Simply Sunday "Hope" For A Breast Cancer Cure

I have been meaning to post this journal prompt for some time & finally I can share it. My journal prompt for this week is "Hope". As it is still October and even when it is not we should hope for a cure for breast cancer not only in words but actions. I am putting a link up for donating to the cause directly~ Feel free to Donate this link takes you directly to the Pink Ribbon Breast Cancer Charity (Official Site).
My journal page above all in pink as a tribute to breast cancer awareness and added some thoughts beside hope such as women, pink, a cure for cancer & our future depends on it. I am sure there are many causes that come close to our hearts and for me this is one of them~
Is this a cause that touches your heart? Have you done your self exam? Self exam link
Learn from yesterday, live for today and hope for tomorrow.~ Albert Einstein
Hope is not a dream but a way of making dreams become reality. ~Author Unknown

Together lets hope & wish for a cure so one day our children can be free of breast cancer!

Spread Your Wings & Fly

Completed pages

Willowing is having a free e class Art, Heart & Healing. I decided to join her group & participate. She is being so generous to have her course up & allowing anyone to join at any time. It just started on Oct. 18th. Willowing is covering some basics of her style of drawing and also sharing journal inspiration, thoughts & prompts. I created for week one the pages Spread your wings & fly. I thought I would share it with you. At first my pages were going to be in light colors, peachy and then I just went bold with the girl in contrast to her wings and background. On the left side my journal writing is covered and on her hair it reads; Make your dreams a reality. I have put Willowing's button here & will add it to resources for others who don't see this post. I think for anyone starting out or wanting more inspiration this is a great opportunity to see someones process and gather more tools for your personal toolbox.
Have you ever taken any of Willowing's classes? Do you enjoy journaling? What dreams do you wish to become a reality?

Simply Sunday "Luminance"

This weeks "Journal Prompt is the word: Luminance. The condition or power of being luminance. The photometric measure of the luminous intensity per unit light traveling in any given direction. It describes the amount of light that passes through or is emitted from a particular area, and falls within a given solid angle. Today I chose this word due to how I was feeling. The weather is changing, light is changing and how it is illuminating the areas in which we live and work can affect us. As artists we constantly use light in how we interpret things we view, photograph and how our creations end up looking on a canvas or other medium. I don't think we often think about how much light can affect us, how we interpret our work and our working environments. We can change the luminance whether it be from angling a overhead light to using candles which then changes that measure of intensity. I often look at things in different light and angles when working on projects and it is amazing to see the difference.
Take a photo in different lights and see the differences it can make in your results. Print and tape these in your journal and write about what the differences were in your lighting. How it was effected? If you are interested in seeing about optics and the laws of Illumination just click here.. Fascinating, a bit over my head but I do get the basic concepts and its very interesting! I sometimes wish I had the capacity to understand more scientific jargon! But I will settle for a good photograph!
Are you affected by the change in light fall and winter brings us? Do you use a light box when doing photography? Do you look at your art in different light to see differences in how it appears?
[Art] first of all is optical. That's where the material of our art is: in what our eyes think.~ Paul Cezanne

Witchy Poo Halloween Illustration

Click photo to enlarge

I was able to to only take a few photographs of this collage on canvas that I did using an illustration that I made prior to my San Disk memory stick being full! I was hoping for better photos & to show you the original painting with collage elements but that will have to wait until after the weekend. I used these items in the collage; scrapbook papers, paint, my illustration, vintage dictionary pages, Martha Stewart's Glitter Glue. Sammie is swirling in Halloween activities pushing me to get up all the decorations and order up a costume for her. I am waiting for the days to get a bit cooler for a trip to the pumpkin patch as it has still been 100* during the day. So you can see Sammie's Halloween fun has influenced my thoughts with my Little Witchy Poo! Do you visit your local pumpkin patch during fall? Do they have a corn maze? That is always our favorite fun! What is your favorite pumpkin to pick out? Big, small, orange white, tall, fat?

Nature Photography

We went on a day trip to Creston, CA. and these are just a few of the photographs that I took. In the sky the clouds were forming, it was humid and a fall storm was coming but held off until our drive home. We took a walk around this lake and enjoyed nature and all her gifts, but when I came across these butterfly bushes I was captured in the moment and couldn't leave. I was so enchanted with the butterflies & soon to come hummingbirds I had stay and capture the moment in photographs. Leon and Sammie left me as they easily tired of waiting for me to capture that perfect shot. They even got a row boat and tried to sneak up on me, but I saw them coming. Patience paid off as I was able to capture more beautiful butterfly shots which was no easy task as they flew all around me as if to get me to leave their feeding grounds but I patiently waited for them to get used to me. I will share more photographs & telling s of our day later. So do come back soon~What was your favorite day trip lately? Were you able to capture any nature in the moment? *either by memory or camera.
Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to the body and soul. ~John Muir

Simply Sunday "Frida Kahlo"

Frida Kahlo 1907-1954
These are some progression photos to show some of the changes made to the end result *Click on image to
enlarge

With working on my Dia De Los Muertos paintings and thinking of Mexico from Inspiration Avenue's Challenge. I decided to create a painting that was a tribute to Frida Kahlo. I am so inspired by Frida Kahlo, her art & her inspiration through other artists . How despite her many medical challenges she was able to work through her pain and create such amazing works of art filled with passion and color. Out of 143 paintings 55 were self portraits. If you live or visit Las Vegas, Nevada the Barrick Museum is having an exhibit of her works Oct.29- Dec. 10,2010

Today's journal prompt* is to paint, draw or write a tribute to someone who inspires you creatively.

Who inspires your creativity? Who are your favorite artists? I would love to know~

Painting completed my life ~ Frida Kahlo

The only thing I know is I paint because I need to, and I paint what passes through my head without any other consideration.~ Frida Kahlo

Mexico Challenge

Inspiration Avenue has challenges and this past weeks has been "Mexico" The two paintings on the left are partials & I just created them. The one one the right is what I created last year. Dia De Los Muertos is a Mexican Holiday that focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died.
I have wanted to create a painting each year in honor of my mother who passed away & found this celebration is the perfect way to honor her memory~

Here is more detail of the mixed media one I did

Here are some photographs of my painting in progress that isn't finished. It is larger and I can't wait to share it with you when its done.