Patti Edmon Artist

Invisible Illness (Awareness) Week  has begun! In keeping with the theme, another of my choices is to be my best possible self. And that includes reaching out, sharing, caring, helping when I can... all qualities of being a good friend. There's an old saying, to make a friend you first have to be one. True, but. Sometimes those of us with chronic illness get overlooked, passed by as though not being able to  able make the party means we don't need to get an invitation.  The text I used in this piece of art, called Thoughts on Friendship, is an excerpt from a friendship 'manifesto' I wrote several years ago, after experiencing what I call being tossed from the merry-go-round. When life as I knew it ended and, unlike those with visible injuries and acute illnesses (especially cancer - God forbid), the carousel kept right on turning without me. Don't get me wrong, my family has always been really supportive and I do have good friends. But there were a coup...

The theme of this year's National Chronic Invisible Illness Week is "I Choose To" and one of my choices is to always be emerging from the cocoon, seeking the new and extraordinary, finding and using wings that had been dormant, not settling for a life spent crawling. Well, not all the time. I wake up and wait to see how I'm going to feel for the day and more often than not it's so-so, meaning, no errands, social events or major chores. So, I choose to go to the studio, put on my headphones and blast my fight songs - Rage Against the Machine, Led Zeppelin, Three Days' Grace, Rolling Stones, Tool, well, you get the idea. And then I  gesso a page,  prepare for takeoff... I most always start out with a layer of texture - paper, trim, stuff that will give my page depth. By then I usually have a photograph in mind and I choose a color palette. Hopefully with one or two colors I haven't used recently. That's when I reach high altitude. Paint o...

Heading to Saluda tomorrow - one my most favorite home away from homes! The workshop will be fun and amazing (and surprising, I hope, considering I don't do faces:) and I so look forward to the company of other artists, along with the fabulous Jane Powell , proprietress of all things cool, funky, creative and unusual! This piece is another in the series of watercolor pages I've done incorporating my photos - the options are proving to be endless, thankfully! Can't wait to try some new techniques - always a treat. Stay tuned for Invisible Illness Week !! Until then, what's on your table?

Inspire Me Thursday's   latest challenge calls for the use of the colors pink and orange . When I read that I wondered how I coulld showcase the brilliance of two colors that I absolutely adore, but don't often (enough!) use in my work. I was taking a walk this morning and I opened to the world around me, the beauty of summer, still in full color, blossoms drenched with fragrance, the steamy sensation that portends another hot day... though my children have returned to school and the house is quiet again; the Altered Attic beckons, still messy from the last few occasions I managed to find time for art.  While admiring a neighbor's garden I recalled a photograph I took back in July and loved but hadn't yet used. So, when I came in (and cooled off!) I opened the computer and there it was, waiting, like then, floating in the gorgeous pond in the backyard at the home of our good friends Ron and Vickie.   I didn't create the flower of course, like most of the natural wo...

Just shy of two months  after the Michael deMeng workshop in Saluda, NC, I've finished my Morpheus box. It certainly did morph... We started the boxes on the second day, which, given the fatigue that accompanies this illness, I should have known would surpass my ability to make a sentence, let alone construct anything creative. But, I did get a good start.  I brought it home with a voo-doo looking mask on one side of the rotating bar, and a transparency of a little girl and clock face on the opposing side. Hmm, how was I going to connect the two wildly disparate images? After stewing for a few weeks, I realized that, though I liked both sides, one of them had to go. I had dremeled out a niche for the mask/emblem, which was cool (love the flying dust), so I hated giving that up, but, not having any related objects, out it went.Once I cleared that hurdle, I began to think of morphing, changing, seasons.   I have a very dear aunt, who has been more like a second mother, and she is pas...

This is the second of the five 3" x 3" canvases I did for the   Art House Coop Project, the Visual Encyclopedia . It seems like it should be easy to render a word visually, but really, that's only if it's a noun, like bird or nest, a verb even. Once I got past the fact that they wasn't going to be an obvious solution, I started having fun with it. Anyone who has seen my larger collages, well, even my puzzle pieces will find this familiar. But the word is.... Unseen.  It started out to be Protect, but when my friend Karin's cat passed away, that was the only one I could use for the angel/image of Zack/concept of Karin being watched over. So, one of the eggs fell out of the nest and is unseen. And, come to think of it, so is mother bird... And, the tree that the nest is in.... getting literal can really be a problem. Thankfully I was quickly - and hurriedly - able to overcome that, the only way to get five done in two days... If you get a chance, click on the l...

Anyone who has a daughter - or son - with a passion for performing arts understands the energy, dedication, aching feet, tears, exhaustion and adrenalin.... and then there were Alice's issues to cope with - ha. The past two weeks have revolved around the production and performance of Sleeping Beauty. I help with costumes and work backstage until the last performance, which I then enjoy with dh and my son and other friends and family. I could fill pages with the delight, pride and amazement at my daughter's growth, both as a dancer and a young lady. Quite simply, she blew me away. This was her second performance en pointe and her grace and poise were stunning. These photos were taken at dress rehearsal by one of my best friends, who also happens to be a commercial photographer. I just finished writing the introduction for Jeff's second book of panoramic photographs, Kentucky Wide II . So, I haven't spent much time in the Altered Attic. But it has been worth every moment,...

The only thing more fun than raiding the fridge is decorating it. Making magnets is one of my favorite art projects and I just shipped this small batch off to Third Street Stuff, in downtown Lexington, to see if they attract any passers-by.  I don't know about yours, but my ancient white Kenmore looks like a study in some subcultural group that, if found in hundreds of years, would likely cause super-genius scientists to scratch their big, green, globe-shaped heads. I mean, We specialize in beans, with a vintage Texan couple? Mother heads bobbing in a coffee cup with wings - what does that have to do with finest fit and quality?! A large-headed chick in curlers and a prom dress...    I guess the point is that they don't make sense and that's why making them is so darned much fun. Finding old puzzles with pieces big enough to fit all the 'stuff' on isn't easy, so if anyone has a stash, I'll be glad to take them off your hands! I have enough found objects, but...

I asked Al (my daughter, Alice) if she'd like to help me organize the Altered Attic, where there's hardly a path to walk, an empty space to squeeze in one more container, so many piles - of paper, books and magazines, bottles and tins and jewelry repair pieces and watch parts, buttons, images clipped that I clipped but didn't use during the last project, or the dozen before that...  One of the downsides, maybe the only one, of having a studio is that it doesn't serve double duty. So, it's really easy to let old beeswax sit in the pot on the table next to the heat gun and dremel, jars of various media stacked like beer cans, paints and prepped substrates, the beginnings of a zillion brilliant ideas. Or two.  She had just the solution. It was a bit late and we had just finished making Cinderella's gown and veil, complete with tiara, mounted on cardboard for her Humanities class. Yawning, we looked around and I sighed and once again decided against tackling anythin...

Space in the Altered Attic is at a premium, the bins are overflowing  and there's stuff every where I turn, piles, stacks, boxes full of trinkets and other found objects spilling out over the tops of shelves. Spring cleaning? Heck no, but I can hear the birds singing outside the windows, on the days that it's 65 instead of 35 degrees. So, I continue to ignore the obvious, which is the enormous amount of time I'd probably save by getting organized, and use all my 'extra' time to play. Last week I posted a small collage I'd done - a coffee cup filled with flowers, coffee beans, buttons... everything but coffee. And, what's with the birds? I don't know that the two necessarily 'go' together, but I wanted to find some elements I could use to experiment with color, texture and process. Using the same color themes to create different finished pieces, like a magnet made from a recycled puzzle piece and trimmed with beads and charms. I also love altering...

I spend a lot of studio time making light switch plates and magnets, ostensibly because they generate a (very) little cash - enough to help offset my supply bill, again, a very little. I recently decided to vary my substrates, add some excitement to my creative day.  The visual journal workshop rekindled my love for creating backgrounds, and techniques I learned from Pam Carriker came in very handy (I'll never run out of baby wipes again!). Though I didn't have a clue what the image would be, I knew I wanted to use shades of blue. And, I've been stuck on coffee and birds lately. Maybe because I discovered that I can draw both and I'm thrilled, albeit behind the curve a decade or so:); everything I touch will probably have a bird, or coffee cups and beans on or in it - for a time anyway.  A while back, in the letters section of several Somerset Magazines, readers made mention of the possible overuse of certain embellishments/ephemera in art pieces. Like crowns and wings,...

There are signs of spring.... crocuses frozen in clusters of tiny pearls, the slant of light not nearly as harsh in the late afternoon, the remnants of our ice storm finally cleared. I photographed this piece of ice a week or so ago, still in the yard plastered to the leaf that gives it its shape. Up at 1:30 this morning, for some unknown and unusual reason, I messed with it a bit in photoshop, thought I'd present it, an offering to the receding winter, one that has been a real dandy. The ice on my front porch did make a nice backdrop for the bracelet that broke... slid off my wrist as I was flinging my keys in the direction of the front door. boo. One of my favorites, though I must admit, I do love this photograph. Having found most all the parts, one day I may repair it so that I can enjoy wearing it again. I suppose that making a cool photo from a broken bracelet is one way of finding treasure where I stumble (no, I didn't fall:). Blessings can be difficult to spot amid the ...

This Peace Angel is for a winter wonderland-themed altered tin swap, still apropos considering the cold front that is approaching Kentucky. And it's only 30 degrees! Fortunately the altered attic is very well insulated and being on the third floor, stays toasty warm.   I may be a couple of months late  but fortunately my swap pal and I use the same calendar! Wonder if she has started on mine... I love altering tins and this time I wanted to try something new, so I made a cutout with my trusty dremel, and twisted the edges back for an uneven, yet, rustic look. It was also a good reason to heat up the beeswax, mmmm, love that smell and the way found objects, lace even, can be repositioned with a blast of the heat gun. Angels abound at Christmas but like Spruce trees, adorn our lives all year long. A gold halo and wings? How else would they fly... Love the little german glass doll that I snatched up at Kristin's Retro Art Cafe , along with an assortment of heads and other body par...

Playing around in Photoshop again... a bit of cabin fever perhaps? I was on the  Inspire Me Thursday  site, where last week's challenge - Peeling Paint - is still posted. So, I decided to rummage around for a starting point - and found an image I took last fall of a shutter. I've always been drawn to weathered wood, rusted metal, cracking finishes of any sort really. I hadn't ever thought of using this photo for a challenge but it seemed to fit, so I added flowers to the window section and brushed on a border treatment.  The flower is wishful thinking - we've been immersed in an icy, white world for nearly a week now - our annual storm. We've been fortunate enough to have power, unlike over 500,000 people in Kentucky who are without, including my dear friend, Kym, and her daughter, my daughter's bff, who are staying with us. My son and his posse tromp through fairly often, so we've had a houseful.  A mound of bacon and platter of pancakes this morning - a ra...

After 36 hours of ice and snow, we've got quite an accumulation - here's a view from the window seat in the Altered Attic, a cozy place to be. Unfortunately, the cherry tree may be a total loss. Fortunately, DH moved his vehicle out of the path of the limb that ended up crashing to the ground later in the morning. The kids have been out of school all week and I haven't had much studio time but I'm working on my Visual Journal, learning how to doodle!  This storm is widespread - leave me a comment and let me know how it's looking where you are!

One last holiday post... a photo of the tin I made for my mom this Christmas. It gets so much harder every year to find creative ways to gift, but I knew for certain that she didn't have an altered Altoid tin. Inside is a photo of the two Alices - my mother and daughter, with mementos from this year's Nutcracker, about which I've already gone on and on.   Over the break I spent a few hours cleaning the Altered Attic, packed away all the tissue, ephemera, ribbon and charms that I used to make Christmas  projects. And the bonus - I can now see the surface of my art table. So now I'm heading toward the new year, which doesn't officially begin until my kids return to school on Monday. One of the moderators of my art group - 14 Secrets for a Happy Artist's Life - posted the question: What do you want to accomplish artistically this year? I thought about it for a few days before posting an answer; one of the biggest advantages of belonging to this group, which is re...

I am in the habit of saying Merry Christmas; I'm a Presbyterian and I've grown up with most of the same traditions that I now practice with my own family. Like lighting a candle in church as we sing Silent Night on Christmas Eve.  To say Happy Holidays is not an attempt to generalize, only acknowledgment of those friends to whom Christmas isn't the focus of their December. So whether it be Hanukkah, Kwanza, or a quiet day away from the noise and fast pace, Happy Whatever You Celebrate.  Thanks for reading my blog! I appreciate the community I have grown to cherish and the comments I look for every time I post; the encouragement and friendships that keep me feeling a deep sense of connection to something much larger than my own little world, up in the attic where I explore mixed media and focus on creativity to keep my life in balance. Over the past couple of weeks, I  made a series of 4 x 4 canvases using a Christmas card that I cut apart - each phrase its own piece. I'...

I set out on a pre-Thanksgiving walkabout, part of a 3-week challenge I signed up at the last possible moment. The program was developed by Marguerite Bryant and I read about it on a post, I think on Creative Every Day.  Her method blends daily morning pages (remember Julia Cameron's groundbreaking stream-of-consciousness cleansing) and art journaling, prayer, partnering with buddies, with a focus on a creative goal. Mine is to stop worrying about what I didn't do, ran out of time for, left unfinished on the table... Take a 30 minute walk? I could do a wash on the series of three canvases I'm starting; I could wrap my mind around the two swaps I've stalled on... I could start a blog post.... It's well documented that writers and artists walk, though, and my feet are in good enough shape to facilitate so I grabbed my camera and, as my bff Karen does daily, took a time out to renew my vision. So, I ended up walking way longer than 30 minutes and finding some interest...

My bff (remember Frog & Toad?) Karen, recently finished a Biographia project, compiling, distilling, translating an amazing woman's life journey into gorgeous, handmade books. Karen is a master at listening, something we could all use a lesson or two in, and her writing is, well, visit her blog and you'll see.  If there are people who have at least one of everything they need, I can assure you this is the kind of gift that opens itself for generations to come.  Another childhood friend, Carol VanZandt , whose work is in collections around the world, creates stunning works that are unlike anything I've imagined. In Boston and then while living in Japan, she studied with masters of the art of Japanese Calligraphy; I find that meditating on her images, even tiny and on screen, charges the creative neurons. My friend Karin,  Beyond Words , posted yesterday one of the most amazing journal pages on pain and its relationship to spirit and body. Her recent surgery and lingering...