Knitting!

So my very first knitting project ever was in college. It started as a joke at our sorority's rock-a-thon, a fund raiser for one of our philanthropies. What did I decide to start with? An afghan. Yup. Hardest project ever - and I didn't do the greatest job with it...oh, I finished, that's not it. It somehow turned out to be around (I kid you not) 12 feet long. I tend to double it up on the bed; it is certainly cozy! After that project, I turned to scarves. I have them in almost every color now. Here is an image I created using Paint a few years ago - I believe I saw greeting cards that had a similar picture - probably invitations to a knitting night. I had actually taken this image, changed the background color and glass colors and printed out a set of four to place in the picture holders on the front of my knitting bag. It was very Warhol-like.

Playin' with Paint

The computer program, that is. Here are a couple more items I've created using Paint on my laptop. This could have been so much quicker if I'd actually used my mouse rather than the touch pad, but it was fun nonetheless.

Altered Book

This was one of the very first altered books I created; this particular one is based on all of the memories I have of my family's annual vacations to a fishing resort. I saw in a book that you could not only cut niches into the book, but also cut drawers into the side. The two drawers are crafted out of small jewelry boxes and stay in place with Velcro attached to the back.

Circles, Circles

These are two paintings that I made for a narrow wall in our dining room. I was flipping through a magazine when I spied a series of three of these paintings in the background of a room. The third one, which I did not paint, looked closer to a heart shape so I decided to skip it. What is interesting is that it took some work to make the lines look "wobbly" instead of smooth.

What is Bottled Up?

This was an idea for an art journal from the book, Art Journals and Creative Healing by Sharon Soneff. I loved how you could take a beverage carrier with the empty bottles and use the vessels as a container for journal entries. In this case, each of the bottles specify something that you keep "bottled up" inside, such as anxiety, unforgiveness, depression, and frustration. You can then journal on a note, roll it up, and place it inside the corresponding bottle. The book suggested using a four pack of coffee drinks; these bottles worked just as well - but the necks are slimmer...making it difficult to retrieve any notes that may be placed inside.

The Story of Us Booklet

I found this booklet idea in a scrapbooking magazine years ago...

You make little fold-out sections that detail your favorites - everything from random foods, to things you love about the other person, to three things you would take with you if you were stranded on a desert island. One of the greatest things about it is that the questions are answered in each other's own handwriting.

I not only had pictures from our wedding, but also school pictures of each of us from our years of teaching! It is funny how even after a few years of making this, the answers to some of the questions have changed.

Prayer Board

So I've been reading this book, Faith Books and Spiritual Journaling: Expressions of Faith through Art by Sharon Soneff. I have become totally inspired by some of the projects! One is a canvas prayer board, which I decided to try out. The idea is that you take a canvas and post your prayer requests onto it (in this case, I made tags and fastened them to a canvas with corsage pins). Sewing pattern tissue paper completes the background for the prayer tags.

Summer is Here

Finding time during the busy school year is difficult to create art. That being said, summer is here, so I'd better hop to it! Lately my only art has been underlining and highlighting large portions of text in my School Law textbook. Any doodles in the margins at least? No. However, I did create a digital book tonight for my dad for Father's Day. The photos were mostly taken by my husband, and the layouts of the pages are pretty much configured for you, but hey - I think it still counts. Above is one of the photos that I included in the book for him.

Bizarre is Easy

I was reminded of this piece today as my husband and I were discussing certain musical acts of late. Are they necessarily a creative genius or just using the bizarre shock value? Where is the fine line? Do you need to be a little bizarre to be creative? And here come the questions.

Picasso Galore!

Yes, I love painting Picassos. I think I most like the paintings with distinct outlines and bold colors so that it's easy for me to project it onto a canvas and paint it in. The ones I've done require little to no layering of paint...but what little I have done I have liked. It can be a little difficult with acrylic since it dries so quickly, but I'm scared of oils at the moment; perhaps that will be a goal of mine - to venture into the world of oil painting. At least I'll give it a try...

These two are hanging in the unfinished side of the basement, in our workout area. The one on the left is a portion of the Still Life with Pitcher and Fruit, enlarged and tilted; the other is another still life, whose name escapes me at the moment. These were my very first paintings after my friend Lia taught me her technique - I'm hooked!

Art is About Love

"Art is about love -
the love you never got as a child,
the love you can't give as an adult -
the love you can only give your work."
-Jonathan Larson

Above is a quote from Jonathan Larson, the author of the musical Rent. As I was working as the Stage Manager on the mainstage production of "The Shadowbox" in college, one of my friends gave me this quote, which I made in Paint. She is now working as an actress in L.A. Everytime I see this it makes me think of my theater and dance days in college, and all of the friends who are pursuing their dream all over the globe. Break a leg!

Picasso Still Life with Fruit

This is the only image I can come across in art books, websites, etc. when I search for the Picasso Still Life Pitcher with Fruit. However, the colors and lines reminded me of the stained glass windows in churches, and so I was drawn to this one as well. I did the same technique of projecting this into a canvas, tracing, and then painting in the color later. The only mistake I have made is painting this onto a flat canvas that needs a frame in order to be hung on a wall. The other canvases I have can stand alone, giving the painting a more modern feel or more of a gallery feel. Although I suppose I could just get an easel and display this...

Picasso Still Life With Pitcher and Fruit

The top picture is the Picasso still life that he painted around the 1920's that is hanging in the St. Louis Art Museum. I took this postcard, scanned it, and projected the scan onto a canvas. I then was able to trace the image, and re-create this for my dining room. (Using this technique reminds me of color-by-number!) What is odd about this postcard is that some of the pastel colors are not the same as the colors on the original painting in the museum... I discovered this after painting my own - but if it really bothers me enough I can always go back and paint over the colors in question.
The bottom picture is the finished project hanging in our living room/dining room.

Maintaining Chaos

Years ago, I bought some Post-It notes with this little troublemaker printed across the top. Today I find it even more appropriate since both of our little boy kitties are orange, and of course, maintain the chaos in our home. I created this image in Paint and sometimes use it as my desktop wallpaper. By the way, freehand drawing with a mouse isn't the most easy task in the world. I've attempted to draw with my laptop mousepad...but that is nearly impossible for me and my patience level.

Getting Started

I feel that I should have a blog in today's world of technology. I have thought about several ideas for this, and one that I am passionate about is my love of art. Hence, this blog. So I will try to update you with any projects I am working on, have finished, am editing, etc. Above is one that I created using the Paint program on my computer, and I have used this as my wallpaper from time to time. I love it when my laptop is open on my desk displaying this message!