Creative Spirits Soar!

Back Issues of Bullet Point Blessings at Creative Spirits Soar! blog.

Colorful and Charming Art and Postcards from the Dimple of the Universe

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03/25/2020

Study of Monet's Sunflowers

Creative Spirits and Painting with Susan painting classes were interrupted this spring as we complied with the CDC recommendations for social distancing. But that doesn't mean we can't continue to paint! Please enjoy these videos of the study of Monet's Sunflowers.

Many of you have reached out to me with offers to help at this time when my main income stream has abruptly halted. Please know this video is offered to you at no charge. If you feel like you get value from the lessons taught here and want to contribute to my 'rainy day fund' to help me through this dark time, it will be most appreciated. You may send a donation via Venmo to @susan-jones-346 or to my PayPal account at susan@susanejones.com.

Thank you for your consideration! Artists are the best!! Enjoy this and every video on my YouTube channel.

Susan

Reference Photo with Grid and Notan

Study of Monets Sunflowers w susan elizabeth jones artist

Acrylics Palette : Cad Red Medium, Cad Yellow Medium, Ultramarine Blue, Phthalo Turquoise, Dioxizine Purple, Cad Orange, Burnt Sienna, Black, White. For the complete list, click here.

Instructional Videos

Step One - The Block-in

Step Two - The Underpainting

Step Three - The Local Color

Step Four - The Detail and Sign your Name

Side by Side Comparison

Posted by Susan at 09:33 AM in Creative Spirits, Fruit and Flowers, Painting Demo, Video Tutorials | Permalink | Comments (0)

03/12/2020

Bullet Point Blessings for March 13, 2020

Artists are different.

Artists are in a perpetual search for inspiration... for beauty, joy, light, magic.

Artists are inventive, expressive, adventurous, and intuitive with an overwhelming desire to share their world.

I am such an artist. _____________________________________________________________________________________

"My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece."

~Claude Monet

♥ Floriography

Floriography is the language of flower. Or more specifically it's the cryptological communication through the use of arrangement of flowers. Emotions have been attributed to plants flowers for thousands of years, and some form of floriography has been practiced in traditional cultures throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa that we know of, possibly throughout the entire world. In the Bible, many plants and flowers are symbols for deeper Christian meanings. For example, the Lily of the Valley represent Lent or the resurrection of Christ. Dogwood blossoms represent the cross of Christ. William Shakespeare ascribed meaning for difference flowers in Hamlet., like Fennel for flattery and Columbines for faithfulness in wedlock. I found a very thorough website dedicated to the language of flowers and flower symbolism with many links to other interesting sites. If you prefer beautifully illustrated books, try The Language of Flowers Companion.

Interest in floriography soared in Victorian England and in the United States during the 19th century. Gifts of blooms, plants, and specific floral arrangements were used to send a coded message to the recipient, allowing the sender to express feelings which could not be spoken aloud in Victorian society. Armed with floral dictionaries, Victorians often exchanged small "talking bouquets", called nosegays or tussie-mussies, which could be worn or carried as a fashion accessory.

"God Almighty first planted a garden. And indeed, it is the purest of human pleasures."

~Francis Bacon

♥ Tussie-Mussies

When shopping antique stores, tag sales, and flea markets, I always keep an eye out for silver Tussie-Mussies. They are the silver, conical flower holders that hold the smallest of bouquets that you can either carry or leave on your coffee table, tea table, or night stand. I've only owned one and honestly haven't seen it since I moved to Windy Acre Cottage. I must unpack the remainder of the boxes one day.

So to clarify, both the cone-shaped flower holder whether made of silver or paper AND/OR the small bouquet of flowers are referred to as Tussie-Mussies, but the term for the cone and flowers together as a Tussie-Mussie only date back to the 1940s. Victorians would have referred to the small bouquet as a nosegay. And even today the terms nosegay and tussie-mussie are used synonymously, though there is a slight difference. Nosegays are simply small bouquets of flowers tied together and are not given as a gift. They would have been created by a young lady to carry or tie to her waist as a sweet-smelling way to mask foul odor in the days before daily bathing and use of antiperspirant. Kind of kills the romance of nosegays, doesn't it? But who cares? They are still a spring favorite!

"It is a golden maxim to cultivate the garden for the nose, and the eyes will take care of themselves."

~Robert Louise Stevenson

♥ Orangery

Simply put, an Orangery was a greenhouse where oranges are grown, mainly from stately European homes from the 17th-19th centuries, before transportation of tropical fruits was efficient. The orangery, however, was not just a greenhouse but a symbol of prestige and wealth and a beautiful garden feature, much like a folly. On my favorite TV show, Escape to the Chateau, (Thursday evenings on local PBS station) the Strawbridge family renovated their Orangery to host weddings and special events. Even in centuries of old, the Orangery was used for entertaining.

In the 18th century, many homes in the young United States boasted Orangeries, namely Wye Plantation near Easton, Maryland, which is credited for being the first. (Wye Plantation was the home of Frederick Douglas, as a child slave.) George Washington designed and built an Orangery at Mount Vernon (New bucket list item for me. Who's been before? Did you love it?)

For someone who is perfectly happy with a small, 1920's Craftsman cottage, I think I could also be happy with a 48-room French Chateau from the 19th century with a mote, walled gardens, orangery, stables, vintage Asquith, and olive orchard. Just saying.

Caramelized Oranges

From The Splendid Table comes this simple, yet delicious recipe. I've got a bag of Cara Cara oranges purchased on sale and I've been researching recipes to use them. This one is at the top of the list. Fingers crossed I don't burn the sugar!!

6 oranges
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup warm water

Remove peel, pith and seeds from six oranges or tangerines. Set the peel of 1 orange aside. Cut each orange into 5 slices exposing all sections of the fruit (see photo) and place them in a bowl.

Fill a large bowl with cold water and ice, and set aside.

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, add the sugar, then shake the pan so that the sugar forms an even layer. Place over medium heat and cook, shaking the pan from time to time, until the sugar melts. As the sugar melts, gently swirl the pan to mix the sugar granules with the liquid sugar; you can give the mixture a stir to blend in any uncooked sugar. Once all the sugar has turned into liquid caramel, continue to cook until it is a rich, dark caramel color. You will smell the caramel and see it smoking quite a bit. Don't burn it!

Remove the pan from the heat and dip the base of the pan into the bowl of cold water to stop the caramel from cooking further. Carefully add the warm water to the caramel, which will spit and splutter. Return the pan to low heat and cook, stirring, to dissolve the caramel in the water; this can take up to 10 minutes. When it is dissolved, pour it into a jug or bowl and allow it to cool.

Meanwhile, cut the peel you set aside into roughly equal rectangles. Remove some of the white pith but not all, then cut the peel into thin matchsticks. Put some water into the pan you used to cook the caramel and bring to a boil over medium heat. This will help remove any traces of caramel in the pan. When boiling, drop in the orange matchsticks, cook for 1 minute, and then drain.

Pour the sauce over the orange slices in the bowl, sprinkle with the orange peel, and chill for several hours before serving. As the oranges sit, their juice mixes into the caramel sauce, turning it into a caramel syrup.

"It is a golden maxim to cultivate the garden for the nose, and the eyes will take care of themselves."

~Doris Day

Both eighteenth century British and French gardens boasted Greek temple follies. Though it was also popular to erect structures that resembled Chinese temples and Egyptian pyramids. Follies first appeared in the gardens of great estates of the late 16th century and early 17th century but flourished in the centuries which followed. Many estates were built on the ruins of monastic houses or Roman villas which gave rise to the Folly. Other estates not to be outdone and lacking such buildings, constructed their own sham versions of these often incomplete and romantic structures.

My neighbor has a very unique 20th-century version of folly in her garden and if I could sneak over there, I'd snap a photo. It looks like a front porch of a tin-roofed shack in her garden. The door doesn't open because it is attached to the front of the "shack" which is part of her wooden privacy fence. With the flip of a switch, water rolls down the roof as if it's raining and catches in troughs in front of the porch, creating a kind of waterfall and fountain. Rockers adorn the faux porch folly, and she and her husband can enjoy summer evenings on the porch in the garden, reading, sewing, or sharing a dessert and good conversation.

I'm counting down the days and registered for the newsletter to alert me when Liberty Grace Farm in Maury County opens it's garden gates to the public to "Pick Your Own" Tulips. Tulips!!!!! And it's not an event we can add to a date on the calendar. Tulips are ready when God decides they are, we have to wait patiently for their perfection. Follow them on Facebook, Instagram, or on the web. If you don't live near middle Tennessee, check out your own "Pick Your Own" state website for fruit, veggies, and flowers offered in your area.

Students in the Creative Spirits class and I will be enjoying a day together picking tulips at Liberty Grace Farm as one of our monthly "Art Dates." If you enjoy being creative and hanging out with other creative people doing fun and colorful activities, join us! We paint on Thursday mornings at 10am and then go to lunch together in Spring Hill, Tennessee. This program, among others, is sponsored by Spring Hill, TN, Parks and Recreation. More information is found below the calendar. Keep scrolling.

"The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just on the body, but the soul."

In some bullet points I may link to more information, related news, or to a product on Amazon.
As an Amazon Associate I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.
Originally the account was created years ago to benefit "Happy Tails" animal rescue,
but now it benefits my pack of rescue dogs and assorted fosters at Windy Acre Cottage.
Thank you!

____________________________________________________

In keeping with current CDC health recommendations for social distancing, we're canceling the remainder of in-person March Classes. Saying prayers for everyone's good health and well being, and hope to publish a full roster of classes beginning in April.

Please visit my Patreon Channel for painting demonstrations and inspiration.

Please call me if you have additional questions or would like to purchase a gift certificate or register for a future class:

615-668-8263

Links you may be interested in...

My ETSY Shops...

Do you enjoy receiving a personal, hand-written card in the mail? Do you know someone who would, maybe a friend or family member away from home or now living in Assisted Living or a Nursing Home?

It's a charming and unique gift for yourself or someone you love.

Recommended Supplies lists...

Supplies List for Aspiring Masters Classes,

Back Issues of Bullet Point Blessings at Creative Spirits Soar! blog.

Susan's YouTube Channel

Colorful and Charming Art and Postcards from the Dimple of the Universe

Posted by Susan at 11:58 PM in Bullet Point Blessings | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/27/2020

Bullet Point Blessings for February 28, 2020

Artists are different.

Artists are in a perpetual search for inspiration... for beauty, joy, light, magic.

Artists are inventive, expressive, adventurous, and intuitive with an overwhelming desire to share their world.

I am such an artist. _____________________________________________________________________________________

“I like good strong words that mean something…”
~ Louisa May Alcott

♥ Word on the Water

London has one of the niftiest, old bookshop's I've ever run across. The Words on the Water bookshop is a seller of secondhand books located in a restored 1920's Dutch barge floating on Regent’s Canal Towpath just beyond The Lighterman pub near Kings Cross. How cool is that?

No, I haven't been there personally. With four old animals to care for (one is blind, another deaf), I'm in a season of non-travel. Yet that doesn't stop me from being a well-traveled mental wanderer. On these cold, gray, dreary days of late winter, I daydream of exploring new locales. Just image spending an afternoon on a restored 1920's Dutch barge turned secondhand bookshop, curled up in a cozy corner in a comfy, worn leather chair, a stack of treasured books piled to your side and one in hand, furry company in your lap or at your feet, and the warmth of a small, iron, wood-burning stove nearby. Or better yet, warmed by the sun, both directly and by reflections bouncing off the water of the canal.

For more info, you can check out their Facebook page. Or Instagram page.

“There is no scent so pleasant to my nostrils as that faint, subtle reek which comes from an ancient book.”
~Arthur Conan Doyle

♥ Lexicon Valley

One of my favorite podcasts is a bi-weekly offering hosted by linguist and Broadway musical aficionado John McWhorter, an associate professor of English and comparative literature at Columbia University where he teaches linguistics, American studies, philosophy, and music history. He is a contributing writer to The Atlantic and has authored many books. The man is brilliant! He speaks a myriad of languages, yet he can share nuances in language and connect the dots so even someone like me can not only understand, but finds it enthralling.

Have you ever heard of Proto-Indo-European? It's the ancient ancestor of the Indo-European languages, the most widely spoken language family in the world first spoken around 4500 BC. It's the great-granddaddy of Spanish, English, Portuguese, German, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Russian, Punjabi, German, Persian, French, Italian, and Marathi. Proto-Sino-Tibetan is the ancestor of Chinese and other Asian languages. But neither Proto-Sino-Tibetan nor Proto-Indo European was the first language. That honor is given to the Proto-Human Language from 50,000 BC.

Now you might find that boring, but what about this? Jingle Lou is a language spoken in Australia that only has three verbs. Count 'em. Three. They are "go," "come," and a verb that is a cross between "do" and "be." For example, in Jingle Lou there is no verb "to sleep." In Jingle Lou, you "do" a sleep.

Check out episodes of Lexicon Valley on Slate's website or subscribe on iTunes.

“All my life I've looked at words as though I were seeing them for the first time.”
~ Ernest Hemingway

♥ Der Bücherwurm

Twenty-five or so years ago I was shopping at Antiques Center I in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and found a painting I couldn't live without titled Der Bücherwurm. It appeared to be an original, 11 x 14 oil on canvas, framed painting depicting an older gentleman reading a book in a great library in front of tall shelves filled books. He stood on a library ladder and had one book in each hand, one under his arm and one between his knees. You can imagined how thrilled I was to receive this very painting for Christmas later that same year. It remains a prized possession.

What I didn't know at the time was this painting was a study of a famous 1850 painting by painter and poet Carl Spitzweg. According to Wikipedia, Spitzweg painted three variations of this piece. The first one titled "The Librarian" is on exhibit at the Museum Georg Shafer in Schweinfurt, Germany.

The second painting was bequeathed to the Milwaukee Public Library and is on permanent loan to the Grohmann Museum at the Milwaukee School of Engineering. A final version of this painting was created in 1884, but there is no mention of its whereabouts. Maybe it's gracing the walls of my studio? I seriously doubt it. Even though my painting is signed "Spitzweg" in the lower corner, a proud Werner Brauner signed the back with a marker in 1976. He also left off the large globe in the foreground of the original .

“I know nothing in the world that has as much power as a word. Sometimes I write one, and I look at it, until it begins to shine.”
~ Emily Dickinson

Here is a shameless plug for my self-published book on the language used in the BBC costume drama Downton Abbey. Words paint a mental picture just as much as paint creates a physical one. I love words! And the early 20th-century British vernacular adds so much to this beloved TV series. Yet, many of the words are completely foreign or archaic to me. Luckily, Julian Fellowes writes scripts in a way to define the odd words in context, so you are never lost for long. Still, I thought it would be fun to re-watch the series and the movie and jot down every word, phrase, or reference that wasn't inherently understood, researched each word, phrase and reference, and wrote a short book that I self-published through Amazon. If you love the series as much as I do, mark your calendar for March 5, when the eBook version of The Downton Abbey Lexicon Primer will be available at no charge.

Enjoy!

♥ Yes

Besides being a progressive rock band formed in the 1960's and the subject of Yoko Ono's zany and Zen-y artwork Ceiling Painting, "YES" is probably the most positive and optimistic word in the English language, used to express willingness or agreement. Optimism grates on those who don't share it, but who cares? They don't dampen my cheerfulness. Don't let them dampen yours!

Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) called optimism "the doctrine that everything is beautiful, including what is ugly." Could he be referring to Wabi-Sabi (Beauty in imperfection)? He went on to say that "Optimism is hereditary, but fortunately not contagious." Ha! I humbly and happily disagree.

Optimism is contagious.

Beauty, Joy, Light, Magic.

Pass it on.

“I believe in the magic and authority of words.”
~ René Char

“Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.”
~ Rudyard Kipling

"All I need is a sheet of paper and something to write with, and then I can turn the world upside down."

~ Friedrich Nietzsche

"Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless."

~ Mother Teresa

"Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder."

~ Rumi

"Don't ever diminish the power of words. Words move hearts and hearts move limbs."

~ Hamza Yusuf

"Kind words are a creative force, a power that concurs in the building up of all that is good, and energy that showers blessings upon the world."

~ Lawrence G. Lovasik

"The secret of being boring is to say everything."

~ Voltaire

"One kind word can change someone's entire day."

~ Unknown

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We have lots of Painting Classes coming up in March. Grab a friend or loved one and spend some time making memories and masterpieces.

Yellow is a happy color. "It is capable of charming God," said Vincent Van Gogh.

In March, the students in the Creative Spirits painting class will be painting studies of classic impressionism paintings that feature the color yellow. Join us!

Sneak Preview: In April, Creative Spirits will take a deep dive into mixing and painting with green.

Creative Spirits Weekly Painting Class in Acrylics

Perfect for the artist who would like further instruction and designated painting time each week. This class also enjoys "Art Dates." In March we plan to go to Daffodil Days in Bell Buckle on March 21, and we may even plan a movie afternoon to see Emma.

Southern Springs Monthly Painting Class in Watercolors

Spring Hill Parks Monthly Paint-Along Class in Acrylics

Spring Hill Parks Monthly Painting Class in Watercolors

Or book a PRIVATE PAINTING LESSON for Instant Clarity and Results

Please call me if you have additional questions or would like to purchase a gift certificate or register for a class:

615-668-8263

Links you may be interested in...

My ETSY Shops...

Do you enjoy receiving a personal, hand-written card in the mail? Do you know someone who would, maybe a friend or family member away from home or now living in Assisted Living or a Nursing Home?

It's a charming and unique gift for yourself or someone you love.

Recommended Supplies lists...

Supplies List for Aspiring Masters Classes,

Back Issues of Bullet Point Blessings at Creative Spirits Soar! blog.

Colorful and Charming Art and Postcards from the Dimple of the Universe

Posted by Susan at 11:56 PM in Bullet Point Blessings | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/21/2020

Upcoming Watercolor Class at Southern Springs, Spring Hill, TN

BUY TICKETS NOW

Beautiful sunshine this morning is only making my spring fever worse! I'll take it, but wish it was a bit warmer than 22*. March 18 will be here soon, and hopefully more signs of spring. Even the ones we have to make ourselves.

Lily of the Valley Class at Southern Springs, March 18 at 10am. I may even offer this one in the evening one night through Spring Hill Parks.

Call to register, or text me your email address if you want to get the March calendar when it's published, 615-668-8263.

Posted by Susan at 11:28 AM in Workshops | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/13/2020

Bullet Point Blessings for February 14, 2020

Artists are different.

Artists are in a perpetual search for inspiration... for beauty, joy, light, magic.

Artists are inventive, expressive, adventurous, and intuitive with an overwhelming desire to share their world.

I am such an artist. _____________________________________________________________________________________

♥ Amorini and Putti

Who among us doesn't remember paper, dime store Valentine's featuring naked, little cherubs with quivers of arrows or heavy garland swags and the captions, "Be Mine" or "Be My Valentine" inscribed in a scrolly font? I even remember the old shoe box decorated with tissue paper sitting on my third grade desk waiting to be filled with notes and candy on the afternoon of our Valentine's Day party. On this day Erica Rhinehart, an adorable strawberry-blonde classmate would take each of the girls in the class to the back room where our coats were hanging on hooks and our lunchboxes sat above on shelves, and she showed us a small, gold heart-shaped locket on a chain given to her at recess by another classmate. I can't remember his name. Was it Mike? Maybe.

In the artwork of the Renaissance and Baroque periods these chubby angels thrived. They were known as Amorini which is the diminutive of the Italian word Amore, or love, and Putti which is from the Latin Putus for boy child. But their origin goes back much further. On sarcophagi of the fourth century BC, you'll find flocks of these winged baby angels called Erotes who protected the living and then escorted their souls to Heaven.

What would Valentine's Day be without them??

♥ Jane Austen's Sanditon

It defies belief, but I've never read a Jane Austen novel. Yet lately I've come to appreciate Ms Austen and all her heroic and wacky, and somewhat rebellious characters.

It all started with Sanditon, an eight-part period-drama adaptation of Jane Austen's final, yet incomplete, novel written only months before her death in 1817. Rose Williams (from Reign) and Theo James (the handsome Mr. Pamuk from Downton Abbey) play the lead characters of Charlotte Heywood and Sidney Parker.

The story follows Charlotte as she moves to the quiet fishing village of Sanditon for a fresh start, only to meet Sidney, a charming man who has ambitions to turn the tranquil seaside residence into a luxury resort.

With only 12 chapters and 2400 words in Austen's original work, the story was completed by Emmy award-winning writer Andrew Davies for British ITV and began airing on PBS' Masterpiece Theatre on Sunday evenings in January. And I can't get enough.

♥ Sunday Haus Cottages

The families owning such houses normally left their farms and ranches Saturday morning, journeyed to town, took care of shopping and business, attended an evening dance or party, and spent the night in the Sunday house. On Sunday they attended church in the morning and either returned home in the afternoon or attended Sunday school in the afternoon, and then spent a second night in town. Sunday houses were also used when a member of the family needed to stay in town to conduct business or receive medical attention.

Some Sunday houses became the residences of retired ranchers when farming of their land was passed to their sons.

Although in Texas Sunday houses were almost exclusively confined to Germans in the Hill Country, particularly Gillespie County, the phenomenon was not unique to Texas. Similar houses were used in the 1660s in Middlebury, Connecticut, and a counterpart to the Sunday house exists in the Pennsylvania Dutch country.

Sunday houses were small, usually having only two rooms, and often made of frame rather than rock. Some of them had 1½ stories, with a gabled roof to form an attic, usually reached from an outside stairway, that served as the children's sleeping quarters. The roof was pitched at a little less than forty-five degrees and covered with handmade cypress shingles. Some of the houses were embellished with millwork in the door and window casings and had ornamented stair rails, newels, and transoms.

The ground floor usually had a single room with a lean-to kitchen behind and a slant-roofed porch in front. Occasionally a second room was added. The houses were furnished for light housekeeping with a fireplace to provide heat and a place to prepare meals. There was no running water.

Lost in Kisstory is an Instagram account dedicated to historic photos of kisses. What's not to love? (IG: @lostinkisstory)

"Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves."

~ Albert Einstein

"There is no charm equal to tenderness of heart."

~ Jane Austen

"I must learn to be content with being happier than I deserve."

~ Jane Austen

"Beauty is the pilot of the young soul."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

____________________________________________________

We have lots of Painting Classes coming up in February. Grab a friend or loved one and spend some time making memories and masterpieces.

Yellow is a magical color. It is the color of optimism, and conveys youthful, fresh energy and enthusiasm. It is the color of sunshine which slightly adds yellow to every object it falls on. Yellow is uplifting, illuminating, and the color of confidence and success, optimism and spontaneity. Yellow stimulates the left side of the brain and aids in clear thinking and decisive decision-making.

Yellow is a happy color. "It is capable of charming God," said Vincent Van Gogh.

In February, the students in the Creative Spirits painting class will take a deep dive in studying the affects of Yellow in painting. And in March we will be painting studies of Monet paintings that feature the color yellow. Join us!

Creative Spirits Weekly Painting Class in Acrylics

Perfect for the artist who would like further instruction and designated painting time each week. This class also enjoys "Art Dates." In February we visited Oaklands Mansion and toured the historic home and the "Wedding Gowns through the Decades" exhibit. We also have the opportunity to exhibit our paintings at area businesses and currently our paintings are exhibited at Square Market Cafe in Columbia, TN, through the end of February.

Or book a PRIVATE PAINTING LESSON for Instant Clarity and Results

Please call me if you have additional questions or would like to purchase a gift certificate or register for a class:

615-668-8263

Links you may be interested in...

My ETSY Shops...

Do you enjoy receiving a personal, hand-written card in the mail? Do you know someone who would, maybe a friend or family member away from home or now living in Assisted Living or a Nursing Home?

It's a charming and unique gift for yourself or someone you love.

Recommended Supplies lists...

Supplies List for Aspiring Masters Classes,

Back Issues of Bullet Point Blessings at Creative Spirits Soar! blog.