Deborah Velásquez: January 2012

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Color Challenge • Want to Dance?

let's tango by Velásquez©2012

The Color Challenge has begun! Today we post our creations inspired by Tangerine Tango and or variations thereof.
What a treat this is because orange is one of my favorite colors, I blogged about it in a previous post, here. Orange so vibrant, alive, happy and "hot" at the same time. The color invites you to dance! I had so many ideas but I couldn't get the word "tango" out of my head. I love words and typography as you can tell from my blog so, I had fun with type.
Almost looks like a CD cover, a nice happy accident.
Louise Gale, a fellow blogger, artist and life coach, has a color challenge on her blog which she started in August of 2010. At the first of the every month a color is given and you are challenged to create something using the color and others from the palette. You have until the 28th of the month to complete your project. Join the challenge, here, it is going to be fun. Make sure to visit the other artists who are participating in the challenge at Louis Gale's website.

Thank you for stopping by!

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Friday, January 27, 2012

Word Paths • Don't Wait

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Everyone has a word path. One word leads to another.

Word Paths, a Friday feature showcasing possibilities in written words, creative process and artistic pieces.

My goal is to present three to five words or three to five lines.

I may go to seven words or seven lines but probably not often, only if needed.

I plan to work the Word Paths out artistically and process them to share with you here.

You can go here, to my first post on this project and see how it all started.

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Many conversations this week with new friends and old friends talking about dreams, opportunity,career changes and second careers about to blossom, just great fantastic stuff. I dedicate this Word Path to them. We often say someday this, someday that, that someday never comes but it sure has a long list!. That someday is today, today offers powerful change.
Even if it is in changing your thinking, it is a start. Don't wait, lead the direction of your dreams.

Have confidence in your enthusiasm for them. Many times that is all it takes to change good to great. Set the course and watch for what intersections and paths crossing have to say or are trying to make you see.Thank you for stopping by.

Here is My Word Path for Today

Happy Weekend • Lead The Direction • Enjoy the Language of Words

Please do not use anything without permission or without making note of the origin on your blog or website.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Word Paths • A Conversation with my Son

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Everyone has a word path. One word leads to another.

Word Paths, a Friday feature showcasing possibilities in written words, creative process and artistic pieces.

My goal is to present three to five words or three to five lines.

I may go to seven words or seven lines but probably not often, only if needed.

I plan to work the Word Paths out artistically and process them to share with you here.

You can go here, to my first post on this project and see how it all started.

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There we were having our morning conversation today as usual, during breakfast making, lunch packing and news listening when a Word Path emerged. My son and I were talking about homework. He thought I was so lucky that I could make art to fulfill my e-course assignments. He has been a witness to all my e-course work lately. In some classes, assignments have been to produce artwork and in others, art was used as an alternate vehicle of expression for written work. We stumbled into a conversation about weakness. The phrase, "What are your weaknesses?", you know the one! The one we hear either at job interviews, in some life coaching class or in your head when soul searching. I am not a fan of this word nor a fan when asked the question. I explained to my son that a weakness is more of a challenge. The word "weakness" comes across as if you are less than in some way.

So I said he should look at something he is not good at as something he can overcome or improve upon. "Oh, of course mom, there are no weaknesses, only opportunities for strength". I love him!

He so gets it.

We can all have opportunities in failure, in disappointment, and in fear.

So then, all we face is opportunity in life! How great is that!

Thank you for stopping by.

Here is My Word Path for Today

Happy Weekend • Find Opportunity • Enjoy the Language of Words

Please do not use anything without permission or without making note of the origin on your blog or website.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Virginia Lee Burton, An Artist Mom

You might already know her without knowing you know her.

Virginia Lee Burton's beloved Tree Swing illustration.

Cape Ann Historical Association.

The family, Virginia with her husband, artist Geroge Demetrios and their boys Aris and Mike

photo from Costa Maletskos

Virginia Lee Burton(1909-1968), artist, writer, designer, teacher, gardener and mom. She produced some beloved classics such as, The Little House, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel and Choo Choo. Her books were full of lovely illustrations and lessons in overcoming challenges, honoring the environment and teamwork. She lived a creative life full of song and art in Gloucester Massachusetts with her husband, artist, George Demetrios and their two sons, Aris and Mike.

Here she is at her desk with her typewriter, her art supplies, her books and her music (always playing from what I read).
Sound familiar? As we sit with at our desks with our computer, our books, our art supplies listening to music from our iPods in their docking stations?

Virginia Lee Burton A Sense of Place is a DVD I own and play often for inspiration and because it is such a great story. There are so many parts of it that stay with you. I love when her sons reminisce about the their fun and creative childhood. It is a wonderful portrait of a joyful creative soul.

Virginia Lee Burton: A Sense of Place trailer

This trailer gives you sense of the documentary.

This Documentary is also available on Netflix for rent. I also found it on iTunes to download for five dollars. Well worth it.

A classic, enjoyed by our children and by us as children. How great is that?

A peek inside The Little House

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel is available in many other languages.

I own this copy in Spanish.

She often used her own home in illustrations As you can see in the illustration on the left. This one is from the book Life Story. Here you see her garden and orchard. Inside Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, on right.

Houghton Mifflin Company Archives

This barn housed the Folly Cove Designers. The Folly Cove Designers were born from design classes taught by Virginia Lee Burton. These designers were a group of artisans known for their block printed textiles. The barn was a shop, a place for exhibition and a studio producing fabric by the yard, place mats, skirts, aprons and skirts. With Folly Cove you get that she valued a sense of community, so important for artist even now.

Calendar print is indicative of the work Produced by the Folly Cove Designers.

The Swing Tree II.

Cape Ann Historical Association

My Two Favorites, A Life in Art by Barbara Elleman, published by Houghton Mifflin Company and Life Story by Virginia Lee Burton also published by Houghton Mifflin Company. Life Story took eight years to produce and she finished it while in ill health.

Learn a bit more about her life and about her books in this video with Anita Silvey.

Here is a selection of block prints depicting times of the year from a 1965 Horn Book Calendar. They make such beautiful illustrations. I have included so many because I am a big fan of block printing in my own work.

My favorite illustration from the cover of A Life in Art by Barbara Elleman published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

I so love her tree illustrations.

Needless to say she truly inspires on so many levels. She championed and celebrated creativity, nature and its offerings, beauty in the handmade and the love for her boys.

Just Brilliant!

Christian Science Monitor

Virgina with her boys Aris and Mike.

Please do not use anything without permission or without making note of the origin on your blog or website