“Paper Pears” by Leada Wood, Texas Artist

"Paper Pears" ©2019 Leada Wood

It's always fun as an artist figuring out how to push the envelope and bend the rules a little. Being an experimental artist makes it more of a challenge! I belong to the West Texas Watercolor Society and they have their prospectus, that I try as I might to abide by when entering their shows. But it isn't easy...as I paint intuitively and things get stuck on there that are laying around my work area just because it pleases me.  Therefore my work doesn't always comply with the rules and I can't enter...but this time I was mindful and hopefully I have met the criteria.  Any how...there are no found papers, no printed papers, only ones I have painted and that's the way I came up with the name, Paper Pears. 

Pen Pal Swap by Leada Wood, Texas Artist

Maybe you have heard giddy squeals of laughter in the air...it's the sound of artists getting art mail.

What fun to have art pen pals! Kelly Hoernig arranged for a group of her students to have an art swap in which we send an envelope full of ephemera to our pen pals each month.

But there is a catch! The swap is intended to inspire you to create art with the new materials and not just hoard them.



I have received lovely papers and I am so excited to try them in some new ways! I have had fun so far just looking at them and arranging them in various fashions and letting my imagination run free. Thank you Kelly for always inspiring me and challenging me to come up with something creative and fun!

“Blooming Melody” by Leada Wood, Texas Artist

"Blooming Melody" ©2019 Leada Wood

When friends get together to create, there is an electrical current in the air.  On such a day this painting was conceived while digging through my stash of collage papers. Some were Gelli prints I had painted and others I found in my files. Cutting and gluing them into an arrangement of fantasy flowers was music to my heart. Making an intuitive collage is a joyful experience, you never know what you will create!

"Every possibility begins with the courage to imagine."---Mary Anne Radmacher





Family Fun by Leada Wood, Texas Artist

It's a pleasure to be a part of a family having fun. This group were having a family reunion and asked me to host a paint party for the afternoon. What an honor to share those precious moments with their family.

Grandmothers, Grand-daughter, Sisters, Aunts and cousins came together to create. Some of their family members came from as far away as Chicago IL.

Since a Texas theme was requested by Chris, I gave them a choice of Cacti or Sunflowers. They embraced the white canvas with enthusiasm and created their paintings.

Every good party is a work of heART! I couldn't have done it without the help of my Grand-Daughters! They pitched in and helped me set up and worked all during the festivities. I am so blessed!



“The Many Faces Of Eve” by Leada Wood, Texas Artist

"The Many Faces Of Eve" ©2019 Leada Wood

"Tear off the mask, your face is glorious." ----Rumi

This painting has had many faces. I started it in a figure painting workshop with Liz Hill several years ago but it was tossed in the unfinished painting stack to deal with later, when inspiration arrived. I cropped the finished (is a painting ever finished?) version to give it more mystery.

Inspiration finally did come but in phases, as most paintings do evolve in stages. I thought it might be interesting for you to see the process that Eve has been through.

The original had shorter hair, but I wanted it longer. I also painted over her face and  added crackle paste to give her texture.

This is another version before I decided she needed longer hair and a new face, back in the pile of unfinished paintings she went.

"The Masque" ©2019 Leada Wood


One day I saw a mask that captured my attention and decided to draw it. I really enjoy drawing with graphite and it is very relaxing to me. This one action created a reaction and got me thinking about the "lost girl' painting.  I retrieved Eve and started working on her again.

     

This is a very rough sketch on velum to see if the mask idea would work on the painting. I decided it would so I added a face and the mask to the girl.

“The Many Faces Of Eve”@2019Leada Wood

One idea usually leads to another and I started thinking of Eve and women in general and how we all hide behind masks at times. We wear many hats or masks throughout life. We are daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, nurse, nanny, cook, housekeeper, and soooo much more! Some have careers added onto all of these titles and change from one role to the next at the drop of a hat.

All of this brainstorming was how I came up with the name, "The Many Faces Of Eve".  In life, just like painting, we undergo so many transitions and they take time. We are all the Daughters of Eve, the mother of humanity, all different but related and we all wear masks at times.

"Behind every mask there is a face, and behind that a story" ----Marty Rubin

“A Little Bird Told Me” by Leada Wood, Texas Artist



“A Little Bird Told Me” ©️2019 Leada Wood

“A Little Bird told me that inventing your dream is the first and biggest step toward making it come true. Creativity is a renewable resource. Challenge yourself every day. Be as creative as you like, as often as you want, because you can never run out. Experience and curiosity drive us to make unexpected, offbeat connections. It is these nonlinear steps that often lead to the greatest work.”—-Confessions Of The Creative Mind by Biz Stone


“A Little Bird Told Me” is watercolor stilllife on archival paper. The inspiration came from my studio muse doll  that I created out of clay and a wooden mannequin, painted in vivid colors. It’s fun to use your imagination, you should give it a try.



Challenge Yourself by Leada Wood, Texas Artist

Life is a challenge, right, I get that, but it’s fun to set up creative challenges for myself. Whether it’s diet, exercise or my art I enjoy the challenge of something new and different. Recently I have started a new way of eating called Keto and believe me it is a challenge! I also completed a 30 paintings in 30 days challenge and was so relieved when I was finished but what a sense of accomplishment to have 30 new paintings that I otherwise would not have done.

"Out of Bali" ©2019 Leada Wood

This is the finished version of the jewelry challenge. I don't use metallic paint for silver or gold, as they look so flat and I don't care for them. Painting is an illusion after all, so it's another challenge to paint metal without using metallic paints. I also used Golden's interference paints, which are utterly luminous and that was a learning curve as well.

Recently at a WTAG meeting we were told to bring a black canvas and a piece of jewelry. In this photo the easel is more colorful than my canvas, but this is only the beginning! I'm not sure the other women at the meeting enjoyed the challenge as much as I did. Oh well, sure beats eating cookies and I thought it was fun!

My personal preference for drawing on a dark surface is white charcoal pencil or some light colored chalk. It rubs away easily and takes the fear of drawing straight on the canvas away. I am still laying in color at this point. I did learn that all black gesso are not created equal and that I have been using one brand that I will not be using again. 

I thought I was finished as I signed my name but with fresh eyes this week, I decided it needed more work. I used Golden's interference colors and they are very hard to photograph but give an iridescence glow to the paint that no other paint can give. I wasn't quite happy with this so I added more highlights, as seen in the first photo, to give it more depth.

You can see the piece of jewelry that was made by M Douglas Walton in the upper right corner that gave me my inspiration for this piece. I may do it again, who knows, only use a square canvas and create it even larger.  It was an entertaining experiment with materials that were new to me and I learned somethings along the way. That's what challenges are for...to learn new things. This is 8x10 in acrylics.

Here’s The Thing, by Leada Wood, Texas Artist

Being an artist is not all running around the countryside painting idyllic scenery like one might think. Nor living it up with the gang in the studio.  It’s a lot of time spent alone putting in the hours to hone your craft, whether you’re feeling creative or not. Inspiration won’t come knocking if your not working.

One must wear many hats as an artist, taking care of marketing, social media, bookkeeping, shipping, packaging, cleaning the studio, gallery representation, art walks, art shows, doing demos, classes and the list goes on and on. That doesn’t include what I have to do in my other life. So you see it’s a very busy but good life. I am one of the fortunate ones who gets to live this frenzied Artist life that I have
a passion for. It wouldn’t be for everyone but when it chooses you, you are truly blessed.

Just a little bit of the packaging getting ready for an art walk. I matt, wrap and label each painting as well as make labels and signs for them. I also must take good photographs of each drawing, and painting, and catalog them, as well as take all my refrence photos.

Although there is a lot of work besides painting, I really enjoy the work I do. To be able to dream something up and put it on canvas and have it turn out is a wonderful feeing.

I am always thinking of the next painting, how can I do it different, what am I trying to say? What inspires me...everything...the way light hits a flower or the colors of the clouds or shadows. Nature is everywhere and it captures all my senses. I am an observer and curious about every little thing, it's who I am.

I think anyone can be paint if they are willing to put in the time and learn the skills. Most people are creative, maybe they haven’t discovered that about themselves, but when they do, OH what a
journey they are in for!

"I simply do not distinguish between work and play" ----Mary Oliver

"Curiosity about life in all of its aspect, I think, is still the secret of great creative people"
                                                                                                                                   --Leo Burnett

"Creativity is contagious, pass it on" ---Albert Einstein

"Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang the best." ----Henry Van Dyke



Treasures by Leada Wood, Texas Artist

Artists are a little different...what others call trash we call treasures! My good friend Penny knew I had been looking for old handwritten letters and documents and ledgers to use in my collage work. She's an artist too so she gets me. When she heard on the radio that our local library was giving away old documents she called me up to see if I would be interested. Silly, silly, silly...of course I was interested! 

I spent the afternoon going through boxes of ancient papers, some went as far back as the 1800s. The librarian was ecstatic that I was interested and even helped me load my suv. It was a win-win for both of us.

This is part of the back room that I went through. There are still a lot of documents that should probably be in our county museum. The librarian said that they had been contacted and nobody came to go through it. Maybe I can preserve a little of the history by using the pages in my collages. The pages are old and yellowed, a nice patina,  just like I like them, but some are becoming brittle. I use archival glues and sealers in my work so maybe they will stay around a little longer, at the very most I have saved them from the dumpster for a while.



Surprises Are Fun! by Leada Wood, Texas Artist

Commissions are a little disquieting as I never know how it’s going to turn out or whether the client will like my work. But when they do I am over the moon with gratitude! This young lady's  mama commissioned her a special Valentine that I had the pleasure to create for her. Judging by her reaction she was surprised!

Jalynn loves Minions, I mean who doesn't, they are so amusing! I created her a special Minion with her favorite color, song and she had brown hair and a brown eye. I am so happy that she really loved her Valentine. This is one Valentine she can enjoy for years to come. Thanks Molly!





Artists Live Longer by Leada Wood, Texas Artist

Estelle Howard

This is what 100 years old looks like if your an artist. I want to be like my dear friend Estelle when I grow up. She is the most amazing person I’ve ever had the privilege to know. Her zest for life and uplifting spirit makes her a joy to be around!

Estelle was recently asked to do the demo for the Big Spring Art Association and without hesitation she agreed. She has taken workshops and classes with many esteemed artists all through her life and has mastered, oils, acrylics and watercolors. She paints with vibrant color and loves to paint flowers and landscapes. She paints impressionistically as did Monet who also happens to be her favorite artist. Her favorite Monet quote is “I must have flowers, always, and always.”

 Estelle participates in art shows and is still winning awards. I think she is amazing! She did her demo in acrylics and started with a toned background and painted  alla prima, which means direct painting, wet on wet in one sitting. There wasn’t a drawing to guide her only a photo reference and a previous painting.

No matter that her body is slowing her down, her mind is as bright and lively as ever! These days she has to rely on a wheelchair to get around but this spunky centenarian doesn’t let that slow her down. Yes when I grow up I want to be like Estelle...still growing...still glowing...still going.

Happy 100th birthday Estelle! Thank you for sharing your light with us and lighting candles along the way. You are an inspiration to so many! 

First Friday Art Trail by Leada Wood, Texas Artist

Yours Truly

Thanks Lubbock! Don’t you just love University towns?  I am always dumbfounded by the quanity of people who come to the FFAT. Lubbock truly promotes the arts and everyone seems to be having as
much fun as I am! What an honor to get to be one of the artists.

 

 

It is crowed the whole time, people come in droves! As I was packing up people were still coming in. Hated for the party to end but it was time to go home.



January Challenge by Leada Wood, Texas Artist

Day 30 of the 30 objects in 30 days challenge!!!! Thought I would go out with Snoopy and the Red Baron.

Hope you have enjoyed this 30 day challenge and my tribute to the Peanut gang as well as the other objects from the playroom. 





January Challenge by Leada Wood, Texas Artist

Day 29 of the 30 objects in 30 days challenge. Almost there! Now I can hear the music! Thought today was a good day for a little music especially Beethoven played by the skilled Schroeder on his toy piano.  



January Challenge by Leada Wood, Texas Artist

Day 28 of the 30 objects in 30 challenge. Lucy and Snoopy were the best of friends.

Happiness is a warm blanket.





January Challenge by Leada Wood, Texas Artist



Day 27 of the 30 objects in 30 days challenge. Marcie was known for her intellect and unassuming sweetness. She was also Peppermint Patty’s best friend and loyal follower even though they were complete opposites.



january Challenge by Leada Wood, Texas Artist

Day 25 of the 30 objects in 30 days challenge. Don’t you just love Linus?

Happy Birthday to my son, Jeremiah, who always loved his blanket too! Happiness is a warm blanket.

January Challenge by Leada Wood, Texas Artist

Day 23 of the 30 objects in 30 day challenge.



January Challenge by Leada Wood, Texas Artist

Day 22 of the 30 objects in 30 days challenge. An apple a day, keeps the Minions at bay!



January Challenge by Leada Wood, Texas Artist

Day 21 of the 30 objects in 30 days challenge. Party time! After all it is my birthday!