Art Chickadee's Reflections

Work in Progress: Frida

Sketch in journal

That's where I am at this point.

Recent pieces

A journal page which started off as a drawing then I painted over it.  Her name is "Kaylyn" for a friend in England.  Her profile picture was an elf for while.  

A new place has opened in Richmond called "Spirited Art."  They teach you how to paint a specific painting in about two hours.  Fun.  Lots of paintings to choose from and you get an emailed schedule with the photo of the painting to be taught on there.  But the good part is that you can change things, colors, etc, if you want.    They have locations in Huntsville, Little Rock, Knoxville and now...Richmond.

Stamp Carving

While not a huge Frida fan, she has a very interesting face so I printed a couple of photos of her to use to carve stamps.  Pretty fun.

I love birds and one day there was a dove sitting on the phone line so I snapped a quick photo and used its silhouette to carve a stamp.

Stamp carving can be addicting.

 

What a surprise

On Monday night, while at the Hanover SEAC (Special Education Advisory Committee), Kelly Jones stood up during the public comment portion and started talking about volunteers and then presented me with flowers!  I was totally surprised and didn't know what to say.  How sweet.  I volunteer at the Hanover Parent Resource Center one day a week and enjoy being there.  I mostly do clerical/administrative things as that's what's needed...reporting, filing, updating reports.  Kelly is the counselor and expert in learning disabilities.  Her time is best spent doing just that.  

I think often a gift says as much about the giver as the recipient.  It's true in this case.  Kelly makes a point to often tell me how much she appreciates the help, but you know, I learn a lot from her and it's a good experience working in the school.  

Embossed Metal basket and a potpourri of things

I am in a "spring basket" swap and it had to have an ATC block in it somewhere.  So, I started with the block as a base and wrapped metal that I embossed.  I drew the design on the back and then did some tooling around. :)  

It was pretty fun.  I can't wait to see the one I get!

On Cinco de Mayo, I made chicken fajitas....can't ya just smell them?

Here's my latest manicure.  The tips are aqua sparkle. I've had light blue, pink (although I love pink, I didn't like it in this style - not on me anyway) and silver.  The color is deeper than the photo shows.

Frank and Marie keeping me company in the studio.  They were watching the birds outside the window and going nuts!

That's all for today!  (oh and yes, Maria the Princess Pig is just fine.  She just wasn't doing photos that day.  what a diva!)

 

Squashapenny Junction

It's cool antique store and train crossings.  It's funky outdoor sculptures and tiny town. That best  describes Squashapenny Junction.  Not far from King's Dominion Theme Park in Doswell, Virginia.   Joseph, Spencer and I were there on Saturday for a short while.

See the round pieces on each end of the sign?  It's ahrd to tell in the shop but they are large "pennies. "

This gate is totally great!

Joseph and Spencer waiting for a train.

And yes, we squashed some pennies.  

Isn't this a great grouping?!  Old waterpump turned into a fountain, fish in a trough with a mill stone and the horse which came from "on top of a mountain" so I was told.  A trip through this shop (which will take a while, I assure you) is a trip down memory lane, museum and shopping trip all in one. 

Lil Dress, Cherish Today and some re-do's

After watching a Sue Pelletier video, I wanted to try a 'little dress" piece.  It took me about a week or so to get it where I like it.  It was fun.  I used a stencil and light molding paste on the background and a used dryer sheet for the dress.  Then i cut a piece of vintage rick-rack which I cut in half and painted.  It was off white and was really neat but too stark to go on here.

Then, who would have thought it?  I found a pink measuring tape.  I cut it and stuck it down and washed over it with magenta and other colors to tie it in to the piece.

While playing with the molding paste, I grabbed a masonite board, applied a thin layer and stamped into it.  Adding more thin layers of paint, a butterfly cut from a dryer sheet and a cut-out of a bird, and more layers of paint.

I added a red edge and that finished it for me.  

I made a journal out of watercolor paper following Pam Carriker's "Art at the Speed of Life" and her "seven day journal."  There were two pages in there that have been bugging me for months.  They were too dark and just didn't fit the journal or my mood.  Sooooo, I took light colored paint and dry-brushed over the backgrounds to start over.  Above is the "before" and below is the "after."  There wasn't anything I guess that was wrong with the first one but I wasn't happy with it.

I think the re-do conveys the thought better.  The scene on the right is from my trip to Bermuda in 1981 and was one of the best snorkeling spots I've ever visited.  It holds a special place in my memories.

The page below was very light and I'm not sure I ever shared it anywhere.  I darkened the background a bit.  Made the butterfly pop out better.

This spread was another one too dark and I couldn't get the face right.  So once again, bring out the paint and dry-brushed it out.  Not finished it yet.

You can see the re-done magenta page in the journal below along with a peek of the other bright pages.  It's more cohesive now.  I don't usually worry about that in journals but this is a smaller journal with fewer pages.  It just seemed right.

Front Porch Visitor

Had a front porch visitor today.  A young finch.  At first I thought it had been stunned but after looking closer and seeing all the fuzzy feathers, I realized it was a juvenile.  

I was lying on the floor just on the other side of my front storm door taking his picture.  He would call (to a parent, I assume) and my crazy parakeets in my studio would holler back!  lol

Here he's leaning over sharpening/cleaning his beak on the steps.  

Just before take off...

I enjoyed and felt blessed to have this close view of one of our feathered residents.

Almost 20 years and he still gives me flowers. :)

He knows me well...just give me a bunch of colors!  :)  My husband.  <3

 

 

Paperclay fun continues

I'm having more fun with this Paperclay.