Art Chickadee's Reflections

It's Friday, finally.

Whew, what a week.  Messed my back up and have been worthless most of the week.  It's hard to do any art when you can't sit or stand more than a few minutes and are in a drug-induced stupor!  I'm much better and worked on a 3x3 for Francine whose theme was "Asian" for hers. 

Then I got in a Halloween last weekend and started on an accordion circle book. My bud, Aileen, gave me this accordion folded set of round pages that fit in a CD tin and I'd keep looking at them and wondered what I wanted to do with them.  Then, she sent me a set of the limited edition Halloween colors of Color Mists New Colors! I loved them as soon as I saw them...Electric Orange (I named that one), Slimessent Green and Purple Eater.  They mix beautifully with the other colors especially the copper and burgundy.  Oh wow.  Anyway, here's the first page: 

 

Then here's a small canvas that I am working on.  This feeling of a bird escaping from some hands or being set free was on my mind one night.  I don't know what I want to do with it from here so I'll let it "simmer" for a while.

Getting over a cold, reading art magazines & feel like painting

After spending a few days running a fever, feeling bleah, sinuses, teeth, eyes hurting, I did make use of some time.  I read through some issues of Cloth Paper Scissors and Somerset Studio.  I got one in the mail recently called "Giftmaker" and that's pretty good, too.  It had a few ideas I could use.

Anyway, I pulled out Karen Campbell's cool calendar journal to work in.  It looks like an old timey ledger but it's a new calendar...probably about 7 x 12 or so.  I had pasted a few pages from a desktop encyclopedia and slapped on some blue paint.  I pulled out some Pitt pens and Golden's paint and had a little fun.  I always lose track of time when I paint.  It's so relaxing.

   

 

This last page wasn't painted but just some fun with paper and stuff.  An ATC is tucked into the pocket.

Altered Dictionary

The Divas are at it again.  This time it's the Altered Art Dictionary.  We're doing different words...there's quagmyriad, flopportunity, and mine which is "artgasm."  I first heard it when taking a class by Michele Charles.  It cracked me up.  So of course I had to use that word.  Here's my page, front and back:

Of course, I used Color Mists for the back.  They're just so great for getting quick, rich color.  I masked the definition of the word using Microglaze by Judikins.  That stuff's useful for so many things.  The front page is watercolor paper that's been painted with acrylics, then a scan of a vintage bridge tally card image applied.  I drew on some stars (love those Uniball Signo White pens...they actually will write over dried acrylic paint).  There's turquoise scrap trim by Artchix and the bottom border is some of Mary Haldeman's famous papers.

Page for Pock-et-full RR

I got to work on the page for Carla's book this afternoon.  I like what I came up with.  I hope Carla will like it, too.

 

I used some images by Angela Hoffman, Color Mists by Outside the Margins, gold and pink trim from Artchix as well as the garden arch image being from Artchix.  This was a fun page to do.  Then the bottom edge border is some of Mary Haldeman's delicious papers on both of these.

Some days you get it right...

I hit a real art slump in the past week (actually longer than that) and it was starting to bother me.  I didn't have the slightest interest in art but have some projects looming (can we say starting to stress out?).  Oddly enough, what helped was painting my back room with primer.  Something so mundane shook me out of it.  Got me in the mood to paint some more but FUN stuff.  So, in the 3x3 swap I'm in on altereartswap, I needed to do one for sweet Mija Marie and her theme is "Fab n' Funky Flowers."  Wow.  She stated "high contrast colors."  Another wow.  So, I got out a sheet of watercolor paper yesterday and some Golden's acrylics and just played.  I added to it today inspired a bit by Traci Bautista's class and here's the result:

I really like this one.  I hope you do, too, Mija, as it's coming your way!  Here's some pieces from the remainder of the sheet (one is the same piece before cut down and embellished further).

Now maybe I'll be ready to tackle the altered dictionary page I need to do for the Altered Art Divas Reliquary's swap.  That should be a good one!

Labor Day, I'll say!

A memorable Labor Day in 1986, I helped my oldest brother and his wife work on the house they were building.  I was stuck in a walk-in closet painting it, I think or maybe staining the woodwork, no, that was the florida room, anyway, it was a working weekend.  Two weeks later, I moved into my first house...as a newly divorced woman.  Divorce final on the 8th, new house and life on the 13th.  Jump ahead to 2002, again Labor Day weekend, DH, DS and I move into our current home. I don't plan on going anywhere else.  Ever.  I hate to move.  Public speaking would vie for that place, but on any given day, I'll make a speech to packing up and moving.  I hate trying to figure out how to fit the other house's configuration of stuff into this house's configuration of space.  I've been known to still carry pictures around a year later trying to figure out where to hang them.  In fact, I still have spaces open for choice pictures...whenever they come into being! LOL  Military families have my utmost respect for many reasons, but the ability to move multiple times and still stay together...mmm-mm.  That says something.  You're exhausted for one.  A friend who lives in Maine who is moving to the DC area (a wife of retired Navy guy and she now works for the Navy) said she mastered moving.  I don't want a master's degree in it.  I don't even want an associate's degree.  I moved enough in college (coming home to work as an intern, back to school with one roommate in spring, a different one and diff place in the fall, etc) to last a while.

ANYHOO, as my niece Liz would say, I didn't do any art this weekend.  It was Labor Day and I started painting the backroom.  I got the primer on.  Boy, painters are another group I appreciate.  It looks better, I will be glad when it's done.  Of course, I need to pick out a color now. 

I included the scan of this picture of my two brothers as my SIL wanted to see some pictures of her hubby when he was younger.  I had these out as some of my ATCs will be on display at Scrap Artz, a favorite store of mine.  That card was too good (read "funny") to not include it.  I have to get my revenge as being the baby sister to two older brothers where I can.   

I've been weird tagged!

By my pal, Linda Richter!  Okay, Linda.  You want 6 weird things huh? 

1.  I don't like baked beans, banana splits or my food to touch.

2.  I can't sleep without a fan running (or some sort of white noise - very light sleeper)

3.  I went to college, got a degree and never pulled an all-nighter or learned to like beer.

4.  I've always loved the beach, to look for shells, to swim, to fish, but do not like just lying on the beach sunbathing....bleah, boring.

5.  I'd go barefoot all year if possible.  First thing I do when I get home is kick my shoes off.  I've been known to walk to the mailbox even in winter, barefoot. 

6.  I prefer comedy, adventure or sci-fi movies to romance movies especially if they make you cry.  I guess it's from growing up with older brothers.   

Okay, Linda.  I hope you're happy.  It's probably more than you wanted or needed to know!  ROFL  Still love me?