Lighting the Candles

It is getting dark outside so we lit some candles.

We are not on the grid (the electric grid).  It is incredibly quiet here, except for....

Miro's Study Journal Page 12

I like the different colored back grounds against the playful images.  

Miro Book Finished!!!

"Escape From the Blame Game" 2009

The idea is that we get caught in a web of expectations and roles that cause us to react in certain ways.  We have to stop and become "Re- sponds - able".  Creating enough perspective or objectivity to be able to chose  our own response.  You don't have to stay stuck in something that can never be resolve or lead to love. 

Grounding in the midst of a confusion.

When I first did this applique I was discouraged because of all the business of this piece.  After studying Miro and seeing how much he used black to create a sense of grounding...I decided to use it in this piece and see what would happen.  I am enjoying the result.

Dug Outs.

  This is a small applique art quilt of a place that we visited in New Mexico.  This is a house that is dug out of the desert sand near Socoro, New Mexico.  My husband was interview for a job at the NRAO, when we went to look at these dwellings.  We had been in contact with one of  the builders of these little earth shelters for 2 years, so we were very excited about getting a tour.

Miro's Study Journal Page 11

I think that this is another great study of balance.  The shaddow adds some grounding to  the white form.  I like the texture inside the form.  The circles and line also provide interest.  But I cannot find this image on the web.  I don't know if this is just the elements that I liked and the arrangement that I preferred or what might have been omitted.  Read more to see how selective I was and how my images were a study and not a true copy.

Mosaic Monday

1. Microscopic Image - Synapses, 2. Schumann Piano Extravaganza, 3. fireflies, 4. The Dreamcatchers (please bless me with sleep ...)

Miro's Study Journal Page 10

Here are a few little motifs that I found in different paintings of Miro's.  I like the fish and the little microscopic swimmer.  I like the reflection of the bird and the feather that is in the bird's shaddow.  The markings of black in the eyes, swan and fish really are dramatic and create motion.

Miro's Study Journal Page 9

I love the feeling this picture has.  He is singing his heart out.  You can just feel him inhale as he looks as he has a lot of air.  I like the frets on the guitar and how they run off the image.  The keys are interestingly placed and provide more feeling in the picture than realism.  One thing I would not have noticed before I started to draw this was that there is a little bird, it looks like a parot, that comes to get the flower out of his hat.

I used markers for this and it was kinda a new experience using them on this hemp paper. They kinda ran or wouldn't get a medium color that I wanted.  What I learned?  Just keep drawing and keep having fun. Experiment.  Let go of expectation and learn from the markers what they have to tell you about themselves.

Miro's Study Journal Page 8

I love the use of the foot motif in Miro's work.  It reminds me of the 70's and how they used to use this motif in decorating.  I also like the bold black lines that Miro uses.  He was really into the black line and the color black.  I hadn't noticed how useful black was before.

I want to continue to explore the artist that influenced Miro.  The next one on my list is Maurice de Vlaminck.   Vlaminck along with André Derain and Henri Matisse  is considered one of the principal figures in the Fauve movement, a group of modern artists who from 1904 to 1908 were united in their use of intense color.

In 1900 his exuberant paint application and vibrant use of color displayed the influence of Vincent van Gogh.