Four Seasons

I've been working on a fun project at Coach Creative Space called "Four Seasons." There are twelve artists who will each be making four pieces of art to represent the seasons. We can use any media we want (we even have someone writing haiku!).

I decided to make trees in mixed media. My first tree ended up being a winter wonderland! The base is card stock covered in texture medium. I did some garage sailing :) and brought home some very inexpensive collage items to use. I sprinkled my tree with sparkly white glitter, pearls and beads. I only wish my camera could give you the full effect of the sparkles!


Here's a close up peek...


Of course, spring must follow, and I'm off to a good start by carving some cherry blossoms out of clay. I love carving clay!


Will post more as it materializes! In the meantime, check out the Coach Creative Space link above and visit the "Four Seasons" group. You'll find some beautiful work there!

No winter lasts forever, no spring skips its turn.
-Hal Borland

Stronger Than I Think...

I'm taking part in a collaborative art journal project at Coach Creative Space. It's called "Journey of Journals" and it began in June 2010. Seven people are in my group - two from the UK, one from Canada, and 4 from the US. What a wonderful journey it's been! We each chose a topic for our journal. We start our journals with two page spreads, then mail it to the next person on the list, who then gets to add two more page spreads. Eventually, your journal is returned to you!

Some of the journals have already arrived back in the hands of the original owner, so now I can share some of page spreads that I've worked on (I'm still waiting for mine to come home...it should arrive sometime in April!)

The photos I'm showing here are from one of my page spreads in Paula's journal. Her topic was "Strength." Thank you to Paula in New Mexico for allowing me to add to your journal!


Have you ever worked on a collaborative art project? I'd love to hear about it!

Art is the collaboration between God and the artist, and the less the artist does the better.
Andre Gide

Speaking Your Truth

Finally finished....Here's my Chapter 6 Project from Kelly Rae Robert's Taking Flight book...


We worked with two new art techniques with this project - gold leaf and molding paste. I really liked the molding paste :) Last night, I went over to Nikki's house for our final art night together - the nerve of you, girl, to move away from me, and leave me without a real live art friend! We worked on the FINAL project in the book, but you'll have to wait for photos since I still have some touch ups to do. Way to go Nikki! We made it through the ENTIRE book!! I can honestly say that I couldn't have done it without you!!

Now that we're done with the Kelly Rae book (!!!) I'll be focusing on my clay for the rest of the summer. Stay tuned!

Till next time,

Honoring Your Memories

It's about time I posted some photos of my Chapter 5 Taking Flight project! Nikki and I finished our projects over a week ago (maybe even two weeks!), and I really want to post these before I move on to Chapter 6!

The theme for this project was "Honoring Your Memories." I definitely felt pulled toward some early memories from my family of origin. Not a whole bunch of happy memories, but they are memories to be honored, nonetheless. I know that all of my past experiences, positive and negative, have contributed to who I am today, and I'm feeling pretty good about how my life has "turned out" so far (AND I'm looking forward to all the future has in store :) Working on this project gave me plenty of opportunities to re-visit my past, and do a little more healing (always a good thing, even though it doesn't always feel so good!).

Back to the art...I'll start with this close up shot of my "blue bird of happiness." I love how this bird turned out! I made it from polymer clay, and finished it off with a few coats of golden acrylic paints. It symbolizes the happy times in my life - those in the past and those yet to come. The "1963" above the bird represents my birth, and the "2009" below represents the present. The bird is heading east towards the sunrise of a new day :)


Below is a shot of the entire project. The base is a 12 x 12 piece of plywood, covered with an assortment of scrapbook papers and ephemera (so many hidden messages in there...I should probably make some notes on the reverse so I remember why I put them there!)

The two photos on the top are of my mom's family (her Ma and Pa on the left, and a "Kodak moment" with some of her siblings on the right). The photos on the bottom are my family of origin. The one in the middle makes me laugh because it reminds me of all the matching outfits my mom used to make for my sister and I. She was quite the seamstress! (by the way, I'm the little sister).


I found the church photo in my Mom and Dad's old photo box. There was nothing written on the back, and both my folks have been dead for quite a while, so I can't ask them where the church is. But it is an adorable little church, and I knew just where it belonged in this project. I put the church in the center to remind me of the "bigger" family that I'm a part of, and to represent the importance of faith in my life.


I do like how this project turned out, and I learned a few more techniques along the way! I think I'll put a frame around this and hang it in my art room. It will be a good reminder of where I came from, who I came from, and how far I've come.

ps...if you know where this little church is, please tell me!!

Till next time...

A Sense of Hope

It's Monday night, and I just returned from my Monday Art Night with Nikki. We had a special guest join us tonight (welcome to the club, Emily!). I just finished my Chapter 4 project of Taking Flight. I am making the project "my own" by adding my own personal touch of bisque fired clay pieces...and subtracting the wings that Kelly Rae shows us how to make in her book.

We did actually make some wings tonight, but I just didn't feel like they belonged on this book. Here's what they look like for now...


I'll hang on to them, because I'm sure I'll figure out a way to use them in some future project!

Nikki...if you're reading this....I am so enjoying our art nights together! If only I could figure out how to make those wings really work, so I could fly out to see you every Monday night in California! Maybe I could attach them to Precious and turn her into a Pegasus pony :) I'll keep you up to date with my progress on that one!

And now for your reading pleasure...here's "Hope" by Emily Dickinson...

Hope

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

The Taking Flight Saga Continues...

Nikki and I are continuing to meet once a week for our Monday Art Night. Our goal is to complete reading Taking Flight by Kelly Rae Roberts and to complete all of the accompanying projects (one per chapter) before the end of summer.

We're both feeling pretty impressed that we've made it through the first three chapters, and we're even staying on schedule! It really makes it easier, and much more fun, to go through this book with a friend. Which just happens to lead into the topic of chapter three: Creating Community.

I was having a tough time deciding what words (if any) to add to my project. After looking through poetry books, scripture verses, favorite Rumi quotes and my own personal collection, it finally hit me...Love One Another. That short three letter phrase that makes all the difference in the world.


The background of this project was made up of notes and cards from friends and/or family.


What a difference in the before and after!!

As I worked on this, I spent a lot of time reflecting on my circle of friends, and I remembered how much of a difference those people have made in my life. I most definitely wouldn't be where I am now without the love and support of friends. So I dedicate this piece to all of those in my life who have taught me how to love and how to be loved! I couldn't have made it without you!!

In case you're interested, here are some other quick notes on the creative process for this piece: The two figures were created from polymer clay that was imprinted with a hand carved linoleum block. The center heart was created from a technique in Kelly Rae's book - we used floral foam, plaster and some other secret ingredients :) The bird's body is formed from polymer clay as well as the letters on the twig. The wings of the bird and the leaves on the twig are bisque fired hand formed ceramic pieces. And the twig is from my neighbor's Corkscrew Willow Tree. Thank you Denny :) Needless to say, I'm definitely enjoying working in mixed media!!

Till next time...

Super Book Give Away from Susan Tuttle!

If you're a mixed media fan, you won't want to miss this chance to win an awesome book by Susan Tuttle. The book is called Exhibition 36: Mixed-Media Demonstrations + Explorations which you can find HERE on Amazon.com.


To enter the contest and get a chance to win the book, go on over to this link! The random drawing will be held on Wednesday, March 25th at noon. My hope is that whoever wins the book would be just as thrilled as I would be!!

Also make sure you check out Susan's blog and her amazingly inspiring website!

Stay tuned for the completion of one of my own mixed media creations...till then...

Joy!

Last night I finished this 4x4 mixed media piece on Blick Artist Board. I not only enjoyed the process of making it, but I really like the finished result as well. I think I'll make several more with different words and put them on my Etsy shop!

Facing Your Fears - Polymer Clay Project

I'm now reading Chapter Two of Taking Flight which is titled Facing Your Fears. The creative project from this chapter involves polymer clay, paints, texturing and embellishments. The goal for completion is March 9th! At the end of this post, I'll add my first photo from this project!

In addition to the cool projects and techniques that I'm learning from this book, I love all of the quotes! Here are three of my favorites from this chapter...

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, "Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?" Actually, who are you not to be?...And as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
Marianne Williamson

When you follow your bliss...doors will open where you would not have thought there would be doors, and where there wouldn't be a door for anyone else.
Joseph Campbell

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do.
Mark Twain

This chapter focuses on our creative fears - identifying them, and hopefully, learning to release them. Kelly Rae Roberts lists these as some of her creative fears...(I can definitely relate to them!)

Who do I think I am?
What if my work isn't good enough?
What if I'm not talented enough?
What if I can't make a living doing something I love?

The timing is perfect for this chapter. I teach during the school year, and my paychecks stop at the end of May. I will definitely need some type of summer income this year. Right now, I'm trying to decide if I should be looking for a summer job or if I should be putting my energy into my art (which I hope will eventually generate some income). My fearful side says, "You better find a real job....you could never earn enough from your art." But my hopeful side feels differently and knows that more than anything, I love to create things. The hopeful me knows that it makes perfect sense to create art and earn money from doing what I love. With this being the first day of Lent, I think I'll dedicate this time to focus on the hope aspect of my creative dreams. Sounds like a plan...focus on the hope!

So here's the beginning of another canvas...who knows what it may lead to.....



Until next time....