Today was my last drawing class. Our assignment today was to bring our own still life to draw. We also got to choose which medium to use. I stuck with the pencils. I decided to bring one of my baskets, yarn and a knitting project. This is still a work in progress, but I am pleased to see how much I have learned since my Art for the Curious class last fall.
I plan to take another art class this summer. This time I want to learn to work with pastels. I am a person who loves color! I am so grateful for this opportunity to explore new paths to creativity.
Today was our seventh drawing class, with only two more classes to go. Each class involves a new skill. We are still working on value, the lightness and darkness of an object, but this time we are using charcoal. We started out experimenting with the different thickness and hardness of the pieces of charcoal, just to explore what it would do. Then we worked on our project. It's a bit messy to use, but lots of fun.
Next time we will be using charcoal again, but that time we will be using thick pieces, which I have been warned will be really messy. Wearing black seems like a very good idea.
I am so grateful for this opportunity to learn and try new things. I am also very grateful for the patience of my instructor, Alyssa Tauber.
This is the weekend of the Des Moines Arts Festival. Michael and I went down and walked around on Friday. I loved the wind sculptures that were on display.
Mrs. Rasmussen hung a new quilt outside her door. This one is made with a picture from the book, Tar Beach, by Faith Ringgold. What a great way to inspire kids to be more creative!
Thursday night was the first DMEA Rep Assembly meeting, and since I hadn't held a meeting for building members, I had to go. So it was another trip back to Plymouth Congregational Church. This sculpture hangs in one of the halls. It looks like wood, but I'm not really sure if it is. I do like the monotone color with the detailed carving of the grapes and leaves.
Jasmine Garden Thai restaurant is one place I enjoy. It's located in Altoona and my sister introduced me to it. The food is delicious and the presentation is fabulous. Each plate is a work of art. Check out the carrot rose and shredded cabbage.
The Pappajohn Sculpture Garden has lots of signs telling you not to touch the art, except this one. People are welcome to sit at the Cafe Table. I don't think you will be rearranging these chairs though.
Yesterday I went downtown and spent some time walking around the Pappajohn Sculpture Park. This sculpture is the newest sculpture to be added, and I haven't been down to see it. I'm not sure what I was thinking about, because it was really hot.
This is another photo from my flower garden. The steel lilly is from a steal artist. He is always at Artfest Midwest, which is held at the State Fair Grounds. I like to buy his pieces, and I have several.
I had dinner with my friend, Chris Arvizu, on Thursday evening. I have known Chris since I started teaching at Phillips 21 years ago. She was a first grade teacher then, and we taught together for several years. She has since retired and moved on to other things. She has always had a wide variety of interests. She is now a massage therapist. She also, and has always been, an artist. She is a wood carver, and she has created some marvelous things. This little wooden face is just one of great things she has created for her massage room.
This is another banner painted by my cousin, Nancy. I really love the work she does. She created this work on linens that she found in my aunt and uncle's house, which gives the pieces even more history.
Today's photo is a picture of my Christmas gift from my sister. This piece of art is from Jacci and by Jacci. She is an art history major, and two years ago she took a graphic design class. Each and every week of the class, she created a paneled design, using a sharpie marker. When I saw her work, I told her that I would like to have one of them when her class was complete. She had a print of my favorite one framed for me for Christmas. I love it!
I have met the challenge! I have actually posted a photo for every day in 2010. It is an idea that I got from other people in my PLN (Personal Learning Network) on Twitter. When I saw what some others had done in previous years, I decided to give it a try. Even at the outset, I didn't believe that I would follow through for an entire year.
I decided that my goal would be to use the photos and the blog posts to be a journal of my year. It has actually turned out to be much more than that. It has changed my life. I feel that I definitely have improved as a photographer, but it also served as an outlet for my writing. Instead of living a passive life, I found myself getting up and doing things, because I needed a photo for the day. More than that, I have taken the time to notice and appreciate things around me. And, of course, it has been a wonderful record of the year 2010. Check out the Animoto below to see some of my favorite photos for the year.
This project has been such an important part of my life. I will definitely continue with the photo challenge for 2011. This next year, however, I will post on a weekly rather than daily schedule. I am hoping that I will then have more time to devote to writing some of my other blogs. So that is my last post for 2010. Happy New Year! Now it's time to begin thinking about my first photo for 2011.
Today, Jacci, Mom, and I took a trip to Perry, Iowa, where Art On the Prairie was going on. It was being held at three locations in downtown Perry, but we only went to the Hotel Patee. The hotel, which was built in 1913 and restored in 1997, is a work of art itself.
I was far more interested in the murals on the walls, than the work displayed by local artists. I love the Craftsman period of architecture and furnishings, and this sitting area in the lobby was very inviting. It would have been nice to have a big fire in the fireplace, because it was freezing. You can learn more about the Hotel Patee, by visiting their website.
Last night was one of those nights where I got to sleep too late, and then woke up around 3:30. Immediately, my brain generated a "to do" list for the day to come. Though I desperately wanted to go back to sleep, it was hopeless. My brain had already started the day, and there was no shutting it down. I did pretty well while the kids were at school, but today was a 1:30 dismissal. Sitting in a meeting was a struggle, when I was so tired.
The photo today is another picture that I took at the Sunday Bazaar in the East Village. This artist works in glass. I like the mosaic fish against the colorful tablecloth.
This display with the printer's type cases was in the East Village yesterday. I've always been interested in these type cases with their tiny compartments. I have seen them used as wall art with tiny items nestled in the cubicles. I like the way we turn some of the most functional things from the past into today's art pieces.
One of the great things you see at Taliesin is the art work. Frank Lloyd Wright went to Japan in 1905 with the Ward Willits family and he designed a home for the Ward Willits family in Oak Park, Illinois. Do you notice the name? It is even spelled the same as ours, but unfortunately as far as we know he was not a relative. After this trip he began collecting Japanese art, and you can definately see the Japanese influence in his architecture.
There are many Japanese block prints, screens and sculptures throughout the house, as well as other art work. Here are some that caught my eye.
There is a lot going on in Des Moines this weekend. The USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships are being held at Drake University, and our hometown girl, Lolo Jones, won the 100 meter hurdles.
While the Des Moines Arts Festival, which is held downtown, has artists from across the country, there is also another art show going on this weekend. Art Fest Midwest is primarily made up of artists from the Midwest. This art show bills itself as "The Other Art Show" and it is held at the Varied Industries Building at the State Fair Grounds. I always go to this art show, because I want to support Iowa and other Midwest artists, who I felt were pushed out of the Des Moines Arts Festival, in order to transform it into a nationally acclaimed art show. I like to see what local people are doing. Other drawing points for me are that there are works at this art show that are actually within my price range. I like to buy small pieces of garden art. Best of all, this art show is held in the Varied Industries Building, which is air conditioned.
