Tuesday, August 18, 2009

New Art


My first class this year was a watercolor pencil with Tina Sue Norris. We explored different ways of putting color to the paper (multi media board) and how to move the color once it was there. It's hard to see in this scan, but the background is white trees, already stripped of all their fall leaves. I really like this medium and I love Tina Sue Norris as a teacher. She is so calm, so sharing, and so funny. As she says, you can't mess up because it is all fixable! My kind of project!!

We used drafting film as a palette - scribbling the pencil in a smal circle to transfer the pigment to the film, then picking the color up with a wet brush. This gave a nice wash to the leaves. After the wash dried a little detail was added with the pencil dirctly applied to the paper, then blended with a wet brush. The background was color washed, then the tree trunks were penciled in and blended. Very quick and easy, but really a nice detail.

My second class was a tiger-striped cat that has already been disposed of and will never be seen again. I did learn some things from that class and I will try again, but with my own techniques and style. This class and I just didn't see eye to eye.

I have more classes, but my scans have ended up in nowhere land and I can't seem to find them. I will continue this soon - I hope!


Monday, August 17, 2009

I'm Baaacccck!

I just spent a week in art heavan - for me at least!

I attended the Heart of Ohio Tole convention (HOOT) in Columbus, OH. This was my sixth time to attend and I can't wait for next year!! I was able to take 5 color pencil classes and 1 acrylic gouache. I floated home in a haze of what I can do and plans for many, many art projects. I hope I can do at least a fourth of them this year.

Picutres will be posted (tomorrow, hopefully), for those who care to look, but mostly for me - because I DID!!!

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Growing Up and Growing Old

Today is my son’s 18th birthday. My son is still at football camp. On his birthday. Before he left he said, “Mom, this is the last time you’ll see me as a 17-year-old.” My heart has been hurting ever since.

My baby is grown up. When my daughter turned 18, it didn’t hurt like this, although it did a few weeks later, when I drove away from that dorm in the middle of Kansas without her! But I had her brother and he kept me busy (he was 5 at that time), so I didn’t have time to think. But this is my last one. My nest is not empty (he says he is going to a college where he can commute, because he’s not leaving home), but it seems different. Of course, he’s been gone all week, so the house should seem emptier, but we’ve been at VBS ever since he left, so we haven’t had much time at home. And our oldest granddaughter has obligingly asked to spend the night with us twice, so she has been an extra person, but it’s just too quiet or something.

My emotional milestones have never been the same as everyone else’s. My mother wept for days when each of her children started first grade. I pulled away from the school with a happy heart. The day my daughter started middle school (at my old Jr. High) I cried all the way to work and for most of the morning. When I dropped my son off for his first day at middle school (now moved to my old high school) I sobbed so hard I had to pull over. When my daughter started college it really didn’t bother me (except for the 800+ miles between us), but her graduation day was one of the saddest days I have experienced.

I don’t know why 18 is hitting me this hard….maybe it’s just because this is the first birthday that he hasn’t been at home. Or this is his last year to play football. Or because he’s a senior this year. Maybe it’s because he keeps reminding me that he’s 18 now. Maybe it’s because I really think he doesn’t need me anymore…..

Of course when school starts and I’m pulling my hair out over his grades, everything will be back to normal.