Renaissance Festival

Finally…! Sun! It was getting close to the end…would this be the first Renaissance Festival in 5 years that we would miss because of the rain? The festival is held in a magical little “Sherwood Forest” kind of place. Hardier attendees would not let the rain stop them...But, we are talking about deep, thick, mud. I draw the line at sopping around in knee-deep mud and down pours. However, this past Sunday was just beautiful and a perfect 72 degrees.

Gabe and Claire dressed up-they plan all year…

I love the houses and the store fronts...and the costumes/characters...

We take the back roads home. It ended up taking a couple of hours…we found this little orchard with piles of pumpkins and squash…this is just my favorite time of year. The pumpkin wagon was really cool-look at these pumpkins-they were giants!

I so love autumn! We have wonderful falls here on “cotton wood creek”. “M” cuts wood, and burns leaves. The dogs frolic and chase each other about. The kids still rake the leaves just to jump in them. And the colors…are so vivid. “Fall” fills all your senses here. I promise I will have some pics so you can share in the season, especially for all the out of state family and friends…Till next week…Mary

An attempt at the abstract

This was my first step. I really like the papers I used but Unfortunately, as I progressed, this view changed (unfortunate in that at this point I kind of liked the way the paper fell).

This was step two...Not so crazy about covering the paper from step one-one would think I would see it coming and try let more show through...as I expressed in my preceding post, I was trying not to over think my work...to just let it go...actually, I added several layers before I got what I have now. That made for some interesting texture to be sure.

Here I added two pictures of my daughter that I really like. I also added a few more pieces of paper. I covered it up with a wash of Gesso...I thought that I might add paint.

I played around a bit more. I added some paint (water color), some stamps, some bits and pieces printed on vellum, some more Gesso… I like the way it is turning out. I zoomed in for you. I still hope to add some finishing touches.

As I’m writing this post, I have a layer of gel medium drying. I added a few touches (it will be a surprise) and I plan to cover with a thin wash of Gesso. After, I plan to finish it with a layer of sheer paint over crackle medium.

Now that I am on a roll, I can see the trap I could easily fall into might be the “just one more thing” trap. I’ll post my results.

Talk to you soon.

Procrastination

Another rainy weekend…good for me to play on the computer…bad for our plans to go to the Renaissance Festival…

I have been planning (meaning: thinking a lot, pouring through past issues of “creative” magazines, and generally procrastinating) on working on an abstract “mixed media” piece. I have all the things I think I want to add. I did some sketches…and the canvas is sitting on the table all white and glaring…

As someone who considers herself artistic…I have a very hard time relaxing…working in the abstract…moving with the flow of the idea or the paint…God forbid, non-planned…non-life-like…
I have always painted or drawn something that “is” something-something real…something I am looking at. These are examples of paintings, sketches, and bits and pieces that I have done in the past. Sorry they are not so clear; I just scanned photos.

One of the reasons I started this blog was that I want to grow- to expand as an artist (as a person as well). What better way to do this than to hurl oneself right out of one’s comfort zone…? I am not promising anyone I will start this new project tomorrow, but I will start soon…I will post my …piece…whatever I end up with…when I end up with it.

Meanwhile, here are some images of some old buildings I just love. These old gems are all but disappearing from the landscape, at least around this part of Michigan…It’s very sad to me. I love these old buildings…

Bad Weather-Change of Plans

Our plans were set, the costumes sewn, ironed, and ready to go… How I could have known that we were going to wake to cold, windy, rainy weather!!! I know, I could have looked at the weather channel…but how dare it rain on Renaissance Festival day!!! I mean the kids wait and plan all year for this occasion. And “mom called rain down from the heavens don’t ya know”. After much lamenting we set out to the art institute in “down town”.

Not an equal exchange I know.

I have not been to the DIA on a few years. It is absolutely beautiful! I have forgotten how overwhelming it can be to be so close to masterworks of art that are hundreds of years old. I can’t separate myself from my thoughts of the artist’s hands on the piece, the brush strokes manipulating the media… just an inch away from my close inspection. I wonder at the worn spots-how many hands have run across this section of alter railing over the last seven hundred years… The kids found it interesting. I think the last time I was there with the kids, “M” had one in a back and I had the other in a stroller. We left a trail of cheerios to find our way back to the main door at the end of the day.

I inserted an image of Gabriel the Archangel

(after whom I named my Gabriel).

The day turned out being worth the rain.

We will just have to hope for better weather next weekend.

Art Filled Weekend

Being the early person that I am, I headed off to my favorite summer art fair at 6:00 in the morning. My plan: stop get some breakfast & a good cup of coffee, get front row parking, sit by the water and watch the ducks, quietly read my magazines until the fair opened, and be out by 10. I went alone as no one in their right mind would agree to my “break of dawn” plan on a Saturday morning. I can hear my friends-you know who you are- wait that’s all of you…Anyway, my day unwrapped itself exactly as I planned…beautiful sunrise-this park is incredible- great coffee…relaxation…and some of the most inspiring, awesome artists I have seen in a long time.

Now, I love frogs, toads, snakes and little slimy crawly things so I fell in love with and bought some pottery pieces from this very creative artist, Amber Poole.

Tomorrow we are off to my family’s favorite summertime venture-the Renaissance Festival. I always get some great pics as I usually come home with at least a couple hundred shots-best invention of the century in my opinion…the digital camera!!!

Winter Pages

Here are two more pages I recently put together to submit to a popular digital scrapbook magazine (first time I ever submitted my pages). They are looking for winter pages, and these images came to mind.

The snow was deep and school was called off for the day. Now, if you grew up in a snowy climate I bet you remember how wonderful it was to climb back into bed after hearing your school was closed for the day. Beds just seemed cozier, snow seemed whiter, hot cocoa seemed cocoa-ier; everything felt special on a snow day.

scrapbook pages

My attempt to use this blog for a chance to slow down and reflect on happenings has had to be put on hold this week as the kids started school, “M” was out of town, and things have been move’n and shake’n at work.

Thought maybe you all would like to see some scrapbook pages I put together.

Claire
Gabe

These are pages from 2007 & 2008.













I would like to thank all of you for dropping by my blog. I invite you to leave a comment if you want; I love to hear from you.

Talk to you soon.