Thank you everyone in Blogland. . . .

What a wonderful thing this world of blogging is. Being new to it ( as of about 3 months ago), I cannot begin to tell all that I have learned, shared, seen and all the new artist and otherwise friends I have made.

I love the fact that everyone is just who they are. I have been offered advice on everything from how to blog, set up a blog, art ideas and just plain, honest caring advice. I would especially like to thank Laure at Painted Thoughts Blog and Teri at Teri's Painted Daisies to just name a couple who have helped me tremendously. Also today at Teresa Mallen's blog site I just happen to read her side bar entitled "Keep it Simple" and felt like it was a word from God. Thank you Teresa.

I had hit a roadblock this week in my creativity, and just going to blogland and reading other people's writings, seeing there work, and realizing that we are all seeking the same thing, our own inner peace and happiness, and the ability to share it with others helped so much to get me back on track. ( That and a fantastic, and caring therapist)

Even though I am a retired, 60 year old, art teacher, there is so much I don't know about the real world of art. When I say that I mean in terms of some techniques, exhibiting, products to use and what is out there for the taking.

So I just want to say to everyone who has come to see my blog, left wonderful comments, shared their ideas and work with me a huge Thank You.

Last but not least, I am going to be exhibiting for the first time this June in a small town Art Show. Open air, like an art fair, with works for sale. I have done photography, Watercolor, and pencil and ink. What are your suggestions for displaying my works in terms of covering them, like in acetate or something similar, to protect them? Also any other ideas and suggestions for what to use to display them on. I will be under a Canopy type tent top.

Just sharing a few more pictures I took recently.

Happy Wed. everyone and thanks for being my new artist blog friends.

PS. my youngest son made it safe and sound to Paris yesterday with very few hitches and frustrations. Oh to be young and carefree 25 again. !! Well, maybe.!!

Guiseppe Arcimboldo; Fruit and Vegetable Artist

The Fruit and Vegetable Artist.

As part of a lesson I was teaching once to my third grade art students, we studied Italian artist Guiseppe Arcimboldo (1527-1593) The one to the right is one of his most famous. The kids had a great time with this. They got quite excited about turning "food into faces". I got into the spirit myself and did a couple of colored pencil portraits. I also had the students use colored pencil, which was a new medium for them.

Giuseppe Arcimboldo (also spelled Arcimboldi; 1527 - July 11, 1593) was an Italian painter best known for creating imaginative portrait heads made entirely of such objects as fruits, vegetables, flowers, fish, and books - that is, he painted representations of these objects on the canvas arranged in such a way that the whole collection of objects formed a recognisable likeness of the portrait subject.

Arcimboldo was born in Milan in 1527, the son of Biagio, a painter who did work for the office of the Fabbrica in the Duomo. Arcimboldo was commissioned to do stained glass window designs beginning in 1549, including the Stories of St. Catherine of Alexandria vitrage at the Duomo. In 1556 he worked with Giuseppe Meda on frescoes for the Cathedral of Monza. In 1558, he drew the cartoon for a large tapestry of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, which still hangs in the Como Cathedral today.

Here are the two that I did. I think they are rather comical, yet artistic. Very fun to do, you might want to try it sometime.

A Little Fishy. . . .

There is one spectacle grander than the sea, that is the sky; there is one spectacle grander than the sky, that is the interior of the soul.
Victor Hugo

I was playing around drawing and painting fish last night. Have no idea why or where the idea came from. Was fun though. The one above obviously is done, the one below not painted yet. I like doing whimsical things.

My son the artist

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.
~Pablo Picasso

My youngest son Andrew. An aspiring artist living in Chicago.

He does painting, silk screening, plays bass guitar and has a degree in Philosophy from Loyola University of Chicago. He is my "Renaissance" son. I am so proud that he is taking after me and pursuing art.

He first really got interested in it while spending a semester in Rome. Now he is traveling to Paris next week for a week. I love the light in this picture.

He set the picture up himself with his camera and self timer. I just love it.

Andrew you are an amazing son.

Hopefully like Picasso says, my Andrew will remain an artist. !!!!

Having fun with graph paper. . . .

Trust that little voice in your head that says "Wouldn't it be interesting if..." And then do it. ~Duane Michals,

This started out as just a little doodle on graph paper, and then became bigger and bigger.

What fun it was.

Happy Monday to all !!!

Art is a collaboration. . . . . .

Art is a collaboration between God and the artist, and the less the artist does the better.
~André Gide

Just some fun pictures I took once while working on some artwork. I love art supplies, pens, pencils, paints. paper, all the ways they feel, work, show beauty. Art is such a wonderful combination of fun and yet work. Making art can be a great joy, or at times a great frustration. But, we artists seem to keep pursuing this dream or image we have.

Hope everyone has a wonderful week.

I love poppies. . . and need to learn to love "Me"

These pictures I took of poppies in the garden at Grunewald Guild ( the art and spirituality)
retreat place in the Cascade Mts. of Washington St., are some of my favorites. I love how the beautiful red colors just burst open and are dominant over every other thing in the garden.

Flowers like these are really one of God's gifts. It is like He is saying, wake up, look at this, look at this bright color, look what I have made for you. Enjoy.

These pictures also make me want to create. I am going to try and do a series of small watercolors of the poppies.

I am beginning to get into this blog thing. At first it was really overwhelming !!! There is so much going on, so many events every day, or every minute or every month. I almost don't know where to start or how to even jump in feet first and get wet. So that being said if my posts are a little blah at this beginning time, bare with me. I am on a Huge Journey of finding out who I am, and more especially how to love myself. Fortunately for me I have a wonderful therapist Jan Myers, helping me do this.

It sometimes takes a while to undo years of thinking bad thoughts or unkind thoughts about yourself and your abilities. I am hoping and beginning to feel that this venture into Blogland will help me truly be the person I am. That person who is artistic, different, a little crazy and wants to be very creative.

Thanks for all the feedback I have gotten so far, especially from Laure, Teri and Margaret. I think this whole thing is going to work out.

Meanwhile enjoy the photos below of some beautiful poppies.

Happy Thursday. I am off to do some painting.