Finally, my finished sample! 11-22-09

It is definitely Nutcracker Season. I am in the throws of major rehearsals, school shows (my son is participating in) and all around craziness. But that is a different story. Needless to say I am very preoccupied and have not been able to keep up with Facebook, Twitter, my online shop nor my blog for some time now. Guess I know what my New Year resolution will be! OK so I am done with teaching classes for this year. Friday night was my last. I will miss the gals but hopefully will see some of them in January when I repeat an earlier class that I taught back in the summer. More details to follow once I am sure of the dates. This work is a sample that I did in the October class with papers we made. I finally added my details and presented it to Lucy at the Studio for future/prospective new students. As a side note, we are working with soft gel matte medium to adhere the papers. The students are totally new to collage and as much as I would love to teach Jonathan's method, I don't think it is economically feasible for new students to have to buy those supplies along with all the other basics that one has to accumulate. I do think that all the work that was produced in that class was wonderful. So we will continue in this vein. This scene was made up as I did it in front of the students. I actually added the details myself. I think the foliage turned out OK for someone who can't draw :)

Later I will up load finished student works from this last class. They are abstracts and wow... I still have to finish the demo piece I did but hopefully I will get it done soon!

k

Part 2 of my Mixed Media and Collage Class.

I have to say that doing a class like this is so rewarding. The students were so pumped up. I had the feeling that after I rather quickly demoed how to make a landscape collage out of our hand altered papers, they were empowered. So many commented that the process was addictive and fun. And I think there were some who actually understood why I seldom throw anything out...You just never know when you will need a Dove foil wrapper from a delectable chocolate!
Enjoy the little slide show. I will have to upload a better shot of my landscape plus I have a landscape that I demoed in class that needs a few more details on it before it is finished. These have been so much fun!

k

Final Thoughts on the Art of the Land Gallery Show (9-26-09)

Since the Art of the Land show, I have been so busy. During the week after the show, we had Grandpa over (the children's grandpa that is) for the entire week, my husband caught some kind of crud, and then this entire week I have been laid low with evidently the same crud. No art time, no class prep (for next week), no life. I am not feeling sorry for myself although it sure sounds like it :) I have used this down time somewhat productively, art productively that is, in giving some thought to this gallery show/fundraiser. So, I realized that I really enjoyed the entire gallery experience. It was shortly after doing an outdoor fine art show that I knew this type of venue was not for me. The gallery opportunities in McHenry County are few and far between and when I was invited to participate in this fundraiser, well I went for it and I am so glad I did. Although I have had several gallery shows, including one with the Raue Center for the Performing Arts, none compared to the dazzling evening at the Starline.

The Land Conservancy of McHenry County had a connection with the Starline Gallery and so that was the beginning of this collaboration. For one night, about 20 artists were treated to a beautiful show, glamorous people, great appetizers and wine, and fabulous music. The Land Conservancy made about $3000.00 which for the first time doing this kind of event, was great. Artists contributed a portion of all their proceeds to help. I have to say that my personal "Meet the Artist," openings have not even come close to this extravaganza. I was sort of like a doe caught in a headlights glare and I must have really looked like that because I was told to close my mouth on several occasions. It was almost overwhelming. My husband and I had an exciting "date" night, I got to meet some very talented artists, and learn a little about the good work the Land Conservancy is doing. There was a considerable amount of work to view and unfortunately, I could not get close enough to all the pieces to really "dissect" them. The gallery is really fabulous but there were so many people that there were often more than 5 people deep at any given work. And that is a really good thing because we know a lot of folks viewed the work. The "bad" thing is that it is often hard to make a decision on purchasing a piece in just one viewing. So, I am told via email that the Land Conservancy group loved this evening, the idea, the art and want to make this an annual event. YIPEE. To be a part of this, is not only very gratifying but it gets my creative muse off her duff! I have a head full of ideas that are competing right now with my head full of crud! Can't wait to start creating again. I want to do another abstract landscape of my Santa Fe vistas that never seem to leave my spirit. The colors, the patterns, the smells, Santa Fe will be in my blood forever. Hopefully I will have a small body of work prepared for next years show and I hope it will grow into something as beautiful as what the Land Conservancy is trying to preserve.

k

Art Class, altered papers

Well as usual, I am behind. Last Thurs/Friday, I taught the first of three classes in collage and mixed media. We explored a variety of papers and then set to altering them. Below are just a few pictures. I think we are off to a good start and our next class meets in mid October. The ladies will put together an "abstract" landscape (6 by 12 inches in size) and we will go from there. The word is spreading, collage is here to stay.

I am alive 9-23-09

Oh my, no art for sharing...I have been really busy with the start of the school year. My pre-k class is wonderful. Those little minds are just like sponges...always wanting to learn. We have listened to Back, Boyce, Telemann, Mozart and now Vivaldi...guess what, my class now requests their favorites. I love it when the arts are soaked up. I want to show them experts of ballets and concerts )Chicago Symphony.... Oh and yes, they are learning their site words! So I have been really busy in the afternoons and evenings. Currently, I am packing for dropping off 4 paintings to the Starline Gallery (link below) today. The Art of the Land show is Saturday. I have done breast cancer benefits before but have never done one like this where all the art is for sale and a good portion of the proceeds go the the land conservancy. I am so looking forward to this date night. I do have some ideas for more work (collages), but when I will get a block of time now is anyone's guess!

K

PS. Stop by Lorrie Grainger Abdo's blog for a really neat look into some new art she is doing. I really love it! http://lorrieabdo.blogspot.com/

The Studio hosts a Chamber Mixer on Sept. 1st

The Studio Art School in McHenry, IL held a lovely mixer for all the Chamber business members this past Tuesday. Lucy called and invited me and also asked me if I wanted to hang some of my art on her lovely walls. Right after dealing with my first day of pre-K, I went and hung art with Lucy. The mixer was lovely and I received plenty of nice comments on my work including that it was nicely priced. Nothing sold, but it was nicely priced :) My latest work, the three little abstracts also received plenty of good comments. I arranged them in a pre-cut mat and framed them and they looked wonderful. What was really wonderful though was that Cheryl Perrone from the Land Conservancy of McHenry County, came over and introduced herself. She asked if I wanted to be part of a multi artist show at the Starline Gallery in Harvard Illinois. The show is called, ART OF THE LAND and is a benefit for the Conservancy. OMG, I have wanted to find an excuse to get up to Harvard to see this new gallery. It is in an old factory and is supposed to be really cool. Here is the link to the gallery and blog although neither site is that up to date.

http://www.gabrielshorn.org/gallery_frameset.html http://starlinestudiogallery.blogspot.com/

As for the conservancy, Here is a link to their site and the announcement of the show at the Star line: https://www.conservemc.org/

https://www.conservemc.org/htdocs/artoftheland.html

The good work that this group does is largely behind the scenes. I would wager that the average resident living in McHenry County does not even know that there is a very active group fighting to preserve our prairie areas, fens, bogs, oak and Hickory grove (what little is left of them) and so much more. I do hope this fund raiser brings much needed dollars to continue their good work. I am so thrilled to be able to take part in this (just have to fill out the paper work). I am going to donate a print of my Fairy of the Woodland Gables for their silent auction and probably submit three-4 pieces. One is below, the abstract landscape, and that piece I still need to seal and mat. The benefit is slated for September 26, starting at 7. I think tickets are 15.00 pre -purchased. The details can be found at the announcement link above. If you are free and live in the area, do stop by for a really worthy cause.

k

Abstract Landscape 8-30-09

No title yet, the work has not grown on me just yet. I still need to varnish and will probably give the work a satin finish. The papers use in this piece were all altered by yours truly. Some of the papers I used included tissue (not sure what kind of tissue this was but it is stronger than the type you get in packages, although I have used that kind of tissue as well), paper towels, magazine papers, and brown paper bags (like the ones from the grocery store). Final size is 6 by 12. This is an example for my upcoming class. After the class is done I hope to at the very least double mat it and maybe it will go into my etsy shop. Still deciding.

I am hoping that in my next class we can make an abstract in this vein. We are also going to make that rather "small" series that I posted below. In September we will alter papers on two consecutive nights and then use those papers to create the landscape and abstract series. I added grasses using markers, acrylics and artists crayons and there is small flock of geese up near the moon that I stamped and then dusted with Pearl Ex (a mica dust). Fun

Now that I have gotten back into some abstract work, I have an urge to do another series based on some photos I took in the southwest and some photos I took while in the mountains near Blacksburg VA. (not sure which mountain range that is). I do want another gallery show mid year next year and maybe even before then! As an after thought, I managed to find the perfect already cut mat for the three 4 by 4 inch collages (below) and a frame to go with (yea Michael's). I used that 40% coupon and I am good to go. I try to present my class samples in a finished state but sometimes I don't always succeed. :)

k