Love Letters

Look at this!!!

I felt like the luckiest woman in the world yesterday when I went out to retrieve the mail and found this juicy, delicious, spectacular riot of color and joy in my box!!!

I mean, really, how fun is this?!?  This is from Miss Rena, artist extraordinaire, and I LOVE it!!!  

Inside, I found more delights... 

and two of Miss Rena's business cards, which I think are SO charming and delightful...

this is her new card...

and this is her older version...

I honestly cannot say which one I like best!!!  Both are so inventive and fun... what's not to like?!?  Not to mention, included in the envelope was a Hello Kitty message pad, and who doesn't love Hello Kitty?!?  

(Did I ever tell you how my daughter Corey named our big orange kitty Danny

 
after "Dear Daniel", who is "Hello Kitty's" little brother?!?)

Anyhow, I just want to thank Miss Rena for her VERY generous mailing and I am working on a return surprise for you, my friend!  

I hope you all have a wonderful day, thank you for "stopping by", now... 

Derwent Watercolors

I have been using Derwent Watercolor pencils to do my watercolor experiments, and ended up buying two different types... the Derwent Inktense pencils and the Derwent Watercolor pencils... and because I really couldn't tell all that much difference between the two, I made a little chart, which looks like this:

 
And so, from this, I really can see how the Inktense colors are more intense, hence, I guess, the name "Inktense"!  (My shining brilliance baffles me more often than I can begin to tell you!!!) :D

These pencils are really fun to use and are very portable... just don't forget to take a brush and some water with you!  For that, I recommend using a Koi Waterbrush, which is an empty barrel container with a brush on top. (See image below). This eliminates the need to carry around a container of water and a separate brush if you are traveling with your watercolors.  

You can purchase these brushes from Paper & Ink Arts, one of my favorite art suppliers, especially for calligraphy supplies.  And if you're looking for inspiration, this book,
written by a friend of mine, Janet Takahashi, is a wonderful source for information about watercolor, drawing, and journaling with watercolors.    

Birthday card for a friend

In an effort to send out special cards for special friends, here is a birthday card I made for my gal pal Yvonne, recently... The card is made from paste paper with various collage elements placed on top of the paste paper, including a postage stamp from the Netherlands and a little orange bird from a paper sample from French Paper Company of Niles, Michigan, in addition to some calligraphy scraps of mine...

and the envelope addressed with a brush pen.

 
I'm not terribly proficient with the brush pen, but I'm working at it, and will continue to work at it until I am comfortable with it!  The envelope was made out of tyvek which I painted with gesso mixed with acrylic paint.  The gesso dries to a nice matte finish which can be writen on and has a really nice flat finish.  The kitty on the stamp resembles the kitty at Yvonne's, so it was appropriate.  I don't know about you, but I love postage stamps, and I wish there was a bigger variety to pick from sometimes.  

So, if there's someone in your life you've been thinking about and meaning to write to, or call, take a minute and write them a letter... it's much more personal and will last a lot longer than a phone call or text message!  

Corey's flowers

First things, first. I am not a watercolorist, let's make that perfectly clear. BUT I am trying to teach myself some of the skills of working with watercolors and I have been enjoying the process.  Actually, I just really like playing around and seeing how the colors dry and where there are neat little puddles of color!  So in the effort to push myself to learn new skills and work outside my usual comfort zone, here is the watercolor I made of my daughter Corey's Sweetest Day flowers (which are now black and brittle in the same vase out on our back porch... she won't throw them away!). 

I like this little close up better...

or this, even better!

Just having some Saturday morning fun.. it's really nice to be able to do this as a change, after working two twelve-hour shifts back-to-back in the Emergency Room these past two days!  

I must say, I meet the nicest people there... I took care of someone yesterday who made me realize how ridiculous all of my tiny little complaints are, and they really are... this man had endured more suffering than I can imagine and yet he never, ever, uttered a single complaint while he was in my care.  And his wife couldn't understand why people had been so kind and accomodating towards her after her husband's initial injuries.  I was just blown away by these two... he became my hero and she became my example of humility.  People were kind and accomodating towards her because she was kind and accomodating herself!  I really believe we attract the kind of treatment we receive by the kind of behavior we exhibit.  It was truly a privilege to take care of that couple.  I needed to be reminded just how fortunate I am. 

 

Selvedge magazine

My online girlfriend, Lisa Hoffman, turned me on to yet another wonderful find... Selvedge magazine... I just subscribed to it and can't wait to get my first issue in the mail!!!  Until then, I'm heading out tomorrow morning for a copy from Barnes and Nobles near our house, I'm that excited!!!

I mean, really, how gorgeous is that cover?!? I'm giddy, I'm so excited to get this magazine!  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear back from you!  And once again, thanks Lisa for turning me on to something else new and beautiful!  

Color Wheels and history...

I've never really given much thought to the origins of the lowly color wheel, but it seems a lot of people have!  Here is a link to a terrific three part article on color theory, from Print Magazine... http://imprint.printmag.com/color/the-wondrous-color-wheel-part-1/... from there, I found the rest of the inspiration for this post:

Here is an image of a color wheel made from cocktail umbrellas that I think is just delightful, found on the Bright LIghts-LIttle City webpage...

Here is a link to a wonderful article, which shows color wheels in all sorts of different forms, from ColourLovers blog site.  

What sort of objects do you think you could use to make a color wheel?!?  I'm going to have to work on this one!  By the way, the original color wheel was credited as having been designed/invented by Sir Isaac Newton... see the Colour Lovers blog here.  Let me know what you come up with!

 

Anita's Kitchen in Ferndale, MI

We just got home from Anita's Kitchen in Ferndale where I had one of the best salads I've ever eaten... ever!

I had "Anita's Chopped Salad" which doesn't sound like all that much, (it certainly doesn't scream "Middle Eastern cuisine"), but it was SO good... imagine a large salad of the freshest romaine lettuce leaves topped with diced chicken grilled to perfection, applewood bacon crumbles, hard boiled egg, the softest, the freshest, yummiest feta cheese possible, and perfectly diced beautiful red tomatoes, all of which was arranged atop the lettuce in long strips across the plate and served with delicious creamy feta dressing... may I just sayfeta is not easy to draw OR color with watercolor!  The plate is drawn on the page, it's just next to impossible to see in the scan.  

 

I wish I'd thought to take a photograph with my camera, though food pictures are typically really unapealling, at least IMHO! 

The wait staff is warm and friendly, and have learned the fine art of attending to patrons without hovering or making people feel rushed to finish up.  If you're in the area, do be sure to visit... you'll be so glad you did!  

Pilot handwriting font

I found reference to this on my friend Julie Wildman's blog and just had to give it a try... if you go to pilothandwriting.com and follow the directions, you can make your own handwriting font and send a "handwritten email"... kind of cool, right?!?  And like the folks at Pilot say (I'm paraphrasing), "Now you can send emails in your handwriting, or better yet, get out a sheet of paper and your (pilot) pen, and write a letter to someone".  

I still maintain handwritten letters and cards will only become more special as time goes by, so if you're thinking about brightening up someone's day, take five minutes and write a note to someone you've been thinking of.  I promise you will bring a smile to their face by taking the time to send them something personal... I bet you like getting surprises like that in the mail, right?!?  Come on, give it a try... and then find a fun postage stamp to put on the envelope... you'll feel really good for having made the effort, I promise!  :D

PROJECT trio

If you ever have the opportunity to see PROJECT trio perform, do not miss it!  These three guys are SO talented and full of energy, passionate, fun, funny... did I mention just how passionate they are about their craft?!?  

Peter Seymour, Eric Stephenson, and Greg Pattillo make up PROJECT Trio

 

from their web page:

PROJECT Trio

Education/Outreach

MISSION STATEMENT:  PROJECT Trio is dedicated to galvanizing artistic awareness through performance, education and community engagement. We believe that there is a direct correlation between artistry and scholastic achievement. Creativity encourages critical thinking. By combining classical repertoire with elements of hip-hop and popular music, PROJECT Trio engages today’s younger audience.

I love that the trio teaches kids wherever they go on tour, as a way to promote the arts and to expose today's youth to the wonder of live performance.  They are magical.  I can't even begin to describe their music, except to say I heard a bit of classical, some jazz, some original pieces (that were outstanding), some rap, some hip hop, some bee bop, and some "beatnik" (whatever that is).  What I heard mostly, is beautiful musicianship and incredibly well practiced ensemble work.  These guys are not to be missed.  I left the concert feeling inspired to play my piano again and to get back to singing somewhere.  This may or may not happen (the singing part I'm referring to), but the sheer fact that I was touched by their music and their message, and was inspired to get back in touch with that part of me was very special to me.  And if you get the chance to go see and hear these guys perform, be sure to take a young person with you... you won't regret it, I promise!

(The bass player, Peter Seymour, was beyond cute... SO much personality... I really admired his on stage presence... it's not easy to play an instrument and engage an audience the way he did!)

Jaume Plensa, sculptural artist...

This is a sculpture similar to the Jaume Plensa sculptures at the Frederick Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids, Michigan that I saw this past Saturday.  Plensa's work at the FMG is actually three human figures, each sitting atop a huge stone, with letters "falling" around the bottom of each figure in random formation.  The sun catches on individual letters depending on the sun's angle and the plane of the letter face and it is magnificent.  

If you have the chance to see the Meijer Gardens, do not miss it... it is a gem of a destination in our beautiful state!

"The focal point of Plensa’s work is the universality of humankind through the context of public sculpture and installation, which can be seen in dozens of permanent works around the world,” said Joseph Becherer, Director of Exhibitions and Curator of the Sculpture at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.“His work is significant for Meijer Gardens because it directly addresses the connection between art and life, and how each fit within the natural world.” 

Best known in America as the creator of Chicago’s iconic Crown Fountain in Millennium Park, Plensa is one of the most innovative and profound public artists on the contemporary art scene. This exclusive presentation centers on Plensa’s distinct interpretation of the human form and use of text, through eight sculpture installations and 18 drawings, many of which never before seen in the United States.

About Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
The 132-acre Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, which currently serves more than a half-million visitors annually, features Michigan's largest tropical conservatory; one of the largest children’s gardens in the country; arid and Victorian gardens; carnivorous plant house; outdoor gardens; the Midwest's most comprehensive sculpture experience featuring internationally-acclaimed works by Rodin, Oldenburg, Moore, Rickey, di Suvero and others; indoor galleries with changing sculpture exhibitions, as well as a 1750-seat outdoor amphitheater, featuring an eclectic mix of world-renowned musicians every summer, café and gift shop.  For additional information, please visit www.meijergardens.org

(from http://www.artknowledgenews.com/Jaume_Plensa.html)