They Color Our World

Sunday I attended the second annual art show at Montpelier school and oh how they color our world.  Viewing the tangible art of young imaginations brings such joy.  As we walked the halls graced with so many mediums, from crayons to clay, a sense of gratitude coursed through me.  I’m grateful that the school my grandson attends sees the magic in art and music and celebrates with exuberance, the too-often first to go classes in an economic down-turn.

Budding artists walked the halls with parents and grandparents in tow pointing at their precious work.

One proud artist stood next to his creation, while his Mimi snapped his picture

What shapes and color were found on this table..imagination in cubes.

And then there were suitcases, covered in magical patterns and vivid colors

"Love Luggage" was a service project created by Ohio art teachers and the beneficiaries are foster children. Because these children are often pulled from a situation on short notice, they have no way to carry their possessions except for in trash bags. This is certainly not a way to honor this person or their belongings. To remedy this, the art teachers came up with a service project that breathes new life into old luggage and turns them into prized possessions. The suitcases are given to children in foster care to keep and cherish forever." Want to know more? Check out Snippety Gibbet.  

I was touched by such a beautful project where children bring love and art together for other children who face uncertain futures.

President Lyndon B. Johnson put it most eloquently when he said....

I couldn't agree more. 

Outside My Window

Photo ops abounded just outside my window...

 Like tiny snowballs, the spent blossoms of autumn aster sported pom-poms of snow.

An icy cage imprisoning rose hips became beauty held captive.  

Nature's artistic hand surrounded leaves with ice and became ephemeral sculpture.  

The February first storm hit nw Ohio and just outside my window the wind chases snowflakes across the street and whipping over the open field rushing toward tomorrow. 

Stay warm & well, my friends!   

December Beauty

    Waking up to a frosty pattern on the window

    Finding a splash of winter beauty on the kitchen window

   
    A sparkle of light added by the sun

   
    Ephemeral art on a wintry cold morning in December

Stay warm my friends! 

Eclectic Views

Flowers for Five

Last winter I purchased flowers for five dollars and snapped hundreds of photos satisfying my penchant for the view through the lens.  These golden lovlies created a Thanksgiving tablescape along with glass cubes, filled with cranberries and water for five plus two. Oh what can do be done for a couple bucks. 

Textrued Holiday Spices

I used one of Kim Klassen's textures to add some vintage wear & tear to this photo.  I admit it...I love baking, the smell of whole spices, especially freshly grated nutmeg.  Kim Klassen Cafe is amazing and if you like textures you'll find lots of love there.

Oh the lovely, fruity ways to use cranberries...

As sauce, in a relish, chutney, salad, string on thread for a garland, inside glass jars, on wreaths, in arangements, the smile of a snowman, to photograph.

120 Gallery   Bryan, Ohio

Dear Santa,

We stood waiting outside Kathy Fundersburg's art gallery in Bryan, Ohio, while waiting for Santa's arrival last Friday night.  Oh what wonders to behold within the walls.  Visions of pastel painted fairies, just like the ones we looked at, dance in my head.  Just thought you'd like to know.  

                                                                                                Teresa O

  



   

Imagining Bloom Scans

A week or so ago I was intrigued by a Gardens Gone Wild post. I clicked on the link in my sidebar and discovered a whole new world of artistic beauty that I’d never heard of…scan art. GGW is challenging one and all to practice scanning flowers, leaves, and all sorts of botanicals before the October Picture This theme.  Craig Cramer will be the judge for the digital collages entered in the monthly contest.  Of course, I checked out his site and was captivated by his bloom scans.  He's generously provided directions for creating gorgeous scans. 

Like a wild woman, I clicked my way across the information highway searching for more information to feed my artistic soul. Anxious to give it a whirl…I put some weeds on the scanner, covered it with a black sweater and well…

it looked horrible like a pile of weeds on a soiled, gray rag. I did a little tweaking in Picasa, but there's not much I can do to make a bad composition look better, except try again. 

I gave it a few days and began thinking about the principles of floral design. Sure I could lay flowers and leaves on the scanner, but to artfully arrange each component with line, pattern, texture, and color in mind creates something far more beautiful. Instill movement within the static and the scan becomes more interesting. Even a sense of depth can be worked out. So I tried again, this time putting into practice basic art principles.

I started with a simple combination of three marigolds and the squiggly curls from a pumpkin vine 

Next I gave Queen Anne's Lace a go, but switched from the black sweater to a piece of deep red felt to lay over the arrangment.

I moved on to pumpkin blossoms, rudbeckia, and again the curls using the same red felt.

Finally I arranged marigolds, rudbeckia, with spirals and curls to add interest and a sense of movement to the design. 

I'm excited about this new-found art. I can't wait to try mounds of flowers and plants arranged on a wide variety of backgrounds.  The possibilities are endless.

"The world is but a canvas to imagination."

~Henry David Thoreau