s k y l a r k puzzle in Ballookey's

Ballookey's Round 3 Mole is coming along, although I still have a full page and a collab half-page to finish before sending it to Gretchen. The s k y l a r k puzzle (above) was the most fun of the various things I've tried in this Mole, although the collab with Mike (below) was a close second. The flowers piece was an experiment; didn't go exactly the way I'd hoped. The pink background piece still needs a foreground, which I plan to finish now while I'm in Arizona with my husband, who is going through a lot of testing at the Mayo Clinic.

(Sorry for the blurry images, taken with my iPhone in a not-so-well-lit hotel room. Also, the black borders are from a Photoshop app and not in the actual images, although I kind of like a border, especially for the Mike collab piece. Might add it now that I see it.)







Many apologies for being late in getting Ballookey's Mole finished, as well as for my absence from the blog. Between the stress of travel (this is my fourth trip in a little over three weeks) and caring for the family, I am moving slowly with the Moleskine Exchange. I do want to say, however, that having Ballookey's Mole with me along the way--working on it in hotels, hospitals, clinic waiting rooms, and planes--has been a lifesaver. The healing power of art! Sometimes I really do believe it is what saves my life.

Holy Moly!

I got my moleskine yesterday, and last night I started work on it. I bought the A4 Sketch book, not the Watercolor--the store I found them at didn't carry Watercolor, and it was getting too late to order. I kind of like the way the pages in this book buckle a bit when I paint with gouache on them, but I'm going to have to be careful to not use too much water. If you have any hints or tips on this, let me know.

What I'm working on is a self-portriat for the first spread. The photo above shows how far I got last night. I'll try to finish the spread tonight or tomorrow night. That's me on the left, or at least, my interpretation of me. (My husband doesn't think it looks much like me at all.) In my hand, which will show up on the right side, I'll be carrying something on a plate. The theme of this piece will be Vision and Clarity. I'm trying to gain both in my work and my life in 2011.

A little about myself. I work under the pseudonym "ybonesy." It's pronounced ya-bones-ie. It's a word my youngest daughter made up when she was eight or nine. I have two girls, now both young teens. I live with them and my husband in the Rio Grande Valley. I paint and do collage (in my spare time, as I have a full-time job) and I write. I also make jewelry with my paintings and doodles. I had a blog with a friend for four years; it's called red Ravine. I published a lot of my work there. I just left it this year. It's a great blog. I miss the camaraderie, and I didn't want to leave but felt if I didn't, I wouldn't be able to focus on my art as much as I want to. I hope this project will keep me producing throughout the year.

I guess that's it for now. I'll post the finished spread in a day or so. Cheers to you all.