Category Archives: art

Thanks, Bob.

art, Bob, creativity

I was checking online for the cost of a hand rest to use when painting. Many times I’ve smudge a work by setting my palm on my painting. I know that there are plastic gadgets can mostly eliminate this problem and that’s what I wanted.

After seeing the prices ($20 to $40) of the manufactured hand rests, I decided to make my own. I took some packaging foam pieces and glued them together. That didn’t work at all. The cross piece just bent and made its own mark on my painting. Ugh.

After hearing my complaints, Bob took two of my tiles and went down to the basement. In a little while, I heard the saw cutting something. Not much later Bob came up again and said, “I made you a hand rest. You can’t try it yet. It’s glued and needs to dry.”

I couldn’t wait to see it and raced down to his workbench. His solution was much better than anything I considered.

Bob’s wood creation.

Both the 4 by 4 and the 6 by 6 tiles fit. The rest works perfectly, as long as I don’t mess up my painting some other way.

Thanks to my honey I can do the fine work with ease. Thanks to Bob’s own creativity, I now can paint with fewer problems.

Rock hunting

art, crafts, creativity, Family, fun, nature

Today Rebecca and Andy came for a visit. Andy grilled hot dogs for our lunch and I went rock hunting with Rebecca.

Our daughter creates beautiful copper trees. She sells them in shops and under our canopy at the Seymour Farmer’s Market.

A photo of her trees on their patio

Her trees are all mounted on rocks, most of which she found on her dad’s rock pile on the farm.

As I sat on our cart, Rebecca went rock hunting. She looks them all over and only takes the best rocks for her trees.


One by one Rebecca takes the cream of the rock pile.

Andy says Rebecca has enough rocks at home, but there will never be enough rocks for our daughter and her copper trees.

Copyright © 2019 Susan Manzke, All rights reserved.

Farmers Market day 2

art, crafts, fun

Bob and I spent a second Tuesday afternoon at the Seymour Farmer’s Market. It was a bit hotter, but there was a breeze and no rain.

It went better today as we had a brand new canopy that popped up. Well, since it was new, it needed a little more effort to get it up. It sure packed up a whole lot faster at the end of the day than our old one.

The Seymour Farmers Market.
Our canopy is the white one on the left with the for lease sign behind it.
Bob tending the store. No, he’s not for lease.

One of the main activities we did this day was people watch. That took up a good part of our afternoon.

We plan to go again next Tuesday. I mean, now that we have a decent popup canopy, we can’t stay home. We have to make use of it, so we’ll be there every Tuesday through August. Come on by.

Copyright © 2019 Susan Manzke, All rights reserved.

A new adventure

art, crafts, creativity, Odds and ends

I’m not writing much tonight as I am tired.

Bob and I exhibited for the first time at a Farmer’s Market today.

Even though sales were slow–okay, non-existent, we will go again next week to the Seymour Farmer’s Market and every Tuesday through August because we had fun. We saw lots of people and met up with old friends.

My next column will give the complete story, so stay tuned.

Susan under canopy, ducking showers….photo by Bob

Blow is at its end. Now, I’m ready to put my feet up.

On being creative

art, crafts, creativity

Watercolor painting has been my favorite form of painting. I’ve done it for years. Now I discovered alcohol inks and I’m off and running again.

At first, I painted Easter eggs. Now I’m on to painting tiles. The wonderful thing about alcohol inks on tile is if you hate what you made you can wash it away with alcohol and start again.

4 by 4 tile paintings

I’m heading over to Sissy’s in Seymour for coffee this morning and will take these along. Some of my tile paintings are at Mama J’s work-shoppe in Black Creek, too.

Sometimes I start painting one scene and end up with something completely different. Alcohol inks have a mind of their own so no two are exactly alike–I have some 6 by 6 tiles, too.