Write it on your heart that every day is the best day of the year.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Redux, Remix, Revisit Your Comfort Tangle


The Diva's Challenge this week was for the "Tanglers" to redux, remix and revisit their comfort tangles...those favorite tangles that you go to because you are comfortable with them and they just seem to sort of fit your style.

I chose to do variations of "Betweed" and "Scrolled Feather" for my two tangles.  I contrasted the straight, hard geometric lines and shapes of Betweed against the soft curves of the Scrolled Feather. This actually turned out to be a Zendala in the end.

Then we were asked to select another medium to shade with, and I selected Prismacolor colored pencils and kept an analogous color scheme with warm colors.

Monday, June 23, 2014

Mixed Media Portrait Study

I have been experimenting with some mixed-media collage type studies. 

 In this, I started with a discarded watercolor and did a partial collage on top with torn areas of text from an old book.  Then I painted textures on scraps of white tissue paper with white gesso, and then collaged those scraps on top of the text .  All of this allows some of the original watercolor to peak through, but not that it is recognizable.  

I then took an image of a man's face, made many changes so that it is my interpretation of a face and drew it on top of the collage.  I painted it with watercolors, and then added prismacolor pencil shading and details. 

 Finally, I used block-out white and a small pointed brush  for the beard stubble and mustache.  I like the way the gesso collage shows through the watercolor.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Auraknot vs. Mooka

This is my contribution to The Diva's Challenge for this week - Auraknot vs. Mooka.  The Auraknot is the center pattern and the Mooka surround the knot.  This tangle is 5" square and is done on good white drawing paper.

Saturday, June 14, 2014

The Diva's Weekly Challenge: Beads Of Courage

Beads of Courage is an Arts in Medicine program that supports children and their families who are dealing with Life threatening or Chronic illnesses. 

A child on the program would collect beautiful glass beads in recognition of the things whey have to go through in their daily lives, on their Medical Journey.  When a child goes to yet another doctor's appointment, they'd get a glass bead, when they need to have a needle, they get a glass bead.  Each bead on their strings represent something they've done or gone through.


This weeks "Diva Challenge"  honors the "Diva's" child who is in this program and who has accumulated a large amount of courageous "beads!"

My Tangle represents strings of beads which have conquered 2 mountain peaks - "Overcoming Obstacles One Bead at a time."

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Autumn Trees

I saw a painting similar to this one on the internet and felt that this concept had value as a lesson for my intermediate watercolor students at Riverside Art Center.  This would be a lesson in drawing with liquid mask - using it as a tool to  use it as expressive line which becomes part of the compositional format.  

The painters will actually draw with the mask as they would with a pencil or pen.  This painting is 11" x 9" and is painted on 140 lb. Fabriano cold-pressed watercolor paper.  It will also be a lesson in wet-on-wet watercolor painting in basically warm colors except for the blue in the sky.  This is different from the work we have been doing.

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Riverside Art Center Artists Paint Flowers


Back row: Dave McNeal, Terry Nelson, Janice Belgiovane, Patricia Crawford; Front row: Bridget Weller, Misty Steinke, Mary Alice Brewer.
My wonderful intermediate watercolor students painted flowers last night and did an awesome job on their paintings.  They didn't get them finished and will finish on their own.  I thought they were far enough along to take a photograph.  It always amazes me that they can start with the same basic drawing and come up with such individualized results - their styles and personalities take over and make them unique to each individual. 

This particular lesson was one where we studied the effects of strong sun light and shadows on a flower.  They quickly caught on to the techniques and did a great job.

Saturday, June 7, 2014

Bugles: the Weekly Challenge #170 from the "I Am The Diva" Blog

This is the first time I have done a Zentangle for the I Am The Diva Weekly Challenge.  Each week, a tangle is selected as the subject of the weekly challenge.  This week it is "Bugles" by Joyce Evans.  The objective is to design a tangle composition using the challenge tangle.  I got a little carried away with this one - lots of linear work - I feel this could be simplified and be a lot better.  Well - at least I am getting my feet wet!

Thursday, June 5, 2014

"Moo Bossies"- Hereford Cow

I have always wanted to paint a cow!  So - here is my first cow painting.  It is a painting of a Hereford cow...my friend, Rose, who used to have them on her farm when she was a child, always called them "Moo Bossies!"

This painting is 9" x 9" square and is painted on 140 lb. Acquarello cold-pressed watercolor paper.  This will be a lesson for my intermediate watercolor class at Riverside Art Center in Wapakoneta, Ohio.

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Riverside Art Center Intermediate Watercolor Class

Back row: Mary Alice Brewster; Bridget Weller; Janice Belgiovane; Barbara Pelly; Patricia Crawford;  Front row: Terry Nelson; Dave McNeal; Misty Steinke; Cindy Staples.


I was so proud of my class of painters last night at watercolor class - they just took the lesson, ran with it,  and  made it their own.  It is so cool when they start with the same instructions and all end up with beautifully individual paintings...  and...they are good painters and even better friends!