Habitat for Humanity Artists' Doors

This week we had a wonderful evening at Habitat for Humanity's kickoff for their 'Doors to the Future' project.

It was a very special evening honoring many of those who had worked for this project, including the artists.

This picture shows us, the artists, in front of only three of the doors.  Some of the doors aren't quite done yet, and they're still kind of scattered abroad. There are twelve doors in all.

Habitat plans to tour the doors around the county in public places for two months.  Their final resting place will be at the Marriott Waterway, where there will be a big gala.  At that gala, they'll be auctioning off our doors to help raise money for the cause.

So far, it's been a fun and rewarding cause with which to be involved.

Villa Sport Art Sale

 These are pictures from a recent art sale we had.  Me, friends and fellow artists.

On Recognizing Beauty (an artist's perspective)

I wrote a poem  a few weeks ago.  This one is for those of you who see just a little more than your friends.  Okay, a lot more.


Alone, Recognizing Beauty

I saw beauty today.
It gave me pause.
Catching my breath
     for a moment
     I was transported
to a place of
    meandering streams, a cold rising sun,
    golden steam rising, lifting,
    to touch and mingle with...

What?
Why didn't you look?
Eyes straight ahead expression closed neck stiff and unbending
Your world already
    laid out and planned.
No room for beauty.

Why?
Why is it that I can 
    reach out and touch
    breathe deeply the fragrance
    stretch -
    see the colors
    feel the wet
    taste the world
experience beauty, and dance on the dewy grass

When others build walls
Close themselves off
Surrounded in their comfortable pre-determined safety,
    and maintain their steady plodding course?

Cindy Johnson, December, 2012
 

Dr. Who's Van Gogh

Well, since I painted the TARDIS, I've had a lot of conversations with Dr. Who fans (and belatedly decided that I probably should actually WATCH one!)

My husband, Gary told me that I should watch the one in which they met Vincent Van Gogh, so I asked them to pull it up for me.  Okay, I admit it - I enjoyed it!

At the very end of the show, Dr. Who, his friend and Van Gogh were laying in a field, heads together and holding hands, looking up at the sky.  Van Gogh was describing what he saw in that night sky - the glorious colors, the movement, the song - and it brought tears to my eyes.

Afterwards, I told Gary that this is how I see things.  Often, when with family or friends, I'll see something and begin describing the beauty I see.  The colors, the shapes, planes, angles, the light... Most times, those around me will go 'um hmmm..' and give that particular beauty a glancing look.

All this to say - if any of you lives with an artist, watch that Dr. Who, and it'll take you one step closer to understanding her.

Here's the link:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1591786/

Ginger in a Watkins Bottle

This painting turned out to be a lot of fun to produce.

On a background of orange, pink and yellow, I drew in my most recent bouquet - a couple almost insignificant ginger flowers in an old Watkins bottle.  I think the simplicity of the subject lends itself to the charm.

Because it was so simple, I decided to draw it really loosely, not paying too much attention to correct proportions.  For me, at least, it makes for a painting that's just plain fun.

Working a lot with my fingers - actually, now that I think of it, I worked ONLY with my fingers, I laid in the turquoise, green and blues.  Quite a bit of blue was worked over the pinks to make the foliage  more interesting.  The juxtaposition of the cool and warm colors playing against each other just makes me happy, and I was sure to sometimes miss the ginger flowers when I added the yellow.  My theory is that it makes for much more interesting work that keeps people both guessing and looking.

And, as a salute to Renoir and his imaginative painting-naming, I think I'll call this painting - 'Ginger in a Watkins Bottle.'  :)

Hawaiian Masks

I recently finished my Hawaiian Masks for my son.  We enjoyed Hawaii this summer and our oldest particularly liked the wooden, carved masks.  I thought... "I could paint those..."

So... I did!  This painting is for Chase.

I began with an entire background of warm colors - reds, oranges and yellows, runny and fluid.

After drying, I went in with the cool colors - greens, blues, and turquoises.  Much of the painting I worked with my fingers, because I wanted to give a part of myself to my son.  I really like how the warm colors glow through the cool colors in the background. If you enlarge this, you can look closely and find my fingerprints.  I guess that means if I'm kidnapped or perform some crime, the fingerprint painting will lead them on back to me, huh?

Once finished with the cool colors, I went back in with some bright reds and heightened the warm colors to make a really bold statement.  All in all, I like it!  I'm glad I don't have to sell this one.

The Tardis finished (mostly!)

Okay - finally finished!  Took it outside to give it a coat of varnish, and to paint the back side.  The back would only accept one coat of paint, so I'll have to go back.  Even when it's finished it's not finished!

We had a photo shoot of four of us for the paper from the Art League with our doors.  Goodness, I haven't had so many pictures taken of me since our wedding, and probably not that many then! 

They wanted pictures of me painting my door.  Mixing paint.  Holding my brush.  Standing by the door.  Smiling.  Thinking.  Serious.  Holding my brush as if to paint, but not painting.  My door without me...

Each of the artists underwent the same thing - then they wanted us together.  With our doors.  With brushes.  Without.  Smiling... goofing off... 'painting' each other.

The doors will be displayed all over Montgomery County in quite a number of places, a few here and there.  The kickoff for the entire event will be at the end of January.  Then at the Gala, all our doors will be auctioned off.  I'm looking forward to it.