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

POSTAGE STAMP PEOPLE 

APRIL 25, 2015 

Did you ever try to put a postage stamp on a completed picture to create the image of  a new person? That's what I did with COLLAGE OBSESSION's challenge for the theme SCIENCE and INVENTION. Introducing Albert Einstein, man of science! What fun!!

Hope you're enjoying your weekend!

Hugs,

abbyj

OLD PHOTO MEMORIES 

April 24, 2015 

Although we've had a bit of snow over the last couple of days, spring is definitely in the air. I see bits of new green here and there...at least I THINK I do!!  

 The backdrop of frost...

a lone daffodil conducts

Winter's requiem

Today's art pieces, for me, have to do with photo memories...

The challenge blog, TAKE A WORD, requested a piece of art included in a family album...

This is an adopted relative...sweet child...

and this is a photo of my father and my aunt...both very dear...

THE THREE MUSES asked to see a book cover of our own creation. I turned to my Africa photos for this cover. It may someday be the cover of a real children's book!

Thanks so much for checking in again. Please come back...

Big Hugs,

abbyj

ARTFUL READERS CLUB REVIEW

LEAVING TIME by JODI PICOULT

April 24, 2015 

It's that time again...book review time for those of us who participate in  the ARTFUL READERS CLUB... an outgrowth of Darcy Wilkinson's blog, ART AND SOLE. My selection this month is LEAVING TIME by Jodi Picoult.

Alice was a scientist who studied grief patterns among African elephants. She moved her study venue to New Hampshire when she married a researcher who ran an elephant sanctuary there...then she disappeared. This is the story of their daughter Jenna, a teen searching for her missing mother, Alice. She went missing when Jenna was 3. At 13, Jenna's ready to launch her own investigation. By using a multi-character point of view, Picoult has each character provide a piece of the puzzle that leads to Alice's disappearance from the sanctuary (soon after a co-worker was trampled to death.) Jenna enlists the help of Virgil, a former cop who worked on the disappearance 10 years earlier... to no avail, and Serenity, a psychic who no longer believes in her gift. They all played their part in taking us to a satisfying and totally unexpected, SHOCKING conclusion!!

The author blends nature and nurture to balance the plight of the Asian and African elephants with the yearning of a child to find her mother. Often writing about controversial subjects pertaining to today's society, Picoult found the plight of wild elephants in Africa and Asia fit the bill. There are quite a few chapters dedicated to elephants, their behavior and the impact of poaching. Being a frequent visitor to Africa and Asia and having met and observed many elephant families, this was of great interest to me. Jodi Picoult certainly did her research. Her book is based on information garnered from real-life elephant researchers and includes a list of their books for those interested.

This is a story of love and respect, grief and loss and the love between a mother and her child... both elephant and human. It's moving, poignant, full of mystery, intrigue, adultery and a twist at the end that blew me away!!

If I were an elephant, I'd trumpet LEAVING TIME by Jodi Picoult. I loved it!

Here's my art representation of the book...

If you love elephants, I highly recommend this book as much of it is devoted to elephant behavior.

Thanks for stopping by...hope to "see" you again for my next posting.

Hugs,

abbyj

...AND THIS ONE 

APRIL 21, 2015 

On a trip to India a while ago, we were privileged to see tigers in the wild. To me, they're the most beautiful, graceful animals on the face of the earth. I've loved them since I was a child so you can imagine how thrilled I was!! I took as many photos as humanly possible...more to play with. And, play I did when TAKE A WORD challenge blog requested a black and white piece of art for this week. Though I felt badly reducing this beautiful creature to black and white, it's beauty shines through no matter WHAT color!! 

"Do not blame God for having created the tiger, but thank HIM for not having given it wings."  

                                                        Ethiopian Proverb

 Thanks for checking in once again. See you soon?

 

Big Hugs,

abbyj 

ART...AGAIN! 

April 19, 2015 

What a beautiful weekend here in Central New York! Spring is in the air, but if I were a betting woman, I'd bet that we have more snow.  It certainly wouldn't be the first time we've had snow on Mother's Day (not 'til May, I know!!)

I found time to answer two more art challenges...so much fun to get back to them and to be sharing them with you. :)

First, for THE THREE MUSES, a "blackbird." Because Fall is my most favorite season, I was picturing him on a park bench with autumn leaves around him...

The last piece is for a new-to-me online art group called TRY IT ON TUESDAY. They were interested in "new beginnings..."

Thanks for checking back...please DO come again.

Big Hugs,

abbyj

ARTIST DISCOVERED

April 18, 2015 

David Walker is a London-based artist who creates color-explosive portraits using spray paint in the form of street art. His work is done free-hand and is often blended as colors drip and mixed together. This week, Flicker's DIGITALMANIA group is featuring Walker's art to inspire us to create our own art in his style. Here's an example of HIS art...

 and here are a couple of mine...

 

It's always fun to see another artist's work...it's inspiring... if you enjoy the artist's style. I DO like David Walker's art... do you?

Thanks for stopping by... see you again?

Big Hugs,

abbyj 

MIX IT MONTHLY CHALLENGE

April 16, 2015 

There are always fresh new challenges out there, whether it be in art or life! I'm participating in an online art group called Mix It Monthly Challenge . Their challenge is to create a piece of art around the theme, "City/Village." Having just returned from the Big Apple, I created this piece...

Thanks for stopping by...

Big Hugs,

abbyj 

NEW YORK CITY,

THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE

and MICHELLE at CARNEGIE HALL 

April 15, 2015 

To set the mood, I downloaded the link to Frank Sinatra's song about the Brooklyn Bridge...click on the upcoming link to hear it as you view the photos on the blog... https://youtu.be/L2-Mb-RYmqE. Enjoy!!

Our reason for being in the Big Apple was to hear Michelle and her Toronto choir, TEMPUS, in concert at Carnegie Hall...by invitation. Quite an honor and very exciting!! Carnegie Hall has just had a facelift, so she was looking her best...and the choir sounded positively ethereal!!

We walked or rode the subways to get wherever we wished to go...lots of up and down, but enjoyed the rides, watching the other travelers, and the time we had together. 

Our walks over, under and around the Brooklyn Bridge were inspirational...imagine that it was the longest suspension bridge in the world when it was completed in 1883. 

Walking on the bridge seems to be an iconic pastime for native New Yorkers and visitors alike ...the crowds were massive at some bridge locales.

Good food and a marvelous show... BEAUTIFUL, the story and music of Carole King's life... rounded out a memorable several days in the big city. It's an amazing place to visit...no matter how many times we go there, there's always something new and fun to do or see. Truly, it IS a city that NEVER sleeps!!

Thanks for stopping by... hope you enjoyed the music and the photos. Please come again...

Big Hugs,

abbyj

   

ONE MORE... 

April 7, 2015 

Hi Readers,

There's one more art challenge that I forgot to include...it's from THE THREE MUSES, who asked for an artistic presentation of a stone angel...one of my favorite things to photograph. When we visit a new place, where most tourists would head for the famous sights, I make a beeline for the local cemetery... weird, I know!! Here's my STONE ANGEL...

May the stone angels stay far away from you and yours!! :)

Thanks for checking back...

xox,

abbyj  

A FEW ART CHALLENGES 

April 6, 2015 

 

Hi Family and Friends,

I've finally had the opportunity to get back to playing with my photos and creating new pieces of art...I miss that when I'm away! I'd like to show you what I've been doing...

SUNDAY POSTCARD ART  challenged participants to create a piece of art with eggs in it...I wasn't thinking Easter because I thought that would be too obvious. So... 

TAKE A WORD requested  art with numbers in the mix...

Finally, COLLAGE OBSESSION was interested in illustrating the word "abundance" with our art... I like the thought of an abundance of friends and family...

Thanks so much for stopping by...please leave a comment to let me know you were here.

 

Big Hugs,

abbyj

CALENDAR CHALLENGE, etc.

April 1, 2015 

New challenge from Darcy's Art and Sole blog...her Calendar Challenge, where we take our monthly piece of calendar art and alter it according to Darcy's specifications. This months piece is by Theodore M. Wendel, an American artist who lived from 1859-1932. It's a painting of a bridge in Ipswich, Massachusetts...

Specifications for our alteration this month were to include part of the original piece, add some drips and splatters and some repeating shapes and/or words. Here's my altered piece...

Back to answering some fun art challenges from a variety of online groups...
SUNDAY POSTCARD ART requested art with a full moon eclipse...

DIGITALMANIA, a Flicker art group, introduces us to new artists...Christine Peloquin is a mixed media artist and this piece is done in her style...

TAKE A WORD wanted to see some art in primarily blue and white- I added a bit of tan...

Finally, THE THREE MUSES asked to see a piece of art inspired by music...

Enjoy your week ahead...I hope it finds you happy and content.

Please stop by again...thanks for this visit!

Hugs,

abbyj