Holiday Greetings

This image is the small watercolor greeting that was sent out to an artist in my class.  Each holiday season we put our names in a hat and draw one....making a handmade card for that person becomes, not only a painting challenge (in that we have to paint on a much smaller scale), but an opportunity to come up with a concept that  allays the joys of the season.  My inspiration comes from photos shot earlier this fall of the towering and majestic homes that grace Victorian Village in Columbus, Ohio.  "Majesty" was my motive.  While I doubt that many of the artists in the class live in homes of such immense grandeur, I feel that we tap into this same feeling of majesty that illuminates the simpler things that occur in our daily lives...a dove on a snow-covered limb, a smiling glance from a loved one across a holiday table, sharing a few laughs from a simple board game, and the sheer beauty of a simple string of colored lights.

I hope that your holiday season was majestic in some way.  I also hope that we can discover the majestic in like simple subjects throughout the coming year.

This small 5 x 7 card (Strathmore cards designed for watercolor) was taped around the edges while I painted.  I then removed the tape and painted the peak decorations to break the boundary for more interest. 

Holiday Greeting 2016 (PRESENTS::PRESENCE)

In each of my two painting classes we draw names...at least those artists who have the extra time and inclination at this busiest time of the year.  The idea is to send a handmade watercolor greeting to the person whose name you select.  I made two identical cards, worked simultaneously, side by side, on my support board to send to the two names I had drawn.  Gift boxes are a tough subject, as they readily demonstrate your knowledge and skill with two point perspective.  Each artist brought a pre-wrapped box.  We assembled them into a grand pile and used our view-finders to crop and create pleasing compositions.  Over the years I have received some incredibly beautiful cards and this year was no exception. 

While gift boxes are certainly a viable subject, they imply a bit of the shallow commercialism that seizes us this beautiful time of year.  And yet, they are so beautiful, so colorful, so magical, so playful.  While working on them, I considered the notion of presents::presence.  While each of us probably gave a few presents, and even received a few, the notion of PRESENCE is the quality that I aim for.  I have noticed that most of the people I know and love are supremely capable of PRESENCE in the doing of what moves them.  I guess we call it passion.  And to be present in the moment, whether visiting with friends and family, or while pursuing our passions, is the gift I wish for all.....and for myself.

presents::presence

Cardinal   watercolor holiday card   5 x 7

Wow...oh the stuff!  stuff!  stuff!  stuff!  On a recent trip to Trader Joe's for holiday goodies, I stopped in to the adjacent shops....Sur La Table, Anthropologie, and Barnes and Noble.  As most of my holiday shopping is completed online, this trip to the marketplace was a snap realization of just how materialistic our culture has become.  And, oh, the prices!  While I still enjoy giving a gift or two, especially to the little ones, the greatest gift of all, to me, is "presence", the beauty of being with loved ones and in the presence of nature in all of its winter glory. 

One of our favorite cards we have recently received quotes Calvin Coolidge:

To cherish peace and good will is to have the real spirit of Christmas.

In our watercolor class, we traditionally draw names....the recipient is then sent an original watercolor card.  This is my offering to Deb Z.

Happy holidays to one and all....may each of you experience peace and presence!

Silver Lining

Folk Art Star   linoleum print 6 x 6

I think that artists are quite good at delayed judgment, realizing that the notion of pure good/pure bad is a false one, and that all creative endeavors lie somewhere in that indefinable "gray area". Sometimes we are unable to confirm an opinion for quite a while. Sometimes there is a silver lining where we find that we actually love that we had originally shunned. Two years ago, I offered a summertime class where we utilized reduction printing to create holiday cards. The papers, inks and ideas abounded in diversity. I was the only one to use an oil-based ink as well as the heavy paper Lenox. I wanted to cut out my prints and use them as ornament-type greetings. After all of the labor, I was distressed about the heaviness of my prints.......the ink seemed to have too much texture and the design that I had made seemed too complex. They were stored away for 2 years. I recently opened the box and found that my opinion had changed to supreme delight as I cut out the shapes! The heavy ink seemed to have melded into the paper and was actually perfect for my ornament idea. The feel is almost like a heavy cloth. What an amazing surprise! Let that be a lesson..................don't be too quick to judge!