Time Away

I will be away from my blogging and the computer for a time.  Probably about a month.  Please don't think I have deserted you, dear readers.  I will return just as soon as I can. I may be doing some sporadic posting as time allows.

Thank you all for your recent comments and for visiting my blog!

Painting # 13 in 100

I started out with a blind contour drawing of a favorite cup - scattering the drawings randomly over the page and turning the cup at different angles for each drawing.  So much fun!!!!!!!

My Review of The Miracle of Mercy Land by River Jordan

I received this book free from Waterbrook Multnomah's Blogging for Books program.  What a great way to get free books and what great books they are!

(Please click on the picture to enlarge if you'd like to better see the little drawing at the bottom.)  The journal page for this book is more immediate and less artful, because it was 11:10 p.m. when I finished the book and it made such an impact that I felt I needed to get it down immediately before the magic disappeared...

I've never read such a book as this. It was magical and moving, a magnificent story. 

- about choices,
- and life stories,
- about who we're created to be and who is chosen to accompany us in our life's journey,
- about consequences, and about characteristics and circumstances, sometimes beyond our control, that make us who we are.
- It's about brokenness and scars and how they become part of us...the past can't be erased, but instead the scars from our bad choices, or the choices of others that affect us, are woven into the very fiber of our being and into the very heart and soul of who we are. We make the choice to let our scars make us bitter or better people.


The Miracle of Mercy Land. I discovered that "Mercy Land" is a person, though from the title you're not sure? Her story, along with the stories of the lives that touch hers, will move you in ways you never imagined.

IMPORTANT:  I need your vote!
Please, would you be so kind as to rank my review below? The more rankings I get the better my standings!!!  I need your help!! Thank you so much! 

Journal Pages and Drawings from the Weekend

The little painting on the left is drawn in ink and colored with watercolor and colored pencil.
I can't decide on a background color for the one on the right, so we'll call it a WIP and I'll post the finished one later.

Journal Page & EDM Challenge - Draw Something with Spots

My funny journal page from yesterday. I just love the little character at the bottom. I was looking at a picture of my sister and I started scribbling "her" hair and then added to the drawing from there - maybe a 25 second drawing. It kept me happily giggling for most of the afternoon. Such a fun thing to do! This character has absolutely no resemblance to me whatsoever, but I had drawn it in my notepad at work, and I wanted to glue it in my journal so I could keep it. It sort of went with this devotion from David Jeremiah. My artwork is indeed unique and so is this crazy little woman I created. I made her a polka-dotted shirt to satisfy the latest EDM challenge - draw something with spots :-) LOL

This will be my post for the weekend as I'm going to try my hardest to stay off the computer this weekend and be present! I plan to finish a book for bloggingforbooks.org, so look for the review and journal page soon. I also need to clean house -- blah, blah...

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

View from the Train

I took a photo from a train that my husband and I rode in Cass, WV two summers ago. Today, working from the photo displayed on my digital frame, I did this 4" x 6" painting in colored pencil and watercolor. I've wanted to try working with colored pencils on acid free, lignin free backing board I purchased from Clearbags.com for quite some time. It worked great, even with the touches of watercolor. I used my new Schmincke Watercolor Set, which not only looks to be luxurious in every way, but it truly is.

Without Excuse

I realize today that I have no excuse not to make great art. I am blessed beyond measure with art supplies. With a 4-day holiday weekend I organized art supplies with the intent to get everything within easy reach and also out where I can see it. I also wanted to leave enough room on the table to comfortably work on small pieces or journal pages.



And then as you can see, I made myself a cup of coffee and created a "playing with color" page in my 11 x 14 Aquabee sketchbook. So much fun.

Yesterday, I used my 50% off one regular price item coupon from A. C. Moore and bought a natural daylight hobby lamp for the table, because at night the lamp pictured above just was not working. Now it's so bright I need sunglasses!!!

Today, my Christmas gift from my husband arrived via Cheap Joes Art Supply. I had originally ordered the American Journey Watercolor Sticks, but was disappointed (you read about that here).  Well, when this arrived today and I opened it up, the disappointment fled and delight set in to stay.  Oh my goodness!  I feel very, very wealthy suddenly.  This is an exquisite watercolor set, folks!

Just look at these colors.  It even comes with its own color key so that you can paint in the color swatches.  Yum, that's all I can say... Yum.
I think I may be in love.

A Fun Page

A fun page in my 11 x 14 Aquabee Sketchbook
Me, surrounded by what I love - books, flowers, coffee, and color!
Comfort and joy!

Book Review - Lady in Waiting by Susan Meissner

The central theme of the book is our ability, our power, to choose.

Susan Meissner weaves together two women, who lived five centuries apart, with the common thread of their power to choose; not to have their choices forced upon them by others. Other common threads that wove these two women together are their shared name, Jane; and a betrothal ring with the name "Jane",  along with a Latin phrase from Song of Solomon  inscribed inside.

I found this book to be a history lesson that made me feel as if I was a part of the mid-sixteenth century, watching and cheering Lady Jane Grey on.  At the same time I could relate so well to present-day Jane as she searches for answers about herself, her marriage, and the origin of the ring she discovers hidden in the binding of a centuries old prayer book; a ring that seems to be hers by more than mere coincidence.

The historical Lady Jane's story is told by her seamstress/dress-maker, Lucy.  A commoner that is able to make her own choices in marriage and in life.  And in the end, both Lady Jane and modern-day Jane find that they too have the power to choose, and that they had it all along.

Please be so kind as to rank this review below!! Thank you so much!

Playing with colors and textures, a new studio arrangement

New cabinet in the studio corner of my kitchen. This is such a cheering place!



Playing with watercolor stamping and background colors.
I glued a piece (a circle) of corrugated cardboard to a cork (you can see it to the left of my palette. I used this and bubble wrap to stamp. First I laid down a watercolor wash, then stamped into it with the stamp and then stamped the clean sheet of paper at top left. The top right piece is a mixture of cobalt violet and periwinkle and I've just stamped into the wet watercolor wash with bubble wrap. The other peices are playing with color combinations - Quinacridone Rose and Cobalt Blue. Don't reallylike the bottom two pieces. Not bright enough for me! Now the top right piece - that's just gorgeous!


A close up of the stamping



A close up of the cobalt violet/periwinkle mixture. The colors are separated more at the bottom, but at the top of this sheet I actually mixed the colors on my palette. You can see my cork stamp more closely here.

Today's Sketches

Today I've enjoyed sketching - simple sketches of teapots, pitchers, etc. that I photographed one day at the local antique shop.  I have these photos on my digital frame and just pause the photo and sketch it and then go to the next. I like this method of sketching, particularly during these rather blah winter months.

What do you enjoy sketching the most, especially during gray days?

Random journal pages and Review of American Journey Watercolor Sticks

First Journal Pages of the New Year:


On the pages above I used Caran d'Ache Neocolor II watercolor crayons - beautiful, saturated color! Soft buttery crayons. Love them!  Also the teapot was drawn with a Sharpie Liquid Graphite pencil I bought yesterday!  Not bad - it writes similar to a pen, very smoothly - but it erases.  I still like the old-fashioned scratchy feel of a wood-encased pencil though.

Trying out more new toys.

Disappointed in AJ watercolor sticks.

I'm exchanging them for the Schmincke Horadam 12 pan watercolor set that is now on sale at cheapjoes.com under clearance and overstock for $50.40!!!  This is high-quality, expensive watercolor and so this sale is incredible!  I am mailing my watercolor sticks back today.  As you can see, the colors are very light and you can't get a good saturation.



1-1-11 (First Post of New Year)

A sketch with my Design Ebony Pencil - the way the light was hitting the couch with the cushions scattered on it kept whispering "sketch" to me until it got so loud I had no choice but to obey. It felt so good to just DRAW - no pressure, simplicity... I call this "waiting". This is my husband's spot on the couch and I sat in my usual spot across the room on the loveseat waiting for him to come home from a week of working out of town. The couch seemed to be waiting with me.

A Christmas gift from my husband - a gift card to Cheap Joe's - here are my purchases! They got here just two days after I placed the order. Amazing! These are the new American Journey watercolor sticks. I can't wait to give them a whirl today! Also a ten sheet pack of 22 x 30 Kilimanjaro watercolor paper. This was such a hard decision for me - what to get with my gift card. But in the end I think I decided well.

As a member of the yahoo group Blissfully Art Journaling, I have been thinking long and hard about my Word of Intent for 2011.  It's a word that sort of sets the tone of what you want to accomplish or focus on in 2011.  I thought of many words, like "purpose", "consistency", "growth", "focus", etc.  Words that evoked a sense of needing to do something.  Words that to me sort of put the pressure on to be more, do more, achieve more...Words like this, goals, resolutions tend to put too much pressure on me, especially this year it seems.  When I put too much pressure on myself (which I tend to do on a regular basis) I feel overwhelmed, tired, and a bit rebellious.  So this year, my word of intent came to me right after I woke up from a long, much-needed nap after over-thinking the subject for a couple of days... my word... Celebration!

Doesn't that sound liberating, refreshing, and fun!

This year I will celebrate...
...life itself.
...all my achievements and all the bad habits and unhealthy patterns I'm overcoming.
...the fact that I have so many beautiful journals and sketchbooks to fill, a seemingly endless amount of art supplies, pens, etc., with which to fill them.
...my marriage - though not perfect, I will celebrate how far it's come and where it's headed by the Grace of God.
...all God is doing in me, in my life - all the blessings he has in store for me as I trust and obey Him.
...my family. I'll celebrate my mama and daddy and all they mean to me by visiting them as often as I can, and by accepting them just as they are.  I'll celebrate my immediate family, my extended family, everyone who is so important to me.
...my friends. God has blessed me with several very close, precious friends. My church friends, work friends, artsy online friends, facebook friends...  Girlfriends are just so precious in our lives as women.  I want to celebrate and cherish those friendships this year by spending time with these wonderful ladies!
...my work. God has blessed me with a job that I absolutely love.  And even with the changes that are taking place, I will celebrate the fact that God is in control, and I am blessed at work! I will trust God to place the person in the position of Director that He will use in the lives of all those at the training center to further His purposes.  Separation of church and state?  I don't think so...God is working in all and through all to accomplish something great!

So there you have it - my only New Year's Resolution is Celebration!  Life is a celebration.  I will celebrate through art and music and reading and relationships and work and play!  Let us all celebrate this art-filled, wonderful life we've been blessed with!

Happy New Year!