I love art, especially photography and painting. My next addition is crafts or primarily needlecrafts. And as if that was not enough, I am a genealogist.
This is my first post. A little about me. I am a senior citizen and at 68 while my body may be aging, I still love to try new things and experience all that life has to offer. My loves in life are my family, photography, art, crafts, camping, music and any other mischief I can get into at my age and get away with it.
I am a nut for cloud formations. As an artist I try to make anything look good. Being artistic brings out something in me that nothing else does. This is just the beginning so I hope you will keep coming back to see what I am into.
After I made my selection of paintings for my first showing, I thought I was ready. That would be a clear and emphatic NO! There was still work to be done.
Tools for the back finish.
I had to finish the back. If you have never finished the back of a painting, here’s what you need:
Brown craft paper, glue, measuring tape, pencil, scissors,screwdriver, and hanging hardware.
What I do first is to make sure all of the sides of my paintings have been painted. With craft paper down, place your painting down on the paper face up and with your pencil close to the painting draw around it. Move your painting and, with your scissors, cut the area out you just drew. Now flip your painting face down and apply glue around the edge. Take the paper section you just cut out and begin at the top left edge, lay down, and align with the edge of your painting. Continue laying down the paper by moving your right hand to align and lay down while you are pressing down with your left hand as you. After you get back to the starting point, run your fingers around the edge again, flip over, and blow to dry at least five hours.
After the glue has dried, look for any edges that are sticking out and cut with an exact blade or cutter. Flip painting face down. Determine the location for hangers by measuring the painting vertically and divide by 4. Using eye screw hangers (sawtooth are the only hangers not accepted) or hangers recommended by the facility of exhibition screw in. Taking hanging wire (or any wire that can withstand the weight) and run through the eye on the left pull threw at least 3-4 inches and with the cut end wrap around the long wire and crimp end with wire pliers if it sticks out. With the balance of the wire, you are going to hold it up to a half inch under the top of the painting and pull down to the right eye, and measure 3-4 inches and cut. Now that tour wire is cut, keeping one finger on the middle mark rum the remainder of the wire through the right eye screw, pull tight but not moving the middle and wrap around itself like you did on the left.
Congratulations, now you are ready to hang it. This process works with most size canvases.
Si, instead of buying those cheap prints, create real art and hang yourself. Ok, now get your hardware out and get to hanging
The first thing you have to acknowledge in this world is that money truly is the root of all evil! And yes, man is at fault also.
What did man do before our failed financial system was developed? He bartered! For those of you who don’t know what barter means, it’s simply trading one item or service for another of equal value. The key word here is equal.
I guess my best barter to date was when I traded my popup camper for a quarter horse. Not sure who got the best end of that deal, but I was satisfied, and so was the girl that got the camper.
We are living in a time when money, or the need for it, is a noose around the neck of most of us. Using a barter system gets you things and/or services that you need without paying out one single dime.
In the community you live in, if you sell on your local yard sale or marketplace site, you can offer to barter for your item. If you have a physical yard sell, let people know you are willing to trade.
We all have needs, and bartering can not only help your debt situation by freeing up cash, but it can be fun. Form a bartering club and help your community by trading for services that can benefit many.
Don’t have items to trade, then trade your time. Most people have something they do well, which they could trade by the hour to get something they need. For example, Jane Doe really needs her yard mowed and finds Mr. Jones, who just happens to be a single father who needs childcare. Their trade, two hours of lawn care for two hours of childcare. Both are satisfied with the service they received. No money was exchanged.
Using a barter system can help to increase your cash flow and resolve debt. For instance, if you are bartering for child care, then the funds you would have used are now available to pay on those high interest credit cards you have been using. The more you barter, the more your cash flow increases.
Something so small as bartering can totally change the way your household and/or business function. You can literally go from a sinking ship to a submarine, but getting started does take work. Roll up your sleeves, grab a pen and paper, and make three lists. One will be for the things you don’t need that you are willing to trade, one for services you can perform and are willing to trade and one for the things and services you need. You can post your needs on social media platforms but also on yard sale and marketplace sites.
I wish you lots of bartering success getting ready to sit down and make my own lists.
Art takes many forms. This is a continuation of our barn quilt journey. Barn quilts are not a new form of art but was revitalized in 2001 and is still a popular trend. Today we set out to continue our journey along on the the Barn Quilt Trails. This one is the southern trail which extends from Harrels, NC to Autryville NC just outside of Fayetteville. I had only taken shots of a couple of barns when I started having trouble with my GPS. We still proceeded on to Autryville since that was somewhere we had never been then circled back to Goldsboro and then home. Disappointed that I did not get more shots but still enjoyed a change of scenery.
Here are the few shots I did get.
Tulips In Bloom – Location 2086 Wilmington Hwy, Willard NCCorn & Beans – Location 340 Wilmington Hwy, Harrells NCJust happened to catch this one at a house where we turned around near Clinton NC – 2×2 on old shed.
Old steam engine seen in a front yard near Harrells.
Murral in Autryville.
Continue to follow me on my journeys through our state. You know if it has anything to do with art, I will find it!
The weather was so great over the weekend we went to the river park. The level of the water was so low that people were wading in the middle of the river. In 70+ years, I don’t ever recall the river quite this low.
The benefit of the drought was that the Cypress Knees were easily viewable. Here are a few pics.
I call these the hands of nature. I have taken a number of what look like prayer hands right down to the fingernails.
Still think aliens or space dust created the earth? Yeah, I didn’t think so! God always reminds us of his creative skills.
Just when you think you have seen it all, he will do something even more amazing.
If you are resorting to AI as a prompt for your painting, then you are not looking in the right places.. or not looking at all. I typically don’t need prompts. Things, places, and ideas just seem to fall on my canvas. The most important tool you can use are your eyes.
I take cues from what is around me. If what I am looking for is not there, I go searching for it. The prompt for today’s start was in a movie I watched yesterday, “Children Of The Railway.”
The movie is taken at the turn of the century and focuses on the adventures of three children who end up living in a run-down plantation house.
So here is my start to the old plantation house and the grove of trees it sits in. When finished, you will see the three children standing facing the home just like they did when they saw it for the first time.
Forgotten
I find that if you find something that has a story, it might lead you to your best painting.
My Artist Prayer
God bless every brush and every stroke
Give me motivation for a positive image to create.
Let me not be tempted to evil themes or waste any paint on a palette unclean.
Yes, you heard me right. I listen to music while I paint. I tend to listen to all kinds of music, but today, it’s the track to one of my favorite movies, “The Last Of The Mohicans.” The track varies from very dramatic to softly audible. It helps to calm me and yet move me in the right direction when working on a complicated piece.
The music doesn’t have to be geared to one genre, but whatever moves you. With headphones on, the frequencies of each tone are both calming and directional. Listen for a few measures before you start. I know fellow artists that listen to everything from r&b to techno. You just have to see which genre works for you. Don’t be surprised if it’s something outside of your comfort zone, like the theme from Transformers I just finished with.
As artists, we are used to “thinking out of the box,” so the possibilities are endless. Today, I started a new painting (don’t judge), which will be a tall ship.
Art is whatever makes you feel good.
Have a great day, and remember, “Jesus loves you.”
The one mistake you can make is to confine yourself to a gallery to sell your art. It’s time to step out into the digital world. I do not now or will I ever agree that we need to become a cesspool for digital money or a complete digital world; however, there are some revenues that I support one of which being the extension of rt through the digital marketplace. I have just created my first pieces of digital art. Here they are with their links.
I don’t know about you guys but I have been basking in the warmth of impending Spring. There is nothing like seeing new growth, being outside and enjoying everything that the change of season offers.
My one Tuplip plant is already blooming.
Today Hubby and I started building a raised bed while our chickens wandered in the yard around us. They are having the most fun with the warmer weather. Hopefully tomorrow we will get the bed finished and ready for plants.
Well, that is all the spring news for now. Hope to post spring photos, paintings, and more. Stay tuned and send your friends over in the mean time check out my product link page.
