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Showing posts from 2009

Back to the studio - yay!

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I don't know how so many of you manage to keep up the creative pace during the holidays... maybe you have studios in far better order than mine, are able to work late at night, or maybe painting in your sleep? Perhaps it's an illusion. But during my blog visits I saw a lot of work in progress - journals, paintings and assemblage, digital collage... I had to 'do' Christmas in a two-week period, unable to focus on anything else until I delivered the journals that were commissioned in November. I'm happy to report that someone along the way asked the gallery owner if there were any left... fortunately for me she wants more! And that's a good thing because once I completed the 8th piece I was surprised to find myself in withdrawal. I only had time to make a few gifts, two of them, of course, were journals. The background started out, as usual, gesso and a few layers of gel, some bits of paper and stuff to enhance the texture. I had an idea, albeit vague for the conc

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Kwanza...

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It's fairly obvious that we celebrate Christmas, the festive tree journal and all... so whatever holiday you observe, or not, I hope it's filled with friends, memory-making moments and peace. Last night I re-read the message I wrote for the Advent Devotional published by our church and realized how little credence I was assigning to my own words. Written in November. Before, when there weren't a hundred things on my list and a clock ticking. So, climbed in bed with my laptop and I read it again, took a deep breath and... settled. I moved on to The Rat Race Trap , one of my favorite blogs, and from there a link to an article by Steve Pavlina , about values, with a list of dozens (fortunately many are synonymous). I read slowly down the page and every time I felt a thump in my inner heart I stopped and made note. What I ended up with is a core set of beliefs that I already hold as truth but want to deepen, further, enhance, expand in the coming year. Like adventure, awe, focu
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Some of us can't keep up with the essentials this time of year, let alone creating a virtual encyclopedia of tricks, techniques and handy ideas. If you don't know about Seth Apter's Secret Sunday, it's time. This is the fifth Sunday that he's posted a veritable wealth of info from artists of all media and style - with the previous weeks' treasures posted on his sidebar. The blogs I've visited in the past hour(s) are brimming with creative works that make me long for a trip to the studio. Everyone seems so productive. I have been busy up there, finishing the commission of journals, projects in various stages that I hope will be wrapped up by Wednesday. Not a lot to show off though... hmmm, I posted a photo of the wreath on the front door, now maybe the fab swag I made to drape over the mantle? Or the sled I salvaged from a junk shop and embellished with pine cones and greenery... wait, I think Martha does that. And believe me, I am NO Martha (if she even is t
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So many posts, so little time... there are the wonderful gifts I received from the art exchange, the lovely papers from (have already used) Poland, the paper swap that Lawendula organizes... photos of the journals that were so well received (someone asked if there were more... that's what every gallery owner wants to hear - YES:) Or, the price of wreaths... I wanted a large, lush production for my front door but alas! Even at the wholesale place they were $70 and $85 for a finished piece. Yikes. Not happening. So, I bought a fresh one while we were getting our tree, dug around in my supply bin and here it is, my $14 special! I hope you are all coping well with seasonal issues, making a bit of time for art (time? gifts?) and for friends and traditions - old and new. I hear the brushes rattling in the jar... it's December 16 and you aren't finished.... so for now, bye and blessings, much love ~

Photoshop fun

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I've been a photography buff for more than 20 years, and a longtime photoshop fan - clipping paths, scanning images and painting, smudging and blurring until weeds looked like ethereal flowers.... Since delving into mixed media a few years ago I hesitated to get too far into the computer for my art because.... I guess I was afraid I'd never come out? I see so much fabulous digital collage out there, like Lani's - moderator of the swap group I'm in. Hers rock and then there are Susan Tuttle's inimitable works of art... I did succumb though, and since the pumpkins I have been playing every spare moment. This is a lovely end-of-winter shot from my archives... but I thought, hmmm, wonder what would make it more interesting. So, I applied several of Susan's genius techniques (from Visual Poetry). and came up with this. It might be a bit much - too spotlighty, as if that were a word, but I think I am starting to get the hang of it! My fab friend Wendy took this

Happy Thanksgiving

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Grace Thanks & blessings be to the Sun & the Earth for this bread & this wine, this fruit, this meat, this salt, this food; thanks be & blessing to them who prepare it, who serve it; thanks & blessings to them who share it (& also the absent & the dead). Thanks & Blessing to them who bring it (may they not want), to them who plant & tend it, harvest & gather it (may they not want); thanks & blessing to them who work & blessing to them who cannot; may they not want - for their hunger sours the wine & robs the taste from the salt. Thanks be for the sustenance & strength for our dance & work of justice, of peace. ~ Rafael Jesus Gonzalez ~ (In Praise of Fertile Land, edited by Claudia Mauro) This photograph and poem is but one of the examples offered daily (with occasional holiday breaks) by Joe and his Yahoo venture Panhala , a one-man deal, with a mission to make our days more lyrical, beautiful, hopeful and most of all th

An Experimental Approach to the Shifting Landscape of the Face...

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This isn't a new photo, one like this is hard to come by. I'm taking the fabulous Susan Tuttle's Visual Poetry class and I wanted to make a statement about Fall, so I thought I'd accomplish both with one image. I like the original photo and was a bit perplexed about how to improve it, so in experimenting I went warmer, more vivid. I'd love to know what you think! I took the original (below) last year while trekking through the neighborhood. It cracked me up because, being the Queen of Procrastination (thanks to arthritis and habit) it looked like something I would call an experimental approach to the shifting landscape of the face, rather than simply saying I'd left my pumpkins out too long! Maybe it's because I am a procrastinator But this year, I think it happened even earlier!! I heard it while still picking Halloween candy out of the dog's fur and pulling the fake cobwebs out of the bushes - a Christmas jingle. Two days after the ghouls and little w

Waiting...

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Waiting seems to be a very popular pastime these days, though it wasn't the motivation for this piece... I keep saying I'm going to change my 'look' and here is another in that series of color and style. I do, though, feel as though I'm evolving. Maybe waiting to evolve? It's one of my favorite collages and Cassie likes it too because when I showed it to her she said, "I have to have this - let's go to the frame shop as soon as I get back." That, of course, was before the back stuff with Jim; I hope she still wishes to purchase it, I'll wait and see. Nothing like a kink in the works to put your priorities in order. I'm so far behind in every area, sadly with my Life is a Verb coaching class, although I feel the effects profoundly. Prior to this, very deep and life-altering work, I would not have gotten through the past couple of weeks without anxiety, fear, maybe a bit of depression, and definitely feeling overwhelmed. Always being in choi

Meet Wendy

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Meet Wendy Burton , the winner of my Fall Giveaway, from Saskatchewan, a hauntingly beautiful place. Like me, she's an artist, photographer, writer and mother. Kentucky and Canada don't have much in common aside from an amazing landscape (check out her photos!)being home to art loving women on the day to day journey of life:)but we sure seem to share plenty, and we've only started! And, fortunately, she's infinitely patient - my husband's back problems have waylaid so many projects... sigh. But it's coming, not to worry! Here's what Wendy has to say in her bio: Creativity allows my voice to float up in echoing reverberations from that place in my soul where emotions thrive. It gives wings to my words, flight to my thoughts. Creativity allows my hands to share a piece of my heart with those who take time to see. Nature brings inspiration ~ colours and sounds, taste and touch. I thank God for this gift ~ this wonderful gift of creativity, the wind in my wings.

Happy the Clown Saves the Day!

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What do you do when life throws you a curve? Create, console, consult, make a clown? Lately I haven't had to go far to see how many of my art/blog and other buds are dodging so much... stuff. Pain - from the life threatening to moderate discomfort is, of course, part of life. My prayer list grows, though fortunately my gratitude list is longer. I've been away from the computer (and behind, again, on swaps, projects and sending a package to my new friend Wendy in Saskatchewan) tending to my own DH, who is weathering a back trauma unlike any he's ever experienced. Several bulging disks and one herniated disk that triggered sciatica have, until today, rendered him completely immobile, except for the writhing pain of trying to find a position that hurts a little less. We are hopeful that the relief granted by a fabulous, tiny Indian woman (physician:) who administered a guided injection/epidural yesterday, is the beginning of his recovery and that our appointment tomorrow with

And the Winner Is...

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After a bit of technical difficulty earlier in the week, Random.org selected the winn-er of my Fall Giveaway; I'm happy to announce that it is Winn's Angels . Why am I so excited?? Well, I've never 'met' her before; but, we're the same age, we're both taking Susan Tuttle's Visual Poetry class, and, while I haven't written as much about my philosophy - aside from my Art Angels - we both have strong views on the presence and guidance of angels on our creative journey. Could that be any cooler?? I have spent a great deal of time perusing Wendy's blog and I'm in love with her art and photos and, did I mention, she lives in Saskatchewan? Please take time to check out her amazing blog and art displayed on her Flickr page Her favorite season?? She has published a book entitled Autumn Richness! Here's her winning post: Ahhh, my favourite season. In truth there is so much beauty in every season. If I pause to contemplate for any content of time,

A Thrilling Night

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I don't ordinarily post photos of myself, particularly one that is hideous beyond belief, even though it was deliberate - I didn't want to stand out after all. It is a bit disconcerting to walk downtown and step over and around hundreds of zombies, (and I'm talking movie set realistic) on Main Street, still as corpses strewn everywhere - on the sidewalk, slumped over benches and garbage cans, in stairwells. As a faint rift of Thriller rose from the silence, 'Michael Jackson' appeared... the zombies slowly rose into formation and the procession began. Michael led the ghouls, swaying and lurching, shoulders and legs stomping in unison toward the courthouse, followed by a shrine to the late king of the Halloween fest and us! The March Madness marching band - ghostly glam dancers in vintage wedding and ball gowns, nurses uniforms and an amazing array of slips, shawls, veils and boots, followed by four of us playing cymbals, moroccos, and tambourines. Behind us, the full

March Madness Marching Band

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marching to the beat of a different drummer... I know where to sit - back row, third from the right:)

Prayer for a friend

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waiting deeper than spoken word, prayer rises from the well of silent hope... What is more difficult than dealing with illness? Waiting... those interminable days or hours between test and result. The slivers of time that no matter how thin are sharply painful, as we hover between the not knowing and the finding out. I have a friend who is waiting right now, to find out exactly what is in that tiny lump. She has hovered longer than her share of time between hope and sanity. You probably know a handful of co-workers, acquaintances, friends and family members that are enduring those elongated moments, in similar situations. The hardest 'waiting' I ever did was in the late '90s. I had a great deal of trouble getting, rather, staying pregnant. After two losses, the third time was charm. Weeks went by until finally, the third trimester. Then a routine blood test indicated that the fetus had an 80% chance of being a Downs' Syndrome baby. I was 38 years old after all, though

Polymer Clay - not my forte?

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(Sorry, no intent to dis myself, the title just rhymed:) Still drenched in the flavors and sights at Hotel 21C, we ventured across the street to the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft for our afternoon with Polymer Clay. Our wonderfully talented and gregarious instructor, Lisa Simon , began by talking about the basics and showing us a few of her wonderful creations. Yes. She's the kind of teacher that makes you feel like any and everything is possible, if not in a four-hour window! Looking at the variety and complexity of her dolls was quite daunting for me though, a newcomer to clay, as well as Cassie, who is enormously creative but says she doesn't 'make art.' We started unwrapping colorful blocks of clay without a clue about the shape, appearance, personality of our creations. Rolling shapes, making beaks, bulging eyes, crazy appendages, the time passed all too quickly. Especially for Debbie (on the right, glasses on her head) who creates and exhibits Raku sculpture

First Stop - Hotel 21C

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My friend, aka art angel Debbie Westerfield , invited me to join her on a trek to Louisville for a polymer clay class, with Cassie Harpel, one of the most fabulous, sparkly women I've ever met. So incredibly in need of fun, companionship with kindred spirits, adventure and creative play, I jumped at the chance. After the hour and a half drive we started at Hotel 21C , recently in the news for being voted number one hotel in the country by Conde Naste readers (November issue). Click on the link and check out the MSNBC video with Matt Lauer. It's not hard to imagine why, though Kentucky doesn't generally top the list when it comes to vacation destinations. The first clue that you're there is the red penguin on the roof, one of the many that appear in random - often changing - locations throughout the hotel. We considered a spin in the hotel's limo, covered in red shiny dots, but got busted. Cassie is so gorgeous and charming, we were off with a warning and went in fo

Fall Giveaway!

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What's your favorite season? Read on, leave a comment and on October 31st I'll pick (randomly, of course) the winner of a seasonal box of goodies. took a walk the other day and yep, the air had that unmistakable chill, unlike a random cold snap in the summer. the leaves turning, bulbs waiting to be planted and roots going dormant for the winter that are felt more than smelled. unlike the triumphant scents of blossoms carried in the limbs of honeysuckle and rose bushes, mimosas and lilies in spring. Cats curled in nooks and tight against porch railings; I believe they, too, know it will soon be time to go inside, aside from the daily foray into the bright slant of sun that is another sign of fall. the pumpkins laugh, already, at the thought of Halloween, a wild night of surprise and celebration in our neighborhood. the mums almost look out of place, the bright color alongside the browning grass... autumn and spring are my favorite seasons, though they are the hardest on those of

Old Friends

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changing seasons old friends consider another morning, same says one, the other nods... I've been writing haiku since summer, for the first time in years (and years?). I wrote one for a challenge in Life is a Verb and it hit a nerve. I wrote a few more after completing the exercise and then a few more and the floodgates opened. I've been scribbling them in church (after the sermon of course), at traffic lights, the grocery store, in meditation and prayer for friends whose deep, troubling needs fill me with anguish. So neat, so compact, like an ATC, a small collage, a photograph... an entire story conveyed in a glance. Or, in 17 syllables. Probably for the same reason that, when I wrote fiction, I focused on the short story. Not because it's easier; anyone familiar with the mechanics of a good short story knows that it has to do the job of an entire novel in a fraction of the space. In my teens and early twenties I spent a great deal of time writing poetry and it was deepl
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Beauty in Strength In honor of her step mom, the lovely Pam Carriker is offering limited edition fine art prints from this gorgeous painting through the end of October. The buyer can then choose a second print from her print shop at a fabulous 50% off. Proceeds from this special sale will benefit the Susan G Komen Foundation. Visit her blog for more details - she said she hopes to write a generous check on November 1st! I think I'll go shopping...

haiku

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Lord make me a prism come, shatter the darkness and shine your light through me Happy Monday, hope your week is filled with meaning, creativity and light!

The Dish on the Divas... (what's the red dot?!)

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Hard to believe a week has flown by since the opening of the Dishy Divas show, and a fabulous event it was... wine and hors d'oeuvres, photographers from Skirt Magazine and a great turnout. Jim was proud of me for not being nervous or piling stuffed mushrooms on a plate for ammo; we stayed for half an hour and the kids were hungry so we walked a couple of blocks to a restaurant and enjoyed a family dinner... no adolescent bickering, and the kids did great too! At the opening, I only spent 5 minutes back in the area where my collage and journals were displayed; they are in very good company, surrounded by several of Rodney Hatfield 's paintings - I urge you to click on the link and take a look at his amazing art. Sold and exhibited nationally, we've followed his career for years. I was fortunate (smart:) enough to purchase a small sculpture of his about ten years ago, a Christmas gift (and inspiration) for my talented artist-husband Jim! My mother was disappointed that s