flowers for this week…

Here are my current entries for the May Flower Challenge. I haven’t been keeping track of how many I have posted.  This past Saturday was my birthday.  My hubs went all out this year and got me a dozen white Roses.  They have been so pretty but now the petals are starting to droop.  This first photo is one of the blooms:

These next two photos are wild flowers that grow in our area.  I don’t know the name of the daisy-like flower…I have heard some say they are Black-eyed Susan.  The white flower is Queen Anne’s Lace.  These are very common along the roadsides, fields, and along the edges of some yards.

This next photo is my neighbor’s Hydrangea Bush.  It can’t decide which way to go…having both pink and blue blooms and shades in between:

These last three photos are some pieces I’ve made the past few days.  The first one is started with collage pieces that had been painted and inked.  I glued them onto a small page in my big journal.  I used watercolor and pen to define some areas.

Wallpaper flower with a doodled background:

As you can see, this isn’t a flower.  I glued some pieces of security envelopes, junk mail and scrapbook paper in my small Strathmore watercolor journal.  I used two kinds of pens to doodle…one being my old standby: Sharpie fine point marker.

Flowers Today…

I have four florals for the May Flower Challenge.  In a few days, I hope to post some faces for the 29 faces challenge. This first one is a photo I took this morning.  These are some lilies my daughter gave me for Mother’s Day about three years ago. I’m not a photographer and I use a litte Canon Power Shot camera.  I did do some alterations with PicMonkey editing program…I should have left the photo like was origianlly

The next one is a flower doodle in my old book:

Watercolor and acrylic background with stencil and pen work:

….and the last one is a mini embroidery piece I put onto a quilt block:

The Green Shamrock and Local Color…

I found one  Irish postcard among my small collection of old postcards.  This one is postmarked 1908.  The people who touched this card have long since left this earthly plane.  The back side shows an address that the card went to Miss Mabel Galloway, 261 Jay Street, Utica, NY and is simply signed Gerald….no message, just his name written in pencil. This card was illustrated by the noted artist, Ellen H. Clapsaddle.

I took the backroad to the post office today…here’s some of our local color.  My mom grew up in this area. A few days ago, the two of us were on the same road and she was telling me about the people who lived along the road.  She knew the couple who lived in the old log cabin.  The Red Bud trees are popping out all over here in our little corner of the Ozarks.

If you double click on the first photo, you should be able to see all the photos in a slideshow format:

Photos, Etc.

Last Monday, we took our visiting friend on a trip to Memphis…or he took us   For those of you who have been to Memphis, you will recognize each one of these shots.  The restaurant  sign on Beale Street  is where we ate lunch.  The restaurant where we wanted to eat  is closed on Mondays.  The first two shots were taken at the visitor’s center after you cross the bridge.

                                                                                                                                                                                     

                                                                      

            On Thursday, I sent out my Feminine Frills Swap art to Michelle.  She should get it today. I got the one she did for me yesterday.  I haven’t scanned it yet.  Here’s the one I did for her….I printed a smaller version of the ”not plain vanilla” face and used it again as the face for this one.  The second photo shows the back of the mailing envelope.  

        

Spring Day Photos

I was able to take some more photos yesterday as we went on a “road trip.”  It was a perfect day…not too hot…not too cold.  We have a houseguest and we wanted to show him some of the local sights.  The trees haven’t leafed out yet.  We went further south from where we live and we did see one or two Redbuds beginning to bud out.  I’ll share a few of my photos.

“Science has never drummed up quite as effective a tranquilizing agent as a sunny spring day.”  W. Earl Hall

                  

All of these photos were shot along the White River at Calico Rock, Arkansas

End of Winter Photos

It’s been a busy week.  My granddaughter was planning to come over today and visit with us but hubs got sick last night and we decided to postpone it until next week.  I did take some photos in the yard this afternoon. I am looking for some photos to practice sketching. Yes, I’m taking another class.  I’m taking Alisa Burke’s class,  Sketchbook Delight, that actually began last month. I have been watching the first few videos and I am enjoying it immensely.  I was looking for things with a lot of texture and contrast and here are some of the photos I took outside today:

 This a stump from a Mimosa Tree that we had cut down about three years ago.  It was scored to hasten its decaying process.

A close up of one of the succulent plants that made it through winter.

We have lots of rocks here in the Ozarks and this is a fine speciman…look at all the color and contrast.

 This little half decayed leaf is looking rather shabby after going through winter.

And this Dandelion is getting an early start.  It’s looking as if we’ll have another good “crop” of them in the backyard this spring.

(Click on any photo to get a closer look)

Dark Secrets

I used Canson acrylic paper for this.  It comes in a pad (110 lb. weight)  and has a canvas like texture.  I will be working with it again as another alternative to watercolor paper.  The background is a mixture of acrylic paints, green ink and some  Adroindack reinkers.  After I got the background like I wanted it, I let it dry thoroughly and then glued on the collage pieces.  They were from a page of my favorite collage papers…the painted phone book pages.  I had some black ink doodling and Caran d’ache crayons on it but I didn’t like that so I wiped it all off.  I’m not really happy with the way it turned out but I didn’t know what else to try.  I’m still stitching away on my embroidery projects….I have the sampler finished and I’ve been working on some smaller pieces.  I hope to eventually turn all my pieces into a quilt…inspired by Pam Garrison…check out her blog… the link is over on the right.

More Fall Color in Arkansas from in my yard…

Journal-#26

I finished this spread in my journal this afternoon.  I started by using gesso on the page and made texture in it with a paint handle.  I used Jo Sonja’s blue violet acrylic paint mixed with white.  It is more blue than violet.  If you are looking for some less expensive paints to use and experiment with, try Jo Sonja’s artist colours. They are somewhere in between the cheapie craft paints and the more expensive acrylic paints, in my opinion.  I also used Liquidtex vivid red orange along with  pink craft paint.  The pink and orange mixed made another shade of orange.  White craft paint was used throughout to tone down the colors.  I used Indigo blue and brunt ochre colored pencils (not watercolor pencils)  to add lines. Click on the photo to see more details.

 

Fall color in Arkansas

My daughter took this photo a week ago at “The Natural Bridge” near Clinton, Arkansas.  Great shot, darling daughter!

 

 

Back to August Break

I was looking at the calendar and realized that August is almost gone….just another week.    Since retiring,  the days fly by.  I’m taking another little break from art….only a day or two.  I didn’t fulfill my plan to take pictures during the month of August.  Plans do often go awry…or mine do anyway.  My daughter and granddaughter are both great photographers…I think so!  I will share some of their photos for the next few days.  Photos by my granddaughter Jordan:

August Break-Day 9

Here’s the full view of the metal gate with surrounding area…we think there was a stone quarry back behind this area.

 

Another view of the old store building.

Another old barn…I think the bushes  growing up through this one are helping to keep it standing.