Vortex: Experimentations in Ink Manipulation

For me, art can be like a vortex in a loose interpretation.  I find myself being drawn into a process and keep wanting to know more about it, what works, what doesn't, and my mind whirls until I am satisfied that I have exhausted everything I can think of that day.  Then the next day comes and the next.  I am on my second week of exploring Citrasolv ink manipulation.  No two pieces are alike so it is fascinating and fresh every time you do it.  There are many tutorials online as well as you tube videos that will bring you up to speed with the process.  Key is buying the correct Citrasolv.....a concentrate version and a National Geographic magazine ( 1970 +  is recommended due to the clay coating of the article pages. )  Good ventilation is advised as well even though the product's toxicity is lower than some.  I also use disposable gloves because prolonged skin exposure is not advised.

I prefer to use a small spray bottle to add the Citrasolv on a table outside.  I spray ampily on the pages with pictures once the articles start (no ads)  and wait about 15-30 minutes before checking the magazine.  Every time you open a page up it will stir up the ink so I try not to open it often.  If the pages are done, I begin tearing them out and lay them out to dry.  If parts didn't "melt", I add more Citrasolv and wait.  They dry in a few hours inside, but even quicker outside if it's possible. Below is a part of the page I used before I began phase two of the manipulation.

 

For this piece, I decided to further manipulate the page manually.  The beauty of this process is that you can begin again after a page is dry.  The ink easily becomes moveable with minimal effort. I used the Citrasolv in the lid and a liner paintbrush and set out to draw some spirals.  I varied their size and their orientation, blotting along the way to remove the rest of the ink.  After that was complete, I used the paintbrush into the unused are of the page to wet the dark background and use that ink to make shadows in the spirals.

Not too bad of a start, but it needed some contrast.  To add that, I used a dip pen and India ink.  I varied the nib size and varied the treatment of each spiral to add interest.  I was pleased with the change.  The composition began to come together with this step.

I felt the edges needed to be finished to complete the composition before mounting.  A black Copic was used in a very haphazard way that complimented the mood of the piece.I then chose a  mounting color attached with two sided tape.  (Note:  I promise it's a little straighter than this picture suggests.)

It was at this time I moved the piece around and decided how I wanted it positioned on the canvas.  I then added one of my new stamps to finish it off and mounted it onto a pre-painted black 8" x *" canvas panel.  The piece was complete once it was named and signed.

Stay tuned for the more experiments.  I have a lot to show.  You'll see it first on my Facebook art page.   LIKE the page to stay current. 

Caprice

I had a wonderful weekend in Shawnee, KS at Stamper's Ink.  It hasn't been often in my sixteen years of travel that I've felt totally comfortable on my first visit to the store, but that was certainly the case there.  I had a wonderful turnout for a Friday afternoon demo and three full classes.  In this day and age of less disposable income, it was so nice that people came out to my classes and to support the store.

It was also the perfect weekend as my stamp line was introduced at the demo and in all my classes.  It was so fun watching everyone enjoy the words.  I posted a lot of their art on my Nancy Curry Art page on facebook.  There work was quite good and as always, unique, since my favorite classes are outcomes that are different every time.  Oh, and stop by and LIKE my page to stay on top of the latest meanderings.

So now that I have decompressed somewhat and unpacked mostly from the trip, I have to admit that I had to play today with some Citra Solv and National Geographics.  I've been fascinated with the ink manipulation process for awhile, but never made time to explore.  Well, today I did and I was very pleased with the results.  I'll share a few next time! 

Indian Summer

It was 97 today in September.  Yep.  Not a typo.  Luckily I have a lot of indoor prep for classes at Stamper's Ink this weekend.  I am so excited to be headed there for my inaugural weekend of classes.  I think it is going to be a lot of fun for all.  I love large classes of enthusiastic people and I love to demo too, so I get to do that and meet n greet, book sign, etc.-----featuring my line of stamps and mixed media, of course!!!!

Other news of importance (in no particular order).  Tomatoes.  Tomahtos.  Our crop is in.  I am eating bowl fulls for lunches.  So yes, I will be taking my mouth ulcers with me this weekend.  Jim did an outstanding job with his plants this year so I am a happy wife.  Angus....yes, he's still with us and is 21 weeks tomorrow.  He is in the throes of puppy kindergarten and is doing well.  He adds a zest for life to the household.  Unfortunately, he also has a zest for my studio and my new stamps.  It has been a little trying figuring out how to stay current with him at my heels into everything. 

But you can't stay mad at him for long! Stampaway was quick but terrific. My class was fine, the potatoes at the preview party were yummy, seeing Deb was awesome, and the trip to IKEA was fruitful. I am in love with my new paint cart!  It is so nice not having to squeeze the Golden bottles into the Iris cart drawer that is slightly smaller than the bottles.  Now I just have to find a space for it when I am on break from classes.  I will play moving and storage next week.  Oh, and I am also in love with the lighting by Stella, thanks to Mr. Holtz who was using it at his demo table.  It might make my Christmas list.  Overall, it's been a jam-packed month with Cincinnati, getting Sammi back to Ursinus, visiting with my sister, driving to see Kristen in Louisiana (MO), and my various groups.  But being busy keeps me out of other trouble! Bring on KC!!!!!

Off the Beaten Path

I leave for Stampaway tomorrow morning but wanted to get some thoughts out before I head out of town.  I am so excited to be teaching my Tattered and Torn class on Friday.  I love to put together assymetrical designs and the happenstance of the coloration techniques for the papers.  I hope everyone enjoys it.  I am also tickled to be teaching at Simply Said on Saturday morning before heading back to St. Louis.  I love to work with USArtQuest's Studio Cloth so the class will be a fun one for me as well.  What else will be fun in Cincy?  Well, that would be Graeter's and my usual trip to Jungle Jim's, the potato bar at the preview party on Friday night, and the company of my friends.I've been frantically trying to finish a new painting to take to Cincy and I am happy to say that I did finish it this morning.  "Off the Beaten Path"  seemed to be an apt name for it since it was quite a wonky piece throughout.  Though not a real tutorial, I will put some pictures up of the layers like the last one so the process can be understood.  It still amazes me how each layer adds interest and builds into the final surface layer.

I am very happy with the outcome and even happier to debut my new line of stamps on it.  It's one of the first chances I've had to really play around with them.  They still make me smile.  They are available unmounted or mounted in my Etsy Shop.  Have a great weekend everyone!!!!

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.....