Creative prompt - Fireworks

Art Quiltmaker lists a "creative prompt" on her blog which is quite helpful for pushing me to create. Her prompt "fireworks" inspired the above quick and dirty paint drawing and also a memory about her child (my grandchild). I don't often leave Papa and the grandchild home alone as between the two of them way too much trouble can be hatched! One day, however, I had to work when the grandchild was spending a few days with us. No alarms came over my cell phone during the day and so I was fairly confident that things were OK. The car I was driving at the time had to be backed up the driveway, which is a hill, because the gas tank leaked otherwise (another story for another time - I no longer have that vehicle!). As I backed up the driveway I saw the two scoundrels scurrying around looking like scattered ants! I knew something was (or recently had been) up. When I got into the house butter wouldn't have melted in their mouths. It took the good part of an hour to find out what had been going on. Papa had broken out his store of bottlerockets and taught the grandchild how much fun they could be! So that is what the creative prompt brought to mind today when I viewed Art Quiltmaker's blog.

Along with finishing all my UFO's this year I decided to make an ATC every time I buy coffee at Starbucks. That hasn't produced much art as I haven't remembered to register my Starbuck's card and refuse to pay extra for my soy milk so I haven't been buying coffee! I did draw a couple yesterday and will get photos of them soon and do another post. Sorry for the long span of time since my last post. The rainy weather has me down and I am almost incapable of moving. Haven't even gone to the library for books!

Art Trading Cards

I was at Jo-Anns Fabrics the other day and saw Artists Trading Card (ATC) blanks in the one dollar bin so I picked up three. When I got home I checked my receipt and found they were in fact $2.50. Was going to give two of the packs away but the higher price convinced me to keep them. I plan to draw on them throughout the year, especially when I am drinking coffee at Starbucks! This one was done at the Starbucks in The Castro after I got my hair cut (yes, I go all the way to The Castro to get my hair cut. Bob the Hair God just can't be replaced - I've tried). Maybe these should be packaged in some kind of Starbucks container! I haul Starbucks Via around so that I will never be without caffeinated coffee, that might be a good container. Reduce-reuse-recycle is always a good thing.

Be sure to check out Artquiltmaker's blog for her creative prompts. Then get going and do them. Artistic exercising to keep your creativity in great shape. Sort of an artistic sixx-pack!

Beach or pool - watercolor painting

Have I mentioned that I taught a watercolor class last year? Here is a sample of my watercolor art. This was a gift to my daughter and son-in-law and usually hangs in their dining room. As they are in the midst of painting the inside of their house it currently resides on the floor in the living room! But that is good for me because I could take a photo and post it for all to see. My daughter has requested I do this same exact painting in neon green, hot pink and GKW other wild colors! I also did the framing on this one.

My watercolor students have been asking about another class and I do want to teach again. However I think I will offer a basic drawing class as drawing is like the foundation of a house. It holds every other art skill together and makes them better. So to all of you out in blogland - DRAW!

Fringy blanket #3

This is the first time I've tried to put two pictures on my post and I see that I have something to learn. The big guy will like it however, as in trying to move the second picture around I made him tall and slim. Looks good, don't you think?!

Be that as it may, here is the third in the Fringy blanket series I have been working on. They have made nice presents. This one is for my favorite Cal fan so of course it is blue and gold (really yellow but ...). It is the biggest of the ones I have made and I tied the fringe differently so it seems to lay a little better. I have the fabric to make one more but have not started on it yet.


I started working on my UFO stack this week. Will post a picture this week. It is an old quilt that needs repair that must be done by hand. I replaced one patch. Found that hand sewing doesn't make for happy hands. On the bright side, I had lunch with my quilt buddy on Wednesday. Two hours of talking mostly about quilting is my idea of fun! Buddy said my UFO resolution made her examine her UFO stack. She won! There are forty in her stack. In discussing her stack she said some were kits she hadn't even opened. Those, I comented, don't count - sell them on e-bay!

Along the same vein, I'm hoping to go to the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles with two girlfriends tomorrow. Will give an update later if I do.

Panel from class with Jeanette Meyer at EBHQ

One of the advantages of membership in a quilt guild is the availability of reasonably priced, interesting classes with excellent teachers. The class I took at EBHQ taught by Jeanette Meyer is a perfect example of that. The class, name of which I have forgotten, was about cutting and sewing curves without templates. It involved sewing fabric together and then cutting it apart and sewing it together again until a panel was completed. In reviewing my pictures I find this piece more interesting than I did when I finished it. For 2010 my New Year resolution is to finish all my UFOs before starting anything new. I did start a new quilt on Dec. 31st! My mother thought that was crazy! But it is a quilt I want to give as a gift this year so I had to start it last year so it fell into the UFO category! The panel I completed in the Jeanette Meyer class just jumped into the UFO list, too. Don't know yet what I will do with it but that will come to me in a streak of lightning at 2 a.m when I am sound asleep! The big guy and I went on a road trip around the holidays. We (I) drove 1125 miles between the Bay Area where we live and So. Cal. We visited friends and family and had a very relaxing time. I think I am just recovering now from all the relaxing! Hopefully, I will blog more regularly from now on. HAPPY NEW YEAR!