Patti Edmon Artist

This is one of my favorites (so far - ha). Jim and I were wandering around the small town of Cynthiana (Kentucky) and walked by an old store front and noticed these dolls mounted and stuck in a dusty corner, and I took a quick shot.That was back in 1988, maybe 1991, a long time ago to say the least! I'm still a bit stunned by the number of pieces I've been finishing and I love that the detail, texture, quirkiness, weathered or rusty surfaces I loved to photograph then are the way I paint now.   Having a chronic illness prevents me from roaming the countryside in search of interesting subjects. I've tried digital collage - wow that is such an entirely vast new universe - but love getting paint on my hands so for now I'm sticking with acrylics. And reinkers, pan pastels, stencils, fabric, paper scraps, old window screens, wallpaper*, fibers, embossing, resist, beeswax and other stuff in my studio. I'm so fortunate to have been able to collect such a diverse,...

I actually had the energy to take a photo walk the other day. The weather has changed fairly fast - as it usually does here - but it was a beautiful morning. Not the 100 degree days we'd had so many of, so I set out on my mission. My photo walks are a challenge - depending upon how far I can walk, in this case around the block - to see. Really see, notice small changes, details that might otherwise be missed. What a metaphor for living a creative life. I'm not sure my vision has improved but I finally had a 'happy' studio day. Something about making pieces for a gallery or hopefully to sell is very unnerving. I realize that I'm still fairly green, when it comes to making art anyway:) and I have to say that this is the first time I've experienced 'Monkey Mind' in the studio - questioning every move, not sure if I like or not, which color, etc. In my writing history, I had a similar experience while attending a series of advanced fiction...

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...

the hearts only bleed when the buds unfurl their red painted petals Inspire Me Thursday

I've had a fascination with doors since the 80s, when I photographed with a medium format and printed my own black and whites. I saw this last week, while we were at the lake, and it called out to me. After I snapped the photograph - not even with my good camera, I started looking around for other subjects. As any of you photo-hounds know, there is never any shortage of subject matter, no matter where you are! After we got back, I was visiting one of my favorite blogs,   The Last Door Down the Hall , Elizabeth Golden is a truly gifted artist; she even gives away cool vintage images on a regular basis! Sure enough, there was a fabulous image of a door that I'd highly recommend viewing, along with the rest of her wonderful collection of photos and art.  While at the lake we were lucky enough to spot deer that were nice enough to stand still; I had to take the photo in low light from quite a distance. These days, maybe deer aren't altogether fascinating - my good friend in Min...

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...

Photoshop collage , originally uploaded by pattiedmon1 . In my spare time, I've started playing in Photoshop again. I did this collage a couple of weeks ago, and, since I haven't been able to upload photos directly to Blogger, I'm experimenting with Flickr. If anyone else has had similar difficulties I'd appreciate hearing about it. This collage is composed of a photo of my Aunt taken in the early 1950s, a photo from last summer of roses draping over the back gate and a poem that I wrote in sixth grade, which is, hopefully faint enough for the text to be visible without the words being too readable. Photoshop is such a vast playground I have stayed away since beginning to work in mixed media. Years ago, when I had to stop working in the darkroom, first because of being pregnant, then because I never had the chunks of time to devote, I did a lot of photo manipulation, painting and other fun stuff. I'm taking a Visual Journaling Workshop now, so I'd better get bac...

I love the first days of fall, when the nights are chilly and the mornings crisp, the mums and summer blossoms that linger as the trees begin their transformation. I love walking around the neighborhood and discovering all the different ways people express their sentiments about the changing season. I love Third Street Stuff , which now carries my art pieces (yay), always has a warm and inviting atmosphere and a coffee shop that serves freshly roasted brew and a kind of cake - I don't know the name of it but it should be called instant addiction. And pumpkin chai. I also love Hendrick, who makes my pumpkin chai, latte or whatever I'm drinking that day. His smile, like his attitude and his spirit is, well, the best word I can think of to describe him is real. A deep and positive word and a hug from Hendrick have made more than one of my days. I love enchiladas. Especially when my mother makes them and my dad drops them off.  She has been sending me dinner once a week, knowing th...

Pulled in too many directions, kids having trouble adjusting to their new school, the dog is sick, my arthritis flaring.... make for a tentative foundation of courage and strength, faith. A couple of weeks in this state is enough for me - hard to focus on keeping the pets fed and getting dinner made, let alone create the art for the swaps I've committed to... experiment with the techniques I've been putting aside forever, finding a deep, sacred space where I can connect the inner self with the universe, filling journal pages with wild abandon. I found a fabulous blog - an artist who expresses her daily experiences with amazing imagery that is, well, quite enviable. See what you think -  visit Karin at Beyond Words.  I love to dabble with photographs - find it very calming. Not quite the blank slate the painter approaches, tabula rasa, but an inviting image to explore and get lost in; starting with a perfectly lovely flower in shades of pale pinks and soft greens, I've begu...

I don't buy tickets for the lottery, cake walks or raffles - unless it's for charity. I experience at least my fair share of good fortune, but I'm just not one of those 'lucky' people. How does one improve odds? Or is it luck or coincidence anyway... accident or fate? A bit of research reveals beliefs that are as varied as they are fascinating.   There are schools of thought that ponder whether fate can be explained by  mathematical occurrences ;  some believe that every move is guided by the hand of God, driven by fate. Then there is Deepak Chopra's  Synchrodestiny , the magic of connecting with the underlying field of infinite possibilities; the ability to see amazing potential in every moment. If, in fact, we study these convenient occurrences, we can even increase the number and quality of our daily coincidences.   From a mathematical perspective, I had fairly decent odds of winning the Fairy Girl Bird Box, a beautiful creation by Ragamuffin Gal, (she picked...

How many of you use Blog Catalog? I listed Altered Attic hoping to widen my circle will widen and sure enough, heard back from my new friend, Collage Contessa , whose blog shows up in the "similar blogs" panel on my BC page.  If you check out her latest post, you'll see she's been on vacation too! I think I'll invent one, in the hopes that by using a little creativity while traveling through blog-land I can vicariously experience the beach and other cool places.  No pity parties here though! I got to do the deMeng workshop and DH did an illustration conference in New York a couple of weeks ago, so we've had our share of adventures. Summer at home with two kids, a dog, two cats and a hamster makes for some fairly lively days. Trips to the pool, photo-walks and visiting friends... hey, I just saved on accommodations! Now if I can squeeze in some studio time. Fortunately the last half-dozen light switch plates I made sold, so I'm working on another batch. I u...

Ever since I joined Leah in the call to be  Creative Every Day  I have payed more attention to the infinite ways in which we express our creative selves aside from making art in the studio - viewing something as simple as a sign or the beauty of nature, how we arrange our surroundings (notice I didn't say 'organizing'),or finding new ways to meditate. Photography has always been my medium of choice for recording my daily walk and I'm always delighted to notice an odd detail in the otherwise ordinary.  I picked my daughter up at camp the other day and dashed into the restroom before making the hour long drive home. Not sure why I felt compelled to take a photograph of this sign, it just kinda cracked me up that such a formal word was, well, a bit worn. If it hadn't been securely attached (and at a church camp:) I might have considered it a found object and brought it home for a bit more grunging. Oh, the other sign said 'Men,' were they trying to save on lett...