My Turquoise Obsession by Leada Wood, Artist Of Texas

My Turquoise Obsession by Leada Wood©

I have loved turquoise for so long it has become an obsession! I still collect turquoise jewelry and wear it like it was the 70's. It is such a beautiful hue and goes with so many other colors. It is a strong color that radiates tranquility, peace and calm. Turquoise is a great color to have around you as it calms . Hmmm they say it heightens your sense of creativity and sensitivity. I also read turquoise encourages inner healing through its ability to enhance empathy and caring. It heightens  your intuitive ability and opens the door to spiritual growth and is the color of the evolved soul. Well I don't know about all of that but I do know that I LOVE that color and will continue to enjoy it and surround myself with it as it does bring me joy!

This painting is 11x14 mixed media on paper and is available.

Happiness Symbols by Leada Wood, Artist Of Texas

Happiness Symbols by Leada Wood ©

This is a new little Jewel, only 5X7 with a powerful punch and message.  There are various symbols for happiness incorporated into this painting as well as the Japanese Kanji symbol for hapiness. This symbol can also be translated as blessed, welfare, well-being or fortunate.
I used the symbol of a man and woman, as I believe that one completes the other thus bringing happiness to each other. I used the coins for good fortune and prosperity.
The spiral is associated with the cycles of time, the seasons, cycle of birth, growth, death and then rebirth. Some also consider the spiral a symbol of a spiritual journey. Life doesn't progess in a straight line, it resembles a spiral. We seem to pass the same points over and over again with a different perspective each time.
The circle is an unbroken line which has no beginning, and no end which represents completeness.
The color orange is a power color! It stimulates creativity and enthusiasm. People who like orange are usually sincere and thoughtful. Lady Luck's color is orange.
The color turquoise is a friendly and happy color. It controls and heals the emotions creating stability and balance.
Can you believe one little Jewel has so much symbolism?




 

Enjoy The Journey by Leada Wood, Contempory Artist Of Texas

Enjoy The Journey by Leada Wood©

My sweet niece has a very big heart. She has donated her hair to Locks Of Love and now she is going to shave her head on her birthday to raise money for St. Balricks to help find a cure for childhood cancer. She will be 24 on her birthday. Not many young folks at that age are into raising money for good causes.  She has also done various other things all year to raise money for this wonderful cause. I am so proud of this young lady! And thankful to all those who spend time and energy for good causes.

I wanted to help her raise even more money at her event on Tuesday, her birthday. I am donating this painting, the one she picked to  help her with her cause. We should do all the good we can while we are able. We have been given so much, so many blessings to enjoy! I hope you take the time today to be grateful for all your many blessings.

I love you Whitney and I count you as one of my blessings!

Oh a little about this painting! I painted the papers and tore them into pieces and layered them over an underpainting. I didn't paint the small angel on the right, she just appeared! Eerie! I did draw with a gold metal leaf pen around her to bring her into focus. I love the saying "Enjoy The Journey" so I added it to this painting as a reminder to us all.

ARTifacts© Painting by Leada Wood Artist of Texas

Oneta Sanderson with her ARTifact© painting created for her by her daughter Leada Wood in honor of her 90th birthday.

ARTifact© painting by Leada Wood©

Yes, I did add a couple of more things to my mom's ARTifact painting. After looking at it for a while I decided I needed to add a photo of me and my brothers. I chose a heart format because she always kept us close to her heart and loved us unconditionally. I also added a photo of her brothers and sisters under my grandma and grandpa so the family circle was complete. She was very surprised and liked her painting! When I took her home after her party, she asked me to hang it on her wall and with great pleasure I did.
If you are new to my blog check the older posts to see the process of this painting.
Thanks for joining me in my journeys!

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

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!

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?

 

Paper Geisha Beginnings

Paper Geisha by Leada Wood ©

After tracing over my drawing with sharpie marker so I wouldn't lose my design, I glued down the back ground . Then I started ripping tiny pieces of colored paper from magazine pages and gluing them down. Trying to use them like paint, keeping in mind that I had to use different values to build form and shape.