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That was so much fun, I decided to work on my “commission.”  My husband wanted me to redesign the logo for the organization of which he’s a founding member, The Aging Artfully Initiative.  The original looks like this:

This is my  more detailed and colorful rendition.  It’s going to go through some changes yet, but I like this first draft:

I had nice sized puddles of paint left, so I splashed them on a piece of watercolor paper.  The next day, I took my gold gouache and loosely painted the shape of reeds and a heron.  Then I started layering colored pencil, watercolor pencil and watercolor.  The gold sort of seeped up through the layers and for awhile, I thought I’d just made another of my famous messes, but I kept layering and adding detail and was surprised to find something I quite liked.

Golden Heron —  7 x 10″ mixed media

So, it was nice to let go and just enjoy playing around.  How was your week?

If you missed the Monday book review, you can find it here.  If you have a book you’d like to see reviewed on my blog, please contact me a joyzmailbox at gmail dot com.  I review everything from children’s picture books, art books to dense novels.  I love children’s literature. I particularly like independent and small presses. 

If you’re looking for painting inspiration stop by Paint Party Friday.

And if you’re at a loss and feeling forlorn, hang out with a kid for while.  You’ll be surprised how contagious a childlike spirit can be.

I will be off line till February 13th or so.  I’m traveling to Memphis to celebrate my mom’s life.  She passed away peacefully in her sleep February 4.  We will miss her bright eyes and sweet smile, but she will always be with us.

Elaine Murray Bullard  1939 -2013

I went for a walk a few days ago and found a few Swiss chard plants in a front yard garden.  The stalks had the most vivid colors but I didn’t have my camera.  Since then it’s been quite cold and frosty at night.  When I went for a walk today, I remembered the camera and found that the weather had made the stalks droop into lovely flower like shapes.

Here’s a few shots of them.

This one is growing from a collapsed stem

Nature love abstract foms

It was an amazing day for glistening natural plant forms  The sun was just coming out and melting the frost and ice from last night.

Frost on the spider web on the porch in the frozen fog of morning

 

Spiders like to ride my husband’s bike

Across the street from Columbia park buds are swelling amid the frost and lichen

Small icy chandelier

Ice Forest

And I always love to photograph dramatic old tree trunks:

I look at these everyday natural beauties and want to draw them all, but I never have time.  Instead I collect many, many, many reference photos. I love the digital technology that allows me to keep up this habit.  It trains my eye, so when I do get time to draw, my mind is ready.  On days when I’m too tired to walk, the pictures are here to give me that window into nature that is so restorative, no matter what the internal or external weather.  The next best thing is to share them. 

Look around in wonder whenever you can.

I did this sketch in my journal when I was processing my mother’s dementia.  It’s appropriate for how I feel today.