FRIENDSHIP AND ART

TREASURING FRIENDSHIP... ART  ALWAYS


August 19, 2011 

"Years of fighting...surrendered to hospice"

The room was warm, fading daylight struggled to fill the room, her voice was barely discernible and the face that was always smiling held barely a smirk. The sound of children echoed nearby as two old friends visited for the first time in many months...perhaps for the last time...ever. We talked about big things and small, about yesterday and today...about tomorrow with faith and love. We were both wishful, but not hopeful.

Irm was one of my mother's nurses and she helped us both through some very difficult times...I'd like to think I was doing the same for her. I'm so grateful to have Irm in my life and in my heart;  she fought hard, had faith,  kept believing and followed all the rules... I'm so sad to see her losing that fight!

                               

                              ************************** 

I've buried myself in art this week, more than usual I think. It's so therapeutic for my heart and soul...  Some blog challenges and a swap with one of my favorite online art groups... 

 

SUNDAY POSTCARD ART asked for art about THE ORIENT

INSPIRATION AVENUE had the wintry feeling going on with ICY

COLLAGE OBSESSION asked "what's in the glass?"  FLOWERS, of course!

CRAZY AMIGOS wanted to see black, white and red art...

PAPER TRADERS ART BLOG is thinking "back to school," vintage style

Finally, one of my most favorite online art groups, PAPER TRADERS, has a swap going on now...the theme is OPENING DOORS. I must make 4 pieces of art with this theme, and send it to the swap host. She, in turn, swaps it for 4 OPENING DOORS pieces from another participant. It's so much  fun to receive  art from a cyber friend as well as it being a great learning opportunity...to see what others have done with the same theme! Here are my doors...opened and closed... 

Thanks for stopping by  dear ones... please pray for my friend Irm. Hope to see you for my next posting...


xox,
abbyj

JUST ART

PLAYING WITH ART 
August 13, 2011 

From inside my cool cave, where I stand for a bit, sit for a bit and lie down more than I'd like, I write this edition of The Vivere...Life! This week it's just art... answering challenges and simply playing! But first, my current 6-Word Memoir (as created by SMITH MAGAZINE...)

"I CAN create...I CAN'T draw!"

Swinging Through the Ages

The two pieces above were created for fun... not to answer a challenge... although challenges are good fun as well. I worked with THE THREE MUSES on their map theme...

 Actually, Chief Louis Farmer was my friend. He was a sitting chief for the Onondaga Nation, one of the 6 nations of the Iroquois Nations or Confederacy. The Onondaga Reservation is quite close to our home and I have several dear friends there... friends for almost 25 years. They've been a real gift in my life as I hope I have been in theirs... Louie's gone now, but I remember his stories and keep him in my heart... 

"Brothers in Arms"

This piece answers a CRAZY AMIGO challenge that offered participating artists free reign to follow wherever our muses led us... mine was remembering our service men and women... our armed forces... who risk their lives to keep our country safe- the struggles are ever increasing and the risks seem insurmountable! I'm grateful and in awe of their commitment and bravery! Will there EVER be peace throughout the world?

That's it for this posting...thanks for stopping by. Hope to see you again...

xox,
abbyj 

ART and TRAVEL

ART and ANTARCTICA 
August 7, 2011 

My current Six-Word Memoir...

That done,  on to some quick art blog challenge responses:

SUNDAY POSTCARD ART requested art with pirates as the theme. When my grandson was younger, he loved anything with pirates...this is for Hunter...

THEME THURSDAY was dreaming about Paris. I'm ALWAYS dreaming about Paris... when I'm not dreaming of Africa  :o)

COLLAGE OBSESSION is continuing to ask for art based on the 7 Deadly Sins...this one's GREED...

Finally, THE THREE MUSES wanted some angelic art... I worked with a beautiful cemetery angel that I found in Umbria, Italy.

 On to the travel part of the posting...

Penguins are the superstars, but ice defines Antarctica!

I hope you're enjoying your summer (or current season, depending where you are in the universe!) It's been an exceptionally hot summer in Central New York, but it's been nicely mixed with rain, so a lush green blanket covers the land. The extreme heat and humidity have brought back memories of our trip to Antarctica several years ago. Our expedition to the White Continent, Antarctica (South Pole) started with a trip through Chile where we boarded our small ship with ice cutters for use as we approached the continent. Wandering Albatross followed our progress 

as we journeyed through the treacherous Drake Passage...one of the most severe bodies of water in the Southern Ocean, if not the world!

We met our first penguins and seals in the South Shetland Islands. The penguins were a raucous, pungent collection of CHINSTRAP and GENTOO penguins and their chicks....the seals were silent observers.

It was magical to walk and sit among these penguins who were as tall as my knees... to quietly observe their comical, curious ways and personalities. 

Our weather, throughout the expedition was generally cloudy or rainy and felt like winter in Central New York (although it was summer in Antarctica.) But, our spirits weren't dampened as we observed a variety of species of penguins, seals and whales on a daily basis. As we navigated further south, towards the White Continent, more and more ice appeared...much of it populated by our penguin characters. The natural ice sculptures were breathtaking...their azure-color almost dreamlike.

Packed ice and giant ice floes, icebergs and ice fields (defined by size) often made navigation difficult...

but we did well, even landing on some of the islands as well as on the continent of Antarctica. We loved kayaking with an audience of penguins observing!

Our trip was a once in a lifetime sojourn...but I'd return there in a heartbeat! The rivers of Antarctica will continue to flow and ice will continue to form as it has done forever, connecting the sea and sky. We have captured the colors of her depths, breathed her wild perfumes (some more pleasing than others,) we have walked across her spectacular contours and been shaped by her weather... Antarctica will  be part of us evermore!

Thanks for stopping by...see you next time?
xox,
abbyj 

GREETINGS...

MOSTLY ART... 
July 31, 2011 

Hi Friends, Family and Visitors,
Happy to "see" you here. I hope you've had a good week! 
As is my custom, here's this week's 6-Word Memoir to start my blog posting...

"world traveler, unique friends...same heart"

 

A while ago, I collected some of my favorite people photos from a variety of our travels and constructed the poster above...such different faces, lifestyles and environments...but all have the same heart. The more we travel, the more we realize that basic human nature is the same...a good thing!

It's wonderful to have healing time for my back, stretching before me...lots of time to make art! Here are some of this week's challenges, answered...

CRAZY AMIGOS asked to see in which shoes we walk...

TAKE A WORD asked participants to work within the SEPIA color range...I did two...the one above (MODELS) and below (NATIVE)

The newest TAKE A WORD challenge has to do with illustrating a favorite song...

COLLAGE OBSESSION announced it's challenge to be based on the theme of GLUTTONY...

and finally, SUNDAY POSTCARD ART was in the mood for WINGS...

That's all the standing I can do for now...so, 'til my next posting, thanks so much for stopping by- I hope you'll return again! Have a great week, all!

xox,
abbyj