A Painting Project at St. Leo's Grotto

I was asked to direct a group of volunteers who offered to paint St. Leo's grotto, which is located in the basement of the church. The grotto hasn't been used for a number of years, and it's time to spruce it up.

I suggested that the volunteers paint the grotto with a basecoat of a neutral color.  The picture above shows what the grotto looked like when I arrived.

The statue of the Blessed Mother is all wrapped up to protect it from paint.  There used to be a waterfall directly below the statue, and the parishioners are hoping to get it flowing again.

Let the painting begin!

The right-hand side of this photo shows where the painting began. Trying to look like stone and rocks wasn't too difficult because the surface was already sculpted to look like rocks. We just had to make sure that everyone used the same values of gray.

My paint of choice is Americana because it's easy to work with, it's not too thick, and it's easy to blend. It also provides a nice matte finish.

The rocks are starting to take shape. The sea sponges served as the best tool to paint the surface of the grotto. A paintbrush would come in handy to get into tight spots, but for the most part, a sea sponge did the trick.

We made a lot of progress today. I'm really proud of the volunteers, especially those who've never tackled a project like this before.

Happy 4th of July!

Here's to another fabulous 4th of July. We're blessed to live in a free country, and let's keep it that way!

God bless America!

Visions of Elsa Klensch

While viewing the students' fashion illustrations on exhibit at the Fashion Institute of Technology, visions of Elsa Klensch started coming back to me. Watching Style With Elsa Klensch, CNN's weekly fashion and design television program, every Saturday morning was a great source of inspiration. 

The faces on the fashion illustrations shown above resemble the face of model Stella Tennant.

 

I'd like to have a couple of these suits in my wardrobe.

 

I'm still the proud owner of a black, wool Christian Dior suit that my mom bought for me in 1988. She said if you buy a classic suit, it will never go out of style. She's absolutely right. To this day, I can still wear that suit since it has a classic cut. Mom knows best.

Love these illustrations!

~ The buildings of New York City ~

OrigamiUSA's Annual Convention

The exhibits at OrigamiUSA's annual convention in New York City were amazing. I was blown away by all the talent in the room. These flowers look real both up close and from a distance.

I was impressed with this black couch, accent pillows, and throw rug. It's amazing what an artist can do with paper.

 I overheard a person mentioning that these insects were anatomically correct. Look at all those details.

 ~ A colorful flower bouquet ~

~ A free-form sculpture ~

~ A burst of interlocking color ~

Now this is my kind of paper folding! George Washington always looks fabulous on anything his face appears on. Check out those rings.

This life-size dragon sculpture will give you an idea of how talented these origami artists are. I'd imagine you'd need a huge studio or workspace to fold paper this large.

Don't fear the reaper.

The two sculptures in the back remind me of doughnuts.

~ A turkey and an armadillo ~

We were blessed with a beautiful day in New York City on Saturday.

~ Blue skies ~

Sidetracked by an Icon

My friend Lynn and I drove to New York City yesterday to visit OrigamiUSA's annual convention at The Fashion Institute of Technology. 

When we arrived, I was surprised to see The Pink Issue, a visual presentation and exhibition design featuring Barbie-inspired designs by the FIT students. Being sidetracked by an icon is always a pleasant surprise.

~ Divine ~

~ Ken in blue and Barbie in pink ~

Notice the locks of blonde hair and the tiny pink shoes.

This is a tiara fit for royalty. Notice the silhouette of Barbie in the center.

Give the student who designed this display an A+ for originality. Ken looks like he had a rough night, but he's working hard. Sugary snacks will always keep you going throughout the day.

~ Beads, baubles, and glitz ~

~ A beautiful day in New York City ~

Catch of The Day

He may be old, but Chiseler still knows how to hunt.

Surprisingly, Chiseler wasn't in the mood for his catch of the day. Instead, the opossum that stopped by last night walked away with the bird.

A Day At The Beach

An early morning stroll on the beach trumps a day at the gym.

The weather in Ocean City, Maryland this morning was overcast.

The ocean mist masked the high-rises in the background.

Shortly after 9 a.m., the clouds started to break

Big waves started to roll in.

The remains of a tiny sand crab lie on the sand.

~ Glistening water ~

~ My favorite street in Ocean City, Maryland ~

That's my brother Michael cleaning the windows of his condominium in the 9400 Condominium. Yes, he actually took out the entire window.

~ The 9400 ~

Mike's cleaning the other window. By the time I made it back, he put me to work running the vacuum cleaner. Work: it's in our blood, and we like it that way.

~ Flags on the bay side ~

The sun started to make an appearance around 9:30 a.m.

~ Rippling bay side water ~

~ A view of 94th Street on the bay side looking toward the 9400 ~

~ Pretty tree-lined streets ~

~ A view of the ocean from our balcony ~

~ Another view from our balcony ~