Junk

I love to pepper my altered calendars and atcs with junk mail so when an opportunity for a junk mail ATC mingle came, I went for it. For those of you that haven't tried this, take a catalog or sale flyer page and tear out patterns that go together. Then tear strips and glue them down or use some other easy adhesive. Very fun and easy..........Add what you want on top to finish it off and you are good to go. I included some samples in this post.

Classes were great last weekend. I'll be back at RPS on January 24 with two classes. One will be the advanced resist class and the other is as of yet, undecided.

Weekend Classes

I am going back in the classroom this weekend here in St. Louis. I can't believe how long it is since I have taught a whole weekend for a store. I think it will be fun and definitely the cocktail party tonight will be great. I couldn't ask for a better welcome back than I've gotten.

This piece is for my demo tonight! Enjoy......and have a great fall weekend.

Hallowwweeeeennnnn

I found patterned paper and transparency overlays that were born to be used together. I added just a hint of color in between the two layers and used the mini pom poms to and sentiment to finish off this ATC. Chills and Thrills is courtesy of Red Lead Paperworks here in St. Louis. If you haven't visited their site, you should to see all their smaller, interesting stamps. Those are my favorites, although they have a lot of other wonderful stuff.

Remix again

More digital art ........................ tres addicting!!!!!!! These are all the same ceramic tile pieces that have been manipulated. Enjoy!!!!!!

PS: My Missouri classes are doing very well. It will be fun to get back in the local classroom after a few years on hiatus. Dates: November 7-9, 2008 in St. Charles.

Remix

I was lucky enough to be invited in a Photoshop class with a friendly group of quilters this fall. I've had Photoshop for years courtesy of my nephew while he was in college but only knew how to use a small portion of its capability. I am begininng to have fun reworking some of my old artwork using the various adjustments and filters. It is fun seeing my old compositions become something new. The pieces above are the original pointillism piece from my book (bottom) and the transformation into a 5 x 7 with black detailing (top).

Perhaps Yet Again

That word has been my mantra since we moved here last August. I couldn't tell you why except that it signals hope and possibilities to me. Maybe I need that right now. Daily life is chaotic right now as I navigate the back to school pitfalls and preparations for beginning to teach again here in St. Louis. I will be resuming some teaching in November at Rock, Paper, Scissors with some debut weekend surprises. It should be fun and I look forward to it. I have been lucky enough to join a quilter's Photoshop class this fall and I am having fun learning more about the program that I have used for years and only new a tinge about. I guess you are never too old to learn new tricks!!!

Chicago Escapade

I have been fascinated with that word for quite sometime so when I picked a letter for my local ATC guild August project it just had to be an "e". Summer is winding down here and school is about to begin for Sam. She's been in Chicago with a friend from school and her parents for a shopping trip. I think she has had quite a lot of fun but I have missed having her here. It was a glimpse into three years from now when she is off to college. I think I want to retreat into my own little world where she is with us all the time. At least that is where I want to retreat while she is gone and happy with life! So here is some art to toast to your Chicago escapade, Sammi.........

Ebony and Ivory

Well, I am still getting back into the swing of things from Stampaway. It was so fun to see many old friends and make some new ones as well. My classes were filled and full of so many eager and talented people. They were a pleasure to teach. I could have done without the hour and fifteen minute delay from the security alarm, though. I am sure they would echo that sentiment but everyone helped out to get the show on the road and were gracious about it. Shopping was fun at the Preview Party, but I was all but spent before that so sitting was a priority for me. I did a lot of product restock and bought a few new images, but my damages were minimal. Tracy and I went to the antique mall again up in Springfield all day on Saturday. Last year I bought old windows. This year it was an antique birdcage. Go figure....... We had a terrific road trip. Enjoy the posted art. These are 12" x 12" canvases so I would categorize them as wall art. I got quick photos of them before they headed off to CA today.

TUcKEr!!!!

Well, we have entered puppydom with a vengeance. Tucker has been with us for almost a week now. We picked him up about 13 hours after returning from the east coast. He is settling in nicely and as long as I am trained to take him out, we do ok. My studio is definitely off limits for him so I am not getting much done. I was lucky to get my Stampaway supplies ordered this week. He is 10 weeks old and a beautiful mix of black and brown. He is 10 pounds at this point but as furry as can be. I always love the poodle coat before maturation. Will he grow as big as his big brother, Bogart? Only time will tell. He can put his paws on my shoulders when he stands. I am sort of hoping that Tucker will be a little smaller. We'll see! Here are some puppy pics!!!

Impending Puppydom etc......

June is passing by so quickly as we are in the midst of preparation for puppydom. Right now Tucker is the name of choice but he could end up as Truman, Kikkoman or even Blackjack. We'll decide while we are on vacation for the next 10 days. Will our 10 year old Bogart be ready for this????? Hmmm.......and two black standard poodles. Will we be able to tell them apart? I would guess so. Tune in to find out. Enjoy my altered calendar for the month. That will have to keep everyone busy while I am gone to the east coast. I'll eat some Armand's Pizza in Georgetown and some Cincinnati chili on the way. Happy 4th of July to all! We'll be back after that.......

Birds of a Feather

In celebration of our daily birding here in Missouri and an ATC exchange online.....enjoy........! Soon we will be adding a puppy to our household so don't be surprised if somehow there are some furry pictures uploaded in July!

Miracles Happen

I had fun transforming another 4" x 5" canvas that was leftover from a demo from last year. This one started out spot brayered with some Golden Fluid acrylics and Krylon leafing. At least that's what I think was on it last year. To update it and make it into something more than a background I added two noise stamps in eggplant Adirondack and then trees and leaves in black and white. I took a gold Decor It pen and played with the shapes a little and then added the sentiment. It was a fun exercise today.

Expect Great Things

Well, we are into June and school is almost out here in St. Louis. I am so looking forward to summer--hence the title of this entry. Everything is beautiful here right now, mostly due to the 11" of rain we had in May. We are still avidly birding in our backyard and are attracting a wonderful mix of species. We put up hummingbird feeders yesterday and are hoping that the Curry Cafe will attract them as well. I've been working on a watercolor tall book swap for a local group here but took some time last night to rework a canvas I had done in a demo last year sometime. I was pleased with the overall effect. It is so fun to rework something that is just lying around on your desk. This piece started out as a spot brayer demo and ended up showcasing not only acrylics, but gesso, dye inks and metal work. You just never know where things will end up sometimes. That's the fun of these processes.

Shapes

I spent some time last night playing with circles. I've not done a lot with circles in my artwork because I am generally a more linear person, but thought it would be nice to do something a little different. An aside....I hate ovals. I have no idea why, but can't say I have ever even made anything with an oval shape in the 14+ years I have been playing with paper. That dislike also extends to oval mirrors, turkey platters, etc. I wonder if an oval did me wrong in my childhood! I never get tired of squares or rectangles. Hmmmmmmm. I wonder if other people have shapes they just don't care for. Let me know!

Sammi

This is a digital of the collage the photographer is printing to celebrate her regional championships win. I couldn't resist putting it up.......always the gushing mom.

Embrace Imperfection

I was up early this morning before the rest of my household and had a delightful bowl of cereal outside on my patio. The understory is now completely filled in our ridge. It is beautiful in its imperfection and is the perfect backdrop for our bird "restaurant". Things were quite hopping this morning, as a matter of fact. I think our "Denny's" opens up before the sun and then continues a brisk business all morning. It is fun to see the couples show up and the brazen hussys or BMOC birds try to break up the camaraderie. Nature does imitate life very well, but doesn't worry about every little detail. Hence, today's artwork theme. I enjoyed marring the background some before adding the wonderful paisley tree. It was a fun exercise today in using what I already had and putting it together in a haphazard way. The sentiment came from a conversation with my best friend a couple of days ago.I love it when nature inspires and when things just come together because they should.

Listen Closely

I am trying to get quiet and listen, hoping that I will know which way to go. It is easy to get lost in the quiet where I live now. I am hoping that the solitude will help me on my journey.

Sunkissed Moments

Well, May is here and a lot is in bloom. I am thrilled to say that we are getting our house landscaped today finally. I will, of course, post a picture when it is done. I have really been enjoying getting back into doing some painting so I painted a series of abstract designs for Mother's Day cards that can be found on my site. Having a brush in my hand is one of those tactile experience that I missed while struggling to deal with our relocation. I hope I am coming out of it. Happy Mother's Day.......and many sunkissed moments for all of you.

Ordinary

I actually did some watercolor yesterday while Sammi was at the gym out of some paper that I had to cut up to move.....enjoy! It is amazing what you can do with a clipboard, Lyras , a waterbrush and 5 hours. Art felt good again.........

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SAMMI!!!!!

Happy Birthday, Sammi!

Tomorrow is her 15th birthday......I am hiding this piece of canvaswork in her locker for a surprise this afternoon. ENJOY..................................

Imagination

We are finally coming out of winter here in St. Louis and boy do I need spring badly. This has been the longest winter in my life for many reasons. My in-laws were here over the weekend and we were able to tour Grant's Farm on a beautiful, sunny day yesterday. It was wonderful. Sammi's season is done and she won the Region IV championships in South Dakota last weekend. What an amazing meet she had. She moves on to train level 9 now for next season.

I did this included artwork for an ATC exchange for favorite quotes. I hope I can rediscover my imagination. It seems to be hiding somewhere these days.

No art in sight

Sammi's season is finally coming to a close so maybe art will begin to happen again. We have one more meet...regionals in South Dakota... in April. Then she starts training for the next level (9). It never ends, but at least we are local during the rest of the year. I am enjoying being part of an ATC art guild and collage club here in St. Louis. They seem to have more inspiration than me these days, but I do enjoying the gatherings. Wonderful people with wonderful ideas and hearts of gold.

No art as a pic this time but here is one of Jim and Sam headed off to the Barat Academy Father Daughter Dance tonight.... Enjoy!

White on White

There are big flakes of snow coming down yet again today, although I doubt we are in for any accumulation. I am SO ready for spring after these latest snows and forced hibernations. But at least it is the endish of February. We leave on Friday for Wisconsin so I am sure we'll be heading into more snow there, but at least it is just overnight for the latest and greatest gymnastics competition. Two weeks from now is Tampa so at least we are going south.

Not much arting going on here, but I am uploading an ATC exchange card that was appropriately themed: white on white....esp. since I keep seeing those flakes. It was an interesting card to do. The background is torn deli paper spot coated with gesso. The lacy embeliishment was embossed in white as were the words. It was a stretch going almost colorless, yet I really like the finished product.

Still unpacking here so no new classes scheduled until Stampaway in August. Stay tuned for any changes to that schedule.

Hard Holidays where art and music meet

No, this isn't my art at all, but the cover for a new EP put out by my nephew, Jon (25). His long time friend, Tia, did the cover artwork for him and it turned out great. I have put a link to Jon's myspace (or click here)so that anyone who wants to can listen to his music. Jon has been creating music for years and it has been interesting seeing the evolution and the depth that he now brings to the table. My personal favorite off this EP is Used Books Torn Pages but Nations and Hard Holidays are creative as well. I am amazed at the varied layers of music that can exist within one song and as everyone knows by now, I love layers in my art and the constant reveal. I wish Jon all the best with his music and his life. I celebrate what he has brought to all our lives with his talent.

2008 art

I promised some new art online and here it is. The two jpgs are new class samples done on layered canvas. ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Celebrate '08

Happy 2008

everyone....

We had a great trip

east for Christmas

but headed back

early to St. Louis

so Sam could have

a shot at going to

her first meet.

The foot isn't quite

at 100% but she

was able to compete

and win three events

and her meet in Kansas City over the weekend. Art samples to follow tomorrow online, but for now I just wanted to celebrate my amazing daughter. Here's to a happy and healthy '08!!!!

Fa La La

I don't know about everyone else, but December is roaring by me. We had three days of ice here this week so I didn't do any driving except what I had to. Now I am really behind. I will say I felt like I was in Narnia every time I looked out the back of our house to the ridge. The ice was beautiful to behold. Instead of promises to keep, I have boxes to keep, I think. My studio still has quite a few, although my shelves are filling with stamps. The artwork pictured here are some stampbord inchies I did to share at the Collage Club luncheon tomorrow. I had a lot of fun doing them. There are four layers in all and then I distressed the sides and wrote the words. It felt good to get at least some art done in December.

House news: We should close in the next couple of days and will only own one house after that. Keep your fingers crossed.

I hope everyone has a joyous and festive holiday season.

October musings

Well, October has quietly slipped by ins ome ways and roared in others. We moved over into our new house last week so we have boxes, chaos, more flies than I can murder in one day, and some damaged furniture from the move. But, even with all that....I love the house! I have space to myself and love the wooded area we are now living in. A new discovery: turkeys do not adjust well to concrete. I watched them meander in a meadow one morning and then look like roadrunners as they scurried to the other side of the road, then meander again. It was a funny sight to see. Artwise...not much going on. My studio hasn't even gotten on my radar. Food and sleeping quarters took priority. I did have a chance to work on a series of Halloween houses for an ATC exchange tonight. I hand drew the ones above.....I don't hand draw often but it worked that I could do it while Sammi was at the gym. I hope they are well received. That's all from the new Curry abode.... HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Living Inside a Box

We are still living here in our apartment for a few more weeks. Move in day is October 11 and I can't wait. Sam has started school which is freeing my time somewhat, but am dealing with reacclimating here in St. Louis and the tiny apartment which seems to be closing in on me more each day. I leave on Friday to visit my dad in Williamsburg. We are at the cusp of putting him in an assisted living facility by my sister. The decision is difficult but it is a safety issue as of now. Art has been almost non-existent but this piece is the sign in page from my new altered calendar that needs to be sent off next week. Just a bit of doodling to add interest. Enjoy the fall!!!!

Stampaway 2007

What a crazy time for our family. We arrived in St. Louis in the middle of the night on the 2nd and I left to return to Cincinnati with Tracy on the 8th for Stampaway. I can't even remember how many years I've been attending, but I think this is my 7th year teaching. I loved the clocks that were done in Time of Your Life. They really took off and had a ball doing them. My favorite class was my new stampbord class...LOVED IT...... It was fun to see everyone try the new techniques. THANKS TO EVERYONE IN BOTH CLASSES!!!!

Tracy and I had a great time at Stampaway and cavorting about Ohio. We hit an antique mall in Springfield on Friday and I managed some finds. I bought two vintage windows and two post boxes. Both are for the new house. We hit the ground running at the Friday preview party. Tracy loved the new designer for IO, Leigh Hannan, so we spent a long time there. I already had all but two designs that I wanted so my damage wasn't as great. We also had to by soldered charms for necklaces from Artful Illusions . That family is one of the nicest I've met so I enjoyed plunking down a lot of dough there. Last year I bought a lot of their unmounteds and totally missed the jewelry so it was nice that I could poke through their stash this year. Connie's party was a fun time as usual. The usual cast of characters were there as well as a special guest, Carol Duvall. We spent a lot of time chatting with the JudiKins crowd both at the booth and the party. They are always fun and inspirational at the same time. I've been a longtime JudiKins fan.

Now it is back to the grind in our one bedroom apartment! Here is my temporary email address: nancycurry1@gmail.com if anyone needs me.

Perhaps

This artwork sums up our week. We lost the sale of our house because of Joe, our sex offender that lives on our cul-de-sac. Apparently because he plea bargained and did his 8 week stint in jail and a few weeks in counseling, he can go on with his life while ruining ours. No one can make him leave unless he keeps his yard unkempt. It doesn't matter that he wants to chat/meet/greet underage girls. So we are still moving next week and the house will sit. Sit. Sit. Perhaps it will sell. Perhaps it won't. Perhaps ..............................

On a more positive note, this is a piece ( 6 x 12" canvas) I did for the art auction for charity at Stampaway. I am quite pleased with it. On my regular website there is a duplicate that I did for my bff, Deb....That one is in Tuscan colors that will go with her house. I do love working with stampboard. It is great for home deco.

New email until we move into our house is nancycurry1@gmail.com . No new posts until we are in the apartment!

Movers and Shakers

We are nine days from the movers beginning the four day process of packing and crating for storage. But GOOD NEWS ............... the Curry abode is S O L D !!!!!!!! That development was Wednesday but I think it has taken me a few days to know that it is real. No rest for the weary, though, because the move is imminent, but at least we don't have to worry about it standing after we are gone. Prep continued this week for my Stampaway clock class. I think drilling took me 6 hours or so, but all canvases and matboard are drilled. I have to write the instructions, and pack the kits this week. It will be nice to have that done as well. The picture today again isn't art, but it is the first pic that Jim, Sam and I have been in since she was a baby. It was taken on the cruise and I think we will use it for our XMAS cards this year. Enjoy............

Chez Curry

Well, here is a non art-related picture.....our new house that's going up in Missouri. Jim stopped by tonight and this is the first pic I have seen so I had to share. I am busily prepping for my Stampaway classes that need to be finished before the movers come. Today's fodder included packaging up clock movement pieces and painting 70 canvases black. Everything is coming along, although I have to admit it is difficult doing this in the middle of prepping for 2-3 months of storage. I have to keep telling myself it will all get done. It will all get done. It will all get done..............yada yada yada.

Up, Down and All Around

These days I spend a lot of time going from up to down. Today was a down. I see other houses selling in the neighborhood, yet mine can't even get an offer. This puzzle piece for an "opposites" puzzle parallels my up and down mood. I love to play with patterning and love to doodle so I spent the afternoon on this piece while Sam was going up and down at the gym.

Maybe tomorrow I'll have an up. Who knows..............

Home Stretch

We are home from our wonderful trip to the Mediterranean. I have officially fallen in love with Rome. The flora, fauna, and flavor were just so wonderful....all except the taxi drivers. The rest of our trip was as wonderful. We saw so many begininings of civilizations that it is hard to pick a favorite but if I had to I would say the pyramids at Giza. They are amazing. Even more amazing is the fact that our party all traveled in a four foot wide and tall, downward angled passageway about 150' into Chephren's pyramid. Definitely not for the faint of heart. Had I known what it was going to be like, I might now have gone, but I am glad I did now that I am sitting in Cincinnati.

The cruise itself was wonderful, too. We did a lot, but also were able to relax some, too. It was wonderful to be on the trip with our chosen family from Boston, and equally as wonderful to still have that bond after eight years apart. We are very lucky to have friends like that.

Now it is back to the grind. We have a month left and then everything will be in storage until October. I am busily prepping for class here tomorrow and packing my materials for the Stampaway class will be a priority in the coming weeks. The moving man cringed today when he saw my studio. That's all I'll say about that.

Coloring Outside any Lines

Well, Sammi is finally on the mend and the house is still on the market. Our new house in St. Louis will be started at the beginning of June so this chaos will continue into the fall. My friend, Deb, inspired this ATC from top to bottom. She brought me back these Technique Tuesday petal stamps http://techniquetuesday.com from Florida. They are so petite that they are a perfect size for cards and ATCS. I must confess that I bought two of the larger sets on my own after that. She also found the text stamp and thought I needed it, too, since it is the title of my blog. I finally got around to using both today. It was fun being down in the studio again even if just for an hour or so. I worked on some charms for a mingle, too, and I am very pleased with them as well. I hope this trend continues that I can get down there once in a while just to scratch that art itch.

May Day

My best friend started me on the tradition of May Day baskets when we lived in St. Louis in the 1990s. I didn't grow up with that tradition, but thought it was wonderful each year when one was delivered to us. Well, I have my own imaginary basket today that is filled with the blessings that have been delivered to us over the last couple of weeks. Our house is up for sale and we have had a number of showings, but no buyers. Words have been critical, but I am trying to see the big picture and know that there will be a buyer for us. My father seems to be articulating better and we have had some great conversations together. I don't mind playing "fill in the blank" when he is showing me he wants to talk. Finally, Sammi is back in school this week and is recovering from her gym accident from last Monday night. She plowed into the high bar with her head before falling to the ground and jamming her knees into her face. We are very lucky that she had only multiple level 2 concussions and bursa fluid in her knees. After three days of "brain rest" she was sort of back to her old self. She is still on crutches but even the knees seem to be getting better. Unfortuately for her, she had to miss her regional competition in Indy, but we are just happy she is on the mend. No art pics today, but there are pics from her in the ER and taking 2nd on beam at state last month. Anyone who has my book knows how much I love her, but not everyone knows what "heart" she has to push through as many obstacles as she has had. I celebrate her "heart" today.

Diffusion

I've spent a lot of time during the past three months diffusing life's curveballs, but more keep getting thrown at us. The house is now up for sale as of Friday and we have had our first showing. They are marketing the house with a working studio so it doesn't have to be as pristine as the rest of the house. My foot still isn't healed so I have to be off of it as much as possible. I can't believe that it is still not right after about 12 weeks. The boot and I have become one soul. We are probably going to build a house in St. Louis but I'll know more about that next week. The builder took forever to get us a cost analysis, but I love the lot. I'll post a pic if that happens next week. Unfortunately I had to pull out of Artiscape so I can get my body healed. Lisa's event has been one I have always wanted to go to, but never seemed to be able to because of Sam's competing season. It had worked out this year and I was eager to teach. I hope it goes well for everyone. The piece featured in this post is for my calendar exchange. It is the first art I've sat down to do in weeks (watercolor, permanent markers, sprits bottle, Hampton Arts stamp.)

Once Upon A Time

I've spent a lot of time this past week thinking about "once upon a time." No conclusions on why things can't be as good, but definitely thinking about it. Hence, the piece of art above that I did yesterday while cleaning out my studio to put the house on the market. I can only hope that some day in the future I'll be able to look back on this and reminisce fondly!

Teal...all day...all the time

I had a lot of fun working with some leotard patterns to do this teal challenge on one of the Yahoo lists I am on. Sam leaves today on a bus for Orlando and I fly out tomorrow morning. She doesn't compete until Saturday so I am hoping to get out into the sunshine while we are there a little bit.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!!!

True Blue

I can't believe it is already February. It does look like we'll be relocating this year to St. Louis.....a trying time this has been for all three of us. My time has been spent beginning to get the house de-cluttered, but not too much art has been happening. This week, though, I sat down and did this piece of canvas for a mingle.

Time of Your Life

Time just keeps marching on...........I can't believe that it is already Dec 1! Thanksgiving passed quickly and was quite fun. I did my typical Black Friday shopping spree at 4 am and then was exhausted by noon. I was able to finish the first Stampaway class before I picked Dad up at the airport, but then was not able to finish the second class until yesterday.....the due date, of course. I am pleased with the concept.........but always hate running at a deadline.

Next up.......cleaning my studio, I mean..."the pit." I am tired of working in a 4" area..............