Almost Christmas!

As Christmas approaches, I'm finding myself caught up in the usual preparations and enjoying the sights and sounds of the holiday season. This week I made a floral arrangement for my sister,

with a final touch of battery operated lights! She loves bling, so it was a big success.

Our first snowfall coated tree branches, utility wires and rooftops with a heavy white frosting - really quite beautiful to see. Our snow thrower was in the shop for repairs at the time, and my husband gallantly shoveled everything by himself. 

 Rosie is missing her brother Angus, sometimes wandering around the house meowing, but she is also enjoying her new stature as queen of the house. She seems to enjoy all of our extra attention. Although they didn't seem to get along that well, Angus and Rosie were together with us since they were kittens, so I'm sure she is wondering where he is. Really miss our little boy.

On the creative side, I made this cut paper picture for the feast of St. Lucy on December 13. Her face is drawn and shaded with colored pencils and a bit of acrylic paint. It feels so good to create something, I have to ask myself why I don't do it every day. It seems to be a constant question for me, with an obvious solution - just do it!! Hmmm...New Year's resolution?

In any case, in a few days we'll be heading off for Toronto to spend Christmas with our daughter - the perfect Christmas gift for us! Can't wait!

Meanwhile, whatever holiday you are celebrating, even if it is just the beauty of the winter season,

may you have a wonderful week, filled with joy.

xo Judy

Moving From Reality to Whimsy

If you've followed my blog, you know that I love to create faces.

I start with an oval or squarish shape and draw, erase, draw, erase, etc,

until I'm satisfied with the outcome. I let the personality and details emerge as they will

and look at the drawing upside down or in a mirror to see if anything is grossly uneven.

And usually I'll let a day or two go by before looking at it again, at which time I can see

more clearly what I want to add, subtract or correct. It's a process!

I apologize for such murky photos, which I edited as best I could, but it is a cloudy day!

I made this sketch recently and finished it today. No one in particular, just an earnest looking girl...

Then I decided to get whimsical and went for a more illustrative look. I like 

this look because it's less serious and I can see her surrounded by flowers and butterflies.

Next I went on to a look I've been playing with lately - this lady has a longer face and

 eyes that reming me of those in paintings by the artist Modigliani. I can see her and her

children in a storybook! 

Here are some of their neighbors - they look like gentle people, don't they?

And all of these remind me of this lady, whom I created a while ago, as well as of my daughter Kate's face, as she is always in the back of my mind!

I think I'm on to something I like! What do you think?

Meanwhile I've been working on a few pictures for our Arts Collaborative's 

Fall show this Thursday night. I'll share them with you soon!

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

A Green Bough

This heart is for February 3 - didn't quite get it done in time.

I'll have another one later today!

I've always loved this quote and thought it would fit in well with Heartfelt February!

Once again, I used cut paper for this design.

Hope your week is off to a good start!

Heartfelt February - Matisse Inspired Heart

A jubilant heart to lift my spirits - inspired by the cut-outs of Matisse.

My husband and I had just returned from seeing the movie Twelve Years a Slave, which weighed us down, as it should, with details of the slave trade in the pre-Civil War United States. I must say, I'll never again be able to watch Gone With the Wind, with its simplistic take on slavery.

I knew that I wanted to do a Matisse themed heart and I hurried to complete it before daylight faded.

It was fun to make and I got it done just in time to snap a picture on my porch!

Hope you've had a great day!!

AEDM Day 22 - Three Days in November

I was 15 years old, in Latin class in the parochial high school I attended in Boston,

when Mother Antonia's voice announced over the loud speaker,

 that President Kennedy had been shot.

As high school girls, we idolized this handsome president, 

his beautiful wife Jackie and their adorable children.

We were frozen in disbelief, tears were shed, school was dismissed.

and we rode home on public transportation in stunned silence.

No iPhones then to call our parents, keep up with events,

divert ourselves with entertaining apps.

For the next few days we were glued to the TV, watching the continuous news coverage.

My sister on the left with her pouffy "flip",

I on the right with my curly bubble cut.

As we sobbed, we watched in awe as the dignified Mrs. Kennedy led the nation 

in honoring her slain husband.

Today's Boston Globe, with an insert replicating the front page of that historic day,

brought back a flood of memories. 

Where were you (or were you even around then?) when you heard the news?

Heartfelt February ~ Day 24

Today's clever hearts were made by my dear friend, Elaine.

Cut paper artwork by Elaine Lowry

Elaine enjoys puzzles, and her kitty, Honeybee, inspired these cut paper

pieces by her active "participation" in the process!! 

Hope you're enjoying a wonderful weekend!

Window Dressing

Our town's Art Walk continues, and I stopped last night to snap some photos

of my movie star pictures in the window of Florence's Fashions.

Audrey and Marilyn look comfortable amidst the glitter and glamor of the window decorations,

don't you think?

(I love that there is a chandelier in the window!)

Thursday and Friday nights there will be receptions for some of the artists, so we'll

be party hopping in our own little town!

This is such a fun event!

Hope you're having a good week!

Audrey and Marilyn

We are having an Art Walk in our town beginning tomorrow, with participating businesses showing works by local artists in their windows. Since I've been helping with the planning, I requested a specific shop, Florence's Fashions, because I enjoy the the owner's  sense of humor and glitzy fashions. When Barbara, the owner, mentioned that she was doing a Halloween window, including a mannequin dressed up like Marilyn Monroe, I decided to make something specifically for this display.

So, using fabric, stitching, pastels and plastic "jewels", I made Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly!

She is mounted on an 11x14" canvas and the sides are trimmed with silver glitter ribbon.

And, done in cut paper, fake "jewels" and an elaborate frame - Marilyn Monroe!

This was a fun project for me! I spent a great deal of time researching photos and stories about these women, made many drawings, and glued on each "jewel" by hand - and felt very satisfied when I delivered the pictures today! Barbara was really enthusiastic about them and they'll be in her window for two weeks. Today is cold and rainy, but on a better day I'll take a picture of the window and  post it here.

Here's wishing you a wonderful weekend!

Ready For Summer?

It seems impossible that Summer is just now on the horizon. After a very rainy Spring, trees and all things green are extremely lush and full, as if it were already the middle of July. A real perk for us  New Englanders has been a recent block of perfect days, with sunshine and cool breezes. Open windows and the sound of birds chirping have had the cats stationed at screen doors and on window sills, alert to any wildlife or neighborhood "outdoor" cats who might pass by.

                                                                                      Original Cut Paper Art by Judy Hartman

I've been seeing so many beautiful photos of flowers and gardens on blogs from all parts of the country and other countries, but it is just recently that I've noticed my own perennials coming into bloom.

The lilies are bursting out,

while the hydrangeas are timidly showing a few blue blossoms.

Original cut paper art by Judy Hartman

Soon, the whole

 bush will be brilliant with periwinkle flower balls,

and I'll be gathering some to put in my mother's milk glass vase - a summer ritual.

Paper Collage: "Joy rises in me like a summer's morn."

Samuel Taylor Coleridge

I finished up the paper/painted collage I was working on back here. I'm not thrilled with my lettering, but was happy with the result of writing on tissue paper with a permanent Micron pen, tearing the edges, then being able to incorporate it seamlessly into the collage with acrylic medium. That will be useful in future attempts!

Speaking of future attempts, as I've mentioned before, I've recently been considering the direction I'd like to take with my artwork. I had been receiving newsletters from one of my favorite art quilt and mixed media artists, Lesley Riley, and recently signed up for a one-on-one coaching call with her. Lesley helped me to see where my strengths lie, gave me the validation I needed, and encouraged me with solid, workable advice. Now to get to work!! (Actually, I have been doing that!) You can read more about what Lesley has to offer in the way of coaching and classes here, sign up for her newsletter, or listen to her podcasts on Art and Soul Radio.

I'll be taking a break from blogging, from now until July 1, when I'll be back with a new blog design and some new work.

Hope you have an enjoyable first day of summer on Thursday, celebrate all the beauty nature is pouring out on us, and manage to find some time for creativity. I won't be posting, but I will be checking out everyone's blogs and seeing what you're up to! Take care...

Handmade Joy Exchange

Recently I participated in the Handmade Joy Exchange created by Anne at My Giant Strawberry. Each participant sent a handmade gift to another participant, and received something from a different person.
I received a very beautiful pair of earrings from Stina at Honeywild Loves You.

The earrings have vintage bows and peach aventurine stones. Stina also included a pretty pin and her lovely business card. I love the earrings - they will be perfect with summer colors!!

My recipient is Ishrat whose blog is called Fruitful Fusion. She lives in Saudi Arabia, loves color, and does beautiful crochet work. I myself do not crochet, so I'm very impressed with her stunning work.

In her blog, Ishrat mentioned that she loves lilies, so I made a lily-themed paper cut for her.

I started off by drawing a design on white paper, making dots with a Sharpie pen (which I knew would go through to the back) in areas that would be cut out. I put specks of glue on the back over the black dots, then glued the white paper to green card stock, which I thought would make a nice outline.

Then I did the cutting through both the white paper and the green card stock. The glued sections fell through when cut out.

I peeled off the white paper when the cutting was done.

The cut-out could have been enough as it was, but I wanted to add color.

I traced the flowers and leaves onto light yellow paper and used watercolor pencils to fill in the shapes.

Then I glued the cut-out over the yellow paper and added a ribbon. This is how it looked on my door with sunlight shining through.

I love my earrings, Stina, and hope that Ishrat is pleased with her paper cut.

Thank you, Anne for a joyful exchange!

You can visit Anne's blog to find links to all of the participants' blogs!

Have a wonderful day!

A Child's Portrait

 I recently completed this commissioned portrait, derived  from a photo taken in the 1960's of a most adorable young girl. The medium is cut paper, and the face was done with micron pens and colored pencils. I used acrylic paint for details on the cat's face. The cat, by the way, was not in the original photo!

Before sending it off to my customer, who is also a dear friend, I added a brighter sparkle to the girl's  eyes and a few more highlights to her hair. Unfortunately I didn't get a photo of those final touches.

It's always rewarding to finish a promised project, and I have another one in progress as I write this.

Hope everyone who reads this is having a very good week! 

                                                                         

Monday Morning

I love a new week, full of promise and the possibility of wonderful things happening!!
I've been visiting my favorite blogs and noticing an upswing in people's sprits as Spring approaches, and I feel it too! Today is bursting with sunshine and we are promised much warmer weather as the week goes on!
This past Friday I had the privilege of being part of a small exhibit during the grand opening of a terrific  gift shop in our town. As I scurried to finish a fabric and felted landscape, but didn't quite make it, I instead settled on two cut paper pieces I had done awhile ago. As it turned out, my work was hung next to some beautiful felted pieces by another artist, so it was good to have work in different media.

It looks a bit confusing, but there are two levels in the store and this wall overhangs the lower level!

These are the pieces I put in the exhibit.

And this coming weekend I'll be doing a demonstration, with my friend Andrea, of different types of collage (Andrea will be demonstrating silk screen printing), so this week I'll be posting some examples of collage as I prepare them for the demonstration.

Hope you have a wonderful week!!

Sweet Marie

In my last post, I talked about making a portrait of my mom, inspired by the style of artist Henri Matisse.
This is what i have done so far.

What I'm learning is that it is difficult for someone as constrained as me to let loose and to be as uninhibited as a painter like Matisse. Also, I'm working on an image of someone dear to me, in cut paper no less, so that is a challenge too. 

I did the face over and over, from memory and from a few photos, trying to capture the sweetness of my mum, as well as her ladylike quality. After she died, a couple who knew her told me that they always referred to her as 'Sweet Marie' and I thought that was lovely. I included a pillow meant to look like needlepoint, which she did often, her rose pashmina shawl around her shoulders, and a long skirt such as she would wear occasionally. I plan to finish it with a few more items which represent her, a window in the background as is often seen in Matisse's work, and a few more prints and patterns.

I definitely need more loosening up, but it's a start!

Here's wishing everyone a wonderful weekend!

Thanks for visiting!