…in honour of Valentine’s week
On one of my walks on the weekend I came across this tree.
Hearts in Unexpected Places
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Category Archives: About Me
Happy Valentine’s Day
The Simplest Things Challenge – Days 1 to 4
…thanks to Amy Maricle for hosting this free on-line challenge
After making my handmade art journal I decided to fill it with drawings from Amy Maricle’s drawing challenge. Her process is very meditative and her emphasis is on moving slowly. I’m not very good at either but I love the process and I’m working on slowing down. Here are a few of the pages from my art journal.
New Flower (February 11, 2023) – Burnt Orange Gerbera Daisy
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Weekly Prompts Weekend Challenge – Old
….thanks to Sue W and GC for hosting Weekly Prompts https://weeklyprompts.com/2023/02/11/weekly-prompts-weekend-challenge-old/
Getting old is not just a number but it’s a state of mind and declining physical abilities. We need to work at staying in shape and it becomes harder as we get older but the benefits outweigh the aches and pains that may come with it. Not caring how you look is not embracing old age or aging gracefully. Even though my husband is suffering with pain and discomfort he would never think about going out, even to a doctor’s appointment without showering first and putting on clean clothes.
As plants get older they wither and dry up. Our pets get grey around the muzzle and they slow down and sleep more. My grandmother was very wrinkled but she stayed active right up to her last three years of her life. She walked everywhere, rode her bike and travelled. My father was the same. He was less wrinkled but he walked every day, worked on his crosswords and at 90 he made one last trip overseas to visit his younger brother. He wasn’t without his faults and as he got older he said things that could be hurtful but in his mind he was just being ‘honest’. He passed at 94.
Furniture and paintings fade as they get older if they aren’t properly cared for. Books and papers yellow and can get musty and brittle. Old things in museums are stored in carefully crafted atmospheres to slow down the aging process and skilled hands can bring masterpieces back to life for future generations to experience and enjoy.
Weekly Prompts Colour Challenge – Valentine Red
…thanks to Sue W and GC for hosting Weekly Prompts https://weeklyprompts.com/2023/02/04/weekly-prompts-colour-challenge-valentine-red/
Red has always been my favourite colour.
Bookmaking and Botanical Lines in Ink
…results of yesterday’s free on-line class
I’m always getting offers for free on-line classes to make art. Some of them are good and some have way too much talking and not enough ‘making’. Yesterday’s class was one of the good ones. It was hosted by two artists, Amy Maricle and Ali Manning. I’ve taken classes with Amy before called Inchies but this was my first class with Ali. Ali instructed us on how to make books. I’ve done this before but it was a good refresher and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I think I may make more books over the weekend.
After the books were made, Amy took us through a process of using India ink and a bamboo brush to make botanical marks in our new books. It was a way to experiment with ink and diluted ink. In the past I’ve used Micron Pens in her classes, which is much more controlled. I enjoyed learning from both artists. Here are the results of the hour spent with these two lovely ladies.
Thursday Trios – Winter Trees
…it’s been frustrating couple of days because I couldn’t upload any of my photographs
Thank goodness when I woke up this morning, I was able to access my photos again and so I’ve been posting two days worth of stories and challenges. On a brisk, cold walk yesterday I came across these lovely trios of trees and burrs. Hope you enjoy them.
If you have any photos of trios why not share them with the Thursday Trios challenge. If you copy my link and post it into your post I’ll get a pingback and I’ll be sure to leave a comment. Have fun!
Weekly Prompts Wednesday Challenge – Belonging
…thanks to Sue W and GC for hosting Weekly Prompts https://weeklyprompts.com/2023/02/01/weekly-prompts-wednesday-challenge-belonging/
Before COVID I belonged to a group of bakers. Every week, twice a week, we got together to make dough and bake bread in the wood burning oven at Montgomery’s Inn, one of Toronto’s Historical Museums. When COVID hit in March 2020 all volunteer jobs were eliminated and bread baking ceased to exist for almost three years. I loved belonging to this group of men and women who came together every week and I look forward to the day that we can once again get together to make bread.
I also belong to an organization of mostly women artists but also some men and that too has reduced it’s in person activities considerably since COVID hit. I love belonging to such a creative group that shares knowledge and ideas so freely and openly. It’s given me the confidence to pursue my art journey and I even hosted my first solo art show in 2022.
I also belong to a lawn bowling club and this past year we’ve been able to get together in person to play ‘normal’ games where we can have three people per side and use all the lanes at the same time. We were also able to celebrate Canada Day and we had a year end dinner. A great group of people that I’m happy to call friends.
The most precious of groups that I belong to is that of my family and friends. COVID has been difficult but thanks to ZOOM and WhatsApp, I’ve been able to stay connected. In the past year we’ve been able to travel again to visit family overseas and on the east coast and we’ve even gotten together for celebrations to acknowledge milestone birthdays.
Baby Steps – Clearing My Art Board
….I haven’t posted any of my art in recent months
…the reason for that was because I couldn’t find a space to make my art. Yes I have a studio space dedicated for my art making but in recent months it had become a dumping ground for my bills, Christmas cards, craft supplies and more. All my supplies were unorganized and I didn’t know what worked and what needed to be thrown away. A lot or reasons excuses to not make art.
Last week I finally put aside time to start organizing my space. I cleared the art board and the extra table I had for my sewing machine and making my mono prints. I went through all my pens, pencils, crayons, paints and brushes and threw away those that were dried up and cleaned and repaired those that were worth saving.
During the cleaning process I came across a pile of small ink line drawings of mugs. I made them years ago and two years ago I took one of them and added colour and more line detail. I found that one in one of my sketchbooks and I decided to take another one and do the same. The one above has a bird perched on the rim of the mug. I made him before Christmas out of a strip of paper that I folded and cut into the shape that you see. I added some line detail to the mug and then some watercolour to the coffee in the mug. Like I said earlier, I’m taking baby steps to get back into making art.
To inspire me I’ve enrolled in another year long on-line art class with Carla Sonheim called Year of the Rabbit….how appropriate. I’ve already made a few sketches of ‘rabbits’ that I will share later in the week.
Mama Cormier 