"BEAUTIFUL"

Finally, I can share with you a canvas I made. My daughter-in-law had pregnancy pictures taken and there was one that just stuck out... saying "Create me"! So I decided to give it try. What could I lose? If it didn't work, the next step was the garbage! Well... I surprised myself! I glued, painted, inked, stamped and doodled the background. I hand cut her and the boy out of plain card stock, decoupaged, painted, dressed them, and embellished away.




I decided to give this to Ashley for Ava, my new Grand-daughter. My plan is to teach my grand-children about art. About experimenting with media and expressing themselves creatively.

DRAWING 101

Stepping out of my comfort zone... something I've never been comfortable with. I have always wished I could sit down, look at something and start sketching. Well, i stepped out... way out! I signed up to take a drawing workshop. I have been to 2 classes now. It was a little nerve wrecking, but our instructor was gentle. Nothing was overwhelming. We started with the basics... this is paper and this is a pencil. Well, not that basic! We did a few simple outline sketches and learned the difference between a contour sketch and a blind contour sketch.
***Simple outline sketch is as it sounds.....
***Contour sketch is the shape of the object you are drawing with detail.....
***Blind contour sketch is the outline and detail drawn while looking at the
object and NOT looking at the paper while sketching. This was not easy and
produced a lot of laughs!

Next... motion in sketching... the following is my completed sketch of motion. This was fun, all free-hand.





Day 2. Learning about value (light to dark) and the color spectrum. Pretty straight forward so far!




So there you have it. Out of my comfort zone. Now it's just practice, practice..... and I am looking forward to the next class!

THIS DAY...

This day...
is a happy day!
This day...
my second grandchild was born.
This day...
there was a miracle.
Her name is Ava Elizabeth.
She graced us with her presence on this day...
Thursday June 30, 2011 at 10:52 am.

A pink bundle of joy, this baby is.
8 pounds and 6 ounces.
19 and a half inches...
from the top of her little head...
to the bottom of her toes!

She will be loved by...
Mommy and Daddy...
and
Big brother, Grayson.

Ava...
my wish for you...
is to grow healthy and strong...
be independent, but know your family is here,
to support you whenever you need us.
Grow up to be kind, loving and honest.

I love you Ava...
my precious Grand-daughter.

XXX OOO
Nena.

ROLLING WITH WHAT I GOT

Wow! It's been months since I made a scrapbook page. Today, I sat here looking at a blank piece of cardstock for over an hour. Geesh! Absolutely NOTHING!! Then I remembered last weeks inspiration night at Donna's. So I started with a circle, a stenciled swirly circle. Next, to add some layers. Out came the paint, ink, more stencils, lace and chipboard. I was on a roll... a slow roll. But after a couple hours and way too much thinking... this is what I came up with.
It still is missing the most important component, Little Miss Ava's photo. That will be soon... real soon.





The next is a project from a workshop, I took online last week. Christy Tomlinson's SHE Art workshop. It was great! I am learning to "let go", be free, try new mediums and techniques. I know... I just had a "lost my mojo" day with the girly page, but sometimes, even the best of artists have disfunctional days! Enjoy!!!






Thanks for visiting.

I WAS INSPIRED

The past week has been an emotional and whimsical adventure for me...
I have watched... listened... spoke... and shared...
I have been inspired... and hopefully have inspired others...

You see, I volunteered to help Bill and Donna and to assist guest artists at Donna Downey's INSPIRED event. They graciously let me join in the classes.

I created my pieces with new mediums... new techniques...
This experience for me, was enlightening. It made me realize, just how much I have blocked my heart and my mind from the things I love... from the hobbies I used to enjoy... from the creativity... and from my abilities.

Jenny Doe, It was a pleasure to meet you (I sat with you at Suzi Blu's class). I thoroughly enjoyed your closing words at dinner. It made me open my heart and mind to rekindle my passion for my art and self expression. A reminder to myself of what I am and what I was meant to be.
Thank you...