From her little heart...

From her little heart - 12 x 12 acrylic mixed media collage on deep set canvas.

I've finally returned to my art room after an unplanned hiatus, and this is my first finished piece. To give you an idea of how I create, and the kind of planning that goes into my paintings...I dropped a paintbrush on the floor as I was working on this piece, and saw the watch faces in a box under my table as I bent to pick it up. That's how it ended up as part of this painting. It's very often that simple. It's one of the reasons I like to have art supplies and found objects stored in open containers around me. It looks messy and chaotic, but if they're in my line of sight, and I don't have to break the creative flow to find them, they're more likely to end up in a finished piece.

In other news...
I was interviewed a short time ago by fellow artist and blogger Liz Ness, and the interview has now been published on her blog. Check it out. Liz and I have never met in person, but we've been fans of each other's art and blogs for several years. Take your time when you visit Liz' website and blog (which she maintains with friend and artist Jackie Wood) -- it's full of great artist interviews, digital tutorials, product demos, and a great online store, to name just a few.

I'd like to thank all the little people...

...but seriously folks, I found out a few days a go that I am a recipient of this blog award! I didn't have a chance to post until now because it requires nominating new winners and putting up links, and I am a very lazy blogger, in spite of being an award-winning one.

So first, I'd like to thank Robyn, an incredibly talented artist in South Africa who carves the most amazing totems and figures, who passed this award on to me. I absolutely LOVE her work and her artistic perspective. Thanks Robyn! - I would also be listing Robyn's blog among my 7 except that it would seem silly to keep sending the award back and forth. Also, I would be listing my good friend, artist Marilyn Rock, but she was a recipient just a wee bit ago, and I don't want her to feel obligated to post again --but her blog showcases the most amazing textural collage paintings and observations on art and life.

Now, I get to pass the award on to some of my favorite bloggers and their blogs. I have many favorites, most of whom have links on the right hand side of my blog, but I will choose just 7 because that's the minimum number and I am too lazy to create more than 7 links -- see rules below:

1. Put the award logo on your blog.
2. Add a link to the person who awarded you.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4. Add links to those blogs on yours.

So, without further ado, these are 7 of my favorite blogs,listed in no particular order, as I love them all...
1. Insanity is a terrible thing to waste - Debbie's blog is indeed one of my favorites, and not just because she's one of my very best friends. Her blog is filled with fabulous cartoons and funny stories about her adventures owning a farm and two precocious poodles.

2. Cindy Dean - Cindy's blog is a wonderful mix of her art and life - she makes incredible jewelry and is very real in telling her personal story.

3. Lavabo in aquam - DJ's blog is just plain funny - she's a witty writer and talented artist as well.

4. Genre cookshop - Nancy B. creates some of my favorite still life paintings that remind me of my grandmother and simpler times, and her blog showcases life, art, poetry, and incredible photography.

5. Grubby Wench - My good friend Ali doesn't blog much, but what she lacks in quantity, she makes up for in quality. She's one of the most scathingly witty women I know, and she's also an incredibly talented soap-maker.

6. Musings on collage - Laura is a mixed-media artist whose talents know no boundaries. She is good at everything, and her blog offers great art prompts on Mondays to fuel the creative spirit.

7. Thrifty collage artist - Suzan is my most recently discovered blog. Her art is rich and graphic and saturated with color, and she offers free tutorials on he blog.

Thank you for visiting my award-winning blog!!!

Cindy Dean is cooler than James Dean!

As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I won a handmade flower pendant on Cindy Dean's blog a few weeks ago, and even though she is in the middle of moving to a new home this week, she managed to find the time to send it before the move -- but if that isn't cool enough, she sent me not ONE, but TWO (see picture) of these totally cool and stylish pendants, and they are even more fabulous in person than in pictures. Thanks again Cindy!!

I am continually amazed at the generosity and overall goodness of the artful blogging community. Cindy has inspired me to do a giveaway of my own, and I will be posting it soon!!

Scattered thoughts...

I have been away from my blog for so long that I don't know where to start, so as a compulsive list-maker, I am starting with a random list of things...

1. Blessings...
The past couple of weeks have heaped so many on me it's hard to count them all. My niece is home recovering from her fourth open heart surgery and we are all thrilled, and my husband is also home recovering after vascular surgery which is also a great relief. I am also blessed with so many bloggers, friends and family who have wished us all well during these past few weeks. It makes all of the waiting and enduring so much more bearable to know that others are out there rooting for you.

2. And good fortune...
Before I left for Boston with my husband, I was the extremely lucky recipient of a blog giveaway from felllow blogger Cindy Dean. Among Cindy's many artistic talents is creating wonderful soldered jewelry pieces, and her latest creations are these wonderful flower pendants, made with faceted beads and collage elements in the center. The first time I saw one one her blog I was CRAZY for it, and I had every intention of purchasing one at some point just to treat myself, but then Cindy had a giveaway and announced that I had won!!! For me this was better than the lottery -- okay maybe not the mega million, (because I could buy thousands then!!!) but it still made my day.

3. And classes to teach...
Home sweet inchies, inspired by fellow blogger Patti Gramza, is a class I will be teaching at Stampassion this spring, along with a class called Polymer Clay Kitchen, where I will share recipes and techniques for faux jade, bone, and lapis. Yummy!!! I also have several other class plans in the works, but it's too soon to mention them!!!

4. And a brief update on the altered chess challenge -- I am writing an article about the experience and sharing the comments of the participants -- more to come on that too!!

It's a Blog Party!!!!

I was invited by Kari (aka artsymama) to join her blogger party today, in celebration of Artful Blogging magazine and to generally celebrate artful bloggers everywhere. Kari suggested that we post a technique or tutorial if possible - or any kind of artful inspiration. I didn't have time to pull together a step by step photo tutorial, so instead, I'm featuring a few pages from my one of my art journals, along with some tips for creating quick easy journal backgrounds...

Visit Kari's blog to join the party!!!



Backgrounds...
Experimenting with background techniques is a great way to get the creative juices flowing. One thing will lead to another, and before you know it you’ve filled page after page with color and texture. A few you you might try...

Apply ink pads directly to pages, creating blocks of color. Use 3-5 colors and overlap them in spots. Paint a light glaze over the top with Lumiere paints or any translucent glaze.

Scribble circles or lines or lines with watercolor pencils. Add water to make the color move. Then add a light glaze of Lumiere paint in a translucent color (same as above.) — or add some embossing ink and a translucent embossing powder over the entire surface.

Mask off sections of a journal page with removable tape. Stipple chalk inks. Move masks and layouer colors. Add pattern or word stamps in a contrasting color to create texture.

Scribble or doodle shapes onto a page with colored pencils. Fill in with regular crayons. Add embossing ink and a translucent embossing powder, which will melt the crayons and blend all of the colors together.

Mask off sections of a journal page with removable tape. Use re-inkersi nspray bottles to apply color. Move masks to layer. spots of Krylon pen for some shimmer.

Mix artist's cement with reinkers and paint a thick coat onto a page. Coat a large, not-too-detailed stamp with embossing ink and stamp into the paste. Sprinkle with glitter & let dry.

Take a kids set of plastic magnetic letters and numbers and toss them onto a page. Spritz around them with watered down acrylics in a spray bottle. When dry, remove letters.

I'm in Artful Blogging Magazine!!

Somerset's newest publication... Artful Blogging (visually inspiring online journals)... I was sent a preview copy, but I think it will be available in stores on August 1. This is the first edition of a new Somerset quarterly publication that features artist's blogs, and like all Somerset publications, it's wonderful --- a snapshot of some absolutely amazing blogs. I found myself wanting to sit down and read it cover to cover... but I'm savoring it a little at a time!!!

To be featured along with the likes of Nina Bagley, Claudine Hellmuth and Misty Mawn (among others), is thrilling, and I truly hope that some of what I share here inspires, amuses and entertains, as I chronicle my art and life. Actually, I think I had particularly good timing to have been included...I happened to submit a number of articles and art pieces to other Somerset publications, which included my blog along with contact information, when this publication was in the planning stages. In addition, it was during the month of March that I decided to make "art every day" and post it to my blog, so I happened to have a lot of art on my blog at the time.

So I encourage all of you who've been thinking about submitting art or an article to one of your favorite magazines, to just DO IT. You never know where it will lead!!!

PS.. You'll find my blog feature on pages 20-23.

Favorite things, Part II

Inspired by this blog, I've taken some pics of some of my favorite trinkets and chotchkas that sit around my art room. What draws us to these silly things, I wonder??

These are my naked baby twins with articulated arms and legs... I think I found these in a box of old stuff we bought at an auction. I'm not sure. I like how the eyes are not painted quite right and they look a little crazy.

This is my painted rooster. He's made of cast iron, and I like the weight of him in my hands even though he's very little. I also like his bright Pennsylvania Dutch style of folk painting. I don't remember exactly how he came into my possession.

This is my collection of little chairs, all purchased for me by a wonderful, sweet friend. I once taught a rubber stamping class where we used a stamp with the image of a chair, and I confessed that I loved chairs, and images of them...and my friend Nancee took the class and never forgot that little tidbit about me, so when she sees little chairs, she buys them for me, and surprises me when I least expect it.

I was absolutely doll-obsessed as a little girl: Newborn Baby Tenderlove; Timey Tell; Baby Alive; Chrissy and Velvet; Cabbage Patch Dolls, Barbie, Francie, Skipper, Ken (and their Malibu counterparts); Dawn, Angie and Gloria; Little Kiddles; Flatsies ... should I go on?? I owned all of these and I'm sure others that I'm forgetting, so these little dolls just hang out to remind me of all the dolls that were once a part of my life.

African carved stamps - these were a gift from a friend. I'm not even entirely sure they're made of wood (or coconut shell or something.) I have never used them, they're just a visual and tactile joy.

My porcelain schnauzer is a recent addition to my silly collection of favorites. My inlaws bought this for me on a recent trip. It really looks very much like my Max, and I love all things Max. -- And this little knickknack is the exception to my house rule of NO knickknacks. I truly hate clutter in the rest of my house.


True confession... if I were not an artist, I would be a professional organizer. I LOVE Mission Organization and Clean Sweep, and I love transforming messy spaces into neat, organized rooms!!! -- A ridiculous confession from a woman who covets the whimsical items above, but true!!!

Favorite things....

I recently discovered the blog of a wonderful collage artist Actually, she discovered me first... but then I visited her blog, and I found someone across the country with whom I immediately found common ground - isn't blogging just a wonderful way to bring the world together??

Well, one of her recent posts was "Things I love." And it was photos of the fun little chotchkas that sit in and around her when she creates. I think we all have these "things" that just make us smile or somehow stimulate our senses and invite a sense of whimsy into our worlds, so I'm going to share a few of my favorite things... but one at a time, as I'm stretching my blog content here... (actually, I started at work, where I have just a couple of things... next time, you'll see what's in my art room, which is chock full of chotchkas.

I found this teacup at an antique/thrift shop, and it was love at first sight. The handle was broken and glued back on, which made her an incredible bargain. She sits on my windowsill at work holding spare change, and winking at me when I need it. Occasionally, she talks to me, but I've probably share enough with you now!