Tuesday:) Toni’s Time-lapse Painting~ Black Cat on a Pumpkin

“Nothing says Fall, October, and Halloween like a black cat sitting on a pumpkin.”

~Toni Armenta Andrukaitis

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Well, another lazy crazy day. It’s cold and gloomy and the heat keeps kicking on. It’s Texas for goodness sakes, what’s the deal. I scrolled through a bunch of Fall ideas on Google to see what I should paint today. I try not to copy too many aspects of the ideas I find. As an artist, you can copy anything if you just plan keep it for yourself or friends and family. But, if you plan to sell your work, it needs to be mostly your original ideas and work. Mostly, I just paint for myself. Thus, I have a house filled with hundreds of pieces of artwork. Mostly original, some ideas from other artists.

Today’s time-lapse video… a notecard for Debbie. She’s always sending me beautiful Hallmark cards, so I’m sending her a Tonimark card, with matching envelope, of course.

While I had the paint out, I figured I’d paint another pumpkin sans black cat, just for fun.

Tuesday:) Toni’s Tip of the Day…Practice, Practice, Practice

“Art is like love, and love is like art. Both require patience and practice.”

~Toni Armenta Andrukaitis

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“You don’t need to justify your love, you don’t need to explain your love, you just need to practice your love. Practice creates the master.” 

― Miguel Ruiz

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Art is like love, and love is like art. Both require patience and practice. On this  Valentine’s Day, I decided to practicice my love of art. I don’t paint as often as I’d like to. I get wrapped up with the day to day, mundane trivial pursuits of life. So today, I took out my watercolor paints, paper, brushes, and scoured through my hundreds of photos for a reference to practice. I sat down without television, phone, or any distraction. I chose this reference of cardinals enjoying the cool evening and a full bird feeder. 

Remember, a photo is just a reference, guide, or suggestion for a painting. That’s my excuse, and I’m stickin’ to it. 

This photo was a bit dark and monochromatic, so I decided to brighten it up a bit.

Practice, practice, practice. I know I need a lot more practice, but each step leads me closer perfection. Practice makes perfect. I’ll never be perfect, but will enjoy myself on the journey.

Happy Valentine’s Day, my friends.

Sunday: Some More Sharing of Friendship

Friendship marks a life even more deeply than love. Love risks degenerating into obsession, friendship is never anything but sharing.Elie Wiesel

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A wonderful weekend at Crescent Moon Lodge with friends. Not only did we share, meals, drinks, and laughter, but we shared stories, thoughts and artistic endeavors. I loved sharing a few watercolor painting techniques with my friends. 

  Sherri and I painted outside Saturday afternoon. There was a lovely view of the lake. Her first watercolor. It was beautiful. 
   
 
Michele and David tried their hand at the same scene. Fantastic! David said he was unteachable   and couldn’t even do a stick figure. Guess what ? Artist!

  
Fun weekend! So many more pictures and sites to share… To be continued….

Memorial Day Memories

Who kept the faith and fought the fight; The glory theirs, the duty ours.  WALLACE BRUCE

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The word MEMORIAL by Merriam-Webster definition is…

: created or done to honor a person who has died or to remind people of an event in which many people died

1 : serving to preserve remembrance : commemorative

2 : of or relating to memory

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But, it is so much more than that, isn’t it? Memorial Day isn’t about a day off, picnics in the park, or huge sales at the mall. We honor the men and women who sacrificed their lives for our country. We honor the families who sacrificed so much when their loved ones did not return. That’s what the day is about.

With social media and modern technology, I was very impressed this weekend by the many pictures, posts, and comments from friends and families, paying tribute to our military. They shared old photos and fond memories. Many lost their lives, but many served, knowing that they too might be called to make the ultimate sacrifice. They are all heroes in my book and all should be honored.

  
This is a watercolor painting I did a few years ago to honor my father, Elijah Armenta who served in the Philipines during WWII. A collage of the Philipine Islands, jungles and palm trees, with a young soldier serving his country. 

  
(Thanks Poppi)

I wanted to share a beautiful tribute to our country and our military with The National Anthem sung by a young McKinney Boyd High School senior, Katie Grossman. She performed this acapella tribute at the Smiles Charity Concert last night. I still get misty EVERY TIME I hear the National Anthem, and this made me cry. Beautiful, Katie.

  
  
Please continue to share your memories and keep their sacrifices alive. “The glory theirs, the duty ours.”

  
A view from my window. 

Saturday Satire: A Bird in the Hand and Other True Stories

We have a couple of hanging flower baskets in the backyard. Every time I would water one of the plants, a bird would fly out and the dogs would bark and go nuts. Then, one morning, after the bird flew off, I heard little chirping noises. When I tilted the basket, I saw two tiny beaks chirping for their momma. I didn’t want to scare the occupants of the nest, so I just took my camera and aimed randomly inside for the video. What a smart mamma bird. A hanging haven filled with beautiful flowers to safely shelter her young. Unfortunately, the flowers are now dying because this momma is afraid of drowning or harming the babies, but that’s OK. We mothers have to stick together.

The safety of the baby birds made me think of one of my watercolors that I painted a while back. The satire or irony of the painting, in my artistic depiction is, the dove is clutched in a hand. The hand is making a peace sign. Is the bird safe, or going to be crushed all in the name of peace? Or is the dove, a symbol of peace safe and protected? It’s all in the eye of the beholder. Thought I’d share, you decide. Let me know what YOU think.

A BIRD IN THE HAND

Don’t let it be said
When shove comes to push
That a bird in the hand
Is worth two in the bush.
A bird is not free
If he cannot fly
There clutched in your palm
A free bird will die.
Toni Andrukaitis

Monday Memories: My Art, My Father

Today, my Monday memories are of my father. He was born in Amarillo,Texas in 1925, and passed away in the Chicago area in 1999. The many years in between were peppered with the good, the bad, and the ugly, but when all was said and done, he was my dad and I loved him.

Dad served in the army during World War II, and often spoke about being stationed in the Philippines. Of course, like most veterans, he never talked about the negative aspects of war. All we knew was where he served, and about his buddies that he served with. He was very proud of his service, but very quiet about those years.

A few years back, I created a watercolor montage of the Philippine Islands, layered with palm trees, then a rendering of my father in his uniform in shades of jungle/army greens. I was always fascinated by his old army stories, photos, and medals, and this was my way of combining these memories and honoring my dad. My only regret was he never got a chance to see it. But, I see it every day. So, I’m sharing this painting and these memories with you.

Quote courtesy of brainyquote.com:
My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me.
Jim Valvano