The Great Owl

There is a challenge over at the Hive called the "Great Owl Challenge" see the post here about it. You can join in the fun if you belong to the Hive where everything is about friendship, crafting, art, helping you, helping others.  This is my Owl for this challenge.  Over at the Hive there is more challenges if you want to join in.  They have one for anything "Autumn".  I may get time to join in on that one too.  There are so many talented artist on that site and even though I like mine I think there are much better ones already posted but I don't let that stop me, I think the more you play the better you eventually become. 

This little fellow is painted on cotton canvas with acrylic paint and even though it doesn't show well in my picture there is some twinkling h2o's in the background and some tiny silver stars on the hat.  It took me a full day to sketch and then paint and will be hung with some orangery and black ribbons and if I can find a cute vintage button or two that may be added as well.

ATC Fun!

This is much ado over at the Hive so if you make art, if you sell art, if you want to just look at art by some amazing and creative people just buzz on over to the Hive!  They even have a section for instructors!  If you don't see anything you like just ask and I bet you they will make it happen.

That being said I decided to participate in an ATC swap over at the Hive, which is being hostessed by Lisa Liza Lou Fulmer.  Her theme for this swap is the Autumn Equinox.  In case you don't  know the equinox is when everything will balance and be equal.  This is my interpretation of it.  If you look closely you will see more than meets the eye with hidden pictures and meaning.

 

It is made with water colors and gel pens.  Come on an join in the fun!  Click here for the Hive!
The  equinox is approaching soon!  In this year 2010, it will happen on September 23 in the US.  It is said that there will be a equal day consisting of 12 hours of daylight, and 12 hours of darkness.

Poetic Possibilities

Last June I went to Buffalo, NY to see my sister, and we embarked on a "journey" with Tim Holtz.  He was holding his classes at Buffalo Stamps and we were attending!  It was way exciting for words, a lifelong dream of mine to finally meet Tim.  In one of his classes he taught patchwork pandemonium, and this is my interpretation from his lips to my ears.

There were what my mind estimated about one thousand pieces to be made and assembled in what my mind said was "OMG! NOT ENOUGH TIME!"  Ha that's what my logical part of my mind said.  The other part was saying....listen to Tim...let it go! let it go!  and before I knew it I was creating pieces with wild abandon much like a person attending the Mad Hatter tea party.

The pieces were cut but we had to ink, paint, distress, emboss, rub, and then put them all in this wonder of order, which when at first glance I was (logically thinking) saying "ha not gonna fit".  Much to my surprise they all fit just as Tim said they would.   I am telling you the man is a genuine genius!

Needless to say I didn't finish it until this morning.  I did get an acceptable part of it done, however I wanted to add some of my own things to it to fully make it mine.  I also did considerably more stitching on it just because I wanted to.

We had these darling little hanger, and this is where the words "poetic possibilities" is located.   I like the sound of that little phrase, they were actually random words out of a book but hey they work for me.  I think of all the possibilities that someone could do with this.  Each piece is grunge board, individually done in an assortment of techniques which was the point of the class, learning technique.  It is mounted on chipboard to hold it all together. 

Tim said we were the last time he was teaching this particular class, so I was really glad that I got to take it.  I took all of his classes and will be posting more items in the days to come.  I want to say this about the man, he is really inspirational and truly a blessed and kind person. 

Sunflower's In My Garden

Last month I won a contest at FAMM and the prize was a package of Lutradur and a E Book from

 CT Publications.  I was so excited that I actually won something and, that I would be getting some of this Lutradur in my hands!  The new monthly challenge came around and it was to use something transparent.  See previous post for my entry.  BUT! - I had this idea spinning in my head and it just had to come out!  So I sent a second entry using the Lutradur (seems only right anyway) and well I just love it, even though it is a second entry, it meets the requirements.  Wish me luck a second time around.   

     

First I tried to print on the Lutradur but my printer does not want to cooperate, not that it couldn't be the operator mind you.  So I took a pencil sketched out as best I could the picture I had in mind, right on the Lutradur.  Thought hmmm markers?  tried it no too light my markers are old!  OK well how about Twinkling H2O's  I truly love that paint.  OK well that was nice enough but it still lacked POP!  So I added a little acrylic paint.  Have you ever noticed that yellow acrylic paint is so thin???!!! So I added a few more layers of paint.  Topped it off with a little bit of detail with my black Sharpie pen.

And then WOW came to me and my bright ideas!  What if I machine stitched it with pretty variegated rayon thread that I bought about 5 years ago (yeah I am not kidding) and never used.  So I did, well that opened a whole new can of worms!   I have never really done this sort of thing before so I was winging it.  It seemed like it took forever and a day but finally I was happy with the stitching.  Oh how I wish I could free motion stitch on my machine!  I also added some fine netting to the center that I hand stiched down and cut slices in it to add more texture.  So because I love shinny glittery things I added a bit of stickles which I bought last year and guess what - yep never used!  Ouuuuhhhhh I like it!  I then after searching high and low found my heat gun and went to work melting the Lutradur, that wasn't enough!  So I got out my wood burning tool and melted more!  My hubby asked me if I was trying to get high?  LOL I was outside but it still smelled over his spaghettie sauce!  So there I was, sitting here at my computer and thinking it needs to say something!  So I did a search for quotes, and poems and found this lovely poem and borrowed it.  Here is the link to the original poem.  The author is unknown so I am thinking it is OK to use, but I really wish the author would come fourth.  It almost sounded like  Isabel Fiske Conant from back in the 1930's but I guess it isn't hers.  I just wrote it out on a piece of loose woven muslin with my trusty Sharpie Pen and hand stitched it on.  I think my youngest daughter may like this but I am not sure she changes like the wind!

Some People Are So Transparent....

                                     You Can See Right Through Them!

FAMM for August Challenge was to use something transparent in art.  So my mind immediately clicked to the old saying "Some people are so transparent you can see right through them".  Although that statement is slightly cynical it has a bit of truth to it.  So I made a transparent girl with what else?  transparencies with transparent vellum wings.  Then I got to thinking about that subject.

And decided she needed a Bullsh** meter to stand on, and the little plastic fish to depict "fishy stories" or "fish tales" as you wish. 

Of course they must live in a transparent world.... and of course they "embellish" their phrases

So they have transparent hearts(see the transparent hearts?) and words.  I mean really how many times have people said things to you to sway your thoughts their way, or perhaps say things they didn't mean to make you feel better?  Told you this was cynical!  LOL take heart I don't mean it.  Uh Oh am I being transparent?  So to add a little interest I needed to add some textiva, I love that stuff!  Besides the little colorful kitty had to hide in the transparent grass because she like her person is a curious creature.  I added the netting to show how they get caught up.....eventually.

 

                 Here we have the finished piece of the transparent person Tra La La'ing through life. 
I used the most delicate lace paper in the top half of this canvas, it almost fell apart as soon as I adhered it.  I need to find some more of that stuff, it is truly great! 

NOTE*  This is by no means a personal reflection on any one person known by this author. 
I learned this particular phrase from my Mother as I was growing up, it must be an old saying and she still says it today.  I may gift this one to her.

Finished!

My Stars and Stripes project is finally done, well as far as I want to take it.  I added some beads, the really cool ladies and some screen mesh stars that I cut out and textured.  It is ok but nothing great.

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I am really concentrating on Mrs. Keys at the moment and trying to work my way through the next steps.  I have most of her body assembled out of fabric and some clay, now I need to decide if I am going to cover that fabric with clay or (if I can find my gesso) just paint it.  Then the clothes which I just keep changing my mind on.  Another lesson learned is that when I painted her head and face, I gave little thought about the paint I mixed for the color and now have the task of trying to match it.  Wish me some luck with that because I was not really thinking about it and it could be hard to match now ....after the fact.  I also want to try my hand at some free motion embroidery with my machine and I am fairly certain that I cannot drop the feed dog on either of my machines.  Didn't they use to make a feed dog cover back in the day?  I will have to ask my Mom that one. 

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What does Mrs. Keys and Quiltie Stars n Stripes have in common?

Not a daburn thing!  This is just some of my current obsessions.  The first is Mrs. Keys, named so after a sweet lady I have known for a very long time.  She is alot quirky and I am hoping to capture some of that quirkiness in this doll head. 

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She is made from paperclay and my first ever hand sclupted paperclay doll head ever!  If you have seen my other dolls they were always from fabric, although a long time ago I use to carve cypress knees into people.  I started her yesterday, today I sanded and painted and decided keep on going.  There is a sketch of what I want her to look like next to the raw head.  We will see if I can pull this off or not but hey if not, I can always try again!  Tomorrow I will varnish her and add hair and maybe more paint if needed,  I just love her eyelashes!  and yes I know she looks a little bit bugeyed lol she is suppose to look that way.  I know way differnt than my norm but hey who said what is normal or not normal?

Next up is my little quiltie thingy.  Not sure what to call it but is is suppose to be the FAMM monthly challenge piece using stars and stripes.  I am still working on getting the hang of this fiber art stuff, I get it but I really don't have the supplies I need to make really cool stuff so I am using what I have at my disposal and my imagination.  I guess it isn't too bad and I am not sure if I am done with it or not.  It will eventually be framed and put in my bathroom for something different to look at.

Home Sweet Home

While I was in Buffalo, NY I went to another class at Buffalo Stamps and sorry I do not remember the insturctors name other than Cari and she was from Pima.  She supplied the canvas house and all the pretty little embellishments and do dads.  The picture above is the front cover.

Back Cover

I think it is pretty!

Chaos!

New York! Well what can I say it was fun at times and not so fun at times! All in all I am so glad I went to see my beautiful family. I travelled a lot while there first flying in to Buffalo, then taking the train to Albany, and in between that travelled here and there and everywhere. Then back to Buffalo by train, finally to arrive back home. In all I was gone 2 and 1/2 months.





While I was there I started a canvas that was done haphazardly here and there just like my life takes it's twist and turns so did the canvas. It is painted on fabric and sewn and embellished. The only name I can give it if it must have a name is Chaos! The hectic pace of my visit reflects my life on the move.



The picture is scanned in two segments and I tried to knit them together in photo shop but it appears to have a seam on the right that isn't there. This really is just one continuous piece.


I also made this little tag book. Can you guess what it is made of?



A toilet paper roll! I think it came out rather cute and I can see a bunch of them to make a tag book.

I made my way to Pennsylvania too to visit more family, that was a very good visit so refreshing! Just look at what I saw...



That is Jack's Mountain. As I sat on my cousin Judy's porch that was my view, so peaceful! On top of that mountain are 3 crosses but you can not see them in my pic. Later on I will do a post about that mountain and a picture I drew in my journal.
On the way down a treacherous mountain we got in a fit of giggles by the time we got to the bottom I was thankful!


I went to an art show in Lockport, NY and picked up a few items. My sister bought a fantastic picture and a beautiful gourd!





and then she went and got a kitty! So sweet...



On the way home I asked her what she was going to name her and she said Coco, so I said OH! like Coco Channel? so that is her name Coco Channel! My sister wears Chanel No 5 a lot and I loved the movie so that is where I got the Channel part. If she thought that first she didn't mention it but she may have, we think alike sometimes.

I played around with paper clay too, and not sure where I will use these but I brought them home and some of that clay too!



And made some pretty flowers...


I did a picture with Citra Solve cleaner. You paint a magazine with citra solve and let it sit for about 20 minutes, press out the ink between sheets of absorbent paper then peel your pages and let them dry. After they are dry you find an image using your imagination and draw it out with a pen. It is a lot like looking at clouds and seeing images.




Finally it was time to get ready for the Tim Holtz weekend at Buffalo Stamps! I was soooooooooo excited! I will make another post about that weekend because it will be lengthy and this one post is already long. I decided to make an apron to wear because I usually tend get paint, glue, ink, fibers, chocolate etc. all over me when I work!








My sister made me a name tag so I wouldn't forget who I was....



Well that's it for now and if you have stayed this long THANK YOU! for reading my gibberish. I will be posting again soon about the Tim Holtz weekend but right now, my daughter from NY (the one I just visited) is here for a visit! LOL she missed her Moma!

Today I am getting ready to go to NY! So waiting for laundry to dry I decided to collect a few things to do on the airplane. This was like trying to figure out that old question of what you would take if you were on a deserted island. So I packed up my watercolor crayons, pencils, chalks, markers, an art journal, eraser ....etc., well before I knew it my little satchel was way too full and I reasoned with myself that the plane ride wasn't that long! I am going to see my sister and my daughter who live miles apart - and my sister has lots of way cool art stuff she will let me play with, BUT ... I will be at my daughters house too, and she is not into anything resembling artsy crafty or painting and doodling etc., so she won't have any of these things on hand. Well I will have to just make room in my suitcase.

In the mean time I got discouraged and started drawing and before I knew it I was in full fledged doodle mode, which lead to the colored pencils, markers, watercolor crayons, chalks and ohhhhhhhhhhhh the Twinkling H2O's! my personal favorite! Well that is until I get my hands on the pan pastels that I am lusting after.

This is what happened...



Unfortunately the luminescence of the TWH2O's can't be seen in the photo and these picture were taken with my phone so they aren't the best. Hmmmm....laundry! packing! right I better get back on task!

Vintage Hankie Birdie

So I was thinking........I have a ton of vintage hankies and buttons so perhaps I could make a bird out of something like that. This is the result of that random thought.





First I had to iron the delicate hankie to some batting to give it strength because this hankie was so think and fragile feeling, then I quilted some of the flowers and the eye area.



I added a bead for the eyes, naturally my bird has long eyelashes too. I used floral wire for his legs and feet, attached the wings, stuffed him, sewed him shut and then I realised I forgot to add the comb and tail feathers!


So it took me a little while but decided to add the silver beads with the feathers instead of all the tiny little size 15 beads that I painstakingly strung on wire a few days ago. I will just use them on another project because believe me size 15 glass beads is enough to make a person blind.


This is a view from the top because I wanted to show the edge of the hankie I had to stitch to another section of hankie to make it all work the way I wanted it to. After it was all said and done I added a little bit of very fine glitter to the posies to give some glitz! Oh how I love glitter!

My photography isn't that great but I do try to capture what I see that is why to different angles and backgrounds.