Update: Walter F Layer, Colonel, USMC, Arlington Cemetery

About a month ago I posted about an old Zeiss Ikon Contessa camera I bought with a man's name written inside the leather case.  I promised to do a little research on ancestry.com and find some information on him and update you when I did.

If you don't read anything else, jump to the last paragraph.  

Walter's Camera

I've found out a little more but not a lot.  Here's what I know if I've found the right man. (But how many Walter F Layers are there that were in the Marines in the 40s?)  First I checked military records. 

Military Records

Walter Francis Layer
Born March 22, 1907 in PA
Died April 21, 1965
He was a career marine.  It turns out he is buried in Arlington Cemetery, Section 35, Site 647, next to his wife Mildred Dorothy Reber who was born the same year and died in 1989.  I found their marriage record in 1932.  I found military records starting in 1940 (age 33) and going all the way until 1958 in VA.  On his tombstone in Arlington it says he served in Korea in WWII.  He is not far from the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Census Records

In a 1930 census he's living in Philadelphia, with his parents at age 23 and one sister. His father was a fireman. 1940 he is now married to Dorothy, still living in PA with one son, Robert and it says he is a foreman at an oil refinery.  This is dated April 11, 1940. 

Mystery, what happened from April 11, 1940 at the refinery and being a first lieutenant in the USMC by November of that same year to where he was actually signing the enlistment reports. Okay, history of the war I need to brush up on.  (My friend Russell would not be happy with me.) 

History Lesson

Basically, Hitler has been invading countries all over Europe for the last two years and it looks as no end is in sight. The summer of 1940, Denmark surrendered to Germany, Germany invaded Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, Paris and the Chanel Islands. USSR jumps into it.  Italy declares war on Britain and France.  

By July, Germany is bombing Britain. In September, Germany, Italy and Japan sign the Tripartite Act. From what I understand, this pact was aimed directly at, then "neutral", America to hopefully make them think twice about entering the war.  Think again!!   In October, Italy invades Greece and Germany invades Romania.  IT WAS A MESS!  No wonder men were signing up.  Nine months (Aug 1941) after Walter joined the USMC the US and Britain signed the Atlantic Charter (delcaring joint opposition to fascisim).  Four months after that...Pearl Harbor. 

All I can say is he must have been a very dedicated American.

Here is the neat part of the story.  

As it turns out I'm going to be in Baltimore over July 4th weekend for my nephew's wedding.  I arrive early on Friday, the 4th, and have most of the day to myself.  Guess what is 37 miles from the Baltimore airport?  Yep, you guessed it....Arlington Cemetery.  What better day to visit Colonel Layer and pay my respects to him and all our fallen war heroes than July 4th! I will be taking both my digital and my B&W film camera for photos.  Yes, I will post them. 

I know it will be crowded, but, there is a reason for all this.  I don't know what it is, but I'm just going with it.  

Post Script:  It seems Layer is of German derivation. :)

"Creating Art at the Speed of Life" Lesson 7: Multitasking Media

Lesson 7 of Pam Carriker's book is using different media together in one piece.  I discovered something I really like in this one and will take some time to pursue.  Acrylic and watercolors when dripped with alcohol make very interesting patterns. 

But what I really loved about this one was painting over and shading of the female figure in a very loose and abstract way. It was just a B&W copy of a line drawing, but I like it much better this way. 

The page on the left, overall, is too dark, but I can change that next time.  I like the dark blue over the yellow, you get some nice greens.

This photo does not look nearly as bright and good as it does in person or on my camera. Guess I'll just put that down to operator error, but I love it just the same.  More figures to come.....

Also, my two new best friends, color wise, are Nickel Azo Gold (used here...the rusty color) and Green Gold.  They just seem to go with everything.  

So, lesson 7 down, 23 to go. I hope I can make it.  

As always, thank you so much for stopping by!!

"Creating Art at the Speed of Life" Lesson 6: Texture

Okay, lesson 6 is the start of textures.  This was made with a very wet page wash and plastic wrap crinkled up between the pages.  Close the book and let dry.  Open it and you have some cool texture to doodle on. 

Full layout!

Can I just say I LOVE the look of the little added shadow to my black and white lines!  Such a simple thing can create such depth. 

I LOVE the dept a little shadow can give.  If you look closely you can see the plastic wrap texture. 

If I were to do anything differently I'd make sure my wash is MUCH, MUCH darker!  I think the texture would show up more then.  I used pan pastels and punchinella for the dots.  And any mixed media page can always be improved with a little dramatic black/white work in my humble opinion. 

Feel free to add your own texture techniques below!
Thanks for stopping by!

"Creating Art at the Speed of Life" Lesson 5: Complimentary Colors-Purple and Yellow

I've been without internet for the last 4 days due to a sudden and violent hail storm on Friday.  I'm mooching WIFI to get this posted today, but hopefully Century Link will get me my new modem soon. 

Lesson 5 in Pam's book, Complimentary Colors exercise.  Choose your favorite color (purple) and the color exactly opposite of it on the color wheel.  Other compliments are Red & Green (think Christmas), Blue & Orange (think FL Gators).  Purple and Yellow are great complimentary colors....but you have to be careful putting one over the other or you get mud!  I like the left side of this layout better. 

...both sides of the journal.

Close up of the left side.

Another closeup.  Love the Japanese paper with the lotus flowers. 

I love purple and always have.  It is a wonder I didn't talk my parents into carpeting my room with it.  I got red shag instead.  (Yes, I'm sure that dates me.) In any case...I like the way this turned out!  It is a combination of collage and painting.  Any opportunity to use ephemera and I'm all over it!!

The next batch of lessons is on how to create "texture"....or the look of texture...without the added bulk.  

As always, thanks for stopping by!

"Creating Art at the Speed of Life" Lesson 4: Monochromatic Colors

Lesson #4 in Pam's new book is on monochromatic colors.  We used black and white images to build a character head and then painted the entire thing with shades of one color. (Next time I need to use a color that darkens more easily.  It's hard to darken yellow without it turning green.)  In any case, I really like the figure. Next time I will draw a face of my own. 

Lesson #4

Since Lesson 3 was Analogous colors and Lesson 4 is Monochromatic colors I thought I'd pull out a project I did last year with a sunflower using these same concepts.  Analogous colors are on the right.....monochromatic color on the left. I used yellow again but also used white and black to get a full range.  Now you see what I mean about yellow and black making green.  Good to remember for the future when I need a nice green.   

I can't decide which one I like better!  I like them both really...maybe less is more.

So, the next time you're considering a project with color consider a monochromatic scheme or an analogous scheme to create a cohesive look. 

Left: Monochromatic   Right: Analogous

That's it for now...back to the studio!  As always, thanks for stopping by and please leave comments & suggestions below. 

"Creating Art at the Speed of Life"-Lesson 3:Analogous Analogy: Art & Blogging

Lesson #3 from Pam Carriker's book is on analogous colors.  I chose hot pink, violet and red...next to each other on the color wheel...which is the meaning of analogous. 

Lesson #3-Analogous Analogy

Though I didn't like the page at first I kept working at it until it became better.  I love the hanging hearts with their little shadows and the overall harmony of the page.  With this lesson we begin adding a critique of the page.

 

They say that about art...if it's not working, keep at it until it does.  Eventually you'll get there.  And if it doesn't, well, there's always gesso to cover it with and start over.  Just consider it one of the many layers in the art.  So, that's the lesson for today, 3 down 27 to go. 

I guess blogging is a bit like that.   I've read all sorts of tips and advice on blogging and, quite frankly, sometimes I feel like I'm just writing to myself.  But, I'm keeping at it.  They say to be yourself.  Okay, thus the content of this post.  Then they say that the blog is about your readers, not about you.  Well, what if you don't have any readers?  Or just a few?  So, I'm working on that as well.  

So, for  now I'll keep plugging away because I love what I do and want to share it.  It's not that I think my life is so fascinating that others want to read about it, but I have a passion and hope to connect with others that have the same.  I'm not giving up!

So, if you've gotten this far in this post I'm impressed and so grateful.  If you have, please leave me a comment.....about ANYTHING!   The good, the bad, the ugly.  More pictures? Better pictures? Less words? Different topics? Do you blog? I mean it.  Lemme have it!!!

Creating Art at the Speed of Life

I am working my way through Pam Carriker's new book "Creating Art at the Speed of Life."   These pages include Lessons 1 & 2. 

Lesson 1: Color wheel on a coffee filter.

I've read through the entire book and it's a very good tutorial for getting started in art journaling.  It covers several background techniques and covers various media.  It even includes a tutorial on making the journal out of watercolor paper.

As always, Pam's work is gorgeous and I plan to work through the entire book, posting photos along the way, to pick up and practice some new techniques.   You're never too old to learn new things.  If you are not familiar with Pam Carriker, check her out. She all over the place!  But below is the link to her Facebook page. 

facebook.com/creatingartatthespeedoflife

Below are pics of the page in progress.

I'd love to hear from all you art journalers out there on how you create backgrounds for your pages or any special techniques you use. 

Thanks for stopping by!

P.S.  Thanks to my friend Catherine for the coffee filters. 

The Table Bakery

Yesterday I told you about this cute little cafe we had lunch in Asheboro called the Table Bakery.  I've included the link and some photos of the interior....so charming!  If you ever get a chance to stop in it's worth it!  I had a chicken salad sandwich with a side of truffle fries....yummm!!

Be sure to check out the cute benches and seat covers, the table decor and the milk bottle chandelier!!

The Table Bakery  

  

My lunch...served in a large tart pan.

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Feel free to share your favorite fun lunch spot, I'm always looking for new places to eat!!

Antique Shops in Asheboro, North Carolina

Asheboro, NC, is a small town about 30 minutes south of Greensboro.  I believe it used to be heavily into the Carolina textile industry judging from all the large warehouses we saw downtown.  Anyway, these have now been turned into several very large antique malls and consignment shops.

Just when you think you're done you see a sign like this!! LOL

My friend Catherine and I spent the day there and found lots of little goodies and boy did we find some bargains.  The "not so good deals" we just left on the shelf.  We also saw a few things that just made you scratch your head.  Catherine dubbed them "Pinterest Projects Gone Wrong."  I've shared here some pics from our day.  If you ever get the chance, it's definitely the place to go. 

We also had lunch at a fabulous little cafe called "The Table Bakery"....soooo cute, tons of charm and atmosphere and the food was great, awesome desserts.  I'll get some pics of that up tomorrow. 

These were samplers from the 1800's and gorgeous but $1,000 to $1,500 ea.

I love warm, creamy yellow ware bowls. 

This guy must have collected radios.

         

This 3 pc bedroom suite was beautiful!

Some of the fun things that followed me home!

Art Inspiration from Catherine's Garden

I'm visiting my friend Catherine in NC this week.  She has the most beautiful backyard so I thought I'd share some photos with you of her handiwork.

Cute little vignettes like this hidden all over. 

Lacecap Hydrangeas

Gorgeous Hostas!

A sneak peak into her potting area. 

More lacecap hydrangeas against her slate wall.

Oakleaf Hydrangea under her front stoop windows.

See what I mean! Gorgeous.  Wish I had a week to just sit back there and do some watercolors.  I'm definitely taking photos back to paint from when I get home.

We antiqued today in Asheboro, NC, so I could find more supplies for my collages and assemblages. I'll share pics of our day and what we found tomorrow.  It was a great day!

Winter Garden Arts Association Gallery Exhibit

This evening I attended the opening of the "She Sells Sea Shells" exhibit at the art gallery for Winter Garden Arts Association at 127 So. Boyd St.   "Shark Bait" (above) was accepted for the nautical themed show.  Attendance was great, the artwork was amazing and everyone had a good time.  I'm so excited about this new addition to our community!

Shark Bait performed well once people got over their preconditioned notions about not touching the art work.  (I really need to put a sign up that encourages them to turn the handle.)  The exhibit will be up for the months of June and July.

Shark Bait is for sale through the gallery.  Winter Garden Art Association

Stencils, Masks & Mark Making Tools

Stencils

I love stencils and mark making tools!  It's a quick way to add color, texture, layers and pattern to your art whether it be for the background or the focal point.

Stencil Finds From Home

The photos are of some of the things I use including needlepoint canvas, drawer liner, berry containers(green thing), letter stencils, a sponge, punchinella (sequin waste), anything with holes punched out, sink liners, washer and even part of a silk flower.

Mark Making Tools

Now on to mark making tools.  Same thing, look around your house and rubberbands are an easy addition to anything round you can roll across the canvas.  You can also glue items on to craft foam including bubble wrap, rubberbands, hot glue and dry wall tape.

Mark Making Tools

Also included is a purchased brayer, sponges, hand cut rubber stamps, toothbrush, bamboo stick, woodblock letter, film canister (makes cool circles) and some type of spreader from the hardware store. Basically, anything that can ADD paint or take AWAY paint. 

Of course you can buy stencils and mark making tools from craft stores and online.  But, if you look around your house, garage, junk drawer or craft bin there are tons of things you can use as stencils and mark making tools as shown in these photos.

Stencil vs. Mask

One last thing.  What is a stencil vs a mask??  If you think of it this way, it helps.  A stencil is anything that produces a design from the paint going THROUGH an opening.  A mask is anything that leaves a design from the paint going AROUND a solid object.  Also referred to as negative painting sometimes. See photo below for an example of each.  (Technically parts of a stencil are actually a mask, but you get what I mean.) 

Stencil vs. Mask

So, look around and see what you can find. Post your ideas below and share with the group, I'm always looking for new ones!

Next time, how to use stencils, masks and mark making tools with paint, watercolor, pastels, stencil paste, joint compound and anything else I can think of!

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Tutorials.....where to start?

I enjoy teaching others how to create art.  My sister always says that I got all the "creative genes" in the family but I don't think that's really true.  No matter how unartistic, uncreative, or uncoordinated (sorry sis) you think you are...you can create beautiful things.

A Freeform Abstract Acrylic Painting

Here, in my opinion, is what it takes:

1. First, a desire and a passion for something.
2. The right tools-so important (more about this in later posts).
3. Learning through workshops, tutorials, videos or books.
4. Trial and error and some practice.
5. Have fun....if it's not fun it's not working.

The question I have for YOU is what would you like to learn about?  Please let me know in the comments below.  

I've tested glues, gesso, markers, paints, pens, watercolor graphite pencils, papers...you name it!

My goal is to create some short FREE tutorials on the blog to hopefully inspire you to try something new OR try your hand at art for the first time.  But, I would like to know what YOU would like to learn.  

So, please leave a comment below with your suggestions for tutorial topics!  

Thanks for stopping by!

Give Patterns A Try

Julie FeiFan Balzer put out a blog post and call for artwork incorporating patterns and I did these today in response to that.  Thank you Julie!

Leaf From Leu Gardens

My Pattern From The Leaf

Patterns can be found all around us in everyday things and nature.  Julie posted some great ones from Pinterest.  You can get ideas anywhere if you stop and look.  One of mine is designed from a leaf at Leu Gardens, the other from an antique tin ceiling tile I have hanging on my wall at home.

Antique Tin Ceiling Tile

Pattern Drawn from Two Tiles Together

Anyway, find a design or pattern you like and just expand it with lines, dots, circles, shadows, hash marks, etc.  There is this thing out there called Zentangle (look it up).  Anyway, it's making designs with just those things I listed. Normally done in black and white but can be color.  I call it doodling, and have been doing it since I was a kid in church (sorry mom).  A little shading with some graphite and some designs almost look 3D.

Give it a try, I'd love to see what you come up with!

Thanks again Julie, this was fun!