Return to the classroom

     Do you know how many free art and writing lessons are out there on the Internet. Often the free courses create a group on Facebook where you can show your work progress and make artist friends. Last month it was a stitching class. This month I checked into some painting courses. I believe in always learning and it is quite fun in a course. Nietzsche said, "The doer alone learneth!" If you go for one free course, you will hear about others, on Facebook. 'Tis good to be shadowed by algorithms for productive reasons.

     

     The class that excited me most was one that taught me to think about painting in smaller blocks of time on smaller canvases. Too often, in the past, I would paint from 9 am until 9 pm. I painted lots of huge paintings. Recently I have worked small. After dinner, I may decide to go in to paint for half an hour. Of course I get caught up and can't quit. Mary Bentz Gilkerson taught many things, but what I got out of her pedagogy was not to concern yourself with critiques and try to make a painting in 20 minutes. I gathered that 90 days of an activity can turn into habit. Sure enough, I paint every day now. I finally have something to report in my blog: recent paintings above and two I am still working on below. There are several other courses I tried and loved, including abstract art. I recommend your checking them out and maybe bite off a bigger involvement in learning. "It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop!" (Confuscius)

      I got started on the two paintings below, a few nights ago. I am like a beginner, learning all over.  Thomas Jefferson said, "I'm a great believer in luck, ... I find the harder I work the more I have of it." I am finding the more mistakes I paint, the more I learn. It is such fun. These below are not finished.

      Making my beginning efforts easy, I am using fast drying Holbein's Acryla Gouche. It is water based, and I used small nylon brushes. If I had it to do over, I would use a few basic colors to mix to make my colors, rather than try to buy a color for every nuance. Also, I have to move my painting posture to standing up and return to oils or acrylics, bigger brushes and more movement. Sitting so long is not wise. I anticipate painting the grandchildren on oval canvases before Easter since they are almost an egg shape.

The Internet Connects to Inspire

Facebook remembers and connects us to old memories. A self-portrait lost to the fire reappeared this week and made me look fondly at two paintings that were saved and presently flank our bed. 

The Arts Council of Princeton is back to offering more free virtual Art-Making classes based on the Princeton Universtity Art Museum collection, starting with Durer's rhinoceros. I'll be there. 

Deborah wrote that TextileArtist.org had a free five-day Stitch Camp. What fun. Day by day they gave us another step in this adventure with needle and thread, fabric and paint. The first day we made paint marks on two fabrics, then cut them up, sewed them together, embroidered, painted and appliquéd. Working with Gwen Hedley while seeing the class results, it was a happy no-pressure learning experience Gwen Hedley: Stitching distress and repair - TextileArtist.org. Slow stitching is meditative. Most people stitched abstractions of many emotions, but we all LOVED our process.You might visit TextileArtist.org and get to know these wonderful artists. Joe rolled his eyes, but I won't forget this adventure. It is time for me to iron and line this double pup piece for a bookmark.

Paint fabrics in two colors, all sorts of marks and more

Cut into pieces, look for connections, join and embellish

When finished, line the back and present it

No longer lost. Found hanging in plain sight!.

Drawing on Blank Pages in the New Year

It is the end of 2021, New Year's Eve. We are in Belmont, rather than New York City because of the raging Omicron virus. In the new year, there are blank coloring pages on which to draw our lives.

Inspired by Ellen Katz and Jay Werb with their beekeeping and honey, Joe is talking about keeping a hive. I wish he would. As for me, I need to organize my life more. I could change the direction of my blog. A plan is not needed. One can just make the jump or find a better way.

For a start I want to shine a spotlight on the creative Sally Baker. In secret she made a lap quilt for her husband who is from Kentucky horse country, finishing just in time for Christmas. She said I could share the My Old KY Home with anyone I wanted. That lap quilt is so lovable, no wonder she is not tired of it after all her labor!

My heart beat to see horseshoes revealed in the quilting.The longarm quilting was done by Creative Longarm Partners in Marlboro MA. They have lots of patterns to choose from, so Sally was thrilled to see they had a horseshoe. I love her color choices and the horse variations in the blocks. The reverse or back side is clever with the roses placed after the finish line! The third photo shows how she "fussy cut" the horses from fabric.

People in Boston have been elated by the big quilt show at the MFA and the surprising history it reveals, not just technique. I recommend a visit. Pamela Reynolds in the Boston Globe wrote: "while many of the quilts on display are the traditional idealized rustic 'Americana,' many others are analytical, critical and socially aware. These are not your grandmother's quilts." She paraphrased quilter Mazloomi's saying "quilts can be a soft place for hard conversations." I must return to the show. I'd like to make a lap quilt.

Thankful for Thanksgiving 2021

       Over the River (Charles) and through the towns, to grandchildren's home we go. The car knows the way, that I will say. Glad it's leaves, not snow all the way! The children's mother invited us to Thanksgiving and said I was not to bring anything. However, one has to have surprises for any event!

       First I think of novelty hats. The party store was out so I was glad to see some hats from 3 years ago Beth had saved and put out on her kitchen table.  I was tempted by the big turkey balloon, but was glad they also were out! It will be crowded enough in the kitchen.

        Usually we have a Thanksgiving tree. We write on paper leaves what we are grateful for. Then we glue them on a poster's tree created by a grandchild, or tape leaves on branches held by a vase or block of wood. I prefer what the grands make but will create and take a pile of colorful leaves, just in case. Blessings can always blow in on the tables.

        Next is the prayer. One year I found a prayer on line. I am still looking for the author artist. Many Thanksgiving prayers may be Googled online. I like Ralph Waldo Emerson's or Psalm 100. See below one that I put in little addressed envelopes on the plate at each seat. I noticed that Joe saved his.

 

         I was hoping to find the author of this beautiful prayer and drawing found  several years ago. Ellen Katz helped me to find Kathy Davis and the card which can be purchased at American Greeting Cards, online.

            I will take an Asian pear and arugula salad w goat cheese as well as Japanese fruit pie, a southern dish. That is your surprise. Happy Thanksgiving!    

A little gallery for family art

    Painting the grandchildren is fun for me and Joe frames the results. We give to the children and the mother is stuck with what to do with them. She has carved a corner in the living room for these little paintings with some of the family creations, some photos and prints. I also found a print of a family artist, daughter-in-law's "Uncle Abe, "Abraham Walkowitz, who was in Alfred Stieglitz's 291 Gallery in NYC. Earlier I had found prints of his Isodora Duncan works at the MFA Boston.  There paintings and photos in the shelves and walls in this corner off the living room warmed my heart when I discovered them. Next time I will edit the photos to lighter before posting. Click to enlarge to see a bit better!

You can see that the first born Hannah has been painted the most, a head, two with striped leggings and as a runner!  David is seen both painting and in a soccer match. Erika had fewer works, but probably the best as the ballerina! There are also some candy hearts on easels I gave to each one some Valentine's Day.  I need more of Erika and David. The sculptures of Einstein and other people are welcome viewers, 

 Same for the clay turtle cup.

    

Have fun in black and white!

     Fall is here, the time to get new pen and pencils for school! That was the best part for me in grammar school. Same today. I bought some white paint pens at Blick and some black paper to draw on. Whereas I loved etching with oil paint on canvas in the past, a la Gerry Bergstein, it is pen and paper today. So I handed a black tablet to 12-year-old grandson David, along with a white ink pen. He created this charming underwater piece. Note the surprises at the upper edge to down below. I framed it.

    The first of the year is too busy for me to accomplish anything, but these quick drawings are fun to sketch from the computer, newspaper or just out of one's head. I knocked off a few and then went back with a 30-second-dry black ink FUDE brush pen to hide what I didn't like. That was quite fun to learn what I like and don't like in this medium. More about the FABulous Fude soft brush pen in the next post.
Pentel Fude Brush Pens Unboxing Review - YouTube

Pocket Brush Pen Intro - YouTube

Blog, Birds and a Birthday

    July brought me a long distance lens, a part of my iPhone 12 Pro Max for my birthday. Robins built two serious bird nests just outside our back door, a large one for 3 fat fledglings and a different nest nearby, too small for 4 robins born later. Of course I had to both watch/see and snap photos of the action. Although I painted the robins, the photos were better!

    The second robin family story is a sad one I am still trying to figure out. At first, this second nest was started in the upper half of the deck umbrella and that disappeared in the early stages. Not discouraged, the builder robin continued to create very near where the first nest had been, but not in the same spot and not so big. I worried it was half the size of the earlier one. But four eggs happened, because I saw 4 NESTlings. Later, I saw the first FLEDGling sitting below, trying to go further, prompted by mother robin's directions. She or he later worked hard to move the other two on as well . The mate had arrived days before and decisions were made. I am guessing that because one baby bird in the crowded nest must have died, possibly a broken neck, the others must be moved on for safety. After the nest was emptied and the family moved on, Joe cleaned out the area and we saw the dead nestling flat on the bottom of the nest. Very sad. I am certain that two of the fledglings did very well after their exit. I think I saw the two birds flying figure 8s near each other above our driveway. I hope a third who was the first out, did well also.

To kick start this posting, I looked for bird quotes:

"A bird that dares to fall is the bird who learns to fly."
Maya Angelou said "A bird does not sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song."

"Birds sing even after the storm."

I didn't know of Bob Marley's delightful Three Little Birds sung to children.

"Don't worry about a thing

Cause every little thing gonna be all right

Singing don't worry about a thing

Cause every little thing gonna be all right.

Rise up this morning

Smiled with the rising sun

Three little birds

Pitch by my doorstep

Singing.....". 

Be sure to Google the song for a treat.