Of Whispers and Goals

I managed to finish week one of Kelly Rae Roberts ecourse, "Flying Lessons."  I've spent some very precious time in silence allowing ideas, random thoughts, dreams, and even visions pass through my consciousness.  I took the course because even though I did not realize it at the time, I allowed myself to listen to those little whispers that pervade our heart on a regular basis.  You know the ones that nudge you forward and keep nudging you until you finally realize that its time to act on them.  And that is precisely what Kelly talked about early on, listening to those whispers, acknowledging your fears and then get a game plan in gear.  So I promised myself that I would listen with my heart from now on because that is where my whispers originate. 

As I thought about those nudges that have moved me over the years, the list was larger than I realized.  I listened when my heart told me that I had done everything I could in my scientific career and now it was time to take care of my 6 year old and 4 year old twins.  I left Abbott to do just that.  It was really scary because our income dropped to half of what it was.  I had a 6 year old with a learning disability and 4 year old twins that were not yet potty trained.  I left anyway and have not looked back.  I listened  when my heart told me that I needed to explore my creative side.  I became a demonstrator for Stampin Up and sold product and demoed rubber stamp techniques for about 6 years until I felt that nudge again.  The time I spent away from home was draining myself and my family.  It was too much.  So I put away the inks.  Something was still missing and my heart told me to continue to pursue my creative side.  Out came the canvas, matte board and other substrates.  Sweet bliss...I was happiest in my little studio doing my mixed media and collage.  The nudges continued and I started to get my art "out there."  Through Found Art Tuesday, I left pieces of art around northern Illinois and in Chicago and soon my first gallery show happened.  More nudges had me entering juried competitions where I was accepted to some and not others.  More nudges, more shows, small sales but sales none the less, a new blog, facebook and twitter accounts, teaching mixed media and collage art at the Studio, taking ecourses.... And then Kelly's course opportunity came along.  I still had not considered art as a serious job, but that little whisper told me to take the course...TAKE THE COURSE.  And so here I am, learning so much and realizing that I am the only one standing in the way of my success (as defined by me of course).  What is next...well I need to acknowledge some more of my fears and begin to list practical goals.  I've already determined that I don't want a full time career.  I don't want to work as hard as Kelly has these past three years.  I still have teens and gosh darn, I worked my tail off at Abbott, always feeling I had to prove myself even after the prestigious Scientist of the Year award, but as an artist, I would still like to feel like I have made it.  What that "it" is, I still need to define but I do know what the "it" is not. 

As you can see, my blog has a new feel and that is one of the goal areas I want to tackle first.  The Internet has more potential than I probably will ever realize.  Stay tuned...I will be working on it!

k

New Template Finally

I finally made a move to brighten up my blog and I have Kelly Rae to actually thank for the gentle nudge. Blogger in draft has been available for a while now and I had indeed played with the new templates but just couldn't wrap my arms around the changes that would have to be made to the content of a two column template to a three column template.  Kelly's most recent lesson is all about a blog presence on line so I decide just to do it.  I was so tired of the old template and I really did not like the "free" stuff out there.  Some of those templates are a little to distracting for my taste.  I just wanted something that does not take away from the photos etc... So now that I have changed the look, I plan on testing it out to see how I like it.  Thank you Kelly for the great class.  There is a lot on absorb and it may take some time...

Meanwhile...I have to finish planning for my class on Friday. 
If you like the look, please drop me a comment.

k

A couple of journal pages for class on 6-4-10

I have to admit that these straight forward resist techniques are rather addicting. The two you see here are alcohol resist (my cousin Terry) and crayon resist ( Uncle Marcelo).  I used an old gel pen on this first one on the left.  It never really dried but when I sprayed it with a workable fixative, bingo, perfectly smear proof.  In general I have found Sakura gelly roll pens pretty good on acrylic surfaces if those surfaces are relatively smooth, this was an off brand gel pen, which is now in the trash.  If you have not already guessed, our theme has to do with relatives.  In the second entry, I used good old fashioned kids crayons and talk about releasing.  I felt very free and worked without any real planning.  After I had the background done, I made up a relative ( a great, times 12, uncle).  The text on this page was done with the pencil that I can't  seem to live without...the Stabilo marks All. I love that pencil and I go through quite a few per year. These resist backgrounds are really very user friendly and all levels of artists can enjoy them.    Hopefully we will have time to do two more resist techniques depending upon how fast we all work. I have a gel pen resist in mind as well as the old standby, salt resist (using watercolor paint).  Hope to see you all there at the Studio in McHenry IL!

k

What is up with me?

It has been far too long...With the excitement of prom finally out of the way, my kids made it through finals, Swan Lake rehearsals in full swing, an art commission that did not pan out (but I went through the planning exercise and halfway through a model  of a work that would be enlarged to about 4  feet by 4.5 feet), journal entries for my class that is ongoing at the Studio (in McHenry) and well more chauffeuring, I can't find the time to reflect on my life!  I need to post some images from my journal here and I really need to start thinking about my growth both as an artist and an artist that actually earns money from their art! Something that I am doing for myself right now is taking Kelly Rae Roberts ecourse intitle "Flying Lesson."  I had this urge to learn more about the business of art, not from an actual business class but from a real working and successful artist, one that I have admired for many years (well 3 to be exact).  So I have embarked on a vacation (if you will) from my artistic journey.  While this certainly isn't exactly a departure from my artistic vision (yet to be fully described), it is simply a different path that will hopefully loop back to my original path.  I have so many ideas zooming around in my head.  I just wish I was more organized. 

k

Prom 2010

This past weekend I had the lovely experience of going through a prom once again, only I was on the cleaning/spending/ cooking end of it.  My 17 year old went all out for this event.  We spent more money on the dress, the hair, the shoes, the jewelry, the food, the tickets, the garter, the photos, and on and on.  But I can say that everyone is safe and sound and there were no car accidents etc...  So here she is, my beautiful baby...all grown up.

k
PS  no art in a week arggggggggg

"Getting By" A donation for Breast Cancer fundraiser

It is done.  Totally changed her hair and made her look almost like a mom from the fifties or sixties.  But really she represents all those who have suffered the pain, and anguish of breast cancer with quiet dignity.  To all of you...you are angels here on earth and I truly hope that all of your real friends are there for you...now and always.  Michelle...the title is Getting By.  I am a huge Beatles fan and hence the lyrics.  Actually...I have not heard this song in ages and then about 3 weeks ago, it was on the radio.  That was the inspiration for this work. The nuts and bolts of the work include acrylics, neocolors II, found papers, confetti, and oil pastels on an 8 by 10 inch canvas board. 

Next up, I have to reprint the labels/ tags for my gallery show, want to start  masonite board abstract, develop the first few exercises for my art journal class, develop a class called collage crate, and develop a class for earth day of next year (more to come later and will give proper credit again for the idea).
k

Gallery Show, Cafe Luna, Crystal Lake Illinois

This weekend was as usual, packed to the max with running around.  I did finally get to my gallery show and I snapped a few pictures.  I always get a thrill when I see my work hanging on a wall other than mine!  The curator, Lynn, did a wonderful job of hanging the show.  There will be a little artist reception in June.


So here are a few pictures from the show.  The lights were really interfering with my photography and I could not seem to correct my camera but at least I have some documentation.  I hope to get back to the show this weekend to shoot some better photos with my personal camera. 


In other news...my class last week at the Studio in McHenry went well. I will share pics soon.  I set some concrete dates for summer classes, and I signed up for an eclass with Kelly Rae Roberts.  I am soooo excited about her class.  I often feel like a little lost clown fish in a pool of sharks when trying to emerge fully as a mixed media and collage artist.  Her class, I hope, will help me answer questions that revolve around my art as a business.  After all, I do want my work hanging somewhere other than my wall.  I have found it really hard to price work and to establish an internet presence.  Her course will help me along those lines.   Although I do not see myself nor my art going in Kelly's direction of licensing etc...I think the info she imparts will be interesting.  So bring it on Kelly...I am ready and willing to learn!

This and That: 4-22-10

OK so after this 28 day challenge, I am feeling like I should be writing a little more.  My show is hung (will take some pics this weekend), I am in the process of teaching a mixed media and collage class (altering papers followed by a series of three 4 by 4 works), I finished the description for an art journaling class (hoping to start in May), I have to get back to that donation I am trying to finish, I have a little demo/open house thing to attend at Lucy's "Studio that I would love to finish another collage for (May 1st), and finally I really want to start ferreting out the details for my Paper Packets program (a green experiment in weather treated papers, I need to work on that description).  I am really excited about this.  The idea came from Laura Lein-Svencner, a fellow mixed media and collage artist extraordinaire.  Her project was called paper bundles and you can read about it on her blog (search for paper bundles, it is rather current)  http://lonecrowart.blogspot.com/.  Lucy and company are excited too and I think we will try to have a little gallery show after the project is done to coincide with Earth Day 2011.  Be watching for details (as soon as I get them worked out).

k

Day 28: 28 Day Challenge

Oh I am so mad at myself, yesterday was technically day 28 of the challenge and I completely forgot to post.  I am totally copping out here because I guess my mind is on overload.  I got done delivering my work and unpacking it, then staging it for the curator to hang and I never stopped running after that time till about 9:00 PM.  I passed out in my bed at that point!  No pictures still.  I just love this excuse...when I grabbed my digital camera to document my process , the battery was dead and 30 minutes was not enough time on the charger.  Consequently I left home without my camera.  I guess there was not much to document because Lynn hung the work after I left.  I hope this weekend I will get back to the Cafe Luna in Crystal Lake to take a peak and shoot some photos.  Yea me...I did it...  One of the hardest things about the challenge was the documentation (both written and visual).  But I think the habit of documenting is a good one.  So what is on my agenda next...I have to get back to my donation piece, I teach a 3 night workshop this week and have to prep for that, and I just finished a class description for Lucy's review.  I hope to guide an art journaling class session this summer.  I am really excited about this because it may take me back to the journal I never finished.  You know how that goes... 

k

Day 27: 28 Day Challenge

Argggg.  I just spent the better part of an hour trying to update my brochure.  Publisher and I are always at odds.  I did manage to insert one of my newer paintings and add one more gallery show to the list of exhibitions.  I really need to spend more time on the darn thing because it is not current.  I also gathered the works that I want in the show and got all the labels made (still need to trim them).  I will spend the last day of the challenge (at least 2 hours) hanging my work (well at least helping).  So there you have it.  I need to get off this computer!  Until tomorrow.
k

Day 26: 28 Day Challenge.

Again, no pictures because I am prepping for the gallery show.  My creative time was spent: calling the "curator" at the Cafe where I will be exhibiting (needed some info on the labels I have to make), adding hooks and wires for hanging two  more works, updating my database info on the last four of my works, and beginning the design of the labels.  My database (done in Access) and I always have conversations whenever I set up my queries for reports.  I have to relearn how to do that each time I have a show (which shows you that I don't have many shows).  I hate this part because I really want to be doing art, not the business of art!  So two more days to go.  Can't believe the challenge is almost over.  I have to say I really got more accomplished than I ever would have dreamed and I have Linda to thank for that : 
http://rediscovering-art.blogspot.com/.  All in all, I never thought that I would stick with this challenge.  I am not a very disciplined person!  But I am so glad that I did.  I have tomorrow planned out (in between a family celebration of my twins birthdays, my husband's birthday and my FIL or Grandpa's birthday. It will be a busy afternoon but I know I can get in more computer time and then I will start packing.  On Monday we hang the show and for my last day of the challenge...well it could not be more poetic.  Thank you to all who have made so many comments (you know who you are).

k

Day 25: 28 Day challenge

A quick post to keep me honest...I wired 2  finished works today and that was about 20 minutes worth of creativity.  Does going to see the American Ballet Theater perform Swan Lake count?  Then that would be 2.5 hours!  Wow what a great evening we had.  The performance was visually overwhelming, full of beauty and pageantry.... Sigh.  Time for bed.

k

Day 24: 28 Day challenge

Here is "Water" all done!  I am pleased with this piece.  Today I will seal it (first coat of varnish).  I used Neocolors II for some highlights throughout this work.  Water completes my 4 Elements series.  Healing Woman (AKA Cheryl Dolby: http://healingwoman.blogspot.com/) asked about the wording in this piece.  The text, I should have explained, is from Seneca, in Latin, and I carried over the essay in each of the works.  The Greeks, Aristotle in the 4th century b.c.e, identified the 4 fundamental elements as being fire, water, earth, and air.  I thought that an essay from Seneca would be appropriate as one of the constant elements in this series.  I found some very old text (1915) of essays from Virgil, Seneca, and one other philosopher, whose name escapes me.  Anyway, there are two other papers that carried over into each work as well and those have no significant meaning other than I liked them and they help tie all the works together.  The concept for this series came about as a class I was going to teach at The Studio.  We were going to create an abstract based around ONE of the 4 elements.  I completed "Fire" first as an example.  Well the class did not go, being 2 days before spring break  imagine was at least part of the reason, and so I decided to complete the series before this gallery show on April 19th.  Its done!  I can now move onto more mundane things.  I really can't wait to get those things out of the way.  I really am itching to get back to the breast cancer donation I am working on and I have another abstract brewing in my brain, something that has been back there since New Years Eve!  OK so 4 more days in this challenge...until tomorrow.

k

Day 23: 28 Day challenge.

Water

So here is the work from yesterday. I did a little transfer late last nigh  and today I finished another transfer.  Actually, the work is finished for all practical purposes!  I just need to tack some areas down with the iron that look like they are not lying flat and seal the piece.  Will post once I have the piece sealed (scheduled for tomorrow).  So with 5 days left on the challenge, I have no choice but to prep for the gallery show.  Activities will include getting the cradled maisonite works ready for hanging (there are about 6 of those that have to be wired), printing out the little descriptions of each work, printing out more brochures, packing, etc...  I probably won't get to the piece that I am working on for a donation until mid next week and then I will work on it diligently.  I do have a mixed media and collage exploration class that I have to teach next week too.  There is simply never enough time!

Day 22: 28 Day Challenge

No picture because my "Water" piece is drying again.  I did one little image transfer tonight and then glazed .  Tomorrow I will do the second transfer and then maybe another glaze.  Hopefully this will be done by Thursday!  Will post the finished piece for sure but not sure if I will have time to scan what I did tonight.  I am beat!
k

Day 21: 28 Day Challenge

Here is the beginning of my "water" piece.  This was as far as I had gotten on it as of yesterday.  Today I finished tacking down the rest of the papers!  Yea.  It is drying now so I will post tomorrow.  I would like like to accomplish one of the transfers tomorrow along with a couple of glazes.  Perhaps I will get further, it depends upon drying times.  So not much further to go on this final element.  I am doing the happy dance.  If I finish by Thursday, then I will spend Friday getting four or 5 of my works reading to hang.  I probably won't return to the piece that I was working on for a donation until next week.  Too much to do before the show.
k

Day 20: 28 Day Challenge

First I need to publicly thank my friends both here and on face book for their suggestions, comments, and critiques on the piece I am working on for a donation.  I can't tell you how much they mean to mean.  Laura...we think alike..I have shelved my piece for a day or two and will come back to her.  There is a lot I have to work through in my head first.  So today I went back to my "Water" piece.  And yea, I had just shy of two hours to in my little studio and made some real progress.  I will have to scan my beginning on this piece tomorrow as it has a coat of polymer medium on it right now.  Coating papers, selecting papers and ripping and tearing are all part of the process and so I would say 3/4 of my time in the studio was spent doing that.  I still am not sure of the images that I wish to transfer but at least I have a "small" idea of where the piece will go.  I am hoping to get more than 3/4 of the way done tomorrow.  I actually might get this finished before the show! 

k

Update, Day 19 - 28 Day Challenge

Here is my "work" from yesterday evening.  Boy I am not liking this after I got a good night sleep.  She is at the double ugly stage!  Not sure If I want the bird white, not sure if I like the background, and she needs a ton of work with artist crayons, Neocolors II.  Not sure if I like her hair.  Oh well, I have been doing these portraits long enough to know that if you stick with it through these ugly stages, you usually get a swan (from ugly duckling to swan is what I mean).  So today I am hoping to work a little on water.  That won't be until late at night again! 

k

Day 19: 28 Day Challenge

Just a quick post to say that I was running all day long.  I headed into my studio about 9 PM CST and lasted about 1.5 hours.  Working on my donation piece made me feel happy that she is well underway.  I will post a picture first thing in the AM.  She is still wet.  No progress on the 4th in my elements series and that is the one that has to get finished first.  Argggggg.

k

Day 18: 28 Day Challenge.

Zipping right along, I thought today that I was going to "fall of the wagon."  I came home with a colossal headache and tummy ache.  From about 1-3:30 PM I laid on the sofa.  I just hate when I get these headaches because all productivity flies out the window.  Regardless of the headache, I went down to my studio at about 3:30 and was able to work about hour.  I managed to finished sealing/varnishing "Air," so officially it is finished.  I moved onto the "Water" piece and laid down the dress pattern tissue and coated with polymer medium.  I also coated a few more papers for this piece.  Now I just have to decide what images I want to transfer and how many.  By deciding this I will then have a feeling for a basic layout of papers.  In between coating of materials, I then worked on my breast cancer donation.  Here she is so far and indeed in the ugly stage.  Geesh, as I finish this post, I still have a headache but realize that there are only 10 days left to this challenge and how perfect is that because on the 19th, my gallery show opens!  Time has flown and there is still much to do!  I would love to finish this breast cancer donation so that I could help Michelle's Pink Ribbon Angels sell raffle tickets for it!

K

Day 17: 28 Day Challenge

It was a good day today.  Kaitie, my 17 year old, was riding high on the first 24 hours of having her drivers license!  And I found myself OK with it...imagine that.  I had an efficient 1 1/2 hours in my studio doing the following:  putting the first coat of varnish on "air,"  priming the maisonite surface for "Water," coating  some papers with polymer medium for "water," and working more on the background for the breast cancer donation piece.  I also found a little blurb in our local newspaper announcing my gallery show..oh yea I am on a roll :))))  Here is where I am at on the breast cancer piece.  It is in the beginning of the really ugly stage.  I am sure it will get worse before better!

k

Day 16: 28 day challenge.

patchwork background

Here are the two works from yesterday that I promised.  The patchwork background is in the vein of Kelly Rae Roberts.  I love this method of creating a quick and easy backdrop for the focal image soon to be drawn in.  Today I will add some paint to the background of this and do a quick and dirty sketch for the placement of my drawing.  The second work is my "Air" piece with the three transfers.  The windmill was a perfect symbol, at least to me, for air.  After all, air is something that the eye usually does not or can't visualize unless it is a very windy day and things are flying or windmills are turning :)  I am not finished...just need to cogitate on this piece for awhile.  So I am heading into my studio now and will work on the patchwork background.  If I get a chance and all is dry, I will scan later but life has be scheduled up the wazoo today....Taking Kaitie for her drivers license (if it does not pour), transporting kids to dance, sewing pain in the ass pointe shoes, and making dinner...

k

Day 15: 28 Day Challenge

OMG, I am more than half way through this challenge.  Never believing I could stick to it, I am so glad I decided to hop on board.  I have moved further ahead on my to do list than I ever dreamed!  Again, no pictures, but I promise I will have some tomorrow.  I was in the studio for about 2 hours today (not continuous) and accomplished a good deal.  I finished the secont coat of varnish on the landscape below and now all I have to do is sign it.  It is officially done.  I work more on third in my elements series, Air.  I managed to "fix" that third transfer to my liking and I put one or two more glazes on it along with some artist crayon work.  It is drying and so I did not want to risk scanning it just yet.  I think the work is through that "ugly" stage but I want to let it sit for a day.  I am thinking I want to actually take away some paint to brighten it in a few areas.  Moving right along, I put down a patch work background on a 8 by 10 inch canvas board.  This is in preparation for the sketch I completed the other day.  For tomorrow I am hoping to start the process of making/altering some papers for my final piece in the element series, Water.  The show is looming ever closer and pretty soon I will have to totally do the paper work to ready the labels /tags that describe the work with the title/cost/medium/etc... 

Pulling my hair out here in Illinois

k

Day 14: 28 Day Challenge

Kaitie, Colin, Claire

Last day of Spring break and we spent it at a beautiful outdoor shopping mall in Oak Brook Illinois.  My teens had never been there and my husband and I used to hang there many years ago.  It was a great day, in the 7o's, and bulbs were just showing their blooms.  We hit all of Claire's favorite stores and some new ones too.  Colin was happy because he spent it with Marc at the bookstore and then he got to go to his mecca, Best Buy.  We hit a sushi bar for dinner and arrived home not too long ago.  For my creative work today, I had about 15 minutes and I sealed the landscape that is below so no real pictures for today.  But I will leave you with my three children on Easter!

Day 13: 28 Day Challenge.

Quick sketch for donation

 

 

Happy Easter to all!  I had no intention of doing anything creative today,  however, last night I went to be with a "vision" in my head.  This is the time of year when I usually donate a piece of art to a good friend's breast cancer walking team.  Michelle likes my women, which are mainly in the fantasy realm.  I have been doing more abstracts as of late so I knew I had to get cracking.  Before I fell off to sleep, I was trying to figure out what I would do for this years mixed media and collage piece (I always donate the original).  I usually have birds in these works because they are a sign of hope, so I knew there would have to be a least one bird.  Then the Beatle lyrics "I get by with a little help from my friends" popped into my head and I was seeing a flock of birds!  And that is when I fell asleep. So today, between Mass and leaving for a family gathering, I had about an hour.  Sitting in front of the tele, I sketched out this rough idea for the work.  Mind you, it is very rough but this is the concept.  Now when I am actually going to do start the original is anyone's guess.  I still have to seal the landscape, finish "Air," and start and finish "Water," not to mention the paper work for the gallery show.... The donated piece must be done by the last week in April.  I guess I can now say, I  have started, sort of. 

So I plan on enlarging this image and then transferring it to an 8 by 10 canvas board using graphite paper.  From there I will modify the main image, maybe new hair, maybe not, maybe even larger eyes, maybe wings...you get the picture.  Not sure when I will get to her though...I usually get excited with new works so I am hoping I can move the other stuff along! 

k

Day 12: 28 Day Challenge

Two precious hours is what I had today in my studio... We basically kicked back and realxed today after running all week long.  I finished this landscape that I started in my March Mixed Media and collage class.  Using the artist crayons (Neocolors II), I added just a few more refinements and decided enough.  All I have to do now is seal it with the polymer varnish.  I also had some time to work on AIR.  I added two more transfers making it a total of three and now I am hating the work.  I am not sure how to fix the darn thing and basically I feel like chucking it in the garbage.  I should have used only one transferred image, I think...  So now I have a challenge in front of me, what do I do with it?  Right now it is drying.  If I get time tomorrow I will take a critical look at it.  However, I highly doubt I will have the time.  Easter Sunday in our house hold is about Mass, celebration, and spending time with our family (my children's Aunts, Uncles, Grandpa)... Of course, it is also about the food :)

May you all have a blessed Easter.

k

Day 11: 28 Day Challenge

No pictures for today...  I spent most of the day running my teens around.  It was prom dress shopping with m y 17 year old first.  We found the dress, shoes, and a garter.  Oh and I forgot, the "perfect" earrings too.  Then if was off to the movies to see "Clash of the Titans" which was OK.   I love Greek mythology but somehow the special effects in this movie were not up to today's standards, rather shoddy actually.  Then I had to take my 17 year old and my son (almost 15) to dress rehearsal for the passion play at our church.  I attended.  The affair started at 5:30 PM and I just now got home (:35 PM).  My kids and another wonderful young lady performed interpretive dance to "The Passion of the Christ."  Very moving and draining....

OK so what was creative for me today...well I did start to pull together the art data out of my database to make tags up for my show.  And I coated some images for transfers with polymer medium.  After several coats they will be ready to transfer onto the current work in progress "Air."  And that was it for today.  Sometimes I wish there were 30 hours to the day without the need for sleep!  Right now I am pretty drained emotionally.  The passion always does that to me.

k

Day 10- 28 Day Challenge

So here is where I am at on "Air."  I still have a way to go.  I wanted to lay down a transfer image, check, that is done.  I have two more images that I wish to transfer and then I think I need to change the glaze colors.  This is a similar palette to the Earth piece that I did in terms of glazing.  I don't think I will have a chance to get to this piece today because it is day 4 of Spring break and we are headed to "Chi Town," (Chicago).  Claire needs a new brand of pointe shoes and that requires trying on multiple styles/brand.  Her feet and arches are so strong now that the Current Bloch (Sonatas) are going in just a weeks time.  At $60.00 dollars a pop, well we need a shoe with a stronger shank!  We are going to Mr. Begley's store, Motion Unlimited.  Even my son wants to tag along because it is so seldom that we get to a good, really good, dance apparel store.  Here is the link if you want to peek: http://www.motionunlimiteddancewear.com/index.html. I also have a collage hanging in Mr. "B's" store so it will be nice to see the original again.  So as far as my creative time for today...it will be on the train.  I plan on continuing my write up for my Art Journaling class.  I really have to get that done.  Summer is to fast approaching!  I hope this counts!

k

Day 9: 28 Day Challenge

Well this is day 3 of spring break and I had the great honor of watching my son, Colin perform at a local library for a mess load of kids and their parents.  He rocked of course and so did all the other young performers.  I am so proud of them all.  So I need to rant before I get to my creative time...  My husband, Claire (Colin's twin and also a great dancer), and myself were sitting right in back of a bunch of young boys (and girls).  They were all of 4, maybe 5 years old.  Everyone seemed to be interested in the performances.  But here is what really gets me or gets to me.  So the young instructor who was the MC and director of this event,  had all the children stand to teach them a few ballet moves.  Nothing complicated or especially hard.  She wanted to show them that a simple jump in the air is really quite complicated if you are a ballet dancer.  She asked these young boys to join in but they turned their noses up and said, and I quote, "Dance is for girls."  How could such young children already be so jaded.  These boys had seen Colin dance, lifting the girls, doing big jumps, and they insisted on sitting out.  What was so sad was that one little boy really wanted to dance but the peer pressure was too much.  When the instructor came to the part where she taught them a little dance to the tune of "Take me out to the Ball Game,"  this one little boy turned to the other boys and said, "Well this is sort of boy like."  I can't believe what I heard.   Where the heck did they get these ideas?  My guess is that it can only be from adults.  Surely they did not exit the womb believing dance was for girls?  Oh that so makes my blood boil.   No wonder there are so few boys taking part in dance.  Our ballet studio does these programs to promote the art of dance for everyone, entertain the community, and give our dancers an opportunity to strut their stuff.  I think we have got to target the fathers of these young children and maybe the mothers too...  What is wrong with you people?  Ok  enough of a rant, for now anyway......

I did make it to the studio at 9 PM.  Actually worked about 1.5 hours on my air element.  Will scan my progress in the morning.  Right now the glazes I put on are drying and I can't scan the work until dried.  What is ticking me off is that some of the papers are buckling from all the moisture but I think I can fix it manana.  Here is to my friend Linda who started me on this challenge.  At least I am making some progress...
k

Day 8 : 28 day challenge.

Recuerdos -segundo

It seems that I am getting into my studio later and later.  Today is day 2 of spring break and I took my twins to various functions.  My oldest I only had to pick up later in the day.  Made lunches, dinner, walked dogs and worked out.  Then it was Idol time...  I love that show.  I finally got into the studio at 9 PM CST.  I worked about 30 minutes on my most recent landscape.  This is the one pictured below and I started it in my last class.  I needed to add a focal image, one that was springy in nature.  I added a focal image cactus, flowering of course,  and did some more shading.  Now I will let it sit for a day and then go back to it.  It is near finished, maybe totally finished but I usually have to let my work sit around for a while.  I scanned this work and the colors are a bit off.  Not sure why, usually they are right on.

k

Day 7- 28 Day Challenge

Air:  in progress

I am indeed insane for taking on this challenge...Today is day 1 of Spring break.  All three of my children are home and bored already.  I took my 17 and 15 year old shopping at a local lifestyle center (that is nothing more than a fancy strip mall with nice restaurants) and let them spend a little money.  Then I played taxi driver for my son.  I finally got down to my studio at 8 PM and boy was that sweet relief.  I spent an hour working on the class sample I started and the third in my elements series...air.  Here is the progress on Air.  Still a ways to go.

k

Day 6: 28 Day Challenge

I wish that I could say that I made it to my studio today, I did not. Sundays are hard... Family comes first. I did do a little research for an Art Journaling Class that I want to offer at the Studio... Slowly but surely I will get there. Oh and I did make some cute little bunnies for Easter. Check this out...I used wash clothes to make these! I plan on putting them in my teens Easter Baskets. At least that was something!

k

Day 5- 28 Day Challenge

Here are the pictures from my class last night. I definitely am the proud instructor of emerging mixed media and collage artists. And today I worked on my in class sample collage from last night. I still have a way to go. Need a focal image and more shading... I also spend time today wiring some finished works and framing a triglyph (my phases series). These pics are bad but they are proof of my work today. Although framing/wiring works isn't exactly enjoyable for me, it is all part of the part in parcel of getting ready for a show. If I am able to sneak in some time tomorrow, I definitely want to work more on my landscape and finish ASAP.

This one is mine.

Framed Phases

K

Day 4- 28 day challenge

Like Linda, today almost did not happen. I get a lot of headaches and today was no exception. After hiding over 400 plus Easter eggs for my pre-k class, I came home with a doosy and went right to bed. Luckily tonight I have a class to teach (she said with a sly grin). As I type this, the nap did little good..the headache is here to stay (at least for today). So here is what I started in my class last night. This is another landscape from my minds eye. It again is a memory of The Jemez mountains in New Mexico. Papers are all done by myself. I can't wait to see what it looks like today. I still want to add a focal point (spring themed), and glaze it. So those pictures will be up tomorrow. In the foreground of the photo you can see my stack of papers. I do have a few of the student's works, also in progress and those are below.

Day three- 28 day challenge

No pictures yet...those will come way later maybe early tomorrow. My creative afternoon is being spent packing for the Mixed Media and Collage class I am teaching this eveing and tomorrow evening. We are doing a landscape that must include 5 altered papers (different) and one focal image that says spring. And so in class I will start/demo the technique. That is two hours of creativity! Yea me. I love patting myself on the back because no one else does. I will take class pics on my iphone because it is convienent but the quality is pretty poor... Anyway, those will be coming!

Linda, I have Day 3 and 4 accounted for :))))
k

Day Two 28 day challenge

I almost quit today after only one day! I have such a lousy cold and came home from work with my head pounding and just filled up with gunk. I took a hour nap but really could not get comfortable and did not sleep. So I headed to my studio and what do you know? I actually worked for an hour ( a little under) before I had to quit (my head was spinning). And what did I accomplish...a second coat of varnish on my landscape sample (Awakening) plus I started the third in my series of 4, Elements series, Wind. Here is the finished work that I called Awakening and the beginning of Wind. I work intuitively without a plan and often in quadrants... Now I need to take my son down to his rehearsal for Swan Lake....

k

Insane Woman and the Challenge

Alright, so I have this friend who lives in the UK who was nuts enough to do this 28 day challenge: http://rediscovering-art.blogspot.com/, and she invited anyone else to join her. I gave some thought to challenge and decided to go for it, with my own set of rules of course. God forbid I should follow any one's rules but my own. The original rules state 1 hour per day for 28 days doing anything you want that is creative. Seems easy enough except I know my schedule is not conducive to a daily dose of creativity! I really need to get a few more 8 by 8 inch works done to complete a series before April 15 so the challenge may help me get there! N0w I figure if I can get into my studio daily, that will be a good start, if I can work on something or other for 15 minutes, that will be a good start, and if I can make it an hour, I just might have to celebrate with a glass of wine :)))). The weekends will be tough but I will give it a go. For today I managed about 25 minutes. I had to get some labels done for Easter presents for my Pre-K class and I had to seal with polymer varnish, my class example for this week. Photos below to prove I did something!

I hand stamped my labels, creative right? The labels will go onto jars of bubbles for my kids. The picture was taken with my iPhone and the quality of both are not that good. And varnishing the work had to be done before I can really justify starting anything else.

K

"Earth". second in the Elements series

Moving right along, here is "Earth." Using the same methods as below, Earth unfolded very quickly (for me that is) and all that is left is sealing it with golden varnish. The finished piece is 8 by 8 inches on maisonite (as is the first in the series). All the papers were altered for this specific look. I can't decide if I want to tackle wind or water next but I do have a board prepped and waiting for the first piece of altered paper to be affixed! With the show set for Cafe Luna in April, I really want this series of 4 done. Wanting and doing are two different things! I do want to give a plug here to Jackie over at alteredpages.com. The photo of the Earth came form one of her collage sheets with all the planets on it. I was lucky enough to win a gift certificate from her last year and this year too in the One World One Heart Event. She has something for everyone at Altered Pages. I have used her sheets in my collage classes and for my personal use. I can't tell you how excited I was to find those planets!

We are busy in the household. Swan Lake rehearsals for Colin and Claire start very soon and that will definitely eat up precious evening time everyday of the week, Saturday time, and soon enough, Sunday time as well. I spend an awful lot of time in the car and dance studio. TIme is fleeting...

k

Fire: first in elements series of 4

The first of 4 in my Elements series is finished. This is Fire.
The work was meant to be a sample for my mixed media and collage class this week but it was cancelled. Not enough enrollment this time around. I needed a break again so I am taking advantage of the time off. I have begun the next in the series so I will post as I get more into the process. Next week I want to spend some time finishing up some samples that I started in previous classes so I can include them in my next show. Hopefully I will have 6 new pieces done by mid April.

My weekend is shaping up to be busy. Colin and Claire just got their parts for Swan Lake and they are excited to start rehearsals. We have many errands to do. Geesh I hope to get into my studio!

k

Step 3, class sample 2-17-10

Here is the next step in this abstract that I am working on for class next week. My papers were chosen with a mood that evoked warmth and fire. Next the papers were coated with Golden Polymer Medium, several coats, on both sides and allowed to dry. Finally they were fused to the substrate using a tacking iron. This is essentially Jonathan Talbot's method. In my class, however, we use soft gel matte medium to adhere our papers and this works quite fine. We get messy, but that is OK. I have a good working relationship with Jonathan's method. I often revert to it because I am a stickler for getting my papers to lay perfectly flat for certain works. I have, on occasion used both the Polymer media and the soft gel matte and this of course depends on what I am doing. The one thing that keeps me from spreading the message of Talbot's methodology is the cost. If one is a serious collage artist then the expense is not as bad as one might think. But regardless, when students are first exploring mixed media and collage, soft gel matte media and a cheap sturdy brush is the way to go. OK so back to my work. I want to add a couple of glazes to the work to unify it a bit and then I must add a focal image. The piece is the fire element so there will be a flame involved :) Aren't the papers neat? I love the texture of some and this is so my color palette!

k

OWOH Winners 2-15-10

Wondrous strange designs, it is your luck day! The print is yours. Here is what you said! I have sent you an email.


Lovely,lovely! I would love to be entered to win your wonderful gift!
http://wondrousstrangedesigns.blogspot.com/


My second winner is: Terri Kahrs. She wrote:


Ohhh, I see that I'm one of the first magic carpet riders to arrive! I'm so glad it dropped me off at your site, and I adore your giveaway! Hugs, Terri

http://pringlehill-terri.blogspot.com/


Terri has won some stuff right off my art table and trust me, I have stuff! I have emailed Terri to let her know that she won.


The One World One Heart event may be over but the new blogs I have visited will last quite some time. I would encourage anyone who loves to meet new people or even just delight in all the eye candy, to participate in this event. And to Lisa...your Rock! Thank you for your time and effort!
If you get a chance, I have included the links to these lovely blog. Go pay em a visit.

k

New abstract

Here are the first two steps in a new work I am doing for a class I am teaching at the end of February (25th and 26th) at the Studio in McHenry. We are going to do an 8 by 8 inch work on maisonite. It will be guided by me with the focal image being one of the 4 elements (from Greek philosophy), fire, water, air or earth (terra firma). These elements can be interpretted any way at all except that they must be collaged to the work, not hand drawn (simply because I want it that way :))) ).

I have a long way to go yet. This piece will be the fire element eventually. I have decided to use Talbot's method of adhering the papers (all altered by yours truly) because I much prefer his method. The same result can be achieved with good ol soft gel matte medium (at least if one is careful with gluing down papers). Often times I will cover my substrate with dress pattern paper just to lay some "paint" down and make the substrate my own. It is a psychological thing, I know, but it works for me. That way I am not staring at a blank surface. And who knows what may show through when finished. I just love a good surprise. It is hard to see in this scan but some of the pattern shows through the transparent paper in the upper right hand corner. I may or may not leave it that way. As it is for many artists, my process is intuitive and I keep working the piece until it tells me "enough." And it will eventually :) Hopefully this will be one of the works to go into my next gallery show. I will also depict the other three elements in due time.

k

One wORLD oNE hEART eVENT.

Well I did it. I managed to visit all 1088 entries in this years event.! My print is till on the block until midnight tonight. I will select a winner and post on my blog first thing tomorrow AM. Then I will attempt to contact the winner. Please remember to leave a link for either your blog or email so I can contact you! Oh an welcome new followers. OWOH brought you to this blog and I am gateful for the following. I love to share my process and I hope it gives you some insight into my work. I also love to brag about my family, especially my dancers!



Now for some exciting news. I have been invited to do a gallery show at Cafe Luna in Crystal Lake. This is no ordinary show though. I want to invite any of the Studio's mixed media and collage students to join me! If this is your first gallery show, this will be non threatening and a very fun experience. Please consider framing at least two or three or four of your pieces. Lynn Carlson, a curator of sorts, for the Cafe Luna, will hang the works and basically take care of the rest. Details to follow but please let me know if your are interested. We want to shoot for a mid April date (which my be negotiable). Gosh this will be so much fun. Lynn said we would have an opening reception and everything! Little did you guys know how full service my classes are!

Later
K

One World One Heart

Its that time.....If you want to get into the mood, click the YouTube video for some Magic Carpet music :)))) Let's once again get to know our fellow artists around the world through their blogs. This wonderful event was begun in 2007 by Lisa Swifka, an incredibly talented artist, as a way to bring bloggers around the world together. If you click on the event in the sidebar, you can read all about it and perhaps you would like to participate! Scroll down below for what I am giving away! This is a archival quality print, first time printed, of a mixed media collage that I did as a sample for a mixed media and collage class that I just recently taught. The original hangs in The Studio School of Art. The title of the piece is "Give and Take" and it speaks to the need to give of ourselves and we will receive much more (or take if you will) than we ever imagined. Depending upon how many comment here, I may just include a second giveaway of collage papers and dodats that I have in my studio.


OK now for the few rules.



1. This giveaway is open to bloggers.

2. If you would like to win this giveaway, leave a brief comment on this post only,along with some way to contact you (email) or link if you win.

3. The cut off time to enter or leave your comment will be 11:59 PM February 14th.

4. I will choose a winner February 15th using a random number generator and contact the winner later in the day.

5. After I receive your mailing address, I will mail the print out.



That is it, simple really. I hope you enjoy my blog and I can't wait to visit yours!

k

UPDATE: 2-7-10

I am simply blown away by the 600 plus blogs that I have visited. Actually I am blurry eyed right now! I am trying to average 50 blogs a day bbut at this rate, I won't make it to all the magical places on the ride :( I am definately adding that second prize of odds and ends from my studio. These will be papers and such that are on my table right now.

Mixed Media and Collage Class: Patchwork (quilted) Portraits.

In the vein of the famous backgrounds that Kelly Rae Roberts does, are almost finished works from my last class (1/14 and 1/15). Great job by everyone! This was the second time that I taught this class and I had several who had taken the class the first time and several first timers. There were several students who had not even had an introduction to collage so you guys did great. This type of class is not so intuitive. A focal image that is partially drawn and partially collaged can be daunting but I think everyone did a good job. I am not a great portrait artist so I did not want to teach the "art of the face," so to speak. Instead we used magazine images and this seems to be a little less intimidating. Anyway you can judge for yourselves.... I managed to miss one portrait (sorry Dawn) but trust me when I say, it was reallllllly good. Oh and if you hold the mouse over a slide you will see some fun comments that I made on the work.

I am in the midst of planning February's class which will be a guided abstract on massonite board. The class will be Feb 25th and 26th at the Studio. I need to get a sample done along with all the incomplete works that I started and somehow managed to lay aside. Enjoy my little slide show :)

K

Colins Attitude Dance 11-09

Have I mentioned lately how proud I am of my son. Here is an original dance he choreographed and performed for a group of younger dancers at the ballet school where he dances. His level had to choreograph a dance using as many attitude positions as possible. This was sort of a final exam. Thank you to MRs Svalander for all her support and instruction. And thank you to all of Colins teachers. He could not have come this far without you!

k

One World One Heart GIve Away: Its Coming

Just a quick little blurb to let you know that this wonderful event is coming soon. Check my Blog on the 25th of this month for the kick off and to see what I will be giving away. I simply can't wait to revisit former participants and make some new blogging friends.

k

2010, Reality sets in

The Nutcracker is over, Christmas has come and gone, and New Years Eve is now in the past. 2010 has arrived and I have finally surfaced from my December hiatus. Just as December of 2008, I basically floated through the month. I honestly don't know how I managed to make it through. I am not a super woman, that is for sure. I broke down more than once, in tears, some angry, others joyous and to be so fully absorbed in holiday activities always comes at a price for me. I basically put my art on hold, abandon my Internet connections, and stop all the little things that I do to keep my sanity. In some respect, I feel a little down. I love to watch my children grow as dancers and this Nutcracker season was the best yet (I say that every year). I will miss watching Colin lift his Clara's with the ease of a seasoned professional (even though this was his first go around as the Prince). The merriment of Christmas morn and the grand feast of the day was over with so quickly. Ah well, it is time to start organizing my life once again starting with my art class this month!

The patchwork portrait class will be repeated at The Studio in McHenry. This time we are going to go over two evenings (Jan 14-15) from 7 to 9. I started a portrait in the last class way back in the summer! Guess what, it is still sitting on my table in my studio along with two other works that I started in classes in the fall. My goal is to finish at least one of those works before this next class! The Studio now has a facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/#/pages/McHenry-IL/The-Studio-School-of-Art/171666296748?ref=ts. Check it out!

Finally, I just could not resist a Nutcracker picture that I snapped with my iPhone. It is grainy (the camera is only 2 megapixels) but I had to share anyway. This is my son, the Prince with one of his Clara's (Alexa).