ABC Wednesday - T is for talented artists

This week at ABC Wednesday, T takes centre stage!

The artist this week is:

Tom Thomson

Thomson is my favourite artist. Though not an official member of the Group of Seven he is always associated with it. His paintings are full of the rugged north.

 

His death is still a mystery - did he drown or was he murdered?

For more information on this fascinating artist check out the following:

Here is a chronology of his life.

Here is a quick summary of his life through Wikipedia.

Information about a new book about the mystery of his death.

Be sure to visit the other participants here.

A Month of Photos

As November ends, it is time to look back on this month of photos taken as part of 365 Days of Photos. Madeline Bea began this challenge several months ago and I joined in. Sometimes it is a challenge just to find a subject for the day, let alone the time. But most days the sky or shadows or nature provides a focus.

Here are a few of my favourites over the past month (some have already been posted before):

Taken just tonight:

Other favourite skies:

Christmas Cactus macro:

Signs of Fall:

Shadow Shot Sunday

Shadows were not too evident this week - lots of cloudy and overcast days. Now we have snow today! A sprinkling so far but the ground is white.

So I am turning to some shadows I have not included in the past year.

The stone wall by the Grand River in downtown Cambridge.

Shots from the Simcoe Fair:



Another photo from the "Knit the Bridge" project, again in downtown Cambridge

Be sure to check out this wonderful meme of Tracy's, at Hey Harriet!. Shadows make such interesting subjects!

Sky Watch Friday

Time to look to the skies - in all their different displays, from sunrises to sunsets, from greys to blues, with and without cloud.

I am turning to clouds/skies I captured over a year ago.

Be sure to visit the other participants here.

ABC Wednesday - S is for Some Artists

ABC Wednesday is a fun meme that has you focusing on a letter a week. This week it S we are looking at.

I was surprised that there were not more S artists that I knew. Soooo - here are 3:

Georges Seurat: (1859-91) a French post-Impressionist painter

Alfred Sisley : (1839-99) a painter born in Paris, of British parents, and was an Impressionist landscape painter

John Singer Sargent: (1856-1925) an American, who painted hundreds of portraits, mainly Paris

 

Be sure to visit all the participants here.

Full Moon Dreamboard /Weekly Wrap-up/ GPPChallenge

 

"Stirring up memories" was a bit of a surprise as well - memories of the accident and but also of my father. The anniversary of his death is tomorrow. But memories can be healing and the need to balance past with present is present here as well.

 

Weekly Wrap-up

This week I have been struggling with illness and finally got medication. Hopefully, I am now on the mend. Even tho I was home 2 days, I did not get much done creatively. Looking at and appreciating other's artwork was an enjoyable past-time. Lots of inspiration out there!

I created one set of collage cards for an ATC swap and that was easy and fun.

I also did 2 collages in my AEDM journal.

One was just playing with papers

and the other was of smiling children. Thought this look at children around the world would be uplifting.

I am continuing work on a large zentangle. It is coming slowly tho!

I continue to take part in the Photo a Day. These are a few of my favourites this past week.

GPP Challenge "What's your Hang -Up"

The only artwork I have framed so far is this pair of flowers I did in oils, in the style of Georgia O'Keeffe and Helen Lukas.

The challenge now is to frame more of my work!

Be sure to check out the other participants here.

Shadow Shot Sunday

"You must have shadow and light source both" by Rumi

As a seeker of shadows this is so true. Strong light gives such distinct shadows, but even those light shadows have a beauty.

Very distinct shadows:

and very soft shadows:

Be sure to visit Hey Harriet! where Tracy hosts this fun meme!

Weekend Reflections

Reflections can be found in so many places - mirrors, water, windows. This week I am looking back in my photo collection. I have been fighting illness all week. Have had a day and a half off work and finally get meds today to fight throat and lung infections. It always seems to happen at report card time!

Here's looking back in time -at the mirror man - at the Blues Festival in K-W.

and later in a park, reflection of a small lighthouse:

More recently:

When I was chasing a sunset a couple of weeks ago, I took some shots through my side mirror.

While getting some shots of Canada geese, I caught a reflection in a puddle.

A window reflection:

Be sure to visit the great participants here.

Sky Watch Friday

Louis Armstrong sang about "blue skies", but I much prefer the volatility of clouds and sunsets and sunrises. The colour adds such drama!

A couple of weeks ago we chased a sunset and here are a few shots:

Be sure to visit the participants of Sky Watch Friday.

ABC Wednesday - R is for really awesome 'rtists

Once again it is time to focus on letter of the week for ABC Wednesday. This week our letter is R.

Continuing with the artist theme, I was actually really surprised at the number of "R"artists. Here are a few:

Rembrandt: - the 17th Dutch artist

Renoir: -the French painter

Sir Joshua Reynolds: - the 18th century English portrait painter

Rodin: -the sculptor, most famous for his "Thinker"

Rubens: -17th century Flemish painter of the Baroque era

Rousseau: -a Post-Impressionist painter, well known for his primitive style



and of course:

Norman Rockwell: -the popular 20th century American painter and illustrator, most famous for his covers for "The Saturday Evening Post"

Be sure to visit the great participants here.

Sunday Weekly Wrap-up

The pressure of report cards is over! I finally finished progress reports (we have a new reporting system in Ontario this year - progress report in Nov. and then 2 report cards in Jan. and June.)! The worse part was that as a new system I had a new programme to learn. Now they just have to be proofed by the VP, signed, photocopied and then sent home. Then the fun begins!!

In between working on these, marking and planning, as well as having a life (!), I have been trying to create daily. One project has been a large zentangle which I try to add to each day or so. I'll share once it is done. Another has been my daily photos - which usually end up being skies!

I have also been creating papers - to use for ATCs.

I have also had a number of ATC swaps which I have finished this week.

Here is a bit of what I have done the past week:

Photos

Here are some of my favourites:

Painted papers:

I discovered that using saran wrap over wet paint will result in a lovely texture once dry. Visit "That Artist Woman" for a great tutorial on this and then visit for lots more, especially if you teach art to children!)

Using bubblewrap for texture

ATCs

A zentangle for a personal swap.

Christmas swap

Flowers

Snowmen

Have a wonderful. creative week! Visit Creative Everyday for AEDM!