Paint Party Friday

Sea Grape tree leaves

I just completed a class with Barbara Simmons at the Art Center of Manatee.

We worked on wet and dry negative painting.

In my case, I decided to do some leaves taken from a tree in the side yard of the center.

For the background we used antwerp blue and yellow ochre, wet into wet.

We used the same colors on the leaves, leaving the veins white.  We then finished it off with a mix of antwerp blue and burnt sienna.

And now, holiday wishes for all my friends out in blogland.  This has been an amazing year of 

discovery for me.  Not only have I had a ball trying new and different art mediums,

I have found a whole new circle of friends who share my interests.

It just doesn't get any better than that.

Thank you all for your friendship, inspiration and support.

Happy Holidays!
AND
Happy PPF

The Diva Dance, celebrating 100 Challenges

Laura Harms, The Diva is celebrating 100 challenges this week.  In honor of that we have a new tangle from Maria Thomas and Rick Roberts (the Zentangle gurus) called the Diva Dance.  Congratulations to you Laura for conceiving and raising this little seed of an idea.  Could you have dreamed that people from all parts of the world would be participating in(and benefitting from) your little seed of an idea?  Well done!  And thank you!  I have been with you since somewhere in the 30's.  I look forward to hearing from you on Monday mornings.

Loopy String

Okay, I confess, it is true.  I am totally hung up on butterflies

as the zillion caterpillars devour my passion vine.

So when I did my loopy loop string for the Challenge this week,

what did I see???  You got it!  Yet another butterfly.

The Challenge was provided by Margaret Bremmer so I used my variations

of her tangles, Shing and Moving day.  Thanks Margaret!

Keep your fingers crossed.  We WILL find out if caterpillars turn into butterflies.

Soon, I hope.  I won't have any vine left if this continues much longer.

Thank you Paint Party Friday Partiers!

A poinsettia bouquet for all of you that responded to my request for help

on my elephant project.  I  was so touched by all of the wonderful suggestions.

The shadows have been added and maybe this week I will give them a sky.

Itsy bitsy Keenee

One of my favorite things about the Holidays is the poinsettia plant.

Every year I buy them for the house and then move them to a pot outdoors

so I can enjoy them the following year in the side yard.

When our weekly challenge at the Diva site was to use "keenee"

the only thing I could think of was the center of my poinsettia plants.

Here it is!

And Cheers to Laura...we are creeping up on 100.

And here is this year's crop.

My wishes to everyone out there to have a peaceful, sane Holiday Season.

PPF Request

I am asking for advice from my PPF friends

The challenge here was to only use three colors.

So I have used antwerp blue, cadmium red and yellow.

I sort of have a "thing" for elephants and was happy with the results,

so far.

And the question is...Now what??????

Can you help me?  I would love to hear from you.

Thanks!

No strings.....

It's a long story how I arrived at this week's challenge.

My wonderful husband assembled this arbor for a few of my orchids.

I bought a passion plant vine to cover it to protect the orchids from the sun

and to attract butterflies.

That it did, but then caterpillars appeared all over the vine gobbling up the new leaves.

"That is completely normal" the garden store said.

"You will have lots of heliconian butterflies this spring

and your vine will rejuvenate itself, even stronger than before."

Hm-m-m-m-m-m-m-m

So I started with a butterfly.

Stay tuned and I will let you know if in fact I do have butterflies.

"Zinger"

This week our challenge was to use "zinger".

Being a Holiday weekend for those of us in the States,

there was a bit more to accomplish.

I am one of the very lucky retired ladies whose husband has

taken over the kitchen.

After some negotiation, it was agreed that I could prepare

our Thanksgiving dinner.

When you haven't cooked a full meal in at least six months

it requires getting reacquainted with all of the appliances.

Because carrot cake is one of my husband's favorites,

I decided that would be our dessert.

That meant dealing with the food processor.

My food processor is not user friendly!

It has five pieces that must fit together exactly in order to

grate one carrot.  The trusty old grater was looking pretty 

good by the time I got that "convenience" put together.

The meal was delicious and the carrot cake couldn't have been better.

I hope everyone had a peaceful, thankful day.

We did!

And between you and me, I wouldn't mind playing around in the kitchen

a bit more.  It can be a creative outlet also.

It's a Start

It's a start

I am not quite sure where I am going with this so we will call it a WIP.

I wanted to use only three colors (but cheated a bit under the ear, unfortunately)

and have the colors on the elephant more intense.  It didn't quite work as I had envisioned.

It is grey and damp in Florida today so maybe I will just sit down and try it again.

Happy PPF

Mickey (and Minnie) tangle

Such fun!

This week we got to view one of the original Mickey Mouse cartoons

at the Diva's site.  And we have a new tangle using the letter "M".

I wanted to do something original with the tangle but just couldn't come up

with anything.  And so we have a "portrait" of sorts of Mickey and Minnie.

Sunflower Escape

Our recent road trip in Colorado and New Mexico 

reminded me of the sunflowers that line the highway in the late summer.

We were too late this year and missed them

but they are alive and well in my mind!

Happy PPF

Socc

This week Erin provided us with her new tangle, Socc.

I must say it was very zen like to do this tangle (and that is a good thing).

Thanks to Laura for the challenge

A bit of my lanai this week

Pot. Carolina Splendor Krulls Ruby

Cattleya Chocolate Drop

Dendrobium King of Money

Cattleya Marge Putnam

Blc. George King Serendipity

You can see them.   I wish you could smell them.

Blc. Marge Putnam is blooming

My lanai is a riot of color right now.  While many of you are preparing for winter,

we in Florida are enjoying the very best time of year.  After a wet, wet 

summer, it is dry now and orchids are blooming.  They are so beautiful, I hesitate

to sketch them for some reason.  Marge Putnam now has about 30 blooms.  Here,

she is just getting started.

Happy PPF

Bunzo

We have just returned from a wonderful week in Colorado and New Mexico.

This weeks challenge, to use Bunzo was perfect to reflect a bit of the amazing

color used in Native American and Mexican art.

Celebrate Stripes

First, I am so sorry I missed last weeks challenge.  Life gets in the way sometimes.

But I am "striping" this week!

Tracy Bautista Revisit

After buying a couple of the Balzer stencils, I decided to revisit the Tracy Bautista videos

on the Strathmore Art site.

My colors were so vivid, I was stumped  for the next layer.  

Yesterday, I threw down some paint and went to work with the india ink.

Happy PPF

Definition of "scattered"

Fun with marbles

"To separate and go, or send in different directions"

That would be me.

When I started this blog and selected my name, I was enjoying Zentangle and sketching

with a bit of knitting thrown in and oh, yes, the bead stash and we can't ignore

the eighty some orchids on the lanai or the watercolor. Thus the name "Scattered".                                           Nothing changes, except that I have added digital photography to the mix

The good news is that it keeps me busy, and away from house work which I abhor.

Today I am posting a couple of samples from this weeks photography class.

I had a simple, trusty Canon that never failed me.  When it met it's demise

I replaced it with a much classier variety of Canon with a whole wheel of settings.

After failing miserably with the new (and pricier) camera, I signed myself up for a class

at the local art center.  These are a couple of samples of our third assignment.

I am excited.  I think that I will be charge of this camera (rather than it being in charge of me)

when the class completes.

Happy Paint Party Friday!

Diva Challenge #90

I know that I am not alone when it comes to drawing a string.

I sit at the table and think, and think, and overthink just what it is I would like to accomplish.

Sometimes, the string never gets drawn.  Life gets in the way and I move on to something else I have lying around, half done.  So Linda Farmer's selection on www.tanglepatterns.com  has been a

perfect place to go when I get stuck.

Our challenge this week was to use string #1.  Because I am brain dead today, I turned to my favorite

Zentangle reference, Yoga for the Brain by Sandy Bartholomew, and with a few ooops, I 

completed the challenge.  (For some reason, I see the Statue of Liberty in the center.  Too much election news, I guess.)

Painting with Liquid Acrylics

This was a new adventure for me using liquid acrylics and my water color

together.

It was more of an exercise to see what the colors would do.

The acrylics are so vivid they give a watercolor new life

and they mix beautifully.

Happy PPF

Sankegg, attempt #5 or 6

Sankegg

Sankegg is a CHALLENGE.
After two unsuccessful tries, I put it on graph paper.
I still couldn't get the first row to sync with the second row.
So remembering long ago when Laura had us "biggify" a tangle,
I biggified Sankegg.  It really didn't seem to make it any easier to understand
but I enjoyed the "owl like" design that emerged.

Zentangle's newest tangle, IX

I love it when Rick and Maria at Zentangle come up with new designs.  It is like having a new toy to play with.  Laura, our Diva has challenged us to use IX, the newest tangle in a tile.  I thought that the color would add interest, but on review, IX shows itself, with lots of interest, without color.  Live and learn.  I'll go with it.

New Red Moleskin

First attempt at sketching outdoors

From an old photo

I wasn't going to enter PPF this week.  I didn't think I had anything worth sharing.  However,  Lynne Cohen's story really motivated me to give it a go.

I got a new Moleskin sketchbook this past summer and two months later the pages were still white.  As I have said before, my orchids really cry out to me to paint, sketch or draw them but I resist.  They are so perfect!

I finally broke the barrier and made this sketch of my dendrobium display.

Not many days later I found an old photo of a cabin we built in Glen Elk Canyon in Colorado.
It was there we heard the report of Neil Armstrong on the moon from a 1940's style radio.  Anyway it holds alot of memories for me.
So, here they are and a happy PPF to all of you!

"Break Out" challenge

This week the challenge was to "break out" of our string with our tangles.

It sounded easy but took me a couple of attempts to approach what I wanted.

I had really hoped to have tripoli triangles flying around but it just didn't happen.

Watercolor/Letter Love exercise

My dendrobium orchids have been amazing this year.

I want to paint them but just can't seem to do them justice.

Most of my attempts end up in the trash and this one almost did,

but I have been enjoying Joanne Sharpe's Letter Love class,

so decided to make this a Letter Love exercise.

Happy Paint Party Friday!!

Copada-The Diva Challenge #85

Well I definitely slipped off into "zenland" while completing this Challenge tile.  If it wasn't for  beadz, it would be a monotangle, and pretty darned boring if you ask me.  I will definitely take a run at this later in the week when my subconscious has had a chance to chew on the design a bit.

Congratulations to Laura and B-Rad on their eighth wedding anniversary.  It is so wonderful to hear that with all of the challenges they face, their relationship remains sound and happy.

Harley "love"

Meet Harley

Some of you may remember that in an afternoon of insanity about a year ago,

we drove fifty miles to "look" at a puppy.

We have been his captives ever since, along with his collection of ten stuffed animals.

Each of his animals has a simple name and he knows them all

and can retrieve the appropriate toy when asked.

I have been enjoying Joanne Sharpe's Letter Love 101 class and decided to visually record

the lives of his toys.

Hope your enjoy!  Happy PPF

Challenge 84 A blind string

the 'string'

My hedgehog in a skirt

Hello blogging friends.  We are heaving a sigh of relief, Isaac has passed us by with relatively few affects.  Actually, tropical storm Debby impacted us more than Isaac did.  We were lucky again and look forward to the end of "hurricane season" in November.
Our challenge from the Diva this week was to shut our eyes (lose control) and draw our string.  I did it but then fudged a bit when I saw a paisley in my result.  One line had to go so I could do my paisley.
So...how did I come up with a hedgehog in a skirt?  I have NO idea, but I am sticking with it.
This was fun.  Thanks Laura!

Moleskins and fountains

It was Christmas in August for me this week.  I had ordered a red Moleskin sketch

book online.  It arrived...with my first ever TWSBI540 fountain pen.

What a treat!  Now I have to get myself geared up to journal.

I cannnot tell you how lovely this pen feels on the paper. For whatever

reason, it makes me think of butter...so smooth and delicious.

The pen arrived in an amazing box.  It made me think of tidy Tokyo, all organized

and efficient.

The actual plastic pen box is a beautiful shape and set up for easy display of the pen.

And, most important, the price was right.  I think fifty five dollars is reasonable

for such a lovely writing tool.

In this sketch, I have used Noodlers waterproof ink and watercolor.

Happy PPF to all!!!

Playing with Mooka and Assunta

This week the Diva challenged us to us Mooka and Assunta.  I am trying to loosen up and these were the perfect tangles for my personal challenge.  Thank you Laura!  This was fun.

Brayd challenge (with a little sprinkle of the Wisconsin State Fair)

My little knitter

This week's challenge was to use Brayd in a tile.

We enjoyed a long weekend in Wisconsin, meeting our newest grand daughter

and attending the Wisconsin State Fair (hot but great fun).

Our grand daughter is the third in the family so we had a lot of entertainment.

And I was able to share some art and knitting with my seven year old grand daughter.

She has started a lovely knit scarf and a journal (with her ticket from the fair).

Too much fun!

So I am rather slow to get my "brayd" started.  I have doodled this since college days

Grandpa taking loot to car

but can never figure out how to incorporate it into anything.  

You all will show me I am sure.