One Last Little 4" x 6" Collage & A Random Act of Kindness

“Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter every day epiphanies, those trancendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.”
– John Milton

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Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

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One Last Little Collage & A Giveaway

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I’m going to give this little postcard collage away today.   I’m going to leave it somewhere in Eufaula, as a random act of kindness.  If you find it… it’s yours!  I hope whoever finds it will let me know where it ended up. 

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John Milton

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John Milton (1608–1674) is often regarded as one of England’s greatest poets, second only to Shakespeare. Best known for his magnum opus Paradise Lost, Milton was also one of history’s most politically active writers. A radical Protestant and staunch republican, he served as Latin secretary to Oliver Cromwell during the Commonwealth and throughout his life wrote eloquent treatises on topics including divorce, freedom of the press, kingship, and education. This extensive look at Milton’s life and ethos addresses the psychological complexities and political tenets of the man who dared to put words in God’s mouth, and whose life was spared following the restoration of the monarchy due only to his reputation as a poet.

A little Collage Postcard for Renee – 4″ x 6″

“Sometimes in the winds of change we find our true direction.”
–Unknown

That unknown guy is pretty smart!



A little Collage Postcard for Renee – 4″ x 6″

Once again, I put fabric and little painting pieces on the postcard with Mod Podge, then just kept adding to it, finishing it off with little dabs of acrylic paint.

One day next week, I’m going to give one of these away on Facebook. 

Can you believe it’s already February?  I need to do some kind of cool Valentine for my hubby and one to give away.  I’m having so much fun doing these little random giveaways.  It’s a shame I have to work.  I’d never run out of things to do…. but then who’s going to buy all my art supplies?

Little Collage for Mary – 4″ x 6″ Postcard

“Happiness is neither virtue nor pleasure nor this thing nor that but simply growth. We are happy when we are growing.”
– William Butler Yeats

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Little Collage for Mary – 4″ x 6″ Postcard

This is another collage from an inexperienced collager.  The shoe is from a watercolor painting I did for a WetCanvas WDE (weekend drawing event), so Mary will probably recognize it.  This little card will be winging it’s way to Ohio.

About William Butler Yeats

Irish author William Butler Yeats, known for his mysticism and Celtic imagery, won a Nobel Prize for his plays but ultimately achieved more renown as a poet. He was born in Dublin on June 13, 1865. Co-founder of the Abbey Theater, he served as its resident playwright and worked with actress Maude Gonne, who inspired the romantic longing expressed in many poems. He married at age 52 and co-wrote A Vision with his wife, a book with occult roots that explores the mythology in his poetry. He died on January 28, 1939.

Collage Postcard for Cricket – 4″ x 6″ Postcard

“Far away in the sunshine are my highest inspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see the beauty, believe in them and try to follow where they lead.”
– Louisa May Alcott

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Collage Postcard for Cricket – 4″ x 6″ Postcard

This is another of my postcard collages.  My very first time doing something like this.  My friend, Cricket, is a big part of our local farmer’s market.  I imagine she has grown a tomato or two.  I really hope she likes it. 

About Louisa May Alcott

Louisa May Alcott, the beloved American author, is best known for her semiautobiographical novel, Little Women, which was made into a movie five different times. Born on November 29, 1832 near Philadelphia, she grew up in Massachusetts. Her family lived in the genteel poverty depicted in her fiction. She wrote lurid stories anonymously to bring in money but gained fame under her own name with young adult novels, which held readers with their warm characterizations and simple, engaging style. She died on March 6, 1888.

Oh My! A 4″ x 6″ Collage Postcard (by a first timer)

“This is the beginning of a new day. 

You have been given this day to use as you will.

You can waste it or use it for good.

What you do today is important because you are

exchanging a day in your life for it.

When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone

forever; in its place is something that you have

left behind… let it be something good.”

–Unknown

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Oh My!  A 4″ x 6″ Collage Postcard (by a first timer)

I mod podged some fabric pieces onto a postcard, then cut out the boat from one of my old paintings and mod podged it and a bit of a doily on top of the fabric.  The little sun is a brass piece and the rest is dimensional acrylic craft paint.   Okay… I was playing and learning and having some fun.

This little postcard will be winging it’s way to Canada for Sharron Marshall.

Today’s quote came from my little Simple Truths book, Finding Joy – Simple Secrets to a Happy Life by Mac Anderson  Click here to see a little inspirational video with quotes from this book.  (3 minutes and 32 seconds long.)

I love Simple Truths books!  I think I have 30 of them in my inspirational book collection!

About Simple Truths

There is one thing in life that took me a long time to learn, and that’s… less is almost always more. This “simple truth” is the foundation on which our company was built. I wanted to create beautiful gift books that anyone can read in less than thirty minutes.To make each book special, we focused on three things: Great content Great graphics Great packaging to create a “wow effect” We also chose not to offer our books in any bookstores or any retail outlets, to make it even more special as a gift. Satisfied customers are our #1 priority, so I encourage you to give us feedback on how we’re doing. If we ever disappoint you, I hope you’ll let us know, and we will do everything we can to make it right. We are honored to serve you! Mac Anderson Founder Click Here for our FAQ Page

Puma on Alert

“Don’t believe all you hear, spend all you have, or sleep all you want.”
#693 in The Complete – Life’s Little Instruction Book
– H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

 

Puma on Alert
5″ x 7″ Watercolor

I had a great time studying the form of this critter.    When I got this far, I couldn’t bring myself to put a background in, as nothing seemed quite right.  So I will call it a study and forget the rest, for now.
Yesterday afternoon, I had the opportunity to teach a one hour class as a volunteer artist for the Eufaula Area Art’s Council.  I had 5 students (ages 5-12) and we did vinyl collage, using materials from my sign company.  I gave them each a couple little pieces of coroplast (corrugated plastic) and plenty of vinyl in different colors.   They made some wonderful collages!  I took a picture with my phone, but I have not figured out how to get the pictures from my phone to my computer.  (I am NOT a big cell phone girl) 


Here are mine, which I scanned in when I returned to the sign shop.  We put sticks on the back and made them into fans.

 

H. Jackson Brown, Jr. 

Jackson Brown was born and still lives in Middle Tennessee. His numerous books are in 35 languages and read throughout the world claiming 158 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller list. It is sometimes noted that he graduated from a prestigious university and is the recipient of one of their most distinguished awards but, who knows? If you were to phone the administration office, they would probably deny that he ever attended. It seems hard feelings still linger regarding Mr. Brown’s insistence that the campus clock tower he pledged to help fund be in the shape of a 300-foot ukulele.

Currently, Mr. Brown writes in a remote log cabin high on Hatchet’s Ridge in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains. There he retreats to observe, ponder, resharpen No. 2 pencils and train his parrot to squawk, “One more step and I’ll shoot.” Should you want to visit, get an early start. Take the gravel road east out of Crowell Corners to the end. There it becomes a dirt road switch-backing up the ridges. A hand-lettered sign nailed to a hickory tree teasingly identifies these last fifteen miles as Broken Axle Trail. The cabin is not the first or second on this dusty corkscrew but the third. You’ll think you’re almost there, but you’re not. And count the creeks. You’ll cross two. The first on a tricky two-plank bridge. The second, unfortunately, offers no bridge at all. Now look for the weathered tin roof and the trellised front gate crowned with honeysuckle.  Pay no attention to the dogs Dan, Hoover and Hot Ticket asleep on the front porch couch; Hoover hasn’t bitten anyone in years. But be careful where you step. The copperheads, rattlesnakes, and wild hogs love this bit of heaven as much as Mr. Brown does.

P . S .   As Mr. Brown instructs in one of his books, “Don’t believe everything you read.”

What a bio!