Week 30--Wood

Thank you for checking in on the results for this weeks' TwobyTwo, The word is wood, which can take on many meanings and therefore can be illustrated in so many ways.

In Arkansas, Freebird went with the definition that falls into "into the woods," as in "forest." She made this lovely depiction with her beads:

Wood by
Freebird

You can just hear the wind through the trees and the leaves gently falling!

This is our official response, a ZIA using the pattern, "Wud:"

Wood by
Cheryl

Be sure to check out the blogs and see how the artists were inspired this week--and let them know you saw them here! Perhaps, join in on the fun!
Until next time....

How Much Wood Could a Woodchuck Chuck?

If a Woodchuck could chuck Wood?!

Oh, we're off to a great start, aren't we? Did you know that "woodchuck" is just another name for Ground Hog? No, neither did we, or we may have chose this theme back in February.

Hitching a Ride

But really, this is more about the WOOD part.
There are hardwoods that we use to make furniture or build a good fire.

Green wood is a young, juicy sapling that will soon grow into a great tree, but is pretty useless for fire-building.

Mostly, wood used to be a tree.

Now it can be a wall.
It's quite fashionable right now for homes to sport reclaimed barnwood. So you have trees that used to be barns. What was once outstanding in it's field is now inside!

And of course, there's the fence, too!

 There's a Zentangle angle for tangly people everywhere! This is art by Rhonda:

Follow this link to directions for creating the tangle "Wud," with great examples by Margaret Bremner, the Enthusiastic Artist.

Then there's Tanglewood:

Tanglewood, Lenox, Massachusetts
By Stu Rosner

And all this time we thought you said, "wood duck."

Quack!

Show us your wood twinchies! Any artform is accepted, just keep it to 2 x 2 inches (or about 5 centimeters). 

Send your artwork by 2PM Arizona Time, Tuesday, May 3, 2016 to

1xeritas@gmail.com along with blog links or notes of inspiration. 

We'll post the results later the same day.

Week 29--Ranch

It was quiet here at the ranch. We can appreciate that, can't you? Gave us some time to think about WHAT to do with this week's word. "Ranch" conjures up all sorts of associations--yummy salads and dips rank prominently. Oh, yeah!

Freebird decided to illustrate a ranchero, a cowboy working a ranch:

Ranch(ero) by
Freebird

Our official response is a (teenie) rendering of our little ranch house, the emphasis on the style of the abode.

Ranch (House)
by Cheryl

Oh, home on the range, where the deer and the antelope roam!

Seldom is heard a discouraging word and the skies are not cloudy all day!

Thanks for visiting. Be sure to check out the artists' blogs and let them know you found them here!

Until next time...

Home, Home on the Range

Last time it was all about the banana joke. This week we're singing about where the deer and the antelope roam. Not far from here are prairie grasslands where that really happens, just like that.
Right here in town, it's open range and we get surprised occasionally with cows chomping on the vegetation. It's why our little half-acre is fenced.

Montana Ranch
Angus Beef

Yes, it's the Wild, Wild West.

Ross Martin and Robert Conrad

Or the new(er) Wild, Wild West

Will Smith, Selma Hayek and Kevin Kline

Or you may be thinking The Duke

John Wayne
The Comancheros

Or the Outlaw Josey Wales

Clint Eastwood

You may want to pretend to be a cowboy for a week

Paws Up Ranch
Luxury Vacations

You can buy a ranch:

Modern Ranch Architecture

You can live in a ranch:

Ranch Style Home From
The Plan Collection

Or create your own brand as they did when the West was won (assuming you had your own cows or sheep):

Brands from
Kaufman, Texas

Or make your own:

Ranch Dressing Recipe
from The Huffington Post
YUM!

Not a discouraging word would be heard over that!
And true to the song, the skies are not cloudy all day today!

Cloudless Sky by
Monte Stevens

Show us your ranch twinchies! Send them along with any notes and/or blog links to:
1 xeritas @ gmail . com by 2 PM Arizona Time, Tuesday, April 19, 2016. We'll collect them all and post them later the same day.

Week 28--Orange

There has been just a little hilarity as we were playing with Knock-Knock jokes this week. We have to wonder: does the Banana joke even translate into any other language?
Aren't you glad we chose "orange" this week? Because we are!

First in, from Germany is Tina's contribution:

Orange by
Tina

She sent this note along with her art:

"This week's challenge was very interesting. I thought about it a long time to find something special for your "orange" theme but nothing wanted to come in my mind. So I just started to draw this evening and the result is a little still life of oranges and an abstract drawing of yellow, red and orange on the wall in the background. 
Hope you like it."

And we do!

Freebird sent this beadwork from Arkansas:

Orange by
Freebird

She has her inspiration and materials list on her blog, and naturally, the Knock-Knock joke!

After working on Citrus all week long, our official response is a bit of collage:

Orange by
Cheryl

Be sure to check out the artists' blogs and tell them you found them here! Kind comments and encouragement are always welcome! Thanks for visiting, perhaps consider participating?
Until next time....

Aren't You Glad?

We're trying to keep it easy as we get settled into Year Two of the Two by Two by Tuesday art challenge. This week it's all about ORANGE!

Orange is a color. In color theory, it's the mix of the primaries yellow and red and can vary considerably from a light yellow orange to a deep coral or even an almost brown hue. On the color wheel, it is the complement to blue.

From NHS Designs

You know the color as it is the color of oranges. If you stop by our house, you may leave with some. (And grapefruit. Lots of grapefruits this year!)

Some of Last Year's Harvest
by Cheryl

The impressionist painter Gustave Caillebote created this painting of his cousin tending to "Les Orangers" while his brother read the paper:

Les Orangers, 1878

While we were putting together this post we found that, Certified Zentangle Teacher Adele Bruno has created a new tangle that she calls, Citrus. She graciously allowed us to share this here:

Citrus by
Adele Bruno

You can see the steps to draw this pattern on her blog, It's a String Thing, which is a different kind of art challenge. 

Orange used to be a mobile telephone service provider in the UK:

And it's the new Black:

Season One Cast
"Orange is the New Black"

It's a vibrant sunset and a restaurant:

Orange Sky

But most importantly, it's part of the best Knock-Knock joke. Ever.

Knock, Knock.

Who's there?

Won't you send us your "orange" twinchies?

Deadline for submissions is 2 PM Arizona time, Tuesday, April 5, 2016.

Send your images to 1xeritas@gmail.com along with links to your blog and/or any comments about your inspiration that you may wish to share. We'll post all art work shortly thereafter. 

Thanks in advance for your participation and spread the word!

Year Two Begins, Week 27--Zodiac

A whole year of twinchies! To celebrate the chosen prompt to start off the new year is, "Zodiac." It's a nod to everyones' birthdays. Sorry for the delay in posting this on a WEDNESDAY! What should have been a routine trip to get x-rays on the arm--which is healing nicely--turned into a day-long excursion!

The first one to arrive was from Tina in Germany, who drew a tiger for her Chinese sign balancing weights for her Astrological sign:

Tina Zodiac
Tiger and Libra

Freebird is in the midst of a house renovation, but did not want to miss the deadline, so she sent along the pattern for her beadwork yet-to-be:

Freebird Zodiac
Astrological Symbols for Her
and Her Children

Looks real enough to our eyes! NB: Freebird has done every single TwobyTwo thus far! Woohoo!

And our official response is a take on Libra, an Air sign:

Cheryl Zodiac
Air

A BIG thanks to the participants and to the supporters of this art blog! We hope you enjoy what you see, visit the artists' pages and let them know you like what they are doing. And, perhaps, try your own hand at twinchie art!
Until next time....