May you have......

....the most glorious of days today.

May the sun shine upon you, may you have time for rest, for dreams, for creativity.

Let your soul soar and your inspiration take flight.

And may it all start right NOW!

Poppies For Jan

The other day I promised to post some of the breadbox poppies, because Jan had commented that poppies are one of her favorite flowers.

(mine too!)

These are all variants of the same flower type. At my parents home, we had single reds and also double pinks, and colors and shapes in between.

The coloring is so delicate, petals silky and just a hint of odor....something that is unexpected. I love the grey-green foliage, smooth and frosty, unlike other poppies stems and leaves.

Occasionally I get one like this that just overdoes itself.....WOW!

They come and go of their own accord; I never am sure if I will have them the following year. The need for light soil and exposure to the elements for the seed to germinate makes it an iffy process, especially living in the country where wind is far to vigorous. Away goes the seed.......

But sometimes, you just luck out!

Enjoy!

The Most Magnificent of Blooms

I admit it, I am such a sucker for Tulip Poplars. The moment the blooms open I run berserk with a camera, shooting pictures from every available angle, pulling the limbs to get self and digital into better positions and generally making quite the fool of myself.
I don't care. I planted this tree years ago when it was very small and waited and waited and waited......each spring checking to see if there was anything closely or even remotely resembling a flower bud. To no avail.
Last year and this year have been the first blooms. I am in heaven! The scent, the texture of the petals, the huge cone center, the amazing bright orange and greenish yellows they display---OH! Wonderful! I discovered last Fall the seedpods are quirky and sturdy enough to use in the box canvasses, coated with a heavy varnish and fluid acrylic if need (or want) be.
So here you are, stuck with no intellectual content; just the results of Anne and her camera doing something most likely resembling a Pagan Fertility Ritual around the poplar.
Well, look at the bright side.......you don't live next door to me.
And yes, I was dressed.
Hope you find something today to bring you the joy that these bring to me!
(And go make art!!!!)

(As an aside; you can actually cut the flowers and bring them in for a bouquet. They last a fairly decent time and are the most unusual thing to put into an otherwise common arrangement.)

Pearls......

(I'm off to an early PT....will talk with y'all when I get back)

Quite a while back I shot this photo of a bowl of freshwater pearls I have in the studio. Afterwards, I debated posting it because it is not a high contrast, grab-you-quickly photo. Yet I have kept it in my blog file, waiting for the time when I chose to write about the meaning of pearls in my work.

A natural pearl or cultured pearl is, of course, a foreign object implanted either intentionally or by accident into an oyster. The oyster then produces layer after layer of nacre, more commonly known as Mother of Pearl, and very slowly takes an irritant, a bit of something with no value and turns it into a smooth, beautiful, lustrous precious item.

So what does this have to do with art, or the work I do, or even my blog?

A lot.

I see great symbolism in pearls. We all have the potential to become more than we are--- slowly, carefully, with patience. My friends are the pearls in my life; they have given me layer after layer of friendship and love and kind words and confidence. They know me and accept me for what I am, yet we all strive to help each other and make our talent better. That is a layer of nacre if ever I have seen one!

In liturgical work, I use pearls to represent the soul. What starts as a bit of dust and imperfection is gently handled and patiently molded into something of great refinement. Each little lump of life, covered over with something healing, smoothing the road. It may not be the perfect *round* pearl, but it is a beautiful and unique item, as are every one of us. That is one reason I use so many freshwater pearls in church banners, alter cloths, etc. The tiny bit of nothing transformed to a higher state. A representation of all of us, brought humbly into the sanctuary but bringing it to life.

I keep the bowl on my worktable as a focal point for not-so-good days; I will run my fingers through them, lift them and feel the heft of a handful of the tiny objects. They are all sizes, all colors, all shapes, and all have the same value to me. Each is unique. Each delights me. The imperfections, the knots and bumps, the little occasional sharp edges........each has it's own beauty.

Every time we create art, we have the potential to create a pearl. Not the perfect, highly priced, string of pearls, but the real, rough edged, brought up from the ashes pearl. We take a thought and make something real. We take cast offs and make something of value. We share our process to give others that little extra layer of nacre. We comment, we reply, we discuss and laugh. We make life a bit better. We makes friends across the country and world.

We give one more layer of luster, one more bit of depth.

You, my readers, are indeed my pearls.

I hope I have returned to you enough in content to say you have received at least one shiny coat of nacre.

You have given me many.

Thank you!

A Bit of Color.....

We're predicted for rain today; yesterday it was on and off just enough to make it hot and humid and wipe out a good portion of the iris. I thought I would post this photo of one of my poppies; bright, red, cheerful and so full of other colors too!

I really did not realize when I shot it how much color was in the center of the flower. Typically we think of a poppy as red, or pink as the case may be, with a black center. But upon close examination there are many colors and shades and hues.

This has not been retouched or photo enhanced. This is just the real flower *as is*. What an amazing show! And how much of this do we miss by just giving a casual glance or listening to the things we learned by rote; the sky is blue, the grass is green, tree trunks are brown........

There is a lot of color out there, a tremendous amount to be seen and absorbed and investigated. We have to relearn to see with an artists eye. I go through this all the time. It is not something you necessarily keep forever. It is a tool that requires use often and sharpening when necessary.

Take a look around you at the everyday things you pass over and over and really LOOK. Use a camera if necessary. What do you see....really?

Isn't it amazing?

Tuesday......that feels like Monday......

I think the picture says it all...except I was certainly not partying all weekend, and frankly, I think I might have been perkier if indeed I had been! It was a typical non-stop work-a-thon here, leaving me in a state of semi-paralysis this morning.

Plus, I am confused as to the DAY of the week, which always happens after a long holiday weekend. You know---the whole week just isn't *right*.

I might as well bemoan my lack of artistic activity; I ended up snitching a whole, whopping 15 minutes in the wet studio, and my plans to work on the sewing studio---to clean it up so I can get ready to start finishing the church banners---did not happen at all.

So there is one unhappy little camper writing this morning, and even more unhappy that she is going to have to scurry off to PT and lose the early part of the day to further making herself miserable. (pout.....)

Patience is not one of my virtues. As much as I enjoy the folks with the therapy, I have had enough because now that there is a lot of outdoor work, it is cutting into my art time. I have felt the need to cloister myself in the studio for a bit, and I know that I am going to have to do some creative time management to make it happen. (and that, too, is not one of my better skills) It frustrates me. It makes me feel all....hmmmmmm........out of whack.

Art is a peculiar and demanding mistress in that she loves you, leaves you, drags you around by your nose and then rewards you with wonderful creations.

I think she's going to be pretty unhappy if I don't get that studio back into my life on a regular basis.

And I think that I will be too........maybe tomorrow I will be brave and post a pic of the colossal mess I have facing me that has to be tended to before the banner sewing may again commence. It will help guilt me into action! I will have to answer to the blog.... ;)

Here's hoping my gentle readers got some rest, had some fun, and most of all, had some time for creative musings. Now go do what you do everyday---try and take over the world with art!

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead.

Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved, and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

— Lt.-Col. John McCrae (1872 - 1918)

Msgt. Coy A. Huskey

U.S. Army, Signal Corps

(1921-2000)

To all who have served, who serve today, who have given the ultimate in the act of service to this country; to my father who served proudly in World War 2 and brought the unmistakable impressions of it's physical and mental wounds home with him, and to all others who valiantly face daily what we--the civilian public, cannot imagine--you are honored.

May the time come soon when, through our better angels, we can put behind us the grievances that breed war and celebrate strictly honored memories upon Memorial Day.

May we find and keep the peace these men and women so valiantly fought and died for, and continue to do so even now.

A Walk Around The Garden

(Photos copyright Anne M. Huskey-Lockard, 2009, all rights reserved)

Some lovely old fashioned iris; they have proliferated---I have too many but love them so........

St. Francis amidst the violet leaves, day lilies and another old fashioned iris that was frequently found in cemeteries and roadside ditches.

The Sunshine Locust, with brilliant lighting.......

Dames Rocket and the Oriental Poppies beginning to unfurl their papery red skirts, all aglow with sunlight.......

Another older iris, with most peculiar coloring; a bit purple, a bit beige, and in the right light, an iridescent sheen. It almost looks frosted.

How can the day be bad when all this beauty surrounds me?

May your day be as tranquil and lovely and may you be inspired to put some beauty back into the world!

Holidaze......

Where is it written that every long holiday weekend you have to end up on your knees, working like a dog? Somehow, that's the weekend here. But this pic of me is sooooo humiliating that I thought for those of you also working yourselves to death, you could get a laugh and that might relieve a bit of the stress! Believe me, on Sunday and Monday, I am NOT working, unless it is art and I don't consider that work.
Or getting my hair back to *naturally blonde*.....ahem!
Hope you all are having a productive holiday weekend but not one to break your back or put you in traction. Have some fun and enjoy the days!
And no, I have no shame......yes, I am a HAM.
You knew that! ;)

Liturgically Speaking.....

....I found these images of a scarf I had made from leftover fabric from a handmade altar cloth. This was one of those jobs you made the rules up as you went along. The fabric was a rayon jacquard, ravelled like crazy, had to have a stiff interfacing to hang properly, was lined with linen and of course, needed gold and pearls.

Hmmmmmm........who would take on a task like this??? <:)

I made the little linen collar protectors with a hand crocheted edging, then they were basted in so they could be removed for washing. That, by itself was a honking headache.
Somewhere along the line I discovered I couldn't sew this on the machine and then turn it right side out. The lining and fabrics just said "NO!" which that meant sewing the whole thing by hand.
These items turn out to be meditative after a while. All the cording is couched on with a heavy gold thread (yes, real metal wrapped). The pearls are all secured by hand with waxed thread and stitched so the knots are not seen on the lining. There are also hand applied gold filled beads on the appliques and other glass beads.

The fringe on the bottom is real metal bouillon fringe, and that little tidbit on there set me back a pretty penny. But it needed it. The gold anchored all the white, and also the wool felt and gold embroidered appliques. Pearls were added with abundance, so that the scarf would shimmer, even under the lowest lighting.
Why don't I do this full time for a job? (because I probably could...) Cost, both of materials, and the toll on my hands and neck and shoulders. Most of my sources for liturgical fabrics have dried up, and the few remaining ones offer beautiful items but not at a price that I can make a profit.
However, every once in a while, I get the urge to make something delicious and wonderful and rich, dripping with elegance and history and reminding me that I still can sew pretty good.
I think I was born in the wrong era.
Or maybe it's that *Inner Nun* trying to assert herself.
You think I'm joking...don't you?
Now go find something that makes your brain perk--a puzzle to assert your creativity with!
But you might want to forget the metal fringe....... :) ...at least for now!

A Lovely Evening.......

(All photos courtesy of Shane Mohler, copyright 2009, all rights reserved)

.....At Co-Op, even though it had gotten hot during the day and warmed the Cafe more than usual. We had a great turn out, new faces who all said they would come back (YAY!) and good art and good friends!

The late afternoon sun coming through the large windows always provides interesting shadows and highlights; Shane was kind enough to shoot pics for me and I loved these photos above he shot. (especially this with the chiaroscuro lighting!) Thanks a big BAZILLION Shane!

I did the presentation of the canvas to Rev. Steve Ailes (who had managed to escape from another meeting long enough to get to our meeting!) It was a touching moment for me, having to be semi-professional and explain all the details and remain emotionally neutral. The gift was happily accepted.

And I had to include this picture because we were laughing afterwards about me looking all proper and subservient........which, believe me, everone knows is not true!!!!! I do look like I am behaving though......and I did a pretty good job, until I turned the piece to the sides and said "How's your Latin?" (which of course, Steve could read...hmmmpht!)

Now today is off to PT, with a considerable amount of pain from being on my feet all day yesterday, so it ought to be interesting. I guess it will be payback for all the off-color humor AFTER the canvas was presented! LOL!!!!

I hope, during this process of posting from start to finish, some of the excitement of work and discovery was conveyed. Perhaps you have had a chance to get a new idea, to think about what you do in a new way, to be able to get a glance into the mind of another artist and discover your own inspiration. Or maybe you have just enjoyed the visual ride of process to product.

Whatever the journey has been, may it have been profitable, enjoyable and educational.

And may you always be able to share your art with those around you.

There is no greater gift and responsibility than being blessed with the talent of an artist, and no greater joy than passing the results of that along.

Make art! Do what you do well!

Deo gratias.

The Box Canvas---FINISHED!!!!!

Well folks, you've been quite patient, and today I have all the photos of the box canvas posted; you get to see the sum of all the little parts and tidbits you've been teased with! I have to admit I am more than happy with it---in fact, I really don't want to give it away but go it must.

I'd also like to add that the photos that are the lighter yellow reflect the real color of the piece. It was one of those shades that just went weird every time I would go for a close up and I am far to lazy to readjust color each time...... ;)

The cross was built up with layer after layer of rice paper and gel medium. This allowed a slow but manageable shaping of the piece. What surprised me when I painted it was the fact that it really looked like wood! A nice surprise!

This is, of course, a liberal interpretation of a Jerusalem Cross, which usually has four small crosses in the corners representing the four gospels. Well, why not put the evangelists there instead? So right to left, top then bottom; Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. They are secured in the bottle caps, as small gilded frames, with a bit of superfine glitter acting as halos around the edges.

This is a very BAD close up of poor Matthew.....he's really not that orange.....
Then on each side of the canvas, I picked an appropriate Latin verse.

On the left side: "Be mindful, O Lord, of Thy servants."

On the top: "By the words of the Gospel may our sins be blotted out."

On the right side: "May Almighty God bless you: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost."

And obviously, on the bottom, as all prayers are ended; "Amen"

The worst part of the text was going through font after font after font to find something that looked very much like the old fonts used in prayer books, and then remembering that the first initial of each phrase was a decorative cap, in *that* red, and the rest of the verse in a plain font. The text was probably the worst to put together in the sense of imitating an old missal.

But the back......ah......it was glorious to work on! Again, the first photo is the most accurate for color and I can't help the quality of the close up...it's better than it was when I first uploaded it.

I did a tremendous amount of searching for the right icon image to put in the cavity--most were far too stylized and stern for my liking. Then I came across this one, but only a tiny JPEG, so I kept looking and lucked out, finding a very large photo. It was printed, applied with gel, painted over with fluid acrylics, metallic gold paint and German glass glitter around the edge of the halo. I sealed the glitter with Triple Thick Glaze, because I was NOT sure it would stay in place due to the nature of a canvas to expand and contract with weather.

The skin tone on the piece is actually a very natural color, but again, I kept getting RED. So you have to use your generous imaginations on this one!

After taking the photos, I finished with different varnishes; matte, satin and gloss. The background is satin, the body of the paper, matte, and the face and halo, gloss. It is very effective. I intend to experiment more with the combination of finishes, as it allows things to be pushed forward or back, as desired. Tonight we have our Artists Co-Op meeting and I am taking this to show.

So thanks for sticking with me on this piece, and a very big WELCOME to a new follower! While I am glad this is done, it is with sadness, too, because it truly brings to reality the fact that our minister will be moving on. Steve is a great man, has put up with me like a saint (the patience of Job, we're talking...), endured my raucous and unfit jokes I have been compelled to e-mail him, and has been a pillar within our community.

Reverend Steve Ailes, you will be missed. Sorely. This is a very small gift to remind you of your community and home in Peru.

To the rest of you, take advantage of each day, try new things, cherish those about you.

And make ART!!!!!!

I promised art.....

.....I just didn't say if it would be vintage or not. Here's the scoop; I was exhausted when I got home last evening, one of our friends dropped of a lawn roller, which I filled with water and worked on the yard way too late, then came in and cooked and this morning I can barely move and of course, have to hustle to get ready for PT. Spent the night with a bad stomach ache and still not feeling good at all.

I don't remember what year I did this quilt; it took a Governors Award and a Best of Show. Other than that, the details are vague. There is tons of machine quilting in it; it was an amazing work to put together with tiny pieces of fabric being cut and then applied with a fine line of glue, then almost everything secured under a layer of tulle before going under the machine.

I wish I had somewhere to hang this in the house, but it is BIG. One of the last pieces I did this large. I completed this one before I started having back and shoulder problems.

Maybe.....maybe, maybe.....tomorrow, I will have the box canvas posted. It is almost complete for all intents; just needs a final coat of varnish and lots of photos. LOTS.

So hopefully you won't feeling like digging out a cut from the crypt in you creative ventures today----unless, of course, it's one you really want to finish!

Here's to freshness and imagination and starting new projects!

Go for it!

A fast peck at the keys

Today is hurry up and hit the road for a few meetings and I am hoping that by this afternoon I can get back to the box canvas. I have to admit....there were several steps I did that I did not photograph. I was too busy trying to get things done (all at once) such as change the oil in the John Deere, do laundry, clean the kitchen, mow the acre and head to town to paint on the Circus Banners. And that last one is making parts of the body recently operated on most unhappy. I just keep forgetting I am NOT Wonder Woman. I'm sure it's just because I can't squeeze into those satin tights anymore....... ;) .......probably all that yummy pizza and Abita beer! From New Orleans, you know!

At any rate, if you all will bear with me, I will get some sort of art posted this week. I have no idea what at this point! I am hoping for the box canvas to be DONE by Wednesday evening, to take to Co-Op and show----not that it has anything to do with the theme we picked, "Peacock". That's the Mr. Mel piece that will go to Jan that will be shown. But I absolutely MUST show the other one off a bit!

And when I do post it, finished no doubt, there will be a lot of pics so it will have been worth the wait. I promise! Or I'll eat dirt. And even with my more-than-healthy appetite, I don't want to eat that. Now, a nice pot of crawfish, ahhhhhh, different story!

At least it appears we will have a sunny day here today for all my running and then home and try and think what I want for dinner. (something I don't have to cook---that's what!) I could have put a lovely outdoor picture up today, but you know me and monkeys....this is much more *me* except his desk is less cluttered!

So for everyone else, have a good day, have some creative time and enjoy yourselves! Don't let this be a typical Monday.......

Make ART!!!!!

Make creativity happen!

Have FUN!!!!!

A Little Rain.......

......and all the colors come out!

Hope you have beautiful things to inspire you today

and that you always have a rainbow after

your storms!

Now go have a colorful, creative, beautiful day!

Moving Along.....

It's been a rather frustrating morning so far; once again no e-mail and also I find out the *new* company doesn't have tech support on weekends! WOW. What service. NOT!!!!
So I'll just make art instead. Below, are two items in the cadre for the canvas. The first is a dressmakers tissue stamped with Staz-On ink. The second is glass glitter suggested by Tristan over at Enchanted Revelry. (sigh.......) He knows all these places that are hard on the pocketbook but great for supplies! Luv ya Tristan! ;)

As seen in the photo below, the stamped paper was used in the corners on the back of the canvas support. As much as I liked (and I really do mean LIKED) all that gold, I felt it needed a little something to break it up for this project. The stamped dressmakers tissue is perfect because it shows up the design but still allows the gold to show through. You can also see that there has been a bit of glaze added to the interior edge of the gold---a red mixed with GAC 200 to warm it up a bit. Then, as a subtle counterpoint, I used one of the cool interference colors to put along the outer edge, applied with a very sophisticated tool---my finger! (I'm not sure if it shows up in the photo, maybe just on the very corner of the piece...just a hint)

It helps the eye recover from the dominant red all around the inner opening. It is not in-your-face-obvious. This is, again, a play with the eye. Sending the line of vision where you want it to be.

The final photo is of the whole canvas with some paper stuck in the middle so I would not make a mess or drip glaze inside. I have not used the glitter yet; that will be for the inner cavity, possibly. And maybe it won't appear on this piece at all, but that is how I work. I like having the tools I need and might need in place so once I start, I'm not having to run all over trying to procure something.

One note on the bottom pic---with the existing lighting it looks redder here. It is not that red; I was too lazy and in too much of a hurry to fiddle with anything in the photo program this morning.......

All in all, this is proceeding nicely, considering the lack of time I have had to work on it and the amount of drying time between each step at this point. Hopefully, by next week, I will have this DONE and ready to unveil the whole!!!

In the meantime, go be creative!

I plan to!

Gilding--or--"Mommy, why is that lady's behind gold and glittery???"

Yesterday's day away from the blog was, in a way, GOOD, as I got more done and some photos shot. The first leafing I put on was the silver, as it was on the interior edge of the wood, and that was the smallest, soooooo, a wise place to start!

This shows one side of the wood with the leaf applied and then a coat of fluid acrylics and GAC 200, to antique it. I did not want it excessively bright. The second photo also shows the silver, but you can see there is adifference in appearence.

This is due to the texture of the underlying wood and the many coats of gesso, that build up the texture. In traditional gilding, the gesso base is made as smooth as possible to allow the leaf to look like real metal, or in the case of antique gilding, real gold. I like what happened with the rougher undersurface; I think there is a particular character to it and will work well with the finished piece.

Then I got brave and began the gold colored leaf. This may be psychological, but this leaf seems much softer and harder to work with. I should add here that I did NOT buy the usual gilders medium to apply this with. It's too slow to dry and gets to be a big mess. I chose to try the matte version of Collage Pauge and while your work time is shorter, it seems to do the job very well.

At this point you can see the red background and the very soft natural bristle brush I use to smooth the leaf out. You must--I repeat MUST--use an extremely light touch when smoothing the leaf with the brush. There is only so much you can do once it has hit the size/glue base. It is there. After it is set up, I use the brush to take off loose pieces and tiny areas I have had to backfill.

That is where the title of the post came from.....I discoverd that not only was the table covered with tiny bits of gold, but the floor, my shoes, the rug, the wastebasket and my chair. Which meant something else was probably covered too........ai yi yi......

This is how it looked after the last leaf application. There are rough spots, places where the red shows through but that will be okay. For my next step, I think the red should help to add to the overall composition.

I rarely show step by step process on these, and this is rather fun! I hope you are learning a bit from it, even if that is that you NEVER EVER want to try metal leaf!!! LOL!!!

Wait till you see the next part.....

Stay tuned!

P.S. One thing I did not place enough emphasis on is allowing proper drying time for the leaf to set up and then really cleaning the tidbits of unadhered leaf OFF the project. That's when your whole world begins to shine....because it is everywhere. It's a good idea to cover things with a disposable paper or plastic cloth. Saves time and sanity. ;)