On the Road Again . . .

I'm heading for the Oregon Coast tomorrow morning for seven glorious days at Cascade Head, more specifically, Sitka Center for Art and Ecology. Although the class I'm taking at Sitka doesn't start until Monday morning, Howard and I are heading out early to do a little beachcombing, relaxing, and maybe a bit of hiking (or not).

The class? Painting With Natural Forces: Sand, Sun and the Tides. The instructor is the talented Judy Vogland -- I was lucky enough to take this class a few years ago and I'm thrilled to be taking it again. We'll be working large, so the car is packed to the gills with five big canvases. On some I'll be putting sand (yes, sand, so stay tuned for more about the process) and on the others will be collage. BIG BIG BIG! Today was packing day (and a wee bit of playing) at my studio. Thank heavens for a class supply list to keep me on track!



Time to load up the canvases.

Finally: Believe

My sister is elated because after about eight months of beginning, then pausing, then beginning again, pausing again, leaving on vacation, returning to begin again, only to pause again, the piece of art that my sister commissioned from me months and months ago is finally complete. I've taken photos throughout the process, from the first beginning to the end today, but rather than dredge of the various forms this piece has taken, I'm going begin and end this post with photos taken today. It is done. Believe.







Thanks, Denise, for being so patient. And for wanting a piece of my art to hang in your house.

Red Letter Day

Last Saturday was a Red Letter Day. As you may or may not know, I've become quite a fan of Mar Goman. First I saw her Lucy Show at SCRAP, then I got to attend her final studio sale. Well, my partner in crime, Steph, suggested that I contact Mar about doing a private class for some of us Mar groupies. Mar agreed, so Steph and I made up a list of artists to invite, a date was set, and arrangements were made. Saturday was the day. We met at the Jantzen Beach Starbucks . . .


. . . and from there we carpooled to Ridgefield, Washington, where Mar lives. The artists? Steph, Gloria, Me, Tabor, Nikki, Destree, and Tory.

Mar said it was okay if I snapped some photos of her home and studio. Here are a few:










Mar spent the entire day with us where she graciously and generously taught us several of her art techniques, everything from altering paper, making simple stamps, to an easy way of making transfers. Here's some of our day in photos.





















And then we wrapped.






When I got home, I wrapped a couple more tools, stained the whole batch, then applied a coating of beeswax. Luscious (and they smell good, too).



PS For those that have been reading my blog or for those who read my blog to learn more about Mar's Story of Lucy show at SCRAP, we discovered the straight jacket from the show tucked in the attic storage room. What a thrill!

STUDIOS Magazine: Pages 82-85!

The fall edition of Cloth Paper Scissors STUDIOS magazine has been published and I have it in my hot little hands. I wrote all about it last week , how it came to be that my studio is being featured in one of my favorite magazines. Here I am taking a peek for the very first time . . .




And here is my brother-in-law, John, the photographer, seeing it for the first time, too.