Thursday, January 22, 2009

Valentine collages



After working in the public schools art programs for so many years and being steered clear of doing anything for the "holidays" as that was out dated and so behind the times...I pretty much had avoided doing anything specifically for any holiday. Then today while looking through my papers - I distinctly heard my muse pulling me toward doing some Valentines. These are 8"x8".

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Gloomy Day

Finished Tiles pictured with powdered pigments and embellishments.

Mosaic Tiles: First step shape with hands then press rubber stamps or anything 3-D in surface.


I woke up with a neck ache and headache to what seemed like day 965 of dreary skies. Decided I wasn't feeling well enough to go workout, big mistake. Amazingly I did get some art work done.

My sister gave me some plastic dried orange slice Christmas decorations which I put to good use with this water color painting that I completed last night at the studio.

I purchased a book last week " Mixed Media Mosaics" So last night I started playing with some Fimo clay and rubber stamps.

Today I got out some jars of Pearl Ex Powdered Pigments I had had for awhile and had never used. I wasn't sure how to use them or what they were for, but they looked a lot like what was demonstrated in the book. They are pretty cool. I dry brushed them on the clay. Then found some beads, jewels and embellishments. The last step was to put them in the toaster oven at 225 degrees for 30 minutes. After 5 minutes we put the toaster oven outside so the fumes wouldn't get to us. I will use these in various projects at a later date. Now I have to buy more clay in other colors!

Monday, January 19, 2009

Monday Playtime in the studio



Saturday I went to a couple of art studio's with my friend Nancy and to a thrift store to gather some more ideas. Sunday I went Skiing up in the sunshine and got out of this horrible inversion. Today was spent "playing" in my studio and I came up with two new pieces.

The first piece relates to my ABC theme and uses a lot of my miniatures that I have collected from various places including, New Mexico, Texas, Mexico and Belize.

The second one is named "No Maintenance Pet" Except for a few assorted cats and dogs I had with my first husband 25 years ago I have never had any pets in my adult life. Reasons: I like to travel and don't want to have to worry about what to do with them. I do not like hair on my clothes, furniture etc. I do not like to clean up poop. Hence all the reasons for my "No Maintenance Pet." $25 SOLD

Friday, January 16, 2009

Artist Date


This piece is named "Community Garden" After the Sunset Community Garden that I joined as a working member last year. I always said I had a brown thumb and do not have a garden of my own, so have really enjoyed learning and harvesting this past year.

This piece I finished Tuesday at the studio, and have named it "Come Hell or High Water" which are the words printed on the cork. The wine cork is from the Hell's Canyon Vineyard on the Oregon /Idaho border. I hiked 7 devils this summer, on the edge of Hell's Canyon and took the short "climber's route" up and over the "devils" to get back to the car- I was horrified at this prospect as I had never considered myself a climber or stupid enough to attempt something like that. But I lived through it and actually had fun. This piece looks kind of creepy...the hair- like strands are actually brown glue, melted and draped over the tin. I have long thin straight hair that has always tormented me, this reminds me of my bathroom counter after I comb my hair. But back to 7 devils...at one point during our trip, my husband and the rest of the party went on a bag-peaking day hike, while I stayed at camp and babysat Milo the dog. Around the time they were to return I heard a huge rock slide and ran to see 3 people returning and not the 5 that had left earlier and was convinced my husband was buried forever under heavy rocks, but later found out he and another friend had decided to do another peak and were not buried in the debri.
The rock with a whole in it is from Texas and reminds me of a skull.

Artist Date:

My daughter came back from visiting her dad in Texas yesterday and we spent the day today on an "Artist Date" Those of you that have followed Julia Cameron's "The Artists Way", will understand this concept as doing something for yourself to inspire your creative side. We spent the day scouring antique shops and thrift stores. She bought a jewelry box that she is currently visually enhancing, while I am working on my blog. I bought a postcard from the turn of the century with writing on the back that says " This is our Home", this will be incorporated in an assemblage to come - the other piece I tried to buy had no tag and she refused to sell it, so I left my business card and hope to get a call as those two pieces are inextricably tied together!

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Long Distance Friendships


I have had this old metal mailbox for quite some time. I bought it from a mixed media artist in Texas. Even when we downsized and sold most of our belongings, I hung on to this one for some reason.

I have always liked shrines...I have participated in many "Dia De Los Muertos" art shows were I had to create a shrine...one was for my grandmother...one was for musicians that had died.

I have been missing and thinking about many of my best girlfriends over the years that I have either moved away from or they moved from were I met them. Back in the "old" days" we kept in touch my mail. It would take a few weeks to more than a month to hear back from them or them from me.

I then got this idea to turn the mailbox into a Shrine to Long Distance Friendships. Collaged around it are various pieces from traveling, glued on it are various charms and beads and in the center opening is a vintage photos of two girls that says "friends" and a brass angel looking over them from Mexico. SOLD

Monday, January 12, 2009

Inspiration needed on a cloudy day


Art everyday....be creative every day...a portrait a day....seems like everyone that I know that is an artist has committed to do this this year. Trouble is the last 2 years I did a journal page a day and got burned out on it and now I can't seem to get fired up about something new to do.

I went to the museum today for their new docent training- I was all excited about doing this and then found out I would be missing 6 of the 15 required training days as we are going on another T@B cross-country journey. So the lady in charge said I should wait and get in on the training next year. boo hoo. Though I am excited about traveling again. And who knows maybe this new blog will be my daily creative outlet.

My other thoughts on the theme idea- I completed 26 pieces of art based on the alphabet October through November. I just completed the White Mirror- maybe my next series will be based on colors.

This is a bowl I did over the New Year Holiday when both of my kids were in town and we all went to the local pottery place. This was a memory painting based on a hike I did up in Stanley Idaho and painted a scene of the Sawtooth mountains and Redfish Lake.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

What kind of drugs are you taking?


After holed up in my studio Friday afternoon I proudly came out and showed off newest creation "Senor Raton" to my husband. He said "how did you come up with that idea" and I replied , "it just popped into my head" and he said, "What kind of drugs are you taking back there?"

Friday, January 9, 2009

Mirror Mirror on the wall...


...who's the biggest slacker of all. So at almost 50 years old, for the first time in my life I am getting my wish of being a full time artist...but now not holding down a "real job" I feel like a slacker. People always ask, aren't you bored? What do you do all day? Which makes me feel a little guilty...Yesterday I read my horoscope for LIBRA:

"It takes a lot of time to be a genius," said Gertrude Stein. "You have to sit around so much doing nothing, really doing nothing." I agree with her statement which is why I have high hopes that you're going to tap into more of your dormant genius in the coming days. The cosmic rhythms are nudging you to enjoy a time of profound slack, and I think there's a good chance you'll agree to that."

Well now that I have permission from the cosmos to slack...I am actually back to getting my creative juices flowing once again. I completed my project based on the snow I saw over New Year- an assemblage piece named: "Mirror Mirror on the Wall" and started a second piece which I will post this weekend.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

CHAOS


Lately I had been feeling like I had too much in my head and was too scattered to really accomplish much of anything. I would start one task, see something else that needed attention...start on that...etc. Then I came across this quote the another night: "You need chaos in your head to give birth to a dancing star." Friedrich Nietzsche good- now I am validated and won't worry about it.
Above photo is me snowshoeing at Galena Summit on New Years Weekend, the only thing going thru my head then, other than how beautiful it was - was I sure hope this slope doesn't give way under the weight of the new snow! Avalanche Warning signs were posted as we started up. We did hear some whumping sounds of snow shifting but other than getting my leg caught in a tree well all went well and we had a great day.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

A New Year a New Start


My kids have been home for the holidays (I was glad to see them) but I did not get much done. We have a small house and since my studio is the guest room...I saw more dirty socks than artistic inspirations. One is now back at school and the other is in Texas visiting her dad, so last night I went to my artist group (The Gypsy Gallery) pot luck and was re-inspired to get back to my artistic endeavors. Marianne told me about a blog she is following "Creativeeveryday" after looking at that blog and several others, I am making a new commitment to get back to my creative "roots". The collage above (Junk Mail Blues) I entered today in the juried exhibition "We Art Women." and I started on a "found object" mirror...inpsired by my recent snowshoe trips and a photo I saw of a tree all covered in snow. More to come...