One with art

An art play date….

On a sunny November afternoon,  I was gathering with friends for brunch and an excursion to Old City , Philadelphia to visit art galleries. It is always an adventure spending time with a creative bunch of woman, and talented artists.  Inspired by the day, I created art around my observations.

 

One with art. 5×7″ (Ink, graphite, watercolor on cold press paper) Inspired by the Stanek gallery, exhibition Disrupted Realism

 

 

Creative conversations  (watercolor, graphite on cold press paper)

Inspired by the Muse gallery exhibition; Look Me In The Eye, portraits of homelessness

 

 

 

 

Caught my eye. 5×7″ ( acrylic paint, watercolor, graphite on cold press paper)

Outdoor view from inside gallery of The Center for Art in Wood  looking out the window.

 

Don’t forget to check out the wonderful art exhibitions currently on view at the galleries, visit the websites:

A guide to galleries in Old City

The Center for Art in Wood

Muse gallery exhibition;

Stanek gallery, exhibition

Mini adventures

A Saturday afternoon excursion.

I just love mini adventures, a day trip to someplace new.  While visiting a farm with the family in New Jersey, I discovered a wildlife refuge a short distance away. The Edwin B. Forysthe National Wildlife Refuge was a great discovery and well worth the time to stop and check it out.

My family and I spent time walking through the marsh area, we traveled along the boardwalk, observed wildlife and we drove along an 8 mile loop through the wetland.

I created a few small paintings from the photographs I captured on our visit.. Let me take you on a little journey…….

 

 

A walk along the gravel pathway I stopped to observe the lone trees.  I enjoyed the slender shape trunks and bushy foliage of the tree tops. The October sun smiled warmly on us, surrounded by the quiet of nature, while the air danced softly with the tall grass.

(tall grass tall trees. 5×7″ painting on paper: watercolor, acrylic paint on 140 lb coldpress paper)

 

We walked along a gravel pathway that led to a long stretch of boardwalk over the wetland. All was still, the sun sparkled on the water, you could hear the soft chatter of birds and the buzz of insects flying around. Across the the marsh, there was a glimpse of the Atlantic City skyline in the distance.

(My husband & daughter observing the water. painting on paper, acrylic on 140 lb coldpress paper)

 

The best part of this wildlife refuge was an 8 mile loop car ride around the marsh area. The views were stunning, we stopped a few times along the way to take in the sights and climb a look out tower.

(The 8 mile loop, 5×7″ painting on paper: acrylic paint on 140 lb coldpress paper)

 

Photograph: wetlands with Atlantic City skyline in the distance.

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The look out tower with a telescope, magnificent views!

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This was beautiful and peaceful place, I didn’t want to leave!..

 

For more information visit the website:

Edwin B. Forysthe National Wildlife Refuge

800 Great Creek Road
Galloway, New Jersey 08205

Visit anytime of the year, sunrise to sunset:

The seasons of wildlife at the refuge  

Atlantic City, New Jersey

Hello

Oh hello darling,  I miss you..

Yes I have been neglecting you old buddy, missed out on your ever changing landscape, your colorful words, exquisite taste of imagery, and inspiring ways.. You always had something new to say and I can always find an adventure or two at my fingertips…

Forgive me darling, my attention played on other playgrounds, it kept me away from hanging out with you..  I couldn’t resist your algorithm charm, I knew one day this gal would return to you with a spark of enthusiasm…

Have you missed me..WordPress?  … huh?

Oh your silence is cruel..

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My choice of play has been Instagram, and Facebook but I did miss writing…  My goal this year is to get back to writing and posting regularly.. I really did miss reading my favorite bloggers posts, such a great community of talented inspirational people on WordPress.

Illustration: pencil on paper

The purple dress

Sometimes it feels like you are deep in a frilly mess but then you realize you can change it! If the zipper sticks just grab the scissors!

 

 

 

Sometimes I don’t know who or what will appear when my pencil touches the page but characters are always welcome.    Song: Eet by Regina Spektor 

What scares me, this challenge

Oh I wanted to put this book back on the shelf as soon as I picked it up. It scared me to even consider this daily challenge but felt the need to give it a try. Most days I try to live a non boring existence but some days I need an extra push.

Some of the things that scare me: 

making this list!

small talk

Hot Sauce! 

me in front of a camera (on video extra scary)

showing my art

monochromatic clothing!

speaking in front of an audience

my hair!

meeting new people

dancing (when someone is watching)

I could go on, but I won’t! 😬

The release

Ideas are most welcome when they appear unannounced. When that creative idea makes a visit I pay attention, because if I ignore the visitor, it will taunt and haunt me all day.

This quick little illustration came about when I participated in the Deepak/Oprah 21 day guided meditation challenge. As I meditated on releasing negativity, an image appeared and stuck with me. I did my best to portray my version of letting go. Holding on to stuff internally, whether anger, negativity, old wounds will keep us chained, hold us back from from a vibrant healthy life.

Open up, let it out and be light.

 

Release Illustration - 1

Watercolor, pen on paper

 

 

Process from start to finish.

 

Life in pieces

Slicing and dicing my way to something new. Inspired by my old seashell frame I decided to have a little fun experimenting with recycled material, and reusing my old watercolor art. 

 

Recycled material: Heavy weight cardboard, picture frame (no glass) decorative paper and my watercolor art.

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Chopping things up is very therapeutic.. My art in pieces!

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Placed decorative paper on the cardboard, after playing with the placement of the art I adhered the pieces to the board. Washes of paint were added to the background and I coated everything with clear matte mod podge to seal it.  The final result.

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Story time

Are you falling, caught, uplifted, or maybe swinging around having fun? I would love to know what you perceive from the illustration? Feel free to comment, whatever comes to mind.

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-Watercolor, marker, on Canson cold press paper, 140 lb.

Recently I have been painting and drawing intuitively, including this art. This little illustration started with some pencil marks on paper resembling leaves which brought forth this image. No photos involved just my imagination.