Love Letters

Support for a friend...

Today's art assignment was to put together a card for a friend who is coping with raising her family and caring for her ill, elderly mother; something lots of baby boomers either have dealt with, or will deal with. My heart goes out to her... the easy thing would be to pawn the care & problems off on another sibling, but that's not her style. I don't know if she will ever hear it from her mother, but she is a wonderful daughter and caregiver and friend; and I count myself fortunate to call her MY friend. xoxo.

This is the back of the envelope, a transparent vellum (so the front of the card shows through under the address)...

Kitten in a basket

This is Moo, the newest addition to our home. He is SUCH a cry baby! And he's SO cute... he nuzzles me at night on my neck, like I'm his mommy... and it's so sweet I cannot lock him out of our room, even though he wakes me up at least a couple times nightly! And he's such a stinker when I'm trying to knit!!! If he's in the room I might as well just put the knitting away and turn out the light!

This is Danny Pancake, our older cat, grooming little Moo...

This is today's journal entry... seems I have a bit of "rouge" fever going on... hmmm... I kinda like it!!!

Who knew?!?!?

This shawl was designed by one of my dearest and bestest friends
in the entire world, David Assemany...
and none of us in our knitting group knew this ad was going to appear!
Apparently David didn't even know!!! Who knew?!?!?

Congragulations, David!

Sending out the love!

This is a card I made this morning for a digital artist named Alicia Buelow, who's work is incredible...
http://www.aliciabuelow.com
check it out if you're not familiar with her work. I hope to know Photoshop half as well as Alicia must someday... I'm always inspired to keep working and growing as an artist when I look at her work on her site. Alicia was kind enough to give me very detailed advice regarding buying a new macintosh computer, and I just wanted to say thank you. I put the card in a translucent vellum envelope and it really looked great through the vellum. I hope Alicia likes it!

To thine own self be true...

I made a little package for a friend and just put it in the mail for her... I hope she likes it...
It isn't really anything like what she does, her work is much edgier and funkier, and I really like it, I just can't seem to do anything even remotely similar! I guess that's what is meant by that old saying "To thine own self be true"... I think it's counter productive to try to force my art to fit another's style... I can certainly try new and different things, but I think an artist's work is sort of like a fingerprint... very individual and VERY difficult to change.

My new friend has been incredibly generous with her time and her advice, and we've never even met. How cool is it to meet like minded people, who are interesting and interested, and who are willing to share of themselves so freely. It really feels like a gift to me and I'm very grateful.

Making art with a broken foot

Well, I've managed to out do myself this time... once a clutz always a clutz, I always say! My husband and I took our 95 pound Labrador Retriever kayaking on Sunday, and while running to help my husband bring the kayak in to dock, I stubbed the base of my Great Toe on uneven pavement. It hurt, but I've been hurt worse, so I kept kayaking and walking around the park, like nothing happened, though I did my best not to put any weight on my toe.
I even got great photos of John and Lady, but in my drug induced stupor the following morning, I think I managed to delete all the photos on my camera. Needless to say, NOT a good day!

Anyway... I finally obtained a copy of the Stampington Take Ten magazine, in which is a submission of mine, a feature the magazine calls Masterboard.

Words of Encouragement

It's amazing to me how much impact the simplest of words can have. As an artist, we expect our family and close friends to like the work we do, at least most of it. And with certain family members & friends, you can count on them to positively gush over things. I don't know about you, but then I usually discount what they've said, because they're who they are, they sort of HAVE to love my work! So their comments usually end up being discounted, because I expect them to love my work. Goofy, I know, but true!

So when someone I don't know gives me a compliment, somehow it means even more to me. And I really, really appreciate it. It gives me inspiration to keep going back to my studio, even though it often feels like it's just play. And I guess there's nothing wrong with that, either, is there? I once heard someone say "Serious art requires serious play"...
Thank you, Linda... your words meant a lot to me last night; and Jeff, too, for your advice and encouragement re: published work! I need to go and play now...

Go make something!!!

Most wonderful Michelle Ward Mail Art!

How cool is THAT?!?!?
Yup, I am the lucky recipient of original Michelle Ward mail art!!! What a great gal... thanks Michelle! I've put together a simple scan of the cool piece Michelle sent me with my rubber stamps I ordered from her, sent as a thank you for a little package of cool Tyvek paper I sent Michelle... what a treat!
I've been having a blast doodling in my journal and looking around my environment for cool flourishes and decorative bits to use in my
artwork... like this fabric scan from a pillow on my couch...

There are just SO many possibilities out there for inspiration. I find if I approach even my
least favorite activities (like work) with the attitude of "I might find something fun here today,
to use in my artwork", then work doesn't seem so tedious or boring...

This is a little ditty I put together using art Michelle Ward sent me... it's scanned into Photoshop along with the acetate envelope it came in, and placed on a black background. Again, many thanks, Michelle!
LOVE IT!!!

So, on that note, GO MAKE ART!!! :D

Sweet John

This is a fun little digital collage I put together using a scan of a torn piece of red paper w/holes punched in it (I have no idea the original purpose, nor where I found it), a torn word from a brochure, and the name John done in calligraphy w/pencil doodles... all put together in layers in Photoshop, and then I used a cool custom eraser I made, using a fancy doodle that I found somewhere. How fun, right?!?!? (He really is sweet, I'm referring to my husband John, of course!!!)

Fun with Tyvek

I thought it would be fun to do a tutorial of sorts on how I paint Tyvek and what can be done with it after it is painted. This article ran in Winter 2006 Cloth Paper Scissors (how cool is that?!?!?)...
Read on!

There's lots more information... I'll post more later... be sure to check back! (I'd really appreciate it!)
Hope you try painting on Tyvek, and if you need a source for Tyvek, that info will be forthcoming, also.
Have fun!