And At That Moment I Swear We Were Infinite

I painted this piece back in February.  I've dabbled in this design before with some auction donations, but had never done one I was able to keep.  Well, I am not really keeping it, but will be able to visit it.  It's for Sam who turns twenty-one next week.  Some of you new to me don't know of Sam, but many of you I've been friends with since she was a toddler and I was started to take my life into paper arts~rubber stamp art~mixed media~and more painterly pursuits.  It's been a long road and there have been many choices I made along the way that slowed down my journey and that took me out of the mainstream eye.  Regrets have surfaced from time to time but have been short-lived because the road to have Sam was also long yet held a smattering of miracles.

So here we are at the cusp of her adulthood (well, still some college and grad school) looking at a flower in full bloom.  She has so many years, experiences, challenges ahead (represented by the fullness of the flower's petals.)  The seventy or so French knots that make up the center of the flower are the moments I hope we are still able to have with her throughout the years.  The quote I added is one of her favorites that she introduced me to while in high school.  It quickly became one I really love because I can remember the feeling that Stephen Chbosky refers to from long ago.  It's hard to feel infinite in your fifties, but there are times when the three of us are together that I have a fleeting moment where I want it to go on forever.  But time doesn't stand still, so more changes are afoot as she travels on her journey and I meander on mine.

HAPPY ALMOST BIRTHDAY, SAM.

Coming Up Daisies

It is finally spring here in Missouri (I am ignoring the freeze warning tonight) and I am delighted.  I was lucky enough to be teaching classes in Kansas City over the weekend and they are a bit ahead of us.  I was so excited to see the daffodils, tulip and Bradford pear trees in full blossom.  St. Louis will not be far behind so I am heading full force into spring with my art as well.  I lucked into some wonderful, inexpensive Birch cradled substrates on the way out of KC so I began today by painting the sides with black acrylic paint.  I then got out some supplies and wrapped my head around what I wanted to play with today.  A few months ago  I saw some alcohol ink painting techniques demoed at my local collage club so I decided to have my go at it.  That shaped the whole composition.  Pictured below are most of my supplies.

To begin, I cut a sheet of glossy cardstock to 3 5/8" x 3 5/8".  I dropped a dot of lettuce Adirondack alcohol ink in the bottom left corner and quickly blew the ink upwards.  As I guessed,  you have very little control so it created the haphazard grass that  I wanted.  However, it did make a thick 1/3" at the bottom with no variegation so I used a felt ink applicator and added some meadow by pouncing to make more texture at the bottom.

Once I was satisfied with the foliage , I used StazOn ink stamp the Seven Daisies stamp repeatedly across the page.  TRICK:  I used another paper to mask so  I could ink up a few at a time creating some more vertical highs and lows in the row.

Lyra Aquacolor crayons and a brush came next to give my field of daisies some color!  It is spring, you know.  MUST. HAVE. COLOR.

 
With the color bringing it to life, it was time to fill in the sky a little.  The one thing about white glossy is that it is in your face WHITE.  (RIGHT PHOTO) I started by being a little creative and adding a sun with one of Kae Pea's mid-century modern stamps, three rings. I love the versatility of Rubbermoon stamps.  After I inked it up with yellow Vivid, I partially wiped off the outer ring with a baby wipe (I liked the hint of it) and then used the corner of the stamp to add rays.  (LEFT PHOTO) Then I inked up her inksplat stamp, and began adding some light aqua into the sky.  Just because. 

The last composition steps were just for fun.  I added some champagne colored glass glitter to the center of each flower with gel medium and took the forgot me not stamp, masked it,  and added it into the foliage one word at a time so it could follow the path of the meadow ink.  

Once the embellishments were dry, I affixed the finished compositionto a piece of black glossy using Scor-tape. And then used that tape to affix to the birch 1" cradle panel.  (ALTERNATIVE: gel medium)  Using my micron .005 point, I added dots near the leaves and around the perimeter of the sun.  The result is a perfect gift for a hostess gift, to celebrate spring,  or even a for a May Day basket.  Mine is going to reside near my blooming orchids for the time being.

Thanks for joining me in my field of flowers.  You can see more of my art on my website and also on facebook at Nancy Curry Art. 

Chaotic Spring

March was such a busy month and April brings that promise, too.  It also brought more and more snow.  Enough, already!  Be gone..... So March was spring break for Sam.  She rested, relaxed, renewed, and we shopped.  It was a nice 10 days. 

When she left, Jim and I went to the Orchid Show and I took some pictures that would be fodder for the online iphoneography class I am taking by Susan Tuttle.   I am early in the lessons but have learned so much about the available apps...(many free) to use and yes, I am even trying my hand at self-portraiture, but I am much more comfortable photographing other things.

Art & Soul came quickly and I enjoyed my sojourn on the way to Overland Park.  I hit Dean & DeLuca's and two gift stores, Statements and Stick Sisters.  All three stops were wonderful.  I made my way to Art & Soul in Excelsior Springs for a couple of days.  I took two more classes by Jane Davies and one from Erin Keck that I got a "kick" out of. I had many partners in crime, but thoroughly enjoyed being next to Nancy Connelly for two out of three classes.  Not only is she my hero, but she is a delight in class, and truth be told, I was jealous of her wonderful prints.  This picture was taken before the green monster came out in me.  (Sandy Karsten was unknowingly photobombing in the background.) The retreat was well run and I definitely encourage anyone that can go to one of the Art & Souls to do it. 

Two out of three of my projects are WIP so just barely glance, but the third picture of the fabric flowers is of finished ones.  I had a ball with these.

Layers & Textures (WIP)                                            Stencils and Masks  (WIP)

Erin Keck's Shabby Chic Posies

From A & S at The Elms, I traveled back to Stampers Ink and did a demo full of some new offerings and revisted some from my book.  The event was well attended.  I walked in 20 minutes early to at least 15 sitting in their front seats, patiently waiting.  I hit the ground running and never stopped.  

Some samples highlighting the Mona Lisa Metal Powder capabilities. 

From Shawnee, I headed home and then headed back into sketching mode for some upcoming possibilities.  I did get to take a day off to see Rubbermoon's finest and longtime friend, Kristen Powers, last Sunday.  AND>>>>if you haven't seen my sneek peak yet, I picked up two plates of new stamps all ready for mayhem in the studio.  I head back to Stampers Ink next week for three terrific classes (mostly filled but check with the store) and will be bringing my new wares for their first public showing.  Then I get to hang out with Tanya, purveyor extraordinaire of the store, for the weekend.  It should be fun.  I love these classes, especially the advanced resist.  No one duplicates each other so the combinations are always amazing.  I'll take a couple of days off and work on my iphone pictures before prepping for my last class of the spring at For Keeps Sake called Transformations.  It's a class that opens up your eyes to a lot of organic possibility. 

So that catches everyone up on what I've been doing.  Or at least, all that I'll tell you about now!  Let's all hope that the spring hoopla I've been hearing about it here.  I'm ready.  Bring it.

Don't forget to like me on facebook @ Nancy Curry Art !!!! I'm also on Instagram as 2artsy.