So I decided that if I was going to have to limit my time spent in the studio... that I would have to pick and choose the challenges that were really meeting my needs and desires... and so this month I have chosen to do the Our Creative Corner challenge which is to use a FAVORITE photo and create a vintage tag, scrapbook page, etc with those photos...
Well again.. I have limited supplies and the Photos were really not to be found at this time... so I took my camera and took some fall pictures of where I live... as where I live is where people come from all over the world to see .... so I chose the theme...
FALL IN THE MOUNTAINS...
A lot of people think that Vermont is the only place in the USA that has beautiful fall colors on the trees... well Western North Carolina has tons of Leaf Peepers, too...
So that is my theme...
Leaves,
Fall
Mountains,
Birds.. ( my crows of course)
Majestic feelings.. (ooops... misspelled it... )
and of course the colors of fall..
So this is how it turned out...
This is my finished piece...
I will give you all the details for those that want to follow...
I did have a lot of fun with this... to say the least...
Well I had a bunch of die cuts... and I wanted to use them...
so I glued them onto the canvas board and then gesso all over them...
Then let the paints fly as they did... color and more color was added and taken away... but had a messy time of it...
Then CAMERA time... I went out and took all kinds of pictures... here are a few of them... I took over 100 of them...
One of the many little sheds on our farm... I happen to love it... it is rustic, and cute... and still holds all the "junk' we seem to need around us... lawn mower... etc...
The leaves... and the LIGHT... coming thru the trees at this time...
Light changes as the seasons do... and we at times only think of the light from the time when we wake up... or hey when I get out of work... it is dark now...
But the intensity of the light changes... and colors show up differently too.. light... so very important in my eyes...
I go in the car and started to shoot away...
As seen from the top pasture on our farm.. this mountain is so very MAGESTIC in my mind...
a new word...
Mag = Magical...
estic... = Grand...
Magically Grand
Should be spelled... Majestic
These mountains are in the mountains that run from Georgia, to Maine... called the Appalachians'...
Mount Mitchell.. is not too far away and that is the tallest point East of the Mississippi River... and it is a very powerful point too...
Okay... a favorite little tiny home... no one lives there anymore...
the people who use to live there... are buried across the street in a shallow grave... with a Thinker Statue as the marker stone...
A small little family plot... very typical of the folks that use to live in this area...
This house is slightly run down.. and most likely not livable... but the charm that is pouring out of it, is GRAND...
When we leave our neighbor hood... the mountains change a little bit... LOL.. .here they are... the same ones as in the first mountain picture above... they are just GRAND... and I had to show it to you as an alone picture... as it is so BEAUTIFUL in all ways...
Another View...
From our home to the nearest 'town' which has only gas and some junk food ... it is about 8 miles.. then you have to go another 8 miles to a small little town which has a few more stores etc... we are way out in the boonies... and we LOVE IT...
My Neighbor calls it Podunk...
I call it PARADISE...
So I picked out a few pictures and started to play around... I loved the background... and didn't want to cover it up too much...
and I wanted the pictures to sort of pop up as they do around here...
I added some Flowers... and some leaves... more on both as I move along...
The Butterflies were one of the Die cuts I had...
Butterflies in the Fall..
They are gone...
RUSTED...
so I rusted some... and they are enjoying my Fall in the Mountains...
When I was coloring the background... I made a huge mess... and had to grab handfuls of babywipes to clean it up...
HUGE handfuls...
so I have to use things... and so I made some flowers with some of the baby wipes...
We do have a lot of wild flowers always blooming from early spring until the first frost... and then there are always some that have MADE it thru the frost...
Oaky... I have a very dear friend... who I met thru a challenge... and low and behold... we use to live in the same town... she was a little bit younger than me... but hey... that is okay...
We use to live in NJ... and now we both live in NC...
Fun HUH???
Wow... what are the changes of that happening...
Anyway... she sent me this wonderful card to say HI...
and one of the things that has happened in my studio area, is that I have had to condense my space... so I have no space to keep things... at all... I wanted to remember this note and her love that was sent with it to me...
Sara... your leaves are here now... and will be living on my
FALL IN THE MOUNTAINS
forever.
I loved these leaves and had to save them... I used the background paper also to make more leaves... and used it all.. Thank you so very much for helping to finish off this picture...
You are a very dear person to me... and want to always have your energy in my life.
I love crows and have a huge fascination for them in all ways... as I do all of nature...
Since I truly live the natural life, I experience it every day of my life...
This is a rubber stamp that I made so that I can show the actions of a crow... and this crow is flying on by...
He is looking for the WINTER to arrive any time now... and that will also follow...
click on the above and it will take you to both of these pieces...
So I guess I will have to do a third and fourth picture so that my wall will be balanced... another thing I am working on... BALANCE in all things...
Hope also that you will come on the 22nd of this month and also see what I have created as the TOP TALENT DESIGNER for the month...
I love to have FUN ... and hope that you do too...
enjoy BLISSFULLY what you are doing with your LIFE and do it more and more each and everyday...
LIVE IN TOTAL BLISS...
Thanks for stopping by for a visit... I really appreciate the comments you all leave... and I love you and send you my best feelings for the day...
Love, Light and Peace...Bonnie
Hi Bonnie, lovely to read a post from you, glad you are ok. You definitely live in a beautiful and peaceful place...bliss. Your gorgeous finished piece has such beautiful colours and texture including your favourite crows. Lots of details to see, a joy to visit as always. Ruth x
ReplyDeleteYay,my wonderful Bonnie is back with a Big Bang. Loving this and your photos are just wonderful too. I am jealous of your mountain views,they are really magical. You've captured the surrounding area beautifully:)
ReplyDeleteExtra big welcome back hugs
Donna xxx
Welcome back Bonnie...was actually wondering about your absence! Love the pictures you have posted,,,so calm,colorful and serene. And your take on it is as beautiful with all the colors and textures.
ReplyDeleteWow, I'm really deep impressed and speechless, the new word creation 'Magestic' is awesome and so imaginative, so many inspiration's on only one project, that's fantastic!! It was truly a pleasure for me, to read and see your favourite places in nature. Thanks so much for sharing with us at Our creative corner. Hugs, Kerstin
ReplyDeleteHello Bonnie, I am so excited to meet you and to have stumbled across your blog. It must be meant to be, because your blog and your talent in paper crafting and in photography are amazing. I Love It Here! but, then who in their right mind wouldn't. The part of the country that you live in is incredibly beautiful and the fall color is breathtaking. I live in the desert area of Washington State. I know most people do not know much about your side of the state. It is farmland, but that all happened with the building of Coulee Dam and irrigation.
ReplyDeleteI love making new friends with common interests and I am so happy to be your newest follower. I like to art journal and I enjoy making cards, but I mostly sew, quilt, up-cycle furniture and play music in an old geezer band. My husband and I just purchased a 1905 fixer-upper just outside of town on and acre of land. We moved in in May and have been working on it almost everyday day since. I would love to invite you to visit my blog and I do hope that you will follow me back. you are an amazingly talented lady and I am looking forward to reading your posts. Have a lovely week.
Your new blogging sister, Connie :)
Hi Bonnie. Thank you for sharing this fab pics of the lovely landscape where you love to stay. I just love your pics, the colors, your text. And of course your art piece. Oh what a fabulous result you ended up with. Love the texture. And your idea of using the baby wipes for making flowers is awesome. The burgundy flower is that also from baby wipes ? I wonder if you used TH Tattered Florals die ? I simply ADORE your flowers !!
ReplyDeleteI also live a place surrounded by mountains on all four sides. I love watching how the sun and shadows play at the mountains. Especially around dawn. So beautiful. Also following the wild flowers, grasses, weed all the year is so exciting. We have several kind of wild orcidees growing here. Living that close to an ever changing nature is such a blessing. Love it and enjoy each day.
Thanks again for sharing. Will try to see if I can make some flowers as beautiful as yours.... Wohooo. Lol
Hugs from Monica... Spain
Oh, my Dear Bonnie! Now you've really done it, AGAIN! I opened my e-mail page this morning to send you a note, and I have a card I made last week for you to send today, but you've gone and gotten one step ahead of me! There is this little note from Google "other posts you might like" or some other cryptic message to that effect. Ok, I have to look--and there is Bonnie McLain--the great artist! What a surprise!
ReplyDeleteOf course, I have to have a look. Sorry, Bonnie, the e-mail will have to wait; I have to look at Bonnie's blog post! Now, you know how I like to dawdle and gawk--ewe, something shiny! Move along, now back again, and then moving along...it takes me 40 minutes to read and gaze and admire, and oh and ah! I am loving this...and then I get to the leaf part...I thought I recognized those leaves!!!! You had me boo-hooing! For real! I am SO TOUCHED and HONORED to have a place on your wonderful artwork! You have totally made my year, and if I go today, I'll go in Peace knowing I have done something significant with my life!
Thank YOU, Bonnie--meant with all sincerity. You are a TREASURE! (Got to go get the family up! Talk later!)
Love,
Sara Emily
PS Wait for the irony here! The card I made you relates directly to your post! Wow!
ReplyDeleteHi Bonnie! it's so great to see you back and what a stunner you created once again! Beautiful textures and details again.. the mountains you show in the photos are gorgeous! I can't wait to see what you'll make for the Top Designer....
ReplyDeleteI do hope you are well and happy. All the best! Hugs,
Ingrid xx
I love love love your crows, Bonnie,
ReplyDeleteand I adore how you managed to capture everything I so love about fall in your project. Looking at it is like diving into the voluptuous plenitude of this season. I can almost feel the warmth autumn always enwraps me with - like a colourful, heavy and cosy coat.
In late fall you can almost "hear" nature turning silent (as the season proceeds towards winter)...but it does it with a visual uproar. It feels to me like watching the process of letting go...which isn't easy at all. But it gives you sweet peace once you are through.
I see that "uproar" in your work as well...and this is why it touches me deeply. Thank you so much for that! And thank you of course for sharing this wonderful piece of "art and soul" with us at Our Creative Corner!
Big hug and wishes,
Claudia x
Oh Bonnie what a wonderful post and of course what a wonderful piece of art! Funny in the last few days I have been thinking about you a lot and wondering what was going on in your life as I was missing your post. Even though I am a bad blogger sometimes and don't get round to visiting all of my favourite blogs all the time, I was pretty sure I could not have missed that many of your posts.... Anyway, it is wonderful to see you back and you live in such an amazing place, those photos are spectacular and I love how you incorporated them into your artwork!! I am so glad you decided to add it to our challenge at Our Creative Corner, - thank you!
ReplyDeleteWOW Bonnie...such wonderful photos and love the red flowers with their gorgeous centers!
ReplyDeleteCheers
Dr Sonia
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