"My Heart on a Monday" ~ Acrylic Abstract on Paper ~ by Texas Daily Painter Nancy Standlee

"My Heart on a Monday"
10" x 10" Acrylic on Paper

I've been making a stab at cleaning up in my studio and found this painting from the Robert Burridge workshop at Dena's in February. Why the delay? One Facebook poster put it well when she stated "It takes numerous breaks to access the situation." So in between assessments I'll post this. Bob has just begun a 5 day workshop this morning in Hot Springs, Arkansas and I have a good friend in attendance and I'm just thinking about all in the class this morning. I've often told Bob "There is no where else in the world I'd rather be on a Monday morning than in a Robert Burridge workshop." Joan on Facebook says "Bobette's aim higher".


Experimenting with Altered Book Journals:
I love writing and painting in a Canson All Media sketchbook or an Aquabee or Raffine Art Sketch - Something with 80 to 100 lb. paper that will accept water media but after reading more about altered books I wanted to try it. I have lots of old books around but didn't want to make a choice on which one I'd destroy so I made a trip to the local thrift store and found so many it was hard to make a choice. I eventually bought 3 - ranging from $1.00 to $2.00 and began gluing pages together. Now this can take awhile because finding the right glue takes a long time and I haven't found it yet. One has wrinkled badly but this one "The Low-Fat Ways to Cook Meat" is better and is has a ring binder so it can lay flat while working. Why do this? I feel like I can be expressively messy and hide secrets in these and if I need to tear out a page, o.k.
This first 2 pages in the altered book are all about "How Things Get Connected" and how your brain takes many detours and paths from one incident. I was on Facebook and saw Bob's photo of a wine barrel he'd painted for an auction through the Central Coast Wine Classic. My brain went wine barrel, rain barrel, cellar door and searching for the words for the "Oh, Playmate" song and making a journal entry after finding an antique book with other images. Then the trail got darker when I remembered a playmate and a cellar door. She took one of her father's cigarettes to try it out but chose a bad location, an old dried up fence row during a hot Texas summer. She caught the darn thing on fire but it was quickly put out but the smoke from the dried grasses and weeds was noticeable. She was placed in their dark cellar as punishment and I don't remember how long I just remember hearing her screams and cries. No one intervened because it was their family's business but it sure made a believer out of me. I saw her at our 50th high school reunion and I don't know if she smokes now or not. I didn't ask or ask about what happened that day. I was in college until I tried to "practice" smoking ..well maybe one other time but that's another story.
The book I chose to alter.

Bob and his Wine Barrel - the reason for the journal page.

Please visit my web site and comment on my blog:

BLOG.............Nancy Standlee Art Blog

WEB SITE ........Nancy Standlee

WEB SITE ........Canvas By Canvas

ARLINGTON TEXAS ~ ARTIST NANCY STANDLEE ~ DAILY PAINTER ~
CONTEMPORARY ~ WATERCOLOR ~ ACRYLIC ~ COLLAGE ~ GOUACHE
ABSTRACT ~ EXPRESSIONIST ~ ART FOR SALE ~ FIGURATIVE ~ MIXED MEDIA ~ ALTERED BOOKS

Contact NancyStandlee@sbcglobal.net