Making my own jewels.

Around the turn of the year in late December or January I became interested in the "gems" trend. Mostly I like to figure out the 'how to's' of a new technique and then I can use it when I want but don't usually get hooked for too long. Such a thing happened with gems. They are interesting, and a bit of a challenge at times, but not something I would use all the time. I made these two pieces and then was kind of over it.

February Fling

I traveled to New Orleans for a set of workshops at a national meeting in February and got to see a good friend from far away in the process. It was really good to catch up with her and we had a wonderful time. I had some time at the hotel before she arrived when it was too late to be walking around the French Quarter by myself so I made a couple of pieces on the brown paper I love to use. I will show both the un-shaded versions and the results of both shading and highlighting.

I gave this one to my friend.

This one I have in a small white frame.

Long lost!

Oh. My. Goodness! It has 6 months since my last post!

This spring was a terrifically busy semester for me with a new class with a few new things to teach (Internship), a packed Research class with LOTS of grading of long papers and a great Physics class that was really pretty easy - although I should probably have been more diligent about a few non-AP curriculum things that would have made for much more grading. I will see how it all turned out when the AP grades come out in July I suppose.

Anyway, I have not really had consistent time to draw, and really no time for responding to challenges. I HAVE done some drawing here and there, but not for challenges and never with time to sit down and post. Well, school is over.  I have had a week and a half to catch up on sleep and house cleaning and even get a household project done! Then The Diva Challenge about the Beads of Courage Color Run really jumped out at me today. So here goes.

the original wash

I am not one to really work much in color and I have tried to do color washes and never really nailed it.  I *think* too much about what I intend to draw on the colors while I am painting and then they come out all stilted and 'planned'. Then when I was going through the portfolio of art projects my daughter brought home I saw the gorgeous "warm" color wash she did in class. I asked her if she trusted me to draw on it and she gave me permission! I had to be very brave to begin drawing and then when it went well at first I needed to be even braver to continue, afraid with each step that I would mess it up! So this was actually done since school was out, but I think it applies for this challenge.

Lots of tangles: Puff, Gnili, Swanz, Mooka, Inapod, Beadz and a little Fescue

Then over the weekend she and I sat down to make more washes and I made a large one I liked. The colors in the Color Run photos reminded me of these color splashes.  I don't have a photo of the original, but I think the result is pretty interesting, sort sea-scape-ish, but not on purpose.

Lots of patterns in this one too: a little Mooka, Punzel, Socc, PopCloud, Flux, Zenplosion Folds, K'leesi, Fracas, Indyrella, Finery, and two tear drop shaped areas of Zen Weaving (shown in the detail below). 

one of my favorite areas

Now I need to be brave again... She made another red, orange and yellow wash that looks great and asked me to draw on it! Ack! I will let you know how it goes (and maybe do some catch-up posts of things I have done since, well, last December)!