An excuse to play!

I am on a roll now with internet-based learning opportunities -- I just started another online art class. This time, I am studying dynamic composition with collage artist Jane Davies. 

 I love taking classes because they give me a justification for spending hours every day on my art.  Somehow, because I am paying for the privilege, art becomes "work" that I have to do.  This "work" -- which is really play -- takes precedence over mundane things like laundry and house cleaning by virtue of the deadlines that come with class assignments.  Now, if I can only figure a way to be this focused without spending any money..... 

I'm just playing with shapes here:

Last Friday, I decided I needed to make some ATC's, and was really getting into the mood:

But then I looked at the clock.... we were expecting house guests for the Fourth of July weekend in less than an hour, and my kitchen table still looked like this:

 I really zone out when I'm playing with color!

All I can say is:  lucky for me our guests were running late, too.... We had a lovely holiday weekend, culminating in our town's annual picnic and fireworks display.  I did not take my SLR to the fireworks (I don't even pretend to know how to properly capture fireworks); instead, these shots were taken with my iphone:

This one is kind of cool -- I think it looks like the aliens are landing:

 ...while this one looks like a flock of ghostly birds flying toward the sun:

 I hope everyone had a great weekend!