Patti Edmon Artist

Got an anonymous comment (four to be exact) on my last post about how vanilla my title was and that I really should add more content. Then anonymous went on to say I should visit Yahoo (not that yahoo, for sure!), and so on. I love reading those - the bad grammar, broken sentences, what a hoot! As I've continued to paint faces on a daily basis, I believe I've (finally) turned a corner. After complaining to my husband that they all my faces looked like a variation on the same theme, I realized that's because I've been using the same approach. And, Jim told me I really needed to loosen up before another, truer voice would appear. How true! Instead of starting off with torn bits of pages I'd painted, I went with black gesso, such a stark difference. Then I added color(s) and then scribbled on the background to show some character and hopefully a bit of the black. Below is the beginning of the painting I posted last week - fairly bizarre ...

Good News: Quotes Illustrated, by the fabulous  Lesley Riley , has been published! I am very honored to be included in this incredible collection (thanks Lesley), so if you're interested it's on Amazon or you can email me for details. The Art Every Day icon was on my blog for the second half of November, which is also when I last posted. It isn't that I did work on art every day, it's just that, well, I'm in workshop mode. Ever since I left  Random Arts  in September, I've been in a painting frenzy! A two-day workshop with  Misty Mawn  was a great start but I needed more, wanted to expand my brushes... Stay tuned for more tomorrow!

I had just found my groove... using my photography and writing to create mixed-media pages. Then I went to Random Arts (the coolest place ever) for a painting workshop. Being familiar with paint and loving Saluda seemed like good enough reasons to go.  Like I said, I hadn't painted a single face before. Ever. I suppose it's logical, then, to return and do nothing in the studio except paint faces. Forty-two to be exact. And I'm still not completely sure why I'm doing it, just trusting that there doesn't have to be a solid reason other than the fact that I'm creating and learning. These are posted in order of occurrence. I've felt like a beginner since I started making art. Every time a finish a series using one voice, I switch languages (thanks to Lesley Riley for that metaphor!). But this bender has been one of the biggest surprises of all considering that I've never ever been inspired to paint faces before t...

Not quite certain why I tend to stick more irons in the fire than there are flames, particularly in the spring when my arthritis is most ill-behaved. The past month has had more flare days than good ones, though I try to find ways to create even if I can't work in the studio. I've spent studio days finishing the greeting-card book I'm making for my lovely daughter - in her favorite colors. I honestly cannot believe how fun it is and how much I enjoy the continuous problem solving that arises during any 'first-time' project.  I've made progress on the cover (wow, talk about problem solving!) and all the spreads are ready to bind.    Each spread has one side for attaching notes or photos and I've branched out quite a bit, making pockets, flaps, mini-books and using wire (and fibers) in ways I haven't tried before. A great creative stretching exercise for sure! That's one of the many aspects of workshop...