Category: Art

Art

The Butterflies and the Bees

Andi

Its been a minute since I shared a photo I took. Granted, because of stay at home orders we haven’t been out as much these last few months as I would have liked, but we all have to do our part.

On one of our Nature Walks, we discovered several bees. Bees are our friends, and we love them. What was so incredible was that butterflies were also all about. It just so happened that a bee and a butterfly landed on the same flower and then stayed there together. I was so fascinated by this. Luckily I was able to snap a quick pic before they flew away.

Art

Octopus Watercolor

Andi

I’m really proud of this painting. A couple friends and I started doing watercolor tutorials together over Zoom a few months ago when the Stay at Home orders were issued. Before that, we had tried to get together in person to paint together. I’m honestly surprised how well the paintings turn out because none of us are professionals, but they almost always look good.

But this one is extra special. This one is an octopus. Octopuses are my favorite sea creature and my second favorite creature in general. They sit on the top with the Cats and Elephants. They are brilliant and clever and snarky. Look up some of the aquarium and diver stories about them. I love nature in general, but octopuses hold a special place in my heart.

The template was all blue and purple, but as a looked at it, I didn’t like the blue. I decided he shouldn’t be blue, he should be orange. Which immediately reminded me of Hank the septopus from Finding Dory.

I love Hank. He is cranky. He wants to be left alone. He is constantly caught up in his friends hijinks. I am Hank. If I were an animal, I would be him. He is my favorite Pixar character. Which is not an easy feat considering he’s competing with the likes of Joy, Woody, and Dante. I am almost positive Hank was based off of someone in the Pixar studio and I want to meet this person, we would be friends.

So instead of blue and purple, I painted this guy orange and red with only seven arms in tribute to my Pixar friend Hank.

Art, family

The Last Supper Table and Chairs

Andi

A local museum had a room full of art pieces donated by local citizens. Some work they’d done themselves and some that had been passed down in their families. This table and chairs drew my attention and it fascinated me.

It depicts the Last supper in the middle of the table, and there are twelve chairs each depicting a different disciple. I did not notice at the time, but the chair for Judas is carved differently from all the rest as he was the one who betrayed Jesus. It is of course carved and it was quite large. This quick summary laid there with the piece shared the artists history.

I find it incredibly intriguing how various religions have effected the cultures in which they are prominent. Art is one of the plainest places to see these effects, as religious artwork is prolific.

Something else I find interesting about this artwork in particular is the rarity of it. Not because tables are rare or because this artist took 12 years to carve it, but because of the unique idea of it. Who thinks of the Last Supper and thinks, I can make that into a table and chairs. It’s so odd, but delightful.

I enjoyed this part of the museum because of the unique and fascinating nature of it. It was neat to see all these different pieces by or from local residents. But this table, by far, stood out the most.

Art, family

Photograph of Jellyfish

Andi

Another picture I took that I simply adored. I love nature and how incredibly beautiful it is. Nature puts on an artistic display for us to stand in awe of. It’s not all pretty landscapes and picturesque flowers either. It comes in odd shapes and colors, but still striking in it’s own form of beauty.

The other day we went to the aquarium and my children were profoundly fascinated with all the different creatures. The ocean is full of beauty and color and some of the weirdest animals on earth. I particularly liked these jellyfish. They look like they’re wearing frilly dresses. Those big southern bell dresses with petticoats and bloomers. And they were kind and stayed put so I could take their picture. Some of the other fish weren’t so cooperative.

My tidbit to you is to go outside and find something you love, something you find pretty, and take its picture.

Art

A Golden Piano

Andi

Look at this piano! Just take a moment to revel in its beauty.

This is the parlour in the now museum home that belonged to Margaret Brown. She is most commonly recognized as the wealthy woman that survived the sinking of the Titanic. She’s even known as The Unsinkable Molly Brown. She was portrayed by Kathy Bates in the James Cameron film, which was some on point casting by the way. She was well travelled and returning home from Egypt when she boarded the Titanic. I think what makes her significant is not as much the fact she survived, many wealthy passengers survived, it’s that she took it upon herself to help the survivors. She gave them the socks off her feet and the coats she had on. She organized a survivor’s aide fund before they even got back to shore to help the people who lost their entire lives to the ocean.

This piano was not original to the house, but based on photos we do have of the home, this piece fits into their decor. It was magnificent. The sides were painted with country scenes. The keys darkened from age and use. I saw it when I stepped into the house and I wanted to cry it was so beautiful.

The house did have some extra decor because it is so close to Halloween and they do Haunted Victorian Tours. The cobwebs for instance don’t normally belong. However, the spooky extras made the house feel like I was in the Addams Family living room, so I didn’t mind.

The piano was, by far, my favorite part of the home. I wanted to hear it play, but I knew I couldn’t, and it looked as though it hadn’t been played in a very very long time.

I love that art doesnt necessarily come on a canvas in a frame, or even in marble or clay. Art can be in many forms, in any form really. It can look like a painting, or a stained glass window, a piece of music, or an intricate golden piano. Art is beautiful.

Art, family

Halloween Wreath Craft

Andi

I set out to make a Halloween wreath and decided to make it with only materials from the Dollar Tree. Now, knock it if you want, but I have my reasons for going there. First, when I started decorating I lived in a less than desirable part of town in a state that has some awful weather. So if my outside decorations were destroyed by weather or stolen, I didn’t want to have spent a lot of money on them. So I’d go to Dollar Tree and I’ve found they have decent looking stuff. Secondly, I see all the time bloggers who make “budget friendly” crafts and “decorations you can do on a budget!” But then end up spending $50 on wreath materials. I’m not sure what budget they’re on, but a $50 wreath isn’t in mine. So if I can make a wreath with only Dollar Tree materials and make it look good, it is possible to decorate on a budget. Take heart, you can do it!Starting pieces. I got a metal wreath ring, three rolls of tool, a string of garland, a little witch hat, a BOO, and two packages of small figures. Totaled to $9, and if you add tax round that up to $10. I did also use a hot glue gun and string that I already had and didn’t calculate into the price. Neither are terribly expensive if you need to buy them. If you do, add another $8-$10 dollars.First, I wrapped the orange tool around the metal ring flatly, and then with the second roll, I wrapped the orange but twisted it. Then added the purple tool on top of the orange. I decided to keep it only two colors to avoid making the wreath too busy and confusing to the eye. Simple is sometimes best, especially when it comes to base colors. I secured the tool directly to the metal ring and added a little hot glue for extra strength because tool likes to come apart.Next I added the ghost Garland. This added a third color to the mix and some spooky as well. I also secured this directly to the metal ring. Pretty simple step, just wrap the garland around the wreath.For the BOO I tied it onto the wreath with string to hold it on. Then I used the hot glue gun to position it where I wanted. I knew simply glue wouldn’t be strong enough to last, which is why I chose to tie it on with string for added strength.After I had the BOO where I wanted it, I arranged the small figures around it for added flair. I had a package of plastic bugs and skeletons and a package of glittery bats. I didnt use all the bugs, mostly just the spiders, so my kids got the extras to play with. I tried to positon them in places with contrasting colors so they would be easy to see. Hot glue is what I used to keep them in place. Careful with this part as not to burn your fingers on the hot glue that eeks through the loose weave of the tool.Lastly, I added the little witch hat in the middle of the wreath. I debated putting it on top or figuring a way to tie it on the front, but ultimately chose to put it in the middle. This was the most difficult part of the entire craft. I tied both sides down with string. I made little peeky holes down to the metal ring and secured the hat directly to it. Once it was tied down, I used a little hot glue to position it exactly how it needed to sit and keep it there.Final product on the door. In total, this took me about an hour to make and cost me just under $10. I like how it turned out, and I’m pretty pleased with my craftiness. I’m thinking next time though, I’m going to use black tool on the base and orange or purple garland. Just to make it more stable and simply pleasing to the eye. Final consensus is you can make a good looking wreath entirely of Dollar Tree materials. Have a fashionable door and not spend a fortune. I’d say the experiment was a success.

Art, family

The Secret Garden

Andi

The Secret Garden. The influence this story has had in my life is immense. We didn’t have a big TV in our house; we had a tiny 13 inch TV my dad would use to repair video cameras. So the number of films I remember from my childhood is very small, but this was one of them. I would hide trinkets in the slats under my bed when I was young. I was constantly knocking on walls hoping they were secret passages. When I was in a production of A Christmas Carol as Ebenezer’s school teacher, my entire costume was based off of Mrs. Medlock. The film was also my first introduction to Maggie Smith 😍. I loved this movie when I was little.

Somehow though, I was never provided with a copy of the book. I had an abridged picture book of it, but that didn’t count, as it was mostly just pretty paintings. I do still have it though. I was an adult before I got ahold of an unabridged copy. I loved the book as much as I had loved the film as a youth.

My only criticism now is that Martha and Dickon’s mother was omitted from the movie save for one small mention of her from Martha. But, throughout the movie they really expounded on Mary feeling unwanted and forgotten which was only eluded to in the book. I appreciated how they fleshed Mary out a little more for the film adaptation.

This story may be why I love growing things so much. It might be why I have such fascination with old keys and old houses. It’s probably why I talk to birds and cats like they can understand me.

Regardless if it is or not, I love this story so much, and I will continue to watch it and read it again and again. I will read it to my children and show them the movie so they can experience the same story I loved when I was their age. And it’s a reminder to me that the littlest joys they experience may the greatest memories of their youth.

Art, family

Paper Plate Pumpkin

Andi

It’s almost 🎶Autumn🎶, it’s cooling down and its almost Autumn! 🎶 Auutummmn🎶

I love the fall. My favorite seasons are spring and autumn. They are both that perfect in between temperature that’s not too hot and not too cold. Spring is bright with colorful flowers and Fall is bright with colorful leaves. And sweaters are always appropriate for both seasons. So when it comes to cute seasonal crafts, Fall and Spring get a few more than Summer or Winter. So when September hit, I excitedly pulled out all the fall crafts.

I saw this paper plate pumpkin and thought it looked cute and simple, but the original had a pipe cleaner stem and I didn’t have any pipe cleaners on hand. So I thought I’ll just cut the top and make that the stem. I’m not sure where I thought I was going with it, which is abundantly clear with this first one my younger child did. I don’t have an explanation for that.

But by the time my older child was ready, I had a better idea of what I was doing, which is good because he cares about his crafts a great deal more. I helped him make the face, but if you wanted, you could cut the face out of black paper and have the child glue it on instead of drawing it.

This is, I think, adorable and easy. It took a little paint, paintbrushes, and a paper plate. I let my small one try to paint with this craft. A good craft to get the little ones involved and start jogging their creative juices.

A thumbs up 👍🏼 craft.

Art, family

Beauty from Pain

Andi

I want to talk about one of my favorite artists for a moment, which is Vincent Van Gogh. And I want to talk about him because he was talented and unique, but also tormented and lonely.

Vincent was born in the Netherlands, but moved several times throughout his life, living quite a bit around France. He was very religious, at one point attending seminary. But school was just not his cup of tea. He dropped out of different schools more than once, despite being decent at keeping good grades. Instead of focusing on his studies, he would wander about the countryside and walk for miles and miles each day. He loved being outside in the quiet of nature.

He consistently wrote to his brother throughout his entire life, and it’s from these letters that we can really catch a glimpse into this man’s life. Many people speculate that Vincent had a mental disorder, but as medicine was not what it is today, no one is 100% certain what it was. What we do know is that he experienced severe episodes of depression. He admitted himself into a mental institution for a time, during which he painted a Starry Night. We also know he felt panicked at times, he kept a dreadful diet, was addicted to coffee, and saw no real appreciation for his work during his lifetime.

In this way I feel oddly connected to Vincent. I don’t suffer from manic depression, but I know the feeling of uselessness. Like I have no gifts, no special talent, like nothing I will do will ever matter to anyone. He was unappreciated in his time, and he felt intense pain. Sometimes that aching pain is overwhelming, and the intrusive thoughts make the dark corners creep in. Everyone wants to feel like they have a purpose, and when you don’t, you feel lost. You begin to wonder, why do I keep trying? I will never be successful at anything. Everything I love to do, I suck at. Like I have a curse to be bad at everything I like. And this feeling pops up at the weirdest times, when you least expect it. But we do have one thing he did not, we have much better mental health care now. I can search and find a professional to help me. And it saddens me he didn’t.

But you know one thing that carried with Vincent throughout his entire life? His art. He is one of the most prolific artists of all time. He used color and texture in ways not seen before. He saw beauty in things, no one else saw. So, I suck at gardening. I’m bad at video games. I sound like a wheezing horse when I sing. But I’m going to keep doing it. I’m going to buy another tomato plant, and try again. I will continue singing in the kitchen and no one will stop me. And I will keep playing games I love because I like playing them and for no other reason. Because 🖕🏽 you dark creeping thoughts, you won’t overcome me.

Vincent Van Gogh never saw his namesake museum. He never knew his painting could sell for nearly 4 million dollars. He won’t ever know that he is taught in art classes. But we do, we know his legacy, we can love him now. Maybe somehow, he can see us from the great beyond, and maybe he’d shed a tear. And maybe he’d tell you, no matter the negativity, never give up on the things you love the most.