Today

I chose to write about my feelings for today on my
Art Hearts Journey  blog,   If you care to see it click on the name..
  I'll be back with some kind of art here soon..  BJ

THE HIPPIE CHICK !

Had to get something on paper. Not so much 'have to' but I wanted  to.  I took a break from other 'stuff' and did this quick watercolor from a photo I took some years ago.  I intend to  do a larger one  but whenever I plan, and think and ponder it never comes out the way I want.. Yes,  my daughter.  BJ   

Doodling with Paint

Sometimes I will do something quick and this was on a sheet of paper that I was doodling with paint...  It's just card size..   First one to send an address  ( on the comment page.)  or em me can have it  mailed to them..     Go ahead you can pick  the flowers.     BJ

Johns' Fuschia

I still didn't get this right but never will.  Gave it my best effort though.   BJ  

Happiness Is !

Well I need to pick something  positive for today, so how about my brand new business cards that just came in the mail.. !
I designed it myself, then went to Vistaprint online and I'm happy with them.  So now when people ask for my website, I'll just say " Here's my card."  
 After making art all these years  my card. !! They will probably outlast me.. LOL !     BJ  

What I've been doing

 

   I've been working on a series of watercolors,  of women...   they're not portraits, they just represent a softer  feminine touch to this otherwise world in turmoil... They aren't even good , ,but news of the day is bad and it gets worse ... I want to do something about it,  but can not...  so I'm painting pretty things.  No, not hiding out , just frustrated, disappointed in the state of affairs  both here and around the world.  What a mess!
I'm beginning to wonder who and what we are .  Oh,  let me just go paint   .  It  saves  my sanity.  BJ

'Gillys Flower'

    This was painted from a reference photo on a website  forum that  I belong to  called JWJarts  .  click on to the  link to get there..   The name of the flower  is not in my head right now.. so I named it Gillys' Flower since she is the artist who posted it there.   Enjoy!       BJ  

Watercolor~ Life Is a String of Beads

~

  

I did a piece like this in colored pencil a few years ago, and decided to paint it in watercolor. 
As I was working on it, I started to think how  much our lives are  like this string of beads.   Large, small, bright, dull and dark , one continuous line with no beginning, no end that you can see. 
Life has big events, small ones, happy bright times and dull somber dark days. 
   It goes on in a perpetual line, but has detours, over and under, ins and outs.  We don't  really know where it begins, we don't know where it ends.   I think I'll name this  'Life is a String of Beads'   BJ    for  jj
 

~Colored Pencil~

One of the many seashells found on Florida beaches,, I believe this is a Florida Cone.
    
 

Today

  Today was the day that I had to put paint to paper.. no doubts about that.. so I drew three circles, wet the entire paper , put some permanent rose in those places, and we know it looked like flowers to me.. so adding a little New Gamboge to the mix, and some Sap Green it turned into a bouquet.. I just let the water do the work.. (I was too lazy)   I admire the work of Fabio Cembranelli and I think it was influencing my thoughts today.. 

I'll try this again, using some thought to placement and color and composition and it will turn out  awful...  It never fails... !!   BJ   

Hollyhocks

Done quickly on inexpensive watercolor paper... .. 

The Tropics

For some reason, my photos are not good at all .. color , sharpness, etc..    but you get the idea. 
It's HOT in Florida !!!!       Bird of Paradise.

A Letter Re-posted

 Today  (the 29th)  is a  rememberance day  for me..  My dad passed away 15 years ago, and at Christmas 2010 I wrote a  'Christmas Letter ' to him  and posted it on my blogs... While reading it tonight I went to correct an error and somehow it's been deleted.   Today I'd like to re-post it and remember these good times with him.. He was a very special man in my life.  
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 A Christmas Letter ..
Although I've thought of my Dad often in the past thirteen years...its this week that I've missed him most, so I write this one time to you Dad.
   When I was a little girl, you took me everywhere with you,  deep sea fishing off the coast of New Jersey ..  to NYC to see everything from the Empire State Building, Radio City Christmas Show, the Statue of Liberty, and  when we went to Coney Island I'd make you ride that roller coaster  with me over and over .  And you never said no. 
You taught me how to ride a bike, fly a kite,  build a snowman,  and  made me that real little house in the backyard. I put curtains on the windows.
 You taught me my love for animals and all living things..  We took care of  injured wild birds and rabbits, you'd make a box for them  and if I cried when they didn't make it, you'd say " Barbra , you can't save all of them you know, you just do what you can".
 On Sunday mornings you'd drive out to that little  airport and  we'd watch the planes take off and land.. Somehow you managed to get a pilot to take me up for a ride in a small plane. And when Mom found out she had a fit. 
We'd hike in the woods and go target shooting. You'd take me to the christening of the  new big ships at the shipyard when you still worked there.
   We'd go to your welding shop on Saturdays  and  you showed me how to weld.  Then taught me to drive my first car and bought a red convertible because I liked it.. And Mom had another fit !!  You were the first one I saw when I woke up in the hospital .. more than once.
 I thought you had the strength of 10 men , you could do anything and make everything alright. I remember  the night we lost Louis,  you  looked right at me and said " This is the ONE thing I can't do for you". And I knew you were right because you never lied to me. .
   I learned so much from you Dad.  Any good that I am it was from you.. and the not so good ...  you were still there for me every single time.
  Every Christmas you and I would go and get the tree, I'd bother you for weeks ahead of time.. I was good at that...  and finally  you'd  say 'ok , time to get the tree ',  and then with all the patience in the world you'd help me put it up and decorate it.
This time of year brings back lots of  those memories,  and I have not forgotten a single one .  If  I were given just one wish for Christmas, I would ask that every little girl be blessed with a Dad like I had. What a beautiful world this would be.
  from your daughter Barbra,
Merry Christmas Dad

Today

 Staying in my comfort zone.  Flowers, it's what I  do.. this was quick, easy, and I like it .!!!!

For Today

Most of my writings are on my Journey blog  .
These are a pencil sketch from last week and a watercolor ( lets call it a sketch also) that I did around the same time...    Lately I'm having a problem committing my self to anything serious... and to top that off.... my photos of these are not good,  'The Force'  is not with me today.. !!!    BJ   

     Suddenly out of nowhere comes this urge to get back to painting and going out on a limb  (that means No Flowers .
I've always liked painting people,  women mostly , lets face it . they're prettier..  so I did a couple 30 minute  ... ok ok   40 min.. w/c sketches, wanted to stay loose, I think I did just that . drips and drops and all...    BJ 

Well It's MY Blog ! !

Sure, I've posted this on my Art Hearts Journey,  not all of you go there.   ~ Barbra Joan in a Sandbox'~   I was  about 4 years old. Cute kid, so what happened??
  I did the painting a few years ago, and this is what happens when you haven't painted for about a month.. You start looking back and getting all nostalgic.. This kid with the wiley hair is announcing that 
  " Summers Here!  Come on out and play. !"  BJ 

Travel Theme?

Savannah, Georgia

Duval Street, Key West, Florida

This coming week the local art guild that I've joined will be hanging paintings in our Library.  That's  fine with me and then I hear it's a theme of travel.. Great, I'm a floral painter, and do portraits in pencil.  Are you thinking what I'm thinking?  I don't do landscapes and when I do they're works that are in the bottom of the pile.. After a lot of searching (in the bottoms of drawers) , I came up with two that I did from photos I'd taken.   One from Savannah and the other from Key West..

That's the extent of my travel paintings.  Now why wasn't the theme flowers? oh right.....,that would have been too easy..    

Not Always About Painting!

 Can you guess what this flower was made from?  From a corn husk,.... my friend made corn over the weekend, dried these and I loved the color .. so  what could I do with them? .... Of course ...corn husk flowers..!!!!!
    Since I wasn't painting and have to create something  every day.... whether it's a full size painting , or a corn husk flower !

I think I'll pin it to a basket. .It's about four inches around,  so go  cook some corn and make your flower.!!..  BJ

Someones back yard.

I'm the worst when it comes to painting any kind of landscape and gardens, but if someone recognizes this as their back yard I'll send it to you..   BJ 

The Cardinals

An 8"x10 "  watercolor commission It was my decision to add the female..

Happy Spring !

Color and subject is to welcome spring and brighten your day.    

The Lioness

Done on Bristol smooth. 11"x14".  Photo courtesy of  Wet Canvas.

A Piece of Heart !

 
Today I received this  piece of art  from Jerry ,a  blogger  and friend who lives in the state of Oregon and is an absolute master when it comes to metal art.. His main work is gates, arbors, railings and such, but they are each a piece of  unique art like I've never seen.. And  the best part he recycles all this 'stuff' from found objects.. Welds them together , does some other magic to them and it turns out to be something wonderful...  This particular one is copper, a rose and butterfly and on his blog he explains  the why of each element under his March 25th post..    

    This gift  was not a total surprise as he had blogged about it a few days ago. Through the years I've had many artists send me their work,  either we've  exchanged or  I've bought , or they just send a part of themselves . I've done the same in return.  I love each and every one and this is one I will treasure because it comes from a very special, caring person. Thank you Jerry.. ever so much.. You can see Jerrys blog called Hang Art by clicking on  the name..          

Girl With the Green Eyes

You may or may not know of the famous photo that was on the cover of National Geo. probably 20 years ago.  A young Afghanistan  girl  known as the Girl with the Green eyes.   She wasn't even named at the time ...  Just as everyone else was mesmerized I too couldn't stop looking at the photo.  .  . My rendition done about seven years ago, doesn't  even  begin to capture  it... but I am going to try it again... and soon. !  If your interested to see her you can Google  it,  or click on the words above. National Geo.  
   After 20 years Steve   McCurry the photographer found her again.. Her name is Sharbat Gula and no matter what your political views or thoughts about the Afghan people this reminds  us that there are children suffering all over the world.. 

Hither, and Thither and Yon??

After my last tight painting , I knew I had to do something to loosen up!   so today I threw some paint.. hither, thither and yon!! lol !  Where the heck are these places....????  and just so you know I'm still on the planet I thought I'd post  it. .. 

    Have a wonderful weekend everyone!~~  

Last Nights Spectacular Show !

    I know a lot of us read about the Supermoon last night.. This is what it looked like  just as it started to rise above the trees across the lake.. I know I've lived a lot of moons, and have seen many unusual ones.  but I'd never seen this ..It looked like the sun coming up at night.. I watched it and in just  a few minutes later it was very bright white.. !!!!    Well,  just shows how we can always see and learn something new!   So much better than a painting. !

    I want a replay !!! .  

WIP

I'm working on this painting that I'd done in just pencil a while ago.. but she has a very colorful outfit on . so putting some effort into that.. will post when finished for now here's a peek..  BJ 

Tina Marie and The Wolf !

The drawing of my daughter was done a while ago but needed adjustments..
She has very, very  dark brown eyes  ( and wanted that to come through... the wolf was finished just a few weeks ago and decided to post it today..  since the wolf is one of  Tinas' favorite animals I thought posting them together was appropriate. 

    Both of course are pencil done on Bristol smooth paper, using Staedtler and Derwent drawing pencils  and as always my trusty kneaded eraser..  Click on the photo to see a close up.   

Letting the Light Get In

I  wanted to connect this drawing to the post below. It's one I did a while ago . The flower has no special meaning, isn't even particularly good but it'll stay for a while as I'm 'Letting the light get  in.'   The poem below was read to me by a friend last night while on the phone. I had to post it...  It  could mean a lot of different things to different people,  but for me it means I've made a mistake ..  the crack ,.... but the light gets  in that crack and  has taught me one more lesson.. Life will teach us one more lesson right to very end, I have no doubt of that..