Tuesday, May 31, 2016

U is for Unfurl



Do-Something-Everyday, May 31, 2016

For this week's ABC-Wednesday-18-U, I am choosing the word UNFURL. Yesterday was Memorial Day. Flags were unfurled in many places. As it happens, I watched the peonies in my garden unfurling their petals too.  It was quiet lovely to behold. It inspired me to capture it with paint (above) and on camera (below).







Monday, May 30, 2016

Morning Cup


Do-Something-Everyday, May 30, 2016

Actual cup of tea and an imagined cup of tea. Both satisfy differently.







It rained last night and the top heavy peony flopped over. So, I cut it and brought it inside. 

Linked to Image-in-ing






Friday, May 27, 2016

Have A Great Weekend!

Th

Do-Something-Everyday, May 27, 2016

Memorial Day is the start of the summer season here in the U.S. even though officially summer is still three weeks away. With the daily temps hitting 94 degrees, it is beginning to feel like summer. The trees are throwing interesting shadows on the lawn and the birds are swinging about chirping and cooing. All in all, a happy summer day.




Have a great weekend!

Thursday, May 26, 2016

Natural Model for Artists


Do-Something-Everyday, May 26, 2016

I am beginning to realize that with warm weather approaching, the art I am doing now seem all inspired by nature. This morning I was wondering what do I paint today? Then I saw this glorious fern on my front yard and realized that nature is best model for an artist, one that never stops giving. As I started painting this single frond of leaves, I could not but admire the perfect symmetry of the leaves. Something I had not noticed before. One can capture on paper only a pale imitation of it, don't you think?




Thanks for visiting. Linked to Paint Party Friday. Thanks to Kristin and Eva for hosting.

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

How To Make a Cigar Box Planter: Step by Step Instructions







Do-Something-Everyday, May 25,  2016



This is the last of a series of posts called Succulent Love. These are posts showcasing my succulents collection  in interesting planters along with small paintings of succulents that I did. You can find previous posts here, here, and here. The one below is planted in a cigar box with a painting of the plant on the inside lid. 

Cigar boxes are one of my favorite planters for succulents. I use them in their natural state which gives a rustic look to the arrangement. Creating a planter out of a cigar box is not at all complicated. The materials needed are easily available and the time it takes to do is no more than 30 minutes. Here is how to do it:

A. What you need:

1. An empty cigar box ( you can buy one for five dollars or less from a cigar shop)
2. A fairly large size succulent (appropriate to the size of the box)
3. Small pebbles for layering
4. Potting soil
5. Plastic liner ( I used a grocery bag)
6. Moss (Spanish or sphagnum)




B. Instructions:

1. Line the box with a a small plastic grocery bag and add an inch of pebble rocks over the liner. The liner will protect the box from the moisture from the soil. The rocks provide drainage.


 2. Add a layer of potting soil and plant the succulent in the soil. Make sure there is enough soil to cover the roots around the plant and on top. 


 3. Trim the plastic liner around the edges and add a layer of moss on top ( I used Spanish).



4. This step is optional. I added feet to the box so that it will not sit flat on the ground. I used small wood round disks (available in the wood craft section of any craft store) and attached one to each bottom corner using wood glue. Because I can, I painted  a succulent on the inside lid.






Thanks for visiting.

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Gone Fishin'


Do-Something-Everyday, May 24, 2016

Cut- Paper-Art

I did this cut paper art on a black paper from an original sketch I did a few weeks ago. I layered it first on a printed paper to color the lily pads green. Then I layered it on a blue paper for both water and the sky. Then I cut out the text and layered it on white paper.  Below are some detailed shots.







I planted these irises almost twenty years ago. They still come up every year!



Thanks for visiting.

Linked to image-in-ing
Linked to moomania water challenge.



Monday, May 23, 2016

Small Things of Happiness


Do-Something-Everyday, May 23, 2016

Sometimes what makes us happy is no further than the front yard. What made me happy today is seeing the bearded iris standing tall and showing its happy face as I go by. Seeing the river disappear around the bend. A pair of ducks basking in the warmth of afternoon sun.

T is for Trail (Passaic River Trail)





Friday, May 20, 2016

Dots and Splatters


Do-Something-Everyday, May 20, 2016

S is for Splatter


This painted pyrographic art was featured in the article I wrote for Cloth Paper Scissors May/June 2016 issue. Dots and splatters are my favorite things to add in any art I do. Here are various pieces art I have done using splatter.



Linking it to Try it on Tuesday. 
Linking to Moo-Mania 
Linking to ABC Wednesday 

 The photo below is linked to Our Beautiful World 'By The Sea' theme.


Thanks for visiting.

Thursday, May 19, 2016

Cut Paper Art: Red Whiskered Bulbul



Do-Something-Everyday, May 19, 2016

Today I did a papercut out of a photo I took of a bird on a palm tree while travelling in Wayanad, Kerala. The bird is red whiskered bulbul, a bird common to Kerala. It  is not a particularly spectacular looking bird, but it cast a sweet silhouette against the morning mist shrouding the tree (see below).


What I made for Mother's Day

Instead of going out for lunch, I made kind of a gourmet lunch. First one is tomato-cumber yogurt salad; second is spicy (Indian) kidney beans; third is fried Indian bread. It was a very satisfying lunch.



















Thanks for visiting.



Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Published in Cloth Paper Scissors


Do-Something-Everyday, May 17, 2016

It was a happy day when I received the digital copy of the May/June 2016 issue of Cloth Paper Scissors which has an article on creating art with  woodburning tools written by me. The same day I saw the article I also got my check for the article. The folks at CPS have done a wonderful job in the layout of photos and the text. I am particularly grateful to Barbara Delaney for asking the right questions that made me more precise and clear in the step-out instructions and to Jeanne Stein for mentioning my article on the editorial page.


You will find many more of my pyrographic art and wood coloring pages available in my Etsy shop here. 











Thanks for visiting.

Monday, May 16, 2016

Cut Paper Art: Shadow Play



Do-Something-Everyday, May 16, 2016

This is a henna hand design that I use often in my art.  I had originally drawn and painted it on a book page. Last night, I made a cut paper design out of one of them. Then I mounted it on a glass to get the shadow effect. This was bit of an experiment;  some parts of it turned out better than others.  I would like to improve the lighting part of it.

Thanks for visiting.