Entries from: August 2011
Creative Every Day Check-In: August 29 – September 4
August 29th, 2011, Comments (20)
This weekly check-in post is a place for Creative Every Day Challenge participants to share their creative activities.
Join in the Challenge: Read all the details and sign up for the 2011 Creative Every Day Challenge here!
Ways to share: Once you've signed up, you can leave a comment on this post and/or use the "Mr. Linky" widget below to link to a blog post(s) about your creative activities during the days of 8/29/11 - 9/4/11.
The widget below is an optional method of sharing your creativity that makes it easier for others to check out what you're up to. You can use it to link to a blog post (or posts) or flickr image during the week listed. Or if you have a bunch of posts and don't want to link to all of them, you can link to your main blog page once. Do it in a way that makes sense and is fun for you! If you're unsure about how to use the widget, check out the "How to use the Mr. Linky widget" section on the Creative Every Day Challenge page. (If you're reading this in a RSS reader or email subscription, you will not see the "Mr. Linky widget", so click on over to the blog to use it.) If the Mr. Linky widget is missing from this blog post, it's probably a problem with their server and it will come back as soon as it's fixed. You can always leave your link in the comments.
You can also take advantage of the great CED flickr group to post your images and see what others are up to. If you're on Twitter, you can use the hashtag #CED2011 to help others find your Creative Every Day tweets!
Theme: The (totally optional) theme for August is Red, which you can read more about and get ideas for here. September's (totally optional) theme is History, which you can read more about here.
Happy Creating!
People are trapped in history, and history is trapped in them. ~James Baldwin
Creative Every Day Theme for September: History
August 27th, 2011, Comments (8)
At the end of each month I will announce the totally optional theme for the following month. For the month of September 2011, the theme will be History. Thank you to dt.haase for the theme suggestion!
As always, this month's theme for the Creative Every Day Challenge is totally optional. Use it if it inspires you, continue being creative every day in your own way if it doesn't, or do something in between. You can sign up for the 2011 Creative Every Day Challenge anytime. More info can be found here and the sign-up page is here.
I'll be posting about the theme throughout the month on the blog to help keep you inspired. You can use the posts here for jumping off points or interpret the theme in your own creative way. If you need some suggestions, here are a few ideas to get you started. You could:
- *Explore your own personal history through art.
- *Use old photos, maps, or text in a collage.
- *Pick a time in history and write as if you were living in that era.
- *Look into art history, read up about a favorite artist or visit an art museum.
- *Dress in the colors or style of a fashion period you love.
- *Cook a recipe that your mother or grandmother used to make.
- *Capture a moment of your personal history in a poem.
- *Read historical fiction and let it inspire your work.
How to use the CED themes:
If you're feeling creatively stuck or blocked at any point during the month, use the theme as a source of inspiration to get you moving. Feel free to focus on the theme in your creative activities for the entire month or as much as you'd like.
Using the theme is entirely optional for CED participants. Use it if it inspires you, ignore it if it doesn't. I'll be sharing posts throughout the month around the theme (among other things) to get you thinking about how to incorporate it into your life. I'd love to hear how you use the theme in your creative world.
And have fun with it!
History is a cyclic poem written by Time upon the memories of man. ~Shelley
p.s. The art above is adapted from my piece, Memory Cycles, available here.
Work in Progress with Red
August 24th, 2011, Comments (2)
I got started on a mixed media piece yesterday, sneaking in some art time after my little girl fell asleep. She's not sleeping through the night yet, but she's sleeping a good chunk (usually 3-5 hours, once it was 7.5!) for the first part of the night, which if I'm not exhausted, gives me a bit of time to create. I'll take it!
This is just a piece of the collage, which will be a background for the painting that will soon be going down on top of it. It's made up of handmade paper, bits of rice paper I'd stamped with leaves, stamps, or stencils, old book pages, and blueprints. The splashes of red fit oh so nicely into the red theme. Ah, it felt so good to play with collage again!
Creative Every Day Check-In: August 22 – 28
August 22nd, 2011, Comments (18)
This weekly check-in post is a place for Creative Every Day Challenge participants to share their creative activities.
Join in the Challenge: Read all the details and sign up for the 2011 Creative Every Day Challenge here!
Ways to share: Once you've signed up, you can leave a comment on this post and/or use the "Mr. Linky" widget below to link to a blog post(s) about your creative activities during the days of 8/22/11 - 8/28/11.
The widget below is an optional method of sharing your creativity that makes it easier for others to check out what you're up to. You can use it to link to a blog post (or posts) or flickr image during the week listed. Or if you have a bunch of posts and don't want to link to all of them, you can link to your main blog page once. Do it in a way that makes sense and is fun for you! If you're unsure about how to use the widget, check out the "How to use the Mr. Linky widget" section on the Creative Every Day Challenge page. (If you're reading this in a RSS reader or email subscription, you will not see the "Mr. Linky widget", so click on over to the blog to use it.) If the Mr. Linky widget is missing from this blog post, it's probably a problem with their server and it will come back as soon as it's fixed. You can always leave your link in the comments.
You can also take advantage of the great CED flickr group to post your images and see what others are up to. If you're on Twitter, you can use the hashtag #CED2011 to help others find your Creative Every Day tweets!
Theme: The (totally optional) theme for August is Red, which you can read more about and get ideas for here.
Happy Creating!
Red is the ultimate cure for sadness. ~Bill Blass
Half-morning in photos
August 19th, 2011, Comments (8)
A snapshot of my Wednesday morning in photos, including a lovely red flower!
The morning moon hung like a whole note in the sky.
A parachute red flower turned alien pod.
My tuning fork legs led the way.
Mid-morning nap.
How was your morning?
p.s. I'm leah_art on instagram! Also, here's a great article on taking pictures with your phone.
Using Red to Express Emotions
August 16th, 2011, Comments (8)
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I tend to go through phases with colors. Blues are a constant, but I've also had phases where reds and oranges play a larger part in my work. This past year, while pregnant, I found red to represent a connection to life and blood. But prior to this year, I've used reds to express intense emotions, anger, passion, or just plain old fire.
It feels good to let emotions out in paint. The Red Bear painting I shared at the beginning with this month's theme post is a prime example of that. I was feeling supremely frustrated that day. As I painted intuitively, the red bear appeared.
At other times, I've enjoyed painting with reds in a more abstract manner. Red feels so powerful and intense!
How have you used reds to express your emotions in art?
Creative Every Day Check-In: August 15 – 21
August 15th, 2011, Comments (20)
This weekly check-in post is a place for Creative Every Day Challenge participants to share their creative activities.
Join in the Challenge: Read all the details and sign up for the 2011 Creative Every Day Challenge here!
Ways to share: Once you've signed up, you can leave a comment on this post and/or use the "Mr. Linky" widget below to link to a blog post(s) about your creative activities during the days of 8/15//11 - 8/21/11.
The widget below is an optional method of sharing your creativity that makes it easier for others to check out what you're up to. You can use it to link to a blog post (or posts) or flickr image during the week listed. Or if you have a bunch of posts and don't want to link to all of them, you can link to your main blog page once. Do it in a way that makes sense and is fun for you! If you're unsure about how to use the widget, check out the "How to use the Mr. Linky widget" section on the Creative Every Day Challenge page. (If you're reading this in a RSS reader or email subscription, you will not see the "Mr. Linky widget", so click on over to the blog to use it.) If the Mr. Linky widget is missing from this blog post, it's probably a problem with their server and it will come back as soon as it's fixed. You can always leave your link in the comments.
You can also take advantage of the great CED flickr group to post your images and see what others are up to. If you're on Twitter, you can use the hashtag #CED2011 to help others find your Creative Every Day tweets!
Theme: The (totally optional) theme for August is Red, which you can read more about and get ideas for here.
Happy Creating!
Love is like a friendship caught on fire. -Bruce Lee
Creative Every Day Check-In: August 8 – 14
August 8th, 2011, Comments (13)
This weekly check-in post is a place for Creative Every Day Challenge participants to share their creative activities.
Join in the Challenge: Read all the details and sign up for the 2011 Creative Every Day Challenge here!
Ways to share: Once you've signed up, you can leave a comment on this post and/or use the "Mr. Linky" widget below to link to a blog post(s) about your creative activities during the days of 8/8//11 - 8/14/11.
The widget below is an optional method of sharing your creativity that makes it easier for others to check out what you're up to. You can use it to link to a blog post (or posts) or flickr image during the week listed. Or if you have a bunch of posts and don't want to link to all of them, you can link to your main blog page once. Do it in a way that makes sense and is fun for you! If you're unsure about how to use the widget, check out the "How to use the Mr. Linky widget" section on the Creative Every Day Challenge page. (If you're reading this in a RSS reader or email subscription, you will not see the "Mr. Linky widget", so click on over to the blog to use it.) If the Mr. Linky widget is missing from this blog post, it's probably a problem with their server and it will come back as soon as it's fixed. You can always leave your link in the comments.
You can also take advantage of the great CED flickr group to post your images and see what others are up to. If you're on Twitter, you can use the hashtag #CED2011 to help others find your Creative Every Day tweets!
Theme: The (totally optional) theme for August is Red, which you can read more about and get ideas for here.
Happy Creating!
Painters use red like spice. -- Derek Jarman
Drawing One-Armed
August 4th, 2011, Comments (13)
With red in mind, and a baby in one arm, I managed to doodle a bit last night in my sketchbook. Intuitively playing with caran d'ache pastels in reds and oranges and pinks, this woman with an umbrella came along. Hooray for creating, even if it's one-armed!
Creative Every Day Check-In: August 1 – 7
August 1st, 2011, Comments (21)
This weekly check-in post is a place for Creative Every Day Challenge participants to share their creative activities.
Join in the Challenge: Read all the details and sign up for the 2011 Creative Every Day Challenge here!
Ways to share: Once you've signed up, you can leave a comment on this post and/or use the "Mr. Linky" widget below to link to a blog post(s) about your creative activities during the days of 8/1//11 - 8/7/11.
The widget below is an optional method of sharing your creativity that makes it easier for others to check out what you're up to. You can use it to link to a blog post (or posts) or flickr image during the week listed. Or if you have a bunch of posts and don't want to link to all of them, you can link to your main blog page once. Do it in a way that makes sense and is fun for you! If you're unsure about how to use the widget, check out the "How to use the Mr. Linky widget" section on the Creative Every Day Challenge page. (If you're reading this in a RSS reader or email subscription, you will not see the "Mr. Linky widget", so click on over to the blog to use it.) If the Mr. Linky widget is missing from this blog post, it's probably a problem with their server and it will come back as soon as it's fixed. You can always leave your link in the comments.
You can also take advantage of the great CED flickr group to post your images and see what others are up to. If you're on Twitter, you can use the hashtag #CED2011 to help others find your Creative Every Day tweets!
Theme: The (totally optional) theme for August is Red, which you can read more about and get ideas for here.
Happy Creating!
If one says 'Red' – the name of color – and there are fifty people listening, it can be expected that there will be fifty reds in their minds. And one can be sure that all these reds will be very different. -- Josef Albers
