Category: Blitherings

Abstraction

If you follow my all-purpose art blog, Journey By Paper, you know that I have been slithering around with pastels, gouache, and watercolors as a theme for a painting called “The Slough” – sort of an evolutionary adventure. In doing so, I began to move into a kind of abstraction, painting without lines.

Generally, I tend to paint watercolors without any lines on the paper. I don’t know why, but the lines too often act as a cage, and keep me from just exploring color. I really love the way colors and water react on good paper, and I think the lines make me think I need to produce a “perfect” painting, whatever that is. So, here are some abstractions I did, all in one afternoon, in the order I did them. Comments about each panting are below them. All were painted with a 1/2 inch or 1 inch flat brush.This one I wanted to work on contrast, saving white paper, and creating shapes with the 1/2 inch brush. I was pretty pleased with the results, but the foreground was a bit of a puzzle.The above is an abstraction of heather. The sky doesn’t match the heather. This one I need to re-think.I really like this one – the colors just are so beautiful (to me). I think the abstraction worked to catch trees and snow in the spring, although perhaps I could redo it more simply.Finally, this yellow house has been calling out to me, but a yellow house is not that interesting in and of itself. But, a series of shapes to make a house became the idea after doing all those abstractions before it. Here, a 1 inch brush and a bit of thought. I like this one because it is cheery, has white paper showing through, and is showing me what I can do with pure colors.

Joy

Every year I watch the Decorah Eagle Cam,  sometimes just leaving a window open I can watch off and on all day on one of my monitors.    Right now there are 3 little hatchlings, tottering and feeble, still covered with their downy white fluff. There are two cameras at least, and perspective changes and close-ups are done by the remote operators. As time goes by, of course, the eaglets grow, losing their down and begining to sprout black feathers – they are so funny looking at this stage! By June, they are learning to fly and hop from branch to branch in the huge tree where their nest is located. Mom and dad fly around, and bring them trout to eat – there is a fish hatchery nearby – and the occasional dove or hare.

Here, to me, is joy in seeing the cycle of life every year and the beauty of the world we cannot see in our own.

Mask Maker, Mask Maker, Make Me a Mask!

And sincere apologies to “Fiddler on the Roof”!

I have been trying different cloth mask patterns out.   Some are good, some are ridiculous.   Some tie behind the head, some have elastics to go behind the ears. I finally made a good cloth mask with ear loops and a slit to insert a filter (Hepa vacuum cleaner  bag cutout or even a paper towel works)  – that is why yesterday’s post was so funny to me.  I have some shoulder issues that make tying things onto the top of my head difficult.  I bought some hair elastics and gave them a go  since elastic cannot be found.   They work pretty good. Depending on the size of the elastic, to loop over the ear, the mask needs to be wider at times. Handing out masks to my neighbors and family is fun and rewarding.

I have given masks to Josh’s parents and to my husband (and me, too), and my friend Mary and her family thus far.  Other family members are in line next, and then I have ones to make for some of the neighbors, too. And while sewing, I have also been cycling through my different old sewing machines, and it’s made what could become a tedious task more fun.  So far, my Kenmore 90 and my Bernina Sport 801 in red have been enlisted.  It’s enjoyable because I haven’t sat down to do a lot of sewing of late – not anything substantial, anyway.

Later this week, I’ll post my favorite patterns and hopefully it will help others out.  Meanwhile, stay well!