Go Big or Go Home

So......... It's the absolute wrong time of the year in my life right now to try to do something different, out of the box, scary, time-sucking, but this is the time that I chose to try working on larger canvases for my paintings.  My forum turned out to be an online class called "FUNKY LITTLE CITYSCAPES" by Jodi Ohl.  Jodi embraces a whimsical style in the same vein as my own so when I saw this class advertised, I knew it was meant to be.  I think everyone in the class is having a fantastic time.  Some are even on their second or third paintings and it's only been a little over a week that the class has been in session.  That's a testament to a good class.  I took a few pictures along the way to show you some of the different layers that went into this painting.  I won't do an in-depth tutorial, but  will post the pictures so you can get an idea how much underpainting went into it to get the visual texture in the finished painting.  My inspiration was Italy and the cities that are built into the mountainsides so I chose a Tuscan palette and stuck fairly to it. We were given the option to spot underpaint our canvases so I chose to do black before I added some "noise" with crayon.

I then chose my palette, portrait composition, and painted the background with a combination of palette knife and credit card. Some white paint was added to create some interest throughout the background. I chose some of my favorite Stencil Girl stencils to help with that interest.

The next layers included sketching out the house arrangement and layering on several layers of color.

More layers of paint were added before the detailing begins, first with paint on the houses, and then with India Ink and nibs.

The final touches included some shadowing, gold metallic and black noise,  and  detailing with white Krylon Paint Pen.

"Tuscan Interlude" 12" x 30"

Bloom

I am still knee-deep in puppydom and paper towels.  Angus is growing like a weed and needs to be attended constantly, but I am happy to say, we are making progress with him.  I had a few minutes the other day to take out this painting from a few years ago and play with the center with some Golden Fluid Acrylics.  I love how they work so well with other watermedia even years later.  In this piece, I decided I wanted the center of the flower to be stronger so I went back and matched the watercolors with some acrylic and added layers to it.  I think it adds something to the painting.

The few spare minutes I have now go to Stampaway class prep.  If you haven't looked at the Tattered and Torn samples, look them up on the Stampaway site.  I rescheduled my Snippets Studio Cloth class at Simply Said for the Saturday of Stampaway weekend.  Please join me there and learn how to useacrylics and grounds on Studio Cloth.  It will open up a world of possibilities in your art, homedecorating, and more importantly at this time of year, gift giving.

I'll leave you with those thoughts and new Angus pics at 11 weeks.  He's going to be a big boy.

Two arrivals: Angus and Nancy Curry Art website

It is with great happiness that I make a couple of announcements:

Number 1:  We're canine parents again to a 7 1/2 week old, standard parti poodle puppy named Angus.  He's a fur ball with a bladder the size of a piece of Japanese rice.  American rice, for that matter. He also has the attention span of a Japanese piece of rice.  Having said that, I must also say that we are all smitten.Even Tucker, who was adjusting to his "new normal" after the passing of our older standard, Bogart, seems to be finding the little half-pint a force to be reckoned with.   

Number 2:  I knew Angus was coming but last week the spirit suddenly moved me to do something I've had intentions of doing for a few years.  I finally bought my domain and started to put together a comprehensive website.  I've used "this and that" for the last fifteen years but decided it was time to consolidate it all under one umbrella. I am sure there will still be tweaks here and there, but it's ready to go live.  Be gentle with me when you see it.  This was way out of my wheelhouse.

Please join me in welcoming Angus to our family and christen the arrival of Nancy Curry Art.  More to come on both in the months to come.

 

Epiphany

I have been strangely absent for a few reasons: travel, travel, and more travel along with some infirmity thrown in that took me by surprise. I have had to learn to be patient with my self since all I wanted to do when I came back from Art & Soul was play with my fabric-fusion collage but found myself very limited in time and capability. It all started when I was watching the Good Wife the Sunday after my sojourn in Kansas city. No dramatic build up because I was fine five minutes before and then turned by head to look at the show and that was it. I felt a pop and for the last seven weeks, my life has been topsy-turvy. This isn't a medical blog so I will just say that I've got four herniated disks in my neck and upper back. Who knows why but they are there and so far we've tried three spinal injections to try to get me through this while my body heals the spine to avoid the surgery. I just had the third so we'll see in a few days if I get any relief. Right now I just live on a TENS unit and Tramadol. Art has been very limited, although I was able to finish a piece for a donation for Oklahoma relief in Moore and the piece featured here from class at Art &Soul.

I had most of it done before the travel, travel, travel hit, but just this week decided it needed the word from my first stamp line coming this summer. Now, I will just need to figure out how I want the finishing to look. Now, back to the travel.....
I had a wonderful time visiting my sister at their home away from home condo in western Massachusetts. We went to Webb's, the largest yarn/fiber store in the country. And what fun we had there. It was good of us to help the economy there. We also did some serious Bonn Bon shopping at a store that was discontinuing the line. 50% off cannot be ignored. Once back in Pennsylvania, it was time to supervise the packing of my now college JUNIOR, Sam. I couldn't actually help because of my physical limitations, but she and her significant other did a fantastic job getting it all done. I was impressed by them both and thank goodness she's picked a guy that rolls with the punches as well as he did. Once it was all organized and stored and her little Mustang was packed, we did the journey back to St. Louis in two days. That gave us one day to repack for our cruise to the Western Caribbean. I managed to squeeze in the second injection before we went, hoping for some relief on the ship and I did get some.
The week on the Oasis was wonderful. I had to do nothing but relax and be waited on. That worked well for how I was feeling. It was a terrific week for the three of us. Dolphins, ceviche, waterfalls, unlimited rolls, ziplinging (for them), scallops. You get the picture.

So travel time is over for a bit. We are waiting to see if my body will settle down or if I will have to go to the next and only level, which is surgery. I am still planning on following my summer class schedule. Hopefully I will be able to get back into the studio on a more regular basis.

I leave you with a teaser.....we have a new puppy coming to our home next week. Details on that and my inaugural stamp line to follow. Have a great weekend!

Fusion

April has come in with a bang. I spent two wonderful days away in the suburbs of Kansas City last week. It was the perfect small getaway trip to head to Excelsior Springs for Art & Soul. I was happy to be in the company of several of my collage club buddies and met some super people in my two classes. I took two classes from Jane Davies and both were terrific. Collage on the Grid was a short class on Wednesday night that helped us focus on creating in series with limited papers and shapes. Fabric-Paper Collage was all day Thursday. We created several different kinds of papers and melded them with fabric into a finished piece. Mine needs some stitching to finish it and then I'll post. However, I did try another one pictured above in an altered book that I shared with my collage club. I would not hesitate to recommend Jane as a teacher. She does online classes as well and has books and DVDs out. I am looking forward to next year's return visit to Art &Soul.
I must mention for those in the Kansas City area that I did some visiting before I went to Excelsior Springs. I began with a stop at Paper Source which was filled to the brim with large handmade and commercially made sheets of paper, more artsy note pads than should be in one store, and all sorts of specialty gift items. Coming from a needlework background, I also stopped at Two the Point in Overland Park and enjoyed my journey through their fibers and many needlepoint and cross stitch patterns. It was a marvelous stop but I was able to just browse. Finally, I met with the owner of Stamper's Ink in Shawnee, Tanya, and received a tour of their store, their huge classroom and got a feel for the clientele. We have a great weekend planned for September. I can't wait to return.
Concurrently, we have welcomed two babies into our family within 48 hours of each other. I am a great aunt to two new nephews, David Samuel Pretz and Elliott Scotland Pretz. Both are healthy and thriving and I can't wait to see them when I head to PA in a couple of weeks. There's nothing like new babies to bring joy into your family. On our homefront, I am continuing to look into adding another standard poodle into our family this summer....a different kind of baby, but the only kind I'm adding these days. Tucker misses his buddy and we miss having the two and their camaraderie. We'll keep you posted on the progress.He's only a little spoiled!

I have planned my next few months of classes so I will share the list here. Keep checking back for more info. It's a fluid schedule.
UPCOMING CLASSES:
New Art Legacies, IL Friday, April 12 1:00-4:00 pm Snippets: A Studio Cloth Introduction
For Keeps Sake, MO Saturday June 1 10:30-1:30 It's In the Cards: Mixed Media ATCS
Simply Said Rubber Stamps OH Friday and Sat June 21-22 times TBA It's in the Cards: Mixed Media ATCs, Snippets, Kaleidoscope
Stampaway OH Friday, August 9 8:30-11:00 am Tattered and Torn
Stamper's Ink, KS September 13-14 times TBA Resist, Kaleidoscope, Sheer Fusion

Art & Soul

The beauty of going to retreats is to participate in art calls or themes. We were sent a paper mache mask if we were participating in enough classes. I didn't think I would have time to do it, but found myself with an extra couple of hours tonight so I took a stab WAY OUT OF my comfort zone. Well, sort of. I do love masks, but haven't made too many in my life. The theme of Art & Soul this year is on safari, but as you'll notice, I went with my own theme. Or perhaps mine could be an indigenous tribesman painted white. Either way, I had fun doing something so different. Even more fun when I stared at it's face and one of my favorite quotes flashed before my eyes. It is one I've used once before in a calendar page for Stampington. You can see that one below. Yes, the look is quite different as is how I illustrated it.

Off to Art and Soul I go!!!! Hi Ho.... Hi Ho.......

Nourishment

I've had some great classes in 2013 but am happy to say I have a breather before I am out at New Art Legacies in a couple of weeks. I promised myself in 2013 that I would open up some avenues that have been consciously closed out of necessity and unconsciously closed for no good reason for awhile. The biggest of these avenues is self-renewal. I began yoga in the fall and it is proving to be a great way to block out the world for a period of time several times a week. I go to class once a week and meet myself on my mat at home at least two other times to meditate. It was quite convenient that Oprah/Deepok began a 21 day meditation early in March. I have participated in many days and have seen how early I am in this journey. It's been an interesting period of introspection of what I want for my life and what I feel the need to let go. I needed to do this mental housecleaning so I could move forward. More on that as new thoughts or at least more concrete thoughts occur. as part of my self-renewal, I've also made some decisions to nourish my creativity.

As said in previous blog entries, I am revisiting my roots in the needlearts and am excited to be taking my first online class in surface embroidery given by Australian Sharon B in June. Summer is usually a slower time for me and so far I only have classes twice in Cincinnati so there will be plenty of time to immerse. Her samples are to die for so I am hoping to learn a lot and put it to use on my mixed media pieces. But before all that I am heading to Art & Soul in Kansas City next week with a few of my arty gal pals. I've not been to a retreat since Art Continuum and have fond memories of my experiences there in the early 2000s. I am very excited to have set aside the time to do this again even if it is a little brief. I am very excited to meet and take two classes from Jane Davies. I've seen some tutorials and know that she is just the right person to grown my knowledge in incorporating fabric into my designs. I spent a couple of days this week and one last week making a small number of trades and really enjoyed making each and every one. There are a few pictured above. Yes, INCHIES, and yes, there are about 3-4 layers of stuff on those to make them the little textural wonders that they I think they are. I borrowed the concept from my new Studio Cloth (USArtQuest)class because I am still loving to work on it so much. I only made 21 so they'll go fast. I am planning some other stops on Wednesday and definitely I will be stopping by a couple of stores on the way to see if there are any teaching venues in the area that are interested for the fall. All in all it will be nice to get away. I plan to be well-nourished at the Elms Spa for the short time I am there. I'll let you know in a couple of weeks if my plans worked out.

P L A Y

I was supposed to be doing all sorts of class prep today. Well, I did do some but then I got distracted by some Titan Buff, Bronze and Titanium White paint..... and a Gelli plate that just happened to be next to my desk. I made a few prints, cleaned up and then was SUPPOSED to go back to my class prep. Hmmmmmm..... my lack of self control was evident because I really wanted to spend time just playing. So, play I did. I was so happy to open a package of Artistcellar stencils today that had come a few weeks ago. (Confession: I am a stencil slut these days.) I bought the whole cathedral series in 6 x 6 because I couldn't decide on just one. I randomly chose this one, Reims, and was very happy with how it played out. I really just set out to print, but at some point I got the itch to detail. I went back to tried and true masking and used some stamps to create some visual interest and then added some embellishments to bring more tactile dimension to it. I guess I haven't had a Pitt in my hand for too long so I spent an hour and a half detailing and personalizing it to my taste. I guess I'll be doing class preparation tomorrow! It felt really good to just sit down and see where it went. I am happy with "It's in the Details" and my day.

Spring Fever

It's not that we've had a horrible winter, but I am SO SO SO ready for spring. I would not survive in North Dakota, Minnesota, or even Massachusetts where my BFF lives. Their winters are definitely too long and hard fought for me. I think back to my days in Williamsburg when we would have seventy degree days interspersed here and there. As you can tell from my altered book spread above, I am willing it to arrive. It's been a busy month here with my trip east, the debut of my new class, and Sam's spring break and impromptu visit to Cincinnati last week. I've got some irons in the art fire as well, but am not ready to unveil yet. I am quietly excited, though.
Upcoming classes include offerings here in St. Louis at For Keeps Sake (March 23, Tattered and Torn), in Illinois at New Art Legacies in April (Studio Cloth), and a new venue for me, Simply Said, in Cincinnati on June 21-22 (still being finalized.) And, of course, Stampaway which is August 7-10. My class, Tattered and Torn, will be on Friday morning. (Coffee donations are welcome.) Classes will be available for sign up in early April. Below are samples to get you excited.

Who knows what else will hit my radar and then yours in the next upcoming months. Stay tuned.

Transformations

I am not an everyday blogger as most of you know but I happened upon my word of the year today while I was working on an altered book spread. There's a lot going on with me behind the scenes this year on both my personal and art journeys so transformations sums up what I want out of this year. I'd love to hear other words if you want to share.

Every Minute of Every Day

Well my first big announcement is that after 6 years, my sewing machine is up and running. Friday was D Day and while I was cooking grilled cheese sandwiches, my friend, Tracy, managed to get it all done for me and then had me practice over and over. Let's hope it sticks. At least it's out of the box! We also played with the Gelli Arts Printing Plate for a couple of hours and made some great prints using lots of stencils. It was fun to play around in my kitchen. Nothing is finished from that session, though, but it was still fun.

The weekend brought some more playtime and a visit to New Art Legacies to pick up some Kromekote that Peggy Wade, gracious owner extraordinaire, had ordered for me. Of course, I couldn't just leave her store with paper. I also picked up about 10 bottles of Perfect Pigments and Perfect Glaze to add to my paint collection. I can't get enough of USArtQuest stuff these days. A dinner out with Peggy and her husband, Neal, capped off the day.

I've been a little under the weather this week so I've been working on some things in the studio, doing some straightening, doing some hand-lettering, and just kind of working on ideas that have been percolating for awhile, but more on that in a later blog entry. I've spent a lot of time catching up on the Creative Jumpstart videos and found many of them to be very special. I am so glad I saw that and have been able to participate in it this month. Definitely the perfect thing to be doing while I am not at full speed.I've had some fun making some Valentine offerings as shown here. This one will be hand-delivered to my daughter, Sam, when I head to Pennsylvania. I started giving her some canvas art back in high school. I'll continue the tradition again this year. Well, back to a prone position. Happy almost February!

Love Resides Here

It's been a cold, wintry day here so I holed up in the studio and did this painting. I love hearts and what they signify. So when Valentine's Day approaches, it brings out my inner heart pangs. I've loved VDAY since the days of elementary school. I loved coming home with all those nonsensical little pieces of mail. I loved it when there were little candies, too. I loved it that it was a day that my hearts got to be center stage. Getting pieces of chocolate only made it better. Of course as I got older and parents didn't make kids give to all in their classrooms, I found out that the day could also lead to heartbreak if you let it. But, I digress. It's still a wonderful day to say a little hello to those who hold a place in your heart and I try to do it every year.

So it's been a busy week in the studio and out all centered around art.

Saturday was a wonderful time at For Keeps Sake where they had a Meet the Artist afternoon. Store teachers, MaryBeth Shaw, Mary Nasser, Julie Snidle and myself were there. I hear MaryBeth's demos were wonderful. If you haven't gone and seen her stencils, go to Stencil Girl and check them out. They are delightful. I met a lot of really nice people who responded really well to my new classes. I am looking forward to them. I think that day rejuvenated me because I went into my studio and cleaned on Sunday so I could start my week fresh on Monday. I wish I could make myself do that all of the time. However, Monday was a field trip with my friend, Cheryl, to see Kristen Powers's new studio and Rubbermoon manufacturing storefront. It was a wonderful day full of art and laughter and sharing and more art. I feel lucky to count Kristen as one of my favorite inspirations. I spent Tuesday in the studio and today, but yesterday was my weekly Foundry date with a group of women I adore. We have such a fun time working on our projects and the chatter is therapeutic as well. Till next time, folks..... start working on those Valentines.....

In Your Dreams

I've been dreaming like crazy for the last two weeks and I can remember most of them. Both of these things are unusual. If I do dream, I usually lose them within 30 seconds of waking. But these have been eclectic vignettes of past experiences (mostly good) mixed in with people that I am missing in my life now. Hence, the title of this entry. I hope these dreams continue. I find them fascinating.
Today, Sam went back to school for her second semester. I always feel a little hole in my heart when she goes even though I know this is where she should be. We had a wonderful month and it's wonderful to see her becoming the adult she is going to be. I just wish I could teleport in and out of Pennsylvania to see her intermittently. I always have been a Jetsons and Star Trek fan so teleportation isn't out of my realm of wishing.
Artwise, I went to a fabulous Collage Club meeting this week with a great demo and a huge turnout. We made some terrific papers a la Jane Davies that were so easy and economical to make and FUN! It was so good to hear what everyone is up to artistically businesswise, workshopwise and also to be tempted to go in new directions when people tell what they've been up to. Our first month of the altered book exchange isn't until February so I'd better get cracking on that. I'll post my pages when they are finished. I also taught my Rock n Roll Brayer class at For Keeps Sake on Saturday and had a wonderful time. Of note: I had my first husband and wife couple! While there I scheduled my first two classes of the year at FKS. On February 23rd I will be debuting SNIPPETS: a Floor Cloth primer, featuring USArtQuests Studio Cloth and on March 23 I will be debuting Tattered and Torn, a raw edge painted and torn paper project class. These are both brand new classes that I am tweaking for later in the year and I am really excited about them.

It's a busy week in the studio for me. I love being invigorated again. Stay tuned.

Merry! Merry! .......... 2013!

Well it is the 2nd of January and already I am tired of the little bit of snow we've had. I think I blinked and lost December somewhere between the cookie-making, decorating, welcoming Sam home, and travel back to the east coast for the holidays. We managed to see the lights at Tilles Park by carriage ride, the Christmas traditions in St. Charles, loads of Christmas light drive bys, the kiss lights in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and a wonderful candlelight service on Christmas Eve.

So now 2013 is upon us and I am trying to wrap my head around that. Sam is home for one more week so we have a few things to get done. My first class of the year is this Saturday at For Keep's Sake so I am ready to get back in the saddle. No other classes to post about yet, but don't worry, I will be keeping busy.Here's a piece of art done with USArtQuest's Studio Cloth, a must-have in my studio these days. Enjoy the art and the sentiment behind it. It's my motto for 2013.

Happy New Year from the canines!!!!

Thanksgiving

The month of November has flown by this year and Thanksgiving is upon us. Sam comes home tonight for almost a week. We will fill that week with food, tree-chopping, and a new activity, a carriage ride through holiday lights sans cars. I am sure we'll squeeze a little shopping in as well. She's doing great at Ursinus and has already signed up for spring of sophomore year classes. I can see these four years are going to fly by as well. She joined a sorority and is rehabbing her hip as best she can. The future of her gymnastics is in that rehab so we'll see but I am grateful that she is becoming an independent yooung lady (until I don't hear from her!)

I've taught a lot this month for me. I had two great classes at New Art Legacies in Fairview Heights two weekends ago and followed them up with a wonderful paperweaving class at Wood Icing. Both classes were filled with lots of art chat and enthusiasm which always makes my day so fufilling. I'm on break now until December 1 when I'll be at For Keep's Sake for Sheer Fusion (a transparent art mixed media class) and then will be breaking again until January 5 when I will be back there to do Rock n Roll Brayered Surface Design. Both classes run from 10:30 AM-1:30 PM and are sure to fill you with some new techniques to take in a myriad of directions.

Until then I will be playing here on some new stuff. I am not quite ready to share yet, but will be after the holidays. I do have some fun news that is late-breaking. My Kaleidoscope artwork that is for sale at New Art Legacies caught the eye of the St. Louis Post Dispatch and was published today in their special section on 100 Great Holiday Gift Ideas. Brief brag. Now I am done. It isn't Oprah's list, but it's a list. My thanks to Peggy Wade at New Art Legacies for making this possible.

My closing note is as heartfelt as a virtual musing can be. I am so grateful for my place in my family, for their place in my heart, and for being part of such a generous and inspiring art world that nurtures my creativity day in and day out. Happy Thanksgiving all.....

Boo!

It's Halloween week and yes there is another freak storm heading to the east coast. Last year it was a snow storm. This year it is Hurricane Sandy. It's hard being so far away from Sam, but at least the colleges did the right thing and urged their students to leave.

October has been beautiful here this year. I am not sure if it was the hot, hot, hot summer, or what, but the colors were beautiful. I feel very inspired by color right now.

I am also very inspired by our drop of tomatoes that finally came in. I normally have ulcers in my mouth in August, but apparently this year I will have them in November.

And finally my big news. We have our new chairs in the sunroom and are actually using the room...after 5 years. We love the room. I hope you do, too. I've found out something new about my husband. He's a rocker. Our new chairs swivel and rock. Jim's a rocker and I am a swiveler. I guess after 27 years you can still learn something new about your mate.

I hope everyone has a happy and safe Halloween, especially those on the East coast. Sandy, Sandy- Go away!!!!!!

Mr. and Mrs. Lemp make their debut

Late summer/fall has been a whirlwind of activity so far in our household. You would think that pseudo empty nesters would lead a calm life, but no such luck in this household. My daughter Sam, is hard at work at her classes in PA, and I might add living in a palace of a room. Upon my return I decided to start yoga classes and I am loving them and the whole sense of peace that the practice gives me. I feel rejuvenated after the classes... and a little sore at times, but it's a good sore. I also added participation in another art group to my calendar after receiving a wonderful invitation. I am loving the weekly work time and chat time with a group of very talented ladies. September also brought two of my favorite activities: the annual Great Forest Park Balloon Races and the St. Louis Art Fair. Both weekends were fantastic. Happy sigh.

Jim and I have already been back to see Sam for Family weekend and found her to be thriving. She has gone Greek and is muddling through a difficult set of classes. We left her there to work, had a wonderful family dinner, and returned for a day at our alma mater, Gettysburg College, before heading to Washington DC for a couple of days. Again, we dated there, so it was fun to return to some of our old haunts, but not so fun to find that some of them had met their demise in this economy. From there, we sauntered south to Williamsburg, Virginia for a day and a half. No trip is ever complete without a trip to Whitley's Peanuts and a walk through the historic area. Finally we hit our last destination, Charleston, South Carolina, where we spent three glorious days at Two Meeting Street Inn, an historic b and b. We scoured the city as much as a respiratory infection I picked up would allow, and then headed home to reality.

Before we left, I taught a Kaleidoscope class at Wood Icing to a group of wonderful women, and then the weekend after we returned, I attended and demoed at a wonderful art night at Wood Icing with the theme of "Eye Spy". Attendees followed clues around the gallery (even in the artwork). A fun time was had by all. This past weekend I taught my first class at New Art Legacies in Fairview Heights;, IL. I had a class full of happy women making artful resin pendants. While over there I found out that three of my pieces of art for sale were borrowed by a reporter for the St. Louis Post Dispatch to be photographed for a gifts article. I am sure Peggy Wade is owed a debt of gratitude for that occurrence. I also took my Day of the Dead assemblage piece to the store for their November 1 celebration. I bonded with my protagonists, Mr. and Mrs. Lemp, while creating the vignette and hope you will too when you see their wedding day picture.

Two other wonderful pieces of news to share from the art world. First, I am happy to pass along the information that Kristen Powers (Kae Pea) has bought Rubbermoon from Debra Valoff. I have been a longtime fan of Rubbermoon, and am glad Kristen will continue the legacy as well as adding her own spin to the company. Any old fans of Effie Glitzfinger should know that Kristen has not missed a beat in designing stamps. She's opened a studio for her own art and Rubbermoon in Louisiana, Missouri. I hope to take a road trip soon to see her new digs. Check out the website and see what's new! She and her company are also on facebook.

Finally, I've been involved in Stampaway as a shopper, worker, workshop teacher, and supporter of Stamp Your Art Out for many years. Some of you might now that Connie Williams has retired and the store is closing. Connie is still going to continue to support Stampaway and will still be producing Verses Rubber Stamps, so she will still be a force in the rubber stamp world. I wish her much golf and family visits as she has her new found freedom. I am happy to pass along that a new store, Simply Said Rubberstamps is opening in the Cincinnati area in November. I am glad that there will still be a brick and mortar store in that area.

That's what is going on in my neck of the woods. Happy Fall!!!

The rest of my fall/early winter schedule is below.

Upcoming workshops:

Friday, November 9: Kaleidoscope @ New Art Legacies

Saturday, November 10: Paper Tapestry @ Wood Icing

Saturday, December 1: Sheer Fusion @ For Keeps Sake

Saturday, January 5: Rock N Roll: Brayered Surface Design @ For Keeps Sake

Escapade

My trip to Stampaway was so quick but helped stir my plateaued creative juices a bit. It is always so nice seeing all the familiar faces and immerse in the colors, the samples, the potato bar, the demos, and, of course, Cincinnati, my old stomping ground that I am really quite fond of. It doesn't hurt that I also got to spend some good quality time with two of my closest friends. And, actually took a class for once and completed the project!!!!! My class, ART of the Word was exactly what I wanted to do and I do plan to run that class again here in St. Louis at the beginning of next year. Found art poetry is such a great mind-clearing exercise. I think my students did a fantastic job. They re-energized me along the way. Tim Holtz's journal class was just what I needed to relax and have fun.

As mentioned in my last post, I have now hit the ground running getting ready to take Sammi back to Ursinus in 10 days. We have jean shopped, shirt shopped, athletic-wear shopped, etc. I was able to sneak out to collage club and make some s small paper bowl and enjoy show n tell. I am so lucky to have the most talented and giving artists in St. Louis. This week will be appointment-laden and the spacebag packing will begin in earnest. I highly doubt any art will be happening. I did manage to finish a new watermedia project, though, while I had some time last week. I am pretty jazzed about working in a different color palette.

I have set my fall teaching schedule and have a few dates to announce. I'll be teaching in the St. Louis area four different times. Here's a date preview until I get back from the college trip and can put up some samples.

Saturday, September 22: Kaleidoscope @ Wood Icing

Saturday, November 10: Paper Tapestry @ Wood Icing

Saturday, December 1: Sheer Fusion @ For Keeps Sake

Saturday, January 5: Rock N Roll: Brayered Surface Design @ For Keeps Sake

Dog Days of Summer

There's been a lot of water under the bridge since my last post. The summer has been filled with some nursing, some travel, some house predicaments, and a lot of needed family time. Sam came home from her first year of college in May and had arthroscopic hip surgery in June. It was like having a newborn again for weeks. We camped out in the family room and watched lots of movies while she was hooked into her machines. Physical therapy started the day after and became our big outing. I am happy to say that she is progressing in her therapy and does have a shot at a gymnastics season this year if things continue to go well.

Let it never be said that I am sedentary. We traveled to the Outer Banks in July for a week with family and it was a delightful house and wonderful weather. It was fun seeing it through Ellie's eyes, my grandniece, who is still under 18 months. Sam couldn't be immersed in water so she had a blow up princess chair that rode all over the pool daily. It was a long trip but fun. I pulled myself away from family two weeks ago and headed to CHA. It was the first time I had been there, but I really enjoyed it. So much to take in and fun seeing old friends along the way. Chicago was great for our two day stint, except for their confusing toll system.

Stampaway is this week in Cincinnati. I leave on Thursday and teach ART of the Word on Friday afternoon. I can taste the potato bar on Friday night already. I have a few spots available in my class so hit up Stamp Your Art Out if you are interested.

After I return it is time to kick it into high gear getting Sam ready to go back to PA. Lots to do before we make that jaunt near the end of the month.

Local classes will resume again here in St. Louis this fall. I do not have dates but will be at Wood Icing twice and am in the progress of pinning down dates for For Keeps Sake as well. Look for more details as life slows down. In the meantime, enjoy my birds! These are so fun to make.

Bunny Hop Inn

The whole problem with getting sick is that it interrupts your life. That is my epiphany for today. Write it down. I spent an evening in late March sketching out what was to be a new Easter themed painting. I had the house to myself for the weekend and found my copy of Bridesmaids and a beer and sat down to sketch. All was fantastic until I was sick the next day for close to two weeks. And no, I could handle the beer. Promise. I finally was back in my studio for the first time two days ago and it became my mission to bring my vision to life. I decided since it is already after Easter that I would sit down and put my thought process online for a tutorial. I haven't done that with any of my paintings yet, so this is my maiden voyage and you will need to bear with me. Note: the tutorial pics are Iphone pics so bear with that, too.


This is the fourth in my series of paintings that focus on houses/streets. They've all been fairly quirky, but two of them have been themed around holidays which adds an interesting element in my head when planning. Where do the ideas come from? Well, I love looking at unusual architecture on the Internet and most of my houses have had their roots in pictures I have seen on Pinterest and Google, but some have just come out of nowhere while I am sketching. The odder the better in my book because I want my audience to see the whimsy. The Easter piece, Bunny Hop Inn, has it's roots in my love for Easter egg coloring and a piece that I painted for Valentine's Day, Lover's Lane. That painting prominently featured a street, but in the sky I introduced hot air balloons (another love of mine). I wanted to feature the balloons again in a more prominent way so that I am not a one-trick pony so the idea of the egg shaped balloons seemed perfect when I began sketching. I decided at that point that the hot air balloons would be the focus of the painting, but had to have at least one physical structure. I began by prepping my 6 x 12" canvas panel with a coat of Golden Titan Buff fluid acrylic. These panels come prepped with gesso, but I like to get rid of the stark, white, background and usually find a way to incorporate the Titan Buff into the sky. My Halloween Couture did not follow this rule since it was set at night. Instead, I added a background of Titanium White to that one, but I diverge from my tutorial. Mea culpa.


Once prepped, I set about sketching with a fairly hard pencil. The result is below. I don't try to get everything in my sketch, just what I see is essential to my vision. If I intend to do any texturizing of any parts, I generally do this now. On this piece, I used two elements on two of the five eggs. No pics of this step, but I did use a super fine masking fluid pen called Saved Whites on the second balloon from the left. I drew stripes downward all around the egg so that the Titan Buff would remain intact when I painted the egg later. Its needle-nosed applicator allows for thin lines that dry quickly for easy removal after the painting process. Artist Kae Pea turned me onto it and it is sometimes available in her Etsy Shop. On the last egg to the right I used Wood Icing, a texture paste, that I love to use because of its quick set-up time. This enabled me later on to create colorful striations with depth.

How do I plan my color palette? Hmmm.....well, I have to admit and this will shock those with a painterly background, that I don't in particular, probably due to the nature of my vision. I like to be on a wild ride with these paintings so I just put out a few colors to start with that seem to go with the theme, and get started. I can always change the colors if need be by repainting or simply shading. The Easter balloons cried out for fun, spring colors, so I set about painting with a lot of water. I like to remove some of the paint with paper towels and then add and subtract over and over until I get the right shading for my main pieces in these paintings. I found the house to be too dull with just the preliminary paint application so I went ahead and added some variegation to the roof.

At this point, I like to get to some detailing so I can let the focal elements take shape and really start to tell a story. To detail, I use a black Pitt Artist Pen in XS & S or a Pigma Micron Pen in .005. Both are easily found in craft or office supply stores and work well over DRIED PAINT. Note the caps in that last sentence. Don't get antsy and detail before the paint is dry or you will be buying pens willy-nilly. That has never happened in my studio. Really.

I usually start with foliage for the secondary elements. The next two pictures show the evolution of the trees. I have to confess that I love to draw trees for some reason and bushes and plants, etc. I've been fascinated with pointillism for a long time and featured a project using it in my book, Texture Effects. I use this technique of lots of tiny dots, some watery, some dry brush, to create all the foliage and flowers. The trees proliferate as the painting moves along. I don't sketch them at all, but rather let the brush guide me and the craggier the better in my book. I love the lacy look of the flowers especially. By varying the amount of water used, you can recreate the fragility of flowers over and over.


I get so excited once I have a Pitt Pen in my hand. 95% of this is up in my head where imagination hides and often involves the motifs that I crave.... swirls, curves, checks, Harlequin designs, etc. Once the detailing is started, I go back and forth from adding the secondary elements and detailing the dry areas. This is a great use of time because detailing does take a lot of it on it's own so alternating processes allows you to keep moving forward. Also, it keeps it fresh for me, and to be honest, the ideas don't all come at once. I like to be open to change while I am painting because it makes me feel so "on the edge" which probably doesn't make any sense to those reading this after seeing the finished painting above. It's detail is so precise that it probably looks like it was completely planned beforehand. Now you know the truth.

At this point, I generally take a step back and see what's missing from my original vision. I really had wanted a forested area but since it was early spring, I couldn't achieve that with heavy leafage. I really do try to have my paintings make some sense so no comments on how these balloons will land in the forest at all, please. I had to satisfy myself with adding more trees along the perimeter and lower understory to create the surrounding landscape for the Inn. Yes, this is when I named the structure as part of the story. I love to name things so this was particularly satisfying. I drew my first bunnies as well. There are two of them leaping amongst the foliage and a third in a particularly fun place. I'll let you find that one.


I always send a picture to my sister, a wonderful artist, for critique and listen to what she has to say. In this case, the problem was the color of the sun. The sun distracted her from the rest of the painting so she suggested fading it out. I sort of knew it was vibrant but since I've used Pyrole Orange on all of them, I still wanted to stay true to that. Instead I added darker color to the egg farthest to the left and darkened some of the leaves throughout. It is interesting that even though I fixed that problem, it was not until I photographed the supposedly finished work that I realized I didn't like the sun sitting on the branch. That was remedied in the final product above. Changes were also made to the moon's positioning, and trees and foliage were added to the front of the hill to create more depth.

So there you have it. This is the story behind the story of the painting. I wanted you to have a glimpse into my process and enjoy my spring journey. Let me know if you find that last bunny!