Category Archives: Art

Shelly’s Fabric Bowl

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This is my gift to Shelly for her birthday: I sewed a fabric bowl in her favorite colors (red, black and white). Once I have a gift ready, I’m in a hurry to give to the recipient, so she got it a couple of weeks early. Shelly and I were Muddy Buddy buddies in 2008 and a few days ago I posted a photo of us after we crossed the finish line/mud pit.

Shelly's birthday present: a fabric bowl in red, white and black fabrics

Shelly’s birthday present

Shelly's fabric bowl with bananas to show size

Yes, we have bananas!

Shelly's fabric bowl wrapped in fabric as a gift

All wrapped up!

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Here are some bananas in the bowl, so you can get a sense of its size.
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I always use fabric as the wrapping for Shelly’s gift and that becomes part of the gift. I put a paper towel roll (not bananas) standing up in the bowl, to disguise the shape until she unwrapped it.

Zentangle Class

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From nothing to something, that’s what art is. Yesterday I drove to New Braunfels and took a Zentangle class with my friend Kathleen and her husband C.E. I learned new designs as well as a couple of ways to add color. Here’s an example of my “nothing to something.” Thanks to the instructor Michelle Robinson, CZT, a good time was had by all.

A blank, white Zentangle tile

All that potential!

A white Zentangle tile, with color added

Time for some Zentangles!

A Zentangle tile, with color and Zentangles

All dressed up!

A blank, black Zentangle tile

Black is the new black.

A black Zentangle tile with white Zentangles

Good contrast.

Longhorn, Session 2

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Ticka and I worked on our longhorn appliques last weekend. My longhorn, Dippity-Do, now has ears, eyes and a mouth. After session two, he’s starting to look like a longhorn. Here’s what he looked like after Session 1.

Longhorn applique, head finished

I can see clearly now!

I’ve nicknamed Ticka’s longhorn “Freckles.” Here’s Freckles and Dippity-Do next to each other. Ticka actually finished her longhorn body in session two and will start working on the background next time. My next step is to put together the longhorn body.

Two longhorn applique heads, one with freckles, one without

Freckles and Dippity-Do

Alias Venus Flytrap

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poppy watercolor in progress, photo 1

Traced and painting started

Last weekend I was very busy art-wise. On Saturday Ticka and I worked on our Longhorn appliqués. Sunday I was back at Ticka’s playroom for a watercolor session.

Just as a reminder, here’s how I paint. I show up with my purse and maybe a snack. To start, I trace the image onto the watercolor paper. Next, I pick up the paint brush my instructor, Etta (Ticka’s sister), says to pick up. I dip it in the paint color she indicates. I place the paint on the paper where she points to. Repeat the brush and paint motion until the watercolor is finished.

poppy watercolor in progress, all petals with some paint

All petals started

Yes, that is how I paint. I walk in with a purse and walk out with a purse and a painting. Art is fun!!

poppy watercolor in progress, petals all painted in

Hmm, sort of a red poppy

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Somehow the red in mine didn’t quite turn out like I thought it should. It ended up looking somewhat like a juvenile, multi-petaled Venus Flytrap.

poppy watercolor, finished and framed

Poppy? Pansy? Venus Flytrap?

Longhorn, Session 1

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At the end of March, my friend Ticka and I took an appliqué class in Wimberly, Texas. There were about 20 students in the class. Each of us chose one of the instructor’s patterns to work on. Ticka and I chose the Longhorn pattern.

My goal was to finish the Longhorn appliqué for hubby’s birthday present in September. By the end of the class, I’d extended that time frame to Christmas . . . 2013.

However, Ticka and I did not give up hope. We scheduled a work session for the Longhorn. In the March class, I managed to cut out six pieces (out of about 50 for the Longhorn head). By the end of the first work session last weekend, I had 25 pieces cut and arranged. Here is the result. You can see the pattern tracings underneath the appliqué pressing sheet. We have another work session scheduled for the end of May.

I’ve named my Longhorn-in-progress Dippity-Do, because I cut his top hair with spiked points and it looks like he is wearing Dippity-Do.

The start of a longhorn applique

Dippity-Do