Illustration Friday - Rejection

This one is really late, and I'm not terribly pleased with it at that. I like the concept, just not thrilled with my rendition thereof. Still, it was fun to paint. It is titled "No More", was painted in acrylics, and is 4" x 6".

Illustration Friday - Suits

"Suits" was not a topic I found inspiring. Looking at everyone else's work, I was impressed by other artists' cleverness and skill and originality - but my own product is disappointingly mundane. Oh well, at least I did something. The work was done with colored pencils and ink.

Computer Art?

Last week I had a frustrating experience, attempting computer art.

The Illustration Friday topic was My Paradise, and I worked on it all day. My idea of paradise is being surrounded by nature and loved ones. So my idea was to pull a photo I'd taken of a beautiful landscape in Alaska, then use it as a background, putting photos of myself and family here and there among the trees, and perhaps toss in a few birds and animals I've painted as well. I was totally unable to succeed in that endeavor.

The first problem was that although I found my Alaska landscape in iphoto, I simply could not figure out how to get it OUT of iphoto. I couldn't even manage to see it large within iphoto! All I could get was different arrangements of thumbnails. Grrrrrr. Finally, after hours of frustration, I gave up on that idea and attempted to simply make a wreathe of family members. At the end of the day I did have something - but it was definitely NOT anything I liked.

Consequently, you see no lovely computer art image here on the topic of Paradise. Now I have a new vision of paradise, which includes my understanding the programs on my own computer. Far out vision!

Illustration Friday - Cars 2

I finally finished this more realistic painting of a car. I snapped a photo of this volkswagon (with a different license plate) in a parking lot, and decided to paint it. The painting, VW, is 4" by 6", and done in acrylics. I've never owned a VW, but I think they simply look like a car should look.

Illustration Friday - Cars

I don't often do cars, but I do have these two in stock. The ink on pink doodle is "Jalopy", while the one done with markers is "Road Trip". I'll put these up for now, but perhaps I can do another car in paint this week.

Illustration Friday - Signs

This painting is entitled "Burma Shave". It honors the little signs which used to be placed along the roadways to entertain (and elicit business from) travelers, but which have now faded into the sunset. There would be a short poem, a few words at a time, painted on little signs in a series of 5 or 6. We'd all read every sign aloud as we passed. You young folks who don't remember can read about them here: http://www.fiftiesweb.com/burma.htm and see some examples of the rhymes. They were fun, and I miss them.

Mom

My Mother died May 8. She passed away peacefully in her sleep, at age 86. She was an important part of my life. I'll miss her. But I know she was ready to go, and is now in a better place, where pain no longer exists.



Above is the last picture taken of Mom and me. It was snapped at Larry's birthday luncheon, a little over a week before Mom died. My mother is the one wearing the bright red sweater.

For the last couple years of her life, Mom suffered constant pain and discomfort. Worse, because of her amputation, she had lost her independence, and she hated that. But she was a courageous woman who rarely complained. To the last day of her life she strove to be cheerful, and to express her love for her family.

One way she expressed her love for me was by showing interest in my art. She really did NOT have an artistic eye, nor did she have much love or understanding of fine art. But she did know I like art, and that was what mattered to her. She always wanted to see every piece of artwork I created. Toward the end, her macular degeneration made it difficult for her to decipher the art I showed her, but she still wanted to see. And that motivated me to create as much art as I could - I needed to have something to show my mother when I visited, or she would worry about me.

She was a big worrier. When my daughter Margo flew across country to visit a pen-pal friend, Margo made a joke of that, sending an "arrived safely" letter that said something like,

Dear Grandma Margo,
I was not kidnapped. My plane did not crash. I did not get lost. I have arrived safely.
Please send cash.

We all laughed about that note, but Mom still worried, all the time, about the people she loved. I will miss having her prayers and caring at my back.