Yahoo groups closes archives.

A month or so ago, group owners and moderators were contacted to announce the closure of many features of yahoo groups.    If can still be used for mailing, but the files, links, and photographs will be deleted today.     

 It grieves me as an archivist to see the past wiped away.    We all bought into the Yahoo groups concept and built our sites to reflect the interests of our members.   Hours and hours of planning and uploading built our sites. 

Yahoo offered some suggestions on how to salvage our files, but for some of us, they were not accessible or usable.    As moderator of several groups representing 100+ members, it saddens me to see our hard work erased. 

 I notified members several times that they would need to download anything they wanted to save, and thats the best I could do.  I hope those readers who were members of groups took the time to review and save things to your personal devices.



The mixed media site was set up in 2009. The others were added later as new groups were formed that coyld benefit from the group features for sharing communications, calendars, polls, files, photographs, links, and resources.

This one is finished.

This one was a really fun challenge. I started with an all over collage, thinking it would become a simple vase of flowers.   Wellllll..... its hardly simple.

I sketched the flowers in charcoal, then the glass.   And the table top.  Then i painted the flowers in acryllics. 

I often work on several pieces at a time.  In this instance i had green and blue on my pallet so chose to cover some of the collage pieces, as it was so busy the flowers would never stand out. Little by little I glazed over some colors so patterns would  show through, and other places painted pieces and did some random mark making techniques to add interest.

I know it probably could benefit from simplifying background, toning it down even more...but I really like it this way. So, Im done, its signed and sealed.

In the works.

Now this one will be fun..... all experimental.  Staring with overall collage as a base.     Scraps ofvthiscandcthat. Just covering canvas.

 Second step, adding paints and glazes.

At this point I still have no idea what it might turn into.      Something will happen and it will start to develop a theme and subject.    More than likely a floral.   

Whats new ? Three pears

What i like. I like the colors. I like the subject. It was fun to do.   Its an okay painting. Someone will love it.

What I don't like.    Its only an okay painting.  No spark, nothing new.  Follows the rules but its nearly a copycat. So Im bored.    The first 14 experimental pears were fun. The pair of pears were good too.  These are mediocre.     They are a gift to someone who will love them and not be bored at all. 

Crackled photos

I was being lazy, rather than rephotographing a couple of paintings, I photographed the image from my cell phone screen.    Bad idea. I dropped my cell phone awhile back and shattered part of the screen.  Im not planning on paying 400 dollars to replace the glass, so it will stay this way for quite awhile.    I just look past it.   But now that I see it on mybtablet screen, I realize that it doesnt work to copy photos that way. 

I copy SnapChat videos of my great granddaughter by photographing them with my tablet as I play them when I open them on my cell phone.    Its a bit tricky, but I am determined to save some of them. 

If you are not familiar with Snap chat, the pictures can only be viewed a couple times and then they disappear.   Never to be seen again.     Valerie is not yet 3 months old so these videos and photos are precious to me.   Because of the crackled screen, they are not

Worth printing or duplicating, but I can see her first smiles whenever I want.    Its a limited success, good enough for me.   

Floral on black

Here's the other floral based on the black and white base.  With only a minimum amout of tweaking of the flowers which seemed so delicate against the black, I put more emphasis on the vase which I collaged with tissue paper.

I changed the shape of the

vase, used a printed tissue paper to collage the vase and added the table with stencils and some textures to the background. 

Reworking a piece

This painting had a green background.  I love green. Its my go-to color.   But after awhile it started to annoy me. Just too much green.  Too bright.    So I loaded up my brush with grey and covered it.   Now this painting has so many coats, its getting thicker and thicker.  I really must stop tweaking it.  Lol

Green leaf

Its totally absorbing to try to draw a true likeness of something from nature.   I can see why botanical drawings have fascinated so many artists.  Im not at that level so that it looks like a photograph.... but I enjoy the concentrated effort. This is a simple leaf found in the grass, dandeliom, I'd guess. 

Nature meets pencils

Continuing my nature journal, here are more recent pages.

Mixed media group project

A You Tube video by CeeCee showed her doing this warm up exercise using watercolors and a permanent ink pen.     I made a couple samples and posted the link to our group so they could be inspired and know what to expect. 

After our show and tell and sharing time, we settled into doing our own versions of CeeCee's exercise. We are usually very chatty, but everyone got so involved with this project, you could hear a pin drop.

Here are some of mine. 

Drawings from nature

These are from the journal I work in at the senior centers.     I usually take something from the garden, or find something there to use as a subject.    Sometimes other artists bring me a subject.    It is relaxing and we can visit while we make art.   Lovely way to spend a morning.  Here are some recent drawings.   

Black and white gesso experiment

Bob Burridge sometimes starts his paintings in black and white, then adds color by rubbing very wet acrylic paints on with paper towels.  It came the time I needed to gesso some canvases, so thought Id use black for a change.  Then I remembered Bobs videos and thought Id give his method a try. 

Heres the first one done with the addition of just two colors. Yellow and opera pink. I love the orange it makes.    But what about the green, you ask.... thats a Jane Davies hint.   Mix yellow with black and add white to make the greens.  Wow.   Ive been waiting to try that as well.  Kind of a dark olive. She adds much more white and gets a celedon.    I threw on the black and white striped tissue paper over the color glaze and added another light coat of glaze over top.

My blast from the past

This is a painting I did in March 1999.   More than 20 years ago.    It never sold...probably because purple and orange dont fit in every decor.  But i liked enough to keep it without painting over it.   Lol

my obsession with eggs is evident here. I used to put them in all my still lifes.

Light against dark, short choppy strokes...the mantra

This painting was done much more quicklu than most of my paintings.  Repeating the mantra in my head, I charged ahead.  Im liking the looser look.

New vase for red floral.

A little abstract paint

ing over the vase finished this piece.

Color shift floral w vase

Using the Bob Burridge method to start this floral, i didnt particularly like the vase. So I looked for an alternate in my paper stash.   This wonderful gold marbled turquoise color caught my eye. After it was cut and applied with gel medium, the color changed to a deep blue.  Not what I planned but its workable. Just means color tones in background needed adjusting.  So here is the vase shown next to raw paper.  And finally the finished work. 

Where did the cicadas go?

On June 19th the cicadas started singing.  Two nights of night music.  Then no more. Not one.  So what happened. Im trying to figure it out.

This occured at a time when my garden needed severe cutting back of overgrown spring things.  I pruned back armloads if mint,  borage, and nasturtiums.    Did I scoop up the cicadas with the greenery?  Did they end up in the green barrel?

Or perhaps a neighbor with sensitive ears sprayed the back of my garden.  It could happen. There is only a decorative wire fence between us.

I love night sounds. The distant train whistle is a favorite, and wind chimes right outside my open bedroom window.   Early morning flocks of geese flying overhead, and my favorite birds that with lengthy repertoires.    Cicadas were on this list.  Last year was the first time I heard them here. Perhaps they have an unusual life cycle...and a few were off track.  Time will tell. 😒 

 Updated novemner 7th.  I have one green cicada on a large rose bush.  He is so well camouflaged it takes me a minute or two to find him with his long legs, and body thay looks like a rose leaf.   He moves very slowly from leaf to leaf.    The last three days I have not found him.  Nights are getting cold and days are short.   I suppose his life cycle has ended, but I know so little of this insect, it may be that they can burrow somewhere and dig out in Spring.   

Here a pear, there a pear...

Bob Burridge demonstrated painting pears on more than one of his videos. You can find them on his web site or on You Tube.

I love pears. I love the shape, the flavor, the scent.  All things pears.   (You dont need to spread this around-- but I am a pear shaped woman😉 LOL).  For years I have explored the artistic possibilities of pears in art by painting them in watercolor, photography, print making, rubber stamp carving, and acrylic painting.

Now that Bobs Blasts are part of my art life, I was excited to try his technique.  First to get his mantra into my head.  "Short choppy strokes!  Light against dark, dark against light!"

Before I knew it I was on a roll.  Here are the results.   If time permits I will try to post individual pictures of my favorites.   Im quite proud of them.

Everyone asked what paper or canvas these are on.  Its like book cover board.

 Years ago the US Postal Service had a program to check up on their deliveries.  They sent out envelopes with a book board in them.  Two sizes.  Recipients would then report the tracking number, date they received the  package and the condition of the envelope.  Quality control before internet.

 My aunt was one of the recipients. Her report was filed monthly and she received a small check in payment.   And she could keep the book boards.  She shared them with schools and artists who could use them.  She had stacks of each size.

I have been using and sharing my supply for years but have about reached the last of them.  Sadly the well is going dry.

These book boards always bring back such fond memories of my aunt and our days at the beach house,  pouring over her art books and going on little jaunts.

Politics and art collide

Sometimes we have to let our emotions and convictions flow into our art.

 Immigration is, and has been a problem around the world for centuries. This is nothing new.  But we butt up against it daily on the news.  We only have one planet.

Americans are more than 99 percent immigrants.  Not everyone was desperate or in danger in their mother lands, but the hope to change their situations and have better lives brought them here. 

This is a little family following their dream...
Im thinking of adding a barbed wire fence behind them, or between them. 

It started as a black and white study over a red primer.  I was playing with the light against dark, dark against light Burridge mantra.

Florals ala BB

Since discovering Bob Burridge online, and warching hiw weekly Bobs Blasts - incuding those in his archives, some of us in our local mixed media group and also painters at the senior center have been trying his techiques. 

I tried his florals first.  I start with good intentions, but soon veer off to make it mine.  But I will try again until I can get his loose easy abstract style under my belt. 

Basically what he does is make splotches of colors all over the canvas with a wadded up paper towel dipped in wet juicy paints.  Then he goes in with a background color covering whatever does not look like a vase and floral arrangement.  A subtractive technique, like sculpting.  Its a lot of fun.  Knowing when to stop is the tricky part.  

Im going to give it a quick shot of gold webbing sprat and sign it.  I like it enough to put another nail in my family room wall and hang it there. 

Art brushes

After watching more Bob Burridge videos, i decided I needed to use cheap larger brushes as he does.   Hmm... I used to have some.  Gone.   So happily my good friends at Amazon took my order and sent a box of them out the next day.    Oh boy a box of disposable brushes.   

Lying on my art table were some rusty letters I purchased at The Primitive Barn in Linden.  I didnt have a plan for them but knew something would come to mind.... and it did.  Hmmmm....

Paint brushes plus rusty letters equals this.

Nature drawings

Some of my friends bring me things to draw. Or we stop and pick something between the parking lot and the front door of the senior center. Here are some recent drawings.

Vase with flowers

This was meant to be a five minute exercise, ala Bob Burridge.  Man, he can slap paint down in broad colorful globs and spots and before you know it he has a vase of flowers. 

Here I was armed with a paper towels, big brush, fresh paint and an old canvas with some gesso over an old collage.  I was ready to attack. 

First thing Bob does is pick up colors off his pallet  with a crumpled paper towel  and dab them all over the canvas.  One color after another.

 I can do this.  Done.   Didn't expect it to look good at this point (and it didn't). 

On with the next step, taking the big brush loading it up with a lighter color and painting over everything surrounding  a non existant vase and flowers.  You know it works. REALLY.

Then he pops in a focal point flower and does minor tweaking.  Done.  Vibrant, bold, colorful, awesome.   Of course he's done this hundreds of times.    It may look totally spontaneous,  but his skills are refined by repetition and the formulas he developed to obtain this abstract floral look.

Now when Bob does it I like the results.   Not so with my first attempt.    But after hours and hours, for many days of tweaking and changing things, I ended up with a piece I like.   The background has been changed half a dozen times. The flowers have changed colors, shapes, and sizes so many times I lost count.

Now it has my personal touch on it.  Looking at it you wouldnt even guess Burridge's method was used as a starting point.  Thank you Bob.  I loved working on it.     But now I want to back with a timer and see what I can do in 5 minutes. 

Anyone wanting a treat, Google Bob Burridge to see his work.   Or You Tube "Bob's Blasts".   He is delightful

.     I'm a fan.   I hope you like this new piece.

Valerie is here

Weighing in at 7 lbs 3 oz. This little bundle of sweetness has joined the family.  Mother and baby doing fine.  So are the rest of us.   Its a blessing. 

Femininity

This simple collage is made to celebrate the imminent birth of first great granddaughter, Valerie.  I was thinking pink but found these beautiful peachy colors which I pulled awhile back from a fashion magazine. Rather than tear it into smaller pieces, i left large images alone.   I think my granddaughter, the new mom, will like it better this way.  Now that I see it on screen, I think I will go back and fortify the peach color.

Hand finale

The reaching hand has metamorphed into a different kind of collage.  After two years of transformations and failures, and setting it aside...I think it is done.

I left three of the butterflies a few orbs and the hand.   But it has a new life now with the addition of collage papers, more paint and a better color palette.     I need to sign it and let it go.  

Carrot chorus

Ok. I admit this is an odd subject, but in my defense, and only artists will get it, I had some really pretty orange papers in my collage pile.  It was an aha moment.  When I tossed them on this painting the colors sang to me.   So i tore the papers into carrot shapes and lined them up.   In my stash of hand carved stamps which I created a few years ago, i had a set of faces. By stamping on orange scraps and gluing them down, it created the chorus. 

I had such fun making this piece and enjoying the colors, i may just do a follow up some time.  But for now. It can stand on its own.

The photo of carrots is from a magazine. I had planned to use it in a collage someday but certainly did not have this in mind at the time.

By the way this is painted over the unicorn painting. See ? Hes still there lower left side.

Ive had some interesting feedback as this progressed. Two people think I should put arms on them connected like a chorus line.  One thinks they need two legs.    So they can be in dance poses.    Lol.  Maybe the next one.  Right now it feels finished.   I hope you enjoy it.

Let the singing commence

Now it feels like summer. This evening is the first time the cicadas are serenading my garden.  I have been waiting and listening every evening. 

At the same time there are fireworks in the neighborhood. I saw a stand selling them this morning. As it nears the 4th of July,  the night noises pick up. Lulu (on the left) is hiding in the closet.  Nikki is ignoring them.  When it gets too hard on Lulu, a neighbor suggested putting cotton in her ears.    It helps a lot.   She has bat ears. So hyper sensitive it is hard  on her.   Heaven help us if there is a fly in the house.  Off to her hiding spot in the closet, or glued to my side. 

The cicadas dont bother her as she seems to sense they are a natural phenomena...and they stay outside.   Sometimes we sit out in the dark and just breathe the cool fresh air and enjoy the concert.

This picture was taken when they were younger, but they look much the same now, almost a decade later.  Still the best dogs in the world. 

Funeral for phone.

Have you ever had your trusty cell phone die?  Im in mourning for my electronic brain.  I loved it. Took it everywhere.  Depended on it for so many things.    Like everyone does.

Good gosh, I hope not.  It happens to my friends periodically, but it was something I was not prepared for. 

My contact list and address book. Gone. 
My calendar. Gone.
My photographs. Gone.
My music.  Gone.
Downloaded files. Gone.
Shopping list. Gone.
Saved messages. Gone.
Attached photos. Gone.
My history was there.  In bits and pieces.  Long story short.  Provider and techies could not get into it to save these things. We had to do a factory reset in order to make the phone usable. 

What I have learned the hard way.  Back everything up.  Dont depend on cell phone for everything.  Write things down. 

I predict that eventually the internet will fail.  Crash. Or be sabotaged.  We are all so dependent on it, I cant imagine how we can function without it.  The younger generations dont even know how to write and mail a letter.  Or write without spell check.  And forget math. Why learn it if you have a calculator in your pocket?    Read a map?  We used to get where we wanted to go without gps.   Write checks.   With a pen.  Then hand it to someone who checked your id before accepting it.   

 I will spare you further rambling grousing... just dont become so dependent on electronics that you cant function without it.       

Sunflowers day2

Heres what it looks like after a few hours with glue stick and paper scraps.  Later will cover with gel medium.  More collage first.

Watercolor study, sunflowers

I was thinking about doing a psinting collage of sunflowers.  I sketched this and decided a trial run with watercolor could be fun.   

Those dyed pages at top left were done with distress inks.  Im thinking of using parts of them in the collage. 

An oldie

This a piece I did following directions from an online tutorial or group.  Its been a really long time, I dont remember the details.   We started with a piece of newspaper and a bunch of fabric scraps.   Object was to stitch them all down with one long line of stitches, catching up all edges.   Sewing over newspaper helped them move smoothly and it was fun.   

After that we were to paint over the fabric side.

 I came across it the other day and thought I would share it again.   It does have an interesting texture with the stitching, but thats all.   Maybe I will paint over it again. 

Shirley Valentine Sunset

Bored housewife Shirley Valentine (have you seen the movie?) took a trip to Greek Islands, where her dream was to sit and sip a glass of wine at sunset by the sea.    I did a quick little vignette of the chairs I painted earlier, but this time gave it Shirleys sunset.

Magnolia

As a volunteer driver to the senior center, I pick up some friends who cannot drive for various reasons relating to health, age, and eyesight.   It gives us a good chance to visit and maybe even shop a little on the way home. 

Wednesday when I pulled up in front of Lillians house she was holding this stunning magnolia.  She lives in a neighborhood where magnolias are the street trees.    All blooming right now. 

 Everyone knows I draw something fresh from nature... and she thought I would like to draw it.
Here it is.

 2 days later, floating in a bowl on dining room table, this is how it looks.  Still beautiful.

New art rubbercstamps

Im working on a new piece using an oak seedling I pulled out of a pot in the garden.  A friendly blue jay planted it and up sprang a little black oak.  I left it for a long time so when I started to tug, the root just kept coming.  Longer and longer.   It had coiled around inside the small pot. I love that it stayed intact.  I dried it and pressed it in a big atlas.

I found it again, years later and decided it needed to come out of the book so I could marvel over it and admire it in remembrance of my old garden.

My hand carved oak tree stamps could be used and now I carved some acorn stamps.   You will soon see how I used them

Floral surprise

At senior art one of my friends gave me an ink jet print of a photo she took to use as a reference.  The next day I saw it sitting on my art table and thought Id play around with it.

I started by tearing it up and using two pieces as part of a collage, covering the entire old canvas with other collage papers.

  Then I put a red iron oxide glaze over the entire piece and quickly scrubbed most of it off.   This changed the color of the flowers.  My intention was to do a wild Bob Burridge exercise and end up with a colorful lively floral with lots of collage papers showing through.  It didnt happen!

But you know sometimes art override comes into play.  It painted itself.  Using a 3 color combination I have never explored before.  Jenkins green,  Paynes grey, and red iron oxide and white.   Old Golden transparent paints.    And a bit of charcoal.

Picture shows another of Carol Lynnes inket prints.