Pen & Ink Drawing for a Contest: Update

Title: "Rising Up"

Medium: Pen & Ink

Contest Genre: Abstract/Experimental

Reception Date: Sunday, March 28, 2010

Juror Decision: 2nd Place, $50 Prize

Juror Critique: "good detail and composition"

The Annual Art Show of the Mount Airy Art League was held at the Gertrude Smith House in Mount Airy, NC. Below are scenes from the reception held at the house.

Gertrude Gilmer was a Mt. Airy native who married Jefferson Davis Smith, a local merchant. Their house is now on the National Register of Historic Places. The last of the 7 Smith children to live in the house was Gertrude Smith, the eldest daughter, who graduated from Peace College in Raleigh and later attended the Parson's School of Interior Design in NYC. She returned to the home in the 1930s and lived there until her death in 1981. All of the furniture belonged to the family, and the Victorian-style furnishings reflect the tastes of Gertrude.

Pen & Ink Drawing for Contest

Title: "Rising Up"

Medium: Pen & Ink

Genre: Abstract

Date: March 11, 2010

Note: I completed this drawing to enter in a gallery contest sponsored by a local Art League. I have a chance to win cash prizes as well as sell my drawing.

Mail Art: Postcard Exchange

Title: "Keeping the Rhythm"

Media: Acrylic Paint

Date: February 28, 2010

Northwest Regional Libraries Photo Contest

These photos are currently in a library photo contest.

I printed this one in black and white. I am in a boat on the river while taking this photograph. This is located in northern Virginia.

This was taken in the fall of 2007 during a trip to the North Carolina mountains.

Mail Art: Valentine's Day Collage

Title: "A Wall of Valentine's Day Wishes"

Medium: Acrylic Paint

Date: February 2010

This is a collage of postcards I designed and sent to the 11 members of my mail art group. We exchange postcards on the 1st of each month.

Camera Compositions

Title: "Just Fall"

Media: Digital Photography

Date: January 2010

Title: "Thanksgiving Weather"

Media: Digital Photography

Date: November 2009

Title: "Now"

Media: Digital Photography

Date: January 3, 2010

Mail Art: January & February Postcard

Title: "The Rhythm of Your Own Pattern"

Media: Pen & Ink

January Postcard

Title: "And Then"

Media: Mixed Media: Marker, Colored Paper, Glue

February Postcard

Photos in the Snow

Winter Storm: January 2010

Click the Photo to see a Powerpoint of Images.

Radial Design

Title: Illustrating a Name

Date: January 18, 2010

Media: Markers

This project is an example to use with my 5th grade art students as I teach radial balance and design.

Ornament Contest

In December, I entered an ornament contest sponsored by a local Arts Council.

I won 3rd place.

Design: This ornament is made completely from yarn, (other than the bead accents.) I created a white, yarn ball and then added just enough red yarn to create a 'warped' base for weaving in red yarn to cover the base. I created a green, chained string to add some details and added a multicolored "hanger," (similar to a plant hanger,) to hold the ornament. I added beads for contrast.