EXCITING CHANGES TO COME!!!

Dick and I have made some big changes for the year to come!! We are downsizing to free us up to do the things we have always wanted to do ..... that is.... free to travel, spend more time together, follow His lead for new adventures, no more retail store after 27 years, more time with kids, but still MORE ART and probably some sewing classes for girls ..... that is a dream right now ..... but the ART won't stop, it will be here on the blog as soon as we finish remodeling our NEW/OLD smaller home about 20 miles away. SO STAY TUNED ... we'll be having a big sale and beautiful house and property SALE in the SUMMER!! MORE FREEDOM ON IT'S WAY!!! WooHoo!!! And THANKS for all your support the last twenty seven years in my shop!!!

Saturday, January 29, 2011

ANOTHER BE-ATTITUDE....."MOURN"

Here is another "Be-Attitude" .....as I named them...... I have taken old paperback Bibles I buy at the used store and tear scriptures out of them that I want to use on art pieces. I've had these "beatitudes" from scripture laying around from a previous project and I have always wanted to learn more about them and what Christ was trying to say when He told them to the disciples while sitting on a mountain (Sermon on the Mount) after He saw the multitudes. He knew something about us .... and what we needed .... truly needed. I hope I haven't miss represented these "beatitudes" with the art I have paired them with ... and I may have slightly. These have caused a lot of conversation and many of us to wonder what exactly did the beatitudes mean? So if you want to read them and do a little fun digging .... here is a fabulous place to go to .... "Blueletterbible.org" ....but specifically when reading them ... click the blue numbers by the words you want more meaning to and it takes you to the original meaning it had in the Hebrew or Greek at the time it was written! Have fun and forgive me if some of these have been paired wrongly with the art. We have giggled with them and wondered with them .... so I hope a good thing! I would love them in a devotional to lift spirits .... who knows where they will end up. But here is one more ...... with more to come. ENJOY and BLESSINGS!! And thanks for all the positive feedback!! This one is "Mourn"...number three.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

SALT....MEEK'S NEIGHBOR...

IMPROVED...more elements and a little more color! Yes, she is the salt of the earth .... and yes, she has some flavor to her that you don't forget because she is so sincere!! I am so hooked on these things.... I MUST make more! I was thinking of what to call them.... they did evolve from my cereal box series.... but these need a name ..... hope to have a whole series by the time of our show. Would love any comments or suggestions you may have! I've had a few fans already in our Gut Art Class.... Short I know, but I need to get back to the studio!!! Blessings and ENJOY!!! ...even my husband likes them! So far, they are the Beatitudes.... Be Attitudes?

Friday, January 21, 2011

DECORATING THE DORM....

This piece of art is all from my original paintings...three different ones combined with "layering" and "brushing out" with photoshop....the bright flowers were a separate painting and here I manipulated the colors to force some turquoise and purple and brighter reds ... I call it ..."stretching it"... forcing the saturation a bit ... but it worked here I think. All new learning... kinda fun! Their blankets...not cut yet....their school is BUA...red and black colors...can you believe how lucky to find the "B" on the bear's college sweater...and the black and red colors? This is two pieces of art creating one and adding the type....the girl is layered on top of a floral piece...needed to make it longer so added sections at the top and bottom...all photoshop with two original scans....fun. Found another to add words..."The Lord is my Shepherd" in Spanish...ready to frame. This month has been about college, encouragement, education, enrolling in school and all on a budget!! Two kids from our church are in college for the first time .... so as the " sort of " adopted Grandma at church, I offer rides and hauling since I have an old suburban that still hauls lots of kids stuff around!! Well, one girl and her Mom and I had the best ever time hitting the sales at ROSS and at the Goodwill in San Antonio... a few hours from here .... to make her room feel more at home and cozy.... then she said the her apartment dorm mates never sat in the living room because it was dreary and boring and dark and cold....plus they wanted to gather there more for movies and visiting after studying..... SOOOO...off I went to Walmart to see what I could find and this is what I came up with....bargains.....eight blankets out of "on sale" chenille....8.50 for each girl to have a nice size throw to cozy up with and then I got some of those $5.00 14x18 poster frames and used striped wrapping paper I already had to put behind some of my art I manipulated to bring out their colors ... their school colors were black and red but "our girl" loves turquoise .... so I had to get some in the mix! There will be a few pillows too in the turquoise and red .... and of course some scripture on the art to encourage them!!! It is a small Christian College where they go... I feel like a Proud (Grandmom) Mom of a college girl, even though my (daughter) college girl is now 41 with three kids!! A note on the art: I learned layering with photoshop, so I was able to combine several paintings or art pieces together to create really colorful art to suit them....Maria had picked out all the prints she liked and then I played with them. Got a few lamps too (from the garage stuff) black and a black book shelf. With their red and turquoise popcorn bowls it will all make a fun room. Thanks for all your prayers and your sweet comments. Have a joyful week...Blessings! .... and enjoy. This was great playing and fun to "mix" this up!!! Let me know if you like all those colors!?!!

Monday, January 17, 2011

HATE HURTS...

Hate does hurt .... I traveled to a near by town and visited and talked with a girl 16 yrs old today who broke down and cried because of the prejudice in her own school and town where she has lived since she was a preschooler. In the early years she was so excited about school and went to school with the joy of an intelligent and promising school girl. She has always been smart and made good grades.... and as she grew up in this small town she was anticipating going to a famous University. She is smart enough to. But financially it is impossible for her family. Her last name puts her in an ethnic group that has experienced so much hatred and anger from so called good people who are evidently fear based...even Christians. I haven't seen her for over a year, I am ashamed to say and I now regret it. I love her and she is an awesome, awesome kid. I feel I have really neglected her. I was shocked when I felt her tears and desperation of needing an education so she can live a better life... and "get out of here..." She IS American and legal, but doesn't feel like "either" one. I feel her hurt so deeply and I am so ashamed of many people in my own country. It HURTS and BREAKS MY HEART....and I'm sorry but I needed a place to say it and tonight it is said here. Please forgive me but maybe this can do some good.... somewhere. Anywhere. Please pray for her ... she is worth it ... she is sooo worth it ... pray she doesn't hate her own country. God knows who she is. As I was grieving her feelings I clicked on this ....and it was what I needed to see, ....and hear. I have no real art for this except this drawing of a young woman who asked me for food the other day while in San Antonio. It is NOT her, the girl I speak of .... just a drawing of despair. I am sorry for this post .... it will be a better week next week. Blessings to you and spread some compassion, love, and hope..... especially to the young. I found a piece I did about when we are in the valleys and hills... the promised land we are to possess that God provided for us .... that it, (we) would be watered by the rain from heaven...not the water we had to carry in buckets or by foot from the river like when in Egypt....Deut. 11:10-15

Friday, January 7, 2011

Meet "Meek"...

She can't believe they consider her to be meek.... Petals from collage paper of my zinnias outside..... I've been delaying my post because I had a fabulous teaching that I heard that I wanted to share and just can't seem to come up with the right words to portray the depth of meaning it had for me...so I will wait on it and may have some art to go with it at a later date.....BUT.....BUT....today I was encouraged to show Ms. Meek.....(meekness) and maybe I'll add Peacemaker to it. It was the result of just a fun class with Mystele and a response to an artist by the name of Jill Krasner with her wonderful collages. I just had a couple of small gessoed pieces to work quickly on and used only left over collage stuff on my table...and some bright colors as the base.....when I found or saw the faces I began and just added what was there to collage with on my table of scraps...they are the size of bookmarks....and they just make me smile or giggle. I hope you enjoy them..... I do love collage!! Blessings for a New Year! And sorry I have been sooo busy and not posting....but I did add the Valentine stuff in the shop photos to the left.....ENJOY!!