Testing Pinterest

Maybe I should have been a scientist.

I do love to experiment and see if things really work, or see how they work.

Take Pinterest. So many wonderful, fabulous, awesome ideas. But I've learned that not all of them work and some need a bit of tweaking.

Tweaking is my middle name. Angie Tweaking Quantrell.

Last Saturday, I tested Churro Cheesecake Bars. This recipe worked just fine, though I decreased the sugar by half. As I am on a diet, I couldn't eat any other than a sliver to test flavor. The rest were inhaled by kids at church and all adults that happened to walk by. This is a keeper recipe if you love cinnamon and cream cheese.

Yesterday Big D and I tested the salt dough recipe. We tested ONE of the recipes. There are hundreds. The one we found worked fine, but did not make very many handprints.

Today we tested ice cube painting. While simple in concept, I had to make quite a few tweaks. Last night I filled the ice cube tray with water and added food coloring to make colored blocks. I placed clothespins upside down in some to test how that worked.

Results:

~ A few of the clothespins fell over and froze at an angle. That was not big deal. Donavyn loved this activity.

~ Directions suggested painting on paper. This did not work other than smearing a tiny bit of color on it. Failed.

~ On the shiny metal 'big chair' tray, the ice painting worked fabulous! It melted fast and swirled all around. This was a big hit with our 2 year-old artist.

~ We also tried foil, since that is shiny. Nope. Definitely not. Fail.

~ Tried a cookie sheet. Yes. Not quite as good as the high chair tray, but close. Plus the edges kept melted water from rolling off.

~ Benefits included no concern for Mr. D who constantly sampled the different colors and total amusement for a good chunk of time. Rainbow fingers and tongue let mommy know what he was up to at Nana's.

Inspiration from Pinterest? Fantastic. Reliability? Not always there. One needs to be ready to tweak.

Better to view Pinterest pins as an experiment and an adventure.

 

The Mystery of Silhouettes

 

Shadows and silhouettes intrigue and fascinate.

 

The essence of an object or person is but hinted at when viewed through darkened surroundings.

 

But the mystery is such that one squints and moves about to clarify and identify what illusive reality exists in such hidden forms.

 

With just a whisper of Light, success is found. The veiled is disrobed and made plain to see. 

 

Oh, that we would spend that much time in the waking hours, seeking to solve the mysteries that waltz beside us in peripheral life.

 

 

. . . that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

(Colossians 2, part of verses 1-3; ESV)

Lady in the Tree - Watercolor Painting

"Lady in the Tree," by Angie Quantrell
(Based on a wooden sculpture/carving in the middle of a tree in Old Town Albuquerque, New Mexico)

"Imitation is not inspiration, and inspiration only can give birth
to a work of art. The least of man's original emanation is
better than the best of a borrowed thought."

~ Albert Pinkham Ryder, Quoted in Albert Pinkham Ryder (John Sherman; 1920)

Here I thought imitation was the sincerest form of flattery.

This is a watercolor painting I did that was based on a wooden sculpture/carving that is found in the middle of a burned out tree in Old Town, Albuquerque, New Mexico. I was fascinated by the carving and the paint that was applied after the lady was carved. It sits hidden behind a church in the old part of the city, the oldest Catholic parish in Albuquerque.

The intriguing artwork is called the Cottonwood Madonna - Virgin of the Tree.

One can guess, but I still wonder what inspired the parishioner to carve the lady?


Angie Quantrell enjoys dabbling in watercolor painting when she is not busily typing at the computer. She is fascinated with the look of watercolor paints and dreams of having time to really pursue that hobby.

A Study in Watercolor Techniques

Part of the fun in watercolor painting is experimenting with other materials that can be used while painting with watercolors. This study was done while I was taking a watercolor painting class at YVCC in Yakima. Though I have pencil writing all over the borders, lines, holes, and extra paint swatches, I love the still-cohesive painting of a barn.

I love barns. I discovered this barn out in the outskirts of the Chickopee, Massachusetts, area. The only thing I couldn't convey while painting the barn was extreme humidity. UGH.

Some materials I played with were pastels, liquid starch, salt, ink, splatter, colored pencils, wax resist, plastic bags, alcohol, and gesso.

To do this study, choose a photo of something you would like to paint. Fold it or draw lines dividing it into 10 rectangles. Divide your watercolor paper with the same number of shapes. Paint each section of the painting using one of the watercolor techniques. I found that I had to work on areas that were not touching and allow each to dry before painting right beside any one area.

Found a great frame at Hobby Lobby.

It was a blast. Though student art, I love the final painting.