All Day Walk!

On July 19th, I took a long walk to Beaver Island State Park. I like to take the long route, along the Niagara River, because I expected a more scenic walk than I would have experienced on roads that were actually a more direct route. I wasn't disappointed. Along the way, I saw herons, goldfinches, and redwing blackbirds. I found wild garlic that looked as if it had ripened. I saw a sailboat regatta in the river. I noticed that many people were out, enjoying a warm, yet overcast day. Later on, it started to drizzle, and the feeling of wetness was welcome. By then, I was on the Spaulding Trail in Beaver Island State Park. The ground was cracked and hard from the lack of sunlight.
I also enjoyed a delicious meal at the Village Inn, which is not far from Beaver Island State Park. I ate a yummy portabella mushroom sandwich. Mmmm!
At mid day, I had painting time at the Whitehaven Cemetery. This is what I painted in my visual journal:

At the Whitehaven Cemetery, I painted this chapel with watercolor. I have a nice little travel set and a bunch of paintbrushes and an old vitamin container for water. After I returned home, I added marker for a mixed media effect. The reason that I chose this structure to paint was the interesting arrangement of stones.

Here is a photograph of the building. I didn't add all of the trees or the telephone wires. I really love those stone buildings!

Turn Against War!

One of my personal goals for this May's Chicago at the Crossroads: Turn Against War walk from Madison, Wisconsin, to Chicago, Illinois, was to understand who Alice the activist and Alice the artist were and to try to find a way for these two to bond. How could I be both an activist and an artist? Could I experience both activism and art without sacrificing one for the other?
And so, I walked, carrying signs calling for the drones to be grounded and for peace to come to Afghanistan. I also brought with me a visual journal. There were many days when the miles of walking and the evening presentations on Afghanistan and NATO left me feeling too tired to draw and paint. But I still managed in the two and a half weeks of the walk to get out that visual journal and depict the world around me as I saw it.
Here are the pictures:

At the start of my journey, in Madison, I painted this picture. It is a depiction of one of Joy First's dolls. Joy designs and creates dolls that tell a story about her life and experiences. This one is of her future. She made this doll to depict her future aged self. The old lady that Joy sees herself as becoming is vibrant and energetic, with flowing white tresses and a glittery skirt. How I would love to become such an elderly lady!

This man, a wood gatherer, was part of a larger painting at the Milwaukee art museum. The architecture of that museum is stunning. The building actually looks like a giant bird. It is located on the shores of Lake Michigan, and, when you look out the back window, you can see the water, which looks as if it flows on and on, without any sign of another side. This one was done in colored pencil.

This picture was done in Jefferson, Wisconsin. We were invited to stay at a rectory there. Father Tom, who lives at the rectory, is the pastor of five churches in rural Wisconsin. This clock is one of Father Tom's most prized possessions. It was made for him by a man whose grandson was killed by a drunk driver. After the boy died, the family did not seek revenge, saying that the boy was all about love, not revenge. I did this picture in mixed media (watercolor paint and markers).

We spent a night at a Saint Mary Help of Christians church (in the church center, a separate building from the church). This is one of Father Tom's five parishes. The statue near the church's small cemetery is done in watercolor and marker.

It was a good walk, a good adventure. I saw murals in Milwaukee, with paintings of leaders of various causes, including labor and civil rights. They were big and on the sides of buildings. I was happy to see this display of the bond between art and activism. 

I'm still working at merging Alice the Artist and Alice the Activist. 

More to come later (future walks, maybe...)

My newest hat!

I just recently designed this hat. If I saw a bee of that size in real life, I would run fast enough to qualify for the Olympic team in the 100-meter dash (I need to experience terror in order to run fast!). This was a fun design, full of color and life. I hope that you like it!
I am hoping to have an etsy store... um... eventually!

This creation started its hatly life as a plain white baseball style hat.

I then drew a design on the hat, and began to embroider the large outlines.

After I finished embroidering the outlines, I painted with fabric paint. The last step was too add a clear but glittery fabric paint on top of the painted surfaces to give the hat a fun, glittery effect.

Continuing the Bring the Sketchbook Everywhere concept

Watching the world...

Today, I went to the hairdresser. While my hair was... um... percolating, I found an ad in the paper which had a scene that incorporated the view that you see here. My sister had given me a little blank book to carry in my purse. So I drew this girl, looking out at the sailboats on the lake. I don't know where it is. I liked the girl in her long, flowing dress. I chose to do the picture in ink because that doesn't smudge in the sketchbook.
Remember to take your sketchbook everywhere!!!

back to the hairdresser!

In my journey as an artist, I have had several teachers recommend maintaining a sketch book. I have been doing this for approximately ten years, and I try to draw regularly. I have found that this type of practice has helped me to become a better artist. I will draw almost anything. At conferences, when I find that I'm growing bored, I'll even set up a little still life and will draw them. I've drawn my own hand and my feet repeatedly. If I don't have the usual art supplies, I'll use ball point pens and whatever paper is on hand at the time.
On Friday (April 20th), I went to the hairdresser and I did some practice from a hairdresser magazine.
Here it is:

Here she is... hairdresser lady!!!

Claire's hat!

I had fun designing and decorating a hat for my little great niece, Claire. She is almost three months old and, to my obviously (!) unbiased eyes, the epitome of cute.
Here are three views of the baby's hat:

front view of Claire's hat

one side view

the other side view

Look for me to open an etsy shop with my hats and other usable art some time this summer. I will keep you posted.

teatime in watercolor and acrylic

Watercolor and acrylic are definitely different media. I like them both but I've never tried to paint the same scene in both media. On March 8th, in the painting class that I take at Stella Niagara, instructor Virginia Kelley explained that we were going to make the same painting twice: once in watercolor and the second time in acrylic on canvas board.
We were given outlines to use as a basis of our paintings. The outline that I chose was of a tea set in front of a window. At least, it appeared to be a window. When I saw the original painting later, it turned out that it was actually a mirror. I drew a window. I drew the entire picture freehand before painting it. I did find that drawing was somewhat time consuming and it ate into my painting time. The instructor also noticed that, and she gave us the option of taking our canvas boards home so that we could get our sketching done before class, to give us more painting time.
Here is the watercolor painting that I did:

tea party still life in watercolor

Two weeks later, it was an unusually warm March day. I took a walk along the beautiful Niagara gorge before heading to the painting class. I had brought with me the canvas board that I had brought home after the first class. This time, I had a completed sketch and I was ready to spend my entire class time painting. For me, this was a much more relaxing approach to art. I brought with me also a set of acrylic paints. Since I had the luxury of lots of sketching time, I added a few details, including a full moon and a howling wolf just outside the window. The proximity of the wolf was probably the reason that the tea set was abandoned, even though the tea was ready to be poured. Who knows? I don't think that wolves are that scary. Nevertheless, it was fun.
Here is the acrylic painting:

tea party still life in acrylic

So, which do I like better? Watercolor or acrylic? I'm not sure. I'm still exploring. One of these days, I'll try oil paints. For sure, this was a good experiment in seeing how a composition changes, based on the medium used in portraying that composition. I might try this one next in colored pencils, to see how that works. If I do, I'll post it right here.

My first hat commission!

I designed, painted, and embroidered a hat for a seven year old girl. Her aunt gave me the commission to decorate this hat. I was asked to incorporate the following elements into this hat: pink and purple, bees, and butterflies. I like all of those things so I was very happy to design this hat:

A hat to celebrate spring!

miniature collage

I made more artistic trading cards. This time, I decided that sacrificing less-than-perfect paintings to the cause was probably not a plan. So I didn't chop up any paintings. Instead, I decided to make use of the wonders of modern technology in creating my artistic trading cards.
Artistic trading cards are modeled on baseball cards. The person who is credited with making artistic trading cards popular is M. Vänçi Stirnemann. In 1996, he began holding trading sessions in Zurich, Switzerland.
There are a number of sites on the internet, as well as groups, where people who like to draw and paint or do stamping and other types of crafts can exchange artistic trading cards. Just put "artistic trading cards" in your web browser, and you'll be surprised by how many people are exchanging artistic trading cards (also known as ATCs).
So, back to the technology. I had three paintings that I wanted to use for my artistic trading card. I had color copies made of those paintings, and I dramatically reduced the size of the images. Then I cut and pasted the images onto blue card stock. I used glittery collage pauge to get the effect that I desired. Then I added the word "love" at the top to make my artistic trading card into a miniature visual journal page. The images are a display of my love of vivid color and boundless life.
So here it is: my ATC.

My representation of a world full of bright colors and intense flavor.

Alice's tea party (without the mad hatter, march hare, and dormouse)

I had fun with mixed media as I made this tea party still life. I had made a similar one in colored pencil last summer when I was doing a month-long drawing project that I called the "teacup project." I drew the same teacup every day for 30 days. I had to place the teacup in all sorts of different settings so that I would not grow bored with that bone china tea cup.
This time, I used water color paint, water color pencils, calligraphy ink, and marker to make this tea set.
Mmmm. Earl Gray, hot.
Captain Picard had good taste.

It's tea time!!!!

houses!

Here are some houses that I painted for Cathy Johnson's online watercolor sketching workshop. I am working to incorporate her techniques into my watercolor painting and, so far, am enjoying the results.

I frequently take walks along the river, and I see a lot of interesting things, such as birds and boat docks. This is one of the houses that I really like. I have photographed it and have done pencil sketches. This is my first painting of the house.

Here is another house that I enjoyed. No, I haven't seen it on my walks, but I like the shape of the house and the steps and the lamp posts.

drawing practice

This evening, I was at Riverside-Salem United Church of Christ's environmental chapel to hear a speaker talk about hydrofracking and to see a video about Resurrection Lutheran Church on the east side of Buffalo. Both were interesting. Since I am not good at sitting still and listening, I decided to do a little perspective practice. Nothing technical, no rulers. Just freehand sketching.
So I drew this chair:

I think that I could actually sit on this chair!

I drew the picture with a number two pencil, and drew over it with a Sharpie when I returned home.
I always keep little art supplies in my purse: a small wire-bound sketchbook, a number two pencil, an eraser, and a pencil sharpener.
That's all that you need to keep practicing your drawing each day. You don't need anything more than those few supplies that I just enumerated. They are inexpensive and very portable. As for your pictures, they do not have to be perfect. I have plenty of unsuccessful attempts in my sketchbook.
Just go for it and enjoy the experience.
More later.

learning to do washes

Two weeks ago, in a painting class that I take, Virginia Kelley, the instructor, told us all about how to do different types of washes. Washes are what make watercolor unique. To make a wash, you need to use lots and lots of water. As I like to play with water, that was OK with me. There are flat washes, graded washes, and variegated washes. The flat washes are just one solid color. The graded washes are also one color but they don't look as flat. The painter uses one color but then adds more and more water until the color seems to fade away. It is a nice effect. Variegated washes are cool because they are done in a variety of colors. So we practiced our washes several times and then added some pictures to go on top of the wash, which then became the sky and the ground.
Well, I thought, this is challenging. Shortly after that class, I started taking an online workshop on watercolor sketching through the Strathmore website. I watched the first video. What was the first thing that Cathy (Kate) Johnson talk about? What else? Washes. So I did washes, repeatedly. I've posted some of those paintings.
Here are my earlier paintings:

This is one tree, with a colorful background, mostly a pink and yellow sky.

Here is my fun little house. It is meant to be a bit primitive. It is under a happy blue sky (a flat wash)

A clump of trees in front of an early evening sky.

my hat

In the mixed media online workshop with Strathmore and Traci Bautista, I learned about doodling and about playing with a variety of media. At the same time, I was looking at a plain black hat that a friend had given me. I had wanted to decorate that hat for some time. So I decided to draw on the hat and to play! This time, I used fabric paint, permanent markers, embroidery floss, buttons, and beads as my toys... um... tools. I had great fun with this hat and it was a good way for me to use up some of that button collection that I have made (I love buttons). I thought that the beads would add some brightness and texture to the hat so I added those, too. I might go into the hat design business!
Here is the hat:

Alice's fun art hat. I almost lost it in the wind today but, fortunately, was able to catch it.

teatime

Have some tea!!!!! Fun with watercolors, although the cup was not quite the right size. It's a watercolor journal... so practice time!

the tea page

monday's rose

It's bright and sunny, but very cold today. I've been keeping a bouquet of roses, pink carnations, and baby's breath out on the patio. Unfortunately, the water froze in the vase. But the yellow rose still looked lively, and I wanted to practice my water color techniques, so I painted the rose. I also practiced doing a wash, with blues and greens, as well as the splatter technique. I tried various tools for splattering the paint, including a fan paintbrush, a regular paintbrush, and an old toothbrush. I found that the old toothbrush was the most effective for making the splatter.
Here is my rose:

Oddly enough, this rose had no thorns...

visual journaling

I have just started a new workshop at the Strathmore website. It's called "Sketching with Watercolor," and the instructor is Cathy Johnson She is a writer, artist, naturalist, and teacher.
It's fun to work with watercolor. It is delightfully wet and a little messy. But that's OK. The results are so interesting that the cleanup time is well worth it. My first assignment was to create a page with a watercolor painting and some words. I am still very much enamored with those fall leaves that I had collected back in October. I had preserved some of them in various books. Of course, I managed to forget where the leaves were stored. Wasn't I surprised when I opened up a book to read and a batch of leaves poured out. Some were old and merely crumbled, while others maintained their shapes nicely.
So I had fun with paint and with words. I was happy to combine a transparent watercolor painting with a haiku. What I like about a haiku is that, because it can be no longer than 17 syllables, it is necessary to use words sparingly. Use only the words that paint the best picture and get the best effect.
Well, here it is:

A few leaves from my collection, combined with a haiku, for a visual journal page.

my sketchbook is my constant companion

Where ever I go, I try to remember to bring a sketchbook. There is always something to draw, and it is good to get regular practice at drawing. I try to draw just about any subject, just to gain the experience at having drawn something different.
So today, I was at the Lenten luncheon at a local church. These luncheons are served every week during Lent, and most of the churches in my town are involved in setting the tables, preparing and serving the food and beverages, providing the speakers, and cleaning up. The money that is raised at these luncheons goes to a charity of the host church for that week.
The church that I attend was the host church for this week. We had a fairly large number of helpers to set everything up. As a result, we were finished with the set up early. That gave me some sketchbook time. Today, I chose to draw a bouquet that was sitting on the table. I had a limited set of colored pencils and I added some color there. Later on, at home, I added more color to the picture to get shadows and some contrast.
Here is the bouquet:

This was done in colored pencil, with a little bit of watercolor pencil thrown in.

lamp doodles and waiting for superman

Yesterday, I went to Riverside-Salem United Church of Christ's environmental chapel, where we watched "Waiting for Superman" and ate popcorn. I was eagerly anticipating seeing this movie as I had seen clips from it on evening news programs. What I was hoping for was that the movie would offer new and better ideas of how to make education an exciting process for students, their parents, and teachers. I was hoping that the movie would offer solutions to a broken system, in which some kids are left behind, while others get nonstop encouragement.
The movie brought back memories of my own days in school. Although I never went to schools that could be described as failing, I never really thrived in a school setting. Apparently, I had been "tracked." This was a process that was described in the movie. Some kids, who do well on standardized tests, are placed in a higher track. These are the kids who are eligible for "enrichment." Teachers put time and effort into creative teaching techniques to further the development of these kids' intellects. The rest of us get put on lower tracks. We just sort of go through school but we feel disconnected from the process. We may get some wonderful, inspiring teachers who encourage us but the system is not set up for inspiration if we aren't on the highest track. And now, the system is not set up for inspiration but for more and more standardized tests. No child left behind means no child left untested, again and again and again.
Anyway, in school, I was placed in various art classes, which I enjoyed. I enjoyed music and drama, as well.  But, when I was in tenth grade, I abruptly gave up art, believing that I wasn't good enough at it. I went to college and to graduate school and floundered about in the work world. I took voice lessons and piano lessons and enjoyed music but always felt that something was missing from my world. Eventually, I realized that it was art that was missing from my world. I needed color and form to complement song and story, and I needed to create. A friend, whose gift was art, got me to start drawing and painting again. She encouraged me and she acted as a mentor for me. At some point, I decided to go back to art classes because it's never too late to learn. I am so happy that I have discovered this outlet for creativity.
I would encourage you to find your own outlet for creativity. No matter what the form is... sewing, quilting, jewelry making, building model trains, etc.... if it's something that gives you a opportunity to express yourself, go for it.
When I was watching the movie, to keep me from polishing off every bit of popcorn that existed, I drew a picture of a lamp in the room. Then I drew it again and again and again, on the same page. Over and over again, I drew the same lamp. I chose the lamp as my image because I liked the idea of drawing something that shines light. By shining light on problems, we can see them more clearly and we can fix them. Shining light exposes beauty as well as flaws. The movie barely touched upon the beauty that might be found in the educational system, but it is there. For sure, there are problems, and those were enumerated in the movie. For me, the weaknesses in the educational system resulted in my belief for years that I was not very smart. But I also discovered that I could take learning in my own hands. Learning does not end when your school days are over.
After I went home, I wanted to keep enjoying that light. So I worked more with my lamps. I added color and doodles and embellished upon the picture. Here it is:

lamps everywhere, done in colored pencil, brush markers, water soluble wax pastels, and correction fluid.

 So, anyway, the movie ended, and I felt grateful that I had found my own way back into the world of color and form. I discovered the art and music within me. I am indeed fortunate that I could reconnect with these good things.
As for education, I'm not a teacher or an administrator. I don't know how to fix the educational system. All I could do is say to you, the reader, encourage kids. Or encourage adults if you observe that they have not discovered their gifts. Let them know that they are creative and smart. Be a mentor. Who knows what can happen?

More rice paper

Here is the painting that I did in my watercolor painting class. It's on rice paper and it's done in watercolor.

Imagining spring in the middle of winter