Merry Christmas

We simply wish you all a very Merry Christmas.

Double purpose

I love it when things have more than one use.

The cover of this book, made in a class with Doris Arndt, was collaged with thick dimensional items before it was painted.

The first layers of paint were partly removed as the piece was being used as a printing plate on the pages....the covers became  giant stamps, rolled with paint and pressed to the paper to make the background of the pages.

The final layers of paint included some metallics, and waxed linen was used for the Coptic binding.

The energy in the classroom was invigorating as we all glued pieces willy-nilly and slapped paint with abandon.  Fun!  Yes!!

Disappearing art retreats .....

I see that more and more art retreats are finding it impossible to continue due to falling registrations. I find that very sad as many of us would not be able to learn the great variety of things we find at these retreats 


The book pictured above was a project taught by Dan Essig, a master bookbinder who has taught classes at various venues including Art Unraveled and Art and Soul. I would highly recommend his classes as he is very well prepared and he is an excellent teacher who makes the project possible for people of many levels of experience.

This project is only one example of the many learning opportunities that we students have had in the past.

Most of us do not live in an area where we can find a multitude of teachers and projects to help us learn new skills to further our own creativity. 

The retreats offer us the possibility to grow, learn, and have fun with our annual best buddies.  Our art batteries get re-charged and we can return home filled with new tools and new ideas to create on our own.

If you can attend an art retreat this coming year, taking even one or two classes, I highly encourage you to do so. Yes, mainly because I am selfish and I want more classes for myself(!), do I tell you to join me, but if you do, you will also benefit from this great learning experience. Hope to see you in 2012!

Recycled....repurposed......whatever it is called, it is fun!

One day, my friend Marla was at work and people were cleaning out STUFF.  She found these wonderful heavy green 5 x 8 alphabet file dividers and knew they could be made into something wonderful.  She quickly grabbed a few sets and off she went.

I was lucky enough to receive a set of these from her and made an art journal with paint, stamps, collage, etc.  I did all the art work before binding the dividers together using a single page Coptic binding found in Keith Smith's book.  The long threads and the 6 needles just about did me in, but the book did get finished.  One day I will try this binding again to see if I can do a neater job!

When things seem overwhelming....

Always remember the words of The Donald (my guy, not Trump!)    "This too shall pass."

This small, about 5" x 5" or so, plaque was made with polymer clay tiles left over from a class with Laurie Mika.  If you ever have the opportunity to take a class from her, do it!  I had never worked with the clay and she made it easy. We all made several tiles we used to cover a metal book box.

Life does has it low points, but the cycle will continue and the better times will come.

Colorful Fall

 This fall in Colorado has been one of the most amazing color shows of all the autumn seasons we have lived here.  The bright blue skies have been the background for the blazing red, orange, and yellow trees.  We are blessed to live in such a beautiful state.

So very often we do not see the wonderful things in our lives as we run around doing those things we think we have to do.   Take a moment today to look around  you at the beauty in your life where ever you are.

The iPAD app Colorsplash was used to put the color back into the leaf after removing all color from the whole photo.

What is perceived...

This window from a home in Provideniya, Russia can be perceived in a variety of ways.

I can see peeling paint, drab gray in color, echoing the fog and mist that are usual in this far away, forsaken place. Life is so wet, cold, and gray here that living and working here for 10 years earns one a double pension.  There are no roads in or out of the area other than one minor road leading to a small native village.  There are no airplanes in the air.  Only ships coming from the Bering Sea bring people into this formerly important shipping/refueling point.

Diagonal boards draw your eye to the right and left edges of the photo, while vertical boards lead up and down.

One of the window panes has evidently been replaced as the trim is much wider in that area and much different from the rest of the framing.

In the top panes we can see the reflection of another gray Soviet style building across the street.

Yet, in all this drabness, beauty does peak through as evidenced in the lace curtains showing through the bottom panes of our window.

Find beauty in your life today.