Comfort Cottage

The Best Laid Plans

The sun was shining, the air was warm, and all was right with the world.  It was the perfect day to grab my keys and take a drive through the country.  What could possibly go wrong on a day like that? 

The alarm bell should have gone off when I couldn't find the library that I had passed regularly for years.  (I'll explain that one later.)  On my second pass up the road, I saw it:  the quintessential symbol of rural Pennsylvania, a centuries-old stone barn.  It is a magnificent structure.  For years I have fantasized about getting the perfect photograph of this stately bastion of Pennsylvania history.  Unfortunately, there is only an eighteen inch wide "shoulder" on that road.  It is a narrow, winding two-lane path that was never meant to accomodate the number of drivers that careen madly over it's surface today.  Frustrated that I couldn't find my chosen destination, I caught sight of "my" barn and a seeming lunacy overtook me.  I pulled off the road and into a field.  The barn beckoned to me from it's perch high on a hill.  Checking quickly to be sure I didn't get flattened as I exited my car, I grabbed my camera and ran into the field.  I was almost giddy as I shot frame after frame.  As I was shooting, a nagging little voice whispered in my ear.  It was sort of like the one that Wiley Coyote must have heard while chasing the Roadrunner, when he realized he was no longer on terra firma - just before he plunged 1000 feet into the canyon.  I ignored the voice and kept shooting.

Finally, when carpal tunnel set in on my shutter finger, I packed up my gear and returned to my car.  It should have occurred to me.  A Mitsubishi Lancer was never meant to go off-roading.  I started the engine, stepped on the gas...and went nowhere, as clod's of mud and grass rained down on my hood and roof.  After a few fruitless attempts, I resigned myself to the inevitable:  I had to call my husband at work.  As my car sank up to its axles, I pondered.  How exactly does one say, "I'm stuck in a hole on the side of the road, honey."?  More importantly, how do I explain how I got there?  I had to call the company's emergency number, so needless to say, my husband's entire company knew.

We eventually freed my poor car with the combined brawn of my husband, my son, and a good samaritan who stopped to help.  Hours after I had started, I returned home with my family, toting various digging implements, pick-axes and my once beautiful car caked with mud and unidentified organic material.  Mercifully, my husband and son washed it, removing all evidence of my stupidity.  BUT:  I GOT THE SHOT :)  Would you like to see it?

 

Actually, I have a few more :)

 

 

 

Before I got into trouble, I had found another barn to photograph.

 

 Fortunately, there was a safe place to pull over for this one!

 

 

I had planned to share photos of a rug-hooking exhibit at the library, but I didn't make it there until today :)  I'll do a post on that at the beginning of next week.  I hope you enjoyed the tale of my photography adventures.  I pray you will have a blessed and wonderful Easter celebration.  Be safe, and we'll meet again soon.

 

Until next time,

 

April Calendar Challenge

It is a gorgeous, warm, sunny day here in Pennsylvania, and I have the perfect thing to share with you today.  I have been seeing all sorts of lovely handmade calendars popping up all over blogland, and I have found the source.  There is a very talented lady at The Kathryn Wheel who hosts a monthly challenge: Calendar 366.  You may have heard of her: Kate Crane.   Her captivating art journal work has been featured in Stampington and Company's fabulous publication, Art Journaling, by Somerset Studio.  This is my calendar for the month of April.

 

 

I used a square punch and Kay & Co. papers.  I can't remember the manufacturer of the the stamp line for the swirls, but the butterfly is from Inkadinkadoo.  All of the images are vintage free stuff I found on the web.  The background was done with Delta Ceramcoat paints and a natural sponge.  If you would like to learn more about the calendar challenge, you can find it here.  Kate's wonderful work has been featured in the Winter 2012 issue of Art Journaling by Somerset Studio, as well as many other publications.  You can find links to all of the participants for this month's challenge here.

 

 

The last item to share with you, I promised about two weeks ago, but unfortunately, the subject, my niece's 12 week old Bernese mountain dog, would not sit still long enough for me to get a photograph!  On Sunday, we had a family gathering at my sister's house and Moses, the newest addition to the family, finally cooperated.

 

 

Is he not the most adorable puppy on the planet? (Have you ever seen a puppy that wasn't adorable?)  This guy is already twenty-seven pounds, and he's gaining an average of about six pounds per week.  Hugging him is like hugging a bear cub!  I LOVE big dogs!

It's time for me to get back to work.  I should have another drawing to share with you in a day or so.  Enjoy the lovely spring weather we are having!

 

Until next time,

 

A Carnival Of Color

Do any of you remember candy sticks?  They were about eight inches long and about as thick as a pencil.  They came in every flavor and color of the rainbow.   Well, I no longer eat candy sticks, but I have found something that reminds me of them, and I like them a whole lot more.

 

 

I adore Prismacolor pencils!  I started using them years ago.  My collection was getting rather sparse, so I ordered some to fill out the set last weekend.  I felt like a kid again, picking out my favorite flavors and anticipating all of that colorful deliciousness.  That delightful box of joy arrived on my doorstep this morning.  They have such wonderfully rich pigments, and they lay down like a dream.   They are about as close to that sugary confection I remember that I can find, but they won't make me gain an ounce!

 

 

I started this drawing on Monday.  Doesn't it look lonely without color?

 

 

It took a few days to finish it.   The pencil lines don't show up in the photo, but I actually begin with a bare bones outline.  This one is a very stylised tulip.  Can you find it amongst the patterns?

 

I finally completed the drawing Tuesday night.

 

 

Yippee!  Now I can finally get my hands on those colored pencils!  It's time for the dance of joy (Trust me, you don't want to see it!)

 

 It's Thursday afternoon, and I finally have a finished piece.

 

 

Heart Song

6" x 9"

Colored Pencil and Pen and Ink on Bristol Vellum 

 

Oh joy, now I can draw something else and use all of those new colors!  

 

Until next time,

 

 

 

 

Color Doodles

Last week, while waiting for my sister to finish making soup, I sat at the kitchen table and started to doodle.  I finished my drawing later and I took out my colored pencils over the weekend to add some pizazz.  I had forgotten how much fun colored pencils can be.

 

Flower Doodle

6" x 8"

Colored pencil and pen and ink

 

I don't think I could ever stick to just one medium.  So much of what makes making art fun is experimenting with all different things.    So, how was your weekend?  It was better here than expected.  It actually cleared up Sunday and got warm again.  I'm loving the open windows and the fresh air!

 

Until next time,

 

Painting The Badlands

After a few days of vacation from my brushes, I was ready to paint again.

 

 

Timeless Wonder

9" x 12"

Watercolor and Pen and Ink on 140lb. Cold Pressed Paper

 

This is the fifth painting in my watercolor journal series.  I actually fussed less with this one, and I like it better.  The Badlands provide such an exciting subject to paint.  I hope you have a lovely weekend.  We're expecting two days of rain here in the Northeast, so I guess I'll be in the studio.

 

Until next time,

 

Finished Pages

Yesterday I shared the beginnings of two new art journal pages.  Today was a productive day in the studio.  I finished both pages!

 

 

 

How was your weekend?  I hope the weather where you are was as delightful as it was here.  Tomorrow, I'm off to New Jersey to see my niece's new Bernese mountain dog puppy, Moses.  I'll try to get lots of pictures!  See you again soon.

 

Until next time,

 

Art Journal Fun And A Gift For You

When reading a book I purchased recently, I came face to face with the art of Teesha Moore, who is well known for her beautiful art journal pages, amongst many other things.  The book is Creative Wildfire by L. K. Ludwig.  Teesha is one of the featured artists. 

 

 

Creative Wildfire is packed with ideas on approaches to art journaling, beginning to advanced techniques and interviews with many artists.  It will truly set a fire under the aspiring journal artist, and if you haven't started that journal yet, you will want to after reading this!

Being a fan of Teesha's art, I, of course, had to check out her website.  Wow!  It is an amazing and inspiring place.  She has wonderful videos to watch, including a fabulous series on art journaling.  If you have been curious about what an art journal is, or how to go about creating one, this is the video to see.  I've watched the first part of the series (It's free!)  and I've begun creating my pages.

 

 

The first step is simple and it gets you past "blank page syndrome".  You know the symptoms: vacant stare, eyes glazed over, mind empty.  It's easy to treat.  Just add color!  Simple craft paints will do.  Watercolors are great too.

 

 

Next, I added some borders.  Journal fodder can be found anywhere: old magazines, junk mail, scrapbooking papers, gardening catalogues, the phone bill (You might want to pay it first.)  Just don't think too hard about it - work from your heart.  No one has to see it but you.  It's your personal art laboratory where you can cause the kind of explosion that won't bring the bomb squad to your door:  a color explosion.

 

 

There is another source of collage material that's probably the most satisfying.  Grab some old collages or paintings you've done, or even some of your childrens' art.  Try scanning or photographing them and zooming in on small areas on your computer.  You might be surprised at what you discover.  There are probably dozens of interesting things within a single composition.  Enlarge isolated areas and print them out on regular paper.  You can cut them up and use them in your journal pages.  Your journal will begin to reflect your own heart.

 

 

 

I used parts of some of the work I did for Strathmore's Online Workshop, and some parts of existing journal pages.  I also used some of the free offerings I found on Flicker.com.  I would like to reach the point where I am using even more of my own art: which brings me to the gift part of this post.  I used watercolors, water-soluble crayons, markers, and gel pens to make something I can cut up and use in my pages.  I would like to offer you the use of this page for your personal use in your own journals.  Just click on the image to get the largest size and then right-click on it and choose the "save image as" option.  Be patient, it's a full-size page.

 

 

I'll show you more as I develop my pages further.  I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend.  Have fun journaling!

 

Until next time,

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dreaming of Paradise

It reached 78 degrees here in Pennsylvania today.  I pulled up the shades, threw open the windows, and dreamed of faraway places again.  My art reflected my mind's wanderings.  I pulled a photo of Lake Erie from my archives and was instantly transported to sandy beaches and churning surf.

 

 

I could almost feel the sun and the sea spray on my face!

 

A few notes on today's painting:

 

 

As you can see from the shiny areas, I used a masquepen to block out areas I wanted to remain white: seafoam and spray, and beach grasses and shell fragments on the beach.  I washed in the sky with a pale wash of Cobalt Blue mixed with a touch of Pthalo Blue (green shade).  I painted around the cloud areas and then wet the inside edges of the clouds to allow the sky mix to bleed into them a bit.  I used varying mixes of chromium oxide green and Pthalo Blue on the lake.

 

 

The fence posts we're added with a mixed of raw umber and payne's gray.

 

 

For the sand, I used a variety of techniques to produce the texture: splattering, stippling, varied washes of burnt umber and french ultramarine with burnt sienna.  After removing the masking from the grasses, I stroked them in with a 10/0 liner using a variety of mixes of sap green, raw sienna, cadmium red and burnt sienna.  I left some of the tips white to suggest sun sparkle.  The cast shadows from the grass were applied with weak payne's gray.   I used sepia acrylic ink and a fine nib dip pen to add details on the fence and sand.  The grasses were detailed with sap green acrylic ink.

 

 

 

For the rocks of the breakwater, I applied a wash of payne's gray.  While it was still damp, I placed crinkled plastic wrap over it and left it in place until it was almost dry.  This gave me a rock-like pattern.  I then added washes of raw umber and payne's grey and burnt umber.

 

 

At the base of the breakwater, I had forgotten to mask in areas for sea foam.  It can still be created after the fact.  I used a sharp razor and gently scraped the areas that I wanted to be white.  It makes a fairly convincing seafoam.  I did the same where the water meets the beach.  On the edges of the grasses on the far left, I wanted to suggest sun sparkle, so I used the razor to gently scrap away a little of the color.

 

 

We're still two months away from kayak season, so I'll just have to settle for painting the water!  I know many of you are taking the Strathmore Online Workshop with Cathy Johnson too.  How's it going for you?  I'd love to hear from you. 

 

Until next time,

 

 

 

 

Painting The Barn

Yesterday's post about the barn got me  to thinking.  What a great page for Strathmore's art journal workshop! 

 

 

Pennsylvania Barn

8" x 10"

Watercolor and Pen and Ink on 140lb. cold pressed paper

 

I took a few photos for you as I worked.

 

 

I began with a light pencil sketch.  I washed in the first layer on the barn with a mix of alizarin crimson and burnt sienna.  Using a crumpled tissue I blotted to create some underlying texture.

 

 

I deepened the wash on the window side and under the eaves.  I mixed in a little raw umber and paynes grey to suggest shadowing.  Using a  masque pen, I masked out some blades of dead grass and then washed the ground in raw sienna plus DaVinci Mauve (a deep purple).  I deepened the wash in places and placed touches of burnt sienna, raw umber and burnt umber.  I also splattered some of the ground mixes and also did some stippling with a dip pen and sepia ink.  I mixed darker washes for the ground below at the level of the foundation.  The evergreens were tapped in with hookers green and sap green.  I mixed a bit of burnt sienna in with the greens to tone them down a bit.  It was overcast that day, so I used a weak wash of Idanthrene Blue and Davinci Orange to get the muddy gray color of the sky.  I further deepened the area to the left by adding a bit more blue and some burnt sienna to the sky mix to add a little bit of drama.

 

 

I wanted to show you a close up of the grass before I removed the masking fluid.

 

 

The masquepen is a great way to block out fine lines for things like grass.  It preserves the lightest tones and whites while you complete the details, such as repeated washes, splattering and deeper strokes for the blades of grass.  When you're finished with those, a clean white eraser rubbed over the dried masking fluid will remove it easily.  Just don't leave it on for more than a day or so.  It might be tough to remove.

 

I did the roof in Paynes gray, bruised the paper with the end of the brush to simulate the grooves in the metal and then deepened parts of the wash further.  For the wood siding at the top of the barn, I washed in a mix of sepia and payne's gray.  I followed with varying mixes of burnt umber, burnt sienna, paynes gray, raw umber and raw sienna, stroked in with a size 2 round brush.  I inked in the details with a fine nib and sepia acrylic ink.  The dead tree branches are a weak mix of raw sienna and paynes gray.  I did some inking with sepia ink.

 

 

I love this old barn.  I hope it's around for another one hundred years.  If you would like to see the original photos and read about it's history, you can click here.  That's all for now!

 

Until next time,

 

 

 

 

 

Art Journal Inspiration

Yesterday, my  hubby took the day off and we all went on a little road trip.  We traveled to upstate Pennsylvania, where some of his happiest memories live.  My father-in-law, now 90, owns the land that we visited.  His family built the one-hundred-year old barn that still stands on the property today. Just two years ago, at the ripe old age of 88, Dad put a new roof on it:  by himself.   This place has seen generations of my husband's family through good times and bad.  It provided sustenance to those who farmed it, and even during the depression, they never went hungry.  As I walk the paths today, I can hear the echoes of history.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you've enjoyed this little walk with me.  Even in winter, there is still beauty to be found.  Have a lovely weekend.

 

Until next time,