Week 22--Goldfish

We can't tell you why we've had a hankering for Campbell's Tomato Soup with Pepperidge Farm Goldfish crackers, but it was on our mind all week. And we finally had it for lunch!

No childhood is complete without it!

Freebird followed a childhood theme for the first challenge of the year, a cartoon of a cat fishing in a fishbowl:

Also on her blog. Reminds us of Cleo and Figaro in Disney's Pinocchio, how about you?

Our official response can be found here and here:

Thanks for stopping by and seeing where the themes take the artists. We appreciate your time and wish you could join in the fun!
Until next time...

It's a Little Fishy

Welcome to the 2016 edition of the Two by Two by Tuesday art challenge! Truly, we don't want to think of this as challenging at all, just get the grey matter flowing so the creative powers can take over. The only REAL challenge is to squeeze all of that into a two by two inch space (or roughly 25 square centimeters if the memory of metric conversion serves us properly).

Any medium will do.

We try to do a little research first and are always amazed at what we find and where the artists take the themes.

The first creative word of the new year is "goldfish." Goldfish are associated with the Persian New Year, a celebration called, "Nowruz." Nowruz falls at the spring equinox, so it's still two months away. The traditional table would be set with a glass fish bowl to symbolize "life within life."

A plain bowl of water is considered unhealthy, so some plants for oxygen and snails for doing some cleaning up would make a good environment for a goldfish. Goldfish come in many varieties and can survive outside in ponds, too. Not too hot, not too cold.

From Wikipedia

Related to goldfish are koi, which you may have seen, if only in a painting.

Then, there are these:

YUM!

And who could forget this:

Or this:

Arabian Dance
Fantasia
Walt Disney, 1940

But there always has to be something new and different, so we found a band out of South Africa:

Won't you join us for some twinchie fun? Grab some art goodies and show us your "goldfish."
Send images of your work to:
1xeritas@gmail.com by 2PM Tuesday, January 12, 2016 along with blog links or notes and we'll post them later that day.

Week 21--White

For the final prompt of this inaugural year, the word of the day is, "white." The resulting work was anything but bland or boring.

From Arkansas, Freebird sent this beadwork piece:

White by
Freebird

You really must read her blog to see what this has to do with breakdancing!

Our official response became this:

White by
Cheryl

Inspiration takes many forms. Freebird found it in something she's not real keen on and created a lovely art piece. Cheryl, well, we never quite know what to expect there.

We invite you to see what the artists are up to and to participate as well. Spread the word that there's a "twinchie" challenge open to all media worldwide. We would love to have you join us!

Until next YEAR....!

A Blank Canvas

As the year winds down and we're approaching the onset of yet another New Year (if you follow the Gregorian calendar), we look for a fresh start, a new beginning, a clean slate. For a writer that can be a blank page, for an artist, a white canvas. Either can elicit a mental block of where to start and what to do. Or it can be a refreshing change of pace.
The challenge this week is to use WHITE materials in any manner desired and in really, any color. It could be a cold, bright white like LED bulbs or a warm white like candlelight or any color in between. It could be a light blush, ecru or cream. Layer it all on or keep a nice, smooth surface...however you see "white."
So while you enjoy all the festivities of the season, create some "white" twinchies and send them to us!
The usual verbiage applies. Send images of your completed two-inch artworks to:
1xeritas@gmail.com by 2PM Tuesday, December 29, 2015. Include blog links to your post and/or a description of your work. The results will be posted later the same day.
Cheers!

Week 20--Sparkle

It's that time of year when everything is, well, BRRR COLD! Whoever thought Arizona was warm and sunny doesn't visit this time of year (42 and snowing?!!!).
But it's the time of year when everything is sparkly and bright and that's what this week is all about.

Freebird sent this message to share, for always:

Sparkle by
Freebird

Our official response this week is this:

Sparkle by
Cheryl

We're going to raffle our response off, our gift to one lucky visitor to my other blog, so check that out and throw your name into the ring!

Enjoy all the sparkly delights of this holiday season! Until next time....

Never a Dull Moment

Kind of drawing on last week's theme of tradition is the concept of lights to brighten the dark winter skies of December. With apologies to the Southern Hemisphere, which is experiencing their summer, all the major religions on the planet incorporate lights into ceremonies and rituals to ward off the darkness.

One of our favorite events this time of year is Las Noches de las Luminarias at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. Volunteers go around lighting thousands of luminaria each night and patrons enjoy intimate music venues, food and wine. What's not to like?

Desert Botanical Garden

We also enjoy Glendale Glitters and the downtown area all lit up.

Glendale Glitters

It's all sparkly and bright! Which brings us to this week's teenie art challenge: sparkle. Maybe you just add some glitter and call it good?

Glitter

Perhaps you play around with a camera and experiment with the out-of-focus light concept called bokeh.

By Zamnar

Or, like our usually twisted selves, go off in a totally different direction? We didn't know about this movie, but it's on our list, if only for the awesome costumes (we're certain the music is just fabulous, too!)

Sparkle, the Movie

From wherever the inspiration comes from and wherever it takes you, show us some sparkle!

Send your sparkly twinchies to:

1xeritas@gmail.com by 2PM on Tuesday, December 15, 2015; include a blog link or what-have-you, too! And spread the word so more creative, twinchie people can get in on the fun!

Week 19--Tradition

Every culture, every community, every family has customs that bind them together. Some celebrate holidays, others the seasons. There are secular celebrations and others to honor a concept of a Higher Being, however that is described in ones life. There are those that mark life's milestones--from birth to death including the first day of school or passing a driver'license examination.

Freebird chose to expand on her family's tradition of serving in the United States military:

Tradition by
Freebird

It is because of the sacrifices of our veterans that we enjoy the freedoms that we do here in the States.

We went with a personal ritual that we enjoy during the winter season:

Eggnog
YUM!

What do you celebrate in Winter? (Or Summer in the southern hemisphere?) What traditions do you carry on in your family? Share your thoughts with us!
Until next time....