A Woman of Strength

Last  year was filled with challenges, one of which was being diagnosed with breast cancer in late October.  At the age of 61, and with a family history, it wasn’t all that much of a shock.  The tumor was tiny, I had a lumpectomy  on 12/1 and will be starting radiation in a couple weeks.  The prognosis is excellent, and I am feeling very positive.

The self portrait collage was actually done about a  year ago, but seems to fit the idea of a woman of strength, and go with the poem that is after it.  People have often told me that I’m a strong woman, however, I prefer to see myself as a woman of strength.

 

 

Self Portrait

A strong woman works out everyday to keep her body in shape…
But a woman of strength builds relationships to keep her soul in shape

A strong woman isn’t afraid of anything…
But a woman of strength shows courage in the midst of fear.

A strong woman won’t let anyone get the better of her…
But a woman of strength gives the best of herself to everyone.

A strong woman makes mistakes and avoids the same in the future…
A woman of strength realizes life’s mistakes can also be unexpected blessings, and capitalizes on them

A strong woman wears a look of confidence on her face…
But a woman of strength wears grace.

A strong woman has faith that she is strong enough for the journey…
But a woman of strength has faith that it is in the journey that she will become strong.

 

Namaste,

Jackie

And so the new year begins

I realize it’s been months since I posted here, and am not quite sure how it all got away from  me. There have been many  joys and  many challenges in the year that has just ended,  and more of each await me in the year to  come.  There have been empty times when no art or creativity flowed through  me at all, and richer times when the energy of my heart flowed with creativity.  There have been moments when I’ve been afraid and feeling alone, and other moments (far  more of them!) when I found strength in the outpouring of love and support from my friends and family.

As we moved  into this new year, being mindful of the lessons learned and relearned in the one that is ending, I wish all of you all the love, joy and peace that  your hearts can hold.

Namaste,

Jackie

Abstract faces

I don’t know if you can really see the detail here, but I was trying some new things.  I covered a sheet of watercolor paper with gesso, but very unevenly.  Once it had dried, I used watercolor paint on top of the gesso, and got some interesting effects.  In some places the paint didn’t ‘stick’ to the paper, and in other places it soaked right in.  Still working on glazing and layering paint, practicing patience as the layers dry.  I outlined the faces with a black Sharpie paint pen.

Namaste,

Jackie

Another class assignment

So this assignment was to do 3 paintings that combine the elements of earth, water, fire, and air.  Here’s what I came up with:

I laid out 3 sheets of paper at the same time and just began to play with the watercolor paint, the colors and shapes, and stories in my mind.  Today I’m once again off to painting class.  Yay for me!

Namaste,

Jackie

Earth, fire, water, air – a class assignment

This is last week’s painting class assignment – depict earth, fire, water, and air without using any symbols that would indicate which one it was.  I loved this assignment because I got to play with colors, and do work that is more abstract than the still life paintings we’ve been doing.  We had to do 4 paintings for each of the elements.

Earth

Fire

Water

Air

I wonder what this week will bring!

Namaste,

Jackie

Ceiling tiles, part 2

After a couple comments about a previous post about the ceiling tiles, I realized I’d never posted any pictures of the finished ceiling, so here they are.

This was such a fun project, and I love walking out into the kitchen, especially on cold, dreary New England mornings, to see the brightly painted ceiling.  My niece and nephew bring their friends down to point out the tiles they painted.  I’d love to do it to all of the ceilings in my house, but that probably isn’t going to happen.  It was only the kitchen ceiling that needed to be replaced.

Namaste,

Jackie

Before and After Challenge

A lovely artist named Martha Marshall blogs at An Artist’s Journal and I read her blog regularly.  She posted a “Before and After” challenge, so here’s my entry.  The first, a color field painting,  in the style of Mark Rothko, got damaged in transit, and proved impossible to just patch, so I created a collage over it.

The collage:

The collage is completely different from the original, and I like it so much better. I’d love to hear comments.  Thanks Martha for the challenge.

Namaste,

Jackie

More tulips

Still painting tulips – It’s helping me deal with the piles of snow that still sit outside the house, and be optimistic that spring will indeed arrive.  And the slower pace of watercolor, or highly diluted acrylic is becoming a meditation of sorts… 

The photo below shows 4 paintings I’m working on.

Sorry for the crooked photo – this is a closeup of the one I was working on before.  I’ve added some green reflections onto the table as suggested by Leslie.  Still don’t think it’s done.

Somewhat abstracted, loose painting, still many layers to go.

Still working on this, need more depth in the greens.

Trying to use different perspectives as I’m painting tulips so I don’t get bored!  As you can see, I usually work on several paintings at a time, so that I have something else to work on as one layer of paint is drying.  I’ll get out a couple colors (I’m liking watercolors in a tube right now), mix up a wash, and use those colors on several paintings, moving from one to the next.

Lately I’ve been managing to spend about an hour every morning in the studio before I head out to work.  I’m finding, not really suprisingly, that the more time I devote to painting, the more creative and relaxed I am in other areas of my life.  Time now to get into the studio before I begin the rest of my day.

Namaste,

Jackie

Tulips

I think I’ve begun a tulip series…my teacher wants me to keep painting objects, practicing layering, wet on wet, wet on dry, dry on dry…and so I’m painting tulips.

I am still working on these two, and would welcome any suggestions, or if you think I should just leave them alone, that’s fine too.

I am enjoying the slower pace that watercolors demand.  It’s very different from my usual fast-paced abstract work.

Namaste,

Jackie

In progress

I’m still working with watercolor, learning about layers, shadows, tone and so forth.  This will end up a somewhat abstracted yellow flower, which is fine with me.  It’s quite a challenge not to layer on the paint as heavily as I usually do, and not be as spontaneous as usual, but it is a very good learning experience, as well as a lesson in patience.  So far I’ve used only primary yellow and cobalt blue.  I’m going to have to bring in some red for the center of the flower, and other shading.  The other thing that I’m (re)learning is that I can do a lot with the primary colors and perhaps don’t need 30 different colors in my paint box (though I do adore pthalo green!)  My teacher has forbidden the use of white or black paint, so that becomes a challenge as well.

I am having such a good time.

Namaste, Jackie