High Heels Initially this prompt totally perplexed me. The insanity of this fashion trend led me down a research rabbit hole. How did this ridiculous    trend come to be, anyway? Power, status, privilege, sexualization . . . and ultimately the PATRIARCHY that has governed humanity forever (boo!). After researching (the right side of the spread), the actual collage came together in a jiffy. Purple and gold are colors I rarely use, but they shouted to me for this one. ROYALTY!! I never figured that I would get a two-page spread out of this prompt when I initially planned to just find a photo of some stupid high heels, glue it down, and write across the page . . . WHY??? #tuac5minchallenge

 Hotel Carpet I knew there was a reason to rescue my upholstery samples from the purge pile during a recent reorganization and cleaning of my art studio. Ta da! This sample felt like the perfect hotel carpet for this challenge. What seemed like a quick 5-minute project was anything but. I underestimated my ability to quick sketch perspective drawing as well as my scissors ability to cut thick upholstery fabric. By then, the timer had advanced so far beyond the time limit that I just gave in and played around with this one.  #tuac5minchallenge

Censored I saw the word NO on this random page, started censoring mass text, and then halted my Sharpie when I read the quote at the bottom from _War of the Worlds_. If our world is indeed being watched by intelligences greater than our own, they must be scratching their heads witnessing this new world in which we are now living. (Assuming that they have heads.) 👽👽 I’ve always been a fan of Laurie Halse Anderson; love this quote. #tuac5minchallenge

Pinecone Pretty literal and quick today. Haven’t played with watercolors for a while, so that was fun. Message is vital, yet the timber industry here in Oregon values profit over planet. Clearcuts leave horrific scars on the landscape; a once diverse natural forest is stripped of all wildlife, bird life, and undergrowth to be replaced with a monocrop, a commodity to be sold and resold in rotations forever. Watersheds destroyed forever. #tuac5minchallenge

SLOTS The Process Since I most often gravitate toward a cool color palette, I challenged myself yesterday to unfamiliar territory - mixing red, orange, yellow, white, and burnt umber. Painted substrates covered my work table - painter’s paper, tissue paper, and white drawing paper. I guess I was in a swirly mood, combing wet paint with a fringed old insurance card.  The Inspiration Entering my disaster area this morning, I was greeted by my warm-colored, swirly fodder and my fringed insurance card. SLOT. Immediately the colors, swirls, and slotted card screamed to me - SLOT CANYON!  *more stunning photos by Ron Niebrugge in the link below The 5-minute piece :  Rip, glue, DONE. 5 minutes. So here is my tribute to the stunning natural wonder of Antelope Canyon, AZ. (Gorgeous photos in link below) https://www.wildnatureimages.com/gallery/slot-canyon-photos /  # #tuac5minchallenge

Cycle Today begins another Ugly Art Club 5-minute challenge. With the prompt “Cycle” circling around in my brain, I tuned in late last night to see the sunrise at Stonehenge on Winter Solstice 2023. As usual it was cloudy, but just seeing this inspirational place once again LIVE was an experience that warranted the delayed sleep. “Cycle” was a perfect prompt for this beginning of the challenge on winter solstice - the cycles of dark/light, the cycles and rotations of planets, the cycles of birth/growth/death of everything in nature. Winter Solstice is the beginning of a new cycle. Anything is possible in this new year that lies ahead. Winter is a time to rest, to turn inward, to get still and quiet, and to embrace the darkness. A perfect time to indulge in art.  This piece just evolved as I watched the solstice sunrise. It took W-A-Y longer that 5 minutes to create, but I lost time embracing the darkness! On today’s prompt, I will embrace the timer. #tuac5minchallenge

Intention Care December @ Everything-Art with Kasia Avery could not come at a more complex moment. . . the busyness of the season, the joy of giving, the rush of creativity in making presents, the exhaustion of it all combined with the satisfaction and warmth. My intention in my journal entries is to PLAY, to have FUN, and to LEARN. Here I played with my dad’s oil pastels and my great aunt’s soft pastels. I learned that painting leaves with the first use of my new sword brush involves a definite learning curve. Having the focus of this 15-day adventure of daily prompts focused on the endless shades and tones of the color blue makes my heart sing. 💓🎶 #caredecember