Good Shepherd (Mixed Media, 7x10)

This began as a collage weeks ago and I picked it up today.  After staring at the start for a while I could see a figure at first.  After I collaged more background to better define the figure, I recognized what could be a sheep over one shoulder.  It’s funny how that happens – see something, pursue it, THEN you see something else…  continue until complete.  Doesn’t that sound like life?

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Self-Portrait

I began this mixed media painting 2 months ago.  March 8th I described how I applied the transfer of myself as a happy little girl of 3.  In summary, the large image on the bottom left is a black & white image transfer painted with acrylic.

I picked this up again a few days ago.  I transferred text, collaged tissue paper, created texture with Golden light molding paste, stamped the dragonfly, and painted the rest.  I’m done and it’s definitely been enlightening to think through this painting, examining my heart for what I wanted to say.

This piece is about my belief in the transformative power of God’s love for me.  I depicted this in my painting with the image of the aquatic nymph’s transformation into the gossamer dragonfly as well as the use of the cruciform.  I see the defined squares near my childish face as the self-confidence and security of childhood.  The middle phase of life is represented by the hazier, off white areas.  A level of comfort with ambiguity and the unanswered questions of life makes faith that much more precious.  The squares in the top right symbolize the answers I’m looking forward to when I meet God face to face.   And that about sums it up folks…  Blessings!

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Today in my art world…

This afternoon I took in Absolutely Art, the local FCA chapter’s spring show.  There was lots of lovely art there including a nice demo painted this morning IN AN HOUR by Sharon.  Impressive!  Next year I hope to be an active member and have a piece or two in that show.  One must have goals, and now I may just have the time and energy to pursue this one.

Later, I puttered a bit with my Caran d”Ache crayons drawing tulips.  It’s fun to see that creamy color dissolve in the water as it’s brushed on.  

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Purple Allamanda

Today I searched through the web photos of flowering vines until I found the Allamanda, the flower I painted a few days ago in Arizona.  I’m not quite certain about the varietal though.  There are many types and apparently the color of their blooms depends on the soil conditions to a great extent.  This photo was labelled “purple alamanda” and it looks exactly like the ones I painted from. 

I’ve been a bit under the weather for a couple of days but I hope to be back painting again tomorrow.  The term “under the weather” was an interesting choice of words given that I’ve just returned to the cold north from the hot south.  Under the blankets would have been accurate too…

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Arizona Whites

I would love to know the name of this lovely flowering vine.  I looked for it tonight at the Desert Botanical Gardens but didn’t spot it.  Our gracious hosts have this beautiful flowering vine in their garden.  The hummers seem to be attracted to this flower – they preferred it to the feeders this week at least.

  Ron and I arrived at Desert Botanical Gardens today at 5pm and viewed the exhibit before as well as after dark.  Dale Chihuly is truly a master artist and I really enjoyed the displays.  The colors are amazing and the detail work was enhanced by the lighting after dark – wow!  The gardens are amazing even without the Chihuly glass – lots and lots of hummers and they are very friendly.  We headed straight to Fox’s afterwards for the Flames third, and last, period of the seasons.  Not a fun game to watch with a bunch of Chicago fans…

Home to Calgary tomorrow – yikes!  The weather has been unseasonably cold/snowy there and unseasonably hot/dry here.  That will make for a rough re-entry. 

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Apache Trail

Today we set off for a Sunday afternoon drive to Tortilla Flat up the Apache Trail.  Wow!  The scenery did not disappoint. The terrain is so rough and the story of it’s construction over 100 years ago is fascination.  Ron and I hiked up a small trail to look out over Apache Lake (it’s 17 miles long but just a bit is peaking through in the background of our photo).  We took a bite at the Tortilla Flat Saloon and marveled at all that money stapled to the walls – lots of dollar bills, marks, yen notes, kiwi and ausie dollars….  names and dates visited. 

Teddy Roosevelt is responsible for building the road leading far back into the mountains to service the building of a large dam.  The entire project was part of the Reclamation Act of   1902.  The purpose of the act was to increase the habitability of the arid western United States.  Construction began in 1903 and ended in 1911 when the Roosevelt Dam began operation.  As a result of irrigation from the dam, hundreds of thousands of acres of land have become fertile farmland.  Many other such projects continue to benefit all residents of the arid western states.  After today I understand why Grandpa Matson took so much time explaining all the workings of the Imperial Dam for me back in 1997.  These dams made life in the desert possible.  

Back to our trip…  The desert is a bit coy.  Not wanting to flaunt it’s beauty, it doles it out a bit at a time.  We saw loads of blooming prickly pear cacti and several others bloomers I can’t name.  Beautiful.  Yellow flowering trees were everywhere.  The saguaros showed buds but we only saw a couple of them with full hats.  Beautiful and stately,  the saguaro is such a great object lesson for life.  Grow when you get watered, store it up for the hard times, bloom conservatively and not for long, hunker down and you’ll make it through the arid seasons…  and know that spring will come again next year.  PACE yourself.  Hmm, very wise. 

Tomorrow we have reservation at the Desert Botanical Gardens.  The farmer in me needs to know the names of some of these cacti and desert plants….  We’ll also see the Dale Chihuly glass exhibit which is there right now. 

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Saguaro Sunset

I’ve had an amazing day in sunny and HOT Arizona (sorry all you Alberta people).  Temperature reached high nineties today but there was a slight breeze to take the edge off.  Quite tolerable rolling into and out of the pool. 

I sketched up the saguaro cactus behind the house here and put him front and centre with a little pal in a quick desert sunset watercolor.  It was fun. 

I’m really enjoying blogging since I discovered Windows Live Writer.  I do the entire blog posting on my laptop and when I click on post it logs on and makes it all happen.  Lots of options for formatting and jazzing things up – looking forward to trying some of those too!  Check it out here.

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