A Thankful Time of Year

These are a couple of pictures of parts of 2 of my collages that I had Moo cards made out of (mini business cards). They have the picture on the front and your information on the back.

For the prompt this week, of course, it has to have a Thanksgiving theme! I want you to think of something that you are thankful for, from your past or your present, and do art about that. Photos could be included in the art, if you'd like. Whatever works for what you are being thankful for.

The quote for today will be this harvest prayer that I love.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Harvest Prayer(Anonymous 17th Century Sermon)
Please be gentle with yourself and others.
We are all children of chance,
And none can say why some fields blossom
While others lay brown beneath the harvest sun.
Take hope that your season will come.
Share the joy of those whose season is at hand.
Care for those around you.
Look past your differences.
Their dreams are no less than yours,
Their choices in life no more easily made.
And give.
Give in any way you can.
Give in every way you can.
Give whatever you possess.
Give from your heart.
To give is to love.
To withhold is to wither.
Care less for the size of your harvest than for how it is shared,
And your life will have meaning
And your heart will have peace.

Ten on Tuesday

This week's Ten on Tuesday list is ten things you are thankful for this year. Here's mine:
1. my 4 children and their spouses are all doing well
2. my 2 (3 3/4 year old and 3 month old) grandchildren are healthy and happy (not to mention adorable!)
3. I have another grandchild on the way!!
4. my husband's bladder cancer check-ups have been clear
5. I recently had an mri and it showed no changes
6. my husband and I just celebrated our 33rd anniversary
7. friends!
8. art making
9. Starbucks lattes and mocha's
10. having a day to just roam art supply stores, craft stores, a bookstore, and a coffee shop

Can it Possibly be Monday Already??

Yes, I guess it can. I didn't post much last week because I had a cold all week. I didn't feel horrible (thankfully), but just kind of lousy.

I did manage to get my second piece done for the art show with the shrine theme. (I showed you my first piece last week - a shrine to my Grandmother) The second was a large canvas done about the Mona Lisa. I've always loved the Mona Lisa. I find looking at her very soothing. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get a picture taken before handing it in, so will post a picture after I get it back in December.

The prompt for this week is to think of a painting or style of painting that evokes a memory for you. A memory that comes to mind for me is sitting in a doctor's office with my son when he was 10 or 11. He asked "why would they have an awful painting like that on the wall?". When I looked it was a print of a Grandma Moses. I tried to explain that she was very famous and very highly thought of, but he wasn't accepting that.
So, with the prompt, take the memory and do art from that or do something in the style of the technique of the painting.

"Argue for your limitations and sure enough, they're yours". Richard Bach

New Art and a Prompt

This is a piece that I finished for a show. It had to be a shrine of some sort to someone or something meaningful in your life. This is an 8 x 10" canvas with a photo of my Grandmother that has been "painted over" (a technique taught to me by my very good friend Marilyn), the canvas is painted and has 2 small canvases attached (one is a photo of me with Grandma and the other is my four kids with Grandma). Along the edges I attached etched wood strips. No beeswax on this one! I'm working on one more for the same show that is beeswax.

Unconscious Mutterings for last week

I say ... and you think ... ?
In love :: with my husband
Be my guest :: for lunch
Number one :: numero uno
Swallowed whole :: grape
50 percent :: half
Made in :: America
Supplement :: vitamin
Right for :: all of us
Endless :: infinity
Ceramic :: tile

and for this week

I say ... and you think ... ?

Coverage :: clothing
Cynical :: my husband
Gust :: wind
Improvised :: made do
V :: Roman numeral
Guests :: party
Brutal :: war
Grant :: scholarship
Pull :: wagon
Streaming :: absolutely nothing pops into my head for this! even when I think about it

This week's prompt - Think of a favorite line from a song. Do a piece of art or write a poem and incorporate at least a few words from that line in the art.

Here's a quote that I really like. "Everything I do and say with anyone makes a difference."

Gita Bellin

10 Things You Love to Talk About

That's the topic for this week's Ten on Tuesday list. Here's mine:
1. My grandchildren Lily and Zachary
2. My 4 children and their spouses
3. Art in general
4. Beeswax Collage
5. New Art Techniques that I haven't tried yet
6. Books
7. Pregnancy and childbirth
8. ER (with my daughter-in-law)
9. Restaurants
10. Movies

First November Prompt!

This is a beeswax collage from awhile back.

Yes, it's the first Monday in November! Hard to believe that there are only 2 months left in 2008.

My Halloween was better than any in a long time! The day before, I got to go to my granddaughter's nursery school and see the Halloween parade. Lily was a penguin and was absolutely adorable! On Halloween she and Zach both came over and he was sooo cute as a puppy.

The prompt for this week is to take the 2 words "I am" and finish the statement with something that fits for you. There are tons of different directions you could go with this. Come up with an I am statement and then make a piece of art with the statement in.

I haven't talked about journaling in awhile. A fun technique to use in journals is tape transfers. Tape transfers can be made from newspapers, magazines, or photocopies. You lay package tape face down on whatever you want to transfer. Smooth it down well by burnishing with a bone folder (or spoon or Popsicle stick). Then soak in water a few minutes. Next rub the paper off with the pad of your thumb or other finger (like you do for gel medium transfers). That's all there is to it. Sometimes it is sticky enough to stick down like that and other times you'll need to stick it down with gel medium.

"The moment when you first wake up in the morning is the most wonderful of the 24 hours. No matter how weary or dreary you may feel, you possess the certainty that, during the day that lies before you, absolutely anything may happen. And the fact that it practically always doesn't, matters not a jot. The possibility is always there." Monica Baldwin