfly's wings, the pattern of color on a Mallard duck.  (Have you really LOOKED at the color PURPLE there? and if you haven't checked out the markings on a live pheasant, you should.) The way a fall tree can be green, yellow, gold, orange, red, fuchsia, and violet all in the same tree?  Sometimes I will sit and watch the sunset and try to name all the colors.  I can't!  I think there are some that don't have names!
I once saw a ditch on a country road full of purple thistles as big as softballs.  I had to pull over a snap a pic. As deadly as those would be if you were to pick them, the beauty of them were awesome!
 I also tend to be a cloud watcher.  Not necessarily big white, fluffy, friendly ones either.  There is beauty in the dark, nasty ones too.
I will bow to the Master, as His work will always outshine everyone elses, and try as I might, I concede to never be as good, but am grateful that He gave me the gift that I have and the eyes to see His work and all its glory

OH, AND BY THE WAY... you know how just the other day I was bragging about the new computer?  Well, its actually a new one to me but refurbished from my dear son who we will call the System Administrator.  He is a whiz at these things, but he only comes home on the weekends.  This isn't allowing me to download the pics I want, but promise I will download when possible.  Until then, have a Happy Halloween!

October 14, 2012

New computer, new printer, new PhotoShop abilities. (All the PhotoShop abilities are new to me but I can start learning NOW!)
Back when I was into Photography, I did my own black and white darkroom work.  I used to think that even though you could be creative with your camera, your creativity could be kicked up a level in the darkroom.  Double exposures, lights and darks, and special effects could do so much more for your plain pictures.
SO, the new darkroom part is PhotoShop.  I have not worked on this before, but I have done a lot of Print Artist, and the like before, which are graphics programs to let you do flyers, cards, stickers, iron ons, etc and I have had a blast doing certificates, tee-shirts, countless flyers, countless cards and the like for YEARS!  So this new door opening where I have heard could do so much more for me is intriging.  I understand that there are layers, (I use layers when I draw in Auto Cad. so can draw on that experience.)

But today, as blustery as it was, I must have heard the wind in my sleep, because I just had to get busy and paint this today:  I think I like it.

I actually have about 3 or 4 other things running around in my head, but this was last in and first out. I really don't know how that works.
Well, until another day! 

October 10, 2012

So here are the other glasses I did for the auction.  I wanted to do famous cartoon dogs and cats on them, and ended up not doing that because I worried about copyrights, even though I got them on the website that said they were bought to be put on public domain.  I just don't know enough about that not to get myself in trouble.  Its not like I was mass producing it, and I donated my paint and time on them.  But I took the safe way and did these this way. 
My next project, I believe, will probably be one of two barns.  Or my sisters new dog, who just has a beautiful face!  She is a boxer mix that was a rescue.  She cowarded away from everyone and had no idea what toys were, so its safe to assume she had been mistreated.  She is learning to be loved by my sister and her hubby now, and if I can get a good photo of her sometime soon, I have to do her sweet face.

Tomorrow will be 10.11.12!   For some reason that just makes me go, "hmmmm."

Stay tuned!

October 7, 2012

I find I have a lot of opinions and thoughts to put on this page until I actually sit down to do it.  Then, miraculously, like the tests I had in school, all information is gone, until, of course, I hear the few notes of the computer shutting down.  Then it all floods back. Things I could have said posted.

I haven't been able to do much of my own art lately as I had been asked to do some charity auction items: These are some wine glasses that I have done and just finished up with some martini glasses that I just finished last night and will post when I get the pics uploaded.  These are for the Humane Societies Howl-O-Ween ball, so I did this set in FALL colors and the others in paw prints.  I hope they sell.

This week, at work, we are having a Homecoming event, complete with every department doing a 'float' (childrens wagon sized) and we will be electing a King and Queen and tailgating in the parking lot.  I have to make things for the float this weekend too, so attention will be heading that way.  Will post pics for that too, hopefully.
Well, tiz the weekend, and as I said, I have to get moving on this stuff, as there is always laundry and cooking and cleaning and shopping to be done also on the weekends! Ta-ta for now!