Earthen Alphabetika

I spent some time today getting my first collaborative puzzle ready for framing. I am so pleased with how the project came together and so grateful to all the artists that participated. After the new year I'll post another one but I am still thinking up ideas.

Joy

The holiday season is in full swing...or is it swinging me? Actually I am keeping up pretty well. Getting next year's Stampaway classes done in November really helped out. I've been having some fun playing with holiday ideas and rediscovering the "joy" in creating. That has been a wonderful December gift for me.

Enjoy the season.........

Miracles Happen

It still never ceases to amaze me that I unblock at the very last minute and produce some of my favorite work when I am down to the wire. I wonder if the synapses fire faster or some chemical revs up the creativity a notch. I worked today on the final samples for the new mixed media ATC class and I am very pleased with the outcome. Hence the text on the card.

Karma

I am in the throes of reliving seventh grade with my daughter and find that she uses the word, karma, all of the time. Part of it is probably due to Alicia Keyes song that was a favorite and part of it is due to the many talks that she and I have had about things coming back around to haunt other people. When working on the pieces for Jan's With One Word puzzle collaboration, that word just jumped out at me.

It's Puzzling

I remember doing jigsaw puzzles as a child, when my mother was in intensive care for an extended stay, and most recently, watched my sister and husband become totally obsessed and immersed while on vacation in the Outer Banks this summer. I did not expect to be bitten by the puzzle bug, yet it happened recently when I saw some collaborative work posted online. This is my first piece that will be part of a collaboration called Scary Halloween. I had a blast working on this one and can't wait to send out my own. They are gorgeous when put together, each piece unique yet contributing to the whole. What a fun sojourn on my art journey.

Exploring color and pattern

Just about every month I play with colors or patterns I pick out from magazines, catalogs, or whatever I have lying around. Often I use my pieces as part of my altered calendar RR, but I rarely ever scan them before they are a finished product. There is something hard about letting people see works in progress, but this time I decided to scan the squares. There are two sets in the jpg, both being from Coldwater Creek's fall catalog. The top three, I was just cutting, gluing, and providing some contrast for fall patterns and in the bottom, I was focusing more on contrasting pieces as I affixed. These were affixed to 8" x 5" cardstock and then punched out wherever I found a pleasing design. I then took black permanent marker and outlined and defined the perimeters and interior of the bottom designs, but choose a more muted brown for the top three. I'll post when these are used as well.

Angelina

I had a chance to play with the Angelina fibers a bit this weekend and they are simply marvelous. I bought the hot fix ones but soon will be ordering the other non-thermal ones to mix in. I can tell that the acquisition phase isn't over.

This is a canvas on canvas experiment.....4 x 4" on 6 x 6". Other charm and metallic fibers also were adhered before I sewed a alcohol ink drenched button through the melted fibers.

Acquisition

I saw Angelina fibers yesterday on the ATC demo on Simply Quilts and immediately I had to have them. Do I have time to focus on them right now? Is my studio a mess? Have I put away the class materials from my Stampaway class? No, to all of the above. Nevertheless, I spent an hour or so finding a vendor and ordering so I could have them. I've been in the business for a long time, yet I still react like a brand new stamper when I want something. It has to be here yesterday or I can't focus on anything else.

Stampaway was my big focus in August. I can still remember the days that I traveled from St. Louis and it was like a big adventure to go, arrive early on Saturday to trade pins, to try to figure out what I was going to do with the pins once I got them, and the reoccuring struggle to see demos and make it to every booth. This year my shopping was more laid back but I did buy some metal working tools from Bonnie's Best (a wonderful person and terrific vendor... http://www.stampsalad.com ) and a few new stamps. I wouldn't let myself buy unmounteds since I haven't finished putting last year's new ones on Halos. I had to draw the line somewhere.

My classes went well and I was able to take a great class from Pam Sussman who told me she has a Rockport book coming out in November (Fabric Art Journals: Making, Sewing, and Embellishing Journals from Cloth and Fibers). As with all of Pam's classes and kits, I am sure it will be done with precision and artistry. I hung out with Tracy and Deb after my classes. They were really helpful not only with keeping my classes on track, but with their own suggestions for my students as well. I am lucky to have them and we have a great time when we get together.

Artvent continues and the artwork pieces I have received have been awesome. Not only are they wonderful pieces of art, but they are also pieces of the artists themselves. I am so glad I participated.

Artvent

The dog days of August are here, but I am happy to say that I am participating in a wonderful collaborative effort with a talented group of St. Louis artists that still let me keep company with them while I am in Cincy. This project, brainchild of Karyl Howard, had us produce a piece of artwork or the like for everyone in the group so that each day of the month we have a surprise to open. We all have different art backgrounds and passions so I would expect that there will be a wide range of creative offerings that will make me smile every day.

Flow

I spent some time today working on some watermedia canvas art, but since my computer is on the fritz, the pic I have included is from one that I did to sell on the Arts De Mer cruise in January. Eventually I titled it "In the Pink" and it was the first one to sell on the ship. I find that I am attracted to flow these days so these little pieces are perfect. Hopefully in a couple of weeks I can post the ones that I did. I plan to take my watermedia to NC next week and play a bit here and there. I haven't sold much artwork because of the time commitment to the teaching, but it is something that I would like to explore more.

Deadlines

I was talking to a neighbor late last night and the discussion turned towards deadlines and creativity. In evaluating myself I think I am more creative when I am pushed to the wire with a deadline than when I am coasting ahead of time. She felt she had the same strength (or is it a weakness??) Does panic raise an awareness level within the subconscious or does it release adrenaline and that makes the synapses fire better? Hmmmmm, anyone with any thoughts on that, write a response. I'll give you a deadline of 7/25 so that will encourage other "deadliners" to post.

With vacation looming ahead next week, I spent last week working on my altered calendar for the month and finishing a niche spread for another RR. Both made it out in the mail on Saturday, actually on the mental deadline I had set. i had a couple of gifts that I wanted to make for special occasions to I did a couple of mixed media fiber collages while sitting at the gym with Sammi. It felt exceptionally good to be doing art people again. I haven't done much of that this year. This week will be focused on prepping at least one Stampaway class so I am not so pressured when I return home from the Outer Banks. Prepping for both would be great, but doubtful since I procrastinated on all the other prep for leaving. Household deadlines are just as necessary, I guess.

Back to the grind.......maybe

Well, it is July 4th weekend and I have not gotten nearly as much done as I expected to this summer. We had a great time in Colorado last week and I did enjoy visiting the art galleries in Old Colorado City. No art got done, but a lot of shopping and visiting. I visited a store that would like me to come out and teach so we'll see what I want to schedule for next year. Upon arriving home, I played catch up with some art due out and worked on windows in a "night themed" altered book. Other than that, no art got done, but Sammi and I had a good week together. We are spending more of her off time together this summer and that is good for the both of us. While trying on clothes at Ltd2, I noticed they did their walls in colored tissue paper blocks. I really liked the effect of that. Hmmmmm......

Jazzy Jewelry

I had an artist date with my talented and very good friend, Deb, this afternoon at her house. Our mission was to make a wire bracelet from start to finish. I was not able to go to Sharilyn Miller's class in April when she was here in Ohio, but Deb was and she gleaned lots of info from Sharilyn. We went on an excursion to find beads in Milford at the end of May and my chosen ones were lampwork with greens and blues. It is quite summery and I really learned a lot today, but have so much to learn before I master jewelry-making. I am really looking forward to Sharilyn's book, Bead on a Wire http://www.sharilynmiller.com , but until then I do have some rudimentary skills. I'll try to get a picture posted when I have a chance.

Monday mania

I just finished packaging up my 34 items for the St. Louis Paper Guild's Artvent project. What a fun month August will be when each day a new art gift is opened from many of my old cohorts and new friends to be. I worked on small 2" tiles (backed with magnets) with alcohol inks and leafing and then packaged them in coin envelopes. It was nice to get this done a bit early so I can concentrate on other things. The rest of this week belongs to some ATCs that are due for a swap at the end of June and unpacking from my teaching trip to St. Louis.

I am having fun these days playing with patterns to create texture. I used a Coldwater Creek catalog and tore vertical strips from dresses and created an interesting background that flowed from the greens into the blues for my altered calendar. I want to play more with these ideas.

The beginning

I hope that this blog helps me to verbalize my creative process. I think that's what fascinates me the most about art....the process, the thoughts that run through my brain so fast that sometimes I can't keep up with them. And then five minutes later I can't remember what had me so excited.

Tonight I worked at a Homearama in a fabulously furnished 1.9 mil home. I was almost on visual overload while tending the front door. Rich oils and beautiful decorative painting, distressed hardwood floors and handpainted Chinese screens all worked seemlessly together to create compliment the eclectic furnishings. I was amazed at how many people just glossed over the fine details to see the latest in appliances. They don't know what they are missing.