Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Boxes

The semester is almost over in my experi- mental painting class. The third project was Boxes. This was a box with a very rustic finish that I added some mixed media ATCs to the outside and inside of the box and then did some groupings in each of the cubbies.
I found the little aliens in tubes of slime at Target and couldn't resist them. All of the other objects have personal meanings and represent something in my life. The yellow smilely face guy was from an Arby's kid meal about 25 years ago. It was fun to play with all my little momentos.
This "box" is a shrine or collection holder. It is made out of foam core, covered in rice paper, painted and collaged. The idea was from the book, "Crafting Personal Shrines" by Carol Owen. It was great fun to put together and decorate.
The box in the center was a notecard box with a magnetic closure. I added the little shelf.
I was surprised how sturdy it turned out to be. A group of my friends and I are planning a "shrine making workshop this summer". What would you put in your shrine?

Friday, May 1, 2009

Washington DC

Went to Washington DC to visit my son, Jason, for a week. My friend and travel buddy, Dianne, joined me for the trip. We had a fabulous time, saw the sites, ate way too much great food, walked more miles than I want to count and really enjoyed our time together.
It was Cherry Blossom Festival and boy is that a beautiful sight. On the weekend we went to Georgetown and walked around the Dembarton Oaks Garden. It was sunny day and the gardens were lovely even though a lot of the flowers were not in bloom yet.
We made our way to Jason's apartment on Saturday and he made us a delicious lunch and then we walked around his neighborhood and all the great brownstones. We sat outside at a local coffee place and worked in our sketchbooks.
Thanks Jason and Dianne for a great trip!
Robert Bateman 6"x9"Sketchbook
Pen and Watercolor