..and to all a Good Night !

                                           " May your troubles be less

may your blessings be more

may nothing but happiness come

through your door!"

What a lovely greeting! it came in the form of a card from

the East Maui Animal Refuge

AKA The Boo Boo Zoo! 

and speaking of what came through the door, last year my pal Pat brought a plate of almond flavored mouse cookies so i promptly put them upon my holly plates and photographed the tender morsels! 

So this year i had to make some myself and like a good elf i took a plate of mice to a Christmas party at  the home of a long time acquaintance that had a mouse tree, a small tree covered with mouse ornaments.The cookies were a hit and one lady could not bear to eat the cookie

 as i saw it go out the door in a plastic cup!

......and to all a good night! 

(Ruby as a kitten  resting on an shell ginger pillow)

Mele Kalikimaka!

Mahalo

 for reading my words of ponder and viewing  photos of wonder this year 2015 

and for those who left a comment, thanks for the conversations!

May the new year hold wonder and LOVE and peace and Joy and good health for you ALL! 

Aloha, Sonja

after the paint has dried......

After the paint has long since dried and sewing has been done by this painter of my recent class according to her plan...this photo of Sheryl's mango painting  project arrived! i am always so happy to see where the person has taken  her painting, her work to the next step, to the real piece that you can pick up and hug! And then took the time to share with all of us.

 this is an amazing pillow, I am proud of her. 

Next came  the photo  below of Suzie's tote bag with her graceful hand painted Heliconia featured below. I wish you could see the plumeria she painted with the most beautiful background of blue. I wonder what she made with it ? Just pinning it up on a bulletin board to enjoy each time you pass it is a real good place to start, then one day you walk by and say,
 "Oh that's what I'll do!"

 Thank you Suzie and Sheryl for painting with me last summer

 and sharing where the paint took you!.

 I am thankful for the folks that come up to paint and surprise themselves !

 I think that having  the art supplies gathered and a sunny day and good company and encouragement help a great deal with the success and fun generated. Making time for such days is also essential,  because you make the time for things that are important to you.
 Learning a new or improving a technique are  some important ways to spend
your precious time to your best outcome I think.
Just do it!

So, what did you do last summer that is outstanding in your fond memories? 

i collaged  a day of mine in picasa program !

aloha, sonja 

Thankful for cranberries among many ,many things....

This is a time of year to make the food goodies that bring back fond memories.

 Those are the best ones to keep and dust off occasionally. Time to share them with the folks you sit down and eat with.

I make a cranberry sauce when i find the fresh berries on sale

 or cleverly stashed in my deep freezer 

and i never make it the same way as there is always a flavor or spice or fruit to try out as a  new  ingredient .......inspiration is always incoming ! 

What are you making? 

! I say food can be art to eat first with the eyes and then eat with a spoon ! 

See well, be well, Sonja

http://sonjahagemanndesigns.blogspot.com/2010/11/cooking-up-batch-of-cranberry-sauce.html

thoughtful thursdays

Good morning!

These tiny yellow guys

 sprang up after our many rainy days and 

they look so sunny with leaves clover like leaves and tiny yellow anthurium -like flowers.

 they shimmer in the light breezes. 

They are a weed that spreads after a rain like thrown paint from a gallon can.
a great ground cover that takes the drought and occasional mowing.

  

perennial peanut(arachis glabrata)

Croton leaves already dressed for autumn

Some fiery spikes of a bromeliad plant

 and more bromeliad spikes reaching for the sky

Strawberry guavas shot through a window screen

 

strawberry guavas outside shot 

 a royal poinciana  flower.

Here Thursdays are senior citizen discount day at the  local super market.
So when i find my list i shall venture forth and shop locally, thoughtfully.
 Be well, Sonja

Fabric painting with new and old acquaintances, August 2, 2015

Aloha,
 Last Sunday was a  lovely painting day with a few new folks,
and one lady that painted with me atleast a decade ago.

 She recognized my style of work at the Haleiwa Art Festival recently in July

where some other folks asked if i teach and so i handed them my sign up sheet.
Occasionally i will teach a class.

Sheryl, Suzie and Mei at art making in August 2015.

Upon their early morning arrival and before we  sat down to sketch and paint however,
we walked about the yard and took pictures of  trees and leaves, flowers and the orchids, oh the orchids!!!,  and the  mangoes in full summer blush in their colors of greens, red, orange and purple, and small flecks of white and hanging like ornaments from the tree's canopy.
All those devices that take photos and enlarge and crop for color, shape, and composition reference came out and soaked in the images of natures' beauty.
From these photos and my collection of floral calendars and  other inspirations,
 i asked them to make  quick sketches on paper of what they see/saw.
( looking and seeing are quite different to me as i explain,often),
and then to  make a few more sketches.
I see the mangoes and orchids  were on everyone's radar yesterday!

 

As a painter i feel that there is no better inspiration and information than the real deal.
 A photo is a wonderful reference but has not dimension nor fragrance to share with you.
One must remember many things when looking at the photo you took to inspire
 and later pick out what you need.
Some elements will not appear in sketch. Then there are addition and color changes.
leaves moved around as you compose a balance sketch.
 That is why this is such a good way to start a session
and why folks go on location
to the ocean, to Portugal (or any exotic place you can think of), or your back yard, to paint, to absorb, to really see and tell about what you experienced with out words,
 to  show me with paint.
And  they surprised themselves!

i also bring in leaves and flowers for the table for folks to look at and SEE.
flowers and leaves to inspire the eye and nose!

paint mixing on yogurt lids and test coaster below
 

Now
let's peek over the shoulders and see what is happening.

Suzie's plumerias, especially the one she later painted with a blue background
came out amazing!

 Sheryl's mango  photo to sketch to cartoon to paint testing with leaves samples is below.
Her fabric  mango came out lovely and went home with her before  my camera was ready.

then,
Sheryl sent a photo this morning of her painted yardage already
now heat treated, washed and ironed and folded. This woman was inspired!

Such yummy colors to inspire more arty fun!

 Every one's  flower paintings on fabric came out So Amazing ! 

here is one,

painted by Mei from a drawing she made from a photo she took.

Mei said she had never painted before. this is hard to believe as

her orchid painting looks lovely and came out Amazing!!

  i will make a photo of  her inspiration growing in the yard and apply it here!

Today i got a note from Mei saying," 

Thanks, Sonja! I do like to paint some more.

Thanks for introducing me to painting and I love it!!!

 And like to paint more! I didn't know I could DO IT!" 

 Mei

 trichoglottis brachiata

  I love summertime, summertime and the  many, many  orchids that are blooming now!

Theses above and below are the black orchids

 i posted a year ago in the post 

Ruby Ruby Ruby 

thank you ladies
  for spending the day with paint brushes in your hands
and smiles on your faces!
Mahalo to ALL the folks that painted all these 20  plus years with me
and were encouraged  to SEE!

Be well, See well,
aloha, Sonja

Now i will attempt to link to :
Creations - Quilts, Art, Whatever by Nina-Marie Sayre

Santo & Johnny, Sleepwalk, 1959

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rwfqsjimRM

Recently a person from my high school sent an email that talked about music,a poem actually.

 It got me a pondering music,again.

I love  new, old and ancient music from the Beatles to Bach and back again..the thing about music for me  is that  it is a time tunnel and when i hear some selections, i travel back in my memory to where i was, who was there, what i thought about dis and dat....and just for a moment my skin fits nicely once again.

"Sleep Walk" is one of those wonderful tunes that i love. it gives me chicken skin when i hear the first notes.  It must be the steel guitar that gets to me.And that haunting melody.  The steel guitar is so loved by Hawaiian musicians .
While i am in a musical mood,

Today was the birthday of jazz musician Louis Armstrong ( august 4,1901),  also known as "Satchmo."

Armstrong's most famous, and enduring, song is "What a Wonderful World" (1967), and claimed as his favorite. It is another wonderful song that almost seems to me  to be a prayer of gratefulness.

I love this song .I have  a post with that youtube if you check in my labels, down the right column with those wonderful quotes i so love, you can pull it up.

Louis Armstrong What a Wonderful World

  or you can just goggle it!

Happy Birthday Louie!

be well,

A fair to remember, The Haleiwa Arts Festival 2015

A fair to remember,The Haleiwa Arts Festival 2015!

MONDAY, JUNE 29, 2015 was the ORIGINAL  POST DAY

                      

Only weeks left  before the big white tents are up
at Haleiwa Beach Park 

for the 18th Haleiwa Arts Festival
July 18 and 19, 2015
(10am to 6 pm Sat and 10 to 5 Sunday)

Very soon the artisans will fill the tents with the colors and ideas of our imaginations
 for you to see and touch and consider.
Food, music, visual arts, stuff for kids to do, dance to watch are just some  highlights! this year the bagpipers were back!! they are wonderful

I imagine that many studios are humming with activity... mine is!

with finishing up a few requests as well as new works.

There is always a quilt or angel or bag that needs finishing, that final hand work or  sewing that has been saved for quiet time in a chair under a shady tree,perhaps.

 On sunny days,

I am painting up fabrics for my projects and always have some to share at the fair for those who see the possibilities in them  to compose their own art with.

This  war memorial is at the entrance of the park.

This  photo was taken on a beautiful Haleiwa day

This year, my booth is # 86, same area as last umteen years

I am near the entrance of the show, close to information  and community tents

according to map they sent recently.( where the tents actually go up.. is close.)

 Today I am finishing up two quilts, painting labels and  doing the hand work including threading needles which is somewhat annoying to my mature eyes. My mobile sewing  machine mechanic gave me a couple of those needle threaders that i have been loading up with 4 or more needles at a time to keep things rolling along.

Painting cotton fabric is a very large part of my preparations as many pieces are used in my finished work.Some great pieces are also tagged for sale.

 Here is a flowering bromeliad as inspiration for what later became a journal cover!

 

Sometimes just watching  the paint dry on fabric is one  highlight of my day.

This sort of pastime gives me pause to muse about what they might  become

while enjoying how colors and textures flow and  mingle, thusly

giving me "idea seeds" of what might be. Some of the above pieces actually were quilted and sewn into journal covers that i make refillable with those marble composition books and in 2 sizes.

I hope to see you soon.

come see the hand painted postcards among the many fine pieces i make!

Aloha, Sonja

Then my helper Ruby said........" sometimes selecting fabric just makes me so dizzy......"

6 COMMENTS:

Sherrie Spangler said...

Your painted fabric is beautiful! Good luck at the show.

JUNE 29, 2015 AT 10:40 PM

LA Paylor said...

as always Sonja, I'm with you in spirit. I hope this year's festival brings you many connections, and sales, and moments of sharing.
Ruby, you continue to be lovely and sleek, what a nice spirit you have. LeeAnna

JUNE 30, 2015 AT 10:18 AM

sonja said...

Thank you Sherrie and LeeAnna for good show wishes and kind colorful words !
And You guys really do get color !

JULY 3, 2015 AT 1:48 PM

Anni - My Creative Life and Mixed Media Books said...

Beautiful photos Sonja, love your dyed fabric, the colors are so wonderful.
Anni

JULY 15, 2015 AT 11:02 PM

sonja said...

thank you Annie! i so enjoy the process like painting fabric. And after it is dry and ironed ,washed, and ironed again, using it in my art work! There are always surprises!
i am so impressed with prompt card and the ideas you materialized, the board/card series games where super!aAd that your "arted" everyday shows discipline!

JULY 16, 2015 AT 11:41 AM

sonja said...

thank you to all that passed through my tent of my arts. #86 this last weekend
i hope to hear from the lady that picked out 6 bags and the stylist that chose the rainbow fabric, as we discussed!
aloha, sonja

JULY 21, 2015 AT 12:37 AM

today 7/25/15 I lost and found this post and found you can't ad any more comments here /it closed its feature do to my error. if you wish to comment do so on next post.  sonja

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