Jump start on next Christmas

Today was spent working on quilts for my grandkids (4 of them) for next Christmas. I'll be doing 2 different blocks per month, per quilt, so it should be a leisurely project. I have 6 done but might redo the last 2.

Mappa Mundi: As I know it to be

Or, a "sheet of the world". So now it's done. But this one I keep looking at and thinking it wants more imagery. So I'll simply say, it is done for now. This will be entered into the Allied Arts Group BookArts Show for March.

This paper is simply exquisite. Made by Helen Heibert from Portland OR. I used a crow quill pen and dipped it in black ink for the signatures along the sides. I tell you, that skritch-scritch sound the pen made on the paper brought back familiar beloved memories stored in some collective file from hundreds of years ago. Sigh.

Telephone & the Floating Stapler

The pen and ink sketches that have been posted are great and have inspired me to give it a try - with a rollerball pen. Yesterday, the phone was the most interesting thing in clear view on my desk. After doing the phone, I pulled the stapler out of the drawer and just started in sketching. Ended up with floating office supplies.

Maybe I should get a fountain pen with permanent ink so I can brush some watercolor over sketches. Any recommendations for the type or brand to buy?

Book art project

She stands in a prayerful and compassionate way, holding a lotus flower and chanting "om mani padme hum." This is the beginning sketch for the book I am creating, the 4th in my series of Kuan Yin inspired long linear books that can be hung vertically. Besides doing the sketch, I have prepped the paper (10" wide x 60" tall) and started coloring the transferred sketch. I'm just having difficulty photographing it because it is so long ... and piecing it together in Photoshop is looking goofy. Will try again soon.

Not sure if the quote I wrote here will make it into the art, but am posting it so you can better read it:

"Meditate dawn and dusk.
When you see sunrise - it is beautiful.
When you see sunset - it is beautiful.
This is God working in the atmosphere
to increase the vibration
and calm the mind."
- Kuan Yin

Winter Sky

Okay, I take it back, I did capture a new bit of art today.  Plumb forgot about it.  Went out again this morning to try again to get the hill profiles and was staggered by this epic sky.

"EDM #4: Draw Your Favorite Mug, or Cup"

Today the challenge was to draw your favorite mug, or cup, so I chose my favorite mug that holds, or used to hold, my Pigma Micron pens.

Actually it was two years ago that I started this sketchbook to be filled with the Everyday Matters challenge list.  I had already completed over 50 of them, but I wanted to do them over, better, sequentially, and all in the same sketchbook, or series of sketchbooks.

I got through the first five and never touched the book again until this week.  So what you've been seeing here with the first four posts, and the fifth, tomorrow, were done two years ago.  However, so I am operating within the spirit of Art-A-Day, I have been adding new drawings (1 or 2 a day) that will I will begin posting on the 6th in this blog.

So far, I think the 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th are better than the first five.  We'll see. 
 

Brief hiatus from strictly free-form art

I've been waiting to stick a silver clay project in the kiln until I could engrave the date of birth of a client's first child...who was just born today. So tomorrow, I'll be firing the piece, and doing post-fire polish, and patina, and so on, and then I'll have a lovely pendant in fine silver (99.9%) ready to deliver to said client. I think that'll qualify as my art-a-day...just a commissioned piece. Which I did design...from scratch...

Making little books

Good to be back in the studio today.  Didn't make an original, completed work today, instead continued on a bookart piece for an upcoming show.  I am destroying perfectly good books, cutting them up and making them look like perfectly good miniature books.  And honest, there is a perfectly good reason.  This is picture from a earlier day but today's work was much the same - though I've learned a much easier, faster approach.
Hope to post an image of the completed work next week.

Day is done...

I realize today just how far, wide, and deep my art supplies are burried. Until I get them resurrected, I will have to be just that much more creative with my art-a-day commitment. I'm looking forward to the excavation, though! It's been a long time since I held those soft pencils in my hands, and I had intended to start sketching this evening. But after a long day of work and everything that follows, I needed something simple, so that I can go to bed with a clear conscious. I head to the garden with a candel and a camera: Night Falls in the Buddha Garden, or perhaps I should call it "Midnight in the Garden of Buddha and Weevil". Regardless of the name, I had some fun with FX. (In order: Original, Plastic Wrap, Misc Blur, and Cutout.)

sketching: lamps

Day 2 of sketching: lamps.

The lines on the lantern seem wonky but wasn't sure what was wrong.... My 15-20 minutes/day turned into 40+ with this one but I didn't even notice as I was so engrossed with getting those darn lines figured out.  Still didn't quite get it, but it's close....

Loved Jim's purse drawing today - I'm already thinking about which of my purses will be easiest to attempt tomorrow! :)

Continued from yesterday...

Another self portrait but this one looked really odd yesterday - finished it today. I thought I'd draw myself 31 times this month but that's not going to happen...

China Trip

A little Ribbon Waving in the gardens around the Forbidden City.

I'm Sick, Post It Note Art

This is me. I was up all night being sick.

This is also my art for the day because I still don't feel great.

This was me trying to make art earlier today.

Post-It notes were all I could manage.



What I did do all day, was watch YouTube.

But not for long.. the screen made me dizzy.

..And this is what I hope to do later tonight.



Blah. I hope I feel better tomorrow.

Stay Artsy & DFTBA

Sarah Bosserman

Hikes and a sketch

This last weekend saw very mild temps in my area so my husband and I took the opportunity to do some hiking and sight seeing. We visited the Raleigh Arboretum and I was amazed at the number of plants in bloom. Certainly different from Southern Oregon where I just moved from.



On New Year's Day we hiked at William B. Umstead State Park. It was an especially warm morning. This area is full of quartz which holds a great fascination for me. Must be its sparkly nature.


Yesterday I made a small sketch of some of my findings.

Sleeping Beauty turquoise, amber, carnelian, and copper. And an electroplated copper oak leaf. Not mine, sadly.

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Some fun, funky, dangly earrings that I put together yesterday with some odds and ends of glass beads.

* * *

So this was my big project yesterday. I pulled together some odds and ends of beads, metal links of every type, and made bracelets. I'm actually kind of partial to the green and silver one at the top, but I'll be offering all of them for sale at the Art Walk on Thursday.

* * *

I did this last night while I was watching TV with my husband. I really am not fond of television, and I can't just sit there, typically, even when I'm watching a show I actually wanted to see. So I made this. I think it's somewhat analogous to crocheting a chain with a needle and yarn: very basic, and repetitive, not requiring a lot of conscious involvement. I haven't decided if I'm going to fancy it up or not. Probably will, just haven't decided how.

* * *

This is what my upcycled rose looks like as a pendant, with a stone in the center, and on an actual necklace. After spending the time cutting the metal backing and then smoothing it and polishing it, my hands hurt like the dickens!

Real Cartoon People

The world is filled with cartoon people.

EDM #3: draw a purse, wallet, or bag..

For this 3rd challenge I just didn't quite see any interest in my wallet, but my wife's new bag, now there was a challnge. 

All those folds and stitches and pockets and keys and shadows...sheesh.  I didn't think I could pull it off.

Well, here it is, and I think it came out pretty good.  I like it. 

If you want to see the EDM challenge list, click here.  I'm on a quest to post one each day in January here in the Art A Day blog.

The first five were done two years ago, but I'm working ahead and have the next three completed and ready to go.  Would love to post them all today, but one-a-day, that's my goal.

EDM - Everyday Matters 

winter river

I'm trying to capture a good profile of the local hills for a bookart piece and for some reason the last and favorite images turned out very low resolution.  Maybe because my phone had low battery? ( I'm in new-droid overload.)  With my husband on holiday I'm still inclined to hang with him instead of in the studio so I caught a bit of sunlight and clouds at waters edge as my "art" for the day. 

Copper, Crystals and Tinkly Spoons

If it is shiny, twinkly or tinkly, then I like it. I've really taken a shine (pun intended) to all things copper and have been gathering copper stuff for my studio. During the studio building process, I collected all the scraps of electrical wire and stripped off the plastic insulation. The result is a ton, well, maybe 10 pounds, of copper wire to make cool things with.

I bought these gold-plated silver U.S. presidents (that's Harry Truman on the right) spoons at a 2nd hand shop - cheap, with the idea of making a wind chime with some of the copper wire. After adding some sparkly crystal beads, it looks great hanging in front of the window, and has a beautiful musical tinkle.

Bobi has promised to give me some guidance in making a 3-dimensional wall art thingy with the 9.99 pounds of copper wire left over.

sketching

January - it must be Art-A-Day month!  Last year I participated for the first time and though I don't live in town, I so enjoyed seeing all your art develop and wished I could be there in person to meet you and join the art show.     I participated when I could and that participation started me on a year long exploration of all sorts of artistic experimentation for the first time ever.  (Thanks Bobi!)

I tried some mixed media, some collage, some painting......and always, photography.  I successfully completed a 365 day (photo a day) project (boy am I glad that's over!).  So here I am again this year, ready to try to expand and improve my skills.  I read Jim's post about sketching and, oddly enough, that's one of my goals this year - to improve my almost non-existent drawing skills.

It's tough to share pieces or sketches or art that I'm not confident about or that I feel aren't very skilled.  But, this is an opportunity for me to practice and learn....so, here goes.

Day #1, shoes.  Not as cool as Jim's cowboy boots, but I don't own any cowboy boots, so this is what I wear most days...my Clarks clogs.  Comfy.  At least I can tell they're shoes! :)

I actually welcome advice, critique, observations to help me improve.  If you can suggest a way to improve any drawing - lay it on me...I can take it!  In fact, I welcome it.

I'm so excited to be participating again and can't wait to see everyone's contributions again!