Giveaway & new video workshop available

Giveaway & new video workshop available



PRAISE THE LORD! I found a christian artist today and am enjoying watching her paint. So delicate compared to Gary. It is truly amazing how God has gifted the artist to be so different from one another, and yet, it is the Lord's creation first, then ours.

Action Painting

I love this style of art work. I learned alot about abstract back in the 1970's and now am doing the same type of art but with a smaller collage.

Healing Art Journal

Willowings Free Class -"I Am Thinking About You"

Journaling-I wish I had from youth

In the Somerset Magazines, I have read that so many artists had journal in some form and still have their journals.

Oh, how I wish someone had introduced me to do journaling.

I had a penpal in Japan, Brazil and Denmark. So I letter wrote, but did not journal in the way it is known today. I scrap booked the Beatles. I do not have any of this today. I had a cheap little diary with key at one time I remember. I guess it just was not the time.

I still struggle journaling daily. I have tried all sorts of notebooks, scrapbooks, drawing pads. I have thrown many away after I had first started. Don't know why. Just can't seem to deal with starting something and not finishing.

Childhood Memories of Art

Being the only child at home, my one brother was in Germany in the Army and my other brother was 18 years older than me, and when I was born, he had just left to live on his own.

The Christmas stocking was the most fun for me as I grew up. My parents filled it with goodies along with crafts and supplies. I think that is how I really began. My Babi (great grandmother in Polish) didn't speak English and almost every Saturday night, we went to her house to visit and my aunt who was taking care of her. Lawrence Welk would be playing on the Saturday night tv at 7:00 and I had nothing to do. So, I would bring my craft.

Let me tell you about some of the things I did when I was around 6 years old, and am still experimenting today.

I would make chains out of precut paper with lickable glue on the ends to stick together.

I loved the white glue paste they had. It smelled like wintergreen and I used to spread that on my newspaper articles like the Beatles and stick them in an old scrap book.

Punch art which I do not seem to see in any stores today was great. There was the yarn, the board with the pattern on it and the little punching tool.

I had How To Draw Cartoons soft paperback book by Walters I believe. And I, my cousin, pencil in hand along with cheap manila drawing paper, would draw and redraw the funny fat man, or skinny tall lady, the policeman with whistle in his mouth, the horse that had floppy legs..and on and on.

I had a small knitting tool, yarn and needles and would knit little squares and rectangles to put on my Barbie Dolls thinking they had on beautiful sweaters.

My little sewing machine was plastic and always got the thread and needle stuck in the fabric, having to pull apart the stitching, fix the sewing machine and start again.

I would cut fabric swatches and make carpets for my dolls.

As I got better in my sewing, I made a Raggedy Ann Doll and a little felt elf.

Junior High was an experience. Miss Needle Nose Neery they would call my teacher, taught us the fundamentals of the sewing machine, hand stitches and pattern sewing and simple pattern making. I was able to make a multi layered skirt, a cape, a plaid jumper, silky pants and blouse, and my own design of a bonnie bell type cotton shirt with the sleeves dipping a bit off of the elbows.

My high school did not have an art program nor music program. You could take an art class or be in the band which I did both. Realizing that these were my two loves and interests, I furthered my education.

Mori Girl

These are the cutest outfits that I just came upon. As I looked upon many photos of Mori Girls, I realized "Wow" I could draw and paint these little petit girls.

Cloth Paper Magazine

Check out the latest Cloth Paper Studios Magazine. It gives a small history of various artists, their works and about their studios. Many artists have begun by the kitchen or diningroom table, so have patience in that small spaces can turn out to larger places eventually.

Many of the studios artists have in magazines are huge and beyond my belief that I could have one that large but also there are some that are in humble size. This magazine has the dimensions of the rooms and this issue has small sized studios. The studios may not have the same structure or sized windows as my room.

My room has two small windos facing the shady side of the house. It has two huge doorways; one leadin to he kitchen, the other leading to the dining room. I have tried to close the one doorway with bookshelves but it made the room too closed in. I have acquired many supplies and ephemera. Collage and mixed media is such a great art but tough because you acquire all sorts of stuff from fabrics, paints, three dimensional objects, boxes, frames, canvases, stamps, sewing machine, beads, papers, tools and on and on so then new space needs to be created creatively.

I go through this every couple of months with changing, switching and finding better ways to display and work. The couple of months is here already. So get creative with me and send me your pictures of your work space and we can brain storm ideas.

Slovenia

As I was checking out my stats today for my blog, I noticed that somene from Slovenia has come to my page.


WELCOME. I looked up Slovenia online to see where it is located, what you eat, what your architure is like and what your land is like. It is extremely interesting, and I love your land. Beautiful! The Alps must be amazing.

I am polish and was wondering if I had much in common with a slovenian.

Our earth is just so beautiful, I stand amazed daily of what the Lord has created. Nothing is new under the sun. My artwork is just a copy of HIS works.

Craigs List and "SALE" Bookshelves (Towers)

If anyone is local to me in Massachusetts, 1 hour away from Boston, I am selling them for $150.00 both. There are no scratches, nics or marks and they fit alot of items. Glass shelves and cubbies underneath and also, lights!

Art Supplies and Bookshelves

I am trying to decide what to keep and what to get rid of. You may ask "why"?
The room is getting too cluttery now. There was a great armoirat Sally's the other day and I kept going in to see if they would 1/2 sale on furniture. Went back yesterday, and the armoire was gone! "Figures" I said in my mind. Should have grabbed it when I could but was trying to be frugal. I think it would be good if I had most of my supplies hidden behind closed doors which will organize and make the room less cluttered. It is a small room as it is and I love the fireplace and my window seat in there so I guess I have to compromise a bit.
I am trying to sell my white book cases (towers)on Craigs List. Then I would have the money to get a different piece of furniture. Unfortunate, I saw that armoire and loved it. Oh Well!

Healing Art Journal

This is a board book. I went to a store nearby that sells children's books for $1.49
This was the only board book with tabs and I loved the size of the book.

So, after I watched Willowing's classes, I began. I used french antique papers, some currogated cardboard, gesso and modge podge "Sparkle". I figured seeing that this was a healing art journal, and the pages will have pictures of me and drawings of little petit girls, I would add the sparkle.

I gessoed one page spread already, and began sketching to get ready for the journal. I may go about things a bit different than Tam from Willowing. Wait and see!

Willowing-Free Class

Working on my second assignmnt, which Tam from Willowing gave us an extra week.
I found my board book to work out of. I sanded down the pages. Applied french papers and some currogated card board to the cover of the board book to alter it. I used sparkle Modge Podge on top. The book is revealing a bit of my when I was a child. I sanded and gessoed the next set of pages. I love this board book. It has about eight tabs, is a bit larger than a journal, and the pages are wonderfully sturdy. Now I have to find a couple pictures of me to make transfers on the new gessoed surfaces. I may sand again just to be abit smoother.

Pottery Barn Getting Creative Part 2

I made my way to AJ Wrights the other day (like Marshalls) just to see if I could pick up a vase that looked like the one I found in Pottery Barn. It was yellow with little round handles on both sides of the vest. It was filled with pussy willow branches. A huge cornucopia was next to this Portuguese style pottery on a pedestal table in Pottery Barn. Determined to find a vase similar, was Marshalls, TJ Maxx or AJ Wrights. Voila and on sale too with the silk ferns included. Cornucopias can be found in the Salvation Army or second hand shops. They are an item people don't keep for long. Found one YAHOO!. My pottery and cornucopia ar much smaller to fit on my size table.

Pottery Barn just makes the table settings stunning. Maybe I can't have that qualilty of items for my home, but I am able to come up with similar ideas for my Thanksgiving Day table setting.