Straightline and rough design

Roughed designs for my daughter Cara.  She laid out a general form for amber and rough garnet she has, wanting something sturdy but delicate looking, kind of Rivendell-ish.  I'm thinking filigree which will be new for me.

This delights me no end.  Without a fixed reference point, people cannot walk a straight line.  This is the path of a man, blindfolded and told to walk a straight line across an empty field.  He re-crossed the road at least 5 times and came to a stop when he hit a stump.  I took a screen shot with my phone and translated into this brooch. see the video http://www.wimp.com/straightline . 3" x 2 5/8", steel, brass.  My first time soldering steel.  seems to behave much like the brass. 

I'm new here this year and excited to be participating. Though not a professional artist, I am an avid wannabe and have started exploring several different mediums recently. Watercolor, digital photomontage and collage will be my focus this month - how they can work/play together.... or not.

My first offering is my first photo montage effort - have 2 more in process.

Looking forward to see where everyone's muse takes them this month.

"Aidan"

Sitting in McDonald's the other day with my grandkids and Aidan struck my muse with his blue and white stiped stocking cap.

He is six years old, but I'm afraid my sketch makes him look a few years older: it's that long nose. Anyway, I had a lot of fun working on this.

watercolor, ink, moleskine, 4x6 ish.

2 Piece

Art-A-Day 1. Well I finished the one I started last week. I call it 2-Part Invention, but I am open to new names. It's acrylic on two 16 x 20 canvases. What do you call a 2 piece painting, Diptych?? Dipstick? I know not. A little experimental, cause they were both previous
attempts at painting something on them. The other one here I just started today. It's 24 x 36. I have plans for this, "Watch this Space" sort of thing. I just put a layer of paint on to help get it sarted. I just used up all the paint left on the pallette. The acrylic paint sits on the wet sponge/sheet thingy and some gets runny. Others just start drying out. So every once in a while I just mix it all together and paint onto a new canvas, to get a layer started. It's part of the "Use it or Lose it" Program LOL.

Brrrrr!

Steeling myself for the studio.  It is an insulated but unheated barn attic and its 16 degrees in the sun right now -and my hair is wet.  My husband, Scott, bless him, said, "let me! let me!" (get the heat going), has the place heating up while my tea steeps and I grab the blow dryer.

"Modigliani," by Jim Bumgarner

Happy New Year, everyone!

Here it is about an hour and half into the new year and while still awake, I decided to post my first entry here on 1-1-11 of a study I did, actually on New Year's Eve (yesterday), of Amadeus Modigliani. Yes, it is a vain attempt to create him as he might have been interested in doing himself: long nose, long neck.

I hope you like him.

watercolor, ink, moleskine

New Brushes

Almost as great as a new box of 64 crayons - new brushes and some new paint colors came in the mail yesterday. Just in time for a new subject. Grapes! I missed Art-a-Day last year so really looking forward to the adventure.

Getting Ready...

Hello, I am excited about Art a Day. Thought I would work on already started pieces. Let's be honest.. some of these were started over 5 or 6 years ago. Have some pictures of undone paintings but didn't want to post several pictures today, but thought I'd post one nearly done, will be finishing and putting up in Cool Beans this coming week. It's 2 16x20 canvases making one image. But I'd figure I'd send before and after shots of stuff I work on :))

I can't believe it's been a year. I did this last year and still doing some sort of art everyday. So if I make it through January that will be 13 months in a row. :))

"And, after all, isn't art in all its forms the beautiful trail of our all-too-human attempts to say, again and again, I Am Here." (Mark Nepo) Yes. I am here. And I see you. And beyond all that we see, we try to share with our own souls and the souls of those who take the one moment to stand in the presence of our small humble offerings of art, no matter the medium...no matter the perfection...we offer. We offer. And we say...I am here. And I see you.

Aloha Nui Loa

I greet you of art-a-day blog-dom with an aloha and cheek kiss from Oahu. Vali

I'm in!

Hi there,

Thanks for doing this again! I hesitated at first because I have major life transitions going on (again!), but decided if nothing else I would like to commit to sketching every day with the goal of tapping into my emotional reflections of my surroundings. That much I feel confident I can do in spite of whatever else is going on, so I just got home from the new Dick Blick on Capitol Hill with a couple new moleskins and some killer pens. I'm excited and ready to roll. I trust the exercise will yield growth and perhaps new insights.

In the mean time, I thought I would share a new girl I completed this year. (Proud mama!) She's a glorious 30X40; gawd I love to work big!

Looking forward to seeing all your beautiful and interesting work! Happy New Year! Shelli

My first blog entry

I did it! My first blog entry ever. My art has been dormant for years. This activity will kick-start me. Am completing my second commission since starting up again, just in time for Christmas, then I want to go in a new direction. Not sure. I want to push colors, open up more to expressionistic painting.

Great to be participating in art-a-day.

Welcome!

Welcome to All and particularly those who joined us despite my less-than-graceful invitation letter. I misspelled "repetition" and "soliloquy" and, so help me, I never get recieve right.  So much for spellchek. :-/

So delighted to have you here for Art-a-Day! The challenge officially starts January 1st but the fun starts now! I'm getting pumped. I have three challenges in mind for myself.

1. try totally new forms, materials, aesthetics and whatever else new and untried I can figure out without buying any special supplies.

2. stretch my metalsmith skills on a new jewelry concept. However, this one I want to hold close and dear so might not share many pictures of these. We'll see...

3. Play with dolls! During the first Art-a-Day I made cut-out type dolls from copper and a little stage for them thinking something along the lines of Kabuki theater. Actually, I was thinking "Noh" theater, and since it was neither I called it Noht Kabuki. (*pa dum pum*)  That never came to pass so, for my own sheer delight, I'm going to pose them and share pictures. Hopefully a new one each day.

This last one blows my mind since I so totally never "got" playing with dolls as a child.  Bouncing Barby on her dainty little feet, talking dribble in a tiny little voices and pretending to shop, drink tea and talk to boys while being all stiff and, well, weird???  I don't get it.  I couldn't even "pretend" with my children.  Thank goodness they had friends.

I look forward to the ride with you this month!

Test

So this works like any other blogger blog...right? just post away.....here's a pic I'm going to post to see if it works like my blogs.

Trouble Posting?

You must receive an invitation to become an author on this blog.  Without authorship you can comment but not create new posts.

If interested, send me a note at bobiwilson2@gmail.com with the email address you use for your google account. (Creating one is easy).  Then watch your inbox for the invitation. I'll get to it ASAP.  Following the link as instructed within that email and you ought to be in! 

I had all kinds of challenges when I first linked in - including it transcribing my words into Hindi! - so I understand how frustrating it can be.

testing

January Blog

Get your creative thinking cap on and prepare for the upcoming challenge.
I'm testing to see if this works for me...
And excited that I had written down my passwords so I can still get in.

Ready for Art-a-Day 2011? Woohoo!

I'm getting excited.  It's become very Pavlovian for me - I begin salivating at the thought of honoring my studio time, planning for it, prepping for it, holding the time sacred.  Perhaps this year the habit will stick!  My hat's off to all artists who have developed (out of need or discipline) good work habits.  I kneel at your feet.

DZ Place

Hello...

I don't know if anyone is reading anymore. But I started a piece today that is for commission, er well at least I think so. 24 x 36 Acrylic.. so far I just call it DZ Place

Thank you Art-a-Day Heroes!

Congratulations on an excellent show and THANK YOU to all of you who stepped up and made it happen while also holding me so lovingly at this time.  You are the best.

Keep January 2011 in mind.  Keep creating.  Keep posting.