Flower Power Wonders

The Flower Power Wonders is the name my daughter gave to my cousin Diane (top pic) and me (above). Today she came over and we planted 50 more bulbs and the perennials you see behind us in the pics. So far have planted all the glads, oriental lilies, freesia and phlox.
We had fun while we were at it. She would dig the hole, I would put the plant in and the dirt around it and then she would dance around the plant to press it down firm. We were joking that we were doing an Indian flower dance (there is Indian blood in our family) so I would pick up the empty pot and beat it like a drum! She is always a lot of fun to be with. She has come along with me on this project and I love her for it. She is going to be the flower designer for the centerpieces and the bouquets. Tomorrow we are going to plant some more.

Wedding Garden Phase 1

I want to document the garden from beginning to end and hope it will have a happy ending.
The site where the garden will be as it looks now. Pulled out some stubborn mint that was taking over that I had planted last year from it. In doing so didn't see the giant bee on one plant and as he didn't care to be squeezed was stung in the palm of my hand. Taping a penny to it does work. So first causality of the project... haha. Will do some more rototilling this weekend so it will be one big triangle and work in some organic material while at it.

The second is some of the plants I have bought that are waiting another week to be planted.. Am looking everyday for the thirty-six plants I ordered from Burpee to arrive on my doorstep.
That will be interesting to see how they pack those for shipping. I will plant, fertilize, mulch and say a silent prayer over it all. Wish me luck!!

J for Joy Painting

I have been working on this large canvas for almost 3 years now. It keeps changing and I am still not sure if it is done! It is about feelings.... the tensions we experience and then the resulting emotions when these are expressed. Happy feelings and tensions when we are excited about something and for awhile keep that hidden in our hearts. The most recent additions are the "swirly skies" at the top, which the words from the Painters song I have in my play list, inspired.
It is painted in oils and I love the creaminess of them and how beautifully they blend. I like that they take a while to dry, so that sometimes, if I have to wait until the next day to continue working on an area, I can still have workable colors to play with.
For now I like it as it is, though, I wouldn't be surprised if some day, I want to add to it again!

Memories Maze

I really like the colors in this one. I found an old spatula at a thrift store that had grid lines on the back. I pressed this into wet acrylic paint and like the effect. This is on watercolor paper and I painted a bunch of other pieces of the same paper and then cut them up and attached them to the page. I had also found some floral pins that I added and tied some fibers to it and sewed on a few orange buttons. It has some of the writing in ink that I have been playing around with. Lastly I painted lines in between the pieces to pull it together.

Memories maze seemed a good name for it. I was thinking that our memories have so many components to them. Sights, sounds, smells - all the senses. when we think back on things, these all play a part in making up the picture of the memory in our mind. It is a maze of feelings.

Woodridge Library Collage Exhibit

Yesterday morning I learned that I had a chance to put some of my artwork in the Woodridge Library art gallery. This was last minute as I hadn't signed up for it but the Collage Society I belong to called to say they needed some more pieces. I ran around collecting any available frames I had. I was able to get 4 pieces done and delivered to them this morning. I was excited to have this opportunity.

I also learned something valuable. Some of the pieces were not particularly my favorites but once they were matted and behind glass they looked a whole lot better.I guess it's like clothes that look good on you but not on the hanger and visa versa.So a pleasant surprise.

I had to come up with titles for these and tried to fit them into the theme of the show, which is Herstory ( aka women - so a fun play on words).

The green one pictured has an image transfer of a woman in a gown and has sentences that say " will I clash with the decor?" etc.
I titled it " How Do I Look?' -(a question every woman asks!)

The red one has leaves in it and so named it "Autumn Song"
( the dance of the leaves we would all like to join in!).

The brown one looks like a jungle and has beads, fibers and wire on it.
I titled it "It's A Jungle Out There!" ( the experience of shopping!).

These plus two others will be in the gallery in the Woodridge Library for the month of May. This is my second show sponsored by the Midwest Collage Society. This time I am planning on going to the show so I can see my art up on the wall. That will be cool and worth all the work!