Last EDM.........Foundations of Watercolor Art Journaling Next.

Well, today is May 31st. Oh my goodness where did the month go.

I tried to get a drawing or whatever done every day in May, but, alas, not every day got covered. I would continue, but now I am going to start tomorrow with Laure of Painted Thoughts Blog and Imaginary Trips Blog on a new course.

This one is Foundations of Watercolor Art Journaling. I think I got that right. Close anyway. So alas, it is goodbye for now to the EDM's. I am excited about this new adventure.

Below is my final EDM. I am not sure what day or category is fits into. This is actually a wooden sort of giraffe that I made out of wood scraps to use as a teaching example for my third grade classes. It is made up of all different sizes and shapes of wood.

If you will look back at my EDM pear and other works I have posted over the time of my blog, you will notice I love to work with pencil. Especially shading with pencil. Soooo that is what I have done here.

Happy June to Everyone and off on a new adventure.

Happy Memorial Day to all. Hope everyone has a safe , fun and relaxing holiday.

I received a wonderful surprise yesterday, a blog award from a great friend. I have and am having a very hectic weekend working all day Sat, Sun and today at PetsMart, so this gift was so appreciated. It reminds me of all my new found and wonderful blog friends.

I am sure many of you are familiar with Laure of Painted Thoughts: Laure was my first "blog friend". Laure is a wonderful artist, teacher, and friend. I thank her for this gift and for her sharing.

Now I am suppose to share ten things about myself... I love to read and have way too many books....I love to go to new places and would love to go to Ireland and Scotland...I used to be an avid counted cross stitcher, but spend more time doing art now...I insist on doing the cross word from the newspaper every day... I love to watch CBS Sunday Morning show...I have two wonderful sons, 25 & 29.... I would love to live by the ocean on either coast... I live by myself with all my clutter all over...I am a retired art teacher...and, like Laure I love to go out to eat for breakfast.... Thank you again Laure.

Now, I would like to share some blogs with you.

Katherine of Katherine Thomas: She is a elementary school teacher, an amazing colored pencil artist and someone who I am sure is glad summer vacation is here ......

Martha of Art de Jour by Martha Lever: Well, first off it is fun to find another Martha, there are not many of us out there anymore. Martha has a wonderful little corgi dog, a red shed second studio, and does amazing things with stencils and spray paint.

Laurel of Studio Lolo: I am sure many of you are familiar with her blog. Laurel is fun, talented, does amazing and different things with her art work, and is always there with a compliment for yours.

Julie of A Succulent Life: has the most amazing pictures of her flowers, gardens, and all kinds of succulents you have ever seen. I love her gardens done in the center of old tires.

Lori of Elvie Studio: I love all the cute, colorful, and creative things Lori does. It is always so fun to see what she comes up with next.

My son is an artist. . . I am so proud

This is an announcement of the Gallery Showing my son Andrew Brant ( listed down at the bottom of the card) is part of.

My son Andrew pictured below with his girlfriend while in France together is having a gallery showing in Andersonville ( A part of Chicago). I am so proud of him. The show will run the month of June, and Andrew will have 10 pieces showing. We are all so excited. So if you live in Chicago , scroll down and look at the announcement of the events.

Happy Memorial Day weekend.

Join us at Las Manos Gallery, as a part of the Andersonville Midsommartfest. They close down the streets, put up four stages, have music and a party in the street, so come by to see my recent work, and have a good time in Andersonville!

I will be exhibiting ten works on paper from my recent trip to France, paintings and charcoals of Paris and Brittany.

I will be there all day Saturday, and the show will be up until June 27th, open every weekend.

Also included in the show:

Michelle Peterson/Albandoz
Paul Clark
Michael McGuire
and Chuck Meyers

EDM # 26 Draw anything you want.

Draw anything you want, well, what shall I draw. I am sort of tired of white paper, so I thing I will use black just to be different.

I love to draw different kinds of bugs. I also always have wanted a Volkswagon Beetle Convertible.

So since I have never gotten one, I thought I would just draw my own kind of Beetle.

Most of this probably makes no sense, but, I did have fun drawing the bug.

EDM # 19 Draw something you made.

I have two sisters and a brother. I am in the middle.

When my first son was born in Nov. 1980, my older sister had just had her 3rd daughter the July before. Then, my younger sister in February 1981 had their first son. Needless to say the three were kind of raised like triplets when they were small. When my younger sister had her second son on April Fools Day 1985, I next had my second son on May 9th 1985. I brought him home from the hospital on Mother's Day.

Well, since we all lived in the same town we grew up in, and my parent's also lived there, Christmas was a big deal. One Christmas I decided to paint sweatshirts with Santa Claus heads on them for the 5 youngest grandchildren.

The pictures below will show you a re-creation of the Santa Head, and a picture taken Christmas Day at our parent's with the kids all decked out in their shirts.

Two in one night. . EDM 13

I am on a roll tonight. Two EDM'S in one night.

I always like the old black funky looking phones we had when I was a kid.

I can still remember when we had prefixes like ST. or TH instead of numbers. I remember our phone number changing when I was about 12 from ST1-XXXX to TH7-4694. That was a big deal because that meant we could call Kansas City, MO. which was 20 miles away for free !!!!

I lived in Liberty, MO. which is where I still live. Liberty was actually founded before Kansas City, MO.

I am 5th generation of my family on my mother's side to live here. My mother used to tell stories about her great grandmother and the Civil War right in Liberty.

Well don't ask me how I got from a drawing of a phone to that, except that I am rambling maybe because it is late at night or I am old LOL.

Anyway. This is my picture above of my old phone.

Remember this summer game.. . . . . .

EDM # 6 Draw a Toy. . .

I can remember many a summer day or evening, setting up the wickets and getting the croquet set out, for a rousing game with the kids in the neighborhood.

I grew up in the 50's so there was no being inside in the summer, it was too hot in there and there was nothing to do anyway. Our days and nights consisted of building treehouses, wading up and down the creekbed exploring, swinging from grapevines, playing on our bikes and in the evening 'Kick the can" and one of my favorite Croquet.

We had some pretty cut throat games at times, knocking each others balls out of contention, trying different tricks, whatever.

I know childhood is different now, just as my two twenty-something sons lives were different. There is just no replacing though, those wonderful childhood memories, whatever they may be.

I was so very very fortunate to have had that childhood. My heart aches for those who didn't or don't.