Which Road to Take

"Side roads" was the topic I chose for this month's art concept challenge.
What is a road?   A path,  a direction, a destination,? How do we choose which road to take? Where will it lead me, what will I find? Will it be easy or difficult? Will I succeed or fail?
Lots of questions and not too many answers? I recall on some of the road trips that I took in the US sitting on the bed and mapping out the next days trip. Most often we chose the scenic route.

My art journey is also like a road. Should I take the highway, faster and more secure, or take the challenge of the scenic route with all its surprises?

I choose the scenic route!

I Choose the Scenic Route

Transfer prints on paper

Crayons

Liquid Pen

19.5" x 13"

I started out with sketching with a new app on my tablet. Transferred these using gel medium on my substrate. Finished with crayons and liquid pen.

Quotes:

"If you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there."
Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost

Goosey Goosey Gander where shall I wander
Nursery Rhymes

So many roads. So many detours. So many choices. So many mistakes.
 Sarah Jessica Parker

Take the back roads instead of the highways
Minnie Pearl

One always wonders about roads not taken
Christopher

Sometimes it's the journey that teaches you about your destination
Drake

Extreme Composition Lesson 4 Variety Variety Variety

Lesson 4 is all about variety. The first exercise was to make as many marks on a paper with no background, using crayons, ink, paint, cutouts etc. Now I  have to go back and doodle more on some of the marks.
There were questions to ask oneself.

• How difficult was it not to repeat elements?
I found it quite difficult, I have to increase my library of mark making.

 • Do any of your collections look like interesting compositions in themselves? Or do they all look disjointed?
Very disjointed

• Are they fun to look at?
Yes in a way

• Did you discover any new ways of making marks?
Yes

• Did you use processes or materials that felt uncomfortable to you? 
No, not really. Tried pen and ink which was new for me.

• How difficult was it not to paint a background or connect the elements with some unifying principle?
Slightly uncomfortable.

Next part is to make three distinct marks and connect them in various ways!
I made 3 pages of marks!!! Click to enlarge!

 Bye for now!

Liberate Your Art Postcard Swap 2016

First, a HUGE THANKS to Kat... It was a fabulous event and saw so many inspiring cards. All the best to ALL. Keep up the creativity, and keep LIBERATING !!!!

It all started way back in January when I was taking part in Leslie Seata's 30 paintings in 30 days . I learned on  Sheila Delgado's blog about the Liberate Your Art Postcard Swap. I was very excited about joining and thought this a good way to spread my art and meet new artists.  I already had at hand 30 new small daily paintings to choose from, find a printer and I was on my way. All original oils painted on 6 x 8 " cardboard or on pieces of collages also 6 x 8.

No regular printer does postcards here and the pros, my daughter works at a local printer, wants minimum 50-100 cards.So I decided to make my own.  Printed my cards at a photo printer and pasted with double sided tape to hard stock and drew the back of the postcard by hand. Not so professional looking but c'est la vie!!! Printing also was a problem because of the standard sizes here are different than in the states.

Finally, I shipped them off to Kat... Didn't decorate my envelope but Kat showed it because stamp and postmark from Israel in Hebrew,

Received envelope with

Postmark from Israel

My cards before shipping

My side swaps

Top left found a home with 

David Wolanski

Top right with Sheila Delgado

Bottom right went to my artist friend Meredith 

middle yellow landscape found a home in Australia with Diane McWhirter

bottom left found a home with my sister Debbie, Revere Beach Ma

Side swaps I received  L-R

From   David Wolanski    Sheila Delgado

Side swap from 

Diane Mcwhirter

Pencil drawing

Sadly I have only seen one of my cards on the FB event page. My  Potted Plant found a home with Megan Osborn from Arlington,Washington.

Although I am a bit disappointed at not knowing where my cards landed I am glad I took part and will take part next year.  I am a bit of stickler for internet etiquette and can't really understand  not letting the person who you received a card from that it arrived. I know that not all love FB,  including myself, but that is the event platform. I did put the URL of my site and there is a contact link. My they got lost/damaged or they weren't liked....don't want to go there,,,

I love all the cards I received. Still awaiting 1 card. and 1 side swap.

Top  L-R Amy Irwin  Chandra Lynn

Bottom L-R  Elizabeth Ann Dorman  

Linda Richards

Last but NOT least I received Kat's card!!!

Well, finally I received my last card. It traveled from Oregon to Jamaica and then on to Israel.

Alas, its anonymous a beautiful card of a mosaic bird.. 

The label was clear to go to Israel

Zip code not like any in Jamaica

Go figure!!!!

An InLinkz Link-up