Faith and the Mustard Seed

If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can move mountains.  Matthew 17:20 (paraphrased)

Sally's prompt for this week's focus is "Faith." I pondered what I would do for this and decided to do a painting. Being that we have company and I have to not be sequestered in my room, I started with an ink sketch and I think I might use Inktense pencils on this. A bit more mobile this way. The tiny black spot in the center of her belt by the way is the mustard seed:) I do believe in a Higher Power I call God and my faith is Christian in nature. But I think anyone, regardless of their personal beliefs, can embrace the concept of faith. Faith is Hope. Faith is Believing. And I think that the beautiful thing is that it can be applied to our personal lives in many different capacities. Faith is a wonderful and beautiful thing.

Lorelei's Bauble Challenge Reveal

 

 

 

 

A couple of weeks ago Lorelei blogged about a little find while on a Michael's run. She found these odd little connector baubles in glorious sea tones and purply - which I purchased just in case, but did not use. They came in groups of three and she proposed a challenge in which we would use all three in a design. Here is what I came up with. I wired all of the slides together to create a single center and connected it to leather pieces on each side. And then I hung a poka-dot polymer dangler.  I painted the leather pieces before piercing and adding grommets. Next time I will pierce and grommet first because of course the holes hit in painted spots that I particularly liked. I had a little visitor last week and he was the inspiration for my little bit of whimsy. Thanks for stopping by and be sure and check out what everyone else came up with.

 

Lorelei
Shirley Moore
Peacock Fairy
Sally Russick
Pamela770
Erin Prais-Hintz
Heather Powers
MirandAck
Lily
Lola
Tanya
Mary
Elisabeth
Rosebud101
Ann
Denise McCabe

March Challenge Necklace

Here is a little necklace I made for Art Bead Scene's March Challenge. I have been playing around with polymer clay, making rough, rustic, primitive style pendants and beads. I love to watch the "magic" happen with the layering, texturizing and painting. The pendant and focal bead are two examples. The two fabulous ceramic "eyes" are beads by Mary Ann Carroll. There are some of my chunky ceramic beads, earth stones, copper and glass. I curled up a clasp to finish it off.  I really was inspired by all the color in this month's challenge painting by Marc Franz. A woodland setting with sleeping deer. So peaceful and earthy. Quietude amidst the wonderful natural chaos of color and texture that one finds in such awesome spaces such as an untouched mountain forest.

Curves

 

This weeks focus is on curves. Find the curves all around us. Well they truly are everywhere. This little guy, I guess he's a guy, was an early morning treasure. I went out to add some trash to the garbage bin out front and there he was inching along the grass. I went back in the house and brought the boys out to see. Then went back in a got the camera. Took a few photos. He was very cooperative, posed for me and even flirted I think.

Possibilities

 

We are focusing on possibilities this week. Did you realize that there are very few things that don't offer unlimited possibilities? I didn't. They are everywhere in almost every scenario. If that isn't a huge blast of positive-ness I don't know what is. This is such a wonderful thing!! I have started playing with air dry clay since I don't know when I'll get my little kiln up and running. This little lady is posing with the mound from which she came. Clay is awesome stuff. Any kind. I love squishing it and forming it and coloring it. I'm doing an online workshop with Susana Tavares. I formed my little doll last week and now I am just waiting for her to dry completely so I can paint her. Whooo hoooo paint!!

Wound Up Tight

 

Oh my so this weeks Focus is "Wrapped Up." And here is a close up of my self portrait for the week indeed! I just don't think I could be wound any tighter!!!!! This is said even after having a babysitter for three hours this morning.  ANYHOW, I got a new little Coiling Gizmo gadget and after reading this weeks prompt I knew exactly what I was going to post. I pulled it out of the box this afternoon in spite of a two year old growing on my leg and wrapped, wrapped, wrapped! I have never used one of these little contraptions before, and I must say, that there aren't any written instructions included, except for a few pictures on the back of the box. But I was delighted with the results. And I think maybe I'll incorporate the blue beauty in the foreground in this month's Art Bead Scene challenge. We'll see.

Looking For My Muse

 

Behind The Door

Well this week's Focus on Life challenge was a challenge. The topic-doors. Which is a really great topic. I didn't take a photograph because I didn't really know where I wanted to go with this. I actually like doors. In particular, I like old church doors. So I tried to analyze this. Um-um. I just like the architecture I guess. Doors open. Doors close. The boys hate it when I am behind a closed door. I have to sneak or wait until nap time to go to the bathroom. This includes the baby gate that separates my office from the hallway. We just HATE that! Doors separate. So I have been thinking about what a door could signify for me as far as opportunity. What do I want? Seriously. What do I really want? And that is what I am currently pondering. How can one be forty something and not know what she wants? So this is where I am at. And I am not saying this is a bad thing. This is good. It's pretty important. So thank you Sally for this weeks prompt! The picture is of a painting I did a few years ago. The title of the show was See Like A Child. I used pretty much mundane subject matter and tried to convey what a child's point of view might be. I hope I didn't cheat by not using a current image:)

What I Meant To Say