I’m just going to point you to the latest post on my photography blog, because it already describes what I’m feeling tonight and there is no need to chew my cabbage twice 
Sprout
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Apr 11
Embracing Mistakes
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Apr 11
Rose Garden at Houston Garden Center
I had a fantastic time at the Houston Garden Center in Hermann Park this evening with my friend Georgie. She’s here from Colorado Springs for work and started growing roses last year. So I took her some place here in Houston that I thought she’d enjoy.
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Apr 11
Paper Weaving and Artist Trading Cards
Saturday night’s paper weaving experiment is still not really finished. I’m having issues with how tight the weave is. It’s causing me to rip the paper.
So here’s what it looked like as I was getting ready to start.
I worked about half the picture and this is what I’ve got so far:
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I’m thinking about maybe gluing all this together, then trimming it, and incorporating it into another piece. But there’s also the stubborn part of me that wants to finish it to see what it looks like.
If I use this technique again, I’ll definitely make the strips bigger.
Tonight’s project is an artist trading card (ATC).
I started with a vintage black and white picture that I had scanned of a little girl in a dress holding a rose.
I took Copic markers and colored the dress, the rose, and leaves.
Here’s the end results before I trimmed off the excess around the little girl.
And here’s the little girl on the ATC blank before I started working on it.
I laid a base of Distress Ink in Broken China and then took some Distress Ink in Black Soot to soften three of the sides. Then I took some star-shaped sequin waste that I got from Gauche Alchemy’s Shoppe and pounced some Stewart-Gill Pearlise Paint in Clamshell through the waste. Then I printed out the words and toned them down using Distress Ink in Old Paper. I glued everything down and this is the end result!
Techniques that were new to me on this one: Using Copic Markers to color an image.
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Apr 11
Non-Typical Day
My day was quiet until about 9:30ish this morning. That is when R. called and told me that Durl had been hit by a car. Mrs. B. has two boxers and if she were to pass away today, Durl would be my dog.
Durl was hit by what we think was probably a hybrid SUV. Her attention was attracted by something across the road, and she darted in front of the SUV. R. said that the SUV didn’t make any noise until he heard it braking to avoid Durl. He heard the thump and that was when he knew Durl had been hit. She walked aways with a few contusions and luckily no broken bones.
Durl hiding from the camera because she doesn’t look her best
Hind quarters, Bandaged foot, some scrapes with applied bandage:
Such a pitiful puppy (post consumption of some cottage cheese):
Arty, R. and Durl toward the end of our afternoon together.
Most of this afternoon was spent making sure that Durl was calm. It was a combination of petting and cuddling the dog.
But in between, I got the opportunity to photograph R.’s Grandmother’s Irises:
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Apr 11
Paper Weaving
Today’s project is taking a photograph, printing it twice and weaving it together. I don’t remember which book I read this technique in, but it’s really fun.
I printed off two copies of a picture from the 1940′s
I trimmed it up and then I measured 1/4″ marks for both the warp and weft parts of the image.
Then cut them.
Next up, weaving them together. I’ll share the results when I am finished.
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Apr 11
Sprouting Art Work
A few weeks ago, my nephew Brandon and I were messaging back and forth on Facebook and he called me an artist. I told him at the time, that I was at “just experimenting” and found myself very uncomfortable at the thought of wearing the label of “artist”. He told me that I was more than just experimenting and that I was very creative. I spent some time after messaging Brandon pondering my reluctance to wear the label of artist.
Part of my reluctance comes from the fact that my mother was a very good artist. She could draw fabulous pictures and paint. She also was very good with needlework and made wonderfully decorated cakes. Somehow, in my mind, the writing, photography, crocheting, beadmaking, and cross-stitching I do weren’t “artistic” in the same way that my mother was artistic, therefore I wasn’t an artist.
All of this was whirling in my mind and it took me awhile to realize that yes, I am an artist — photography and writing are just a part of how I do art. And right now, I’m very experimental in terms of techniques I use. Most are new to me and I’m not sure what I am going to keep and what I’m not going to use in the future. So this month is going to be spent sprouting my art and exploring techniques. Because you know, this art stuff is kind of fun and I want to see where it will take take me.
Wearing the label artist still isn’t comfortable for me, but these thoughts made me realize how much we have a tendencies to discount our talents and abilities because they’re not like someone else’s abilities. It’s also made me realize that it’s okay to experiment. My experimentation is what allows me to grow as a person.
So if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to grab my watercolor pencils and my pinhole camera, it’s time for me to go art as R would tell me. BTW, I let Brandon know that artist is a label I am now willing to wear.
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