Welcome to My Gentle Threads! Life is all about the journey we walk each and every day and the lessons we learn from our experiences. I love sharing my artistic moments, thoughts and adventures with you here! I wish you peace and light in your life!
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| My favorite quiet place |
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| My latest watercolor This weekend I had the pleasure of painting in the studio. It was a much needed getaway for me. It has been a quiet and restful holiday weekend for me and I always enjoy it when I can spend uninterrupted time creating. I decided that I wanted to share my process of painting with you and you could see how I came to the completion of this piece. I always start with of course a fresh piece of watercolor paper. This time I chose 300 lb cold pressed Arches. I had a sample pack from Cheap Joe's, one of my very favorite art supply stores. The 300 lb is extremely sturdy, and does not require any stretching before painting, and it doesn't curl up while painting. It can handle a lot of water, since I love wet on wet watercolor technique. I have a quiet meditation bell in my studio and I always find myself slowing down, ringing the quiet bell before beginning my creative process. We get so busy with our day to day lives, I want my heart and mind to be calm when entering the creative process. When we allow ourselves to meditate on what is right before us, thoughts and visions of what the piece is suppose to be will take place, you just need to be in tune with yourself and your work. I love quiet music playing in the studio, I have my own Creative Mix of music on my Ipod, songs that are soothing and calming for me. I have lots of candles burning and a little scent of incense as well. All of these comforts are soothing to my creative spirit! We become creatures of habit, even in our creative process, I know I certainly am. I know I have certain expectations. For this piece, I did a complete water wash several times over the paper, allowing the water to saturate well into the paper. I then began letting the paints run onto the page, it slowly began to look like sloping hills. I let my first stage of the painting dry and tried to envision the next step.  Trees, Trees and more Trees As I envisioned sloping hills in my painting, I then began to add trees. I have always said that I have a fascination with trees in my watercolor paintings. I loved painting them even in my watercolor classes with Louis and Susan Jones. Trees represent strength, roots and a strong foundation to me, they carry a certain gentleness. My trees are never life like, more whimsical, but I love my interpretation! I used sponge technique for added leaves, my #1 Rigger brush for the fine branch detail. I could lose hours just painting the limbs of trees!When I finished the trees and let the piece sit for awhile. I then decided that it needed some snowfall . . . I used white gouche paint and splattered it over the trees. When I finished the painting, the name Drifting just came to be. It looked as though the trees were drifting along. I am very happy with the finished piece.  Drifting There are times when we want answers to life and don't receive them, we are unsure about our future, and we drift along from experience to experience. I feel we all are drifting from time to time . . . not knowing where we want to be. This picture represents that. Drifting isn't always bad . . . sometimes we drift from one thing to another and finally find our way. The place we are supposed to be in life. Be aware, watch and grow during these times. I have worked hard on my Etsy shop this weekend and listed this piece and many others. I am very proud of it and it gives me a sense of peace when I stare at it. I encourage you to visit my Etsy shop, this is all new to me and I have some creative goodiness there to share with you. Hope your week is filled with beauty and all good things. |
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| Captured this photo in Corolla Light This week the photo prompt was to revisit the garden before September rolls around! Last weekend when I traveled I took my new portrait camera lens and went to Corolla Light. It is a quaint little town full of shops and of course the Corolla Light House. If you have never been there I encourage you to visit. The shops are lovely, the historic Whalehead Club is there, the walking tour is sweet and there is a lot there for a photographer to see! Museums, gardens, waterways to the sound, trees, nature, lighthouse, old church, the Island Bookstore (my favorite), old schoolhouse (charming) yummy coffee house and so much more! I came across a sweet Garden shop full of beautiful things to accent your home and garden. Outside they had a beautiful garden, full of herbs, flowers and adornments! I captured this photo and was trying to get the beautiful bumble bee, I was intrigued by him. So . . . I had the perfect photo for this week. Bella is right, it was good to go to the garden, one more time. September is fast approaching and all the fall activities will begin. The spirit of summer is slowly fading . . . quiet walks, relaxing, beautiful beaches, vacations, restful times. Fall also comes with a beauty of its own, I am sure there will be much to photograph!  |
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| The ocean is a mighty and beautiful! |
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| Loved these flowers last weekend! Donna Lee |
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| My wonderful father-n-law Jack Wynn This week's challenge made me stop and think for a little while. I kept thinking that my photo would be some side shot of a self portrait I had taken recently during You are Your own Muse E-course. Nothing seemed to work for me. But then I came upon this photo of my father-n-law. We were in the Outer Banks in the fall last year, a time I love to be down there. When the flood of tourists have come and gone, the beautiful beaches are more serene and quiet and there is definitely more privacy. My father-n-law Jack Wynn was struggling to walk and we are always careful where we take him to make sure it is easy for him to move around. He goes like a trooper and never wants to miss a family moment. My husband Jimmy had found this hand carved walking stick and we had given it to him for Christmas. He took that stick with him down to the ocean. While we were all running around the beach, collecting shells, playing and goofing, I remember glancing over at my father; he didn't know I was looking at him, he was having a private moment, all to himself, pondering what was before him. I saw only beauty. I love this photo I was able to capture! Jack Wynn is an obedient man of God the leader of our family, loving, gentle, speaks only with wisdom and oh how he loves his family!! I have been in this Wynn family for 34 years now and what a loving gift he has been to me. I have been blessed in this life to have two wonderful daddy's. Life just doesn't get any better than that! |
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| Oh how I love Sheep! I captured this shot while at Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival an incredible sheep and yarn fiber festival held the first weekend in May every year. I have been attending for over fifteen years and it is an incredible experience. Every year it gets better and better and more and more people are attending. You spend two days going through booth after booth, buying hand-dyed fibers and yarns, knitting and weaving goodies. You go through barn after barn, seeing all the different sheep that have come to market. I came across these two adorable sheep and I wanted to capture them together and I did in black and white! I am always playing with my camera. So I thought it would be perfect for the photo prompt this week. Sheep are loving, gentle, quiet, precious and oh so adorable. I have loved them as long as I can remember. I know that is why I have always enjoyed my weaving and knitting. Hope you enjoy my photo! Decided to add this shot my sister took of me that same weekend.  See I told you I loved sheep! |
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| color color everywhere! I have been a knitter since I was a little girl . . . truly a little girl! When I was in the fourth grade, I used to visit two little old ladies and be their companion in the afternoons, to help my mom who was the assistant manager of a very large apartment complex when we lived in Annapolis, Maryland. I still remember those two precious ladies! I think that is why I have a fondness today for little precious older ladies, they have so much to offer us! They gave me a set of aluminum knitting needles and a skein of bright colored yarn and taught me the basics of knitting and purling . . . what a treasure that was and I didn't even know it as a little girl. I know I have spoken of this in the past, but it has always stayed with me.  the joy and pleasure of the needles! Today I am still knitting, not as often as I would like to, but still knitting. I was reminded of that this morning while outside on my back deck. Me, my coffee, the birds flying around and just my knitting. The rhythm of the needles is so relaxing and I find myself in a gentle mood. I have been working on a pair of baby booties for my co-worker who is due to have her little girl very soon. As busy as my life gets with all the things I have to do somewhere you will find a small knitting project somewhere close by. I never want to forget my roots . . . seems strange to say that but it is true. I think about my blog title and how I came up with it Gentle Threads knitting and weaving have always been a part of me and now I am expanding into other art forms. I will always be drawn back to fibers. How lucky for me I get to experience all of the art forms I want to.  saw this sign outside a knit shop in Jackson, Wyoming! So as I have knitted these booties for Addison's precious little feet I have thought about the little life that will wear these, how quickly she will outgrow them, that her little feet will grow and grow into big girl feet  and it is okay because knitting is more than the piece you are creating. It is about the gentle rhythm of the needles, the quiet process, the relaxation and calmness it brings. Just being present where you are. Slowing down enough to create something beautiful for someone you love! Knitting anyone???? |
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| Serenity! |
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| Is that me in my creative space? Self Reflection! I can't believe that it is already week sixteen of 52 Photo Projects! I have been learning so much with my new camera and each week Bella has a thought provoking prompt! It makes me reach a little deeper with my photography. Thanks Bella! It has been a whirlwind week for me but I always take the time to think about the photo prompt R E F L E C T I O N The dictionary describes it this way: echo, image, contemplation, musing, pondering, wondering thought, meditation and deliberation When I reflect on my own life I think of love, happiness, raising children, new directions, friendships, my art always there, growth, wisdom, gifts, spirituality, letting go even when it hurts, teaching myself something new, stepping out even when it isn't comfortable, reaching out to those in need, peace and contentment. I encourage you to reflect on what makes you happy, what has formed you, where you have been and yes where you will go! Have a blessed week. Donna Lee |
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| My finished piece! |
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| Something definitely old and forgotten I knew I loved this shot when I took it while visiting Manteo, North Carolina in the Outer Banks last weekend! Manteo is a small fishing village full of quaint shops, boats tied at the docks, and older houses; so I guess I truly could have photographed the entire little town and it would have been considered old! The morning I took this there was a wonderful farmer's market going on near the waterfront. I strayed away with my camera from the beautiful booths full of fresh vegetables and flowers. I found myself going down side streets trying to capture something different and there this bike was . . . standing by itself waiting to be photographed! I think it captures our photo prompt perfectly! Made me think too . . . I don't want to become old and be forgotten! None of us do. I plan to age with grace and style! Elderly people have so much to offer us They are full of wisdom, character and so much love to give. We sometimes are afraid of older people, we shouldn't be! Take the time to talk to them, take the time and don't be rushed to get away. Take the time to listen to what they have to say, they are special, so very special. Did you know that Andy Griffith lives quietly and privately in Manteo, North Carolina? He also acted in The Lost Colony when he was very young. That is where he got his acting career started. Just thought I would share that bit of wisdom with you today.  Just look around you, there is always something old that can be found, what a waste it would be to forget the things that were once so full of life! Donna |
