Read, Explore, Create!: June 2012

Nursery Rhyme - Mary Had A Little Lamb

I had a blessed week filled with family, art, and children. First of all, my oldest daughter turned 19 years old. I am so proud of her, not only is she a God loving young lady, but she also finished her first year at Texas A&M successfully. I also got to help my wife, who is the Christian Education Director at our Church, with the Vacation Bible School (VBS) arts and crafts portion of the program. Unfortunately, we did not have a large group this year, but at least we got to spread the word of the Lord to some of God's children and had lots of fun! Last, but not least, I was honored by an invitation from Mike R. Baker to become a regular contributor to Monday Artday, which is a group of over 600 artists and illustrators worldwide. (Mike is fighting cancer, so please keep him in your prayers.)

The current challenge at Monday Artday is Nursery Rhyme, which was perfect considering this week's events. I decided to bring back the original character whom I introduced in the From a Dream post on May 20th, 2012. I thought she was perfect for the leading role in "Mary Had a Little Lamb." I designed her Zentangle costume using the color story from this week's The Play Date Cafe Challenge #138, cotton candy, ruby, citrus, and dusk. I used Sharpie markers to illustrate her.

I decided to use my illustration to design two greeting cards. The first one I designed for Three muses, who is challenging readers to use frames. It is a similar layout to the CPS #266 I used my character in last time. However, I didn't use the diagonal line/cut, but instead added a ribbon and button embellishment. I used a pink Zig chalk writer to simulate a child's invented spelling and print in my sentiment. The second card I designed for Card Positioning Systems CPS #271. Except for a couple of modifications such as the Hemptique orange baker's twine, it's baskically the same layout. I used a couple of fruit print sheets from a DCWV The Four Seasons stack, scraps of blue cardstock, and Clearsnap pads for edging both cards. As to the frame and "funny" sentiment, they are both from a K&Company handmade die-cut set.

I also incorporated my illustration into a Tin Can CD or photograph gift box, so I can submit it to Crazy Amigo - Scrapcard and Craft Artwork - Cans in the New Version. I used an old AOL CD tin can that I've had for years, and couldn't get myself to throw away. Yes, I'm a packrat - LOL! I sanded it down and coated it with blue acrylic craft paint. I took a scrap of the paper I used for my cards, cut it to size, rounded the left side corners, and distressed all the edges. I took a print of my illustration and distressed the edges as well. When the tin can was dry, I coated it with decoupage medium and attached my papers. I coated the whole tin can with more decoupage medium. As a finishing touch, I added a strip of vintage classroom alphabet tape and a strip of recycled orange ribbon. I also punched a miniature tag from the scrap paper to stick under the ribbon. I need to confess that the acrylic paint scrapes of easily and believe spray paint for metal would have worked best. We learn from our mistakes, right?

My Drafting Table

The 5 & 6 year olds learned to spread the Gospel like busy bees spread pollen.

The 4th and 5th Graders learned they need to grow in their faith in Christ,
just like a caterpillar grows and turns into a butterfly.

In closing, I present to you my drafting table and 2 of my VBS tables for "What's On Your Workdesk?" Wednesday 160. As you can tell, it was a busy week, but I loved every minute of it. I got to work on my art projects for this post, as well as help develop children's creativity skills as I reinforced the Word of Lord. By the way, did you notice what I wrote in my art journal? My little girl character needs a name, and I'm considering Abna or Anby, which are combinations of the first syllables of my girls' names. However, my girls don't like either one of them - LOL! Do you have any suggestions? I'd love to hear what you think about the names and/or of my work, as well as to follow my blog. Blessings!

Tales of the Riverbank

The San Antonio River originates from springs in midtown San Antonio, Texas, and feeds into the Guadalupe River, about 10 miles from the San Antonio Bay, in the Gulf of Mexico. Although used by Native Americans for centuries, the river was officially documented by Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca during his expolrations in 1535. There are 5 major missions that were lined along its course during the Spanish reign, so it has witnessed major Texas historical events such as the Battle of the Alamo, in 1836. Today, the Bishop Jones Center is located in the Northeast riverbank area in the city of San Antonio. That's where the Cathedral House Gallery is located, which was the main inspiration for this post.

Bishop Jones Center's Cathedral Park Walkway
© Arnoldo L. Romero 2012

My first art piece is a postcard tag that I illustrated and designed for Tag Tuesday - Tales of the Riverbank. I used a Strathmore watercolor blank postcard base, and painted some waves using a Winsor & Newton navy blue watercolor. When it was dry, I used a pencil to sketch the man's bust, the lettering, and the organic forms. Then, I inked everything with Sharpie fine and medium pens. Next, I rounded the corners to form a tag shape and punched a teardrop hole between them. As an embellishment, I created a tassel using blue raffia strands, which I knotted with a scrap of off white twine. I added 3 black and blue polymer clay beads that I handmade a while back to three of the raffia strands. This was a fun postcard tag to make! Since it fits the themes, I am also submitting this piece to Sunday Post Card - Nature and to the Play Date Cafe Challenge #137, because I focused on black, white and blue.

Flower Bed at the Bishop Jones Center
© Arnoldo L. Romero 2012

My second Art piece is actually an art journal page composition that I've titled "The Secret Garden." I began by painting part of the Gulf Fritillary butterfly scene in the photograph above for my Twenty Minute Challenge entry on a Ranger canvas artist trading card. This was harder than my Camping entry last week, since I had to switch between a pencil, various Sharpie fabric markers, and Tulip brown dye. To be honest, I added the black lines in the background after the 20 minutes were over, which took me about 3 more minutes. (Did you notice I used pink instead of lavender for my lantana flowers? I have pink ones in my garden, so I guess I grabbed the wrong color unconsciously in my rush to finish. LOL!) Anyway, I used a K&Company Smash pad sheet to write the quote from Cecil F. Alexander's hymn, ALL THINGS BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL. Then, I stamped a Stampabilities key on a couple of Art-C yellow paper scraps. I also combined an Art-C orange flower portion with a flower I punched using the hydrangea Martha Stewart punch. I put them together with a Tim Holtz mini attacher. I distressed all the pieces, arranged them on my page, and glued them down. I am also submitting this piece to Simon Says - Depth of Distress, Simon Says - Anything But a Card, Take a Word Challenge - Insects, and Collage Obsession - Yellow .

Grow
11x14" Mixed Media
© Arnoldo L. Romero 2012

Rejoice
11x14" Collage
© Arnoldo L. Romero 2012

In the Garden
24x36" Acrylic
© Arnoldo L. Romero 2012

Last, but not least, are the 3 art pieces that I currently have on exhibit at the Cathedral House Gallery's "In the Garden" art show. The first two, "Grow" and "Rejoice," I completed a couple of years ago. "In the Garden" is the piece I completed last Saturday, which was truly inspired by Charles Austin Miles' hymn. As I was painting it, I could hear the chorus, "And He walks with me, and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own; and the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known." I used 3 Celtic Spirals, as well as a Celtic knot, as symbols of the Holy Trinity. The seven stars stand for the importance of this number in the Bible, which appears from the Seven Days of Creation to the Seven Seals of Revelation. Of course, my main character is Jesus Christ, who is giving its viewers a blessing from His garden. It took me quite a while to prepare for and complete this painting, but I feel it was worth it. The gallery, which is open to the public, is located at 111 Torcido Drive, San Antonio, TX 78209, and is open Monday through Friday, from 9 AM to 5 PM, Central Time. I am submitting this painting to Paint Party Friday - Week #15, Word Art Wednesday Challenge, and Artist's Play Room #15.

I hope you enjoyed my "Tales of the Riverbank" in San Antonio, as much as I did going through them in my creative endeavors. Thank you for your visit, and know that you are cordially invited to leave a comment and add your name to my list of followers. Blessings!

Green

I'm back in Del Rio after several days of vacationing in the Big Bend National Park area, which is in Texas, USA. There are truly awe inspiring sites to enjoy, and although I cherish the comfort of my home, I do miss being there. Therefore, I'm dedicating this post to my last days there through pictures I took, commentaries, and art projects that were inspired by my vacation. In addition, this will be the 3rd post regarding the Big Bend area, so it will be officially a series. Right?

No, this is not one of my card designs. My wife and daughters made it for me during a scrapbooking party they were invited too. They even made the green envelope! I'm very proud of it, because it's the first time they've ever made one. They also brought me coffee in bed that morning and gave me several very thoughtful artsy gifts. I LOVE my girls!

The green lizard posed,

As we marveled & praised God,

Creator of all.

My first project is for Tag Tuesday, which is featuring the color Green. My Camping post was featured in their blog, and my blog is now listed under "More Artists Playing Along" on their sidebar. Thank you, Carolyn! For this tag, I used matte medium to glue tan script pint tissue to the background. When it was dry, I scrapped the edges and distressed them with a Sepia Archival ink pad. I cut a photograph I took of a Southwestern Earless Lizard at Big Bend into a circular shape and edged it with the sepia pad. (I love the lizard's emerald green markings!) Next, I composed a haiku poem about the experience and wrote it on a sheet of K&Company Smash captions with a green marker. I also edged the sheet with the sepia pad. I used some K&Company die-cuts that matched my green theme, and arranged them along with my other elements on the tag. I made a pendant using some green and amber glass beads and tied it to the end of a strip of green twine. I tied a feather to the other end. I attached the twine to my tag. I'm also submitting this tag to Word Art Wednesday Challenge #33 and Craft Artwork - Post #1 Motivational Word/Words.

Sotol Vista has a truly breathtaking view.
© Arnoldo L. Romero 2012

Convenience Store, yes!
Looking for something to eat,
In the heat, ICE CREAM!
© Arnoldo L. Romero 2012

After hiking through several trails in temperatures of well over 100˚F (38˚C) on Father's Day, we needed something to cool off. We found this little convenience store that had an antique Gulf gas pump, so I had to take a photograph. Using the Sketchbook app in my iPad, I used my photograph to make this digital collage. I began by importing my picture and blending it with a red background. On a third layer, I sketched the desert motifs in the corners. Finally, I used a fourth layer to type the haiku poem that I composed about our experience. I think its kind of humorous. I am submitting this piece to Crazy Amigo - Yellow, Red and Orange and to Inspiration Avenue - On Holiday. I'm also submitting my two landscape photographs to Inspiration Avenue.

Santa Elena Canyon was the highlight of our trails that day. It is mesmerizing to stand in the middle of the canyon. God is truly the greatest artist of all.
© Arnoldo L. Romero

On our last day, my wife and I decided to sit outside with cups of coffee in hand to wait for the sunrise. It was worth it! I was able to take a couple of stunning sunrise photographs with the ocotillo cacti in the foreground. When I saw last week's Play Date Cafe color story, which included azure, raspberry and blackberry, I knew they would coordinate well with one of my photographs. Unfortunately, I did not have an opportunity to make my card on time to meet the submission deadline. However, I'm still using the colors and applying them to Card Positioning Systems' Sketch #270, as well as taking the challenge at Take a Word - Sewing. In my design, I used a zig-zag pattern for the trim instead of rick-rack and incorporated stitching around the perimeter. I used a kraft card base, papers from a K&Company Urban Rhapsody pad, a sentiment slip by K&Company, blue thread, a blue vintage button, and a blue Marvy marker. My tools included a Martha Stewart border punch and a Tim Holtz design ruler to make the stitching holes. I wanted a American western pioneer feel to my card, and believe I achieved it. I also stained all the paper and card edges with the sepia Archival Ink pad.

Before heading home, my family and I got to ride horses through Terlingua, an abandoned cinnabar mining ghost town. We were joined by my wife's cousin and her son. We had so much fun!
© Arnoldo L. Romero 2012

So, what's on my workdesk now that I'm back home? It's an acrylic painting in progress, which is actually on my easel, and I'm submitting it to What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday. The painting is one of 3 pieces that I'll be showing at the Cathedral House Gallery, located at the Bishop Jones Center, at 111 Torcido Drive, San Antonio, TX 78209. The opening reception is on Sunday, June 24th, from 4:00 to 6:00 PM, Central Time. However, it will be up through the Summer, and the gallery is open Monday through Friday, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. It is open to the public, so if you're in town, please feel free to stop by. Other artists in the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas will also be featured.

In closing, I am submitting both my card and tag to the Simon Says Stamp and Show a bit of brown. They both meet the criteria for there challenge. Last, but not least, I am also very excited to let you know that I am now a contributor to The Twenty Minute Challenge. Thank you, Teri! You can check my first entry thus far here, but I'll be posting a new one by Saturday. Hope you enjoyed reading about my creative journey as much as I did going through it. I'd love for you to leave a comment and/or follow my blog. Both are truly motivating to my artistic life. Blessings!

PS - I almost forgot! My blogging friend Karen Letchworth is giving away a copy of CD#3 from Crafty Secrets, with images to use in cards and other projects. Be sure and visit My Cup Runneth Over for more details.

Camping

After a couple of days of visiting various sites and towns in Southwest Texas, we made it to Big Bend National Park, by Study Butte - Terlingua, Texas. The park's climate is extreme, but a wide variety of temperatures and moisture levels may occur due to the range in elevations from approximately 1.800 feet (550 m) to 7,832 feet (2,387 m). Its Spring and Summer days are often dry with temperatures exceeding 100 ℉ (38℃) in the lower areas. Fall and Winters are usually mild, but sub-freezing temperatures may occur occasionally. Therefore, there are a variety of ecosystems with 1,200 species of plants, over 450 bird species, 56 species of reptiles, and 75 species of mammals found in the park. Evidence of dinosaurs, as well as archaic natives, has been found in the park so it's a true playground for paleontologists and archeologists. It's truly a fascinating place to visit.

This is the camper my family and I are staying in. We love it! It's smaller than my home studio, but it's private and comfortable.
© Arnoldo L. Romero 2012

As you walk in the front door, you find my daughters' bunks to the right. LOL!
© Arnoldo L. Romero 2012

A little kitchen, master bedroom, and bathroom can be seen to the left. (My wife and I had coffee in solo cups this morning. LOL!)
© Arnoldo L. Romero 2012

This is the Rio Grande, known as Río Bravo in Mexico. I used this picture for a sketch when I got back to the camper. You'll see it below.
© Arnoldo L. Romero 2012

This type of flowering cactus is a nopal - isn't it glorious? The nopal leaf is used in several Mexican dishes. The fruit is also edible.
© Arnoldo L. Romero 2012

This is me at the beautiful Cattail Falls in Big Bend. It was truly a little piece of Heaven after walking up the mountain in the heat of the day.
© Arnoldo L. Romero 2012

After a long hike with the family, I was inspired to work on my artwork. I used the table in the camper as my "studio" with my traveling art kit. I'm submitting this to What's On your Workdesk? Wednesday 158.
© Arnoldo L. Romero 2012

The first art project I designed was this tag for Tag Tuesday - Camping. I used a Smash pocket with a bird, a tab, a piece of twine, and scraps of paper from an ArtC ATC kit. I cut all the cacti, flowers and skull by hand. I also lettered the tab by hand. Since I covered part of the "Look please" phrase that was already on the pocket with my collage, I went over it with a sharpie pen.
© Arnoldo L. Romero 2012

This is the back of the pocket. I will use it to store pictures from my family trip (These are just flyer cut outs). Fun, right?
© Arnoldo L. Romero 2012

I incorporated my tag into a page in my art journal. I will substitute the flyer pic cutouts with real family trip pictures when I get home. I am submitting this to Word Art Wedneday Challenge #32. I used some Smash tape to hold my tag in place and hand lettered the verse. Big Bend is such a blessed place, that all I can do is rejoice.
© Arnoldo L. Romero 2012

I sketched this landscape of the Rio Grande in my art journal using a pencil and a couple of black Sharpie pens. I sketched it in 20 minutes, so it's definitely not a finished piece. I am submitting this to the Twenty Minute Challenge and Artist's Play Room #14 - Monochromatic. It was a TRUE challenge for me to work this quickly and with only one color.

I had a blast working on these art projects. Hope you enjoy them too and are led to leaving a comment and/or follow my blog. Blessings!

Matthew 26:34

My family and I have been on a road trip since yesterday morning to the Big Bend area, and are currently staying in Marfa, Texas. We are staying at the Hotel Paisano, which was opened in 1930 primarily for cattlemen to conduct business meetings where they bought and sold herds. It was also, and still is, a prime location for major social events such as weddings and proms. In 1955, Warner Brothers filmed the epic movie GIANT, here in Marfa, so James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson and other cast members made this hotel their headquarters. It is a beautiful historic hotel, in an artsy and quaint town, that I highly recommend.

Our first stop was at Langtry, Texas, home of Judge Roy Bean's Park.
Water mills helped conquer the wild West.
© Arnoldo L. Romero 2012

Our second stop was at Marathon, Texas, at the Gage Hotel.
This is VERY Texas decor - I even have a rams' skull in my studio!
© Arnoldo L. Romero 2012

My family and I went out for dinner at a marvelous restaurant.
©Arnoldo L. Romero 2012

I love encountering reminders of Christ everywhere I go.
This is a very Tex-Mex type of artwork.
© Arnoldo L. Romero 2012

As usual, I always carry art supplies with me. Therefore, this evening, I'm posting an ATC and Art Journal page for submission to the Chickens and Roosters challenge at Inspiration Avenue; to Word Art Wednesday because I'm using Matthew 26:34; and to Paint Party Friday because I used a watercolor resist technique on the ATC.

I did my rooster head on a 2x3" piece of watercolor paper, the official size for Artist Trading Cards (ATC). I began by sketching the rooster using a pencil. Next, I used oil pastels to highlight several areas, before going over them with several layers of watercolor. To finish defining the image, I went over some areas with the oil pastels again. For the background, I dabbed various cool colors to create some depth. Finally, I placed the ATC in a protective acetate sleeve.

The rooster is a symbol of Peter's denial of Christ after he was captured. I believe we all may be deniers through our actions sometimes. However, because of God's grace, we are restored. Therefore, I decided to incorporate my ATC into an art journal entry, by using Matthew 26:34. I used various odds and ends that I had in my travel art kit to compose my entry. The latter included a scrap of paper from a church bulletin, a couple of K&Company corners and a vintage stamp, a stamp from an ArtC ATC kit. and a twine knot. The bulletin reminds me that this is part of the Gospel; the number "1's" on the stamps remind me that God is my number 1; and the knot reminds me of how my relationship with God should be - tight as a knot. After I was pleased with my composition, I glued everything down and wrote the scripture.

It was great escaping into my little art world for a couple of hours this evening. I hope you enjoy my late night posting. Please let me know what you think and/or follow my blog. And now, I'm going to bed, because I have a long day tomorrow on the mountain trails. Blessings!

PS - I edited my entry this morning, because I was so tired last night, I left several things out. I'm off to have breakfast with the family. Have a great day!

Midsummer Night Dance

Yesterday afternoon, I took my youngest daughter to her swim team practice at Laughlin Air Force Base. Since it's on the opposite side of town from where we live, I waited for her in the lounge area of the fitness center. I had planned ahead, and took my iPad and a traveling art supply box with me. First, I scanned the web, and found various challenges I wanted to participate in. Next, using the supplies I had with me, I made the ATC below and titled it Midnight Summer Dance.

My ATC was inspired by Collage Obsession - Magic (Midsummer) Night, Craft Artwork - ATC Legs, and Artist's Playroom - #13 Sketching & Drawing. I hand cut the ATC base and the silhouette of the lady dancing from a flyer that had an international travel seal and passport print. I sketched a night forest scene with pencil and inked it with a black Sharpie pen. To add the feeling of water and the flowers in the forest, I used a small scrap of hand painted paper that had a flower punched out. I covered the back in red. As a finishing touch, I cut a circle for the moon. (I glazed the moon and the center of the flower when I got home, since I didn't have any acrylic paints in my supply box.)

When I got home, I used my ATC to design a card inspired by Card Positioning Systems Challenge Sketch #269, Pile-It On #24 - Let's Get Outdoors, and Simon Says Stamp and Show - Anything Goes. I took a picture of my outdoor scene ATC and used a Kaleidoscope app to turn it into a pinwheel. I printed the picture, cut it into an oval, and edged it with a red Clearsnap ink pad. I used a blue card base an masked it with a postcard print. I flipped the positioning of the elements, so I placed my banners on the right side. I attached the oval shaped print with some foam pads. To enhance the outdoor theme, I layered some flowers and attached them with a brad. As a finishing touch, I added a sentiment with the word "summer."

For safekeeping, I incorporated my ATC with a paperclip in a page for my art journal. This page was inspired by Crazy Amigos - Pinwheels, Take a Word - Floral, and Word Art Wednesday - Challenge #31. First of all, I made an origami pinwheel using a red plaid and floral print. I turned it into a flower, by adding a leaf to the "stem." On a K&Company Smashpad sheet, I wrote a bible verse and glued it down. Finally, I glued down the flag portion of a K&Company Smash paper clip, on which I had written the word dance. I attached my ATC to the paperclip.

There is a time for everything

and a season for every activity under the heavens.

Ecclesiastes 3:1

Although I assigned each of the 3 different art projects to different challenges, they are interrelated. This was a nice break for me, because I've been working on a large painting for my upcoming art show, which can be overwhelming. I'd love to hear what you think about these projects, so please leave a comment and/or follow my blog. Thank you for stopping by. Blessings!

In His Hand

Adri Munhoz, one of my first blogging friends, featured her first sketch in her new challenge blog and invited me to participate. As you may have figured, art is a way of life for me, so I was eager to take the challenge. The flowers and colors in the sketch reminded me of this week's Crazy Amigo Challenge - Tree, so I decided to combine them. Since tree's are part of our Lord's creation, I just had to tie it into Word Art Wednesday as well. I love it when creative ideas flow smoothly.

Once again, I decided to make an entry in my art journal. It's a great place for me to save ideas for paintings and/or scan them later to incorporate into card designs. I used various scraps of collaged and hand painted papers that I had done in the past for the 3 background blocks. The green one with the skeletal leaf stands for our green earth and trees; the yellow one with the hawk feather stands for air and animal life; and the blue one cut into waves stands for water. I used a strip of cork adhesive backed paper in place of the ribbon tie. The eye of God in the hand shape cutout is the one I drew in my iPhone's SpinArt app. You may recall a smaller print of it in my Father post last weekend. Finally, I hand lettered "In His hand," with a gold Sharpie opaque paint marker and Copic inking pens.

For the life of every living thing is

in His hand,

and the breath of every human being.

Job 12:10

I guess since I'm taking a family trip to Big Bend National Park, here in Texas, nature is in my mind. Regardless, I thank God for his gift of creativity. I'd love to hear what you think and/or have you follow my blog. My readers words are always reassuring and a blessing. May my words and work bring blessings to you.

King of Kings

Simon Says Stamp is challenging its readers to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee by adding crowns and/or gems to a project. I am a Mexican-American of French and Spanish descent, but with no other European roots as far as I know. However, I can claim a connection to Queen Elizabeth II as a Christian. In addition, my father, who was the first Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Mexico, had the pleasure of meeting with her during a Lambeth Conferences of 1968 and 1978. Yes, I'm a PK... LOL! Therefore, I decided to make an entry in my art journal to celebrate the King of kings and queens, so I may also enter it in Word Art Wednesday Challenge #31. I am using this week's fabulous color scheme at the Play Date Cafe PDCC 135, which includes aquamarine, poolside and clay.

The flower is basically a Celtic spiral that I drew and illustrated using Sharpie markers. I began by plotting the spiral on graph paper, and then I traced it on a white sheet of Bienfang marker paper before illustrating it. After the latter was done, I cut it out and glued it in my art journal. I added a blue gem to the center of it for a little spark. Finally, I penciled my text and used a black Sharpie pen (medium) to ink it.

Which God will bring about in his own time -

God, the blessed and only Ruler,

the King of kings and Lord of lords

Timothy 6:15

I am also entering this piece in the Artist's Playroom #12, who is challenging its readers to use Zentangle or doodles. As I mentioned before, I believe Celtic art is the ultimate form of doodling. Last, but not least, I'm entering this piece in Sunday Postcard Art - Jubilee. Although it's not a postcard, it fits their theme perfectly. Just as the Celtic Knot I did last weekend, this Celtic spiral is a study for a painting I'm planning for one of my entries in an upcoming art exhibit. I would love for you to leave a comment and/or follow my blog. Long live Queen Elizabeth II, and may she continue to be blessed by the King of kings and queens!