Creating Textures

For artists there are infinite number of tools and mediums available to create textures and to achieve the effect they want.  Here is a bird creating textures using the only tool in its possession on the only substrate available to him.

Thanks for visiting. Linked to Our Beautiful World.

Zen Art: Paper Cut Maps

Do-Something-Everyday, June 10, 2016

I am reposting this post from a while ago.

I spent this weekend working on my paper cutting skills. One does not normally associate cutting and knife with meditation. Yet, as one spends hours and hours cutting away thin slice after thin slice of paper, one enters the same state of mindfulness and stillness that a deep meditation produces. The effect of creating the lacy concoction above was just about the same as that of thirty minutes of meditation--freeing and relaxing.

For this project, I got a nice vintage map of Rome from the Graphics Fairy. The map was in color and came with a legend. I wanted to keep both, so I did the cut on the right side. If you look carefully, you will see the Coliseum on the bottom right and St. Peter's Basilica on the top left. I used an Exacto knife with a small blade to make the tiny cuts. To add a personal touch, I added the little message at the top.

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Cut Paper Art: Cilantro

Do-Something-Everyday, June 9, 2016

 I picked up a bunch of fresh green coriander (also known as cilantro) while shopping for groceries. Coriander is heavily used in Indian cooking in pestos, sauces, dips and, as a garnish. Their fresh smell inspired me to make this paper cut.

The evergreen magnolias (magnolia grandiflora) have started blooming. This one was really huge. Each petal was about 4" wide. The petals are creamy white but in some light they look pale white. They don't make good cut flowers. Better to enjoy them them on the tree. The petals are so gorgeous that I am thinking of making a paper version of them. I think they will come out well with crepe paper. Will see.

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

V is For Vegetables

Raw Bananas

Do-Something-Everyday, June 8, 2016

It is letter V for this week on ABC Wednesday. I am choosing 'vegetables' as the word for letter V.
The photos below are of street vendors selling produce during the Pongal season in Tamilnadu. Pongal is a harvest festival celebrated during the second week of January. The feast for the festival is built around vegetables, fruits, legumes, beans and rice.

Turmeric Roots

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Ways to Disappear by Idra Novey

Do-Something-Everyday, June 7, 2016

This is the sketch I did for what was going to be a review of Idra Novey's Ways to Disappear. At this point, I am not inclined to write a review. The sketch is of the main character, Beatriz Yagoda, a Brazilian novelist. When the story begins she is more than sixty years old, morose and physically going to seed. She was a beauty once with light pale skin, green eyes, long slender, foreign-looking nose and red hair. Even after she had lost her figure and most of her looks, "when she moved...it was like watching an aging leopard slink through a forest. They'd all been mesmerized, trying to imagine how effortlessly she must have hunted once". She is also a smoker, of cigars. So, in the sketch I have tried to show all these elements while taking some artistic liberties (her hair, for example).

Linked to Show Your Face.

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Summer Garden: Magnolia Grandiflora

Do-Something-Everyday, June 6, 2016

These are evergreen magnolias called Magnolia Grandiflora. The tree grows straight and tall and currently it is standing at about 8 feet. The blossoms are creamy white and large. They bloom in the month of June.

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Reflections in Multiples

Giant Lily Pads at Longwood Gardens

Do-Something-Everyday, June 5, 2016

The Theme this week at Our Beautiful World is Reflection. A lovely theme that lends itself to many creative expressions. Here are a few of mine. Also, linked to image-in-ing.

Karapuzha Lake, Wayanad, Kerala, India

Ghost Ranch, Abiquiu, New Mexico

New York Botanical Gardens

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Flamingo Garden, Fort Lauderdale

St. Peter's Basilica, Rome

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