What I've Been Up To This Year--Creatively Speaking

 It's been a while since I've been here, but I'm always in my art studio every day--just neglecting my blog. I'm more active on my Facebook and Instagram pages, but I feel that I need to re-visit my blog here since it was my first venture on the web and I've met many online friends because of it.  I'll never stop blogging, just not as much.

So, what have I been up to--I've been playing with paint and collage and some assemblage (finding lots of great flea market finds too!)

I started out the year painting (my first love) with mainly acrylics and painting some of my favorite things (or animals in this case)...horses, giraffes, and elephants...in a whimsy style way...

They all ended up in barnwood frames that I collaged my painted papers on to like this giraffe--

I took that giraffe and put her on a cigar box--

didn't stop there--

I always enjoy making these boxes!

And this time of year, I will usually make some circus assemblages--here's just a couple of what I made--

When I make these I try to use mostly items that I find at flea markets, thrift stores, yard sales, etc (sometimes gifted to me too!) I'm always amazed at what I can find--it's definitely a 'treasure' hunt and you know the saying--"one man's treasure is another man's junk"--some people probably wonder why I get so excited when I find these things--but I know just where they are going to end up :-)

Some of my favorite finds from this year....SO FAR....

I can never pass up old cameras or photos.  Half the fun of making assemblage art, for me, is looking for my 'supplies'

So I've been busy with my little treasures (getting ready for my BIG show in October)--and here's a couple--

I call this one--Bird Watching

His and Hers

So, this is just a sampling of what I've been doing--I love what I do and so happy that I can do this every day.  I hope you can find the time to do what makes you happy--makes all the difference!

Till next time.....

Filling my Etsy Shop

 It's been a long time since I've posted here--getting back to a bit of normal around here and enjoying it, so needless to say,  I've been very busy and active in a good way.  I've still been making art and playing in my journal.  I post on Facebook just about every day, but I've really neglected my blog here.  I'm hoping to get back into it now that the winter (the dark days) is fast approaching.

But I do have to say that my favorite season is happening right now, and around here Fall lasts for about 3 weeks before the cold comes in, so I'm enjoying it as long as it sticks around and it has been more than usual this year.  Love the brisk air, the changing of the leaves, the specialty foods! and everything else that comes along with this season.

And I'm winding down from all my preparations from my gigantic show that I had in October--it was amazing--the people that came and supported all of us artists was overwhelming!

I've had time now for myself and was able to add items in my Etsy shop   plus make some new Christmas items for it.  Here's a sampling of what you can find there:

And also I've added my Christmas cards--can be purchased individually or  as a set:

You can find everything HERE

I hope to be back soon with new art and what I've been up to--hope you all are getting back to a normal life after this last crazy year we've had and enjoy the holidays that are coming up!

January--Lifebook 2021--Art Journaling

 Wow, can't believe we got through 2020--let's hope this year will start to turn around and we can get some normalcy back--although I'm so used to living this way--that it now seems the normal way  :-)  I'm just happy that I'm able to do what makes me the happiest and content--it really does make a difference to find that in your life and make time for it everyday!

So now that Christmas craziness is over with and the quiet month of January has settled in I've been able to do the same thing--settling in--in my art room and playing.  

And this year I'm so happy that I decided to sign up for Lifebook 2021 hosted by the wonderful Tamara Laporte.  I haven't been in it for a couple of years, but this year I knew I needed to make some art for just me.

Our first lesson was with Tamara--our goddess of light--

Love all the layers and texture--it was just fun to play with different mediums.  And the next lesson from Tamara--our happy owl--

I took it in a little different direction from hers, but loved her owl design and kept to that.

So the next week's lesson (yes there is a new lesson every week with 32 different instructors!) was with Cinnamon Cooney

Again, I put my own spin on this piece--except for the tree girl--I love her!

And I've been playing around with different art supplies--I decided to give charcoal a 2nd chance.  A few years ago I used it and gave up on it--I didn't like the messiness of it.  But this time I got past that and discovered it's fun and forgiving!

Definitely will be  experimenting with these pencils some more--I like the way they work with other mediums.   And the best way to experiment is where else, but your journal.  I'm committed to the one I started last year when the quarantine started, and I'm getting there--adding more pages--

....mostly faces, which I love to do and when it's in my journal I have more freedom to play around, because that's what a journal is--a place to experiment in--this is what I like to put in my journal--painted faces!  and playing with different art mediums.  I think my favorite thing about art journaling is that they are all unique with each artist--it's each person's own individual voice coming out--in words, or paintings, or marks or whatever--no rules--love that!

I've also been making other art that's now in my Etsy shop.

Altered a cigar box with one of my journal girl images--

some of my whimsy art on 6 x 6 surfaces--

this one has a polymer clay bird that I had made some time ago--I found the right home for her

and also some assemblages

I really enjoy making vintage children themed art like this--I just like the nostalgia of it.

So these pieces are all available and you can find them HERE

 

This has pretty much been my month in the art department of my life--my favorite department!  :-)

Hope where ever you are life is good for you and getting back to a happier time!

April--Making Lemonade Out of Lemons

So  April  has been  a  stay  at  home  month  for  basically  everyone  in  the  country.  I'm  trying  to  look  at  the  bright  side--it  could  be  much  worse.   The  one  bright  thing  that  happened  to me, in an artsy  way  is  I've  rediscovered  my  art  journal.   I  mentioned  it  in  my  last  blog  post.  I  have  lots  of  journals  such  as  they  are--mostly  sketches  and  ideas  and  clippings  for  art  inspiration.   But  this  latest  one  I've  been  able  to  really take  my  time  and  play.  My  latest  journal  girls--

I  love  them!   And  I've  been  rediscovering  my  art  supplies  that  I  rarely  use  too.   So  someone  on  my  Facebook  page  asked  if  they  were  for  sale, and  I  thought,  why  not,--so  I  printed  them  out  and  mounted  them  on  8 x 10  wood  cradle  boards,  added  color  to them  with  acrylics  to  bring  them  back  to  life  and  ended  up  with  some  nice  art  pieces  that  normally  would  never  have  to  come  to  be  if  it  wasn't  for  what's  been  going  on.   I  made  some  lemonade  :-)

I  also made  more  art  pieces  for  my  summer  shows  that  are  now  canceled  :-(  (But  I'm  hoping  for  the  Fall ones  to  come  through)

I  purchase  these  framed  pictures  that  I  find  at  a  wholesale  craft  warehouse  that  I  go  to--

 and  then  I  repurpose  them--

And  I've  been  running  into  some  great  deals  on  Ebay  on  wood  cigar  boxes--some  more  repurposing--

I  always  love  to  see these  boxes  come to life.

So  the  plan  for  May  was  our  trip  to  Brimfield,  Massachusetts for  the  Brimfield  antique  and  flea  market.   I  call  it  more  of  an  event  than  a  flea  market--it  goes  for  6  days  and  there  are  over  5000  vendors.   I  look  forward  to  this  every year,  unfortunately  not  to  be  this  year.   But  Brimfield  is  making  some  lemonade  too--they're  having  the  Brimfield  flea  market  online  this  year  for  all  6  days  with  live  Facebook  videos,  and  vendors posting  their  items who  want  to  participate--and  just  like  the  actual  Brimfield--there  are  a  lot  of  vendors  participating.  It's  not  the  same  as  going  in  person,  but  right  now  this  is  our  new  normal.

Curious  to  see  what  May  will  bring  with the  country  slowly  opening  up  again--stay  safe  everyone!

What I Did in February

I'm  having  trouble  updating  this  blog   (since Facebook came  into  the  picture),  so  I'm  trying  a  new  'thing'.  I'm  going  to  post  once  a  month  of  what  I've  been  up  to  creatively.

In  the  first  week  I  had  my  paints  out  and  I  always  get  Spring  fever  this  time  of  year  (if  you  live  in  a  cold  weather  climate,  you  know  what  I'm  talking  about)--so  I  painted  Spring--

Once  I  had  the  paint  out  I  did  what  I  always  do  and  started  playing  with  it.  I  do  that  with  mostly  white  cardstock  (110lb) --I  don't  need   to  think  about  it  and  try  different  techniques--if  I  don't  like  it--it's  just  paper--no  big  deal.

So  with  those  papers and  one  of  my  favorite  surfaces to  work  on  and  repurpose--a  cabinet  door--I  made  some  new  neighborhoods--Love  making  houses--

And at the end of the month I had a request from a poppy lover for 3 different pieces--

These were all started with a layer of collage (text pages) and then I painted over them with acrylics.  I  like  the  texture  the  printed  text  gives  under  the  paint.

In  between  all  of  this,  I've  been  cleaning  and  decluttering  my  art  space  (which  in  my  case,  is  my  whole  house)  and  I  have  been  listing  in  my  Etsy  shop--my  latest  listings--

If  interested,  you  can  find  them  HERE

So  that's  my  art  month  in  a  blog  post.   This is  not  my  favorite  time  of  year--weather wise--I  hate  the cold,  and  I  become  a  hermit,  but   it's  also   in  a  way, my  favorite.   There's  not  a  lot  going  on,  so  I  spend  more  time  in  my  studio,  which  is  definitely  my  happy  place!