Tag Archives: #desertart

February 2021 30-Day Creative Gathering Collage

February 2021 30-Day Gathering Collage .© 2021 Sheila Delgado.

February was a moody month for me. Haha. At least, by the looks of my collage. I didn’t think about doing groups of three. The first was just luck of the draw. I had three sheets of paper ready to go (prepped in January). On the 10th – 18th, I found 3 each, cradled board, and canvas boards in two different sizes. Quite nice, as it removed that part of the decision-making from the equation. As Gump would say, “One less thing.” Haha.

As usual, I had lots of ideas at the beginning of the month, that I never got around to. One thing leads to another, and pretty soon I am headed down a different road. And I still have the large 36 x 36-inch blank canvas hanging on my wall. Though, I did have fun trying some ideas out with that. It is next on my list. Again.

In this creative round, there are 15 pieces I could easily chuck in the round file. But, there are 12 that I am very happy with. Not a bad percentage. There are six that I have started reworking, and I will share those with you soon. You can see some of my favorites below.

February Favorites 2021 30-Day Gathering Collage .© 2021 Sheila Delgado.

Thanks so much for following along! Your encouragement and suggestions are so meaningful to me. You helped me to keep going on the days when nothing seemed to work.

Thank you, my friends!

In a few days, I will share art and collages from the many artists who make up the Creative Gathering. They are all so extremely gifted. I am so honored to work alongside them. You will love a virtual stroll through the Gathering’s Gallery!

See you soon!

Art and friendship are absolutely connected…
Friendship is, after all, sharing a deep part of your self
with another person, and receiving the same back.
Nina Allen Freeman

I draw flowers every day on my iPhone,
and send them to my friends,
so they get fresh flowers every morning.
David Hockney

30-Day Creative Gathering February 2021, Days 29 & 30

Day 30, 4 x 6 Watercolor and pen on paper. © 2021 Sheila Delgado.
Day 30, 4 x 6 Watercolor and pen on paper. © 2021 Sheila Delgado.

Tonight I tried a new watercolor paper. I was gifted several blank postcards. FUN! Thank you, Christine Brooks! Christine sent me three different types, 2 are etcher, and one is Strathmore.

I usually use cold-pressed paper, so I started with the hot press. I worked with lots of water on the background above, and it held up. It did curl while drying, but the paper was easily curved back to flat. Blending was not great. In the flowers above, I used the blending brush in Photoshop to soften some of the edges. In the cactus below, you can clearly see the paint did not move well. Still, I do think the paper is decent. For postcards, I think it works well. It would probably handle sketching nicely.

Day 29, 4 x 6 Watercolor and pen on paper. © 2021 Sheila Delgado.
Day 29, 4 x 6 Watercolor and pen on paper. © 2021 Sheila Delgado.

I fell behind in the final days, and postcards were the perfect way to catch up quickly. More for fun, than fine. Haha.

Tomorrow I will share my collage of the 30 pieces painted this month. In a few days, I will share a collection of stunning works created by the artists who participated in this month’s creative challenge.

You won’t want to miss it!

Days 27 & 28 of 30

Day 27, 8 x 8 Acrylic on paper. © 2021 Sheila Delgado.
Day 27, 8 x 8 Acrylic on paper. © 2021 Sheila Delgado.

Well. So much for that. I usually try to end the painting challenge on a high note. Not looking good. I have been distracted and staying up much to late. I mean really late. 4 am late. I just can’t get out of the routine. LOL.

The painting above, is a disaster. Haha. 🙂 I tried to finish the color theme. Keep my group of 3’s going. But I tried six times… and finally just thought to lay the color down. But even THAT did not work. Haha. So there it is. #3, moving on.

I did this two days ago, and oddly enough. it sort of looks like our sky today. There is a fire to the north of us. Probably a controlled burn. Haven’t found a report on it yet. There is blue sky, and a swath of reddish-gray haze hanging over Mingus. It doesn’t even really show up in a photo. But it is there.

Smoke over Mingus 3-2-21, SMD.
Smoke over Mingus 3-2-21, SMD.

I had purchased a pack of colored pens at, you guessed it, Dollar Tree. Found them and decided to play. did some silly sketches, and scribbled out a vase and some blooms. When I added watercolor, it really softened the marks. I went back over the blooms but left the vase alone.

Just a quick little sketch. After a long stressful day, it really calmed me to sit and watch color move.

Day 27, 5 x 7 Watercolor and pen on paper. © 2021 Sheila Delgado.
Day 27, 5 x 7 Watercolor and pen on paper. © 2021 Sheila Delgado.

Haha. I was looking for a quote on making bad art and ran across this site. Looks like fun. I will go through it more next month. When I am not quite so busy. I still need to catch up, 2 more pieces. Thought you might get a kick out of it.

The best reason to paint
is that there is no reason to paint.
Keith Haring

I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells.
Dr. Seuss