Play Time: Prayer Flags

I took another class on Sunday afternoon just for fun. It was taught by my friend Jami and was offered at Stampin' Cat Studio in south Salem. Here's Jami showing off her prayer flags (and that's sweet and funny Carole smiling in the background - take a look at the post she did on her blog about our class by clicking here).


Jami is SO generous with her supplies. She brought oodles of fabric, stamps, and embellishments.



By the time we actually got down to cutting and laying things out, we only had a couple of hours to work, so I didn't even get any where near being ready to begin stitching. I played around with an off white theme, added some punches of black, then played around with pops of color . I envision red stitching on several of the pieces, more bits and pieces of jewel-colored sari ribbon, and and and. But it's all for another day. Here's how far I got in the time I had. Of course, nothing is stitched down so EVERYTHING is subject to change!







It was a fun, relaxing way to spend the afternoon, that's for sure.

Sketchbook Project World Tour 2012: Writing on the Wall

I've finished a long-standing art journal for the 2012 World Tour of The Sketchbook Project. I signed up in May of 2011 with a due date of January 31, 2012, so I'm feeling just a bit sassy since I finished up two weeks ahead of schedule and I don't need to overnight my journal to New York. Here's a brief description of the project from The Art House website:

The Sketchbook Project is a constantly evolving library of artists' sketchbooks from across the globe. This year thousands of sketchbooks will be exhibited at art spaces in 14 cities. After the tour, they will join the collection of the Brooklyn Art Library and made available to the public seven days a week.

In addition to being exhibited across the United States and in several countries, the tour is COMING TO PORTLAND (May 11-13, 2012). I can't wait to go check out my book.

We were given the option of several themes for our sketchbook (dozens and dozens, actually) and I narrowed down the many choices to: Encyclopedia of _______, Along the Line, Uncharted Waters, Fears and Tears, and Fill Me With Stories. In the end, I chose Writing on the Wall because words are so important to me. With that in mind, I made photocopies from several of my visual journals, glued portions of the copies into the sketchbook, and added quotes and poetry fragments. The front and back covers were created by cutting up strips from the leftover visual journal pages that didn't make it into the sketchbook. I also sprung to have my journal digitized, something that many artists are doing, so if you aren't able to make it to one of the cities to see the journals, you will be able to see them online.

Here is the evolution of my project from receiving the sketchbook, to my signature on the last page. Whew. Glad it is complete!







Come on in for a quick romp through most of the pages . . .

















Parting shots . . .

Creative Explorations: Row Houses

After the craziness of December and the many shows I participated in and after making close to 200 Curious Elements, I was in need of some artful playtime. I found just what I needed in a Sunday afternoon class offered by Christy Wood at Stampin' Cat Studio . . . . Creative Explorations: Row Houses. Christy got her inspiration for the class from a couple of past issues of Cloth Paper Scissors, but of course, she put her own spin on the houses she had us create.

We started with five precut and prepared wood block houses and were set free to do whatever we pleased. Christy had some suggestions and ideas for us, but I just went off into my own world and did my own thing (now there's a surprise!).




I've never had the pleasure of taking a class with Christy before this and I had so much fun I'm already looking ahead to what she'll be offering next in her Creative Explorations series.


I didn't get my houses finished, but I sure had fun gettinggthe paper and paint foundations in place. Now I get to sort through my bins and drawers of metal bits and pieces at my studio to complete my dark little lane of houses.

Guerilla Art Project

My Salem Art Group decided awhile back that we wanted to do a Guerilla Art Project. Keri Smith wrote a whole book about doing guerilla art and here is her definition:

Guerilla art is a fun and insidious way of sharing your vision with the world. It is a method of art making which entails leaving anonymous art pieces in public places. It can be done for a variety of reasons, to make a statement, to share your ideas, to send out good karma, or just for fun. My current fascination with it stems from a belief in the importance of making art without attachment to the outcome. To do something that has nothing to do with making money, or listening to the ego.
So with that in mind, the members of our Salem Art Group are making small works of art to leave in various places anonymously. Now I realize that by sharing this project here and showing my art that I kind of take a bit away from the idea of being anonymous, but 1) not all that many people read my blog, 2) I'm not telling where I'll be leaving it, and 3)you most likely won't be the one to discover it. Wanna see what I created? I thought you might.






I added a little identification tag to let people know about the project, which includes an e-mail address for them to write and let us know where they found the art and whether or not they kept it or hid it somewhere for someone else to discover.


I went out of town today, so my first piece of Guerilla Art was left outside of Salem at a large health food grocery store! It was so exciting to leave it for someone to discover.


I'm going out again tonight and I think I'll be leaving a bit of art behind.

Vision Board 2012: AUTHENTIC

I finished up my 2012 Vision Board and I'm excited about exploring my word for the year: authentic. I have identified several intentions for the new year that I have already set into motion. I love how identifying what we want and then getting it down in images helps to bring those dreams and ideas to fruition. One of my goals for the new year is opening an online etsy store and because I identified that as one of my goals, I've signed up for a learning the basics etsy workshop later this month. Another goal? Working my way through Julia Cameron's Vein of Gold. My newly formed group of hand-picked women begins meeting tonight to discuss Julia's meaty book. Of course a trip is included, Fearless Faces, reading, a new tattoo, some clothing ideas, and BIG art. I'm excited because everything on my Vision Board for 2011 became reality. Well, all except for my word of the year: compassion. I'm still working on that one and I certainly have lots of opportunities to practice.