A Commitment

A couple of people have asked me about my blog recently, and I'm making a commitment to myself and all my fans (haha) that I will get back to blogging and posting how-to's regularly.

One reason I quit was that the studio computer died. First, my Ethernet cable got cut accidentally. I'd run it under the house and then buried down the hill to the studio (we are all about the high-tech stuff here, doncha know!). Then, after I replaced the Ethernet cord (which included bribing Miss Jenny to climb under the house), the computer itself just stopped powering up. So I gave up and disconnected the computer and hauled it up to the garage to await disposal...

But, last month, I started thinking about it. What if the only thing that was broken was the electrical part? So I took the computer apart and looked up the power unit--found a replacement one on Amazon for $13--and voila! My computer is good as new!

Now I'd love to tell you that this was really hard and tricky and fraught with peril...but it wasn't. It was just a matter of taking my time and using deductive reasoning. I didn't disconnect the old power unit until I had the new one, and then I would disconnect a plug and reconnect a new one in the same place...

There's a lesson here--I always bemoan the fact that we live in such a disposable society, yet I was ready to give up on my old computer...

Lesson learned...

Grit and Grace Classwork on Raw Canvas

Really like this one. Drew with charcoal using non-dominant hand, then looked for shapes I wanted to emphasize--saw the hand first, then saw the face--emphasized the face...

Mark-making and Playing

This was one of the pieces I did last week while exploring charcoal and vessel mark-making in my class. I like to tape paper down to cardboard so.I can work on multiple pieces at a time--on this one I used painter's tape to give a clean edge. I used my hair dryer to make sure it peeled away cleanly when I was done. If you look closely you can see all the texture and layers that are incorporated in this--

"Grit and Grace" with Katie Kendrick

Today was the first day of my online class with Katie Kendrick, and it lived up to my expectations! These are what Katie called "mark-making warm-up exercises". So much fun. I'll be doing this again. Love how adding white grasp and marking in the wet grasp added so much texture.

I'm planning on scanning these so that I can print out pieces of them for use in collages and paintings!

"Grit and Grace" Online Class with Katie Kendricks

{Image copyright Katie Kendrick}

I am so excited! I signed up to take Katie Kendrick's new online art class, Grit and Grace. It begins on January 11th and runs for four weeks. I've always loved Katie's art as well as her blog, and this is a Christmas gift I bought for myself from the proceeds of my before-Christmas trunk sale of my jewelry.

I've done a couple of online courses before, and while they're not as intense as an in-person class, they have lots of ways to make up for it. There's usually a Facebook group, which allows for getting to know other students in the class. It also provides a way to see other people's work, which is always inspiring. The other wonderful thing about an online course is that you can watch the videos over and over again, gleaming more from the teacher each time. I'm a big believer in learning by doing and doing and doing again, so it's perfect for me.

I'll be posting my work here on my blog as well as on my Facebook page. There's a link above if you're interested in joining me on this journey!

Playing

Drawing and coloring at night...relaxing and fun. I have this theory that all of us would benefit from a little more kindergarten time--coloring and painting is good for my health.

Trying to work my way thru all the paint party Friday entries--so much cool art!

Paint Party Friday

I'm making some promises to myself in this new year. One of them is that I will start sketching in the evenings while everyone is watching tv. I used to do this as a regular practice, and then stopped when I started doing a lot more reading in the evenings. Nothing wrong with reading, but I drifted into reading lighter and lighter material, to the point where I realized I might as well be watching tv...

So tonight I was making some little sketches for a friend. When I finished I was flipping through a magazine and sketched some women from ads. This one was my favorite.

Linking to Paint Party Friday...