Giveaway Winner!

The numbers for the blog giveaway went into a hat and this morning DH drew No. 11. Congratulations, Cynthia Mooney. You're the winner! Thanks to everyone who participated. I appreciate your support and interest. Looking back over three years of blogging, I see how keeping an online journal of my artwork and travels helps to focus on what I enjoy doing most.

This week, we visited a beautiful garden in the country to see and sketch the tree peonies. Before the rain came, we toured the garden and sketched a little. The kanji stamps say Good Luck and Good Day.

Giveaway to Celebrate Three Years Blogging

To celebrate the third anniversary of my blog and say thank you to all of my readers, I'm giving away this collage and stenciled piece that I created in Judy Wise's "Stencil Your Family" class a couple of years ago. It's unified with an encaustic layer of wax. Judy helped me start this blog and gave me lots of encouragement.

The stencil was created from a 1940's photograph of my mother fishing off Florida's east coast. It's called "Gone Fishing". She made a pretty good catch with a fish that size!

Make a comment on this post and I will put your name in a hat. Friday, April 30th, I will pull a name from the hat and post the winner's name. If I do not have your email address, you can contact me at ppmcnamee@gmail.com. Join in the fun and celebrate this anniversary.

Keeping a blog helps me chronicle my artwork, creative adventures and travels. Along the way, I've made friends, learned a lot and enjoy the exchanges and inspiration blog-land offers.

Japanese Garden Spring Blossoms

listen, water falls, red camellias fade on branch, hollow bamboo, beat

spring blossoms unfold, Japanese Garden quiet, meditative bliss

sketching camellias, one garden fills all senses, restoring my soul










Writing haiku poetry is another creative outlet for me.
The two formats that intrigue me are the-
one word, two words, sentence, two words, one word
and the more traditional five-seven-five syllables.
I wrote the three haiku poems after spending a morning in the Japanese Garden.

The water feature above creates a hollow bamboo beat every two minutes. The larger bamboo tube on the left, fills with water, empties into the bowl and hits the rock behind it when empty to make a hollow thumping sound or beat.

Portland's Japanese Garden is a feast for all senses and is especially beautiful in springtime.

Making Santos- Part 2

Yesterday, we met to finish our Santos. I spent the morning sewing a dress out of the muslin, cheese cloth and lace I'd acrylic stained on Saturday. She's very simple, contemplative, wise.
My intention was to pin tags to her dress with universal desires and crown her head with a flower garland. She seems like an oracle to me. Now, I'm not sure if my original ideas fit her simplicity and sereneness.

This is an example of how I often over think and over do. When are you finished with a piece? How do you reconcile one idea with another? I may have to create another one using my original ideas because she's evolved into different interpretation.
The Santos grouped together along with closer views.



What do you think? How do you determine when your artwork is finished, complete as it is or needs more layers or elements added to it?

Making Santos

Gaelyn Lakin, one of our Portland Art Collective members, is moving to California. She makes the most incredible Santos and several of us wanted to learn how she creates them. Gaelyn, Tory Brokenshire and Stephanie Brockway taught the workshop. First, we took our dolls found at the Goodwill and removed their bisque heads (no hair) and arms. Steph made each of us a doll stand with her wood working skills.

Tory showed us how she covers the head in Sculpey clay, bakes and paints the faces.

The arms are attached to painted dowels. The stand is painted before assembling the doll. Then, I sewed the head to her body/stand and wired the arms onto to her body.

Tomorrow, we dress the dolls. In preparation, I stained some muslin, lace and cheese cloth using an acrylic staining process learned from Susie LaFond's tutorial. I can't wait to see how she evolves.

Friends' Library Store Featured Artist for April

My friend, Lenall, asked if I'd be the feature artist for April at the Friends' Library Store located at the Multnomah Central Library downtown Portland. She manages the store and has featured many Portland Art Collective artists there.

The store displays some Nature Gathered pieces, cards of my artwork, flower sketch button pins, and jewelry- kimono bead and wire crochet necklaces, plus prayer box bracelets.
Please stop by and see what I've been creating.

Celebrate Spring

"Spring belongs to those who love the heart of spring; they plant seedlings, talk to the trees, and tend to the flowers thirst for rain." This quote is from my perpetual calendar by Flavia.
I read the daily saying each morning and it's a great way to start my day and attend to the present season.

ArtFest brought me into contact with artists from all over the world and US. I met with one of my favorite blog buddies, Lorrie. Shared meals and evenings with PAC sisters Tammy, Debi, Tory, Dayna and Suzanne and the Gussies- Catherine, Celeste and Michelle. Marilyn came from California. Thanks to everyone for making a great experience.

My favorite class was "Story Painting with a Punch" with Gina Armfield. We used our own photographs in our paintings. This six-inch Buddha statue sits on my desk. He reminds me to live in the present, be calm and mindful.