Another drawing

Just having fun with a leaf shape.

Isn't she sweet?

My cat, Riley - using the Pencil Camera app for Blackberry.  Little Sweetie!

Resolution

I'm not one to make New Year's Resolutions.  The best time to begin anything is 10 years ago.  The second best time to begin anything is now.  Why wait?  No fear of failure, either.  Just start.

So, about a week and a half ago, maybe more, I started trying to draw or paint daily.  Something, anything.  The "drawing" thing kept me from doing this for quite some time.  My friend Kim pushed me to take a drawing class with the wonderful Jane LaFazio.  It was terrifying for me - I'll admit it. 

And what was worse?  I liked it. 

Fast forward a full year.  Have I done any more drawing?  Nope.  Had I thought about that experience?  Almost every day.  And what was worse, was that I would often talk to my own students about the importance of practice.  "If you want to get good at something, you have to dedicate a little time on a very regular basis, to the practice of that thing." 

Geesh.  Was I listening?

Well, yes, and so I began.  Here's a peek into my sketchbook:

So far, I'm liking this drawing, painting daily thing - some days I won't get to do both, and some days I'll be able to gloriously enjoy time spent with great intention on my sketchbook.  But for now, just setting aside time to practice seems enough.

Have a great week!

still recalling Art Unraveled

 I'm still fondly recalling the fun so many of us had while at Art Unraveled this year.  Here's a book I made in a wonderful class taught by the talented Stephanie Lee.  The covers are a combination of old book covers, plaster cloth, paint and imagination.  The binding is a wonderful binding technique that allows the book to lay flat.  I chose to cover the binding area with some vintage crochet & some old buttons.  The pages are fabric, stiffened through her "magic process" to become much more like paper book pages, and able to accept writing. 

I think my book came out looking very much like it should contain a mystery story, or a tale of Halloween. 

Have a great rest of your weekend - whatever you choose to do! 

The summer of the tomato

The tomatoes on this plant look just like bunches of grapes!!

Tomato vines everywhere - YUMM!

quick trip - back now

Pinecone from Georgia - this is on our property on the side of the mountain!

Tree some place in Tennessee - just couldn't resist this picture opportunity.

Minis Today

These little canvases (and I know you can't tell they're little by the picture - but they are 5 x 5 inch squares) are so adorable!  Gail Russakov's class at Art Unraveled, "Mini Magical Memories," was a blast, and we made these in that class.  Wonderful technique for making texture, and then placing that texture on a canvas and adorning.  Cute & fun! 

Happy Wednesday!

More art made

 My next two paintings I show you today were made in a class with Stephanie Lee - she's a wonderful many-media artist whose work I admire.  Her class was entitled "Painting Mindscapes," and the idea of this class was that we would be working mainly in acrylics, but she would work with us on creating images that have an almost "dreamy" quality.  Many wonderful techniques later, I emerged with several pieces, two of which are below. 

I like this piece because it really has a truly dreamy quality - and a rustic charm. 

This piece has a look of a weathered landscape, perhaps remnants of something that once was. 

Enjoy!

Show and Tell, Day 2

Today, it's all about encaustics.  I had a wonderful class with Patricia Baldwin Seggebruch - we played with encaustic mediums, paints & then played with different burning techniques - I loved the amber shellac technique, and used it on these three paintings.  Yes, these are made with wax!  I know it's hard to see, but the finish has a subtle sheen that only wax can give.  Yes, I'm hooked!  I took a class with Patricia last year, too, and loved it so much, I had to play again this year!  Enjoy!

Art Unraveled 2011 - what a great time!

To my Art Unraveled friends, this will seem like old news.  To my friends who didn't get to go to Art Unraveled, well, it's "show and tell" time. 

Took a wonderful class with Richard Salley - here are two pairs of earrings I made.  Just put the earwires on them today - made the earwires this afternoon, because I didn't take any sterling wire with me - every square inch of space was precious in my suitcase!  Can't wait to work on more of these - I have several designs swirling around in my head!  These are mixed metals pieces with lovely stones set into them - I think they're going to be fun to wear.  More tomorrow!