Year End Spread

Well This spread i just completed in a very special journal that I haven't worked in for a while. With the new year approaching I sometimes try to look ahead-vision things that I want to work on both personally and in my art making. Things have seemed so chaotic- with the hate spewing in the political scene that I try to avoid but it is almost impossible and this is across the globe- and the weather extremes seem to be happening more and more. So I try to set intentions for how I want to grow and to help where I can help. Wishing all of you a New Year filled with Love good health and art.

Post Thanksgiving Studio Time

These are my finished pieces for lesson three in the monoprinting class I am taking. These are all 8 inches square.  The first two lessons dealt with different ways to print to get color variety and pattern.  So this assignment was printing some shapes right on the 8 x 8 paper and also then collaging with pieces of the prints from the first two lessons.  I tend to really work with photographic images and ephemera when I do my collage work - I have used monoprints for backgrounds before but these are compositions using the grid format per her instructions.  I am really enjoying this class- I end up trying things that I wouldn't have on my own.

Art of The Selfie Class

I shared my first project for this class and I will share the the other projects for it- I have one left to do. The second project was to do one of our past. Here is my take on the past one- Didn't exactly follow directions but did use maps and drew things. I grew up in Iowa- worked for a seed corn company - loved chasing butterflies-  and making things- I told my second grade teacher I was going to be an artist.

The next one was us looking out to the future- not so sure about this one. Well here is my take on Dreaming Forward.  I taught art for 36 years mostly in the public schools but my last 8 years I was at the university level- I retired have taught a couple of workshops in my home studio but I live in a remote area and there is not a lot of interest in art classes- our art center has tried as well. I taught a mixed media journaling class on Widbey Island off Seattle this summer and I realized how much I missed it. So the new chapter means maybe a move in the next couple of years.  I am in a few online art groups and have been doing collaborations with other artists from around the world and I want to continue that- continue to share my art and knowledge.  And I will forever be a life long learner. The color on my face isn't that yellowish on the actual piece.

The next on was to be
Outside World- What I choose to show about myself.I have strived to be what-you-see-is-who-I-am.  I was lucky in my teaching career that I didn't have to dress up-  so I didn't have work clothes and home clothes I just had my clothes. SO I chose to have the body be one of those old medical illustrations showing the inside including my heart.  I made the shirt out of a piece of yellow vellum and rubber stamped the small coffee cup all over for a pattern- I am a coffee  lover- I drink way too much but just love the flavor- a Minnesota based coffee company had this on their cups :Life is Short- Stay Awake for it". The pocket had to have some art tools- pencil brush and crayon.  Then I stamped coffee cups all over the background and then painted over them so they just peeked through.  I enjoyed this assignment

Here is the 5th assignment. We were to show what's inside of us that we don't often share.  Well Here is my inside selfie.  As is often the case I didn't follow directions. I used a stencil for the background grid- I am a Virgo and sometimes the urge to have tidiness wins out- so my grid isn't free form. The color in the squares was applied with my eBrush- a cool airbrush that uses art markers.  I did journal around the squares. So the objects inside- the ruler is for that fear that I won't measure up-it not really the internal critic- I do have to kick his butt frequently though.  I try to have no locked doors so there's the key in case I forget and lock one.  The car for the fear of not being able to go places.  For years I didn't partly because my husband hates to travel- so I started going to visit my art pals.  I also travel this past summer to Whidbey Island off Seattle to teach a mixed media journal class with my friends Brian and John.  The bird is there both because I love birds and use them in my art a lot and this blue bird of happiness is just to represent my needing to remember what it is that makes me happy.   The little magnifying glass is for my looking too closely sometimes and over thinking things.  I loved this assignment. I painted my portrait right on the plexi glass.

Catching Up

Finally getting caught up on an online class and started another one.  The one I just started is a monoprinting class with Jane Davies. http://janedaviesstudios.com/ I had taken a terrific class with her a couple of years ago so when I saw she was offering this online for the first time I signed up right away. Below is the first assignment.  we are making papers to collage with later on.

The other online class I am taking is The Art of the Selfie from Brian Miller. http://brianmillerart.com/  The first portrait was to be one of where we are right now.  The assignment was to paint four sheets of watercolor paper using an analogous scheme.  Then printed out  a black and white picture and cut the highlights from one paper the shadows from another and the base from another and with the last one  was used to cut out features like glasses and the sweater.

Back Home

Not sure where to start on this one- Just back a few days from a wonderful vacation. Saw incredible natural beauty and incredible art. Seeing beautiful fall color in the mountains of North Carolina made coming back home to bare trees here in northern Minnesota a hard one! Getting to spend time exploring this area with my dear friend Thomas LaBadia and our partners was so special- so many mixed emotions as this was also a trip to see if this would be a place to relocate in a couple of years- Always sad when something so special ends- so that was my frame of mind when I did this spread this afternoon.

Stencil Project

I was asked by Mary Nasser- the woman that does the blog for Stencil Girl to do a project using some of their stencils.  Stencil Girl is MaryBeth Shaw's company.  http://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/
 I have enjoyed using stencils as design elements in some of my monoprint work.  My guest artist post is today.  I choose to make an Exploding Box.  As you will see the finished project is a box and once the lip is removed the box "explodes" apart. You can do a google search for directions to make one of these which is what I did.

Using heavy hot press watercolor paper I cut out the parts.

I decided I wanted to make the box look like an old brick building.  I painted the parts with a light colored paint first and then used a brick stencil.

To make the building look old I used a technique my friend John Arbuckle taught me. http://artjuvenation.blogspot.com/  To make it look like peeling paint I covered part of the pieces with petroleum jelly.  I painted a different color over that and it acts as a resist. When the paint was dry I rubbed off the paint that had the jelly underneath.  I loved the look this gave the box pieces.

I then printed out some windows I found online.  The stencil I decided to use are ones Seth Apter (http://thealteredpage.blogspot.com/) designed for Stencil Girl.  They are graffiti themed.  You can see on the piece for the lid I started on that.

I turned the piece over and collaged the inside of the box or building.

Next I painted the second box piece and then used the stencils on it.

Here you see the completed box exterior.  I used a fun tool called an eBrush to get the stencil designs on the box.  I felt it really mimicked the spray paint that is most often used on buildings.  http://www.craftwellusa.com/products/ebrush

Here is the box "exploded" open.  This was a lot of fun.  I think often artists forget to have fun with their work.  This was not only fun but I learned a lot using some techniques I seldom use.

 

Completed Book Collaboaration

I finished my book that Kim R. Draper started.  The first three photos are of her starts for the inside of the book followed by two photos showing my finish.

Kim's left side spread

Kim's right side spread

shot of full inside before my finish

My finish of the inside

The completed inside standing up

Next will the same order for the back side of the book

Kim's left side of the back of the book

Kim's right side of the back of the book

Back side of the book before my finish

Completed back side of the book

Completed back side of the book standing up

Is It Really Mid September??

Once again time has just zoomed by.  I have been busy with several projects.  I am posting some mail art things here. I am making some Artist trading Cards (ATCs)  to trade with some folks.  I also did 3 more of the postcards.  There is something so fun about working in these small sizes.

ATC with Gelli Print background

Now for the postcards.

Last of this series of postcards

Here are the last of the postcards from this series. I had so much fun with this.  Enjoy.

This last one is a postcard with John Arbuckle's background.  I accidentally took this one home so I collaged it with his permission.

Postcards Part Two

Here is the next group of postcards. I really did have fun with these.  I hope to get them in the mail today.  I still love doing mail art.