Child or Artist?

I had the pleasure of spending the whole afternoon with my niece Clarke.

We walked and talked...and even puttered a bit. She helped me move a few pieces of furniture and tackle a few tech projects...and I helped her dream and scheme about decorating her Chicago condo. It was a win win for both of us sort of day.

I haven't gotten out and about as much this week as I had hoped to....but I remembered that one of the things Phillipa offered up for the Conscious Creativity class this week was to create our own movement.

So after some chores and before Clarke arrived I spent some playing with marbles and paint.  I felt like both a child and an artist....and I had a blast. I wonder if this is how Jackson Pollock felt after doing a painting.

This is how I started...watercolor paper taped into a box.....a handful of marbles and a few drops of liquid watercolor paint.

Using my overhead tripod...I taped my little session.

I have the actual slow motion video of ...and the final painting that implies actual movement. Hopefully I'll be able to piece together a montage for a some of my Rhythm and Movement homework.  We'll see....tomorrow is already Friday and I'm getting together with Clarke, her boyfriend and Margie again before they head out of town.

This is what it looked like before I took the tape off....which is pretty cool on it's own!

Child...or artist? Both....I think.

Baubles and Orbs

I haven't done much puttering in my studio lately....I know more creative time will come after Christmas and I'm looking forward to that.  Right now...I'm choosing other things. But yesterday I was compelled to make a simple little tag to honor the season.

I cut these little baubles out of a catalog several weeks ago and they've been hanging around the studio ever since....pun intended.  I appreciate the non traditional colors....and they remind me of the bowl of ornaments at Margie's.

I knocked down the sheen on the image with matt medium and used metallic paper strips for the background. I glued on the baubles and added a little texture with a tiny bit of white paint. It's bright and happy.

Speaking of baubles....I thought I would re-share a project I did a year ago during a free class by Esté MacLeod called Creative Circle.  

I wrote about my process here:

https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2022/12/layered-bauble-wreath.html

I had a lot of fun making this wreath....and now that I look at it again....it reminds me of the colors in Margie's baubles too!

I do love baubles....but I think marbles are my favorite orb....and the subject of Christmas Moment #17.  

Every winter I put lights in my bowl of art marbles....and they come on every day from 4:00 to 10:00.

There are some beautiful handmade marbles here...one has a silver star in the center...and one is filled with liquid and has colorful bits and bobs floating inside.  

I'll enjoy this non traditional Christmas Moment glow all winter long.

Misplaced

I've been decorating for Christmas....first time in a long time with all my things in one place. Because of the timing of the move last year we put our tree up at the condo with just lights...but that's all.  I'm enjoying the process this year...taking my time finding new places for things.  

I'll be sharing some of my favorite decorations.....but first I have to take care of a little puzzle business.  You know how I love my puzzles!

I finished the marbles several days ago....and it was just as fun as it looks.  It prompted me to change the batteries in the lights in the marble bowl with some of my special art marbles....  

....tis the season for lighting.

There is one marble at the very top that has a liquid center and the little bits of color float around inside.  And the one just below it has a suspended silver star inside. I love my marbles just as much as my puzzles.

I didn't want to start a new puzzle in the middle of all mess of the Christmas boxes but I missed having one going. Then I remembered I had one that Margie started that she wasn't enjoying.  I brought it home on a board partly done and it's been sitting in the guest room patiently waiting.  It's only 300 pieces....one I picked up a thrift shop for a few dollars.  

It's way tougher than it looks....the pieces are all just two shapes and can easily be in the wrong spot.  Just one misplaced piece throws everything off. I had to rearrange several times.

The last piece didn't work in the spot that was left....but after a little searching I found the other one that was misplaced. It's obvious now...but for whatever reason it seemed right at the time. Isn't that true a lot in life?

All is well....and I have the perfect one to start tomorrow. 

Holding Her Own

"Sometimes you'll learn and grow on the road, and other times you'll learn by being still. Embrace the ebb.....but don't forget the flow. Those uforced moments of joy matter more than you know." Morgan Harper Nichols

Angie is holding her own. Bodies can be surprisingly strong, sometimes fragile, and often unpredictable....and we are all grateful for this time for Angie without pain. She continues to enjoy her visits and phone conversations and my sister Marilyn visits often. And I'm so happy that my sister Nancy and her husband Craig from Minneapolis are going back for the weekend. They love to cook and that's always a good thing.

I've been tackling house projects while in quarantine...they aren't very creative or interesting so I'm glad I have have a few more treasures to share.

Angie is the one who inspired me to start collecting marbles and I always loved the way she displayed them. She gave me one of her marble filled vintage bottles and I wondered what might have come in this old bottle that says "FEDERAL LAW FORBIDS SALE OR REUSE OF THIS BOTTLE."  After a quick google search I learned that it was required on liquor bottles starting in 1935.

And I've always loved this little green Singer sewing machine oil bottle and am looking forward to adding it to my collection in Maine.

And have you ever seen railroad rocks?  Marilyn and her kids used to find these round stones along the tracks that had been tumbled over time by the trains.  Angie had a little jar of them and I was able to bring a few home with me.  I love stories like this.

This is a photo of one of Angie's shelves...with lots of marbles.

Rainbows and Swirls

We found a rainbow of colors on our walk this morning.

Which leads right into my finished rainbow piece for the Swirls of Color class with Isobel Moore.  I'm known for starting lots of projects....and only finishing a few. I really wanted to start experimenting with some other swirl ideas today....but I thought it was more important to get closure on this one.  

I think I'm going to keep this piece....so wanted it small to tuck somewhere in my studio.  I chose to bind it onto a canvas like I did for a recent fabric stained glass piece....simple and clean.

http://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2020/07/fused-bound-binding.html

There are lots of strings that go off the edge....so the binding a little lumpy...but that's the nature of the project. I'm actually pretty happy with it....which is unusual for me to say. Isobel is such a great teacher....and I can't wait to keep working with strips of cloth and fibers.

I cut my piece the exact size of my 8" wooden paint panel (a reject from my painted papers class).  I prepared the binding with a 1/2 inch of fusible webbing along the edge and sewed it on the piece like I would a quilt with mitered corners. I glued the piece on the panel with thick gel medium and weighed it down until it was dry...then fused the binding around to the back.

Before I read the finishing lesson from the class...I was thinking about binding it with this soft stripe...that blended so well with all the colors. But based on Isobel's advise in the lesson....I chose the simple linen....and fused some of the stripe on the back for extra strength and as a little surprise.  It was the right call!!  Thank you Isobel!!!

This oversized marble that spins on a base looks as if it was my inspiration!

You can check out a little video of this marble in action on my Instagram page.  Just click through the first couple of photos to the video: https://www.instagram.com/p/CCmdbAMH0Pf/

Strawberries

When I got back to Lexington today I had envelopes from my both my art friends in North Carolina. 

Anna sent me these precious felt strawberries. The tiny little stitches on the berries and the floppy tops are just delightful! Thanks Anna! I love them!

I'll share Lynne's creation tomorrow and stretch out the fun. I love sharing other people's art....especially when I'm struggling with my own.

The strawberries will live in the corner of my kitchen. They're a sweet reminder of warmer days to come.  And...did you notice the skinny bottle of marbles?  Yes...I keep playing with marbles because you just can't go wrong with marbles.

Marble Mania

I love marbles. They just make me happy. I have quite a collection...including these handblown art marbles I display with little LED lights. One even has a liquid center with little bits of color that float around.

But I've always admired my sister Angie's marble collection.  She displays them in all kinds of interesting jars and containers including an old gum ball machine. Last time I was there I realized one of the reasons they were so striking was that hers were mostly opaque. Simple, colorful, opaque marbles displayed in interesting ways.

So for a while now I've been keeping my eyes open for opaque marbles....finding them one or two and a time at antique and consignment shops. I love having something to look for...and I'd be happy if I came home with 1/2 dozen. Some of them are in this jar in the studio...pretty even at night because they are opaque.

 

But recently I hit the jackpot at a consignment store just up the street from the condo. I found a HUGE jar of marbles....almost all opaque. They were already at the lowest price...and they accepted my even lower offer. I was in marble heaven.

Although I found only a few purples...every color of the rainbow was there. I filled this funky bottle which goes nicely with my "JOY" stripe stack and wooden fidget toy. My friend Jane made the Nantucket baskets and gave me the old bottle....so this is my "Sparks Joy" shelf.  (her last name is Sparks)

This little cookie jar came from Anita and now holds some of the new marbles....and this glass flower frog holds a little rainbow.                                                      

But the most exciting discovery was all these odd ones...many of them clay marbles....some of then teeny tiny.  This bunch alone was worth the $20 I paid for the whole jar full. 

As you can see I still have quite a few to play with. There was an abundance of black and white so I weeded some of them out and put them back into the very ugly jar they all came in....a rather scary looking owl. 

Yes...there's a bit of marble mania at the condo right now....but I'm lovin' it...and Angie would love it too!

Another 24...

...hours and the rain lily bud is in full bloom. And I'm excited to see a second bud coming tucked in on the left!  Woo Hoo! Don't you love those pointy yellow stamens?

I think Paul was a bit amused when I asked him if he thought anyone else out there washed their marbles today.  He didn't think so.

I've had a large jar of marbles sitting on a side table in the living room in Lexington for years and years....in the exact same spot. The jar was getting a little cloudy looking so I dumped it out and washed everything. I think it's heading to Maine to get re-appreciated on the dining room window ledge.  I'm shopping the house!

Favorite Things

Paul and I hosted a dinner party tonight....and that means I spent most of the day either cooking or tending to my house.  And when I clean and putter around the house I take notice of some of my favorite things.

I love this funky green bowl filled with my art marbles that sits on my coffee table. I know I've mentioned it before...but I enjoyed it again today...maybe you will too.  I have a tiny set of battery operated LED lights in the bottom...it puts off a nice glow in the evening.

I took this picture several years ago....it shows the marbles a little better.

It's a good thing to take notice of some of your favorite things!

Not Your Average Marble

When I posted about my bowl of art marbles...I knew I would share another special marble in my collection. But first I have to tell a little back story.

I love the  glasswork of Nocholas Kekic.  I have a couple of his "squarebles" that I display on my kitchen window sill. They look like ice cubes and are filled with beautiful patterns of colored class.

My friend Anita and I attended "Craft Boston" a few years ago.  It's a beautiful show in the city featuring all kinds of amazing arts and crafts...most of which I can't afford...but I am always inspired and it's fun to look.  As we were making the rounds I spotted Nicholas' beautiful glass and had to stop...then I spotted the marble.

As you can see from the picture...it's a big marble...the size of a baseball. Nicholas had also created a concave glass base that allowed the marble to be spun like a top. Sold! I love tops and I love marbles so it was a match made in heaven. (It may not surprise you that I have a small top collection...my sister Angie's is much more impressive.)

Part two...or is it three...of the story...sorry...we're almost there.  I decided to make a video tape of the marble spinning thinking I would post it.  Funny thing is I had been taking little videos on my camera for several years and had not downloaded one.  I knew they were there...but never took the time to figure out how to retrieve them...never had a reason to.

Listening to the voice of my son, Nate, that rattles around in my head..."just Google it." Long story short I succeeded getting the videos onto my computer...but it took over an hour because I had a few years worth to download.  I wasn't able to get the actual video on this page but did get it on youtube...so click the the link below the picture to watch. My husband said that no one would actually watch it to the end...it spins for 2 minutes 20 seconds.  Go ahead...prove him wrong.

 Not Your Average Marble!

http://youtu.be/Z-6ZLy0TR_8