Poured Watercolor

Brush & Palette welcomed Cheri Isgreen with a record attendance at our January meeting at the Art Center.  The picture below is watercolor artist Cheri prior to her presentation when she explained how she used watercolor in tubes, thinned with water (to consistency of cream).  She applies frisket in three or more layers, then pours watercolor in similar intensities over the frisket, removing the layers as each is dried, often reapplying  the frisket.

A few pointers Isgreen presented were:

• Draw the idea first; where will lines be emphasized?
• How will I use negative spaces?
• Develop a value study of light using three values: light, medium, dark
• Edges matter in watercolor, so use masking, also spelled "masquing," aka frisket, for sharp, clean edges
• Use lost and found edges
• Counter change space: when light hits and makes a dark or a light image
• Avoid details until the end of the pouring process
• After frisket is removed, soften some of the edges
• Do not shake or vigorously stir frisket at air bubbles may appear
• Do not expose frisket to heat or sun, do not use hair dryers on frisket; allow the product to dry naturally
• Always pour masque (frisket) onto dry paper and outline with a fine brush, filling in the frisket with more from a larger brush
• Always use good, sharp, frisket brushes (do not use fingers for this process)
• Clean frisket brushes with liquid soap first, then dip brush into the frisket while wet
• Always immerse used brushed immediately into water
• Isgreen uses 140# Arches cold press paper, but any good watercolor paper will work

 Be sure to visit her website to view her striking art.

Several new members joined B&P at the meeting, and one new member, Michael Davis, won the mini show.

Welcome to Mike and all new and returning members to Brush & Palette.  Be sure to catch up on news here.

Julie Update:

Julie returned back to the hospital in the early hours yesterday morning and spent several hours in the ER before being re-admitted for infection in her abdomen.  She is resting comfortably and is on IV antibiotics.  It was disappointing that she was able to spend only a few hours back at the manor before an alert nurse caught the infection in its early stages.  But we are pleased she has received and is continuing to receive good medical care. Thank you for all your prayers.  I know friends Sharon, Kathy, Jody, gretchenjoanna, Theresa, Stefanie, Elizabeth, Karen, Carol and others are following her progress; thank you.

Juliet Update

Daughter Julie had a major surgery, planned, three days ago.  It was a GI thing, a procedure removing some bowel and a urostomy revision, among other cuttings.  For those of you who might have encountered this sort of thing, you know pain, quite a bit of pain, is involved.

For the first 48 hours after surgery, she was in pain.  She reported most every time that on a scale of one to ten, it was a 10.  Finally the on-call doc came in late yesterday afternoon and increased her medicine by 400 percent (gradually, of course).  The analgesic is Fentanyl, which the nurse said is one hundred times as strong as morphine.  When I left last evening, they were administering it and assured me she would be closely monitored.  She is on a cardiac unit now where she gets more intensive monitoring and nursing care.

Three angels from the manor staff came to see Julie the day after the procedure.  She laughed, talked, joked and thoroughly enjoyed their visit before crashing with low BP.  So she could not have been a 10 on the pain scale when those staff Angels came with a card signed by many people at the manor.  Julie was extremely touched by their caring (I was also). The pink stuffed creature they brought her is on her pillow most of the time.

Thank you for all your good thoughts, prayers, and warm spaces in your hearts for Julie.  This pain will get taken care of by today so the healing can begin.  I am sure of that.

Today is the second Sunday in Ordinary Times.  I am looking out for the extraordinary, seeking blessings as they occur, keeping eyes open for God's goodness, praying you are doing the same.

"For this very reason, make every effort 

to supplement your faith with goodness,

goodness with knowledge,

knowledge with self-control,

self-control with endurance,

endurance with godliness."

~ 2 Peter 1:5-6 ~

Ephipany House Blessing

Our house was blessed last night! We were privileged to have Father Don Malin from Immaculate Heart of Mary blessing a box a salt, a gallon of water and some chalk, then marking our doors with chalk.....reading scripture, and sprinkling all the rooms in our house with the Holy water and blessed salt.

Above the front doors, the markings are this: "20 + C + M + B +16". This symbolizes the three wise men who worshiped Jesus: C for Caspar, M for Melchior, and B for Balthasar who followed the star of God’s Son who became human two thousand and sixteen years ago, and + meaning "May Christ bless our home and remain with us throughout the new year." 

This is Fr. Don writing above the lintel of our doors:

We then shared a meal together in our newly blessed house.

Gene concocted a luscious lamb stew and made crusty bread.  My contribution to our shared meal was a King's Cake because it was an Epiphany blessing.  The King's cake signifies and celebrates the arrival of the three wise men in Bethlehem and the day Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. Most of the King's Cakes I found on Pinterest and the internet called for a dozen jams to make pretty window paned, stained glass effect atop the sweet dough.  But with just two of us living in this house, we would never get through twelve jars of jelly or jam in our remaining life times.  Not even if we each ate a tablespoon of jelly a day!  

Further looking showed up another, simpler cake used in France sans all those jams.  That is what I made with puff pastry.

(using David Lebovitz' recipe here for Epiphany Cake with an almond filling).

Post Script: the Church calendar is sung here.  I had never heard of this solemnity, but it is beautiful (part of the January 3 homily by Father Isaac Karuiki follows).

We feel truly blessed.