an artful passage

May Calendar Journal Page

2011-05-09T17:00:00.000-07:00

Eek! I have been participating in the calendar challenge over at the Kathryn Wheel since January and thoroughly enjoying myself. However, and I don't know what to say so I'll just say it- I lost my moleskin!. Bwahhhhhhhh!!! It may still turn up, I haven't quite panicked yet as I lose so many things and many times they eventually find their way back to me. So anyway, I am using another journal that I have and it has taken me a little longer to get myself together. I used the Le Cirque papers from Graphic 45. You'll notice that there are no little squares, that's because it's already the 9th and I figured that I'll just try something different with my journaling. We'll see how it goes....

Tin Swap

2011-04-22T15:07:00.000-07:00

Here's a tin I just finished for the lovely Betti. I had so much fun making it- I wanted it to look encrusted with the old jewelry pieces and I love how it turned out.

Calendar Journal Challenge

2011-04-04T05:31:00.000-07:00

So, here's my completed March page and blank April. In March I had a teensy little problem with my 'waterproof' pen that wasn't. So the whole middle of the month got all splogie when I went to tweak it. (I don't know if you've noticed but I tend to putter around with the pages during the month so they end up having more color at the end of the month then they do at the beginning) Well, since I now had a whole lot of blank space in the middle of the month I just did some general journaling about what was going in my life and how I felt about it. Be sure to check out everybody's pages at The Kathryn Wheel.

Crown Embellishment Swap

2011-03-30T13:45:00.000-07:00

I am excited to be part of an international (well Australia-United States at least) art swap. We are making elements to decorated a crown. I went back and forth about what to make, and finally decided on fabric tags. I painted the fabric with Lumiere, stamped, colored in, and then sewed them together. The ribbon is hand dyed and stamped and I made the iridescent beads out of fabric, Fantasy Film and Angelina fiber. What I love about doing swaps is that they make me get moving, and I usually try out a new technique. These beads were a first for me, and I made them mostly because I was afraid to send glass beads in the mail, and these babies are indestructible. Plus, if I have never said before, I like melting stuff.

The Stamp Man Challenge Fiasco

2011-03-10T18:14:00.000-08:00

I finished this last night after MUCH puttering around on it and was going to post it today but I LOST MY CAMERA. Yes, that's right. If you know me well, you know that I lose everything, but this takes the cake. Anyway, I found it when I got in the car to go out to dinner. I just got home, took the pictures and am frantically typing so I can get this posted! It was originally intended for the Stamp Man Challenge but it was due by 9 and I didn't post until 9:30 (whaaaa) Ok, so I have never entered this challenge, but I have looked in to see what everybody was up to and to check out the eye candy so when I saw this 'swirls' challenge, I knew Iwanted to enter. Be sure to check out everybody's work here.

I guess I should say that this is one of my personal all time favorite projects. It all started with a totally awesome youtube technique on distressing cardboard and after that it was just a blur.

Poppy pods journal page

2011-03-04T17:23:00.000-08:00

I wrote a few posts ago about the class I took with Diana Trout. Well, in class was the talented Kathleen Nesi whom I met at Art-is-you. She had made a piece for the auction that I just loved. Anyway, I had gotten a few new colors of Neocolor's, one in a gorgeous red, and I was just playing and the red reminded me of poppies and then I was thinking of Kathy's piece and before I knew what had happened this was on my page. Of course, my poppy pods look more like upside down balloons then pods, but hey, it was fun!

March is here! Calendar journal pages....

2011-03-01T07:39:00.000-08:00

Well, it is finally March. Which means that spring is going to be here in the foreseeable future! Here's my finished February page- I added some ink blobs and gesso. My March page? well, I liked the way I did my journaling for January so I did something similar, that way I can have more journaling for one day and less for the next. I wanted to putter around on this page a little more before posting, but I was getting so frustrated with my 'permanent' pen that wasn't, and not only that but it was too wide (have lost many, many other finer tipped ones) and, well, I just threw it across the room. (the pen, not the journal) So I decided to just post it as is and add bits and bobs of color as the month goes on. Be sure to check out everybody's pages at the Kathryn Wheel.

Diana Trout Class and Three Muses Challenge

2011-02-20T17:44:00.000-08:00

Here is a new page in my journal. I took an amazing class with Diana Trout (of Journal Spilling )yesterday and started several pages. The class was about conquering your inner critic. The bottom layer was made in class- we journaled, then went over that with Portfolios and gesso. Today I decided to just grab any color that I wouldn't usually use- there's lime green, bright blue and reddish orange and just started playing. The whole thing was FAST- I didn't want to overthink it! Maybe 20 minutes-10 for mooshing and 10 for details? The top layer is scratched into and then drawn on with a General's 9xxb pencil- can you believe that it wrote that well over the Portfolios? Anyway, when it was done, I remembered that I hadn't submitted anything for the Three Muses this week and since the word is 'hot' I am going to submit this page. Thank you for visiting and if you ever get a chance to take a class with Diana, run, don't walk.

An Experiment - Youtube Tutorial

2011-02-14T14:41:00.000-08:00

Hi! I wanted to post this little piece that I made after watching a Rach0113 on Youtube. If you've never seen her videos before, run right over there and check them out because she's awesome. She has a great grungy style and a cool accent to boot. She does everything- mini books, art journaling, mixed media little assemblages..... Anyway, I made this foil art after watching her video and even though the picture doesn't do it justice, because it really rocks (IIDSSM if I do say so myself), I am posting a picture.

Scrapbook Page- Three Muses

2011-02-05T17:41:00.000-08:00

Hi there. I was trying to think of what to do for the Three Muses challenge this week. The theme is black and white. Soooooo, I had this layout that I worked on a couple of weeks ago but, I didn't love it. So I pulled up some stuff, added other stuff and then reassembled it all back together. The only thing that was is same is the photo, which I adore. I was trying to get a clear shot of Sloane's single long hair. The paper is Mama-Razzi by& Bo-Bunny and the word brads are well, OLD. I believe that I bought them on clearance and they are K&Company for Basicgrey.

Calendar Journal Challenge- February

2011-02-01T18:49:00.000-08:00

Sooooo...... I finished the calendar challenge for January and it was pretty awesome. I waited just a wee bit too long to start on February's page and then had approximately 5 hours of toddler whining today (I know you think I'm exxagerating on this point, but I'm not) and was a tad stressed over it, BUT I got it done. The image transfer came out a little fuzzy, but I still like it overall, and, did I mention it's DONE. And it's still the 1st. Yippee. I made it as bright as I possibly could because I have no love for February. Cold, dark and fortunately short. So I thought I would cheer myownself up a little every time I opened it. I you want to see where I got this awesome idea, check out The Kathryn Wheel- so inspiring!

Fashion- Three Muses Challenges

2011-01-26T19:30:00.000-08:00

The challenge this week over at Three Muses is 'fashion'. So I came up with this punk slash Marie Antoinette kind of character- you know how they would have those elaborate hairdos where they would stick everything in them and call it a day? Well, this is my interpretation of that idea. The drawing I did wayyyyyyy back in 1987. I drew most of it while 'working' at the movie theater. (What a great job- only two screens so lots of free time in between selling/eating popcorn) Anyway, I shrank it down to fit on my journal page and then added some texture paint for hair and stuck in everything but the kitchen sink. The quote is from the classic David Bowie tune 'Fashion', which, by the way, absolutely refuses to get out of my head. ALL day. Ughhhhh. But at least I was chortling to myself while creating the 'hair'.

Altered Mona Postcard

2011-01-17T14:47:00.000-08:00

Hey there. I am loving these blog challenges recently and I found this one here. It's called Sunday Postcard Art. I knew I had to participate when I saw the theme- altered Mona. Yet another stamp from Lost Coast. I used everything in my reach for the back ground - Neocolor II's, gesso, ink refills, Cray pas and some black Sakura gel pens.

Three Muses Nature's Creatures

2011-01-12T09:16:00.000-08:00

The challenge this week at Three Muses is nature's creatures. I just love this little dog with the hat- another great image from Lost Coast. Anyway, I made this journal page- well, I don't know if it qualifies as a journal page- it's what I am calling a quote page because it's someone else's words, not mine, but words that I find inspirational none the less.

One Powerful Hour - Temptress of Time

2011-01-08T19:06:00.000-08:00

Here's a piece I made today in about an hour for a new challenge. Well, new to me anyway. The concept is that you make something in any medium of your choosing in about an hour. Well, the theme for this week is 'Clock' and I knew that I had to participate. Here's the thing- I bought this stamp about 7 years ago. Well, that's an understatement- I saw it used in somebody's artwork in a magazine and HAD to have it.It's called the Temptress and it's designed by Lynne Perella (whom I adore) However, it was no longer being manufactured. I searched high and low and found a site that sold Acey Deucy stamps- Stamp Diva, and inquired about it. There were none to be had, it was out of production. However, the owner of the company had one and she mailed it to me at no charge because there is a small imperfection. Great, right? Yes, except that once I had it in my hands, I hardly ever used it. There it sat, unloved and ignored. So, of course I had to use it today. I painted and inked stampboard, added some clock images and clock parts and covered the whole shebang in UTEE, and then stamped into that. Love it, it's one of the favorite things I have ever made, and if it wasn't for this challenge, I would never had sat down and used it. P.S. The stamp is now being manufactured again, just in case you love the image as much as I do and just HAVE to have it in your collection.

Art Journal Page

2011-01-07T19:36:00.000-08:00

Here is just a little page I finished today- the quote is one of my favorites. I've been struggling with feelings of guilt since I've been devoting more time to 'making stuff' - you know, I should be doing the laundry, etc. I finished this at Panera while Sloane ate her cookie and drew with her new markers. OOh, I almost forgot, he stamp is from Stampers Anonymous- it's one of my all time favorites- it's called The Scorekeeper.

Three Muses Challenge- Wonderland Journal

2011-01-04T07:43:00.000-08:00

I have been working in my Wonderland Journal (class taught by the wonderful Pamela Huntington) and wanted to post a picture of the cover for this weeks Three Muses Challenge. The challenge is book- what I love about these challenges is the wide range of artwork created using the same challenge word or image, everything from digital (which I am dying to wrap my technique-greedy mind around), to fabric, etc. Check out everybody's work - it's fantastic.

Calendar Challenge

2011-01-01T18:57:00.000-08:00

While surfing art blogs yesterday, I found this awesome challenge here, at The Kathryn Wheel. I just love her artwork and cannot believe that I have only just stumbled upon her blog. Anyway, here is my calendar page. It came out a little cutsier than I wanted- I was hoping for more whimsical, but I am keeping it the way it is and already have an idea for February's page. I'm hoping to keep up with this challenge and to give me incentive, I have roped in an innocent bystander to come and play along with me.

Art journal cover

2010-12-27T18:05:00.000-08:00

Hey there- I've been wanting to decorate the cover of my Moleskin for a while now, and today I did it (in five minute snippets, of course). I was watching youtube tutorials and found this one here which inspired my own cover transformation. And I love that I finally got to use the image of the man with the umbrella who has been patiently waiting for the perfect project.

Play time- fabric art journal page

2010-12-15T18:40:00.000-08:00

Why is it that I always seems to have to remind myself to just play? Could it be because I have an overwhelming fear of failure? That I worry that everything has to be perfect, and I rarely just create with the goal to just enjoy the process? If I just spent as much time actually making some thing, any thing, instead of ruminating about it, I could wallpaper my walls and upholster my furniture with my art. Well, in that light, I am putting up a page I made almost two years ago. One, because I am hard-headed and have to remind myself to play, and two, because besides cutting out paper with my new Sissix (whee!) and Tim Holtz dies, I really haven't actually made anything. So here ya go. The page contains two clear pockets that I sewed on to hold a couple of ATC's I made with stamps from Lost Coast. The Three Muses blog is having an ODD COUPLE challenge this week! Check out everybody's work- so cool.

Top Hat Derby Hop

2010-12-03T17:03:00.000-08:00

Kecia, over at Lemoncholy's Studio is hosting this awesome blog hop! I've never done one before and I just found out about it today, so I am posting about an altered cupie doll I did for my first Art-Is-You event. The theme was Taking Tea with Alice so I decided to transform my cupie into an 'Alice at the Masked Ball'. (funny story about the cupie- she just showed up in my mailbox with absolutely no explanation-I just figured that she had to be from my new art friends. Suze Weinberg's traveled around the world with her, although she never did quite got dressed, but that's another story) Anyhoooo, when I saw this top hat challenge, I thought she would fit right in. I'm actually quite jealous of her since I've been scouring etsy late at night looking for a top hat of my own. Oh, and the hair is needle felted wool a la Marie Antoinette. Thank you Kecia for hosting- it was so much fun!

Thinking of spring

2010-11-22T19:49:00.000-08:00

I made this collage with a picture of Sloane sitting in our front yard in the spring sunshine. She is wearing the dress I wore as a baby. As the days insist on ending abruptly before we even sit down at the dinner table, I am finding that my seasonal depression is kicking in. Sooooo, I wanted to post this as a reminder of what is to come.

Art every several days? COFFEE!!!!

2010-11-19T06:10:00.000-08:00

I just finished this painting this morning. I love my morning coffee!

Art every day - back of journal cover

2010-11-11T18:52:00.000-08:00

In an attempt to be more consistent in my creating and posting, I am plowing away at my 'to do' pile o' art projects. Here's the back cover of the journal that I started in Traci Bautista's class.

Today's haul- old hardware

2010-11-10T19:17:00.000-08:00

I just had to post about my loot that I brought home today from the flea market. Oh, the possibilities. You should have seen me pawing through the bucket of rusty hardware- pure bliss. I am posting a close up of some of my favorites.

Finally- finished journal cover from Traci Bautista's class

2010-11-09T09:43:00.000-08:00

In trying to create every day, I've been working on some half completed projects. This is the journal cover that I just finished. I took the class in APRIL at Art Opera. And so it goes. Traci Bautista was a wonderful instructor, she works quickly and intuitively, which I liked very much. I think I will pull all of my half finished pieces together and take a picture. Quick, someone please request a piece for a swap or an auction so I will be forced to actually finish something else.

Tim Burton-esque house

2010-10-21T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hi there- I wanted to show my piece I made for the Little Baby Face Foundation auction. I had in mind a sculpture at first, but after imagining myself navigating two trains, two subways and a bunch of new yorkers with said sculpture in hand, i ditched that idea. Instead I went for a shadow box which I could pack. (of course, I could have shipped it, but that would mean completing it in time to ship and NOT working on it until the last possible moment, which is of course what I did) Anyway, I had in mind a slightly skewed Tim Burton inspired house backed by a sunset. There's a story behind that particular image, based on Disney's 'The Rescuers', but more on that another time. I have to say that I really love the result. I've never made a shadow box, and hardly anything in 3d, and I really enjoyed making this. And the ladies (and gentlemen) at Art-is were so supportive and encouraging- it makes me feel good that it got several bids and made some moola for the Foundation. Ooh, and Suze Weinberg even had it on her blog.

Back from Art-is-You

2010-10-14T05:18:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a whirlwind- weeks of planning, packing and making (a piece for the auction- I'll talk about that in another post) and now it's over. I took a class from Laurie Meseroll on Saturday on folk art painting and came up with this. I absolutely love it, but the most validating thing was when I showed it to my baby cakes and she said 'Wow!' (which is good since it's going in her room)

'Wicked' ATC's

2010-09-16T11:58:00.000-07:00

Well, I made about twenty atc's for a group project -the theme being 'Wicked', as in the musical. They were made using image transfers- gel and tape. I had never tried that before and it was funnnnn! One of my favorites was the gel- I used Golden gel medium- semi gloss- and layed down about four coats over a toner based image, letting each one dry in between and then dunked the whole thing in water and rubbed the paper off. That was the fun part. Just keep going until all of the paper is gone and voila- a perfect image transfer.

Another tin swap

2010-07-03T19:17:00.000-07:00

This is an altered tin that I just swapped out. I think it looks cute in person but when I look at it here, not so much. The beach bathers kind of look like they're floating around on top of the tin. Maybe on their own private island? But the inside came out really cute!

Art Opera- swap

2010-06-06T18:45:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been many weeks since I last posted and even longer since I've got back from Art Opera, so thought I would get back into the swing of things by putting up some pictures. If you want to see a lot more pictures of the event, check out Suze Weinberg's blog and go back to April (I think she starts sharing pictures on April 7th). Anyway, I had a great time- I took two classes, one from Traci Bautista and one from Ann Denise Anderson. Traci's class, but today I just wanted to put up pictures of the altered altoid tin that I made for a swap. I wanted to keep with the Under the Sea theme so I decided to do a seahorse tin. I used an antique brass stamping of a seahorse and a starfish charm to made molds. Then I used the molds with some pearl polymer clay and applied the molded pieces to the sanded tin. I filled in the blanks with some more clay and then went to town trying out different glazing ideas. I think that I ended up mixing a Distress Ink reinker with some Golden acrylic paint and then finished the whole think off with a clear finish and glitter. I really, really had fun making this as it was so much different than anything that I have ever made before. The second picture is of a little booklet I made for my swap partner so that she could put in pictures of the event as a momento.

Poetry journal! Artistic Mothers Group

2010-04-29T19:27:00.000-07:00

Well, here it is, a month since I last posted. Of course, I wouldn't be me if I didn't feel guilty. Although, this time I don't feel that bad since I was dealing mainly with a family emergency that required much of my time and energy. I won't get into it on this blog, but let me just say that this past month has been very difficult. I did, however, find time for art, and I even took a small art journaling workshop that I will have to write about later, because tonight's post is all about my Poetry Journal. I've written before about the online group that I've joined through Trudy Callan's blog , the Artistic Mother's group. We are completing a series of projects in the book and posting about them on our blogs. Of course, I am finding myself very much behind now, but it's all about the journey (or passage, should I decide to be oh so clever). The book is written by Shona Cole, and I can definitely say that having Trudy host this group is a blessing because it is giving me the impetus to actually do the projects and not just look at the pictures. So, here it is, my Poetry Journal. I used a picture of me at two years, with my brother, probably about 6 months old here. I'm not really sure why I picked this picture, but it brings back all sorts of emotions, as my brother and I are not close. The color of the photo was altered in photoshop and printed on Fabriano Artistico paper that was first treated with the new Golden Digital medium in clear over a watercolored background. I colored in my dress with Caran d'Ache Neocolor 11 crayons. So, even though I'm feeling a little trepidatious about actually writing in the journal, I loved making it!

Background papers- Artistic Mothers Group

2010-03-27T18:23:00.000-07:00

I just got finished making my backround papers for week one of The Artistic Mothers Group hosted by Trudy Callan. I'm so glad that I joined this group because I never would have pushed myself to paint these papers if it weren't for the fact that I committed myself to finishing the weekly projects in the book. The last time I painted anything besides a wall, was probably when I took an oil painting class. I liked the class, but it was frustrating for me because I was trying to make a realistic painting and I couldn't get the paint to do what I wanted it to do. These papers, on the other hand, were so much fun to paint and stamp because I was just playing. The papers I used were cardstock and grocery bags- I loved seing the transformation from humble brown paper to decorated art paper. I can see myself making a lot more of these in the future.

Starting early

2010-03-22T19:32:00.000-07:00

Aidan wanted to make a green screen to film videos in front of and of course Sloane wanted to help. So, I found some old sweats for her first official 'painting clothes' and let her at it. She had a blast.

The Artistic Mother

2010-03-17T19:02:00.000-07:00

I recently read about a new book, The Artistic Mother by Shona Cole. And then, of course, I had to search out her blog, (hmmm, the title of her blog is similar to mine, how cool is that?)which led me to a online group on Trudy Callan's blog. This is one of the reasons I'm so in love with blogs and wanted to start one - the information is priceless.

The timing couldn't be more perfect for me to join this group of women with similar goals. Here I am, floundering around in the blogosphere, trying to reinvigorate my love of art, or rather trying to squash down the feeling that if I don't make perfect art, then it is not worth making. On my own, I have been challenging myself to make a little art every day, by participating in swaps and starting an art journal, but this is going to be even better because I will be part of a group of women who are trying to do the same thing together. For me, knowing that other people are keeping tabs and rooting each other on is a big motivator. So, I look forward to getting my book, which Amazon very graciously emailed to tell me is already on its way, and going on a new adventure. Please join me.

Another 'wicked' card

2010-03-13T16:02:00.000-08:00

Here's the card that was sent on its merry way today. I actully was pushing so hard on my colored pencil trying to add swirls that I pushed through layers of paint and gesso to reveal the playing card beneath. Well, since the playing card was red and white, it didn't exactly go with my color scheme. I dyed some Viva paper towel with green and yellow Caran d'ache Neocolor II crayons and then smooshed them over the hole with a glue soaked brush. As a final touch I dry brushed on a little Lumiere paint. I really how the card looks scanned as opposed to photographed.

You never know where you are going to find inspiration

2010-03-12T19:58:00.000-08:00

When my friend asked me if I would like to go with her to the 'Please Touch Museum' in Philadelphia, I thought it would be fun for the kids, but little did I know what was waiting in store for me. When we got there, I noticed that they had some unusual assemblage sculptures, notably a large scale replica of the Statue of Liberty's torch hand and an elephant. Hmmmmm. I wasn't expecting this, but cool. Then, towards the end of our visit, we visited an exhibit that was unlike anything else in the museum. I rounded the corner on the downward ramp and discovered that we were going down the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland. Imagine my surprise as I saw Alice tumbling down. The exhibit was set up like a maze, with beautiful artwork based on the original illustrations around every corner. It literally took my breath away. My very favorite parts were the Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum display, which has the two of them pictured with a miniature theater, my new obsession; and a statue of the rabbit. Gorgeous. I hope you are as inspired as I was.

A wicked deck round robin

2010-03-10T13:12:00.000-08:00

Here are the latest cards I finished for the round robin I am participating in. Here's how it works. Each participant starts with a blank deck in the size and shape of their choosing. They then alter one of the cards completely and do a little bit on two of the other cards. Then the fun really begins because they whole deck gets mailed to the next person on the list and that person in turn alters another one of the cards and adds a little bit to the communal cards, and mails the whole deck to the next person and so on. In the end, we will each have a deck of altered playing cards that everyone has worked on. The theme of the deck is 'a wicked deck' in going along with the next Art is You in October, 'Wickedly Good'. The first one is titled 'The Scarecrow' and on the back I wrote 'the scarecrow was more lovingly constructed than his outward appearance would indicate'. The second card is going to go in the deck of a lovely lady I met at Art is You last year. She loves fabric, which is what gave me the idea to do these cards in fabric, and she recently has lost her own little bunny. So, I found an obscure reference to a book by L. Frank Baum called 'Little Bun Rabbit' about a little girl named Dorothy (a precursor to the Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz?) and, of course, a rabbit. I thought it would be nice to personalize the card for her.

Blogalicious

2010-03-10T13:01:00.000-08:00

After many false starts I am proud to say that I am officially blogging. It has been something that I have thinking about for a while because it is because of blogs that I have been introduced to so many people, new techniques, events and, of course, places to shop!