Pray For Rain For Texas

Well it is very dry here at Dragonfly farm, as all of Texas is right now. We have nothing for our animals to eat except the round bales that we bring in for them. I know people all over whose wells are going dry. The heat, nearly a month of triple digit days, combined with winds up to forty miles per hour are taking a toll on our land, our water reserves, our animals. I thank God for air conditioning quiet often and a cool drink of water when needed. I hope He hears our prayers soon and soothes our parched land and fills our lakes and water reserves.  We really need to remember this verse "Do not worry about anything; instead pray about everything." Phillippians 4:6

Attitude Is Everything!

A nice lady named Miriam came into my studio the other day and we had a nice visit and have been emailing each other since then. Miriam is from the Austin area and recieved this story from her daughter, and I would like to share it with you.

John is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, 'If I were any better, I would be twins!'
He was a natural motivator.
If an employee was having a bad day, John was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.
Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up and asked him, 'I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?'
He replied, 'Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or...you can choose to be in a bad mood I choose to be in a good mood.
Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or...I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it.
Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or...I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life’
'Yeah, right, it's not that easy,' I protested.
'Yes, it is,' he said. 'Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live your life.'
I reflected on what he said. Soon hereafter, I left the Tower Industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.
Several years later, I heard that he was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, he was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back.
I saw him about six months after the accident.
When I asked him how he was, he replied, 'If I were any better, I'd be twins...Wanna see my scars?'
I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place.
'The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon-to-be born daughter,' he replied. 'Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or....I could choose to die. I chose to live.'
'Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?' I asked.
He continued, '...the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead man'. I knew I needed to take action.'
'What did you do?' I asked.
'Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me,' said John. 'She asked if I was allergic to anything 'Yes, I replied.' The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Gravity''
Over their laughter, I told them, 'I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.'
He lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude....I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully.
Attitude, after all, is everything.

'Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own.' Matthew 6:34

Thanks Miriam!

ARTifacts © Painting by Leada Wood Artist of Texas




The Watcher by Leada Wood © All Rights Reserved

Well I think I have completed this ARTifact painting for my mom's 90th birthday. I will have to look at it for the next few weeks, before I give it to her, to see if there is anything else to add. It's hard to see everything on there  because of the low resolution so I will tell you a little about the rest of the story. I added a little angel in the top left corner of the family registry to signify all the grandparents I didn't know, that hopefully are my guardian angels, watching over me. I added a heart by my grandparents picture, I didn't know my grandfather but I sure loved my grandmother. The little ornament by my mom's birthdate has rubies in it, her birthstone, also the verse, Who can find a virteous woman? Her worth is above rubies. The antique watch face by my dad at the top is to signify him, he was a watchmaker by trade. It also signifies the passage of time.
The verse on the right is from

The Watcher

                                                 She always leaned to watch for us
                                                        Anxious if we were late,
                                                        In winter by the window,
                                                          In summer by the gate.
                                              And though we mocked her tenderly,
                                                      Who had such foolish care,
                                         The long way home would seem more safe
                                                        Because she waited there.

I then added a cross to signify Christianty, next to my mom's favorite verse:
"Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness" which just about sums up my mom's life.
I hope you have enjoyed taking this journey with me and seeing my thoughts as I created this ARTifact © Painting. I would be honored to do one for you or your loved one. Just contact me!

ARTifacts by Leada Wood, Artist of Texas



ARTifact by Leada Wood©

As you can see I had a busy afternoon at Studio Twenty. I added bible verses, and  yes I did ask my mom what her favorite was. It did arouse her curiosity, she maybe almost 90 but is still sharp as a tack!  I collaged a photo of her when she was about 20 in the right hand corner. I then collaged a photo of some arches to symbolize passages and a photo of her and my dad when they were first married. I added a key onto the fleur de lis, to symbolize the keys to the kingdom of heaven. The fleur de lis is a Christian symblom and has lots of meanings. My mom was always very fashionable and liked jewelry, so I added the pearls, because they remind me of her.

There is still a way to go but I am getting there! Stay tuned!



ARTifacts by Leada Wood, Artist of Texas

ARTifacts by Leada Wood©

Thought you might like a little closer look at my work. It is kind of hard to see as I have to use such low resolutions. Progress is being made! Less than a month now so I need to keep busy!

If you are looking for a gift for an anniversary, birthday, a hard to buy for person or to commemorate a special occasion the ARTifact painting might just be what you are looking for.

Please contact me at leada_w@hotmail.com for more information.

ARTifacts by Leada Wood, Artist of Texas

ARTifacts by Leada Wood©

I worked on my Mom's painting today at Studio Twenty. Still hot in Texas! I am so blessed to have a nice, cool space to nurture my creative muse.
I did a lot of tucking of the textures and added a fleur de lis and then added gold leaf to it. I decided I wanted to add a picture of my grandparents but I didn't want them to be too obivious, and I also wanted to still be able to read the Bible Registry behind them. I was looking in my Mom's old bible for some favorite verses to add and I found in the front of her bible where she had written, "Remember me with joy and laughter" and thought that was very appropriate for her so I added that above her birthdate. I am still looking for her favorite bible verses, may just have to ask her! This is a surprise for her so I will have to be crafty!

ARTifacts by Leada Wood, Artist of Texas

ARTifacts by Leada Wood©

My Mom will be 90, July 13 so I wanted to do something meaningful in honor of her. I started this painting by laying textures in  and then to kill the white of the canvas I mixed a nice warm color and glazed the canvas. I used game pieces to spell out Mom's name and took my grandma's family bible and scanned the family registry and collaged it in the upper left. I call this way of working ARTifacts, because they come from the heart and have family history or artifacts incorparated into them.  I do  these paintings for my family and also commissions for other families. I enjoy working this way, using symbols, textures, found items and meaningful trinkets to tell the persons story.

If you would like me to do an ARTifact for you please contact me at : leada_w@hotmail.com

Wise Words To Live By Leada Wood, Artist of Texas



Sunflowers and Sparrow by Leada Wood©


Like birds, let us leave behind what we don't need to carry, pain, sorrows, grudges, fears. Always fly light, life is so beautiful!

Gossip Girls by Leada Wood, Artist of Texas

Gossip Girls by Leada Wood©

Well it's been a tedious process but I am finally through with this painting. No paint was used only paper, it is 14x22 on Arches paper. Collage is very freeing, fun and a little addictive! I have been on an Asian theme lately but I must leave it  for now so that I can get ready for upcoming shows.  I decided to name this one Gossip Girls as they look as if they are  tuned in to some intense conversation. What do you think?

Torn Paper Collage by Leada Wood, Artist of Texas



Gossip Geishas by Leada Wood © 2011

 Well like the energizer bunny I am still going! Getting closer to the final stages with another painting marinating in my head. It's amazing how the creative juices flow from one idea to the next. It's one of the things I love about being an artist, the thrill of the next painting! Until the next post!

Torn Paper Collage by Leada Wood, Artist of Texas

Gossip Geishas by Leada Wood © 20011

I finally came up with a name, thanks to my friend Linda. I don't know if you watched Gossip Girls on tv but I did and thought Gossip Geishas was a good name for this painting. I had considered the Matchmaker but decided I liked Gossip Geishas better. What do you think? 
 I used paper that I had painted, on the left Geisha for a change of pace, still a lot to do on this painting. It would have been much easier to paint this painting with watercolor, but it is kind of like a puzzle to get all the right paper in the right places and make it look like a painting. Collage has been around for centuries, I did a reseach paper in collage on Kurt Schwitters, a famous German collage artist, which began my facination with collage that continues to this day. I am making progress so keep checking back to see how I am coming! Thanks for looking!

Fun at Studio Twenty by Leada Wood, Artist of Texas

Playing with Props

What do two artists do when they get together and neither wants to paint? They start brainstorming and setting up still lifes in the studio with various props sitting around. If you have ever been to Studio Twenty and gone to the back where my studio is, you know I have lots of stuff to set up still lifes with. My friend Linda came over Saturday to visit and paint but neither one of us really could get into the groove so we started getting down stuff and setting them up and having a merry old time taking lots of photos. I know some of these photos will make it into paintings and eventually onto my blog. Its great to have friends to art around with!

Torn Paper Collage by Leada Wood, Artist of Texas




by Leada Wood ©2011


These two geishas are coming along, I am still tearing paper and gluing it down, trying to add line, value and shape as I go. They are on 1/2 sheet of watercolor paper and I think it would have been much easier if I had enlarged them to a full sheet. The detail and shadows in the face are very tedious as her face is small, but I always accept a challenge and usually overcome it! Still a way to go but progress is being made....I will keep you posted!

 

Torn Paper Collage by Leada Wood, Artist of Texas

copyrighted by Leada Wood

Progress is being made at Studio Twenty on my collage. There is a story here with these two women's heads together...will have to think up a good one and share it with you! Although I do love red, I don't know whether I will continue the red all  the way down  the girl on the right or do something unexpected. What do you think?