Salute To Those Who Serve

Salute

7.5" x 10.5"

watercolor

I hope that you were able to observe and participate in some sort of ceremonies to honor those who served, and still serve, our country this Memorial Day.

I haven' t heard of any events here, but I'm sure that the veterans organizations probably did something. Public school students had a holiday, and some places were closed. With the university out for the semester, and so many people gone, including the Corps of Cadets, there probably weren't a lot of people to participate in anything. I know that some WWII vets make it a point to put out flags on veterans' graves in various cemeteries.

With gas prices rising, along with everything else, I'm sure that a lot of people cut back on their outings, celebrations, food, etc. this year.

If there had been a spectacular celebration, or even a simple one, we probably would have done just what we did. Stay home, draw and paint, watch war era movies and the ceremony at Arlington on tv, and have a bowl of tomato soup. Tonight it will be a small pot of spaghetti for supper. Certainly not the fare that we hear about or read about on sites that tell us about food and recipes.

In thinking about Memorial Day, I don't really have big memories of any particular time. Daddy may have cooked barbeque, in his later years. He liked to do that. Most years, though, I remember having a teacher workday and spending the time trying to get ready for the end of the school year. I think that I remember going to a nice parade in Waco to honor our service men some years back. I do enjoy parades and that one was impressive. Lots of equipment and military personnel.

I haven't known a lot of people who were in the military, and we didn't have very many in our family who served.

But I do know that we cannot do enough to honor and show our appreciation to those who are willing and able to protect our country. Our troops today deserve the very best that is possible. Young people often go into the military in hopes of receiving further education, opportunities, and training. That certainly should be available to them, as should decent pay, homes, excellent medical care, and all the equipment and items that they need. And opportunities for them when they have come home.

I was shocked to watch the PBS special called "Carrier" and hear that the people on that ship have to pay for their own meals, out of their meager pay. Troops having to purchase their own equipment, and having their families live in substandard housing, having to get food stamps because the pay is so low, while they are out there, working hard and risking their lives and well-being. Just doesn't seem right.

I do know that we have to have a strong military, and it's wonderful that we have those who can serve.

And we are so lucky to live in a place, where we can live with the freedoms that so many have struggled and died for over the years.

Thank you, to all who have served. We salute and honor you today.

"Salute", above, was done on 140 lb. watercolor paper using Winsor Newton watercolors and a touch of white acrylic.

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Lavender Ladies

Lavender Ladies (Detail)
10" x 14"
watercolors
Each Friday, there is a challenge issued on the "Creativity Journey" blog. (I have a link to it in the sidebar.) Last week, the assignment was to begin with a grid. Not an ordinary grid of little squares, but to look around for things that form shapes.
I thought and thought and looked and looked. Finally, I looked at the Crepe Myrtle outside my window. And there it was. A grid. In the center, the branches formed a diamond shape. Some of the outer branches curved and twisted. I used watercolor pencils on 140 # Arches watercolor paper to draw the lines of the Crepe Myrtle for my grid.
Then there was the problem of what to use the grid for. I looked and thought some more. I took my paper, watercolor pencils, brushes, travel watercolors and set up in front of the tv set in the den. I can see that one better, if I pull my chair up in front of it. I settled down for the rest of the day, I thought. There were supposed to be Tim Holt movies on and I didn't want to miss those. I thought that, maybe I could at least try some gesture drawings while the cowboys were on.
I sketched one as a gesture drawing, and the trees bending over a dry creek bed, as the cowboys rode under them, seemed like this might be a grid that I could use. The scene went by quickly and my horse, as usual, looked like a dog. Good thing that I was looking at this more as a way to show movement and placement, and not a realistic drawing of a cowboy on a horse. My trees looked good, though!
I put that one aside as I thought that the figures I actually used, should utilize the lines of the grid more. My cowboy and trees could be finished later. I would need to look at a horse longer than the quick shot of them herding cattle through the trees in the movie.
The family left, and "Ladies In Lavender" came on tv. I had been wanting to see that movie since it came out and, finally, here was my chance. I still had my watercolors set up in front of the tv, and I settled down to enjoy the show.
"I'm going to watch this movie," I told myself. "The drawing will just have to wait. But, if I do see something that I want to put in a picture, I'm ready."
I enjoyed the beach scenes, the cozy houses, the vintage clothing and settings, and, of course, Judi Dench is always good. I stuck to watching, as I had promised myself. That is , until, the young man was on the rocks by the water, playing his violin in the moonlight. I could envision the line of his arms, through his shoulders, holding up the violin, in the top part of the lines that formed the diamond shape. The tilt of his head would fit into the shape above that. The drape of his jacket and the placement of his feet would all fit into the grid. All of this would have to be in blue, with the circle of the full moon above him.
The two women would have to be dressed in purple to fit the name of the movie, and they did fit into the grid. I thought about doing the whole picture in purple, but decided that the boy just had to be painted in blue. So, maybe, I would confine the purple to the ladies.
The young Russian artist struck me with her painting, and then in the scene where she was dressed in the loose robe with all it's flowing patterns. She seemed to fit into the curve on the right, formed by twisting Crepe Myrtle limbs.
The left side needed something. The heavy-set maid in the movie was an interesting character, so I added her to the composition. The exchange between the maid and the young man was so funny, and real. She had him helping her peel "spuds" into a bucket. He was not very nice in his comments to the older woman, but she didn't even know it. He was speaking to her in Polish.
I think that this painting came out with an abstract, dreamlike quality, with a bit of cubism thrown in. It is quite colorful.
I finished "Lavender Ladies" with Winsor Newton watercolors and watercolor pencils. By the time it was dry, and scanned, it was too late to send it in for the weekly challenge.
The picture is too large for my scanner, so today I showed you two details of the painting. By looking at both of them, you can probably see most of the painting.

This week's challenge is going to be a bit more difficult. Myrna used some special pens on a special kind of paper, and a photo program to "posterize" and break up a photo into shapes. I think that I may use some block printing paper and improvise for the pens. Maybe a bamboo pen. I'm not sure that I have anything on my computer that will posterize paintings, so I'm going to just break it up into shapes myself. I can do that-I think. Now to find a photo that I want to do.

Take a look at yesterday's post, below this one. I wrote a salute to veterans. I asked, below the first picture, if the statues, especially the one in the front, look like they are wearing shorts.
Let me know what you think.
Do you know the significance of the statues? I'm not sure about them, at all. It seems like my uncle told my mother where they were, but I just don't remember, now. Since this is being viewed world wide, maybe someone knows about them. Let me know if you have information about the statues in Rome behind my uncle.

I want to recognize and honor the veterans, and those who will be veterans on this Veterans Day. Many events were yesterday, but there are still observations today. I have heard from several people who told me a bit about the veterans in their families. There are so many stories out there. I hope that everyone is writing those down, and sharing them with others.
Thank you veterans, and troops!

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Hope your Monday wasn't too Blue. Or, if it was, I hope it was a pretty color and not the way you felt!