4/23/13

checking in

Dan and I are still on vacation but I wanted to do a quick check in and share a few photos.....I know vacation pics are usually of most interest to the person on the trip, but I just can't help myself!

We took a Caribbean cruise on Norwegian -



 first port Roatan, Honduras.....we went to Tabyana Beach.



I sure do love the fine, soft, white sand of the Caribbean!  Dan takes a mean photo as well - he took a great series of this rickety pier near the shopping at Roatan......he had to hike back up the highway to find it after we got back from the beach.

Next stop Belize where we took a very long excursion to see the Lamanai Mayan ruins - 1.5 hrs on a bus, 1+ hours on a river "safari" (ha!), 1.5 hrs at the ruins then 3 hours back to the boat.  A LONG day!


This tall ruin had STEEP, deep steps and there was no way I could manage them in the short time we had to explore.  Dan's in the red about half way up and you can see even his long legs are working hard.  It's hot - 90+ degrees, humid and we were hunting for shade wherever we could find it during the walk through the jungle to get to the ruins.
I did make it up a few steps!  As you can see these steps are tall - 18" or more.


The next day took us to Costa Maya, Mexico and another Mayan site.  We liked this excursion better because it wasn't so long and the site itself was more interesting.  The excavation revealed more of a community, a town-like layout that made it easier to think about a civilization functioning there.  We visited the Kohunlich ruins.......

This is a sleeping platform in what would have been a noble's house and Dan is checking it out for comfort :)


A carving from the Temple of Masks - probably about 8' tall.  After visiting the ruins, we returned to town for a little souvenir shopping.....yummy colors, right?  I see art inspiration here:

Final stop on this cruise is Cozumel, Mexico.  We didn't take an excursion here, just got off the ship and wandered around town til we got too hot and tired.  I love pictures of windows and doors and found a few here.  (that's Dan's reflection in the center glass)







That's the end of the cruise - now we're off to a week in St Augustine, FL in a timeshare condo on the beach.  I'll share a few more pics in a few days.

And, you know what?  I've even managed to find time for a little art - some doodling, some lettering and I've even made some collages!  Dan just laughed at me when I packed markers and glue sticks and scissors!



4/13/13

a finished painting - maybe

In between making postcards and collages I have been working on this canvas....it's a 12x12 - here's the process and end result (at least for now).

the concentric circles are a stamped paper from Karen and then a bunch of random map bits, covered with tissue for texture

i almost always reach for bright first...no idea what to do with it all...

push back the color, start to figure out a composition - then got caught up in it and forgot to take any pics of the next few layers....

feeling kinda dark and grim, but I like the general shapes....

The final painting until I figure out if it needs anything else.  (notice the circles still in the upper left corner? - love that bits and pieces from the very first layer are still visible)


Hanging on my gallery wall and it seems to fit in well.

Now it's time to go pack!  Yahoo, sunshine here I come!


4/12/13

365 in 2013: 98-100

Made a few postcards for the mountain of mail I have to return and I liked the simplicity of them, so I'm adding them to my 365 collage group.

#98 - mail art: - on blue cardstock, torn solids from my stash and a little washi

#99 - mail art2

#100 - mail art3 - wanted to use some springy colors to get the sunny feeling...


Dan and I are headed on vacation tomorrow for 2 weeks of fun in the sun. I'm taking a small stash of collage bases to keep the momentum going and I'm sure they'll have a sunny, summery focus.  We're going on a Caribbean cruise to Cozumel, Roatan Honduras and Belize, then back stateside for a week in St. Augustine in northern FL.  I'll share pictures or inspiration as I can......



4/10/13

365 in 2013: #89-97

Wow with this batch, I'm almost on track and caught up!  Then we're headed on vacation and I'm sure I'll be behind again when we return.  That's okay - I have plans to make some while on vacation using stuff I pick up along the way.....we'll see if it actually happens! :)

#89 -   Joy in the Morning

I pulled some pages out of a 1940s Readers Digest "Joy in the Morning" story and tried making some monochromatic, book page only type collages. I did add a bit extra here and there, but mostly it's all book page edges and bits.

#90 - Study in Subtlety


#91 - Darling (from the text)

#92 - You are Always my Good Friend (from Shakespeare)

#93 - restraint journal

Then I turned to my restraint journal to catch up with adding inspirational pictures.  I filled my first restraint journal and have moved to filling up the next one. I focus primarily on using up scraps, bits and pieces yet still making an interesting collage.

#94 - restraint journal (a piece of digital art is the centerpiece)

#95 - restraint journal
I found I had lots of bird images .... I want to try drawing them more and incorporate them into my art now and then.

#96 - restraint journal

Two wonderful tree paintings collaged with layers of tissue and a bit of corrugated cardboard.

#97 - Possibilities
An outgoing watercolor postcard with tissue and found text - the hummingbird is printed on vellum.

I'm loving this challenge!


4/6/13

365 in 2013: #78-88

As you've kept up with your various blogs you read, I'm sure you've come across more than a few are doing "365 somethings" - photos, journal every day, sketching, etc.  Me, collages this year.  Though I'm a little behind (today is day 96 and I'm on #88), here's what I've been working on:

#78 - Eight of Hearts
Everything you make can't be your favorite and this isn't one of mine.  Too choppy and unfocused....ah well.

#79 - Vixen
This one, however, I do like.  Some of the papers are from a swap with Lorinda (thanks again!)

#80  - Gotta Love a Monkey
Came across this monkey from a flyer somewhere and thought he was the perfect addition....

#81 - Mapping Spring
This is one of my larger collages, 6x9", made from the cardboard backing from a tablet. I covered the whole thing with a map and then used the streets as the shapes for the collage pieces.

#82, 83 and 84 are all collages in the round made to send out for the MMSA round postcard challenge:




#85 - Lemon Fresh
Some cut up postcards, ribbon, gum box, my unloved art, painted paper scraps.

#86 - Porto Cruz
A 5x5" collage on a coke box where I painted over but could still see the outlines of bottles and silverware so I highlighted that a bit.....and since I actually drink Pepsi, I changed the name!  Also used a gum box, painted papers, and a label from inside a new dress for vacation.  (yep, we're going on vacation soon - more about that later)

#87 - Cruizin'
We love going on cruises (which is where we're headed next week) and these exotic locales just called to me. Maybe I'll get to see them all some day......

#88 - Pink Stripes
Using up bits and pieces from my tiny scraps pile - these always look a little jumbled to me, but I do like the mix of bright and earth colors in this one.....