Transparency Studies

The Doodlewash watercolor prompt for today is "Transparent."  That was a great topic for me, as I have struggled with portraying clear glass.  I purchased a poster called "Painting the Illusion of Glass Vessels"  from Robert Burridge studios,  and spent the afternoon trying to follow his suggestions.

Transparency studies, Robert Burridge lessons

                                    
I was not wild about any of these studies, but one of my favorites was the martini glass.

Martini

 Here is a clear vase of bright flowers.

Flowers in clear vase

 And a clear glass of something clear.

Clear Glass

Clear Vase of Flowers 

I think I should practice doing a transparency study every day until I get the hang of it.  Great prompt!

We ended up with seven inches of snow yesterday, and the power off for seven hours.  Thankfully, it was restored before dark.  We had a nice Gator ride across the mountain in the snow.

This is our dog Kasey and my sister's dog Daisy enjoying the snow in their fur coats.

Our neighbor across the road has a couple of horses who came down to visit.

It is supposed to snow again tonight.  I am done with it...don't want any more!

Bible Art Journaling

 Here are two new journal pages in my interleaved Bible.  The pages with the dove may be my new favorite.  We surely need more messages of peace in this world.

2 Thessalonians 3:16

The current series at my church is on "finding your cave" and communicating with God...and listening for his answer.

1 Kings 19:13

Our pastor says that the sound of God's presence at the cave was like the sound of snow falling.  

We can relate this morning!  Five inches of March snow so far.  I was supposed to head out at 8:15 to go to physical therapy for my ankle, but I canceled.  No need to break my ankle or wreck my car trying to get to rehab!

This is what it looked like when I got up.  That is my driveway going down on the right...and if I slid off, there is a pond on one side and a creek right below!  Nope, I am not enough of a mountain woman yet to venture out in this mess.  But it is beautiful!

Turchin Center for the Visual Arts

Charlie and I have been to Boone, NC several times for doctors' appointments over the past six weeks, and I finally got to visit the Turchin Arts Center at Appalachian State University on our last trip.

The space is very lovely, right on King Street, very spacious.  The exhibit that I wanted to see was by Diane Kempler, who combines porcelain with seed pods and forms exotic shapes that mimic nature.

The tall spires were very striking, and these gourd-looking objects made an interesting display.

The next ones represent "Floating Microbes."

The next one is "Microbial Garden."

Several other artists had exhibits included in an upstairs gallery.  I liked this large piece by Bob Ray, which looks like an old quilt to me.  It is made of PVC, paint, tape, and collage.  It is named "A Room in Charleston."

Here is a detail of some of the crosses.

Bob Ray also created "Night Fence" from paint, wood, tape, and charcoal.

I liked this display by Barbara Hardy, which also reminded me of quilts in a way.

This one is named "The Other Color."  It is oil on wood.

After the art museum, Charlie and I met two of my brothers and my sister-in-law Debbie at Proper in Boone for a nice outdoor lunch.  

My brother Chris, myself, and my brother John

It is starting to look a lot like fall up here.  There's nothing like a blue October Carolina sky against fall color, like these towering goldenrods.

I like seeing the local businesses decorating with fall and harvest themes.  Welch's Produce is one of our favorite stops between Jefferson and our town of Laurel Springs.

And here is a family of wild turkeys, ignoring the "No Trespassing" sign to go for a stroll on a nearby farm.

Layla's "Flower Garden" Baby Quilt

Finally, I finished the quilt top for my newest grand baby, Layla Grace.  She is now five months old!  Here is the finished top.

The green borders are more of a spring green than the photo shows.  

The birds and butterflies and center panel are from patterns that I have had for many years.  The patchwork squares are from coordinating fabrics for Layla's nursery, as well as fabrics from my stash. the vivid oranges and pinks are hand-dyed fabric.

Today I used some leftover blocks to make the pieced back, and mounted it on the machine.  I hope to get some quilting done tomorrow.  

Here is the sweet little recipient of the new quilt.  She is lying on the first quilt I ever made...for her dad!

We worked hard on the sewing room/studio space in our basement last weekend.  We got great help from Charlie's brother Richard, and our nephew, Jason.  Most of the ceiling is now complete, along with some wonderful LED light panels.

Next up:  finish the ceiling over the steps and in the bathroom, put in the bathroom fixtures, and then the floors.  I am thinking of using porcelain tiles that look like wood.

We have been having a great week here at the cabin in the North Carolina mountains.  Some pictures from a recent walk:

We will be here through the weekend.  We are hoping our nephew will come back and help finish the ceiling.  If not, it will keep for a few more weeks!

Tom Lynch Waterfalls Workshop

I have finally finished my paintings from the Tom Lynch Waterfalls workshop last weekend at Art of the Carolinas in Raleigh.

Colorful Waterfall, by Jeanne Turner McBrayer, 2016

Rocky Waterfall, by Jeanne Turner McBrayer, 2016

Tom painted this scene with us, and also had many other paintings of the same scene from his previous workshops for our reference.  

I like all the color change and splashy water.  I came out of that workshop with paint spots all over my face and eyeglasses!

I drove to our mountain home yesterday for the Thanksgiving holiday.  When I came in view of the ridge lines of the Blue Ridge mountains, I scanned for signs of smoke or wildfires.  I did not see any on the way up, but have been hearing about a new fire in Ashe County.  There has been no rain in the western part of North Carolina for a long time, and the dry conditions plus gusty winds have sent wildfires soaring over thousands of acres throughout North Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia.

When we went to town today, we could see the smoke from the Ashe County fire as we approached West Jefferson.  I took a photo from the parking lot at Ingle's grocery store.

This is about twenty miles from our cabin, but we know people whose homes are nearby.  I am thankful for all the firefighters who are away from home, putting their lives at risk to save land and property from fire damage.

Mountain Weekend

We just got back today from a trip to our cabin in the North Carolina mountains.  Beautiful weather and beautiful scenery make for great times with family.

There were sunset rides to the top of the mountain..

Visits with my sister and her husband and grandchildren...and donkeys...

and her  pet cow, Sampson...

I spent a little bit of time on artwork during the football games on Saturday.  Here is a Bible journal page.  I borrowed the hummingbird image from a set of coasters given to me by my brother Jeff and his wife Anna.

I also added some doodles and journaling to a background that I had previously painted.  I used some wooden chipboard designs from Michael's to stamp the round shapes.  I hope it looks joyful!

Some Quilty Things in the Mountains

We have been at our place in the North Carolina mountains this week, enjoying the cooler weather, a visit with good friends, and also getting together with my brother Jeff's family who are vacationing in Todd this week.  We have been driving around looking at homes with our friends Marcia and Gerry, and stopped in at the Todd Mercantile and Bakery.  I did not know it, but the upstairs is an Arts Center with quilts, paintings, and crafts for sale.

We have had dinner at Jeff's cabin a couple times.  It offers spectacular views and sunsets.

Here are a couple of new Bible Art journaling pages I have done in the Book of Esther.

I have a little quilt on the Gammill downstairs, and may actually go down and try to finish it today.  Our company has gone home and it is a rainy day.  Hope to show pictures soon!

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