Artful Journaling Foundations - Pear

Sketching this pear was a challenge because we didn't have a video to go by, but I'm quite pleased with my results.

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

Nathan Price, a Baptist minister, takes his wife and 4 daughters to the Belgian Congo in 1959.  They carry with them everything they believe they will need on their 12-month mission.  Once there, they find that they are terribly unprepared.  Nathan is obsessed with baptizing all of the children in the river, and doesn't learn until late in his stay that the villagers won't go in the river because of crocodiles.  But he hasn't bothered to learn their language or customs.

The story is told through Nathan's wife and daughters in alternating chapters; each chapter is a first person narrative.  It is a very effective way of getting to know the characters and of seeing the story from different perspectives.  I rate this book 5 out of 5.

Ripple

I recently discovered this fund raiser to help the animal victims of the Deep Water Horizon Gulf Oil Spill:

ripple

Many artists from all over are donating sketch cards.  You make a $10 donation to Institute for Marine Mammal Studies or International Bird Rescue Research Center, then email Kelly Light (ripplesketches@verizon.net) with your confirmation of donation, your name and address, and your choice of card.  Then the artist mails you the card.  It's a small thing, but at least it's something.

Artful Journaling Foundations - Quilt Word Art

I've always enjoyed lettering, so I was happy that one of our lessons was on word art. In fact, I did two! Thanks to Mary O Martin (one of my classmates) for the suggestion to add the needle and thread.

Artful Journaling Foundations - Create Word Art

I've always enjoyed lettering, so I was happy that one of our lessons was on word art. In fact, I did two! I just wish that there wasn't already my cantaloupe page on the back of this one, or I would make this my cover. Oh well . . .

Artful Journaling Foundations - Cantaloupe

After I painted this, I wrote out my wording on a piece of tracing paper to see how it would fit. I had the word cantaloupe spelled correctly on the tracing paper. When I copied it over onto my page, for some reason I put an E where there should have been an A. Oh well . . .it's only a journal page.

Artful Journaling Foundations - Fortune Cookie

Laure Ferlita provided the photo of a fortune cookie for this lesson, but we were to decide what else to add. I knew I wanted a quote with the word fortune in it, so I did a search and came up with this quote that I really like. I also added the fortune and the border.

Artful Journaling Foundations - Lemonade

Of all the online classes I've taken (and I've taken a LOT), I think Laure Ferlita's classes are my favorites.

Artful Journaling Foundations - Watermelon

I'm taking another online class from Laure Ferlita - this one is called Artful Journaling - Foundations. I'll be taking her Artful Journaling - Explorations class next. I'm finally getting some basic watercolor instruction. I jumped into her other classes with both feet, and I learned a LOT, but it's good to get the basics too.

Right Brain - Left Brain Quiz

Right Brain/ Left Brain Quiz The higher of these two numbers below indicates which side of your brain has dominance in your life.  Realising your right brain/left brain tendancy will help you interact with and to understand others. Left Brain Dominance: (16) Right Brain Dominance: (16) Right Brain/ Left Brain Quiz

After reading the comments from those who got the same balanced results I did, I took the test a few more times, changing a few of my answers.  I still got the same results each time - so I think there is a glitch in the test.  Sorry folks!

Zentangles with Jane Monk

I've had a thing for zentangles for a long time now - I don't do them very often, but I read a lot of blogs about them and do them every so often.  One blog I really like is Jane Monk's Studio - not only does she do great zentangles, but she's a quilter too.  She is having a giveaway for her birthday month - you can read about it here.

Fatal Light by Richard Currey

The narrator (a high school senior) receives his draft notice in 1967 and must report for duty as soon as he graduates.  He becomes a medic in Vietnam.  The book is short (fewer than 200 pages).  It isn't a traditional novel with beginning, middle, and end; it is a series of very short chapters that are snippets of the narrator's life.  But it is well written and the structure works.  This is my 3rd book for the Vietnam War Reading Challenge and my 11th book for the New Author Challenge 2010.  I rate this book 3 out of 5.

The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff

This is a historical novel about Ann Eliza Young, one of many wives of Brigham Young, leader of the Mormon Church.  It tells her life story, beginning with her parents and their plural marriage.  In 1875, several years after Ann Eliza is more or less trapped into marrying Brigham Young, she loses her faith, sues for divorce, and goes on a lecture circuit, trying to put an end to polygamy.   She was mostly successful in her quest; the Mormon Church officially ended the practice of polygamy in 1890.  However, a group of fundamentalists broke away from the Church (calling themselves the First and True Latter-day Saints) and continue to practice polygamy to this day.

This is also a modern day murder mystery; Jordan Scott, a young man who was thrown out of the Firsts as an adolescent, returns to find out who killed his father.  His mother (19th wife of his father) has been arrested for the murder.

The book is written primarily in first person, but the "first person" changes throughout.  There are chapters of the book written by Ann Eliza, letters and papers from various characters, and the current day narrative by Jordan.  It is an effective way of telling the story, and I found it to be well written and enjoyable.  This was my 10th book for the New Author Challenge 2010.  I rate this book 4 out of 5.

Flower Wagon Challenge

Ellen Lindner issued this challenge on her blog on 5/17/10. She provided several photos she took in Savannah. I chose to paint it.

I didn't get the wheels right, but I'm happy with my painting anyway. You can see Ellen's post here. She is doing a quilt; I'll be anxious to see how it turns out.