24 Friday Feb 2012
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day18DSC_7974, originally uploaded by photographerpainterprintmaker.
This is my favorite photo of myself, and my grandson. I could choose no other song to accompany this page but a relatively obscure song by Cat Stevens, I’ve got a thing about seeing my grandson grow. Have a listen!
Oh, and no watercolour was harmed in the making of this picture. But harm did come to some unfortunate Prismacolor Brush tip markers. 😛
23 Thursday Feb 2012
Posted in Art, Botony, Flowers, Watercolour
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by Frank Lebby Stanton
Sweetest l’il feller,
Everybody knows;
Dunno what to call him,
But he mighty lak’ a rose!
Lookin’ at his Mammy
Wid eyes so shiny blue,
Mek’ you think that heav’n
Is comin’ clost-ter you!
W’en he’s a dar a-sleepin’,
In his li’l place,
Think I see de angels
Lookin’ thro’ de lace.
When de dark is fallin’,
When de shadders creep,
Den dey comes on tiptoe
Ter kiss ‘im in his sleep.
Sweetest l’il feller,
Everybody knows;
Dunno what to call him,
But he mighty lak’ a rose!
Lookin’ at his Mammy
Wid eyes so shiny blue,
Mek’ you think that heav’n
Is comin’ clost-ter you!
I have a print of a baby boy by Bessie Pease Gutmann, entitled Mighty lak a Rose. It was inspired by this poem which was also made into a song by Ethelbert Nevin. This sweet lullaby was sung by many artists over the years, including Bing Crosby, and Petula Clark. I went looking for inspiration today, and found a beautiful photograph taken by my friend Margaret. I don’t normally work from photo’s but this rose begged me to paint it. I knew immediately what words needed to accompany the painting.
22 Wednesday Feb 2012
Posted in Art, Botony, Watercolour
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Art, botanical, Botony, flower, Flowers, Watercolor, Watercolour
Orchids have long been one of the most cherished of flowers. They are associated with love, luxury, beauty and Strength.
My father converted a room in the house dedicated to growing them. They were not easy to grow. My dad loved orchids so much that we had a casket blanket made out of living orchids. I had to tell the shop what I wanted. I wanted to be able to take apart the blanket after the ceremony. They shook their heads in confusion, but did manage to do as I asked. Each child was given one of the orchids to take home in remembrance of him.
Dad lived with my hubby and I for the final 13 years of his life. When he passed it was as if someone blew a huge hole in my heart. Then, after 4 years in dormancy the orchid bloomed. I took it as a sign that Dad was telling me it was time to shake off the sorrow. If it were not for this orchid (which I really didn’t take very good care of) blooming, I might still in deep depression. So this plant gave me back the strength to get back into life again. I’ve never looked back.
22 Wednesday Feb 2012
Posted in Art, Watercolour
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On day 15 we were presented with a shape. We were to interpret that shape in our own way. I chose to stay with the abstract, and to add meaning to the shapes I found.
21 Tuesday Feb 2012
Posted in Art, Still Life, Watercolour
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It’s not the Rolling Stone’s magazine cover, but if my work did grace the cover of a magazine I’d definitely buy at least 5 copies. Day 15’s assignment was to design a magazine cover. So, this is what I came up with, with the help of an application called fd’s Flickr Toys. It was fun.
17 Friday Feb 2012
Posted in Art, Musings, Watercolour
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Challenges can be overcome, if you keep your eye on the prize. What’s the prize, you ask? For me it’s the joy of knowing that I’ve done all that I could to meet every day head on. Was I always able to do this? NO! Thankfully, when I was young some wonderful positive people came into my life and showed me that you can get through difficult times. Trust me I’ve had more than my share of hard times. But, I choose not to dwell on them.
The apostle Paul wrote a letter to his friends in Phillipa. This verse is only one of many that I hold onto when I am going through hard times.
Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,
Philippians 3:13 (NIV)
In response to Day 10, of 21 days of watercolour journaling.
16 Thursday Feb 2012
Posted in Art, Doodles, Watercolour
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Ok, so I got a kick out of the assignment for day 9. The first thing that struck me with the title “Step Away From the Paint Brush” was that if you didn’t there would be blood shed. Now, I know Donna didn’t mean it that way, but I though it would be humorous to step away from the brush in a comical way.
At first I though well, maybe I will do a decorative page. So I made myself a lino cut stamp of a swirl. I messed with a couple of pages, and it just was not coming together, that is until I had fun with it.
What I used: Pippette, Candle, feather, toothpick, and hand made lino block stamp.
11 Saturday Feb 2012
Posted in Art, Plein Air, Still Life, Watercolour
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Donna posed a question for us for day 5 of the 21 day journal challenge. What would be my perfect Saturday? Well that’s a no brainer for me. Don my hat, grab my paints and head out to commune with nature and capture the country side.
I really wanted to depict my plein air painting, I was just trying to think of how to manage it. Then it hit me! My hat has become part of me, so much so that it’s almost a joke. Like I can’t paint without my lucky hat. I got the hat at the San Diego Zoo when I was out visiting my Aunt Janet, and my Cousin Julie. I keep adding things to it. First it was the feathers from my first trip to the Michigan Renaissance Festival. I love my feathers! Then people started giving me pins, so I keep adding them to the hat as well. I just wish the pins had longer shanks most of them won’t stay on. 😦
So, my favorite thing to do on a Saturday would be to go Plein Air painting. But, not alone I have to have all the gang, or at least one friend along with me.
10 Friday Feb 2012
Posted in Art, Watercolour
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Day four of the Creativity Matters 21 day journal project. I’m really enjoying this. My goal in taking up this challenge, was to get into the habit of working every day. Mind you I have a table set up in the living room with all my painting stuff on it, and hubby is NOT impressed. I need a lottery win so I can build a studio!
09 Thursday Feb 2012
Posted in Art, Sketch, Watercolour
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I’ve been working on a 21 day watercolour journal project, with the gentle prodding of a lovely lady named Donna. She runs a site named “Creativity Matters.” This image is the project for the third day in the series. We were to choose a word, or a quote that inspired us, and cut it out of a magazine. Well magazines are in short supply in my house, but I did find an image that inspired me.
Imagination, what would we do if we could not imagine? Dreaming of good things to come, forgetting bad things. Reshaping our world in our dreams is in my mind is the pursuit of happiness. Things can not make you happy. No one can make you happy, It is a choice. I choose to be happy. I choose to imagine fantastic worlds where the word impossible does not exist. Fantasy and faeries have always been dear to my heart. This is my little fire fae, dreaming away in the light of the moon. I hope you like her.
Via Flickr:
Day3DSC_7888
Elizabeth Gaye MacDonald 