New painting -a gate from a house a few blocks away.

Finally getting back to my blog- with photos of the little books we made in my previous class.  Last time we made a similar book but used textwove paper and they turned out spectacular!  I hope to get photos of the new ones in January when the class starts up again.

Our summer sketch class puts out a calendar every year with illustrations from our summer class -we meet every Thursday at a different location and work in pen and ink, pencil or watercolor.
Yesterday was the Art Show there and we had out calendars completed for sale- $7.00 each.  Check out the web site for more info-   www.thecenterpalos.org

 At the Morton Arboretum our West Side Calligraphy Study Group is decorating three Christmas trees for the second year.  We worked on a garland of triangles with letters on them gluing them to string.  I had to leave early, so didn't get many more photos, but I want to go again and see it all completed!

 One of the ornaments have a place for square papers that some of the artists put letters or words on!!  Joyce's -just beautiful!

New paintings and collages.  In April's collage class, we used coffee to paint or stain the papers which made a nice brown color.  I still need to add a quote along the left side of the collage.  I have several collages that I want to add lettering -when to get the time!!

Here's the other reason I've been busy!! Grandson Everett is one year old!

Our Chicago Calligraphy West Side study group made ornaments last year for the Morton Arboretum and got together to make new ones.  They are origami butterflies and little star shaped ornaments and others! Daughter Mandy came with me and had a good time and she loved the butterflies!  Sorry forgot to turn the photos!

Wow, just got reminded that I haven't done a thing on my blog!!  I flew to Asheville to meet my sisters after my Mom fell.  We got her into an assisted living apartment.  She's almost ninety five and doing so well for her age!

One more piece- all done in pencil on several huge sheets of Fabriano Artistico paper pieced together.  This artist, Chris Laporte, from Grand Rapids, won Artprize two years ago.

We visited Artprize in Grand Rapids, Michigan last weekend and what an experience to see all kinds of artwork that had been submitted.  This piece, done by Scribes Six, calligraphers from Michigan, was a collaborative work done on full-sized deerskin vellum to emulate the way monks created manuscripts centuries ago.  Called The Power of Words, " it will last for centuries, just as a Book of Hours has remained exquisite since its creation in the 13th century".

I will post more photos of other works we also saw.

Two more pages from the Monica Dengo workshop.  The garden lettering is my favorite -hope to add to the pages to finish the book with maybe some quotes or words on the open areas of the pages.

Monica Dengo's calligraphy class with the Chicago Calligraphy Collective.  We worked with sumi ink and water and used various tools with all sorts of styles, sometimes using our non-dominant hand, sometimes making letters and sometimes doing gestural lines.   Then we put our papers together in book form that had pages that "pushed out" and also tried a wrap-around cover that was very unique.
More photos on my penandpaintsartwork blog.

Calligraphy for Wedding invitations and place cards.  The two styles are italic (the large envelope- Mr and Mrs) and Copperplate (script) on the rest.

Prayer Flags at the LaGrange Art League Gallery!  Check out prayerflagproject.com for more information!

Finished Prayer Flags.  April couldn't make it that day, so the others are from Cynthia, who added Japanese coins and buttons to hers and a little lace circle.  Joyce had stamped a star for the red white and blue theme and bells.  Peggy added glitter to one of hers and tried one on denim.Colleen had used an irridescent copper color on hers and added a word.  Karen did one at home with her granddaughter who enjoyed the project!  

Donna came the last class and started hers late.

Prayer Flag Workshop
Cynthia, April, Joyce, Peggy, Colleen and Karen.

Prayer Flags from the first day of the workshop.  More will be added to them next time.

SKETCH CLASS TODAY.....This was Peggy's Dad's sawhorse that she added a top to.  Just loved the colors and the pots and painting on the window setting behind them.  Not finished, as I need to add the dark brick behind the pots to make them show up better.

The bottom photo is the baby wren!  They are so ready to leave the nest now.  The day after we put the birdhouse up the wrens came and built their nest! They've been so much fun to watch out of our new kitchen window!

Newest prayer flags- forgot to take a photo of one other which has a word on it that I used an alphabet stamp which my class can use in case they don't want to paint their own word on by hand.  And the other finished one has a "fringe" sewn on the bottom with beads and sea shells.

 Beginning washes to start with, then added more details.  I had taken Lisa Engelbrecht's class at a calligraphy workshop where we painted and lettered on canvas.

Wow, I finally got things to work with the posting.  I've been busy -the new kitchen is pretty much finished.  Still have several more boxes to unpack, but not the necessary things.  

The PRAYER FLAGS are for a show at the Lagrange Art League and something I've been wanting to present in a workshop- so that's coming up the first two Mondays in August at the Center in Palos.

Hydrangeas in N. Carolina

So I was able to post again and even add a photo.  Hope it works again when I get time. It's the 4th day of 102 degree weather!  Hot hot hot.

Butterflies at Lake Katherine

New Kitchen Completed!

So, the new kitchen is finished but I'm still unpacking and finding places for everything.  You can see the french doors we put in that open into the living room.  It's so nice to be able to see out the front window now.  The kitchen before was in the middle of the house with no window.  We took out the wall between the kitchen and dining room so the window was in the dining room before. The hallway to the left still has some wallpaper repairs or removal to do.