I’m happy to report that I got a tiny bit of exercise today walking to run an errand. And Scruffy is happy to report that he got a walk today!
On our walk I picked up some fun things to make art with. The first was a set of eucalyptus leaves that got blown down in a recent wind storm we had.
What I love most about them is all the chomping bites that were taken out of all the leaves before the little branch got blown down. All the leaves on the ground were chewed up like this and it was all I could do not to gather them all up to take home with me. Because I. Love. Leaf. Rubbings. A. Lot.
I’m addicted to the unexpected textures of the leaves that I often can’t see with my “naked eye,” and also to the variety I can create with different colors. My sketch pad cover has a great bumpy rough texture that I like to use as a background/stage. Maybe you can see it in the background colors on the close-up of this one.
But mostly I love the mystery of coloring over something to find out what shape it is. I figured out today that it reminds me of these books.
Ah the memories (“Yes & Know” so clever!), and now the smirks (“HOURS and HOURS of “BY-YOURSELF ENJOYMENT” – their capitalization, which also happens to be a registered trademark apparently). Uhm, oh my…but only in retrospect. At the time, my mom included these as part of her genius “Travel Treat Bags,” which we took on any long car/plane ride, and since I was an only child and she was the only adult…these were pretty fun for both of us! (P.S. I used the “Travel Treat Bag” strategy countless times with my young’uns – highly recommended. The younger the child the cheaper the “treats.” They tend to lose the pieces en route – it’s all about short-term fun.)
So anywho’s – grab a greenish leaf from the ground, a piece of scrap paper from the counter and a pencil and see what secrets that leaf has to offer. I guarantee you’ll reveal life-giving veins and edge details you couldn’t see with your indecently “naked eye.” I would love to see pics of your findings! Post a link in the comments and we can start a gallery!
Art by Annabellaboobop 
Hey Lara! It’s so great to connect with you. Thank you for visiting my website and checking out my paintings. It’s fun to see all that you’re working on here and wow – you’re a great blogger, I’m very impressed! Keep going. I love how you are bringing your creativity to your daily life and posting about it. Wonderful.
Be well and let’s stay in touch!
Susan Harrington
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Hi Susan – Thank you for stopping by and also for your kind words! I’ll be in Portland in March for the Art and Soul Retreat and I would sure love to visit your studio while I’m in town. I’m in classes each day until 5pm so it might not work out with your schedule, but I’ll communicate via email to check out options. I would love to see your paintings in person – they are so vibrant on the web and I can only imagine the garden you’ve created in your studio. Take care and hope to see you soon!
Lara
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