Merry Christmas

Afrikaans - "Geseënde Kersfees en ‘n Voorspoedige Nuwe Jaar."

Arabic - "I'd Miilad Said Oua Sana Saida"

Argentine - "Felices Pasquas Y felices ano Nuevo"

Armenian - "Shenoraavor Nor Dari yev Pari Gaghand"

Basque - Eguberri on

Bohemian - "Vesele Vanoce"

Breton - "Nedeleg laouen na bloavezh mat"

Bulgarian - "Tchestita Koleda; Tchestito Rojdestvo Hristovo"

Chinese - [Mandarin] - "Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan"

Chinese - [Catonese] - "Saint Dan Fai Lok"

Cornish - "Nadelik looan na looan blethen noweth"

Croatian - "Sretan Bozic i Nova Godina" (Merry Christmas & Happy New Year)

Czech - "Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce a stastny Novy Rok"

Danish - "Glædelig Jul"

Dutch - "Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar"

Inupiaq Eskimo (Kotzebue area in NW Alaska)- Quvianagli Anaiyyuniqpaliqsi suli Nakuuluni Ukiutqiutiqsi-
(Merry Christmas) (and) (Happy New Year)

English - "Merry Christmas"

Estonian - "Haid joule ja head uut aastat"

Farsi - "Cristmas-e-shoma mobarak bashad"

Filipino-"Maligayang Pasko"

Happy New Year in Filipino.."Manigong Bagong Taon"

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year in Filipino- "Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon"

Finnish - "Hyvaa joulua"

French - "Joyeux Noël"

German - "Froehliche Weihnachten"

Greek - "Kala Christouyenna"

Hawaiian - "Mele Kalikimaka"

Hebrew - "Mo'adim Lesimkha. Chena tova"

Hindi - "Shub Naya Baras"

Hungarian - "Kellemes Karacsonyi unnepeket"

Icelandic - "Gledileg Jol"

Indonesian - "Selamat Hari Natal"

Iraqi - "Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah"

Irish - "Nollaig Shona Dhuit"

Italian - "Buone Feste Natalizie"

Japanese -" Shinnen omedeto, kurisumasu omedeto. The first part is translated "Happy New Year.
Kurisumasu omedeto means Merry Christmas.
Japanese people generally add the expression gozaimasu to indicate soemm humility.

Korean - "Sung Tan Chuk Ha"

Latvian - "Prieci'gus Ziemsve'tkus un Laimi'gu Jauno Gadu"

Lithuanian - "Linksmu Kaledu"

Navajo - "Merry Keshmish"

Norwegian - "God Jul"

Pennsylvania German - "En frehlicher Grischtdaag un en hallich Nei Yaahr"

Polish - "Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia"

Portuguese - "Feliz Natal" "Boas Festas"(Good Holidays.)

Rumanian - "Sarbatori Fericite"

Russian - "Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva s Novim Godom"

Serbian - "Hristos se rodi"

Slovakian - "Sretan Bozic or Vesele vianoce"

Samoan - "La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou"

Scots Gaelic - "Nollaig chridheil huibh"

Serb-Croatian - "Sretam Bozic. Vesela Nova Godina"

Slovak - "Vesele Vianoce. A stastlivy Novy Rok"

Slovene - "Vesele Bozicne. Screcno Novo Leto"

Spanish - "Feliz Navidad"

Swedish - "God Jul and (Och) Ett Gott Nytt År"

Tahitian -Merry Chrismas :" Ia orana te Noera"and Happy new year is "Ia orana i te mata iti api"

Thai - "Sawadee Pee Mai"

Turkish - "Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun"

Ukrainian - "Z Rizdvom Khrystovym !" - "Merry Christmas"" Z Novym Rokom !" - "Happy New Year"

"Z Rizdvom Khrystovym i Novym Rokom !" - both greetings together.

Vietnamese - "Chuc Mung Giang Sinh"

Welsh - "Nadolig Llawen"

Yugoslavian - "Cestitamo Bozic"

Special Thanks to contributors to this page: Triin N and Annalene Groenewald.


Happy Holidays........Joni

Quiz: What is the difference between Titanium White and Zinc White?
Answer: Zinc White is more transparent than Titanium White. There are a few other differences between the two. These white paints are used in acrylic and oil painting. Watercolor has a Chinese White, but generally the white paper is reserved for the whites in watercolor painting.

Titanium White: 
( Also known as Permanent White). It is the most common, can be more chalky, can be used as a primer and pigment, has a strong covering power as it is more opaque making it great for highlights. It is relatively "cool" and dries faster than Zinc White.
Flake White: 
(Also known as Lead White or Silver White...can be harmful is swallowed). This is the oldest of the whites. It is very opaque and relatively "warm".  It is made from white lead and is suitable for building up an impasto (a technique of applying paint thickly). It is comparatively quick-drying, durable and flexible. It speeds up the drying  time of other pigments.
Zinc White: It has a pure, cold-white appearance that is most transparent, fairly intense, but subject to cracking when dry. Great for magnificent tints and glazing. It dries slowly. It is relatively "cool".
Superba White: This is an improved form of Titanium White made with artist quality oil that is non-yellowing. Very opaque and "cool".


Karen, sent this site to read comments on this subject by different artist. The site is a fun one to keep in your favorites....It is called Wet Canvas....
http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=577921.


Happy Painting.

 Quiz: What is the difference between Titanium White and Zinc White?   
  
I opened the curtains today to see about 9" of snow...to think there wasn't much of any on Saturday. Two nights ago the low was 11*. I brushed the snow off the satellite  dish, with my long pole with the toilet cleaner brush on the end) so I could turn on the computer and get Internet....Hi.  



Winter Challenge: Paint the snow, if you have any at your home, or paint using these photos as your guideline. Remember snow has lots of colors...purple, blue, peach, gray etc, not just gray and white. Spray on some colors too. Go out and give winter Plein Air Painting a try (or from a nice warm photo). When cold weather Plein Air Painting...try adding some Gin to your paints so they don't freeze...(a little for yourself, if you are into it).  So, take a try at painting snow.         

                                In Memory:

         Newtown, Connecticut.

and my hometown:
      Portland, Oregon.

Quote: "Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself."....George Bernard Shaw...Irish Playwright

Viewer Contribution: 

Liz Hubbard:

Liz is one of my Intermediate student/artist. I'm always amazed how involved she is with her world and community. She keeps busy with her family's large sheep ranch, fleece, painting etc etc etc...! (click her web site at right)

Below is a painting...mix media...she started during our last class of the term. I was afraid I would not get to see it finished...but here it is. How wonderful !!!  She did so well and I'm so happy to see it.  I felt she was on to something.

Liz's statement:   

"In our intermediate painting class with Joni we often tease her about trying to turn us to the dark side, or trying to bring out our inner dark.  That is because her most often heard advice is “more darks.” 

In this piece I have taken  tissue paper colored with pencil, tore pieces and glued them to a canvas board to collage a sheep cameo.  To finish I added detail with a charcoal pencil.  I did the finish work at home and I kept hearing Joni say, “more darks.”  I added more darks, several times, and after calling the piece finished I think perhaps it still might need “more darks.”

It was an interesting study; working in just shading, starting with the lightly shaded scraps of paper and working to the darker.  The idea came from a book called Painting Shapes and Edges."

In response to her statement :... "I can (always) say more "darks"...but she doesn't  have to add any if she doesn't feel it needs more. The head pops out forward, there is a light source, the eyes talk to me...I want to reach out and touch.

Thanks for the inspiration."

Thank you.

Blog Views: This week, so far, the countries looking at Art Tidbits are from: USA, Romania, Germany & Austria.  International viewers...please write your comments or email your artwork....we would all enjoy hearing from you.

Personal Note: I am back taking classes for myself. Distance Education and online classes are a wonderful thing.  I have been a teacher now much longer than I have been a student....so going back to having lessons, assignments and tests is new for me after all these years. I'm finding it exciting and a little daunting. School takes a lot of time....now there is less time for 
creating art.  :( 

This month, I'm without students or classes to teach...being the holiday vacation between terms. I do feel the loss of time spent, the inspiration, the comradeship, the friendliness. There's also the different frame of mind...not gathering supplies or samples for class...and the regrouping on my time management. Which has brought me to write about "Balance".

Balance: Balance is my hardest word to deal with in life. In a perfect world, one would be able to have enough time to do everything with as much time needed for each project or task. Sign me up!!! When working alone in one's own studio, one must balance their time and usually that balance goes by the way of "things that need to be done" route....not the "my studio time comes first" route. If left up to my own devices, I would be in my studio 24/7....but when I return back to the main part of my home and see the dirty dishes, needed vacuuming and worse of all...it's 9pm and I forgot the cats are still outside....I know "Balance" isn't in-balance. Art making can be a lonely world...we artist tend to work alone in our creating spaces and therefore, we don't get outside feed back, we fight for time to do our art and inspiration can become stalled. The less we create, the harder it is to get back into it.

My "Balance" solution is....I divide my day by hours. Sure, some days the balance goes heavy for one thing over another...like some days or weeks maybe 90% goes to one task (like house cleaning because company will be here soon) but tomorrow, maybe more 60% house chores/whatever and 40% will be studio time. Where I get in trouble is when I let the needed tasks get the majority of my time and studio time gets less and less or no time at all.

So try to tame the Balance Devil...try graphing out your day on paper....give each task/project it's own time slot. Stick with it. You'll feel better that you gave at least a little to a lot.

How do you Balance Your Time Management?  Write or comment letting me know your Balance Solution....I'm interested.

Student Art:

Jean:

Jean, a student in my Intermediate Class, has been pushing herself to draw her subjects and to paint belong the local color. The local color of this duck is yellow, but she is learning that many colors can be used to get the depth, contrast and pop!!

Thanks !!!

Quote: "If Not Now...When?" (unknown).


Student Art:

Byrnie:
Brynie has another great painting for Show and Tell.  This was done by observing the actual 
artichoke .

Thanks !

Student Art:

Karen:

Karen has been in my classes for many years. She was already into the arts and her Mother was an artist...but I have seen some amazing steps that Karen has been taking. She has become fearless, experimental and a positive influence to the rest of the class. Below is another one of her beautiful watercolor paintings.

Thank you !!!