ART and SOLE's 

CALENDAR CHALLENGE 

June 1, 2015

Welcome to the month of June, a time for flowers, weddings, swimming... and here in Central New York, a time when the sun is hot and much more a presence than during our winter months!

The beginning of each month, our calendar challenge rears its head...a time to show how we've changed the calendar art for the particular month ...now June... to reflect another feeling. This month, keeping some of the original picture, we needed to create glue or paint skins to add to our art along with a receipt or ticket stub of some kind.

Here's the original piece by American artist, Winslow Homer (1836-1910.) It's title..."Long Branch, New Jersey."

Here's how I changed it, adding the required elements...

Please check with Darcy Wilkinson's ART and SOLE blog to see the work of other artists...

Thanks for stopping by. I DO look forward to your visits...

Big Hugs,

abbyj

ARTFUL READERS BOOK REVIEW

"THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN" by Paula Hawkins

May 29, 2015 

Released as her debut novel in early January of this year, GIRL ON THE TRAIN by Paula Hawkins has been on the best seller list ever since! It literally roared out of the station debuting in the #1 spot!! I'm still trying to figure out how it got to the top. For me, it was about depressing people, depressing lives, depressing relationships... it's told from multiple points of view, not easily defined, has lots of time shifts and is somewhat monotonous...this is me being kind! It took me FOREVER to finish...it's hard for me to give up on a book, but I should have!

What drew me in was the aspect of viewing life from the window of a train...the imagining of people's lives from this distant, brief view and observing small, day to day changes. 

The girl on the train is Rachel, a lonely, alcoholic divorcee who rides the train to and from London every day, hoping to keep everyone from knowing she'd been fired from her job. The train passes by the house where she once lived with her much loved (now ex) husband... he still lives there with his new wife (for whom he left Rachel) and their small child. That same stretch of suburban homes includes Rachel's view of  another unknown couple, just a few houses away, whom she sees eating on their deck. Since she sees them each day, she feels she knows them and imagines what their life together is like...it seems perfect. Until, one day, she sees something shocking. It's only a brief glimpse before the train moves on, but she feels it's enough for her to involve herself in their lives. From here, the mystery begins...not enough to be a page turner, but is a bit of a puzzle.

This book has been hyped to the max...I can't understand why! Perhaps it's for you...but it definitely didn't blow my whistle!! 

This is a review for an ART and SOLE blog and the ARTFUL READER'S CLUB started by Darcy Wilkinson. Check out the group on Facebook for more reviews of a variety of books. 

QUEEN VENUS

May 27, 2015 

 

Hi Folks,

Just one piece of art to show you for this posting... Venus with her son, Cupid, after the bath. Venus and Cupid were done by one of the old masters, Titian, in the late 1400's. I just put them in a more modern setting...this was done for two challenge blogs: TRY IT ON TUESDAY who requested art with a crown,) and DIGITAL WHISPER (who asked to see some version of Venus.)

Thanks for stopping by for this quickie!

 

'Til Soon,

abbyj 

WEDDINGS and STAMPS 

May 23, 2015 

Glorious days, our summer days: I take a deep breath and I'm grateful to be alive to enjoy the day! This is traditionally a time for weddings, so one of my favorite challenge blogs, THE THREE MUSES, has requested that participating artists create an art piece with a WEDDING theme... I got carried away and did two...

 

I found this bride and groom and a story about them online... they were con artists who organized 24 fake weddings to collect the gifts and disappear, only to do it again somewhere else!

COLLAGE OBSESSION declared its theme to be STAMPS. I created a piece of mail art to fit the category...mail art about one of my favorite themes, GYPSIES. Their culture fascinates me! I've done lots of reading on the subject, both non-fiction and fiction.

I hope that  wherever you are, you're enjoying the beautiful outside as I am. I wish you joyful days... hope to see you for my next posting.
Happy Memorial Day,
abbyj

HOME...and Music

May 22, 2015 

Hello Readers,

What a beautiful few days we've had...flowers are blooming and the grass is intensely green. The bird feeder's a very busy spot in our garden...lots of wonderful eye candy to enjoy and photograph.

The challenge blogs have been busy as well...

DIGITALMANIA is still asking us to do some art in the style of Cristiana Couceiro (as of a few days ago...)  I really enjoy her style. I've done a couple more pieces in her style...

This piece is not only for DIGITALMANIA, but also for DIGITAL WHISPER who asked artists to include sheet music in their art!

TAKE A WORD challenge blog asked participating artists to create the feeling of "Home, Sweet Home..."

Enjoy YOUR Home, Sweet Home...
Please stop by again...thanks for visiting!
Stay well,
Big Hugs,
abbyj 

ANOTHER MIXED BAG

May 16, 2015 

 

I love taking advantage of my time at home by making art! For me, it's a contemplative time...a time to relax and let my mind wander (more than usual! :) ) 

The challenge blogs have been busy and creative in declaring their themes. I've tried to be equally creative in responding to the challenges...

DIGITAL WHISPER wants to see a piece featuring COFFEE...

MIX IT MONTHLY continues it's request for a "happy couple." This is my third entry...I really like the theme!

TAKE A WORD challenge blog simply wants participating artists to use turquoise in their art piece... my response centering around one of my favorite subjects- trains!

THE THREE MUSES challenged participating artists to include some form of wheel in their piece... see my circus Ferris wheel?

Finally, at FLICKER's DIGITALMANIA, our inspiration this week is the Portuguese graphic artist, Cristiana Couceiro. Here's one of hers...

 

and here's what Cristiana inspired me to create...

That's it for this posting. Didn't take you long to see it, right? Thanks for stopping in. Please DO return...

 

Big Hugs,

abbyj

NEW HORIZONS 

May 12, 2015

I hope you've had an enjoyable Mother's Day or just a nice weekend for those NOT celebrating. I know that Great Britain celebrates Mother's Day at a different time...don't know who else does... do you?

TRY IT ON TUESDAY is a new art challenge blog for me. This week, they asked us to represent something about sewing and/or buttons in our creation...

SUNDAY POSTCARD ART wanted to see something unique. What's more unique than each and every one of us...separate packages of gifts and talents given to us at birth and later developed? Loved this subject so I created two art pieces...

Finally, for this week's DIGITALMANIA challenge, we had fun creating postage stamp people. BEWARE...this IS addictive!!

Remembering Hermione Granger from the HARRY POTTER series...

When I was in Benin, West Africa last January, I had the privilege of observing Voodoo trance dancing first hand...Benin is where Voodoo originated!

My tribute to Hermann Hesse, a German-born Swiss poet, novelist and painter.

Glad you stopped by...please stop again.

Enjoy your week...

Big Hugs,

abbyj

ONE MORE... 

May 9, 2015 

COLLAGE OBSESSION, "Let's Dance!"

Almost Mother's Day...looking forward to it even though we won't be with the rest of our dear ones...saw them last weekend!

About the piece of art above for Collage Obsession, I immediately thought of BREAK-DANCING when I saw the challenge was "Let's Dance!" If you've ever seen young people perform this amazing genre of dance, you can't help but be mesmerized as you watch the good ones.This is dedicated to all those who are part of this art form...you're AMAZING!!

That's it for this post...a quickie!

See you next time...thanks for stopping by.

Big Hugs,

abbyj 

Blog Art Challenges

BLOG ART CHALLENGES

May 7, 2015 

"If evolution really works, how come mothers only have two hands? "   Milton Berle  

Happy Mother's Day to those amazing dear ones, alive in our hearts always. I wish you a pampered day... one that makes your heart sing! (The art piece above, "Splish Splash," I created for the TAKE A WORD challenge blog in honor of Mother's Day.)

DIGITAL WHISPER challenge blog requested we create art including a train... one of my favorite subjects. Here's what was entered... 

 

MIX-IT-MONTHLY's chosen theme: A Happy Couple. To me, this represents a couple who has been married a long time, living through thick and thin TOGETHER!! In this piece, they're braving a rainy day...

and here's a young couple doing the same...

THE THREE MUSES was interested in a piece of art featuring a chicken or similar fowl...

Finally, last but definitely not least, Flicker's DIGITALMANIA ,asked us to be inspired by artist DJ Pettitt... someone with whom I've taken a workshop and consider my friend. A very talented artist and easy to be inspired by... Here's an example of her art...

and here are my two pieces inspired by DJ's style...

Thanks for checking in (again.) Please do return. I love sharing my art and thoughts with you!

Hugs and love,
abbyj .

LOTS OF ART...and TORONTO 

May 4, 2015

What a fun weekend we spent in Toronto with our daughter and grandchildren. Our daughter was in a wonderful Spring Concert with her Tempus Community Choir...with whom she recently sang at Carnegie Hall; then our grandson's first hockey game of the spring season...that's him on the poster (above) that I created for him upon scoring his first of 3 goals for the game...can you feel my pride??? We also spent some quality time with our granddaughter who was in the process of creating a video for school with her friends. Busy time for all...

On the long car ride up and back, I worked on some art pieces to respond to online challenges...I'd like to share them with you!

For SUNDAY POSTCARD ART, I worked with stencils as requested...

For TAKE A WORD, the theme was Plants and Insects...

THE THREE MUSES didn't care what we created as long as it was about something or someone FAMOUS...

TRY IT ON TUESDAY was feeling its "hippie-ness" in requesting an art creation based on the RETRO 1960's... 

Finally, COLLAGE OBSESSION's heart was in Paris... (mine, too!!)

Thanks so much for stopping in to check out my blog...I do hope you'll make a return visit soon!

Stay safe and enjoy your week.

Big Hugs,

abbyj  

ART and SOLE CALENDAR CHALLENGE...MAY 

May 1, 2015 

Happy May Day Everyone! Don't know where this year is going...I haven't moved on from the beautiful snows of winter yet, but I'm definitely in the minority on that! The months are flying by...maybe that has something to do with age???

This month's calendar challenge from ART and SOLE required participants to make marks... scratching or stamping... into texture paste or thick gesso. I used a bit of both...GOLDEN products. We had to keep part of the original calendar image in our completed piece while adding an image that depicted our star sign (horoscope.) I'm a Gemini, the sign of the twins! Here's the original calendar art by a Canadian artist, Maurice Brazil Prendergast. It looks very  Cezanne-ish to me!  He lived from 1858-1924.

Here's my piece of art for the month of May...

Thanks for stopping by and checking in! I hope to see you next time...

Big Hugs,

abbyj  

DIGITALMANIA 

May 4, 2015

DIGITALMANIA is a Flicker online art group  that challenges artists to be inspired by the style of a different artist each week. It's great fun and often quite a stretch to create a piece of art in his/her style. This week: INGRID POMEROY, a wonderful digital artist, specializing in altering vintage photos. This is an example of her art...

Here are some pieces she inspired me to create...

Creating art feels good. It feeds my heart and soul. I hope you have something in your life that does the same...

Thanks for stopping by. See you next time???

Big Hugs,

abbyj

THE THREE MUSES 

April 29, 2015  

More play with postage stamp people...this time for the online challenge group, THE THREE MUSES. Here's what they look like...try it yourself! You could enjoy the challenge...

Thanks for stopping by...see you next posting?

Big Hugs,

abbyj