tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31261873239522584732024-02-06T18:49:32.314-08:00random art & projectskeeping track of plans & projects; keeping on track with lifeLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13749961203903852103noreply@blogger.comBlogger119125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3126187323952258473.post-59558561625462414432019-02-21T21:57:00.001-08:002019-02-28T21:39:26.379-08:00OCACI moved to Oregon years back in order to attend OCAC, Oregon College of Art & Craft, and it was a pivotal time in my life for so many reasons. So it was with intense dismay that I heard the recent announcement that they are going to stop granting degrees. A bunch of people rallied swiftly to see what could be done to save the day, and I've gathered the links here.
*******************************Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13749961203903852103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3126187323952258473.post-34889422356359520442018-08-14T20:49:00.000-07:002018-08-14T20:49:50.449-07:00August Greetings!My friend Megan, who lives on a fixed income, is raising funds to move--her apartment is listed for sale, so time is of the essence. If you would please share and donate if you can, that would be lovely!
https://www.gofundme.com/j4zshm-getting-out-of-here
Gratuitous snuggle kitty photo:
Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13749961203903852103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3126187323952258473.post-90977884548686829272018-03-23T00:29:00.000-07:002018-03-23T00:29:03.408-07:00Lengthy Hiatus ~ Spring RestartI was reminded why I didn't post the other times I'd tried; tonight, I persisted through a myriad of login attempts (drat, just which e-mail and which password did I use! and no, I do not want to set up a Blogger profile).
Much has happened, but things are finally settling down. I never found a house, but rent went up so much that I couldn't afford to stay renting if I wanted the luxury of spaceLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13749961203903852103noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3126187323952258473.post-50643116661710774892016-03-26T14:59:00.002-07:002016-04-24T21:29:52.053-07:00Painting Challenge, Part 4: Conclusion(Hah! I'd saved this draft months ago; apparently no new insights have come to me, so here it is. Happy spring!)
Any sort of art challenge ends up with...challenges. Lessons you learn. Some of those aren't surprising, like the resistance you have to push through to keep going, wanting/not wanting to do it, or wanting to do anything else but that.
One of the things I learned in art school was Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13749961203903852103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3126187323952258473.post-29727407592853201832016-01-01T20:31:00.000-08:002016-01-01T20:31:31.235-08:00Painting Challenge, Part 3Next installment!
Days 14, 15, & 16
Days 17, 18, & 19
Days 20, 21, & 22
Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13749961203903852103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3126187323952258473.post-22191885088625547702015-12-30T14:43:00.000-08:002015-12-30T14:44:38.265-08:00Painting Challenge, Part 2I completed my 30 Faces in 30 Days challenge!
I got the idea from Galia Alena--here are her posts:
New Challenge
Part Two
Part Three
I didn't state the parameters last time:
* same size--they are all 4x6 inches, Strathmore 140 lb cold press watercolor paper
* must involve brush or paint [I didn't end up varying--except for using ink one time, they are all watercolor]
* share them even if they Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13749961203903852103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3126187323952258473.post-70025881457792356582015-11-29T15:29:00.000-08:002015-12-30T14:43:54.609-08:00Reappearing [and Painting Challenge, Part 1]Hmm, so much for posting regularly! I have been sharing some on the insidious Facebook, but that is really not ideal. There are plans in the works, some of which were unplanned--I did not plan to start hunting for a house again, for example. I'm starting to get my feet back under me, and hope to get better at balancing things.
In the meantime, here are some photos of bits & pieces of things thatLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13749961203903852103noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3126187323952258473.post-67617558322691460912014-12-31T21:52:00.000-08:002014-12-31T21:52:19.972-08:00Happy New Year!Here is a selection of images to close out the year:
I'm taking VisualQuest with Pixie Lighthorse--well, technically it's over already, and I am meandering along with the class material. It's really cathartic to paint large and messy. This is the biggest canvas I've ever painted, 30 x 30 inches.
Best wishes and happy creating in the New Year! One of my intentions is to post more regularly, asLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13749961203903852103noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3126187323952258473.post-78665271882867251432014-11-01T21:43:00.000-07:002014-11-01T21:43:52.183-07:00Things have been happeningI'm nearly done with this year's painting for the Portland Audubon Society Fundraiser.
Then as a relief from careful painting, I started painting this.
And there was still a bit of black paint left, so I finished this off. It is #8 from the 100 Paintings Project (I'm up to 12, but a few need a bit more, and I will wait to post them in order).
Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13749961203903852103noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3126187323952258473.post-27456086513927425752014-07-27T22:07:00.002-07:002014-07-27T22:07:24.929-07:00More PaintingsHere are the ones I didn't post last time, when the internet connection was uncooperative.
This one is kind of a memorial, inspired by my purple opuntia that recently finished giving up the ghost. (acrylic)
Another desert scene. (water soluble colored pencil + water brush)
OMG--straight lines and bilateral symmetry! No! (For whatever reason, the curve is MUCH worse in the photo.) The best Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13749961203903852103noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3126187323952258473.post-3043445649704705892014-07-14T23:48:00.000-07:002014-07-14T23:48:19.773-07:00Paintings ProceedFirst, documentary evidence of stripy windowsill kitty this afternoon the afternoon of July 6:
(My internet service has been PAINFULLY unresponsive for ages, but tonight it's back! To stay, I hope. Was it because of the World Cup?)
Next, paintings 3-7 of the 100 Paintings project--because I have decided I will publish all of them, even the bad less-appealing ones:
This one was inspired by theLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13749961203903852103noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3126187323952258473.post-11695910708597091312014-06-08T12:15:00.000-07:002014-06-08T12:15:20.439-07:00More PaintingFirst, an idealized picture of my workspace, adorned with my beautiful orchid.
Several in-process shots; this one is also watercolor.
And the final version--I actually rather like it overall, and several non-contiguous square inches are pretty good. The decorative things were to keep the brush busy while I figured out what to do in the center, and they ended up being undesirable. Note to selfLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13749961203903852103noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3126187323952258473.post-76780356872776384762014-06-01T23:40:00.000-07:002014-06-01T23:40:17.069-07:00On the (Figurative) EaselSince this is the first day of the rest of the year, it's really about time I add something new.
I decided a while back that I need to do 100 paintings. I keep wanting to paint, but I'm not actually very good at it, and I feel like these days I don't even know just what my "thing" is--motif, subject, story, symbolism. One good way to improve as an artist and to figure such things out, is to do aLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13749961203903852103noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3126187323952258473.post-66904639931285199712013-12-31T18:17:00.002-08:002013-12-31T18:17:42.182-08:00Ring out the old...Just a few pictures so I can squeeze in one more post while it is still 2013! They are things in progress that have been worked on over the past few months.
But first, a kitty picture. As of November 30, Beatrice has lived with me for a whole year. She is truly a different kitty than the one I brought home--she is affectionate and talkative, and has relaxed enough to be curious and sit on piecesLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13749961203903852103noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3126187323952258473.post-84233264367320762292013-10-04T22:53:00.000-07:002013-10-04T22:53:30.542-07:00Triangular TidbitA number of years back I became enthralled with Central Asian triangular amulets. Where did this all start? Reading "The Afghan Amulet: Travels from the Hindu Kush to Razgrad" by the intrepid Sheila Paine, and her book "Amulets: Sacred Charms of Power and Protection," not long after. Many of the triangular amulets I have spotted in pictures since then are really simple, barely more than trianglesLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13749961203903852103noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3126187323952258473.post-13570103826369024032013-08-10T22:15:00.000-07:002013-08-10T22:15:21.460-07:00Acrylic InterludeLast Sunday, Kim and I attended the Open Painting session at The Loaded Brush. We had a really good time, and I have a new, completely-finished painting on my wall--and it's BIG by my normal standards, 16x20. I really need to paint more. It's so fast!
Curious how the last owl I made was also pink! Pink is not my favorite color, or even my second or my fifth favorite color. But it is cheery. HotLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13749961203903852103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3126187323952258473.post-45553371728974822692013-07-06T16:07:00.004-07:002013-07-07T12:31:52.682-07:00Rose Tea & Velvet, Part IIOn to the weaving! First, though, the allusion to rose tea is because that was the beverage of choice for the weekend afternoon velvet weaving sessions. Kim gave me some rose tea in December, and I was so smitten I bought more early this year. It's almost gone!
(Rose Petal Tea from Republic of Tea)
Okay, now really on to the weaving.
Once you're all set up, the weaving seems like a piece of Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13749961203903852103noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3126187323952258473.post-42467999119376043572013-06-11T23:01:00.000-07:002013-06-11T23:01:51.142-07:00Rose Tea & Velvet: Part IIn late April I took a workshop offered by the Portland Handweavers Guild: velvet weaving with Barbara Setsu Pickett. It was intensive and informative; if you enjoy lengthy preparations, slow progress, and sumptuous results, velvet weaving may be for you!
Woven fabric in a very basic form consists of a set of threads on the loom (the warp) and a thread that goes back and forth (the weft). The Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13749961203903852103noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3126187323952258473.post-50414973169243088702013-06-01T22:44:00.003-07:002013-06-01T22:44:26.771-07:00Settling InLast Saturday was six months since I brought the sweet, terrified kitty home. She is a different creature these days! "Pet me now...but you have to follow me into the bedroom in order to do it."
A week ago Wednesday, Beatrice joined me on the futon for the very first time, hooray! She has since taken to sitting there by herself. "Why should I recline on the floor by you when I can sit on the Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13749961203903852103noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3126187323952258473.post-46654113548115604022013-02-18T21:49:00.000-08:002013-02-18T21:49:07.148-08:00My Stripy ValentineApparently this is my 100th post. It's not the topic I planned - and it's also much more delayed than I had intended!
I am pleased to introduce the new kitty of the household. Please say hello to Beatrice:
She came to live with me nearly three months ago. I adopted her from the Cat Adoption Team, a local no-kill cat shelter that evaluates their kitties for personality, to make it more likely Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13749961203903852103noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3126187323952258473.post-60378708773192857692012-10-07T22:45:00.000-07:002012-10-07T22:45:14.026-07:00Getting on TrackIt's been a good summer in some ways; we've had lovely weather, unlike the last two summers. I haven't been very productive, but I'm making incremental progress.
If you, too, have trouble sitting down and doing something because you feel there isn't time, check out the 10 Minute Muse. I now have a sketch that wouldn't have happened otherwise.
(I would feel more apologetic about the quality if Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13749961203903852103noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3126187323952258473.post-88780875926452147792012-07-22T23:37:00.001-07:002012-07-22T23:37:49.987-07:00NostalgiaI've been "organizing" again, which at this stage is essentially moving boxes around, with very little that feels like tangible progress. But I did repack a couple of boxes - a few things to throw out, some to recycle, some to give away, and three boxes now fits into one (admittedly a tiny bit larger).
Anyway, one of the things in it was an art project from seventh grade, so maybe about 1982 or Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13749961203903852103noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3126187323952258473.post-49640987576164417682012-07-07T23:29:00.000-07:002012-07-07T23:29:07.027-07:00TAST 16: French Knot (etc.)I am very fond of French knots. Take a Stitch Tuesday and highlights.
Started and finished today! Continuing the botanical motif as long as possible. Colors are waaay off in the photo; the background is more of a teal blue.
I'd kind of wanted to do a color gradation thing with the French knots, but that would have taken longer...maybe another time. I did already try it - yikes, about seven Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13749961203903852103noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3126187323952258473.post-59588827482661231102012-06-30T14:44:00.000-07:002013-07-07T14:22:27.168-07:00TAST 15: Stem Stitch (plus lots of other things)I finished this over a week ago:
(Get it? Stems out of stem stitch.)
I have strange issues with stem stitch. Like, I tweak it so it looks a little more like I want. A few years ago Kim was working on a really intensive embroidery project. She had decided against stem stitch because of some issue, and I said strange, I don't have that problem; I just change it thus and so, and she gave me a Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13749961203903852103noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3126187323952258473.post-87134687460820127462012-06-10T23:33:00.001-07:002012-06-10T23:33:19.989-07:00TAST 11, 12, (13) *AND* 14Bioluminescent crinoids at midnight:
Since I thought of a great title, I had to prepare the flimsy cloth properly - lightweight stabilizer is ironed on the back, and it helped a lot. That is the Take a Stitch Tuesday 11: whipped wheel. I'd done wheels before, but hadn't thought of partial wheels. They're kind of a pain because of having to finagle the turns. It would have worked way better in Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13749961203903852103noreply@blogger.com0