Thursday, June 29, 2006

It's Here!




My new scanner arrived and I spent most of the morning installing and setting it up. Then I spent another hour or so going through the features that this Hp has. I had an old Hp scanner and you would think that at least some of this new software would look familiar. NOT. It is amazing how much the technology has been upgraded. My old, now defunct, scanner was 3 years old. I guess our world considers the scanner a pretty disposable commodity. Anyway, here is a deco page for an African Mask deco. I needed to test this thing out.

K

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Waiting....



I am waiting as patiently as I can for my new scanner, but it is driving me insane. You would think that with the speed of today's computer systems, phones, cameras etc.., that we could find a way to get stuff delivered faster without costing an arm and a leg! And isn't that the way our society is. We are so connected, maybe too connected, that we go insane when something breaks. So I won't let go of any of my art without making a jpeg of it. The scanner is an extension of my work. I have a good digital camera but I much prefer the look of the work when scanned. I use my camera for works that can't fit on the scanner bed. OK so here I sit....waiting.... and my art work is piling up waiting to be scanned. It seems appropriate that I post a mixed media piece that I did this past February called Insane. I did this work on a piece of black glossy cardstock. Found papers, inks, and a cool clip art image make up the bulk of the work.

k

Friday, June 23, 2006

What A Day!




Well, today was one of those sucky days. I woke up at 4:30 AM with a Migrane. Headaches and I go way back...to my early youth. It was severe and literally incapacitated me. With three children and 2 dogs...that simply won't do! I even had to cancel my haircut this AM. I was down for the count. By noon I started to feel like I could move. Thank God my kids did not have any of their dance camps today. I sat down to scan some art work and my scanner "blew" up. So I am down one scanner to boot. I ordered one from Best Buy and won't be back in the saddle again for about 7 days! The art work I completed was for decos and they must go into the mail by the 30th of this month. Hopefully the scanner will arrive a little early. And even as I write this, my headache is still there, dull, but still there. Maybe tomorrow will be better.

I decided to upload something I did quite a while back. I am posting it in honor of the King Tut exhibit that just arrived at our Field Museum in Chicago. The image came from a small post card announcing the exhibit. And this is a mixed media piece. I don't remember what substrate I used but I think I used 140 lb water color paper. Acrylics, inks, and a do dat.

K

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

A Fishy Tale



I received, not too long ago, a deco with the theme of Fishheads. The artist included some silly poem about rolly polly fishheads that I only vaguely remembered from my childhood. I had no clue how to interpret the darn theme until I came across a a clipart image of a boy riding a fish. I can't give credit to the individual who posted the image because I do not remember where it came from but I thought it might be perfect for my page in the deco book. I painted a simple ocean/sky scene and affixed the image. I hand lettered the words and added some capitol letter stickers to complete the piece. This was done on 140 lb cold pressed water color paper. Acrylics, inks and stickers were used.

The lesson learned with this piece...It is all about the process. Finding that perfect image took a while but once it was found, the work came together quickly.

k

Monday, June 19, 2006

A Father's Day Photo




I managed to kill two birds with one stone with this photo. I needed a simple gift for my husband from the two newest members of the pack..Mandy and Tigger. So off to the backyard with skin kids and dogs in tow. We framed this photo in one of those themed frames with dog paws and bones surrounding it. I also needed a picture of Tigger (our newest addition) for the Greyhounds Only adoption group. Although this is not a full body shot, at least it shows that we are all happy!

Tigger is an absolute joy. He gets along greyt with Mandy and he is very loving. You can almost read his soul by looking into those eyes. With every kiss he gives there is confirmation of his gratitude. He was a little nervous and skittish when he brought him home but with patience and love, he has settled right in. If you have never loved one of these greyt dogs, I recommend checking out the numerous adoption agencies for greyhounds. They are so grateful for a forever home.

K

Saturday, June 17, 2006

Back to Art



It has definitely been awhile since I posted. So much has happened since my Aunt's 90th. We brought home a second greyhound whose name is Tigger. I have been walking both dogs 4-5 times daily (no fenced in yards allowed in our area) taking anywhere from 20 minutes to 35 minutes per walk! And with a new boy, you pretty much have to play alpha all day, except when they are sleeping. Happy to say things are beginning to settle. Mandy is definitely alpha to Tigger but at least they know who top dog is :))))) I have to upload a picture of them soon.

Last week, we had rehearsals and more rehearsals and then performances and more performances of the ballet, Sleeping Beauty. All three of my children had major parts. My husband and I are still recovering. The kids were great. I was one proud Mom.

Yesterday I was finally able to do my first collage in almost a month! This one is approximately 4 by 6 and is for a deco with an Einstein theme. It was done on 140 lb water color paper using acrylics, stamps, found papers, and ink. I used an inkjet print of Einstein and the color was originally black and white. After fixing the image using workable fixative and then a matte fixative, the color changed. I like it actually. It aged without me even thinking about it :))) Love when stuff like that happens. I have several more deco pages in the works to complete my deco obligations for this month and then I hope to work on a collage challenge posted on the Midwest Collage Society's yahoo group.