Artful Journaling Foundations - Backgrounds 2

Reference page for backgrounds.

Artful Journaling Foundations - Backgrounds 1

Reference page for backgrounds.

Artful Journaling Foundations - Wildflowers

For this assignment, we were to combine at least 2 borders with a painting of our choice. This turned into more of an illustration than a painting, but that's ok.

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.

Roxborough State Park

While we were in Colorado meeting and picking up our new puppy, we spent some time in a couple of Colorado's state parks. On Thursday, we forgot our camera, but I remembered my art supplies. I quickly sketched a few things with paint and brush only - no pencil first. The rocks don't look like rocks, I know - but I did capture the colors pretty well.

If Laure Ferlita hadn't had a lesson on sketching that way, I'm not sure I ever would have attempted this. Thanks Laure!

Imaginary Trip to England - Telephone Box

I couldn't possibly leave England without sketching one of these distinctive red telephone boxes. On our final day we had a bit of free time, so I set off by myself to find one to sketch. This one was located in Whitehall.

I'm not really in England, even though I'd love to be. This is the final page in my travel journal for my imaginary trip with Laure Ferlita.

I painted this from a photo by Stephen Johnson, which can be seen here.

Imaginary Trip to England - Cover

The cover to my Imaginary Trip journal.

Queen of Camelot by Nancy McKenzie

I have read many many books about the Arthurian Legend, and this is another one.  This one is written from Guinevere's point of view.  As the book opens, Lancelot comes to Guinevere to tell her that Arthur and Mordred are both dead, and he has had a vision that she should write the story of her life.  So the rest of the book is Guinevere's life story, told in her own words.  It is well written and enjoyable.  I have always liked the legend, which is why I've read so many different versions.  But because I've read so many versions, I was glad when the book was finished.  I think I need to give this story a rest for awhile.  This is my 9th book for the New Author Challenge 2010.  I rate this book 4 out of 5.

Aren't I cute?

But I'm a real handful! More energetic than my owners, that's for sure.

Buddy

We met our new puppy today (Wednesday, May 19). We'll bring him home on Friday. It was hard to choose, but both Glen and I agreed on "Mr. Green" - the one with the green ribbon collar.

Imaginary Trip to England - Scarisbrick Hall

It was a festival day today at Scarisbrick Hall in Lancashire. So not only did we see an outstanding example of Victorian Gothic architecture, including the 100-foot tower that reminded me of Big Ben, but wildflowers and baby animals and secret gardens. It was another fabulous day.

I'm not really in England, even though I wish I was. I'm taking Laure Ferlita's class, An Imaginary Trip to England.

Imaginary Trip to England - A Walk in the Park

I think this goose was negotiating with the man for his apple!

I'm not really in England, even though I wish I was. I'm taking Laure Ferlita's class, An Imaginary Trip to England.

Imaginary Trip to England - Snowdonia National Park

Continuing my Imaginary Trip to England, we visited Snowdonia National Park in Wales.

Imaginary Trip to England - Stonehenge

Stonehenge is a very mysterious place.

Home Improvements

When we built our house, we intended to put a deck outside our bedroom, so we put in a door to the outside.  We long ago decided not to build the deck, but we still have the door.  Our house is now 21 years old, and it was a wood door in a wall that faces south, so the door is badly weathered.  We've been needing to replace it for a few years, and finally decided this was the year.  We researched what doors would qualify for the energy tax credit and purchased a  pre-hung door at Lowe's on Sunday.  We decided it would be easier to paint it before we installed it (ourselves), so we've been doing that this week.  Today was the day to install it.  DH got the old door out while I was removing the masking tape from the new door.  It was at this point that he realized we had forgotten one very important detail; when we built our house, we made the outside walls 6 inches instead of 4 inches in order to be more energy efficient.  But we bought a 4 inch door.  So it didn't fit.  We couldn't return it because we'd already painted it.  And the old door was out, so we had to do something today.  DH decided to remove the wood trim that would have been on the outside if we had bought the right size door.  I figured at this point he might as well; the door was worthless to us the way it was and we couldn't return it, so we had nothing to lose.  Amazingly enough, it worked; the door is in.  There is a gap on the outside we're going to have to fill, but the door actually opens and closes.  These kinds of projects ALWAYS take longer than we think they will, but especially when we make a major mistake like this one.  I hope to be able to get back to more fun projects soon; like sewing and/or painting (as in watercolor, not doors!).  But I'm happy to have the door almost finished.  We had so many air leaks around the old door that DH had taped it up a couple of years ago (we rarely used it anyway).  But since we are picking up our puppy in a couple of weeks, we wanted to be able to use the door again; puppies need to go outside often, even through the night.  It will be a lot more convenient to be able to use the bedroom door.

To be continued . . .

The Unwanted by Kien Nguyen

Kien Nguyen is the son of a Vietnamese woman and an American serviceman.  He was 8 years old when he and his family watched the last US helicopter leave Vietnam without them.  The next 10 years of his life were filled with one nightmare after another.  The family had been wealthy before the fall of Saigon, but they lost everything when the Communist regime took over.  And because Kien was Amerasian, he was the target of hatred and bigotry.  Unfortunately I didn't think the book was very well written.  The dialogue in particular wasn't believable.  But the story was certainly compelling and the book was worth reading anyway.  This was my second book for the Vietnam War Reading Challenge and my eighth book for the New Author Challenge 2010.  I rate the book 3 out of 5.

Imaginary Trip to England - European Robins

I sketched these birds and nest with paint and brush only - no pencil, no eraser. I've never done that before, so it sounded pretty scary to me when I learned that was what our assignment was! And we were to spend NO MORE than 5 minutes per bird. We were going after a likeness only, no details. It was great fun - I really enjoyed doing these little sketches.

I'll have to do more - maybe of a puppy and/or kitten in a few weeks. We should be picking up our puppy from the breeder around May 21st. And we've chosen our kitten from the kitten rescue - we'll get him right after we get home with our puppy. I can't wait!