The buddhist monks make mandalas out of sand to celebrate the Buddha and to acknowledge that everything we do is ephemeral.
Well worth watching:
It makes me proud to be a buddhist.
A painting a day
Here's my painting for yesterday, in my One Painting A day till October 29, when I attend the next workshop with Steve Aimone.
Since I'm pretty much starting from scratch in that painting game, I figured I'd learn a thing or two if I made a painting every day. I was so right. I've learned heaps already.
I like yellow, can you tell? I'm going to keep using that color, it keeps me happy. And since I was making circles for Ingrid's Round robin book yesterday, I'm going to make circles today.
Or at least that's the plan, depending on what else the Muse has in mind.
Since I'm pretty much starting from scratch in that painting game, I figured I'd learn a thing or two if I made a painting every day. I was so right. I've learned heaps already.
I like yellow, can you tell? I'm going to keep using that color, it keeps me happy. And since I was making circles for Ingrid's Round robin book yesterday, I'm going to make circles today.
Or at least that's the plan, depending on what else the Muse has in mind.
Circles Round Robin
I am doing a Round Robin with some mighty talented ladies, and of course, the first pages I get to make are for wonderful Ingrid Dijkers. I spent a lot of time last year studying her tunnel books, they just blew me away. You can see them on her website: www.ingriddijkers.com.
Her theme for this Round Robin is "Circles".
For some reason, Circle crops popped into my mind and off I went:
The text reads: If you eat Circle crop foods, and on the next page, ... will you see Martians?
So here is the next page:
The painting is based on an aboriginal design. I guess after 16 years in Australia, I really developed a taste for that style.
I did a cutout as well, to give it depth. You pull on the black button, to reveal the depth within. Or something like that. lol
We were to decorate the front and back of the page, so I used a circle stencil, what else!
And we had to explain the method we used, so I made a little card:
With psychedelic bangles... (No comments!)
Ingrid also made a fantastic page for me. My book is the "Imaginary journey with Nick Bantock", which you can see here.
Here is the page she made for my book, on her blog.
I'm really happy with my book. Two years before it comes back to me, as 20 artists will be working in it over that time!!!!
Her theme for this Round Robin is "Circles".
For some reason, Circle crops popped into my mind and off I went:
The text reads: If you eat Circle crop foods, and on the next page, ... will you see Martians?
So here is the next page:
The painting is based on an aboriginal design. I guess after 16 years in Australia, I really developed a taste for that style.
I did a cutout as well, to give it depth. You pull on the black button, to reveal the depth within. Or something like that. lol
We were to decorate the front and back of the page, so I used a circle stencil, what else!
With psychedelic bangles... (No comments!)
Ingrid also made a fantastic page for me. My book is the "Imaginary journey with Nick Bantock", which you can see here.
Here is the page she made for my book, on her blog.
I'm really happy with my book. Two years before it comes back to me, as 20 artists will be working in it over that time!!!!
New to Facebook
I have just joined Facebook. Katherine Aimone told me it was a great thing to do to find fellow artists and abstract painters.
I'm finding the learning curve is huge, and the whole setup is not very intuitive to MY way of thinking. But already, I've been in touch and exchanged messages with people I never dreamed of talking to, like Anne LeToux at Bulles Dorees, or Steven Aimone who commented on one of my paintings, and his wife Katherine who accepted to be friends. Yeah! Life is good.
Today is another day I'm not painting. I'm making another Remains of the Day book, 4x4, black and white, as a present for a friend. Random Act of Kindness. Love it!
I'm finding the learning curve is huge, and the whole setup is not very intuitive to MY way of thinking. But already, I've been in touch and exchanged messages with people I never dreamed of talking to, like Anne LeToux at Bulles Dorees, or Steven Aimone who commented on one of my paintings, and his wife Katherine who accepted to be friends. Yeah! Life is good.
Today is another day I'm not painting. I'm making another Remains of the Day book, 4x4, black and white, as a present for a friend. Random Act of Kindness. Love it!
What I do when I'm not painting
I've taken a few days off painting so I can attend to some Round Robin journals I have to decorate.
This first one is a Marie round robin. The theme was Marie's inbox in her gmail account. I chose to copy a spam message I had received, one of those where you will get 60% of the 6500000000000000000 Million dollars if you just.... etc from Mr Bazgonla Bonzo.
His scheme was about the poor Queen's necklace, to help her avoid the scandal. I reproduced the necklace, with tons of bling and little crystals, white bows, etc.
The next one is a mini cloth and paper book I made on the system taught by Mary Ann Moss of Remains of the Day. Best online class I ever took. I saw a model from Susie Lafont where the book was 2.5: X 4. This is what I made the book too, it's just adorable.
I also made a bigger one, based on a Marie Antoinette theme. This one is 5x8. It's more manageable. Here are the front and back.
And some of the pages.
They are just a ton of fun. You get rid of a lot of small pieces of paper and fabrics, lace. It's all good.
This first one is a Marie round robin. The theme was Marie's inbox in her gmail account. I chose to copy a spam message I had received, one of those where you will get 60% of the 6500000000000000000 Million dollars if you just.... etc from Mr Bazgonla Bonzo.
His scheme was about the poor Queen's necklace, to help her avoid the scandal. I reproduced the necklace, with tons of bling and little crystals, white bows, etc.
The next one is a mini cloth and paper book I made on the system taught by Mary Ann Moss of Remains of the Day. Best online class I ever took. I saw a model from Susie Lafont where the book was 2.5: X 4. This is what I made the book too, it's just adorable.
I also made a bigger one, based on a Marie Antoinette theme. This one is 5x8. It's more manageable. Here are the front and back.
And some of the pages.
They are just a ton of fun. You get rid of a lot of small pieces of paper and fabrics, lace. It's all good.
My favorite abstract so far
So I covered the whole think in dark blue, and did an automatic painting in black. One thing let to another, I covered most of the dark blue with paler shades and... let her rip, as Steve Aimone told us to do.
I really like this one.
My latest paintings - June 2010
Here are more of the abstract paintings I've been working on.
This first one is based on the Julie Prichard Layer Love class 2. It worked really beautifully, then I had this huge central area, very light and lovely and.... I couldn't think of what to do with it. The bright yellow area is actually a map. It's 38x30, and it has a lot of texture on canvas. It proved to me that it could be done. And that I could do it.
The next one is 48x30 again, an exercise with lots of color and just paint textures.
And finally, a pure color exercise. This is canvas as well.
This first one is based on the Julie Prichard Layer Love class 2. It worked really beautifully, then I had this huge central area, very light and lovely and.... I couldn't think of what to do with it. The bright yellow area is actually a map. It's 38x30, and it has a lot of texture on canvas. It proved to me that it could be done. And that I could do it.
The next one is 48x30 again, an exercise with lots of color and just paint textures.
And finally, a pure color exercise. This is canvas as well.
A little gem
I participated in the Art and Soul Fat Book for the Hampton retreat. We were to make 4x4 pages. There were 18 participants. I received my little gem a few days ago, and I am completely enthralled. I didn't think 4x4 would be a format that I would like, and it was a challenge to work on something that small.
But the end result is spectacular and everyone did an awesome job..
But the end result is spectacular and everyone did an awesome job..
Round robin books
In the middle of my "painting a day' project, I've also been making Round Robin journals.
The first one is for Lisa, in the Round Robin on my Sketchbook Yahoo group. Her theme is 'things with wings". The caption is: Grrrls who want to fly.
Having a bit of fun with the theme, I guess.
The butterfly wings on the left page are actually a belt closure. I had to ask the neighbor to grind the hooks so that the metal would lay flat. Yeah for E2000 glue!
The lady on the right is levitating (I think) with a bit of help from a couple of bugs. I thought that was funny! It's just me. I hope Lisa likes it too.
The little tag above is the library card that Lisa used to identify the participants. I decorated mine.
The next book I worked in is also for the Sketchbook Round Robin. I guess I just have not posted for a while. This one is for Janet's book, and her theme is the Feminine Goddess. It is already a beautiful book. Other participants had already covered some of the ideas that I had, so I had to come up with something else. I hit on the idea of Sheherazade.
On the left page, we have the Sultan, and on the right page, the lady herself. She's actually covered with a lace veil, but it was easier to take the picture without it. lol
I used some earrings that I had to decorate her, and I put an arabic portal decoration around her. I'm going to add calendar pages counting off the 1001 nights.
The first one is for Lisa, in the Round Robin on my Sketchbook Yahoo group. Her theme is 'things with wings". The caption is: Grrrls who want to fly.
Having a bit of fun with the theme, I guess.
The butterfly wings on the left page are actually a belt closure. I had to ask the neighbor to grind the hooks so that the metal would lay flat. Yeah for E2000 glue!
The lady on the right is levitating (I think) with a bit of help from a couple of bugs. I thought that was funny! It's just me. I hope Lisa likes it too.
The little tag above is the library card that Lisa used to identify the participants. I decorated mine.
The next book I worked in is also for the Sketchbook Round Robin. I guess I just have not posted for a while. This one is for Janet's book, and her theme is the Feminine Goddess. It is already a beautiful book. Other participants had already covered some of the ideas that I had, so I had to come up with something else. I hit on the idea of Sheherazade.
On the left page, we have the Sultan, and on the right page, the lady herself. She's actually covered with a lace veil, but it was easier to take the picture without it. lol
I used some earrings that I had to decorate her, and I put an arabic portal decoration around her. I'm going to add calendar pages counting off the 1001 nights.
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