Our artistic endeavors

[JaneV2.0]

There are all kinds of bulb farms in the Skagit Valley--some of them a riot of color.

[catherine]

I'm sharing the output of 6 months of quasi-determined work to improve my watercolor skills.

First picture is a gift I gave my 2-years sober brother this week.

Second picture is a fun, totally whimsical treatment of the Mona Lisa in response to the biweekly challenge my private FB watercolor group set up--which was to interpret the Mona Lisa the way you want to. Because I spent the last 4 days driving to NY, taking the train to Manhattan and back to Westchester, seeing Hamilton and Camelot, walking nearly 10 miles in Manhattan to get to the theaters, driving to NJ to take out the last bit of crap from our storage unit there, and just spending the time in a cocoon of New York-ness, I came home and painted this picture. It is not good from an artistic point of view, but I think I captured the essence of the challenge.

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[iris lilies]

I'm sharing the output of 6 months of quasi-determined work to improve my watercolor skills.

First picture is a gift I gave my 2-years sober brother this week.

Second picture is a fun, totally whimsical treatment of the Mona Lisa in response to the biweekly challenge my private FB watercolor group set up--which was to interpret the Mona Lisa the way you want to. Because I spent the last 4 days driving to NY, taking the train to Manhattan and back to Westchester, seeing Hamilton and Camelot, walking nearly 10 miles in Manhattan to get to the theaters, driving to NJ to take out the last bit of crap from our storage unit there, and just spending the time in a cocoon of New York-ness, I came home and painted this picture. It is not good from an artistic point of view, but I think I captured the essence of the challenge.

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IMG_4577.jpg

The flower is beautiful. It’s very nice! Is it a rose? It looks a little bit like a lotus.


The Mona Lisa is fun.

[iris lilies]

At the state garden club convention I gave a floral design program along with two other ladies. The three of us interpreted a painting, interpreted it in florals.

I didn’t spend a lot of money on the container, buying a $17 barn board gray container. I put a wash of black paint over it and told the audience it represented the water in the painting underneath the surface that was murky, dark, swirling. The painting is about water and light, and those are the elements I emphasized in my floral design. The rhythmic line goes from bottom right to upper left, and so I made that line with yellow mums, representing the big round water lily pads. I used small green mums to represent the smaller water lily pads.

Hydrangeas were more sun drenched water that buoyed up the beautiful objects. I found some great Chinese lantern dried pods to represent the onion shaped glass orbs. The building in the painting is represented in my design by a small container with white fungus dried fungus showing slightly but it’s hard to see in this photo.

The artist was in attendance at this program, and he told me my interpretation was the best.


Here is my floral design and here is the painting we interpreted.

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[littlebittybobby]

Okay---I finally had to throw in my 2 cents. My whole point here is that being so-called "artistic" is a form of so-called: "Autism". Or: "On The Spectrum". Ha. Try not to cut off your ear, in response to my comment.

[rosarugosa]

Catherine: Beautiful job on the watercolors! The flower is lovely, and the Mona Lisa is fun and well done.

IL: I really love your design, and I agree that it captures the feeling of the painting very nicely.

[happystuff]

I really enjoy the endeavors shared. Such talent on these forums!

[iris lilies]

So, in one iris show yesterday I bombed in the Design division with one 4th place and two 2nd place awards. The 4th place class was fun to do and I completely understand the judges’ thinking because they said the robot head is way too large. The class was “Robots.” I show it for your amusement.

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But in the Horticulture division I won “Sweepstakes” which means the exhibitor with the most blue ribbons. On this “Queen’s Table” of section winners there are 9 stems. 6 of them are mine.

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[rosarugosa]

I think the robot head is rather fun. Congratulations on the horticulture win!

[littlebittybobby]

Okay-----There is no doubt but what that stuff is VERY(x4444) Artistic. Yup.