It’s baaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!

 

My round robin “Nature” book has returned home…..filled to the brim with some really cool, imaginative and creative artwork!

You may remember the post I did HERE.  I shared the book I had made for the round robin just before I put it into the mail in November 2011! 

This is the cover.

I converted two children’s board books, the kind where all the pages are made of cardboard, into one very sturdy book.

Nature was my theme and Amy’s (in Louisiana) interpretation of the that theme was this……

“Wood Nymphs”, butterflies, dried flowers and lots of color!

Next came the pages that I created to start the book off………

Then there is Corinne’s (a fellow Oregonian) fabulous contribution…..made with fabric that was cut, trimmed, written on, outlined, stamped and generally altered to make these beauties.

From Texas, former Oregonian, Margie envisioned the nature theme like this…..

Having lived in Oregon, she knows we have trees….lots of big, big trees!  There is always a song in the forest and she celebrated it here!   Connie, in the state of Washington, was last to work in the book and was the grand finale, for sure!  Her specimen page fit perfectly into the theme and came complete with dried leaves, drawings, diagrams and definitions….not to mention…..a real Dragonfly, preserved under glass!

Trust me the pictures do NOT do the art work justice!  They look good, but in real life they look even better.

This was a great round robin!  There were only five participants but each one sent out the most outstanding books and all of the work was so very well done.  I have had a ball, thank you for inviting me to participate Amy!  You did a great job putting it all together.

Excitement arrives by mail……….

 

Yes, one of my reduction prints was published in this month’s issue of Cloth Paper Scissors on Page 90!  How fun is that.

Mine is the one in green and yellow.  I am traveling in some talented company, believe me.  I’m very pleased and surprised to be included.

Here are the others I submitted……..I liked the rooster!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have some more fun news! 

Starting Sunday, Feb. 26 through Saturday, March 3 my calendar art will be featured on the web-site Create Mixed Media.  You can see by clicking HERE!

Sneak peek!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend….I know mine is off to a good start!

Wax works…..

 

Been experimenting with encaustics…..I can see why this medium is becoming so popular, as a beginner, I’ve learned there is little real control and a lot of happy “accidents”!

This is cloth, paper and metal….all buried in waxy goodness.

Close up of details!

This one is small, 4”x4”, paper and wax….I think the title should be “Fried Egg”! LOL

This one is a little larger….it is wax over paper with some India ink for the final touches!

The last one isn’t finished but I love the color combo and the small bits of REAL silver leaf.

 

 

 

Photo is a bit dark but I love the colors…green paper with light blue and gold/white.  I’m not sure where I’m going with this….I’ll show you when I’m finished.

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you will leave a comment….I love hearing from you.

Signs of spring….

 

Oregon, like many other parts of the country, has had a strange winter….weather wise!  Not much rain, then too much rain, only about two weeks of cold weather otherwise, very mild leading some to think it’s spring….already.

 

The miniature daffodils are opening up early, normally, the purple crocus would bloom first….not at the same time.

 

Our living room windows look out over this lovely field of lavender!

Now for some sunshine and 70 degree weather….awwwwwwwww!

Do you want to enjoy some more outdoor fun?  Follow me to Outdoor Wednesday and enjoy a few more outdoor experiences.

From my sweetie……

 

DH and I decided, a few years back, that it was more fun to give each other hand written notes or cards for special occasions instead of something from the store.  Ours are much more personal and thoughtful than store bought….and in Hubby’s case, his are usually funnier!

So, this is what I did in my journal to save his card from this year……

I put it inside the heart……

And on the other page….a practice page for my Letter Love 101 class!

Together……….

Age is just a number……

 

and Dear Hubby will be reaching a milestone birth number, later this year!

So, naturally, I journaled about it!  It was kind of fun to try to build pages that were representational of another person, easier than doing one for yourself I think. 

This spread speaks to his love of reading, cats, Japan, his quoting Shakespeare, love of history, Rome, blue his favorite color, fishing, his stint in the Marines during the Korean Conflict and  a few more traits and interests are eluded to and a few more that could be added…..he has lived a rich and varied life.

It all started with a simple sketch I did of him one evening while he was wearing his headphones and watching television.

Learning to write……

 

I’m a little late to the party but I just signed up to take Joanne Sharpe’s Letter Love 101 class.  The session, actually, began February 1.  She is offering 29 days of wonderful and imaginative classes on hand lettering, in other words, fancy ways to write your “abc”s.

It all starts with a composition book…..recovered!

And some old fashioned practice pages……

If you love to create with lettering or just want to improve your handwriting…this class could be for you.  To learn more, or to just enjoy the beauty of letter forms, go to Joanne's blog.

Cleaning out?

 

Sometimes we just have to laugh at our selves! 

This week I spent, maybe, four hours cleaning out drawers and shelves in my craft room…..sorting, reorganizing, straightening, dusting….and I thought destashing!

Really, this is what I removed…by removed I mean, stuff I can live without!

Yep! Enough to fill a cigar box!

I really did have to laugh when I realized that this and one wastepaper basket full of trash were all I got rid of……but, what’s left is very organized!

I know you can tell, just by looking, that everything on these shelves is very, very necessary for art making and MUST be kept because someday I’ll NEED it!

This, by the way, is my “spray paint booth”!  Just a cardboard box with one side removed, I’ve actually seen something similar for sale at an art store.  It comes in very handy for spraying indoors, however, if you’re using oil based spray paint….I’d take it outdoors.  But for water based sprays, it keeps the spray under control and off of your work table, works pretty slick I think.

Next week, I’ll go through a few more drawers and shelves to see if I have another cigar box load of materials I can unload!

Random…….

 

……..thoughts and actions!

Last Saturday was the last class, of a four class series, in encaustics for me……sad to see it end.  Now, I need to practice on my own.

Above is paper collage and encaustic wax and below is an experiment using the stamps I carve.  Seems one fish met up with a sea lion who managed one big bite! 

Hey, we learn by experimentation…..this one is paper (i.e. a map) that I stamped with the fish and then applied clear encaustic on the top with colored wax on the bottom, interesting results.  I like the map but I don’t like the colors and it would be safer to stamp first, then apply the map to the board.  The stamping surface would then be flat and easier to get a clean print, without the seal bite and part of a missing tail!

Then I did a sketch of Mr. Laugh A Lot watching T.V. with his head phones on, sitting in his favorite chair with a cat on his lap!

Sort of a resemblance…except one eye is a little “wonky” and the eye glasses are a bit off”.  That was interesting, I haven’t drawn a man-person in years….maybe, not ever.

Then, last but not least, I told you about the group who gets together at the bakery/coffee shop to do art…..well, we are leaving little art gifts for the other customers!  We are making and sharing “guerilla” art!  Here are a few pieces I’ll be dropping off soon.

 

The weather has been dry and sunny, so we’ve been doing a little yard work, too…..so, you see many random activities are taking place in my world! 

Our budding arteeest!

 

Today was the last day in the series of encaustic classes I’ve been taking…..so I invited guests to come see what I’ve been doing. 

And what do you know, our up and coming family artist, Emma, jumped up on the stool and went to work.

So, here we are…..Emma painting on the liquid wax and Grandma Jan supervising.

Next, we light the torch and start bonding our layers of wax.  Her mother was taking the photos, so yes, Emma’s mom knows I am teaching her daughter to play with fire!  Very safely, I might add.

Emma applies another layer of wax while our classmate, Linda, uses the torch on her work.

Aunt Jan gets a closer look at how the wax melts and fuses.  Yes, in our family, there is a Grandma Jan and an Aunt Jan!

So, now, we have added a transfer and carved a flower in the light blue.  Can you see it?

Our teacher, Pam, shows Emma how to fill in the lines of the carved flower with red wax. 

Emma’s nearly finished masterpiece.  We did not get a photo of the finished piece but it was delightful!

Some of the best times I’ve had have been while sharing and encouraging my kids, grandkids and, now, great-grandchildren the joys of making things with your own hands and encouraging their creative skills.  Today was no exception!

Amy’s altered book………..

 

This is one of the pages I just completed for Amy’s altered book.  Amy organized this altered book round robin and it has been incredible….I should say the books have been incredible!  Each book has a theme, set by the owner, and believe me when I say these women have out done themselves.  Each book was a masterpiece to begin with and I have had the pleasure of adding my touch to each one.

This one goes in the mail today and tomorrow I will receive in the mail the last book I will work on in this round robin.  It is a bittersweet moment…..I’m excited to see my finished book but sorry to see the exchange end.