Posting these for Albie...

July...Seasons of the Heart.....

Wow, nearing the finish line. Of course, anything having to do with hearts is right up my alley. This piece again was influenced by recent events. Also, I am still totally under the spell of Illuminated Manuscripts, so I used that border and then added the rubber stamped woman, who is heart-broken, with a crystal tear falling from her eye. This piece just sort of intuitively came to the surface....and I left it simple, barely touched.

Lay Me Down...too!

Since the recent diagnosis of my husband's prostate cancer, everything has taken on a new significance or atleast my perspective has been altered. Stephanie's theme had me stumped for awhile, nothing was coming. (plus we have been in the midst of surgery, etc) Then all of the pieces came together as I created this little shrine using the back side of the canvas, like a box. In the center is a metal box or coffin, containing a small skeleton. On either side are images that represent the sun and the moon, man and woman, husband and wife....I guess the duality of nature, life and death. The phrase which comes from wedding vows seemed like the appropriate title.

Lay Me Down

I saw this one in my head long before I made it. Then I still had to make the elements, one of which is a linoleum carving I made of a woman who looks like me. I wrote a little song/note called "Song by me to get buried". It was fun and light hearted, not the heavy and somber attitude I used to associate with death. I applied it as a transfer under the pattern I created on acetate on the left.

All of these have been a stretch because I was not used to making a picture. Whether on canvas or board or paper, I just tried to do something different to experience a new thing. I am very happy to be part of this talented group. Now, what to do for the last two themes? I don't know yet...

Lay Me Down

Most of my art is in my journals.  But recently several pages were published in a book and now I'm part of this group.  I'm coming out with my art just a little bit.  At first I was nervous, but it has been fun and a stretch, especially when I heard there were themes involved!  Project Eight is about 8 artists, 8 months, eight 8x8 pieces of art, all made 2008.  My birthday this year?

...08-08-08!

Seasons of the Heart

I will admit that this is the second time I painted this--the first was in my journal with big words, "I see pregnant people."  My son is about to be a daddy and my heart is full.  My favorite part is the belly!  

Animal Dreams

This theme was a real challenge.  I put off doing it until one day I just sat down with a 'what the heck' attitude and this emerged.  I like that once finished I had no idea what it was about.  A friend saw it and exclaimed, "Sheep counting people!"

Ancestor

This is Aunt Evelyn, my dad's mother's sister who died before I was born.  All I know about Evelyn is she drank a lot and never married! And that she was pretty and looked a bit like a flapper girl.  I have a pic of the family farm she lived in as a girl but it was too deteriorated to use in the background so I took the liberty of putting the picture of the lakeside resort that my great-grandparents on my maternal side of the family began in 1908 and was, sadly, sold last year. It isn't my thing to paint with the intention of a realistic rendering, but I've wanted to paint her for a while.  It does look like her a bit, huh!

One To Go

My 8x8 of "Seasons of the Heart". Whew! Only one to go.

Almost Done!

A Season In My Heart

Lay Me Down

When Animals Dream

Ancestors (eek)


Sorry I haven't been more active on this blog lately. Between travels, I've had a hell of a time w/ my computer overheating, so I've only been using it when absolutely necessary.

I just love all of the new work on here, you've all done amazing work!

I spent a week up in the mountains above Santa Fe recently & cranked these last 4 canvases up there. I really love working with a theme, it throws in a nice little challenge that, once I work through it, it's really wonderful to get to the other side & to see what comes from it.

I'm Caught Up

Yay for me. The first one is "Ancestors" and shows my mom and dad, aunt, sister, great-grandma and grandpa. His class picture was taken in 1906 and that is him in the back row with the hat on.

The second picture is "Animal Dreams". I cast a frozen Charlotte Doll that Judy gave me in plaster and painted the rest.

This third canvas is "Lay Me Down" and the head, hand and baby were each cast in plaster from doll parts and then worked into the painting. It might seem ominous to some but to me when we die we return to 'mother' from whence we came and all is perfect peace. I thought the Jesus baby was perfect to symbolize this.

April - Ancestors

Here is my piece for the theme called "Ancestors".



In it I used a picture of two af my grandparents on the top of the canvas. I used a paint over technique I had heard of recently to alter their faces a little so it looks like they could almost be anyone. A bit illusory because I never actually knew them. They look pretty formal, which is something I do associate with another country and another time. Between them are three people I stencilled in, "ghosts", people from the past. Underneath in the photo are a few people with my mother on the left studying to become Canadian citizens. I had fun altering their faces and messing with their eyes. All these people may be gone now. Sort of spooky, don't you think?

I attached an old fraying piece of my family's lace to the center dividing it almost in half. With some of the remaining netting from the lace, I painted and then pressed on the pattern to make a slight vignette feeling.

My second one is for the theme called "Animal Dreams".



For this one I used the interactive program called "the scribbler" from zefrank to make a number of surreal looking animals. From the bottom left are: a horse, dreaming of a dog and a snake - what it is comfortable with and what it fears, the dog, dreaming of a cat and a rabbit - things dogs chase and react to, the cat, dreaming of wings, a bird and a mouse, and whatever the others are dreaming of is a mystery for this piece. They each have their own comfortable pillow because since I am human, I usually project my own motivations onto animals and it also makes them all look cozy. This is fantasy after all!

I used a little bit of glass glitter in three colors to give it a twinkly party atmosphere. Go ahead, you can laugh but I think the animals look pretty good.

Good things come to those who complete their projects.

May Project

HI guys,
It has been awfully quiet here at Project Eight....anyway, this is my May contribution! Pretty dang bright, but heck, that's what happens when animals dream! Hope to see some of you back here soon. I know life gets busy.....mine sure has.

April- Albie Smith

May- Albie Smith

This one is mixed media. I was attracted to some photos in a magazine and liked the idea of the zebra physically close to the person. I collaged from various photos and painted over most of them. On my trip to Africa we saw many zebra and they were very wary, a male leader keeping the herd behind him, staying on the alert so that the others could feed while he watched for danger. The zebra in my painting seems to be taking some time off and just being, strolling along with his eyes closed and the human is alert, focused. It all came together in a very dreamy state which is the way I enjoy painting.

May Theme

Man, here we are halfway into May and I haven't posted the May theme yet.

So here it is: "Animal Dreams".

Interpret it any way you choose.

April-Ancestors

Hi,
Here is my April piece. It is my family tree with photos of us as the leaves on the tree. Represented are my great grandmother (at the top) and then my grandmother and parents and siblings! I used spackle as a base coat to build up layers which I stamped into......and have been having fun playing with that. It makes a great ground. I also used my new white Uniball marker which I kind of got carried away with.

BETTER LATE....

Well, just a little late but here is my piece from March.
It's been sitting on my desk forever & I hated it, but I finally tweaked it enough to call it done.
The dress is made of springs from an old typewriter & fibers, hence the "spring" part of the theme.
OK, onward to my ancestors!

March - Heralding Spring

I created this encaustic in January but today the sun is almost out so I will post this now hoping that spring is finally here. It's sure been a dreary month in Portland.

Herald Spring, then Summer

Herald Spring? It has snowed each of the last three days! But the sun is out today and I have a bit of spring fever. Tomorrow is April already. Love seeing all of your artworks, dear Project Eight ladies!