Just for Fun!

This is from an iPhone app.

Remember, these paintings really are only 12" x 12"

I was told about this app called PhotoFunia. It was free in the iTunes store.

So why not? 

This really makes me want to work large again.

It's difficult without a proper studio, my space is quite small and crowded.

Wondering about #5 in the series?

Me too.

4 in a Series of 5

12" x 12"   Acrylic on Panel

Today this is my favorite.

3 in a Series of 5

12" x 12"   Acrylic on Panel

This may be my favorite. Today it is.

2 in a Series of 5

12" x 12"   Acrylic on Panel

I'm calling this Number 2 for now, but really all of these paintings were developed simultaneously.
This is finished.
It's a little busy, but I like it.

1 in a Series of 5

12" x 12" Acrylic on Panel

I don't have titles.
Actually I haven't even thought about it yet!
This is 1 in a series of 5 experimental paintings.
 It is finished.
I like it.
I am happy.

Study in Limited Palette 2

This was super fun to paint! It still needs some adjustments and tweaks. I really like the incongruity of the red egg in contrast to the crazy abstract elements. For me there is something lyrical or even musical about this one. Some version of this will probably make it to a large canvas.

12" x 12" acrylic and collage on canvas board

Study in Limited Palette 1

I might love this one! It's a little busy - and actually I'm not sure why I love it so much...

Pretty sure this will show up as a larger painting also.

12" x 12" mixed media and collage in sketch book

Study in Black and White 3

There are things in this study I like very much, but over all I am still undecided on how much I like it.  I just haven't figure it out yet.

12" x 12" mixed media and collage in sketch book

Study in Black and White 2

This has so much power and energy! I really like it, and it was fun to do. Destined to be a larger painting too. 

12" x 12" mixed media and collage in sketch book

Study in Black and White 1

I really enjoy working in my sketch book this way. I also like this one very much and I think it will become a much larger painting.

12" x 12" collage and mixed media in sketch book

Work in Progress 2

It's most likely that I'll be posting sketches and works in progress for a while.

This is #2 of 4. I haven't photographed the others yet. I will post them when I get that done.

12" x 12" Acrylic and mixed media on canvas board

work in progress 2

New Beginnings

I've enrolled in an online art class called Creative Visionary Path. It's taught by Nicholas Wilton of Art2Life. I was hoping it would give me a kick in the rear to get back to work - and it is doing just that. It is turning out to be the absolute best investment I've made in a long time. Excellent program,  excellent teacher and coaches, it is truly top-notch and everything about this is just what I needed.

That doesn't mean it's easy! It's actually very challenging and making me rethink a lot of things. My life is still a bit of a mess. Crises after crises just keeps coming, and it feels like my life is fracturing and crumbling all around me sometimes. I cling to my faith and trust in Yeshua - and this gives me a reprieve and new focus, although it is very difficult to get my creativity and art together when nothing else in life is working so well. However - it is getting better, slowly - but it is getting better and I am learning.  Learning and changing. At least I hope I am...

12" x 12" Acrylic and mixed media on canvas board - experimental

work in progress

Cy Twombly

I fell crazy in love with this triptych by Cy Twombly! Probably the reason I had to go back 3 times.

Three Studies from the Temeraire by Cy Twombly

I really have no idea why this moves me so much but it sure does. I could not get enough of it. It is enormous! Each canvas is around 8 feet by 7 feet. Each one is a little different size, so that's just an educated guess, but it's huge. You can't really appreciate the subtlety, the line work, or brush work from these.

Art Gallery NSW

I made a mistake. On the previous post where I talked about the dark room with the light in it was NOT at the Sydney Museum of Contemporary Art - it was at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
The artist is Anthony McCall.

I probably can't say enough about the Art Gallery NSW. I love the place. We visited 3 times. Yep. 3.
I have a wonderful patient and supportive family. The museum is free, which is always a bonus. However they had a fabulous Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera exhibition that was special and we needed to purchase timed tickets. I am not a big Kahlo fan, but my daughter is and it was a wonderful opportunity to see works that we

had only seen in books before, plus some rare film footage of them. These aren't great photos, I know that - but I really liked them and I like the reflections too. Not sure why...

The museum has no problem with photography. And they don't seem very uptight about how close you get to the work either. I loved the place!

Sydney - Museum of Contemporary Art

We went to The Museum of Contemporary Art.  Ummm...not my thing.  You can see some of the better work that was on display (my personal assessment) here if you are curious. There wasn't anybody doing acrobatics on the suspended ladder things - just ladder thingy's hanging from the ceiling. Boring.

However, there was one exhibit that was absolutely fascinating and nothing I post here will come close to the experience, feeling or visuals we experienced. We spent a good amount of time in there.

It was a totally blacked out dark room. It was actually a bit scary and intimidating to walk into because it was so, so dark. You couldn't see your hand in front of your face - nothing. We walked slowly and carefully not knowing what we were walking into. There was another couple of people in there. We never saw them, couldn't see them,  but heard them whispering and speaking very low and quiet.

And yet there was a light in there - being projected through a slit, onto a wall. It then had some kind of mist that was released from the light source every once in while that moved around in this beam of light like ethereal mystical clouds. Awesome.

This will give a little bit of an idea of the light projection - it would change the shape and placement of the lines projected onto the wall every once in a while, but not often.

We took it in for a bit, then got our courage up, it is a museum after all - it felt like touching a valuable painting at first, like a security guard would appear out of the darkness and chastise us. We got over it and walked in and out of the light and fooled around in there, very interesting. These photos really don't do it justice. The more time we spent in there, the more spiritual it seemed. The darkness took on a look, and almost a feel, of really deep, dense, plush velvet. So lush I wanted to touch it but it was intangible, of course. It was a sensual look and feel and very enticing.  The light  began to feel sharp and piercing like a blade - almost intimidating. A very purposeful and efficient light, no waste, no superfluous overflow, leaking, or extra. Just an extremely sharp and intentional focus and purpose. Exact. Small but extremely powerful, even with the mist swirling gently around - which appeared to stay in the light only. This really was an "I wish you could have been there" experience.

Catching Up - Second Try

Catching Up - Second Try Not sure what went wrong but I see that the videos didn't show up. So here is try number two. Hoping this works... Why is it that the thing we call life keeps getting in the way of my plans and preventing me from doing what I want to do, which is create? Is it life, really? or is it just complicated busy-ness. Nonsense that social and cultural paradigms and customs require? I don't have an answer, but I suspect its a little bit of everything. My intent was to get back to blogging (and painting)  on a regular basis, which obviously hasn't happened. At least not the way I want. I have some catching up to do. I think I left off in Australia, which is my new favorite country. Such awesome, friendly people! It was a wonderful visit. We started in Sydney. I have the obligatory city-scape, bridge and opera house photos - but really who cares about that stuff? We went to Bondi beach. No real beach when we were there - and no seaweed or shells or surfers. It was absolutely freezing cold and super windy. There was a sculpture walk all along the trail but it was just too darn cold to enjoy much of it. But I did enjoy this, and I think there is a glimpse of one of the sculptures in there somewhere. The sculpture I did see were not to my personal taste and I wasn't very impressed. But I  love the idea of the sculpture walk - and so did a lot of other people - in spite of the freezing windy and sometimes rainy weather - the trail was busy - almost crowded. And this my friends is why I should never be in charge of family vacation photos! LOL - Oh, but the colors and textures...!!!

Hotel Art

We are staying in a very nice hotel, in a very nice suite. I walked in the room and as always the first thing I check out is the art on the walls. This is the only piece of art in our room. It's real, not a print or anything so that's very cool . 

My thoughts........"Huh.....well......OK."

No title, no name or signature.

Then....little by little it started drawing me in and I began looking closer...

The edges and pencil lines got my attention 

More cool edges, and color

It has some texture...and there is a sort of creepy smiley face thing in the texture

There are lots of super subtle coolness to this oddity which I'm loving more and more daily - I've even decided I know what it's about, it's story but I'll let you make up your own mind if you are so inclined .

This painting in about 30" x 48"

I like it.

Sydney - day two - QVB

I didn't prepare, research or read up before this trip. Thats pretty unusual for me, as I am a compulsive researcher. However I also know that exploration by the seat of my pants is rather suiting to me. Of course anyone who actually knows me knows thats pretty much how I live my life anyway. That is... when I am not googling the daylights out of something.

Take for example this absolutely gorgeous historic buildings on George St directly across the street from the hotel. It's the Queen Victoria Building, or QVB. I have no idea what the history is  - yet. But it is truly stunning inside and out! Inside is all very high end shopping, outside unfortunately  is road construction, making decent pictures a real challenge.  So here are just a few pics of this gorgeous building. It is truly stunning inside and out! Inside is all very high end shopping, outside unfortunately  is road construction, making decent pictures a real challenge.  So here are just a few pics of this gorgeous building. 

*****Sidetrack- a little mother/daughter toast on the plane :-)*****

OK - now the pictures  of the QVB

There is what seems like miles and miles of these gorgeousç mosaic tile floors

f

I hope to have some time to get back over there for some more pics- it's a beautiful space.

Sydney, AU

Just arrived in Sydney. This is the view from one of my hotel windows. Grabbed a quick nap. Next a shower and off to explore!

Here is what I've been working on currently. The 12" x 12" painting from Sundays post now looks like this. It is not finished, but I have set it aside for a little while. 

Then this old canvas, 18" x 24" which was covered in the start of an old and forgotten collage attempt became the ground for the next endeavor.

 Here is the beginning. I got frustrated trying to collage black tissue on so I just painted the black on. The collaged background was actually wonderful to work on too. It was a nice middle tone gray, all I had to do was add some lights. I did not work from a thumbnail or sketch I worked from life, then took a photo as the flowers were wilting fast from the lights.

From there, I collaged color tissue paper on, and also drew a bit with water soluble wax crayons. There may a few touches of paint in there too - I don't remember. 

 And this is the completed piece. 18" x 24" acrylic and mixed media on canvas.

I may have to go back in and punch up a few small areas that seems to get lost when I sprayed it with fixative, then I'll varnish it too. Maybe even sign it. LOL

Resurrection Day!

Today is the day. I'm resurrecting the old blog. I've been contemplating this day for a while and finally decided to go for it.  Geesh! It's been 4 years and 7 months since the last post - and boy have there been a lot of changes! In my life, in my work, in me. I expect to be making some changes in this blog too.

So without going into all the details, I will just share that currently I am working on reinventing myself. It's the first time in my life that I actually feel free to pursue beauty, and pretty. To think things through a little better (if I can) before I just pounce - or act - like I have done most of my life. Impulsive much? Sometimes. I can't make any promises other than to try. I am making every effort to get out of my head and to paint from my emotions and my heart. Geesh - I'm not sure I even really know what that means. Gonna try to find out though.

For those of you who know me personally know that is akin to walking on water - I don't do emotions. They scare me. But I am going to give it my best shot. It is extremely uncomfortable right now, I am way, way out of  my comfort zone and way over my head - but I am committed to going for it.

I've never been a "flower" artist, or an abstract artist, but I've toyed around with it in the past. I'm going to give both of those a real sincere effort for a while and see what happens.

In order to get myself up and moving I have purchased a couple of online classes from Carla Sonheim's site.  I am currently taking Lynn Whipple's Big Bold Bloom 2 class.  I did not take the Big Bold Bloom 1 class, but I might consider it.  I am enjoying it, I am off to a slow start but ramping up, and looking forward to what might show up down the road.

So here are a couple of thumb nails and starts, just to get the ball rolling - Lynn Whipple calls them seed paintings, because they will grow into bigger paintings eventually. Cute. Be sure to visit Lynns blog and view her flower paintings - they are just wonderful.

Here are some thumbnails, (seed paintings) -
And here is a 12" x 12" work in progress (WIP) from the thumbnail I chose to the current state of affairs. It's a chaotic mess - but I have some hope for it.

Another Rant

Ok. so I am getting a few things that have been bugging me off my chest lately, and here’s another one. Yes, it is language again.
Yes – I am digging in my heels and screaming “NO!!!” – again.
This one is about the difference between chucking and chunking things.
I hear people say they are going to “chunk” something meaning they are throwing it out or getting rid of it.
I could not possibly explain it any more simply or any better than they did here at BeeDictionary. Here is what they say:

chunk vs chuck : Common Errors in English

In casual conversation, you may get by with saying “Chuck [throw] me that monkey wrench, will you?” But you will mark yourself as illiterate beyond mere casualness by saying instead “Chunk me that wrench.” This is a fairly common substitution in some dialects of American English.

chunk Meaning(s)

• (n) a compact mass
• (n) a substantial amount
• (v) put together indiscriminately
• (v) group or chunk together in a certain order or place side by side

chuck Meaning(s)

• (n) informal terms for a meal (like what you get from a chuck wagon)
• (n) the part of a forequarter from the neck to the ribs and including the shoulder blade (a chuck roast)
• (n) a holding device consisting of adjustable jaws that center a workpiece in a lathe or center a tool in a drill
• (v) throw carelessly
• (v) throw away
• (v) pat or squeeze fondly or playfully, especially under the chin
• (v) eject the contents of the stomach through the mouth (as in up-chuck)

Nothing but a rant today

Indulge me for a minute, please.
Change is inevitable. I even welcome most change and enjoy it. However when it comes to language I seem to dig in my heels and scream “NO!!!” – especially when the change makes no sense to me.
I hear people say “they could care less” about something meaning that they have no regard for what they are referring to. . This drives me crazy. I googled this phrase and found I am certainly not alone – there are online discussions galore regarding this phrase.
It doesn’t even make sense!
The original, and as far as I am concerned, the only correct phrase is “I COULDN'T care less” if indeed you are intending to mean that you don’t care about something. If you couldn’t possibly care less about something, it means you have zero – none – no care for it in the first place. Therefore, saying  “I COULDN’T care less” about something means you don’t have any care at all about it in the first place.
On the other hand, if you say “I could care less” that indicates that you do actually have a measure of care to start with. You are saying in fact, I care and I care a certain amount but I could care less. That leaves me to wonder or ask how much care do you have? How much less could you care?
Please people (especially you news anchors and commentators and influential media people–) THINK (!!!) about what you are saying! and what you are intending to say.
For me,  I COULD care less regarding the usage of the phrases “I couldn’t care less” and “I could care less”.
Saying you “could care less” while meaning that you don’t care about something is just confusing. (and for me personally – it makes a person sound ignorant!)
Nevertheless – my research shows that it seems to be becoming more acceptable as an idiom in our language – Please – don’t let it happen!
This is a completely unacceptable change!

Summary:

If you DO NOT care at all about something then say you COULDN’T CARE LESS.
If you DO care about something and say you COULD CARE LESS then you are leaving me to ask or wonder how much did you care to start with and how less do you care now. So if you choose to say you “could care less” about something, quantify how much and how little you care please, because I will be wondering…

Dystopia

I had forgotten this word, and  so I had completely forgotten the meaning of the word too –
I looked it up online and found these two definitions:

dys·to·pi·a   [dis-toh-pee-uh]

noun
1. a society characterized by human misery, as squalor, oppression, disease, and overcrowding.
2. An imagined place or state in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmentally degraded one.
Thank you to my brother Bill, who sent me this video. The artist’s name is

Seo Young Deok

Here is a little more information on him and his work
http://www.odditycentral.com/pics/seo-young-deoks-bicycle-chain-sculptures-are-off-the-chain.html
Take a minute, relax, enjoy the music and the sculpture.
Here is the link to the video if you can’t see it here

http://youtu.be/bMlXjCVX7Dk

Butternut Squash, Carrot & Parsnip Ragoût

The kitchen is not my natural habitat. 

As a little girl I never dreamed of being a mom and a homemaker. I remember playing shop keeper - but not restaurant or cook. Domesticity doesn't come real easy and natural for me. So when I read recipes with words like "ragout" - I don't know what the heck it is - or how to serve it. 

What I do know is what I get in my CSA bin - and this week I got some butternut squash, I had some carrots from last time, and I  got some parsnips. ( I LOVE me some parsnips!)

I started "googling" and found this recipe on my CSA site - JR Organics, nice and convenient! They have a bunch of recipes there.

My husband came home and I got to talking to him and just burned the ever-lovin' daylights out of the onion - so we ate it without the onions and I served it on brown rice. I am still not sure what ragout is or how you are supposed to serve it - but I know this was yummy! The picture doesn't do it justice.

 And I just gotta say - my Vidalia Chop Wizard makes stuff like this a breeze! I love that thing!

By the way - my red plates are chipped and broken to the point that I need to start looking for new dishes. I wonder if there is an ideal color or pattern that makes food look good - maybe even if it isn't? Just kidding - but I wonder if there is a preferred dish or plate color that complements the most food - white, you think? Ugh - boring - I don't know if I could do white - more googling I guess.

Here is the recipe - give it a try - it was pretty good.stuff.

Butternut Squash, Carrot & Parsnip Ragoût

Ingredients
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash, (about 1 pound)
Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 1/4 cups vegetable or chicken broth, divided
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups diced carrots
2 cups diced parsnips
1 teaspoon sugar
2 large leeks, trimmed (all but 2 inches of green removed), cleaned and chopped
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Heat oil in a shallow roasting pan on the stovetop over medium heat.
Add squash, season with salt and pepper and toss gently.
Add 1/2 cup broth and transfer the pan to the oven.
Bake until squash is just tender, about 15 minutes; do not overcook.
Meanwhile, heat butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.
Add carrots, parsnips, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste; cook until the vegetables are lightly browned, about 3 minutes.
Add 1/2 cup broth, cover the pan and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes.
Transfer to a dish and set aside.
Add leeks and the remaining 1/4 cup broth to the pan, season with salt and pepper, cover the pan and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes.
Add the reserved squash, carrots and parsnips and toss gently.
Taste and adjust seasonings, adding a grating of nutmeg.
Simmer for an additional 3 to 4 minutes to warm through before serving.


Have you visited me here? N S Davis Art Website Nathalie Davis web site

Watch this - it's cool

Check out this great MSN video: Mind-Blowing Painting Skills

This video is on MSN _Bing as well as You Tube here :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Ozc6t4KwEko

I never know what links and stuff will work for different people with different softeare and computers - so I try to give you several ways to see what I am trying to share with you - hopefully something will work and you can see this video - it's cool.



This kid - Thijme Termaat - a very talented young Dutch artist has made a very entertaining video here - I love watching and listening to it!
I'd like to know how you pronounce his name too.

His web site is https://www.thijmetermaat.com/

Enjoy!
And thanks Suzanne for sharing this with me!




Have you visited me here?
N S Davis Art Website
Nathalie Davis web site

Untitled Portrait

Took a little more serious turn with the iPad play. This is really basic, super simple photo manipulation, but it is fun to play with. I am thinking about painting this..

Something a little different

Happy Daisy – digital
This was fun – (they all are fun). These flowers might make a nice greeting card or a print.

Another Warhol-ish Portrait

Baby Sunshine – digital

I may play with this one a little more – I like it but it could use a little toning down I think. The yellow is blinding me.

And what do you think it should be - Warhol-ish or Warhol-ian silliness?

Warhol-ish Silliness

 Evaluate - digital 

Still playing with apps on my iPad - still having fun. This is really addicting!

Have you visited me here? N S Davis Art Website Nathalie Davis web site

IPad SIlly Fun Continues

Hat Lady – digital

Thought about naming this “Church Lady”  - and I still might change it to that. LOL
I love this one. Such silliness!

As I mentioned previously - I have been "working on lightening up"  a bit in my life (that phrase alone makes me snicker), and playing more. So for fun I enrolled in an online class developed by Jessica Wesolek at Cre8it.com

I took an online photography class with her a few years back and thought it was good so I gave this one a shot. NOT diasappointed and it has just started!

I have a bazillion (okay, maybe not a bazillion, but I have quite a few) art and photo apps for my iPad and iPhone already and occasionally mess around with them. Right off the bat Jessica introduces a new and free app that I don't have and hadn't heard of called PhotoPad. It has a lot of capability and is easy to use. (She also introduced us to a nifty $.99 list/to do type app called CLEAR - very, very simple, basic, and brand new.)

By the way - I don't wear hats, the hat was completely drawn and painted in using the PhotoPad app. You can tell if you look -  these were done quickly and playfully - but I am loving the potential of this app.

So these altered photos are really from stuff I am doing/learning in Jessica's class with just one app  - PhotoPad by Zagg. You can find it in the iTunes store - or look for it where ever you get your apps. Zagg makes the best shields for your iPhone and iPad - and you can actually upload your artwork to Zagg and make a skin for your device.

(I took these self portrait photos a long time ago with some other phone app - I don't even remember which one now - but (obviously)it had an option to distort in various ways so these old pics were hanging around - finally found something to do with them!)

They make me giggle a little...

iPad Fun

Skeptical Much?
Digital art done on my iPad. Just fooling around, having fun and getting to know a new app.

A New Addition to Blog

It’s something that I am so enthused about that I just have to share it. What’s that you ask? Food and recipes, that’s what. I am so happy with my new way of eating that I am going to start sharing good recipes when I find them.

Here is a little background. On Oct 1, 2011 I had a cholesterol test done and the results were not good. A lot not good, I was one step away from have to go on an Rx to lower it. On Oct 31 and Nov 1, 2011 my husband and I watched Forks Over Knives and Food Inc. on Netflix and the very next day we started converting to veganism and vegetarianism. Watch those videos!! Since that day I have been a very faithful  vegan and the hubby is probably 80% vegan.

Jan 2, 2012 I had another cholesterol test and I just got the results of that. It dropped 29 points!! I am now in the healthy range! No meds and a very happy cardiologist to boot. 29 points in just 8 weeks! just by changing my diet to vegan  - I completely fixed my dangerous cholesterol levels. It has been easy, tasty and delightful. Besides becoming Vegan, we have been experimenting with raw food also. I don’t think we will convert to a raw food diet, but we are including it.

Kale Salad

1 bunch kale, slivered

2 green onions, diagonal sliver

1/2 red bell pepper, fine dice

2 carrots, shredded

1 gold beet, shredded

1/4 cup hemp seed

DRESSING

1/4 cup olive oil

2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp Agave

3 garlic cloves

1 Tbsp hemp seed

1 pinch of sea salt

fresh basil and oregano to taste

Prep the veggies. Blend all dressing ingredients. Mix it all up and munch away!

 

There is a raw food restaurant in Encinitas, CA called Peace Pies. A tiny little place off the beaten path.

We first had this salad there. I bought their Recipe book and that is where this recipe comes from. Yum!

Enjoy! Let me know if you try it and if you like it.

Now for just a little art update. Here is the state of my home studio at the moment. A new little project under way – stay tuned…