random cool pix from Arizona

  

This is a beaded purse!!!!!!!

                     Sunsets from Dad's patio are always beautiful!

My Arizona art

I took an art class in Tubac with a wonderful artist named Vesta,who showed me this easy but gorgeous copper technique...it is mounted on top of foam that has been sponged with acrylics.....LOVE the copper!!!

So,when doing my Asian pages in my friend Eileen's journal,I decided to apply wht I'd learned...always a good thing!

Arizona Colors!!!

I always love going down to spend a little time in Green Valley,Arizona...just south of Tucson...where my Dad still owns a house.....I love the colors of Arizona,with all the Mexican influence.....

Blue wall

Mariposa

Ah...if only I had brought a larger suitcase1

I love Day of the Dead artwork!!!! Next October I am going to a town in Mexico called San Miguel de Allende for  a one week art class,where,where,with 4 different teachers, we will be making a book that will incorporate Day of the Dead artwork;we will actually BE there for the Day of the Dead celebrations!!!Cannot wait!!!

Bizarre but cool!

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LOVE the blue shutters

I am going to sketch these in a journal...

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Note the "visitor" on the wall to the left! UGH!

I took these next two pix for my friends Pattie out in Washington  and Teri in New York..... they are both cowgirls at heart!

The fabulous,gorgeous and oh so talented Laura Carson! Laura and I have been trading artwork for many years now,but had never met in person. We met this trip halfway between Green Valley and where she lives,north of Phoneix. We had a very nice,yummy lunch and chat...it was really  wonderful to finally get to meet her in person! We exchanged artwork as little gifts....below is the French themed ATC she gave me! Of course I love it! Thanks again Laura! 

Finally.......look at this cloud! I was sitting out on the patio one cloudy afternoon,looked up and saw....... what do YOU see?????the first person to  comment here and guess what I saw will win a little prize!

October colors!!!

I found these GORGEOUS mums yesterday...wowowowee! I've never seen them planted together like this,combining all 3 of my favorite journaling colors,burnt orange,purple and green!!! Also got a beautiful decortive cabbage...love those!  I am still sketching almost everyday,à la Jane LaFazio,keeping it simple but fun...

Arrivaderci Umbria!

Jill gave us all a luscious,leather portfolio to put all of our creations in....I added an old key from a hardware store in Orvieto. 

Lastly, a huge GRAZIE MILLE to Bill and Kristi for their passion and organization and kindness...to Jill for her talent,patience and humor...and to all my fellow students for being just plain wonderful to be with!
With a heavy high and such wonderful memories.....arrivaderci...til next time!

Artwork!!!

So,Jill provided us with what she called a "cast of characters",12 different Roman

gods that she felt pertained most to Umbria. We then roamed the town of Orvieto,hunting and gathering ephemera,taking pictures,sketching,thinking...then we came back to the classroom and made collages of our choices.Here are my classmates' collages...all so different and all wonderful... 

 

 

I admit,I was a woman possessed,and actually did 9!!!I am really happy with most of them...

 This first one means "Dreaming of Orvieto"...the picture is that one I took in the vineyard that is my favorite photo of the trip...

This is the goddess Vesta,of hearth,flame,eternity...the "mosaics" are photos of the cobblestones taken by one of my classmates,cut up...there is cut up  stationery,a transparency I drew on,a "gold coin",a town street with names I made up in French representing my current state of life...

 This is the god Bacchus,god of grapes and wine...there is a teeny photo of my 3 glasses during a wine tasting, a wine label,some gift wrap with Italian writing onit...I drew most of the grapevines,and made the large grapes by stamping with a cork!

 These next two are of Pomona,representing gardens,fruit,abundance...the large lettering is rubbings I did on mailboxes in town!(boy I got some funny looks!But,the townspeople are used to all these artists by now!)...another drawing,a photo of a Roman god that I took in Rome,some private thoughts, and a watercolor wash...

This is Mars,the god of War...a sketch of him,a dove of peace, Luke,the bull(because I thought tht he looked like he would belong to Mars!) was a transfer...more mailbox rubbings...teabags...an Orvieto map...paper scraps...and a string and wax seal from the stationery I bought...

 This is the first plein air drawing I ever did...you saw the photos of us overlooking thi landscape...I used my new favorite word,Italianicious, as a "crop"...the paint "swatches" are colors I feel represent Umbria, and are labeled in Italian...

 This is Thyrus,who is not a dragon,but is a creature called a wyvern...he represents war and pestilence...I added a photo of Mary and Jesus from the convent,drew some olive branches(peace),a photo of the cathedral window,added roses from stationery,and put him in a "cage",which was a portal that I drew from one in the town.All is placed upon a map of Orvieto.

 Another drawing/watercolor of the vista from the edge of town,this time done upon some antique Italian book pages that I got at the Rome flea market and shared with everyone...a photo of my favorite door knocker placed upon a destressed teabag(thanks Kathy!)...Umbria,the goddess of shadows and secrets,which you see coming out of her hand...some old stamps that I found in a shop...the stained glass window done with inks:we were trying to re-create the alabaster windows in the Duomo...I placed it upon a doorwy I had drawn in town...the Italian quote means "what secrets are hiding in Umbria?"...(sister Giovanna thought that this idea of secrets hiding  was very bizarre!!!)

 I love this page! Another portal I drew,framed by teabags and gift paper...this is the god Janus,of beginnings and transitions, of doors and doorways,of beginnings and endings..of past and present...when Jill said she wanted us to draw him,we all panicked,so she showed us a simple way of breaking down his profile into simple lines...and voilà!To make it even cooler,we did it upon my antique book pages,in dark ink,then folded the pages,wet them,separated them,and we had TWO faces! So appropriate,as he represents east and west,past and future. The color is a typical color of Italy,one of my all-time favorites...some writing in Italian about not knowing what my future will bring me,and keys to unlock that mystery...

There will be one last post tomorrow.