Owl Collage...

Welcome to Day 8 of Blogtoberfest!

Weekends are pretty busy around here, it is the only time Mr. How2 and I can get together and do any needed repairs on the rentals and that's exactly what we did. Along with catching up on yard work and getting things ready for cold weather, I harvested at least thirty huge birdhouse gourds out of my tiny garden. I am now trying to figure out what to do with them. Needless to say, I did not spend a whole lot of time in my studio over the last two days. 

Since time was so scarce, rather than work on my larger canvas, I focused on the small collage I started at the same time. I completed the owl, with paint and paper, and painted her onto a branch. I was not happy with just the cut and paste, so I used my Inktense pencil to add shadow along the cut paper edges, and I am pleased with the way it blended them back into the canvas. Turns out the watercolor paper was great for painting and collage, but a real challenge to glue down to the finished background. I ended up using a stack of books to weigh it down as it dried. Next time, I think I will simply scan both layers into the computer and assemble them digitally, I am kind of angry at myself for not thinking of it earlier!

I also finished my inchie, for Every Inchie Monday, the theme of which is "eternity" this week.

Tough subject, so I tried my hand at Chinese Calligraphy, which I imagine looks like it was done by a child to anyone that actually has any skill in this art! 

Until next time...enjoy!

Harvest Time and Family Gatherings...

I have been a little lax in posting these last two weeks, so here is my chance to catch up.

  We traveled in our RV to our annual family reunion over Labor Day weekend, an event we haven't missed now for 20 years. Our numbers are a little bit down, we are at that in between stage where all the cousins that were small children together are all graduated and building lives for themselves. Now it is mostly all us empty-nesters and the grand parents. This is a natural ebb and flow, soon these young adults will find their mates and start families of their own, ( not too soon, I hope), and the campground will begin to fill up again.

  I did bring my art kit along on the camp out, but I didn't once crack it open. I just spent my time talking around the camp fire, yard-saling and exploring the farmers market. As you can imagine after 20 years, there are a lot of traditions that have developed and so many stories to tell  and retell of gatherings past...

  I think the thing that amazes me the most is how, even though we don't see some of these people more than this one time a year, there is really no awkwardness in our connections. We just pick up where we left off, with more fodder for our storytelling. I have teased Mr. How2, telling him that becoming part of his amazing and huge family was the best reason I had for marrying him. Don't worry, his ego can take the hit!

One of the traditions is to go yard-saling in and around the town of Twisp. Because I am still determined to eradicate all the extra clutter from my life, I only picked up a couple things, a spice wrack to hold my small bottles of paint, and this little Chinese Calligraphy kit for $1.00. I am intrigued by this art form, and am looking forward to giving it a try. The Twisp Farmers Market is another place we go, and on Labor Day weekend they always host the library book sale. I scored a couple novels for Mr. How2, and a small book written entirely in Chinese, which i plan to use in my art. I had so much fun with the book of German poetry and the a copy of Romeo and Juliet in Russian that I bought at the book sale last year, I just couldn't resist it.

   I finished my "harvest" ATCs this week, about the only art I was able to get to, and will be sending them off tomorrow. Here is a look at them...

I made five this time, our exchange is usually send three, get three back, and most of us make and extra for the hostess to keep. This month, the granddaughter of one of or members asked if she could participate, so one is for her. We again decided to include an inchie, and here is mine...

Lets hear it for an autumn filled with beauty, bounty and warm family gatherings! Until next time...enjoy!