Friday, June 3, 2011

Paint Party Friday: Finally Friday

 Finally Friday!
I must admit after an exhausting-ly, artful six weeks of a Painting a Day this week has seemed unproductive comparatively.
(See sidebar for individual paintings included in A Painting A Day running through April and May 2011)

Painting a Day Collection at End of Challenge
 BUT
This has been the last week of school this year!
AND
I could feel myself losing momentum!  
Every day when the alarm would go off I had a harder and harder time popping up! 
I drug myself to the shower and even that did not help as much as usual.  
I had my usual two cups of coffee and my eyelids just began to stop being so heavy.  
I don't think I left at my usual time one time this week (but I do arrive a good 45 minutes before school starts even when I am late thanks to my "leave-30 minutes-early-or-we-are-late" upbringing).
Today I have tried to cut my eggs with my butter knife upside down!
Maybe, my brain has already gone on vacation mode.

Our final project for our art students was really more play than serious work.
They had two hours to complete it and completed using children's supplies you could buy at Walmart.    

It was a crayon/watercolor resist project, simple instructions, big on exploration.
Draw two horizontal straight lines.. Draw two vertical lines.  Then add four random lines (two vertical, two horizontal).  All drawing is done in heavily applied light colored crayons.  Then a wash of dark watercolor paints is applied by wetting the paper first then adding first one color then adding a second color along next to it and allow the water to blend the colors. Working in layers with the watercolor continue to add additional layers as necessary. 
Sounds a little like a recipe. The kids had fun and took home a little more knowledge about painting.  Some knowledge is acquired through discovery and allowing yourself to do something that is not a serious artwork.
I tell my students,
"If you don't fill your trash can first with things you have tried, you will not learn how to be a good artist."
And
"The difference between someone who can and someone who can't?  About a hundred hours of practice."


Planning ahead
A good bit of time this week has been spent doodling while in mandatory meetings/in services, and looking for inspiration for next year's student sketch book challenges.  
I found some fun sites.   
Hot Toast and Jam's Mr Toast's Creative Tuesday
proved to be a good find and looks to be inspirational.  
Another inspirational find was Zentangles Designs.  
There are a number of websites and books on the zentangles.  
I purchased three books on Amazon today.  

Three books because one leaves you wanting more, 
two is okay,
but three is thrilling
and four would just be too extravagant.

I will report on the books once I have them in my hands.

As much as I have wanted to continue my painting a day this week, 
it has proven to be too challenging this week 
and I have fallen into bed in exhaustion every night as it is.  
However I am working on two paintings.  
Each is of a father and child interacting which I find to be a sweet subject.  
Hopefully next week will spring creative again!
Works in progress:  Still on my Table Two paintings started at varying stages of completion.
Last weekend was a great three day weekend.
Saturday was an organizing day in the kitchen, ending with a fun day of baking.  
(Strictly Saturday: Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie I do a Saturday post of a chocolate recipe every week because I limit my chocolate to once a week....strictly on Saturdays! )  
Monday continued with organizing, working in the dreaded garage outside.
We spent the necessary money on big sturdy shelving and by the end of the day the garage was looking much better.  
Another shelving unit and we may have it really looking good and just in time for the bicycles, scooters and fun wheely toys belonging to my grandchildren who have temporarily combined households with us while they build a house.   

On Monday the family got together to shuck corn and lay up in store for the coming year  (Shucks) and to enjoy eating a meal together of fajitas grilled by Papa, fresh corn grown by Papa, black beans and all the good stuff that goes with a meal like this. 
We ended up with 20 -22 people by evening.  
I  think that is a houseful.
And I think that is a week!
Happy Paint Party Friday!

post signature

32 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing your recipe....I'm currently doing my LP's for a summer session and this looks like great fun! I wonder if it was your blog that I saw the wonderful rooftop drawings? I've been looking for that plan as well because I LOVED it!
    Happy PPF,
    Stephanie

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  2. Eager to see the finished work in progress ... Saludos

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  3. You have some beautiful paintings here. I loved your recipe and will be trying it myself. It should be a fun exercise.

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  4. I can't wait to see the finished father/child paintings. What you've done so far looks really intriguing!

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  5. Love your "recipe" it sure sounds like a very fun and creative exercise. I also love your words about the trashcan. Mine has been filling up a lot of late. Guess when I am tired, I don't do too well with creation. :-)

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  6. Looking forward to the finished piece. Great photos. The recipe sounds great too. :)Happy PPF!

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  7. Happy PPF. Loving your works in progress, so beautiful. Enjoy the weekend, Annette x

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  8. What an assortment of delights!! I love what I can see of the father/son paintings and can't wait to see them finished. I laughed at your 'strictly saturday' thing - what a good idea! I only wish I could restrict my chocolate to one day a week! I've recently discovered Mr Toast as well and am hoping to take part in his next creative Tuesday project - maybe see you there!

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  9. I was all set to comment then got completely distracted by that picture of ice cream... mmmmmm tasty.....

    I'd love to see more detail of your paintings - they look amazing so far.

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  10. What a week. What a collection of art, what persistence and fortitude while life swirls around you. I checked out your post about how the painting a day had been for you and sent the link onto a friend who is procrastinating (with a very clean house!) Thanks ♥ Rosie

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  11. The art exercise look like fun, the 2 father/children paintings are looking great, and that pie looks amazing!

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  12. your recipe art is wonderful and a grand thing to share with kids. Your other piece looks very sweet.

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  13. What a great painting exercise. I can't wait to try it. Love the way it looks.

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  14. I don't know where to start, your post reeled me in all those wonderful pieces of wisdom, relating to dragging yourself to fit in with school hours, the art, both completed and the gorgeous ones awaiting your further attention on your desk & the spontaneous expanding gathering to shuck corn... wonderful post, I felt like it was a mini visit to your world & it was delicious!

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  15. your wips look amazing so far.

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  16. A grand collection of art. Thank you for sharing. I too was distracted by the dessert image. YUMMMM! HAPPY PPF!

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  17. Wish I would have had a teacher as committed as you are...oh wait, you did teach me something! Your WIP's are intriguing..can't wait!
    ♥♥

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  18. There is always so much goodness to be found when visiting your blog... I enjoyed hearing about the end to your school year (It sounds like you're definitely in need of some well deserved rest)!

    Your Chocolate Chip Pie definitely sounds like "paradise"... I will be trying that for sure!

    xo
    Kristin

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  19. Wow Darla, what a super informative post! I may have to read it 3 times!

    Thanks for the mention in one of your articles!

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  20. Such a bunch of goodness in this post. I must stop by on Saturdays! I love your expaination for buying 3 books. It sounds like what I could never put into words...haha. Happy Paint Party Friday!

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  21. Thank you for the recipe! I'll ry it with my students in the fall. Love your blog. Have a great summer break.

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  22. Well everything was going great today until I saw that dessert! LOL

    Looking forward to seeing your art again soon...after I go to the kitchen. Happy PPF!

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  23. What great motivation for learning artists. Good to remind me, too, as I'm still just starting out. Your paintings are sure to be lovely when you've finished them. And that recipe... Yummy!

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  24. Hi Darla,
    Your works in progress look amazing already. You are quite talented. I'm off to look at the rest of your blog.

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  25. Wow, I thought I had a busy week! You win!

    Loved your student's art challenge. and the piece you have is beautiful!
    Happy belated PPF! (still making my rounds)

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  26. beautiful work!! love your father and child painting and cant wait to see it finished! after a busy few months it sounds like you deserve a summer break! happy PPF!

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  27. Busy but you still had time for this post, to inspire and encourage, and I love those two quotes!

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  28. Loved that recipe. Looks like fun! Great assortment of photos and it was a treat seeing the father/child paintings. :) MMMmmm...that dessert is calling to me.

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  29. Finally able to finish looking at everyone's projects - yours sounds deliciously fun and stress free. Like the 100 hours practice quote.

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  30. I love how the students project turned out! Sounds like a lot of fire.
    Your paintings are wonderful!

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  31. i love the idea of you all shucking corn together! that sounds like fun! the daddy child painting looks beautiful so far!

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