These are just a couple more mandalas that I created while teaching some of my neighbors how to do them. I thought I may have gotten carried away with too many colors on the first one but, after it was all done......I kinda like it! I have trouble taking pics of these. I can never get the glittery effect show up properly!!
I don't normally do animals. Or people. But I wanted to make a card for a friend and thought I would give it a try. This is her newest family member. And while it doesn't look exactly like the real Windy, hopefully I captured at least a wee bit of her personality and spirit!! Windy, you are one lucky dog!! I am so glad you leaped into Jan's life!!
The one on top was done for a friend who is living with cancer and has recently had to have more radiation treatments. The bottom one is just a small one, made to fit in a 5"x5" frame I found at Michael's. I just seem to have an endless supply of these mandalas inside me. Sometimes when I sit down I have a plan and sometimes I don't. And even when I DO have a plan it generally ends up going off in some other direction!! I love seeing how they have evolved since I first started doing these about 2 yrs. ago.
I had the idea to try doing a mandala in white ink on black paper.......that's it......just white. So I drew this one, and I was pretty happy with it. I thought it was kind of "lacey" looking. BUT......I LOVE COLOR!! And I couldn't resist adding some! So here is the result. Maybe NEXT time......but I doubt it. I just can't resist color!!
I've recently been dealing with some illness and some stress. Making these mandalas really seems to help. They quiet my mind tremendously when it wants to race headlong into places I don't need to go right now! They help me stay in the NOW! And the rocks.....just got them in the mail today from the Rock Fairy, Kim Mailhot!!! I love them!!
For the Lagrange Art League project. Had to do them quickly because I am LATE!!! Sorry, for some reason the photos I rotated didn't stay that way!! I used watercolor crayons, fine point Sharpie and some Stickles.
I don't bother planting flowers in the ground because the bunnies eat EVERYTHING!! So I plant in pots, mostly geraniums because they are easy to take care of (as in don't die when I forget to water!). This year I did a pot of other flowers that just really grabbed me with their colors. I see it every morning, first thing, when I walk downstairs and look out the window by my front door. And every day they make my heart sing!!!
My great-nephew, Wesley. Such a cutie!! I just love this photo!
Thursday, June 21, 2012
This is not a real post. This is just an experiment. Since I last posted, it appears everything has changed on Blogger. I have been unable to title a post and unable to post pictures. That doesn't seem like much of an improvement to me! Is anyone else having trouble????? Is there something I don't know? Well, there's a LOT I don't know but, I mean about posting!
I had some camera issues I needed to work out after downloading Picasa but it looks like I have finally figured it all out!!! I 've been having a lot of fun "playing" recently.....working on being more loose and intuitive and just letting the paint do what it wants to do. Well, sometimes anyway!! So I'm just posting a few new things. I often find that when I photograph artwork I see things I didn't see with my naked eye so.....some of these may not officially be done yet! Hope you enjoy them anyway!
I finally got my last three postcards made for the postcard swap I'm in. Phew!! Feels good! I sure had fun making these. Just got very "in the groove" and didn't want to stop!! I think I'll make more soon. I will also show you the ones that have been arriving when I get a chance to take photos!!
I recently signed up for a worldwide postcard swap thru iHanna's blog in Sweden. I signed up late so I needed to get going fast. I have to make 10 postcards to send out in the next week. My list of addresses includes several peoplein Canada, several in the U.S., one to the UK, one to Germany and one to Portugal!! My goal with these was to just be loose, playful and have FUN!! No fretting!! Seven are done, three more to go. I have enjoyed making these immensely!! I like some a lot more than others but, as I have found in the past, when you just let go and DO IT you learn something new everytime!! Hopefully doing these will help to get the creative juices flowing more freely!! Well, Blogger is not cooperating and won't upload them all right now. So maybe more later. I can't wait to see what I get in return and where they come from! Not sure I'm all done with these yet......need to ruminate a bit! Ok, now the last two uploaded.
Finally finished making the 31 Valentines I needed to attend April's party today. Unfortunately I am too sick to go. But, the Valentines are delivered and I had a great time making them. There's always NEXT year!
After a sleepless night, filled with tossing, turning and negative thinking (it creeps in sooooo easily when over-tired!), I spent the day listless, aimless, pointless and frustrated by my own in-action. As I sat at the computer wasting time on Facebook and email and blogs, I suddenly grabbed the nearest pen and a scrap of paper laying on the table. Ten minutes later, I had this! And I felt a whole lot better!! It's not a masterpiece, but it's SOMETHING!! I created SOMETHING!! And while I should know by now that I need to create regularly, even if it's only a 10 minute doodle, I seem to need to learn this lesson over and over and over!!! Guess I need it pounded into my head with a sledgehammer!!! A 10 minute mandala everyday may not be a lot, but it sure beats day after day of NOTHING!!!!
I've always loved this photo of my mom. I guess she did this to make extra money when she was first married. In later years she would marvel over the fact that every day she hitched up this trailer and took it to various locations on the south side of Chicago. In her own very quiet way, my mom was a VERY strong woman. We miss you mom! This is the view out my bedroom window on the day that winter arrived this past week! Still playing with my word, I decided to decorate it!