Friday, May 04, 2012

Hello Again...

Well, there's been some laziness but also some not so pleasant excitement. About a month ago I was minding my own business trying to get to work when a person came out from a side street without stopping and plowed into me which knocked me into another vehicle and caused the jeep to flip over. So one minute I see headlights hit me and the next I was hanging upside down. Since I flipped the emergency crew decided I needed to be carried out and that was some feat cramming extra people into the Jeep to get me on one of those awful backer boards. After being thoroughly checked out nothing was broken, just very bruised and battered. Sad to say they totaled my jeep. Oh, and I have mostly recovered.

I have to say I really miss my Jeep even though the ac needed to be fixed and the soft top needed replacing. I ordered her (yes her) in 2001, picking out the color and all the little extras I wanted like a winch on the front and she's been with me ever since. My license plate holder had the saying "it's a Jeep thing, you wouldn't understand". Jeep (real Jeep) owners know what that means. I couldn't even go look at her at the tow company in her crumpled state. I told one of my friends I felt like I was missing a part of me even though I know that is silly. One of the gals at work said it was my signature and that is so true. Well, you swallow the lump in your throat that shouldn't be there over a car and move on. So now I have a black Toyota RAV4 that gets much better gas mileage and is very nice without breaking the bank and will haul art supplies nicely when needed. Someday I will buy another Jeep, at least for a play vehicle.

So, in the midst of that I have managed to play in my art room and at the monthlyish creative day with the girls. I made a second painting using a base of recycled business cards and tissue. My first rendition was an attempt at teals and orange and I didn't like it all. The balance was all off and seemed hopeless but I'm liking round two better but it is still in progress.

Another piece I started is this one. I used a piece of cool paper I bought at Blick and some burlap. I've layer down a first layer of color with the idea of an abstract landscape. We shall see what happens next.
I also started this background. I haven't figured out what I want for my focal point but ideas are percolating. It may involve flowers. So unlike me but hey, it's spring.
This is a triptych I've started and seems to be spoken for by my bestie Rebecca. I asked what if you don't like what else I do to it? Oh the pressure. I covered the canvases with old papers and then using a stencil layer down some purple tinted molding paste. I'm working on a color inspiration for the next step.
So it seems I have a lot of things started and here's hoping I actually finish some soon.

On another note, I have gone and actually submitted this small piece (5x5) for one of Seth Apter's challenges. It was to answer one or all of three questions. I answered the one of what is one thing you have never told anyone and the thing I think about often but haven't verbalized is not being considered a real artist. I feel like an artist but not in a secure way. Any how, for this piece I adhered strips of various papers and added a light wash of gesso. I had fun adding in bits of this and that (including a scrap of window screening) for the final results below.
Well, hopefully it won't be so long before my next post and maybe I can have something finished to show. Hugs!