21 Days of Gratitude - Day 2

I wet the whole page, then painted several colors of watercolor on. While it was still fairly wet, I spattered some more paint on. Once it was dry, I added my writing.

21 Days of Gratitude - Day 1

I started another online class yesterday - 21 Days of Gratitude - with Donna Mulholland of Creativity Matters. I found this quote for day 1 (I don't know who Epictetus is, but that's who said this). I used my new Daniel Smith masking fluid to draw squiggly lines and dots, then painted over it once it dried. I removed the masking fluid and wrote the quote.

This is also for the Sketchbook Challenge, whose May theme is Can't Resist This.

Iris

We have irises scattered over our yard. Of all of the ones we have, this is my favorite color. My DH picked 4 for me today, so I had to paint one. It's much better than the one I painted last year (here). However, it was even better before I decided the lower right petal needed to be darkened (watercolor is so touchy!). But all in all, I'm quite pleased with it.

This is also for the Sketchbook Challenge (current month's theme Can't Resist This) because irises are one of my favorite flowers - I can't resist them!

Imaginary Trip to New Orleans - Mardi Gras World

Who could resist this laughing jester outside Mardi Gras World. We didn't make it inside on this trip, but that's just one more reason to come back.

And no, I'm not really in New Orleans; I'm on an Imaginary Trip with Laure Ferlita.

Imaginary Trip to New Orleans - Crescent City Connection

On our last night in New Orleans, we did a jazz and dinner cruise on the Creole Queen! I arrived a few minutes early and decided to sketch the bridge. This has been a wonderful trip, and I really hate to see it end.

And no, I'm not really in New Orleans; I'm on an Imaginary Trip with Laure Ferlita.

Imaginary Trip to New Orleans - Street Performers

This street musician was concentrating so hard on her music, which was amazing.

And no, I'm not really in New Orleans. I'm on an imaginary trip with Laure Ferlita.

Imaginary Trip to New Orleans - Masquerade

The masks were awesome - I couldn't resist this beauty.

And no, I'm not really in New Orleans. I'm on an imaginary trip with Laure Ferlita.

Imaginary Trip to New Orleans - Hidden Gems

Journaling reads, "This is just one example of the many courtyards we discovered as we walked around the French Quarter. They provide welcome relief from the heat and humidity that plagues the city for much of the year. We saw lush greenery, comfortable-looking patio furniture . . . and locked gates. I so wanted to sneak in, sit awhile, sketch a little, and enjoy an ice-cold lemonade, but sadly, that was not to be. But I still enjoyed looking."

And no, I'm not really in New Orleans. I'm on an imaginary trip with Laure Ferlita.

Imaginary Trip to New Orleans - Pierre Maspero's

Journaling reads, "What a lot of fun we all had! Laughing and talking all at once and telling stories. And the food here - DELICIOUS! I arrived 20 minutes early - not much time, but all the plants were so wild and free. A little hard to believe this place started out as the Slave Exchange. That's a sobering thought."

And no, I'm not really in New Orleans. I'm on an imaginary trip with Laure Ferlita.

Sketchbook Challenge - Branching Out

I finally had a chance to do my journal page for the current month's theme for the Sketchbook Challenge, which is Branching Out. This is supposed to be a weeping willow tree - not sure that it looks like a weeping willow, but at least maybe it looks like a tree! LOL!

Abundance - A Novel of Marie Antoinette by Sena Jeter Naslund

I didn't know a lot about Marie Antoinette before reading this book.  I knew she was the queen of France during the French Revolution, and I knew that when she was told her people were starving, she supposedly said, "If they have no bread, then let them eat cake."  It turns out that Marie Antoinette never said that - it was said a hundred years earlier by the wife of Louis XIV rather than Louis XVI.

Marie Antoinette was the fifteenth child of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, and she was fourteen years old when she was sent to France to marry fifteen year old Louis Auguste, who became Louis XVI four years later (in 1774).  It was interesting to read about the extravagant lifestyle of the royalty (financed primarily by taxes on the poor); it was easy to see why the people were starving.  But over time, as Marie Antoinette matured, she became much more sensitive to the plight of her people and actually tried to economize.  This was a sympathetic portrait of the woman behind the legend, and I enjoyed it very much.  It was my 3rd book for the 2nds Reading Challenge 2011 (the first book by this author that I read was Ahab's Wife; my review of it is here) and my 6th book for the Off the Shelf Reading Challenge 2011.  I rate this book 4 out of 5.

Wildflower Delight

I finally finished my quilt that I designed in Jane Sassaman's class (Abstracting from Nature) in January. I'm really pleased with it. I used the photo below as inspiration.

Garden Turtle

Another page I did while visiting friends out of town. They actually had 3 of these turtles - I wanted to take this one home (but I also wanted to be invited back next year, so I didn't take him!).  I did this in ink - no pencil first.

Morel & Hellebore

One of the pages I did while visiting friends out of town. We only found one morel the week we were there - and it was a bit past its prime. The hellebore (also called Christmas Rose) was blooming and some of the blooms (like this one) were a light green. You don't see many green flowers.

A Room With a View by E.M. Forster

Lucy Honeychurch, a young Englishwoman, goes to Italy with her prim cousin, Miss Bartlett, acting as chaperone.  While staying at a pensione in Florence, she meets George Emerson, an Englishman she is attracted to, but whom is considered unsuitable.  After Lucy returns to England, she accepts the marriage proposal of a more suitable but stuffy man she has known for a number of years.  It is a satirical look at the manners of the time and I found it to be quite entertaining. This is the second book by E.M. Forster that I have read; my first book was A Passage to India.  This book was lighter in tone than A Passage to India, and I enjoyed it a bit more (although I liked A Passage to India as well, and I liked the look into the British attitude towards and treatment of Indians in that book).  One similarity between the two books was that there was an "incident" in both that was considered shocking at the time but would be considered trivial to us today.  This is my second book for the 2nds Challenge 2011 and my book club's current selection.  I rate it 4 out of 5.

Backyard Birdbath

We stopped in Little Rock to visit one set of friends on our way to Tennessee to visit another set of friends. This birdbath is in their backyard, visible from their kitchen window.

Hanging Basket

This is the first page in my latest handmade journal. I used 140 lb. Fabriano Artistico cold pressed watercolor paper. We stopped in Little Rock to visit one set of friends on our way to Tennessee to visit another set of friends. This basket hangs outside their kitchen window.

The Fiction Class by Susan Breen

Imaginary Trip To New Orleans - St. Elizabeth's

For some reason, I had a hard time deciding what to sketch when we visited St. Elizabeth's Asylum. Maybe that was because it was so BIG! I finally settled on the entrance with its leaded glass doors, but I felt rather uninspired, which I'm afraid comes through in the sketch. I'm already looking forward to my NEXT sketch.

And no, I'm not really in New Orleans - this is an Imaginary Trip with Laure Ferlita.

Imaginary Trip To New Orleans - Beignets

How can anyone resist something covered with this much powdered sugar? I don't usually eat donuts or sweet rolls, but I had to sample this New Orleans specialty - after all, you only live once, right? And it was every bit as good as I'd been told!

And no, I'm not really in New Orleans - this is an Imaginary Trip with Laure Ferlita.

Day After Night by Anita Diamant

After World War II and the Holocaust, large numbers of Jewish survivors tried to immigrate to Israel.  They were considered illegal immigrants by the British and held at Atlit internment camp.  In October 1945, the Palmach staged a rescue of over 200 prisoners.  This novel is based on that true story.

From the back of the book:  "The story is told through the eyes of four young women at the camp who survived the Holocaust:  Shayndel, a Polish Zionist; Leonie, a Parisian beauty; Tedi, a hidden Dutch Jew; and Zorah, a concentration camp survivor.  Haunted by unspeakable memories and losses, afraid to hope, the four of them find salvation in the bonds of friendship and shared experience even as they confront the challenge of re-creating themselves in a strange new country."

This is my second book for the I Want More Book Challenge (the previous books I've read by Anita Diamant were The Red Tent (my review is here) and The Last Days of Dogtown (audiobook)).  I rate this book 4 out of 5.

Imaginary Trip to New Orleans - Wrought Iron

It's all over New Orleans, and it comes in the most interesting colors. I really liked this light fixture - and the finials on the fences. Just a few quick sketches to get the essence of it. Lots of fun!

And no, I'm not really in New Orleans - this is an Imaginary Trip with Laure Ferlita.

Imaginary Trip to New Orleans - Bourbon Street

I used Google Street View to wander around on Bourbon Street until I found this pub that I wanted to sketch.

Journaling reads:

"You can't go to New Orleans and miss the party on Bourbon Street. I had to try a Hurricane; they're made with fruit juice, passion fruit syrup or grenadine, and rum. I had it here, in the Bourbon Pub, on the corner of Bourbon St. and St. Ann St., so I could have it in a hurricane glass. If I'd wanted to take it outside, it would have been in a neon green plastic go-cup."

And no, I'm not really in New Orleans - this is an Imaginary Trip with Laure Ferlita.

Imaginary Trip to New Orleans - Window Shutters

"Just about everywhere we looked, we saw shutters on the windows. And not just decorative shutters, but working shutters for protection from storms and to keep out critters. Many had vents at the top for airflow. If the shutters were locked closed, we couldn't tell if anyone was home or if the business was still there.

"We only had a few minutes here, so I sketched quickly with pen and added a bit of color. We all agreed it would be great to have our very own KITCHEN WITCH!"

And no, I'm not really in New Orleans - this is an Imaginary Trip with Laure Ferlita.

Imaginary Trip to New Orleans - Canal Street Trolley

I'm taking another class with Laure Ferlita (have I mentioned how much I love her classes?). This one is An Imaginary Trip to New Orleans.

"I've always wanted to see "The Big Easy," and what better way than in a class led by Laure Ferlita? We took the Canal Street trolley today. Locals buy Jazzy Passes (magnetically encoded cards). I love that name. Laure says we'll be walking a lot - thankfully I only own comfortable shoes. It's going to be a fun time!"

Sketchbook Challenge - Spilling Over 2

This is my second page for the Sketchbook Challenge's March theme of Spilling Over. I sketched it with water soluble pen one evening (no pencil first) then added watercolor and journaling the next evening.

the curious incident of the dog in the night-time by mark haddon

Christopher, a 15-year old autistic boy, discovers that his neighbor's dog Wellington has been killed.  He is very sad about that because he loves dogs, so he decides to try to discover who killed Wellington.  The book is narrated by Christopher, who is very intelligent but can't stand to be touched and finds people confusing.  Christopher is really good at math, so when he gets overwhelmed, he works out math problems in his head.  When I first read about this book, I didn't think I wanted to read it, but I really liked it.  It was my book club's current month's selection and my 4th book for the New Author Challenge 2011.  I rate it 4 out of 5.

Sketchbook Challenge - Spilling Over

March's theme for the Sketchbook Challenge is Spilling Over. This was really helpful to put ALL of my watercolors on one page, so I can see how they compare to each other. I think I'll make a few changes to my everyday palette.

The journaling reads: "It all started innocently enough. I signed up for Laure Ferlita's online class - An Imaginary Trip Through Autumn - in 2009. I bought a watercolor palette from her with 22 colors in it. Then Glen bought me a few tubes from Hobby Lobby for Christmas that year. Gradually, I bought a few tubes for myself, then a few more, and a few more, and now I have 40 tubes - with more on my wish list!"

The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton

This is Jane Hamilton's first book, but the second book of hers that I've read.  Her first book that I read was A Map of the World, which I reviewed here.  This is the story of Ruth Grey, a neglected child who is trying to make sense of the mysteries of her life and the meanness in people's hearts.  An adult Ruth is the narrator, and she describes growing up in a dysfunctional family, marrying an unemployed crazy man, and continuing to live with her emotionally abusive mother.  It is a very difficult story to read, but it was well written (although I thought A Map of the World was better).  It was my first book for the 2nds Reading Challenge and my fifth book for the Off the Shelf Reading Challenge.  I rate this book 3 out of 5.

21 Days in February

Yes, I know it's March.  But in February, I took a class from Donna Mulholland, called 21 Days in February - Explore Your Creativity with Watercolor Journaling.  We were given daily journal prompts, and it was a lot of fun.  I completed 18 of the 21 daily prompts, and for some reason I didn't share them while I was doing them.  So rather than doing a separate post for each page, I thought I'd put them all together in this post.  It will make for a very long post, but I thought that would be better than 18 separate posts.

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 7

Day 9

Day 10

Day 12

Day 11

Day 13

Day 6

Day 17

Day 14

Day 18

 

Day 16

Day 19

Day 20

Day 5

I posted these in the order I completed them, not the order that the prompts were given. Donna will be doing another class that I'll be taking in May - 21 Days of Gratitude with Watercolour Journaling: 21 Days of journaling prompts to cultivate gratitude. Online, May 5 – May 25, 2011 (21 days) $35.00 CDN.