And Now for Something Completely Different...

Yesterday was a day for art journaling.  The windows were open to the fall breezes and I felt oh-so-very inspired.  At first I just played with watercolors, laying down some autumn hues with no real plan in mind. Orange and red against blue make me super-happy.  The random strokes really started to remind me of two columns of trees and with a bit of sky showing between, but the page needed something more... 

As luck would have it, this lovely lady caught my eye as I flipped through the book I posted about yesterday.     Aha!  Inspiration!

According to the poem that accompanies the image, her name is Jenny.  Now I want you to really look at this scene.  There she sits, sketchbook in hand, watercolors on the table next to her, stopping to stretch maybe?  But wait...that's a rather sultry pose...she looks pretty fetching with that paintbrush perched atop her head.

And who is that man lurking in the background?  Better read the poem...

(The words in parenthesis are mine.)

(I promise this is typed just as it appears in the book.)

Jenny Kissed Me

by Leigh Hunt

Jenny kissed me when we met, jumping from the chair she sat in.

(whoa!)

Time, you thief! who love to get sweets into your list, put that in.

(huh? absolutely no idea what that means but that's what it says...promise)

Say I'm weary, say I'm sad: Say that health and wealth have missed me;

Say I'm growing old but add - Jenny kissed me!

The guy in the background creeped me out so he didn't get to be part of the final composition.  Jenny, however, looked like she could use a change of scenery...perhaps the watercolor trees would be a nice backdrop for her artistic adventures on this beautiful fall day!

And there you have it...the story of how Jenny made it into my art journal.  Do you keep an art journal?  Where do you find inspiration for your pages?  What are your favorite materials to use?  I'd love to hear about it!

BTW - Hello to all my visitors from Art Every Day Month.  I'm so glad you found me!

Holiday "Snow"

What a very busy day this was. 

First of all,  I spent the morning loading up the jewelry cases at the MT SYLVAN COFFEE HOUSE & MERCANTILE.  They are now fully stocked and ready for holiday shoppers!  While there I just had to take a few photos to share of a really ingenious and quick way to create a winter wonderland.

In need of some quick decorations for a special event a few evenings ago, proprietor, Denise Warren, piled shredded documents on cabinets and displays to create a wintery environment.  It is amazing how much the piles of white paper strips resemble piles of snow.  What fun!

I love simple ideas that work!

A Nice Reminder

Never was there a child more suitably named than my Emily.  (Her name means "industrious.)  There really isn't much down time in that brain of hers.  The other day she was waiting for me to get ready to run errands with her and suddenly our leafy front yard became her ginormous canvas.

Whoever creates the crop circles in England has nothing on my girl.  She made a really beautiful design in the leaves while she waited on her dawdling mother. 

How liberating it is to just enjoy the process of creating...to simply enjoy exploring and expressing.  It doesn't require a fancy art studio or expensive supplies and it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks of our efforts.  Thank you. Emily, for for reminding me to see potential in everyday objects and sieze the opportunity to play and create and enjoy this beautiful world.

Better Late than Never...

Julia at  Drawn to the Sea had a great idea when she announced First Word Friday last week.  I was excited about participating again and thought I would post something early this morning, but you see how well I followed through on that one.  (There's not a whole lot of Friday left at this point.)  Let's give it a go anyway, shall we?  As a reminder, here is how Julia introduced her idea:

Posting in short bursts invites you to interact, to be part of the process. Sometimes I simply offer a little vignette... & hope it speaks to you, or through you. Will you share a little of the story you see in the photo above (or in my case, below), in three sentences or less?

The first word is Before...

I really do hope you'll take a moment to jot down a piece of the story this image inspires in you.  What lies beyond this doorway?  Is it the beginning of a journey or the end?

If you get a chance, visit Drawn to the Sea to see others who are participating and read responses to the beautiful photo Julia posted.  That's what I'm off to do right now.  Have a wonderful weekend!

TiltShift (Just for Fun)

Today I tried an online tool called TiltShift, which manipulates photos making certain elements appear miniaturized. This picture of a window at the beautiful Magnolia Bakery in New York City...
became this entirely different image...

After playing with it a bit, I can tell that photo selection is important. Landscapes, cityscapes, and still lifes seem to work well if there is a horizontal plane on which to focus. Of course, the application is pretty specific but it was fun just to try something new.

Next I'm going to try this photograph of Cafe Angelique (also in New York), which serves the BEST QUICHE IN THE WORLD...

If you'd like to try this application for yourself, there is an easy-to-follow tutorial to help you get started at http://drawntothesea.blogspot.com/2009/07/how-to-tiltshift.html .
Along with giving some helpful tips, this link directs you to the TiltShift website, where you can view some really amazing altered photos and manipulate your own images for free. Lots of inspiration and lots of possibilities!