Political Poppets

I was busy with my doll making a few weeks ago. I got distracted with starting a new job, painting my mezzanine and knitting so I have some unfinished business in the poppet department. I need to make running mates and wives.

I now make bendy dolls with sculpty type clay heads and also my usual cloth ones.

Get off Your Arse and Mow Your Lawn

I have become quite the knitter in the past few months. I followed a grid pattern and created a scarf, made shawl for my grand-daughter and have made about six or seven hats. I was sitting in the back yard knitting today and waved to my neighbor who I have never met. She was on her lawn mower. She yelled back and I could not understand her but after the sounds sunk in it sounded a little like, "Get off your arse and mow your lawn." What a world of conformity we live in! I have mowed my lawn pretty recently and it is not long. I have been slow to mow this year as I don't want to stress the lawn with the dry weather we have had. I have a beautiful bee garden that is quite glowy with goldenrod. Excuse me neighbor, who I have never met, I ENLOY KNITTING. If I feel like knitting I will and I find it difficult to understand you. I would not expect you to grow goldenrod in your lawn as I do so don't expect me to shave down my lawn as you do. We don't all march to the same drummer.

Watercolor Animals

I have been experimenting.  Years ago I dreamt of being a wildlife photographer..that will never happen but I may just become a wildlife painter.  I have been having fun with painting animals.

I painted saints yesterday today it is the innocent animals......

Rag Dolls by Amy

I love to make dolls.  This fall my granddaughter expressed an interest in a larger doll that i had made so I made her and her sister each a rag doll.  I embroidered their faces.  I also made their cousin one.

I was excited to find a cradle and highchair at an antique shop that were reasonably priced.  Mom and the other grandma lavished the girls with Barbies and Barbie paraphenalia so there will be stiff competition for attention from the little girls ages six and three.  One cannot cuddle a Barbie.

Hand Made Holy Cards

I really enjoy the meditative process of creating.  It is especially rewarding when I am creating something that expresses faith. 

These are just quick doodle sketches.   I enjoy doing them.  I live in faith world where angels and saints are real.  My faith has wavered at times.......but I am back to it.  I gave it up when I felt that negative things happened to me of which I was undeserving.  Mary called me back in a dream.  She appeared to me as I was awakening in the form of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.  This is a medal which works especially with people who are intractable.  She showed me her hand and then her hand was pouring water.  She called me back to my baptism.

June Brandlin's Art

My mother was an artist.  She had many forms of expression.  Mostly she did watercolors, but she also sculpted, did photography and acrylics.

Here are her some of her watercolor works of art that I have hanging in my home.

of Keuka Lake

of Keuka Lake

of the North Sea

of a Goat

In Bruges

I apologize for the reflections in the glass.

Printing Workshop

I attended a Craft Weekend workshop locally and had a great time.  I really enjoyed getting my creative juices flowing again.  We did wood block and linoleum prints.  Our supplies included paper and tools and the use of the ink and brayer.  We each received our own cutting tools.

I have a low confidence problem.  I am constantly finding fault with my work.  I want to work on that about myself.

We first began with a cut out of paper to experiment with black and white.  Next we were given a wood block and tools and a lecture about always remembering to cut away from your body and other hand to avoid injury.

We painted the wood block with green acrylic paint so that we could see the design that we were creating better.  It is difficult and you must carve out the light areas.  You have to train your mind to think in opposite and in reverse.

My first project was inspired by a Vermeer.

The girl on the beach was from a photo of my daughter which I cannot share. This was colored after it dried with watercolors.

Below is the linoleum carve out.

Its hard as I wish her toes were more anatomically correct and I am unhappy with the piece of beach above her legs.

 Our last project was a print of cloth made from a rubber stamp.  This design came from a collection of African aboriginal religious symbols.

I plan to do more art work, I even bought a brayer and some ink today.  I need to get paper and plastic trays and some linoleum or wood.