Tag: art

Tuba Christmas and More!

Dear Liza,

The day after our anniversary celebration, we headed downtown to see all the pretties and hustle and bustle. Our first target was the Tuba Christmas at Pioneer Square, which is called The Living Room. This concert involves more than a hundred folks, ages 11 to 89, playing low brass instruments, like tuba, sousaphone, baritone, and euphonium.

This concert is so popular, we could only find spots to stand on the level above and hear the concert, rather than see it. Still, it was lovely. The music swells up and bounces off the buildings as pigeons fly around.

Around the corner and down the block we found some Dickensian carolers. Beautiful costumes and sweet four part harmonies made it really feel like Christmas, with smiling crowds and busy traffic.

Further along, we found Director Park. During the summer, the fountain here is great for splashing, but today it is better for running and climbing. Also at the park were cozy fire pits,

our old friend Jay Ringer playing music on his pocket trumpet and melodium,

and some young men making s’mores with Graham crackers, marshmallows and blow torches. Not surprisingly, they were exactly what we needed on this chilly day.

In the small building in the park was a whole shop of goodies from our local artist Mike Bennett. Stuffties, stickers, glasses, and lots of other delightful things were selling very well.

About this time, we realized that, even with the s’mores, we were pooped and ready to head home. We walked down Alder to the bus stop to catch the magic 15.

Merry Christmas!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Scrapbooking Fifty Years

Dear Liza,

I’m making another book, because I really love making books! Also, with Grandpa Nelson and I celebrating FIFTY years of marriage, it seemed like a retrospective was called for.

My first thought was that it would be a simple photo album, maybe a picture or two from each of our 50 years. But the more I thought about it, I realized that I have some skills and imagination, and if I put them to work, this could be something worth sharing, maybe even passing down.

First, I needed a book to build the album in. Down at Belmont Books, Joe has all sorts of possibilities. I chose this one because it is sturdy, lays flat, and has enough (probably too many) pages to work with. Collage always makes a book much thicker, and I can tear out the leftover pages when I’m done.

For the covet, I found just the right papers in Auntie Bridgett’s collage boxes. A very 1970s vibe….

I went through my own collage boxes for postcards, maps and ticket stubs that will help tell our story. I also pulled dozens of photos. Since original photos from back then were printed on stiff paper, I used my scanner to make more flexible copies.

I’m afraid Grandpa and Bridgett are putting up with the dining table being a bit cluttered!

Still, slowly, page by page, front to back and with lots of moving and shifting (and not gluing anything down until I’m sure it’s in the right place!) it is coming together. I use mod podge as my adhesive, making sure to let each page dry and get pressed before building the next one. Each page will also have some sentences about what was happening at the time… I’ll type them in Bridgett’s vintage typewriter to feel old fashioned and cool.

As I collect pictures and remember more adventures, I keep shifting things… like real life, this project is going to be more complicated than I first thought.

But each page will tell of another adventure… even though some are not very detailed yet. All I can promise is that it probably won’t take a whole fifty years to get it done!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Starting From Scratch

Dear Liza,

I have stated using some of those pieces of art calendar that Jennifer sent up! After several days of looking and sorting and staring, I decided to start with these few.

Because they all had a sort of golden, brown antique-ish look, with touches of red, I used acrylic paints and an old card to make some papers to complement the art.

This was a bit too yellow, so I added some brown and scraped it down a bit.

This seemed a good start, but it needed another color. Red, maybe, but not RED.

These two mixed together to make (mostly) what I was looking for. Once I got a few done, I started laying the bits down to see how they looked.

As with any artistic process, this went on for quite a while. Lay it down, go do something else, come back, have a look, trim some pictures, move some bits.

This is as far as I have gotten as of now, but I’ll let you know as it progresses. I think it needs another layer of something, and some darker bits.

I love collage! No special skill is needed, or special training. There is only a need for bits to glue down, and an opinion about “what looks good”.

Love,

Grandma Judy

The New PDX Part 1

Dear Liza,

Auntie Bridgett flew down to visit her family in San Diego this week. This gave us the perfect excuse to see the newly remodeled Portland Airport Terminal.

Our airport here in Portland has been under construction for years, and I have always found it to be a bit of tangle. But the signs all over the terminals told me it was going to be wonderful, organic, and local. And they weren’t wrong.

I was pleased, amazed, and delighted. The first thing you will notice (and keep staring at, from every angle) is the ceiling. It is an enormous waving sea of timber that floats over the giant open space of the Main Terminal.

The ceiling is made of glulam, a light weight, super strong material made from wood all harvested within a hundred miles of Portland. It is supported by giant, tree-like Y supports.

The floor is delightfully flow-y but low-key, as if it doesn’t want to detract from that ceiling.

The place was pretty busy when we were there, but the noise was minimal. The wavy, open ceiling seems to soak up the sounds of rolling suitcases and crying children and the inevitable echoes. We sat comfortably on a beautifully designed set of bleachers for quite a while and could whisper to each other.

There is so much more I want to tell you about the new airport! See you tomorrow!

Love,

Grandma Judy

So Much Art!

Dear Liza,

My friend Jennifer is such a sweetie! A few weeks ago, she was up visiting from California and asked if I would be interested in ‘an art calendar’ to use in my collages.

“If you feel like mailing it, sure!” I smiled. I have learned never to turn down art supplies.

And just the other day, what come in the mail?? Three years of this art calendar!! A whole 1,095 pages, printed on BOTH sides. A whopping 2,190 pieces of art.

These are on good quality paper, and about 4 inches by 5 inches. That’s a lot of art!!

I am already feeling both inspired and overwhelmed. With just the two evenings I have spent flipping through and sorting, I have pulled a couple that seem destined to go together. These two, a fabric print and a piece of jewelry, look like a poster for The Lion King.

And this fellow, cut from an unrelated postcard, could use this millefeuille glass paperweight as a lovely mandala. He needs work, though…I’ll let you know.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Playing with Vincent

Dear Liza,

Falling deeper into the deep hole that is collage, I have started snipping at all sorts of things. Months ago, Bridgett and I picked up a bunch of postcards at the Portland Art Museum for almost nothing. Some of these became my latest victims.

There were lots of prints of Vincent van Gough’s works, and some of them seemed like they could go together. I carefully cut the elements of the cards apart and moved them around.

I liked this combination, showing Vincent’s lovely irises springing happily from head, while his face maintains a very serious expression. Having got the idea in my own head, the tiny fiddly bits became a problem. Fractions of millimeters became very important.

I also remembered to scratch the shiny surface of the picture with a pin where they overlapped so the glue would stick better.

And there you have it! My interpretation of Van Gough’s creative process.

That little gap between his head and his coat is on purpose, by the way. I liked how it mad him look a bit more wonky.

And finally, I got it the way I liked it, trimmed it up, and will mail it off to my friend Richard tomorrow.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Fun with Acrylics

Dear Liza,

Ruthie Inman has done it again. On a chilly day after two very busy days, I was feeling tired and not terribly artistic. Not awful, but … blah. And sure enough, within ten minutes of our art group’s beginning, I was slapping paint down like an inspired ten year old.

Before we got together, I had started an alternate project, coating the photo side of old postcards with gesso so they would take paint better. My plan was to use the same paints from Ruthie’s project on my alternate postcard project. I pulled out a dark blue, lemon yellow, and white as my color scheme.

I started with my project, laying down colors in a pleasingly haphazard way. Wet but not runny, brushing to blend until I liked it.

Then, at an inspiration from Ruthie, I pulled out my impressions makers (an odd collection of Starbucks coffee cup holders, fruit packing sleeves, crumpled tissue and bubble wrap) to change the textures of my colors.

I made about eight postcards in all, and one even looked something like Ruthie’s idea, this lovely, opalescent landscape. Of course, following directions is always optional, but it’s good to try new things.

Anyway, with this pile of colorful backgrounds, I can think about what can go on for the next layer. Some more textures? Collage pictures or words? Maybe some handwritten sentiments or just pretty squiggles?

Who knows?

Love,

Grandma Judy

Happy, Tasty Thanksgiving!

Dear Liza,

Our Thanksgiving was busy and full of food and family.

It started quietly, with Auntie Bridgett and I watching the Macy’s Parade. We enjoy the floats, musical numbers, and the marching bands. But the special thing about the Macy’s parade is the giant balloons. This one, being a minion, is particularly adorable.

We got the appetizers set out for when Auntie Katie, the cousins, and Douglas came over. It’s it a pretty spread?

Once the company arrived, we chatted, and then the ukuleles came out. Katie and Douglas practice a lot, and they sing well together. Cousin Jasper brought his drumsticks and played a nice accompaniment on Kestrel’s heavy leather purse.

Once the dinner was ready (thanks to Bridgett’s good help!) we all settled down and ate ourselves silly. Of course, we kept an eye on the desserts waiting for us!

But first, a walk. Grandpa Nelson was worn out, but the rest of us layered up and made a pleasant round of Laurelhurst Park.The sun was going down as we visited with the ducks and wished them a happy turkey day. They were not amused….

Back to the house for dessert! Auntie Katie had brought a pumpkin and apple pie and tiny breads shaped like turkeys. These, along with the pinwheels and mince tarts I made, filled us right up to the top.

In fact, we all realized that if we sat down, we’d all fall asleep! And since Katie had work to do at her bookshop to get ready for Black Friday’s big sale, we all said goodnight, packed up the leftovers to share, and sent them on their way.
Happy Thanksgiving!!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Ruthie’s Leaves

Dear Liza,

My buddy Ruthie Inman has been busy starting up a new art gallery in Peoria, Illinois, called Artful Journey, so we haven’t had our online class in a while.

So when we got together last week, we had a wonderful catch -up as well as an art project together. Ruthie had asked us to collect, trace, and cut out some lovely leaves to start.

Then we traced the shapes, overlapping them a bit. Ruthie directed us to decide which leaves would be the top layer, and watercolor them a light yellow.

To show the other layers of leaves, we gradually got darker as we went.

I wasn’t totally happy with my brush strokes, since I was using the wrong brush. In the months since we’ve done any watercolor, I have misplaced my soft brushes! Still, I pushed through.

Once it was done and dry, I realized I needed some stronger colors and more delicate lines… and maybe some nice hard outlines. Fortunately, that is always an option. But first, lunch!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Rainy Afternoon

Dear Liza,

We have a lot of rainy days in our forecast, so we have decided to just go for walks, knowing we are going to get wet. The grey cloudy light makes the pictures darker than usual, so they look almost magical.

We walked around the park, amazed at the carpet of leaves and the thousands yet to fall. The giant ginkgo tree stays yellow for a week or so, and will drop all its leaves almost overnight.

It was so dark at 1 o’clock in the afternoon that the park lights had come on.

Bridgett got very engrossed in looking at a pair of squirrels chasing each other around the trees. I’m not sure if they were fighting or flirting, but they were so busy they didn’t even notice us.

This tall oak will hold onto its fall leaves for months, until it is ready to spout the green leaves of spring.

Knowing that spring is many long wet months away, I may need to carry the sunshine inside me.

Love,

Grandma Judy