Out of the Box and into the Fire

Class completed and wonders never cease.....

Joanne the welder

Yes, I have a new medium; steel.

This summer I took the Introduction to Welding and Creative Metalwork class at South Puget Sound Community College. It was a hot summer intensified by time behind the torch, but what fun! The ten week class just ended and I will definitely miss the time spent under fire. I was allowed to dumpster dive in the scrap metal pile at a local company. The pieces I found said, "wings and then, dragonfly." So with the help of the class instructors, Ken, Mary, and Dave, I created this sculpture which now lives in my garden.

I found the eyes at a antique store at the Oregon Coast; they are painted knobs for cabinets.

Mary demonstrated how to use the forge and made a calle lily. I decided to make a few for yard art. It was not as easy as Mary made it look. I really like the way the leaves turned out.

I like the look of the steel, but am toying with painting the lillies white to make them stand out more. What do you think?

Post Sabbatical

I AM BACK!!!

Yes, I gave myself permission to take a year off from painting. Funny, when I have used the word "sabbatical" in my explanation of "why I am not painting," I never looked the word up. In the definition it says "a period of paid leave." That did not happen! Needless to say, I have been enjoying life and that is payment in itself, right?!

At Breakfast Club, inspired by my two creative friends, Don and Linda, endeavors at publishing their written art, I began to paint. Not only that, I signed up for a class at South Puget Sound Community College: Intro to Welding and Creative Metalwork.

I am excited by the unknown possibilities of creativity from this day forward. Is it the quiet before the storm? Maybe the seed germinating ready to sprout? I feel the energy and it feels great!

This collage painting was brewing in my mind after spending time at Gleneden Beach, Oregon. Hiking down to the beach with my good friend Elaine and our doggies, this vista presented itself. I wanted to capture the beauty and delight I felt upon experiencing the view. I needed to give it more personality than just the typical gorgeous view; thus, the watercolor collage painting evolved.

Joanne Osband
Watercolor Collage

Arts Walk Spring 2014

Another fun Arts Walk experience here in Olympia, Washington!

I showed several new paintings in the upstairs balcony at the Urban Onion.

Current exhibits in the area where my paintings are displayed include:

44th Helen Norris Art Show
Sidney Art Gallery

202 Sidney Avenue
Port Orchard, WA 98366

May 1- May 30, 2014

Waterworld show at University House Wallingford
4400 Stone Way N @ 45th St. in Wallingford, Seattle, 98103

February 23rd - June 15th

Kolam

Kolam is a sacred design drawn with rice flour at the entrance of homes in India. The women and girls of more than a million Hindu households in South India create new kolams every day of the year. The only exception is during the heavy rains of the monsoon season when drawing outside is impossible.

Kolams are made as invocations to the gods and goddesses that are believed to protect the home. They also provide food for ants which keep them from entering homes. Always placed on the ground before the front door of a house, these drawings are believed to prevent evil and to encourage good spirits to enter the home. The designs have been passed down from mother to daughter for untold centuries, although there is a premium placed upon innovation and experimentation with new concepts. Once she has created a kolam, each woman prides herself in never precisely repeating that design.

Here I am at Visalam Hotel in Karaikudi, Talmil Nadu, India, getting a lesson in kolam. It starts with a grid of white dots and then I was instructed on which ones to connect with what sort of lines...straight or curved. I got a bit frustrated with the need for symmetry and started freely adding designs. My teachers reacted to this disobedience, but I informed that it was called "free form".

Here is the master and my teacher......

YES, India

I must admit is has been challenging to return to the computer after spending a month in India. Not just the computer, but a life altering experience superimposed on my life in the Pacific Northwest.

My travels focused on the Southern providence of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The tour with Magical Journey captured the essence of India. In contrast, traveling on our own provided George and I with a closer experience of nature and the Indian people. The month was stupendous!

I etched out only a few hours of sketching. "Coconut Lagoon" is a stunning hotel in the backwaters of Kerala. "Hornbill Camp" on the Periyar River borders the Thattekad Bird Santuary.

Coconut Lagoon
watercolor & ink
Joanne Osband

Hornbill Camp
watercolor & ink
Joanne Osband

Too much fun!!!

Minis at Cannon Beach

Back in action!

Two of my mini paintings submitted to the Cannon Beach Annual Miniature Art Show were accepted. The show takes place at the Cannon Beach Gallery located at 1064 S. Hemlock in Cannon Beach, Oregon. It is open during the fall and winter Thursdays through Monday from 10am - 4pm. The show runs from November 2nd to December 2nd.

All entries must be 6" X 6" or smaller and does not include the frame. I photographed the watercolor paintings in their frames hoping to capture their small size. Not sure it worked well plus not the best way to display the art.

Joanne Osband
Lily
watercolor & ink

Joanne Osband
"My Garden"
watercolor & ink

Here are better images of the actual paintings......

Cannot Resist

Hooked again by color and beauty!

Innocently I went to Home Depot to pick up an item for the house. Mistake number one was to enter through the nursery door where I saw the most gorgeous hibiscus flower. The colors were phenomenal!!! The price too was outrageous! I also had no room in my car for the plant.

I continued on my mission to locate the object needed for my project. BUT,this little voice in my head...........said go back.

This beauty won my heart!

George volunteered to hold her on the trip home.

Needless to say, I am enjoying this lovely plant and its blossoms. Here is my first painting in watercolor and ink.