WOMEN and the BEACH 

July 25, 2015 

Welcome, fellow artists, family and friends! This is a short posting on some interesting challenges. I always like when a challenge involves some research as it did this time for one of the women coming up.

The first challenge came by way of the group from Flicker's DIGITALMANIA. We were tasked with presenting the face of one of the old Renaissance Masters' paintings in a modern day setting...I used the face of Botticelli's BIRTH OF VENUS. Do you recognize her? I put her on the runway for New York's FASHION WEEK!!

 Here's what she looked like originally...

I also used Renaissance Master Peter Paul Ruben's CHAPEAU de PAILLE for an all-American cowgirl...

and, here's how she looked originally...

SUNDAY POSTCARD ART's theme...strong women. Here's where my research came in. I wanted to feature Rosa Parks...both brave and strong! TIME MAGAZINE included December 1, 1955 in its list of days that changed the world...because of Rosa Parks. It seems that she was on her way to a meeting at her local NAACP about protesting segregation laws when it happened: "she found a seat in the first row of the "colored" section in the back of the bus. But after a few stops, the driver ordered her to get up so a white passenger could sit down. Parks refused, so the police were called to take her to jail." Her ordeal would soon inspire a citywide boycott and a ruling that such segregation was illegal! BRAVE and STRONG!! 

Finally, TAKE A WORD challenged artists to create a piece that was mostly black and white. I used an old photo... 

 

That's all, folks...enjoy your weekend!

Big Hugs,

abbyj 

FLAT STANLEY AND FRIENDS...

FLAT PEOPLE...TRAVELING
June 14, 2011
Hi Friends,

Have you given any thought to a six-word story that would serve as YOUR current memoir? Here's mine for the week... I was recalling a comical incident that occurred when I was recently in Italy. I guess I'm a shopper at heart... (my husband wouldn't argue with THAT!!)

Literally caught with my pants down by my friend, DJ, who was shopping with me...but what's a girl to do when there's no dressing room???

This was a week where I returned to some of my favorite online art group roots...  PAPER TRADERS is one of them. Happily for them and for all of our group members, there's now a blog for us to enjoy. They've asked group members and random readers to create an art piece entitled CELEBRATION... to toast the creation of this new blog. Here's mine...

The group created an ongoing challenge for group members...we're working on a Word Prompt Journal that involves creating pieces of art with words of inspiration... here are LOVE, COURAGE and COMPASSION: 

 A long-time cyber friend in Germany, with whom I've exchanged pieces of art through the years... Marion Bockelman...has asked some of her artist friends to participate in a swap. Our task is to create 3 small pieces utilizing artists' portraits of women of the Renaissance. (By small, I mean 2 1/2" x 3 1/2"... they're called  ATCs or Artist Trading Cards.) She's calling the swap "MONA and FRIENDS." See it on her blog, and see my entries here...

 

Now, let's consider a different kind of art... the art of writing! Have you heard of  FLAT STANLEY? 

Poor Stanley was a normal little boy who was FLATTENED when a bulletin board  fell on him during the night. This was both good and bad...he could certainly journey to places he'd never thought of visiting before he was flattened, but he couldn't be a normal little boy. He  could fit in an envelope or in a suitcase and travel ANYWHERE! What adventures...what possibilities! Our family has our own Flat Hunter and Flat Lilly...(our dear grandchildren) that we take with us on most of our travels. Their appearances have been altered considerably through the years, but the thought is the same...here they are on some of their travels as Flat Hunter and Flat Lilly...

Flat kids overlooking the city of Jerusalem, Israel, on top of a camel saddle

Flat kids with part of my extended family in Ethiopia...Dido and his son, Gallipo

Christmas in Paris, France

Enjoying the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy

In a temple niche in India

 Since turnabout is fair play, on a recent trip that our daughter, son-in-law and our grandchildren (aka Flat Hunter and Flat Lilly) took to Las Vegas, they brought FLAT PAPA and FLAT DOODLELOO (that's me) with THEM!!

Finally, a quick look at recent visitors to my bird feeder...must get a book about birds  so I can learn their names-  I'm new to this bird-feeder thing! They're so sweet, though...I photoshopped a bit, but the birds were truly a couple of today's many visitors...

Thanks for stopping by this week...hope to see you next week...


xox, abbyj