Two art dates in one month - woo woo!!

My friend Debbie and I love to get together for art dates, which usually include talking, web surfing, eating, and oh, yeah, also art-making. Our goal for years has been a day a month, but often life gets in the way of our plans and we don't get together as often as we'd like, so the fact that we were able to get together twice in one month is pretty amazing!!

This is the third piece I made (mixed media acrylics and collage) on mdf, to donate to the Hubbard Hall art & cultural center auction. I enjoyed making this piece more than the end result. I experimented with texture, using dress pattern tissue, embossing paste, gel medium, assorted fibers, and acrylic paints. I think it's a bit lacking in contrast, but it was very satisfying to build up the background textures.

I haven't had a lot of art-making time this summer, as I tackle the realities of single home-ownership, so my attempts at art are a bit fragmented and all over the place. I know that I will eventually strike the right balance and find my groove again. I'm not forcing it.

In addition to our art-making, Debbie brought another trunk full of rocks from her farm for me to use alongside my shed. (I cannot thank you both enough, Debbie & Len!!!) I planted some hasta around my shed in the spring, and the rocks fill in between to keep down the weeds so that I don't have to trim and mow there. They also just lend some great texture and detail to my yard. I love rocks!!! This may look like no big deal, but these babies are sooo heavy that we can only transport a dozen or so at a time by ourselves. And they'd cost a fortune if I had to buy them, so I am incredibly lucky that my friends are so willing to share them with me!