Odious Reputation

Odious Reputation

Opps!  I forgot that I had not provided surprise #1 for Terry's birthday.  Here it is.  He will get the final surprises this week now that I am home again and the weather seems to be cooperating.

Insect Convention

Insect Convention

This is the second spread in my surprise for Terry Garrett's birthday.  The unveiling continues now that we have power returned after the 60 + mph wind storm we had yesterday.  Trees were uprooted and many branches down.  The electricity went out on Orcas Island where I was but not at my city home in Mountlake Terrace.  We just got our internet connection back.  No phone yet.  Rain coming all week.  We need it so I am not complaining. :-)

Wildfire

Wildfire

Washington state is burning.  Thousand upon thousands of acres are on fire or have burned.  The 2015 fires have surpassed the record for acres burned in the past, a record no one wants to exceed. Upon reading about the fires in the newspaper I decided to create my spread, Wildfire.  When reading the stories about life lost, homes destroyed, animals trapped, animals surviving when all was thought lost, I just started this spread and it is where I ended up.

I did not know where I was going when I put orange paint down as my first layer.  I did not know where I was going when I added gelli papers over parts of the orange or when I used the petroleum jelly technique.  The stenciling came next and an idea started sprouting.  The background looked like what it must look like in the midst of these horrible fires.  When the horse was added I needed something but I was not sure what.  WORDS!  Yes, words were needed.

This spread is a diptych and is in a round robin journal that is just starting (I have two beginning September 1).  You can see a bit of the cover showing through the middle of the spread.  The faint white line is the next spread behind this introductory one.

The Drowning

The Drowning

This spread took on a macabre feel to it.  The men are brothers and one of them died, tragically. The women are the daughters who discovered the secret as adult women.  They must carry this secret or the family dynasty will certainly suffer.  Problems between the women occur and the secret is leaked.

Bonnie and Clyde

Round Robin Cover 2015

Bonnie and Clyde

I am beginning two new round robins and here is the cover and my entry for one of them.  When Seth Apter and I taught our workshops in May five people paid but could not attend the workshops for various reasons.  I decided to host a make-up in my garage for those five students.  While they were working away we discussed journaling and I brought out several of my journals.  The discussion turned to the six of us doing a round robin.  We are off as the exchange begins September 1.

I was having trouble coming up with a title for my journal entry.  Right away Tim suggested Bonnie and Clyde.  There you have it!

The Bebop Revolution

The Bebop Revolution

I think that I need to go back an add some more blue tones in this piece now that I see it on the screen.  I probably can do that by using the Dylusions Spray Inks and a Q-tip.

I have never really been all that musical.  I like music but in high school I was told that it would be better for me to take ceramics than music.  I guess I owe the music teacher some gratitude because that really started me on my art path fifty years ago.  Gosh, fifty years!  That seems like a long time.

The Bebop Revolution #2

I made two color changes on version #2.  I like it better.  My eye is drawn down with the addition of turquoise in the two places near the bottom of the spread.

Armor

Armor

It seems that a rhino already has a tough armored skin.  So to have further armor seems redundant. Perhaps Durer was just exaggerating the skin of the rhino thinking it was like armor.  I think I need to do some research.