Living life as a Creative who chooses to Push Past Ordinary in the most Ardithian way! I am a full time working artist, I travel around the U.S. teaching painting workshops as well as in my own studio, and I teach beautiful humans how to increase their own creative awareness and creativity!
Well, I was excited, at first about this painting, but am quite peeved at myself now that it's finished. I wasn't paying attention to the pencil I used to draw my grid and accidentally used my grey watercolor pencil. Now, you might think that was a good thing because the color would wash away, but no, that pencil loves to grab the paper and never erases off. I did my best to wash it, over and over, but to no avail. I was hoping the paint would cover it, but no, it's still visible and it's the pits! I used a photo by a member of WetCanvas, Mustcreate, and I thank them for allowing me to use it. I have had some suggestions of how to fix it such as adding checks to the background or tiles, but I'm too mad to mess with it now, maybe tomorrow. The marbles are swell, just not the background. I guess we all live and learn!
I received my first ACEO card, "Blooms Floating", today from Jeanne in California and it's just fab! It reminds me a lot of my own style and the colors are just perky and fun. Thanks Jeanne for taking the time out of your day to make this for me, can't wait to get the other 26. Peace! Ardith
I must brag about my sweet husband, Bill. He knows I love roses, not the $50/dozen, but the Fresh Markets oh so gorgeous dozen for only $7.99. I photograph them often and they bring so much color to our house. So, the other morning he woke up early, snuck out, and came home with these gorgeous red ones, and I never buy red ones for myself. Thank you sweetie for taking time out of your day to make me feel special, I just love, love, love you! A
Step One: Drawing in the image I draw out the design using a grey, Derwent watercolor pencil. I then begin adding watercolor to the individual shapes, creating blends as I feel like.I prefer to use Holbein because of the intense colors, but also use Van Goh and Winsor Newtons. I chose a 140lb. cold press paper and cut it to a 5" by 7" size.
Step Two: Adding in more color I continue adding in more color, choosing colors that balance off one another and trying to place them in shapes opposite one another.
Step Three: Adding more color and depth As the image evolves, I continue to add more color and work in glazes to give the shapes depth and contrast.
Step Four: Completion of adding watercolor I add the final bit of watercolor, checking the composition for changes or additions that need to be made before the outlining step.
Step Five: Completion I added a thin, black outline to give the painting a completed, graphic quality and make the shapes and colors pop off the page. All I have to do now is decide which direction it should hang!
I have joined my first project at WetCanvas and it appears to be an exciting one. We will be creating 24 2.5" by 3.5" art cards to swap and send all over the world, which is simply too cool. I cut my cards today and cleaned off my table to get my ducks in a row, but I am not sure what I will paint. I'll try and keep you posted as to my progress here and you can also visit wetcanvas.com to see what others are painting as well. I feel a bit better today, but realize I can't spend as much time sitting in one position or looking down with my neck. Once again I have to adapt because of my body, but I just keep thinking about people who have lost limbs or are wheelchair bound for life. That keeps things in perspective for me. If you believe the news, then it's supposed to be the saddest day of the year for most people. It's not to me, too much to be thankful for I'd say. I've got the best husband in the world and a really phenonomal 15 year old son, so today, I am blessed, hope you are too! Peace, A
Sunday, January 21, 2007
What a frustrating morning. I have attempted this past week to get some computer work done for my art stuff, load some songs on my ipod, and generally enjoy using my computer a bit more and oh my gosh have I paid a huge price! This morning I woke up with a severe spasm and pain in my neck and under my shoulder blade. It's so bad that I'm back in bed, after this quick post, and praying I haven't ruptured a disc, again. The nature of having body issues, have a blessed day and I'll keep you posted. Peace!
I have joined WetCanvas.com this past week and so far it is turning out to be a wonderful resource for me. I have talked with a lot of the artists, especially in the watercolor forum and they range from experts to beginners. Several of them are also struggling with disablitiy issues and that's important to me so that I don't feel alone out here. I am trying to decide which paintings to enter into the VSA juried show in Birmingham this next month. I've never entered that show and am not sure what I will do at this point. I was hoping to paint something new, but that hasn't come to fruition for several reasons. Hopefully, I will make up my mind soon. In the meantime, if you are an artist of any type, you might want to visit www.wetcanvas.com and check it out. They have a wonderful collection of reference photos to use as well as projects and critique forums. I just love it. This photo is one of my new rose photographs, they were stunning and I hope I captured that. Until next time....Ardith
Yes, it's happened, our tree is no more! My husband and son helped take it down and upon realizing that a few branches had been tied up by thread, my husband said that next year a bit of duct tape might work better. I almost swallowed my tongue when he said it. I had hoped to give this tree a proper funeral, but, no, it appears we will have another chapter next year in the tree saga so stay tuned in about 11 months or so. My knee surgery will be in about 5 weeks. My surgeon was not too happy with the manufacturer because they said it would take up to 9 weeks to get my prosthesis ready, and he just wasn't having it. He got them down to 6 weeks and I am not holding my breath. We would have gone to plan B, but this procedure will be such a perfect fit and plan for me that I was willing to wait and be patient. In the meantime I don't go anywhere without my cane or walker and am careful with that. As for painting, I am working on finishing a piece this week. After having the stomach flu at Christmas, and two falls during the past month, I have not felt up to painting anything. I also had a flare with my Arachnoiditis which makes just plain living miserable, so I am breathing a bit easier being past that for now. I am also trying to get a few paintings ready to enter the VSA Arts show in Birmingham for the first time this year. That I am looking forward to most of all because it's an art show with other artists with disabilities. Some great friends re-hung my art space down at the gallery this past month and I am so greatful to them. Artists may be stereotyped as fruitcakes sometimes, but I know they are some of the nicest, friendlist people you could ever know and I am blessed to be a part of the art scene in Mobile. I was able to take some photos of some fabulous roses as part of my photography series. Hope you like this pic as much as I do. Peace!
Well, it's been almost a month since my last post so I hope each of you had a Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday, and are still having a fabulous New Year! All is swell here, for the most part, and I am enjoying the quiet peacefulness of a new year after a really great, but hectic Christmas. As for the tree, and I know some of you have asked about it, it's still up. Yes, I said it's still up and yes I know it's January 11th. I asked my husband tonight if he thought we were the only ones left with a tree still decorated and still standing, of course he said yes. I've even joked that maybe we could just put Mardi Gras stuff on it, then put a few Valentines hearts and maybe some Easter Eggs, but the humor went right in one of his ears and out the other, because I really think he thought I was serious. Actually there are two reasons my tree still stands in all her glory. One, because I fought with that blessed tree all by myself, lighted it, decorated it, and by golly if I am going to take it down all by myself. And two, I fell, again last week, and just haven't felt up to doing it. So, the stubborn side of me shall wait until my two lovely guys get so sick of it that they will OFFER to help me and hopefully by then I will feel like doing it. Until then, because the switch it linked with the lamps in our living room, every time we turn on the lamp the tree shines in all her glory, right out the window for all the world to see and wonder, why on earth hasn't those crazy people taken down their tree? I truly expect someone to call on to Sound Off in our local paper and complain, so I watch for that daily as well. In the meantime, as I drive past all the dead, brown, baby trees that people spent way too much for and now line the streets with to be picked up by the trash pickers I wonder how different the world would be if we all used artificial trees instead of real ones. I know, I love real ones too, but it seems like such a waste of such beautiful trees in my opinion. I'm thinking about really hard about getting an old limb, spraying it white, and putting cotton on the branches next year. No kidding, my mom did that one year for us and it was the most unique tree anyone had ever seen, wierd, but unique. So, when it comes down I will for sure fill you in on all the details. As for painting, I haven't felt like doing any. It's a slump I say, but when your back and neck and leg hurt all the time, sometimes it gets the better of me and I have to just stop. Hopefully, a new year will bring that to an end and I will be able to catch up some. Peace to all of you, A.
