Ramblings and Art and Soul

It has been a busy month since I last visited with you in February.  Thank you peeps for checking back and leaving comments. I was under some deadlines on several fronts. But that doesn't mean I haven't been having fun and creating some art which I plan to share with you.

It is amazing how quickly time passes. Last week I had a wonderful experience. I attended my very first Art and Soul Retreat in Virginia Beach, VA.  I signed up for two Lesley Riley workshops.

I also met up with some very good friends. We all talk about how we have our blog friends and believe me - it makes no difference if I have ever met laid eyes on some of them - we have already connected via our blogs and Facebook. We are "old" friends and it is so much fun to meet up with them face to face. At Art & Soul, Jan and Terri (sitting) showed up and we had marvelous fun between chatting, eating, classes, shopping, and creating together.

One class I took which I am raving about was Lesley Riley's TAP - Transfer Artist Paper - OMG is it wonderful. I printed images onto TAP prior to class and then we started transferring images. (Yes, Patty and Lovey, you two have told me all about this product and how great it is, not that I didn't trust you, I am just transfer-handicapped.) A shout out to Lesley - we knew you were sick one day but thought you had recovered. You covered it up, get well soon (nasty flu bug is still making the rounds).....

Yes, below is one of my favorite clip-art from ArtChix. My little Cute Hannah. I use her a lot. Here she is transferred onto an old French page..... such a cutie,

Yup, scary clipart (transferred onto muslin).... oh oh..... the clip art below the muslin is transferred into the "Lost Chord" book which I am still working on....

And a sneak peek at the next blog post on the second class I took with Lesley - kind of (remember she was sick) - stay tuned...

This page was begun in class and then created in my hotel room...... from the page - My 15 Favorite Words, (two young girls are PaperWhimsy clipart)

The view from my hotel room (posterized LOL),

For the time being, I will be here at home and not travelling until later on in the month. Oliver pup comes over next week for a few days. So what does all this mean? I have decided to do some fun stuff and tell you all about it.  Saturday a trip to the National Botanical Gardens with a friend. I will take my camera. In all the years I have lived here I have never been to the Gardens. Can you believe it? Well, I can't either.

And, I did ease up on my workout schedule so I have a little more time to myself. Interesting stuff churning and it is fun and exciting to go with the flow. My new word right now is "spontaneous" - and that is what it is. Still loving my iPhone and my pink boxing gloves.  Need to fix dinner and then will be back with you sooner than last month. I know you don't believe me and I will have to prove myself, and yada yada.  Hugs, peeps, hugs.

Some people go through life......

Some people go through life trying to find out

what the world holds for them -

only to find out too late

that it's what they bring to the world

that really counts.

Lucy Maud Montgomery

That was one of my "Today's Wylde Women's Wisdom" last week. Always provides a thought-provoking moment when they are received in the email and I did need "thought-provoking" working at work and working at fighting my cold. I can safely say that as of today, I am feeling a little better. I did absolutely nothing yesterday, kinda, but

I did make a crock-pot full of stew and a wonderful navy bean soup along with some cross-stitching and

catching up on the 1st Season of Haven! Yes, I was pampering my "sickly" (looking for some sympathy here peeps) along with some chores, like laundry, and, OK, having a great day. Don't you love these kind of unplanned days?

Now to some creations..... At my retreat last week, I mentioned that we created a Journal with Michelle along with a painting. The Journal started out with us painting gesso on all of the pages. While pages were drying, we did paint the drum sticks which you saw in the previous post. Michelle, in her marvelous, way guided us through the concepts which would take us from Brave to Bravo.....

We then began our adventures in visual composition, shapes, stencils (innies and outies, later dudes), water marks, and just down right fun! 9 Circles to this page along with committing to a background and working with those colors. Using stencils - in and out - and I can honestly say the painting and creating of backgrounds was a marvelous adventure:

The transfers

Even an old newspaper bit from, of all places, Mexico,

This was a fun page to create......  and the next post . . .  Composition......

oh my, there the little one goes walking on eggs! LOL

 

Never fear shadows......

"Never fear shadows,

They simply mean

there's a light

shining near by"

 Anonymous

Got back from my annual spiritual journey to the Life O Riley Farm and

Valley Ridge Art Studio where I spent a wonderful three days in a workshop with Michelle Ward.

Needless to say, a great time was had by all!

This workshop, which I will be posting about over the next few days, was titled, "Raise the Bar."

"It's a small step from Brave to Bravo" -- Michelle Ward

More art work tomorrow. Flying back from Wisconsin I managed to catch what I call the "airplane" cold - big time. OK, I did get a flu shot the week before and I knew it wouldn't kick in for about two - three weeks, but as I got in my car today, whining to do no one but myself, I realized it is all in your perspective of life. A common cold/flu on one hand - no big deal.

So as I feed the cold (?) with chicken soup and my fav V8, I will be taking photos of the art work I created at this workshop - I was blown away, stretched, shamed into a painting, laughing out loud, playing my painted drum sticks to the music of "Little Drummer Boy" - yes we had a great time. Harley was also along for the ride in his pink bandanna!

Rock on you little honeysuckle peeps....... it is a glorious day seen through sneezing and coughing. xoxo

 

Splishing & Splashing in Paint in the Breeze

Well, I told you the other day I was painting a "red" thing, and I did. The only "to-do" I need to work on today is getting it a little darker and painting the other side of the watercolor paper.

I signed up for Julie Prichard's Layer Love Class last year. Luckily when you sign up for an online class with Julie - she lets you keep taking it until you make it through. I know a number of you who follow this blog have taken a number of her online workshops. Click on the link above and check out the outstanding variety of workshops she has created. The gal is multi-talented, beautiful, and a joy to follow as she walks through her artistic journey! She is an inspiration to us all.

OK - back to reality -- You know where I'm going with this don't you? Nine lessons - I'm on # 2. Ahhhh, such a driven painter and A-type personality in the painting world - NOT. Even took a class with Michelle Ward on painting stuff, luckily that was a hands-on experience in Wisconsin at Valley Ridge Art Studio. I am one of these individuals that will get excited about a class, sign-up and pay, and have all the good intentions in the world and NOT take it. Dadgumit. BUT, the two lessons I took with Julie on the Layer Love -- I learned a lot and when I am in the moment it is like I am painting with wings. I love it and I feel like I'm soaring. BUT, it is getting to the moment. (hmmm, I am preaching to me not you....).

I need to darken this up a bit today. I painted it with the red and black and some mushy stuff to make it a little more "pushy around the page" - I am so technical when it comes to painting - then added some old book pages, scrapbook paper, and song sheet. I love spraying stuff with water (including myself when water mister pointed wrong way, I am multi-talented).... love those drippy runs (yes, my make-up runs too):


This photo does make it look "lighter" than it is. So back to the old rag....

Need to get lunch. I have to admit I played cardio tennis this morning. When I got in the car at 7:45am - it read 39 degrees. OUCH... when I got to the courts it read 42 degrees - yup, on a roll. Played an hour or so, got back in the car and it read 42 degrees, heat wave, boys and girls, heat wave. But the trees are beautiful here in Northern Virginia -

When I first arrived here almost 31 years ago - it was in the Fall...... what more can you say - this state is spectacular dressed in Fall Foliage! Headed to a play tonight, will visit with you tomorrow and bring you up to date on the office decorating for my favorite holiday - Halloween!


Gertrude sends her love, my little peeps. Happy Saturday!

I'm home my little Honeysuckles

Dear World:

Had a marvelous trip and once again enjoyed my time at the Life of Riley Farm and the Murphys and Valley Ridge Art Studio!

Met good friends,


made new ones,

laughed a lot - oh yeah, Michelle always cracks herself up - she is a funny funny silly girl!


Remember my honeysuckles, nothing compares to creating with the master artist Michelle Ward, check her roof top out below - oh my it is just so yummy! Oh geez, and now I will have to try to copy her technique to see if I can do one.... yes we had the parlor tricks, parlor tricks, and more parlor tricks!


and after our Parlor Tricks, I chased windmills,

watched shadows dance in the wind.

Fought dragons
and wild birds in my lovely sanctuary.


Entertained myself with my little camera (OK, I admit it - there was no TV),


Harley got some long need rest.


P.S. Did I tell you I had lotz of fun?


Love from me to you.