Carol Sloan

New Book Shipping!

2012-02-16T11:48:00.000-05:00

Those of you that read my blog regularly know that I adore Natalie Chanin's clothing design (Alabama Chanin).
Well, not only her clothing design but her philosophy of life.
Her ideas on sustainability, her love of vintage items (esp. in decorating) and her willingness to share the knowledge of these things.
She has two beautiful, beautiful books and another one on its way to my home right now!

Check it out here!

I've made one of the skirts (I used my own cotton & supplies and made it MUCH cheaper) (here is a similar one that sells for over $4000.00!). The skirt I made doesn't have beads...but still...

If you love this style of clothing or home dec items, you will LOVE her books!
The work is time consuming, can be rather tedious but well worth the effort. I always get so many compliments when I wear the skirt.
And it is SO comfortable!
If you're like me, when you're watching the telly at night, riding in a car or waiting at an appointment, you have to have something to do (with your hands) to keep busy.
This type of project is perfect for that.
I can't wait to get the book...I MUST finish up with two deadlines today so that I can stop and drool over it as soon as it gets here.

Time Flies When You're Busy (or not)

2012-02-14T17:30:00.001-05:00

I can't believe that it's been a week since I posted anything!
I've been working on a project for the new group that I am thrilled to be a part of ( "8 That Create" - check it out!).
If you head over to the blog, you'll see that we are all documenting our progress on our work.
We're telling the good, the bad and the ugly as we create pieces of art.
For someone like me, somebody works in a really intuitive manner, that is kinda difficult.
Sometimes I don't know why I do what I do...I just do it.
I'm trying to take lots of photos to share, showing the horrid messes that I make and the ways that I cover them up or revel in their existence.
So far, I've written two posts on the new piece "Empty Spaces".
I'd love for you to take a look and let me know what you'd like for me to talk about or address during the process.

I am also packing to ship supplies and artwork to Artistic Artifacts for a two day book making class that I am doing there.
The class is Feb. 24 & 25 in Alexandria, Virginia at Judy Gula's shop "Artistic Artifacts".
The day after my class, Liz Kettle is teaching her "Metal Magic" class. I can't wait to take this one! She will be talking about using metal in fiber work as well as covering different patina's that you can use on it.
There is a kit for this class so you don't have to bring any supplies.
Woo Hoo! My kind of class.

We will be going to "Art & Soul" at Virginia Beach, Virginia to help Judy in her mobile shop there.
I will have a vendor table the last night, so drop by if you're in the area.
I'll be offering original artwork, prints, rust media packs, handmade books and a couple of other goodies.

I also want to tell you about a (fairly) new site called "Seek Your Course".
Jess Greene (an amazing mixed media encaustic artist) started this site up to gather all the classes, workshops, conferences and retreats into one cohesive place.
It's an amazing site, with tons of options. All you need for choosing your next creative learning experience.
I've included my classes there as well.
Check it out!

Pen and Paper

2012-02-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

There is an old building across the highway from my house.
It has such character (in my opinion) and has a ton of potential being remodeled as a house.
All those high ceiling, wood floors. It has a small apartment off to one side and a larger one in the back.
It is presently being used as some type of business (in the front of it) and the couple that runs the business live in the back.
I love the rusted tin roof over the lower level as well as the extra long windows on the upper level.
I've always imagined a huge open studio/teaching space on the lower level with living quarters on the top level...
never hurts to dream, right?

Anyway, here is a quick sketch of the place that I did.
I simplified the details to make the sketch go quicker.
This is on watercolor paper (with a preliminary sketch in pencil), finished with a Pitt Artist Pen.
I have one layer of watercolors on it and plan on adding more later.

I like the ladder in the upstairs window.
Wonder if they are going to do some (much needed) work on the place?

More Urban Sketching

2012-02-05T00:40:00.000-05:00

I forgot to post one sketch from The Children's Garden this week.
This is a small semi-circle flower garden with pansies and parsley in it.

I am going to sit on my patio tomorrow and sketch the warehouse across the highway from my house.
I'll post it in a few days.

Urban Sketching

2012-02-03T17:20:00.000-05:00

I'm getting more and more inspired by urban sketching through this blog - "Urban Sketchers".
Check it out and catch the fever!
They have published a book - "The Art of Urban Sketching" which was just released this week.
There is page after page of inspiring peeks into a large group of urban sketchers.
If this is the type of activity that interests you, pick up the book.
Check out the blog.
Or better yet, grab a friend (or two) and create your own "Urban Sketching" group.

It's also a great way to meet other artists in your town too.
I met a wonderful, talented, intelligent and charming woman through our Greenville sketching group (hi Sarah!)
She and I have similar interests as far as wanting to improve our true "urban" sketching skills. So, we set out to do just that.
We met in downtown Greenville one day this week for some sketching, talking, teaching, learning, conversation, laughing and- let's not forget this-lunch!
It was an absolutely gorgeous day in Greenville! The temps were in the upper 60's. There were plenty of birds singing, flowers breaking the confines of the winter rest and people just seemed to be smiling more.
The promise of spring always does that, doesn't it? Even though we have barely had a regular winter season as yet.

We walked to Linky Stone Park, home of The Children's Garden (along the Reedy River) near the Swamp Rabbit Trail in downtown Greenville (SC).
The park has a "Five Senses Garden" that includes flowers and/or herbs that are in alphabetical order (this is a fantastic extra for an OCD person such as myself!) .
They have a "Secret Garden" with beautiful paintings, a Peter Rabbit fence with a portion of the story painted on the fence itself, as well as several statues.
I especially liked the huge pig one.

This pig, Vincenzo, is 4' 5" long and a little over 2' tall!

Here is a cool You Tube video about The Children's Garden that is highlighting art in public places.

The park is under a major bridge in town so you can stand in different places for a great view of the city's skyline.

You can see the back of the famous "Poinsett Hotel" in the upper right hand side

I don't know the name of this building but you can use one of the
small bridges (for walking/bikes) over the Reedy River to get to it

I took several photos of the area and will try to go back and finish my sketches. My main goal was to improve my urban sketching skills and become more comfortable sketching in public. Both of which will take time...
The downtown Greenville area is just teeming with interesting sites to sketch.
I love this city and hope that we will be stay here as my husband continues his search for a job.

You should get out in your own town with sketchbook in hand...draw your life!

More Messages From The Universe, New Classes

2012-01-31T20:40:00.002-05:00

My tea bags continue to ply me with bold messages.
In some ways, I do feel like I am getting younger instead of older.

I am hard at work in my studio!

I have several things going at once -

working on a new piece for the group "8 That Create",

preparing samples for two new classes I have scheduled while I am in Colorado.

Oh! I forgot to post them, didn't I?!

I will be teaching two one day classes at "Blue Twig Studio" in Colorado Springs, Colorado on June 3 and June 4.

One class will be "Whimsical Mark Making" and the other will be the blast of fun class "Background Painting" (check the "workshop" tab at the top of the blog for descriptions).

I'll post the order of them as soon as we figure it out. Both of these classes are so much fun and everyone is always so surprised at how well their work turns out in class.

I am also working on handouts for the June "Art Camp For Women" book making class.

That is going to be a fantastic class! I am loving all the colors of waxed linen thread that I bought just for class! No plain old black, brown or burgundy for these campers!

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that I am working on samples for the class at Judy Gula's shop "Artistic Artifacts" in Alexandria Virginia on Feb. 24 & 25. Check out this link for the class description.

It would be great (and you'll get a discount) if you signed up for my two day class and Liz Kettle's one day class there ("Metal Magic"). Three days of foot stomping fun (where did that come from?!). But it will be a lot of fun and think of all that you will learn!

The book class that I am teaching there is a great class for new book makers as well as experienced ones. After two days, you will leave with a one of a kind treasure. And you'll be armed with all the info that you need to make more.

So - back to work.

I tend to be a workaholic on creative things.

I can spend hours and hours in my studio, effectively ignoring any other errands or jobs that I need to do...

My husband is so very supportive of my desire to show women how to express their creativity.

He has seen how making art, how allowing my creativity out has healed me in so many ways.

It's much better than any medications my doctors try to make me take.

And I want other women to experience this healing balm.

Stretch that creative muscle!

Messages From The Universe

2012-01-24T12:45:00.001-05:00

(and my tea bags)

Are you listening to The Universe today?

Stating Your Intentions

2012-01-21T07:30:00.000-05:00

A couple of years ago, I wrote out a list of dreams that I had.
I listed some of the most secret things that my heart desired as well as some of the wildest, crazy ass dreams I could think of.
One of them was to teach in Italy. One of those fantastic, once in a lifetime trips to a beautiful, romantic country.
And I let that dream fly out into the Universe.
I kept it secret for a while (I mean, come on, who do I think I am to be able to dream a dream that big?!) not telling anyone but my husband and a few close friends.
This year I decided that I would shout out a few dreams, just in case the Universe was hard of hearing (grins).
I began just saying that I was going to be an "international teacher" this year.
GASP!
"Did I just say that?" I would ask myself...
Odd thing happened though, those people that I told this to never blinked an eye when I said it!
Just like they believed that I would do that!

And as that funny thing happened, another funny thing happened...
I began to believe it!

I found out about a great new creative school opening in Sulmona Italy.
The Abruzzo School of Creative Art.

I wrote up my class proposal and sent it in (after a day or two of sheer terror at the prospect of doing it).
Two days later I received an email from the owner, Averil Stewart-Head.

My proposal was accepted!!
I am over the moon with excitement!
Totally and absolutely energized about this...

But, get this...
I'm not only going this year but NEXT year as well!
Oh.
My.
Goodness.

I would love for a few of my US buddies to go with me...
If you've wanted to go to Italy, then this would be a fantastic time to go.
You know that it will be fun, creative and entertaining!

Sign up now for a HUGE discount!
Here's my workshop page.

Reserve your spot NOW as the spaces are very limited!

Finding Your Tribe

2012-01-20T06:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I wrote about expressing yourself.

Today I'd like to touch on another aspect of living a creative life.

I'd like to talk about being a part of a creative tribe.

We all need to find our tribe.

Not just any tribe but your tribe.

Youknow, that group of like minded people. They love the same thingsthat you do (who else could get so excited about sitting in a coldairplane hanger sketching?).

They drool over the same things (scraps of torn and tattered lace from grandma's closet), theyoohh and aahhh over your artwork.

You needa safe and secure place within this group of women to let your hairdown (so to speak). A place that you can stay up late working in yourjammies or sitting on the edge of the bed, drinking a glassof wine while you talk about...well, things that creative women talk about.

We needa safe place to tell our stories and to express our creativity.

Enter"ArtCamp For Women".

Allwomen (sorry guys!), all fun, all your tribe.

And justlook who is talking about us!!

Art Campis one of the four retreats featured in "O" magazine in the"Express Yourself" cover story!

Youcan't get much better than that, can you?

I'llbe teaching there in June and I'veplanned a brand new book making class just for this retreat.

Today I am theguest blogger on the Art Camp.

Follow this link to read mypost.

Expressing Yourself

2012-01-19T14:54:00.000-05:00

I've always believed that it's important for all of us to tell our stories.
To share tales of our adventures, our dreams, or just everyday happenings.

I do this all the time in my artwork.

I build each piece to tell a story or to chronicle an experience in my life or another’s life. I spend a lot of time in the forests and rivers near my home, hiking, kayaking or soaking in the beauty. I gather and collect interesting objects, natural items and everyday discards that I take to my studio and later use in these narratives. My hope is that the story will resonate with the viewer. That it will spark some inspiration or memory within them.

In times of great stress or distress, people have to tell their stories over and over as a way to process what happened to them.
I worked as a nurse in a busy Neonatal ICU. It was an area of high stress to the families that needed our services. Even if their baby was not that ill, it was still a stress on the entire family.
The mothers and fathers found so much comfort talking to other parents there. I would hear them repeat their birth stories, reliving each and every moment.

This is how we process our lives. This is how we keep those precious memories alive as well as honoring our emotions.

Creativity is a lot like that. We have to honor our creative urges.

As women (I'm guessing that most of my readers are women) we give so much of ourselves to others...we seldom reserve time for ourselves.

And if we do, it's usually after everything else is finished.

We're tired, distracted and probably a wee bit irritable.

If you can find a way to carve out a little bit of time each day to do something creative - whether it's writing, drawing, painting, sewing- it doesn't matter what it is...

what matters is that you do it!

Tomorrow I'll be the guest blogger over at "Art Camp For Women". I'll be doing another short blog post here as an intro to the one on their website.

I'd love for you to stop by and see what we're got up our sleeves...

Empty Spaces

2012-01-13T12:56:00.001-05:00

Hi wonderful people!

Did you hop over to this blog and read my post about "Approaching a Theme"?
It's all about how I am approaching the theme "Empty Spaces" in the new group that I am a member of.

I hope that you'll run over and read it and catch the other artists posts as well.
We're working hard to share all of the steps to our individual art making that we can.

Sometimes it's difficult to explain why you do what you do -
sometimes I just go on and do it without thinking to take photos of what I did.

When you're in that zone it's difficult to stop and document the process...

Anyway - check out the blog (and the website).
Let me know what you think!

I may use this line drawing to symbolize that there is growth that takes place in the Empty Spaces

Artistic Artifacts

2012-01-11T11:59:00.000-05:00

I am going to be heading up to Virginia this February - to an wonderful mixed media fiber shop called Artistic Artifacts.
I am teaching a two day book making class called "Bound By Heart, Made By Hand".
Someone ask me why I call the class this so I'll explain here.

A lot of my recent work (the last three years) has revolved around the death of my mother.
When I was cleaning out her house, I found so many keepsakes type things that I had forgot about, had never seen or couldn't remember the story attached to them.
There was a lot of vintage linens from my grandmother as well...she was a doll maker and a quilter.
Oh, and also a doll doctor. She had been certified to do "reconstructive surgery" on all types of dolls -wooden to ceramic.

I found myself the owner of a ton of family keepsakes.
And not an idea of what to do with them but store them like my mom did.

But, a couple of things kept nagging at me.
I didn't want my son to find all these things after I died and wonder about them...or throw them out.
And I just didn't have the storage space to keep them all.

I made the decision to use them.
Not in the intended manner but in an artistic manner.
I put aside the ones that held special meaning or were in the best condition.
Then I began using them as art supplies...yep, cutting them up, adding them to books that I made, attaching them to fiber wall art...just generally enjoying them.

And I found that all of the pieces that I added to artwork held more meaning to me.

They began to bind my heart to the work that I made by hand...
Hence "Bound By Heart, Made By Hand" was born.

And in my classes, I show everyone how to use those vintage linens (whether hand-me-downs or not), old clothing, copies of hand written letters and anything else they choose to bring in their artwork.
The books are so textured with all of the different linens, homespun and hankies inside (and outside) of them.

The books have so much more meaning and sentiment when you use personal items.

And you can bet that your kids won't throw these away when you're gone!

I've had women create family recipe books, wine tasting books, memory books for family or friends, and art journal books.
Sketchbooks.

Here's a few photos of the ones that I have made.

I love painting the pages inside then going back and sketching or writing in them.
But I also love viewing the book as a piece of art in itself.

The class will be held at Artistic Artifacts in Alexandria Virginia.
It's a two day class and almost everyone goes home with a completed book!
Sometimes two books if you've planned ahead.

Contact Judy Gula at the shop for prices and payment options.

Oh - class dates are Feb. 24 & 25.

My buddy Liz Kettle is teaching a one day workshop the very next day (Sunday Feb. 26) called "Metal Magic".

Judy is offering a $10 discount on both (either or) classes if you sign up now!

We could make a weekend out of it...just think - hanging out with me, Liz and Judy all weekend!
A girl's weekend...with great art making too!

Filling Your Time With Creative Endeavors

2012-01-08T11:16:00.000-05:00

Over at the Sketchbook Challenge blog this month, the theme is "doodling".
This is one of my favorite things to do!
I always carry a travel art kit with me - it includes several folded pieces of paper (usually Exact Vellum Bristol) or a ready made sketchbook, travel watercolor paints, Faber Castell Pitt Artists Pens and a pencil & eraser.
When I find myself with a minute or two , I pull out a piece of paper (or sketchbook) and a pencil or pen and fill my time with emptying some of the images rolling around in my head (which can be kinda scary now that I think of it).

There are times that I allow the stress of living in this world occupy a larger space there (in my head) than it should so drawing is a great way to get my mind off of the negative things.

I've had a Moleskine watercolor sketchbook for a while now but (evidently) put it on a higher shelf in my studio...I have found it again and started using it to see if I like the paper. I believe it is a 200 gsm paper.

I haven't found the "perfect" sketchbook yet...
I suspect that there will never be that "Perfect One" because my sketching habits change, the medium that I color my images with changes as well as the size that I am willing to carry around.
But I sure am enjoying the hunt for one!

Before Christmas (seems like that was sooo long ago, doesn't it?) I was working on a few small handmade books to submit to Christopher Park Gallery in town (they are carrying my work!).

Here is a sampling of the original sketches that led to some of the cover art for the "Little Books" series.

It's a little difficult to see - I drew the images with a harder lead pencil (2H) (which makes a lighter mark).
It was all I had at the time. I have since switched my "regular" sketching pencil to a "F" lead.
I'm not sure if I'll be pleased with that either...I'll keep switching around until I am happy with the results.
And I love drawing with the "2H" pencil, I just don't like the lightness of the scanned image.
I know that I can adjust that in post-editing...but the truth is - I not very good at "post editing" images.
I usually just scan images and use the file as is.
(I did go back and adjust the brightness/contrast just to get the lines darkened up).

Perhaps I should resolve to take a class on that...

I had started drawing all the cats after this little angel came into our life
(cute kitty photo alert).

He has not only cemented himself into our hearts but onto our couch as well!
(I snuck that photo in rather seamlessly, didn't I?)

In drawing the cats, I began branching out to the Big Cats.
Lions and tigers quickly followed.

Here's one of them. I love the curly, flowing mane.

I'm still working on him though.

This is the way that a lot of my artwork evolves.
I begin with a loose, often very ugly sketch but it serves to remind me later of what I originally had in mind.
It's a great "jumping off" point.

I hope that all of you are flexing your creative muscles this New Year!
Get your sketch on!

8 That Create

2012-01-03T12:07:00.001-05:00

I am a champ at setting loose, hardly measurable goals.
(Can I get a "hell yeah"?)
Every year, I tell myself that I will do better, will be better at this.

And I AM doing better with one or two of those goals...just not all of them.

Last year, I set the goal to be a part of a group of artists that encourage each other, seek out venues and show together.
I wanted to be a part of a group that created along side each other but not a challenge group per se.

Towards the end of last year, that group materialized.
I am so thrilled to announce the formation of
(drum roll please)

"8 That Create"

8 That Create is a group of professional, artists that explore the use of

innovative mixed media techniques to manipulate, alter and enhance the

appearance of their chosen surface.

Our mission is to support each other in our individual artistic journeys and to

provide inspiration to others through our group exhibitions, publications,

website and blog.

Leslie Tucker Jenison

Liz Kettle

Carol Sloan

Kathyanne White

Check out our website and an informative blog that will include lots of details about our forays into exhibiting as a group.

We have the beginnings of a show planned for later this year but right now we are working on an online show with the theme of "Empty Spaces".

We'll be adding more information on both of those later.

We are so excited about our new group and hope that you will follow along with us!

Sketchbook Challenge Blog 2012

2012-01-02T03:39:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year everyone!

I hope that all of you are readers (and participants) in the Sketchbook Challenge Project that I am a guest host at.
I wanted to post the opening theme for the 2012 Sketchbook Challenge.

This month, Diana Trout has offered up a perfect beginning to our blog.

Here is a re-post of the 1-2-2012 post.

Happy New Year, Sketchbook Challengers and welcome to newbies. Diana here with January's theme

*Doodling**

None Threatening Drawing for Anyone At All

Doodling, Noodling, Moodling, call it what you'd like.

This quote from Brenda Ueland, sums it up nicely:

So you see, imagination needs moodling - long, inefficient, happy idling, dawdling and puttering.

We all doodle: on the phone, at meetings, on grocery lists. On our calendars. Do you remember all of the hearts and little flowers on your school notebooks? Until your teacher told you to "pay attention." Really puts the kebash on doodling greatness. (I pay better attention whilst doodling.)

Somewhere along the line, you may have stopped doodling. Let's get your doodle on this month!

Here are some doodling starters tips for beginning-again doodlers.

Doodle on brown paper, graph paper, looseleaf paper, in your journal.

1. Use a really simple pen and any kind of paper. For instance, are you working on a work related problem? Doodle on the edges of that paper. Let doodling begin to creep into your everyday life.

2. Doodling is meditative but sometimes our minds resist (believe me, I know). Decide to "take 5" and put on a song you love. Doodle to it. I'll bet you go for 15 minutes.

3. Doodling is really good for developing drawing skills. Your eye-hand coordination will improve.

4. Doodle straight lines, curving lines, open shapes such as boxes, circles, ovals. Look at what you've already doodled and repeat some of these motifs.

5. Make a doodle sampler. A page full of doodling ideas: flower shapes, pod shapes (like my pods). Link the shapes together with lines, dots, flourishes.

6. Mix it up and use different line widths. I like to start with a Micron 01 and go up to 03 and 05.

Coming up ... resources in the art world to broaden your doodle vocabulary. Happy Doodling!

The theme for January 2012 is:

*Doodling*

Special Prize Giveaway Announcements:

This year on the Sketchbook Challenge we're going to be giving away some art! Each month one (or more!) of the Sketchbook Challenge Artists will be sending a piece of mail art to one (or more!) winners each month! Winners of the mail art will be chosen by random draw from the photos posted on the flickr group for that month. More details on how to be eligible are below.

And we also have an additional prize package this month donated by our sponsor Joggles!

Two winners will each receive a $25 gift certificate to Joggles.com!

How to be eligible for prize drawings:

In order to be eligible for one of the January 2012 prize packages you must post at least one photo of a sketchbook page related to the January 2012 theme to the Sketchbook Challenge Flickr group and you MUST tag one of your photos with the code "jan987".

IMPORTANT: PLEASE ONLY TAG ONE OF YOUR PHOTOS with this special code!

It is not necessary to tag more than one and it will not increase your chances of winning.

Information on how to upload photos to flickr can be found here.

Winners will be chosen based on random draw on 1/31/12 and announced on the Sketchbook Challenge blog either on that day or on 2/1/12.

***Go to the original post for the links that Diana added to the entry.***

Now let's see your doodles!

Hodge Podge

2011-12-30T13:11:00.000-05:00

Did you read the post over at the "Sketchbook Challenge" blog about the scrap bag that I made from Mulit-Purpose Cloth?

It's a great way to use those teeny tiny scraps that you save (and you know that you do) and then wonder what the heck you're going to do with them! And it's easy-peasy too!

I am really loving the MPC from Roc-Ion.

It's so easy to stitch on, you can draw or paint on it just like paper and/or canvas and there are NO raveling edges! None!

I'm already working on a book cover using it so watch for a tutorial on that soon.

Right now I'm putting the finishing touches on another book for the "Art Camp For Women" retreat this June in Colorado.

I'm using my own rusted fabric/fibers on this one and adding a really cool embellishment on the cover.

I've also been introduced to a new type of paper to use in bookmaking (thanks Denise!).

I'm not going to stop using my fav (Wausau Exact Vellum Bristol) but this new stuff is SO easy to put into a book.

I'll let you know more about it as I do a little more experimenting, okay?

I'm hoping that all of you are having a peaceful holiday season.

We have a new year coming up, it would be a good time to reevaluate your goals and dreams.

I plan on thinking about those things too.

I'm also thinking about where I want to go in the coming year - not in a physical sense but "where is my life going" sense.

I'm feeling a little unsettled - like I'm missing something or not doing something that I'm supposed to be doing.

Do any of you ever feel that way?

It seems that things were so much more simple when my son was young.

My focus was so clear then. But it was also on him.

Now it's time to think about what I want...really focus on where I want to go/what I want to do with the time that I have left on this earth.

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-24T18:51:00.001-05:00

I'm going to be off line for a few days but wanted to take the time to wish everyone a happy holiday season.
Remember those less fortunate than you, those that feel additional pressure this time of year and your elderly neighbors that may not have family or friends close.

I will have a project post on the Sketchbook Challenge blog the 26th. Be sure to check it out.

Thank all of you that read my blog.
Your comments and emails really make my day. I'd love to hear more from you in the coming year.
I'm thinking of changing up the blog a little after I add an honest-to-goodness web site in the new year.

Any ideas, suggestions or requests?
Drop me an email or leave a comment!

Here is a peek at what I've been working on for the Art Camp For Women project...

Gallery Representation

2011-12-21T11:16:00.002-05:00

I am so excited to share some really great news!

My work has been picked up by one of the local art galleries!
(insert cheering crowd)

Christopher Park Gallery is THE most funky, eclectic and fun gallery in Greenville SC.
Every corner is filled with interesting works of art, handmade bags, jewelry, gift items, life size art, Outsider Art, pottery and much more.

Now you can see my work there too!
I have wall art, handmade journals/books and prints/cards available right now.

Check out this link for an online shop or drive down to the Historic West End in Greenville SC at
608A South Main Street.

Here is their Facebook page. Go and "Like" them, tell them that Carol Sloan sent you.

Betty Bercowski, the owner, also runs the coffee/sandwich shop next door (Rainer's). The drinks are awesome and the food is yummy.

This is a fantastic place to shop for original artwork that doesn't require a bank loan to purchase. Betty does a great job representing local artists as well as a few out of towners.
And the gallery is chock full of truly interesting items!

Here's a peek at one of the pieces that now hangs at Christopher Park Gallery.
It's a stretched canvas with layers and layers of collage and paint.
Purchase it here.

Happy First Day of Winter to all of you!
Happy Holidays too!

KC Takes A Bath

2011-12-15T16:26:00.000-05:00

I usually don't post personal stuff on my blog but this is just too darn cute to keep to myself!

Remember KC the kitty cat from this post? Well, he's still here (imagine that?!) and fitting right in with the neighborhood.
He has become a bit of a "Six Dinner Sid" - you know, going from house to house pretending that he hasn't been fed...no petting...just a poor, neglected kitty.

Well, he can't say that anymore!
He was acquiring a bit of a, umm, personal perfume - not to mention those dirty ears and feet.

My gracious (and brave) step daughter offered to bathe him.
She has a Himalayan at home that she regularly bathes so this task was nothing to her.

I'm going to post a series of photos that need to be looked at in the order they are in for the maximum belly laugh.

Here is KC, getting his first sink bath...

I can see a little trepidation in his eyes..."Hey, I thought that Emmy was just going to carry me around the house like you guys do."

I hope that this brightens your day!

Sketchbook page

2011-12-06T19:03:00.000-05:00

Here's a scan of one of the sketches that I drew in my handmade sketchbook this week.
Too bad I lost interest in it before I finished it...

New Work and Old Homes

2011-12-02T12:44:00.000-05:00

I've been in the studio this week, painting away the day.
And I am paying for it too!
I have my large work table on risers because I like to stand while I work.
After two days of painting (for at least 10 hours a day), my legs and back have had enough. Even if I wanted to paint more, I just can't.

So I'm turning my attention to paperwork.
Ugghhh.

Here's a peek at one new piece.
And yes, it's that cute kitty cat again!

And I have to get back to this also.
I have the sample book pages completed but I am having to go back and re-figure my cover idea.
It was one of those "Hey, this would look good!" ideas that I failed to fully think (or work) through.
Needless to say, it didn't.
Work out, that is.

If things go as they usually do, the next idea will be even better!
Most of my (really good) work happens that way - I screw one thing up and while I am trying to figure out a different way, I hit on a really cool idea...
And that is the truth of the matter.
That is why you should keep on going with an idea or a project when you hit a roadblock (or screw it up). If you do, you will eventually work things out or come up with an even better idea!
(I would put my hands in the air and say "ta da!" here but you can do what you want to)

Now - on to other things...
This evening I'll be joining a few other local artists at the beautiful Greenville Women's Club in Greenville SC.
We're having a holiday art fair and show from 6:00-9:00pm.
I think that they will be serving wine, finger foods and providing music.
The house is just breath taking and especially so with the addition of the Christmas decorations.

Here's a peek of the home that is now the Women's Club.

This is the historic Beattie House.

Join me and other local artists tonight for an art filled evening!

Thank You!

2011-11-30T11:11:00.000-05:00

I participated in an art fair on Saturday at "Spill The Beans" in Greenville SC.
There were about 18 (or so) local artists there also, showing everything from sculpture, paintings, fiber art, jewelry to Starbucks gift card lamp shades (which were so cool!).
We had a great crowd there...and it was right there inside the coffee/ice cream/frozen yogurt shop!!

Did you know that you can order a freshly baked waffle cone dipped in (dark) chocolate without the ice cream?

I didn't (until Saturday) but it's a great answer to the "I really, really want one of those cones with chocolate but the ice cream is too much of a mess while I am selling my artwork" dilemma...
A yummy answer in fact.

I was so excited to sell a few things, including one of my new Little Books (thank you Denise!).
I am always so thrilled when collectors love my artwork as much as I do.

I create work from my heart ( & my head) based on things that inspire me.
There are some days that everything inspires me...
some days, nothing does.
But most of the time I have a ton of ideas - some good, some not so good.

Today I will complete up one painting that is on my table (a dog), put the finishing touches on five paintings that I did earlier in the week and think about fleshing out the two canvases that I started yesterday.

I really, really have to update my resume (that means write one), take a look at my artist statement (it needs changing for a different venue) and decide if I want to use my same ole bio...

The grunt work, that is.

The stuff I run from.

Maybe I'll clean out the fridge instead...

Giraffasaurus

2011-11-25T08:15:00.000-05:00

I thought that I'd show you the last (or latest) imaginary animal that came out of my sketchbook.
This is a "Giraffasaurus" - a friendly and curious vegetarian.

He is also part of the paperback book line that will be shown to the public this holiday season at "Spill The Beans" in Greenville SC on November 26.
Come by and meet me and many other artists that will be showing (and selling) their wares.
I've got a few other curious animals waiting anxiously for a new home...

Catasaurus

2011-11-21T08:15:00.000-05:00

From the moment that my pen touched the paper for this month's theme,
I have been so inspired to keep drawing!

I've done six drawings and made (so far) four books using these drawings.

Here is the latest -
called a "Catasaurus"

I've made a small paperback book using this watercolor painting.
I am participating in an artists holiday fair (type thing) in Greenville SC on Nov. 26 at "Spill The Beans" where I will be selling (and showing) these cute books and many other handmade items.
If you're in the area, come by and see me!

KC the kitty cat

2011-11-18T08:30:00.000-05:00

We have a new visitor at the Sloan house.
A little kitty cat (hence the KC) that is slowly stealing our hearts...

They can do that, can't they?

Here he is sitting on top of a stump that was a part of the Bradford Pear tree in our yard.
He was busy grooming himself when I took a series of photos of him.

Now, even though I like realistic drawn cats, I'm not to fond of actually drawing them myself.
So I decided to take Carla's theme and draw what my imagination sees of this handsome kitty.

Here's what I came up with.

I drew this one in a split second on a scrap of watercolor paper. I really liked the goofy look on his face so I had to draw another one on a larger piece of paper.
And add a little sky behind him.
I'm thinking that these would make the cutest cards and book covers, eh?

He doesn't really wear pink claw polish, I just wanted to add that...
His butt really is that little though...

Door Knockers

2011-11-17T12:38:00.000-05:00

On a recent trip to Charleston, I spent some time looking around at the beautiful and ornate door knockers.
I'm always amazed at the decorative touches that people put on their homes in the city.
You will find rich and tasteful (as well as gaudy and flashy) ornamentation in the smallest of places here.

I took the time to sketch out a door knocker at 1 Legare Street.
I used a photograph for reference later as I added a little bit of watercolor to the sketch.

Have you stretched your creative muscles today?

Art Camp For Women

2011-11-14T10:49:00.000-05:00

Boy, do I have some great news!

I am so excited to announce that I will be teaching a bookmaking workshop at "Art Camp For Women" next year!

"Art Camp For Women" is in their sixth season at Snow Mountain Ranch near beautiful Winter Park Colorado. Click on the link to go to their website and check out the different options that are available to you there.

I was going to say "The best thing about this retreat is..." but I realized that there are several "best things about this retreat". I'll just say that one of the things that I LOVE about this retreat is that all the art supplies are provided for you!

Yes. You heard it right ladies.

When you go to ACFW, you don't have to pack ANY art supplies!

Now, just think about that...the last retreat that I went to, I had two cases FULL of art supplies and a carry on for clothes. Then I only used a small portion of what I carried (which is very frustrating) (and confusing in class).

For ACFW, I am designing a completely different (and new) book.
It's all handmade, no sewing machine required.
I've been communicating with Keith Smith (who has written several books on book binding) on appropriate binding stitches for books that will lie completely flat, are beautifully decorative and great for beginners as well as advanced book makers. He has been so helpful to me in this research.

And while I am using a more traditional approach to binding, the cover is another story!
I love to create one of a kind covers for my books. Our completed book will definitely be a one of a kind with some really cool mixed media concoctions thrown in.

I'm still making the class book, but the ACFW web site has a couple of photos up of some sample books that I made showing different binding stitches .

I'll be posting more info as time goes on but right now check out the "Art Camp For Women" web site for the June 4-11, 2012 session.

As I said before, they have a couple of different options for the June session including "The Works" which I found to be the most interesting...

We stay at a vacation home, have chef prepared meals, daily Happy Hour (woo hoo!) and all your art supplies are provided!

I hope that you will consider making your 2012 retreat class with me at Snow Mountain Ranch near Winter Park Colorado.

(the following photos are samples for different binding stitches that I am trying out - not actual retreat projects)

above is a sample of a cover technique that I am working on

Another Robot

2011-11-06T07:30:00.002-05:00

I've painted another Guardian.

I was working in my large Moleskine. The paper is not as heavy as I am used to working on...I must admit that I love the journal size but not the paper (weight). I will have to be more careful when using wet media in it as I scrubbed a small spot to the side of my drawing.

I have two more Guardians drawn but not painted as yet.
I have a car trip coming up so maybe I can work on that and the Sketchbook Challenge November theme.

I hope that everyone is feeling well and enjoying each and every day.
Remember to exercise your creative muscles - that's the only way that they will continue to grow!

Don't forget to set your clocks back an hour!

Background Painting for Book Pages

2011-11-04T07:00:00.000-04:00

I'm working on a new project, a book, that needs some snazzy pages.
So - I pulled out a pile of paper, a few bottles of paint, couple of acrylic inks, Distress Ink Pads, stencils, masks and a sponge or two (and later on - paste for paste paper).
My studio table was a horrid mess...

Oh wait...that was actually before I began the papers (I think)...I titled this photo "Dirty Secret" since my table is dirty...but now it is no longer a secret.

This next shot was after I had already layered a couple of stamps and masks on the pages.
I always work on as many pages as I can fit in my work-space. It saves time this way and I can work from one end of the table to the other end. By the time that I finish at one end, the other end is dry and ready for the next layer.
I love painting paper this way - it is so easy to get into the "zone" and work in an intuitive manner. Before you know it, you've got 10 or 15 coordinating pages all ready for your project.
This is one of my most popular classes actually - everyone can do it and there are no mistakes!

I kept layering different colors, stamps and such until I was happy with everything.
Here is a shot of some of the pages that I created that day. I did add some paste to some of the pages. I love the additional texture on the pages! I will continue to play around with making paste paper as I really like the look of it (and it IS a bit addictive, isn't it?)
I think that I may have added another layer of ink before I quit. Then I let them sit for a day or so before I ironed them (between parchment paper).

Rainbow Row

2011-11-02T16:28:00.000-04:00

I've been reading about the history of Charleston SC lately.
I love the book by Diane Hollingworth Gessler called "Very Charleston".

It's a beautifully illustrated book, just full of watercolor paintings by the author.
I couldn't help but paint one of my own based on her interpretation.

It's a quick watercolor with details sketched in with India Ink. My painting is almost identical to the one in the book but it really helped me to do this one before trying another on my own...it was a great way to loosen up and get the perspective right.
I am not (by any means) a watercolor painter so I needed all the help that I could get.
I have a ton of ephemera that I've collected from Charleston and I want to construct my own "Charleston" book so that I can include all my treasures.

Don't forget to check out the new theme on the "Sketchbook Challenge" blog this month!
Carla Sonheim picked this time.
Check it out, play along, win prizes!

Guardian Angels

2011-10-31T05:30:00.001-04:00

Everybody needs a guardian angel in their life.

Beauty

2011-10-29T12:35:00.000-04:00

This cooler weather brings out the adventurer in my husband and me.

We spent a long weekend camping and kayaking down on the Edisto River in lower SC.

I'm guessing that the water was a bit too cold for any alligators (or snakes either ) (thanks goodness)

but we did see lots of shy turtles, slim egrets and a heron or two.

The trees down there are so beautiful...those tall, wide cypress trees.

The base of some of them were wider than our kayak (and we paddle a tandem that is about 18 ft long).

This one was about 10-12 ft wide at the widest area of it. Wide and flat at the base.

I love the way that the reflection of the tree is swirling in the water.

The entire river reflects the shore in some spots...it can fool you if you let it.

Look at this shot. I originally took this photo because I was interested in the lower water level.

You can see how low the water level was by the marks on the trees.

After I got home, I noticed that the beautiful reflection.

And the occasional traffic sign.

You know...just in case you didn't know the correct place to stop at...

We couldn't figure out...well, we just couldn't figure it out...

But what we do know is this - that river is beautiful.

The sounds she makes, the song she sings.

The animals that call her home.

That black water that swirls along her banks.

Just beautiful.

Paper Crazy (or maybe just Plain Crazy)

2011-10-20T05:00:00.002-04:00

Yesterday a good friend and I got together and played with paint, glue, dye and paper.
Sounds fun, right?

It was!

We spent all day mixing, concocting colors, adding mediums, and spreading the final product onto a variety of different papers.

It all began as an experiment into paste papers and kinda evolved into a mix of that and my typical approach to everything art related.

Wide.
Open.

Thank goodness that Nancy was there to reign me in a little bit.
I love the possibility of what this process could add to the way that I create Artist Papers.
Another approach to layering color and texture.
Embedding your own personal mark making into each piece.

The process is a fantastic way to investigate your personal marks and symbols.
A lot of people don't even realize their mark vocabulary...
by making these types of painted papers, this vocabulary will inevitably make itself known to you.
(actually, that should be the description for the "Painted Backgrounds" class)

So, grab a friend, some art supplies, your best creative spirit and have at it!
Or - take a class.

Be brave!
Learn!

Here are a few shots of what we did...keep in mind that, for me, this is only the beginnings of the painted papers.
I plan on adding more, more, MORE!

I was surprised to see tiny bubbles in the paint on this piece of paper where I screened an image with too much paint. I kinda like the look of it though. Try clicking on it to see it close up.
This is the forth layer of dye or paint on this particular paper.
An initial splat or two of dye, paste with paint, more dye added, stamp with the gold acrylic paint and then the Thermofax screen...
Oops, that's five layers, isn't it?
Well...anyway...

Now some of these aren't true "paste papers" at all...
Some of them have been colored with dyes before (or after) adding varying amounts of the paste paper concoction.
Then there are still others that were stamped with a hand carved poppy stamp after I got home...
oh, then I added a Thermofax screen image to one or two before I collapsed into a heap of tiredbutveryhappy
on my couch...

Oh so tired but thrilled to add yet one more tool to my artist belt.

What's On Your Table?

2011-10-18T00:01:00.000-04:00

Nothin' like a fresh new paintbrush and mark making tool!

What's On Your Table?

2011-10-17T12:01:00.001-04:00

Why is it that when you have deadlines looming all you want to do is paint silly little rabbits??

No Swimming

2011-10-16T13:01:00.000-04:00

I can't believe that it's been over a week since I posted!
I'm not an everyday blogger by any means but I usually have something new at least three times a week...
Not to say that I don't have anything new - just haven't posted it.

My husband and I ride bikes on the Swamp Rabbit Trail here in Greenville SC (which is an AWESOME trail btw).
We usually ride up to Furman University, around their lake and back to downtown Greenville.
At Furman, they have beautiful swans swimming around, humorous ducks and shy turtles.

They also have a small chained in area at the lakes edge.
For several weeks, there was a black swan in the fence...
Then a white swan...
Now no swan.

We can't quite figure it out but this photo that my husband shot may shed a little light on the subject...

The swans in question must have been swimming when the "No Swimming" police went by...

DVD Winner

2011-10-07T10:56:00.000-04:00

Here is a true story of, ummm, incompetence (?) maybe...

Today is the BIG give-away.
I was going to go to the comments and pick the one that I thought was the oddest thing to bead...
BUT it was just too difficult to choose! I would pick one and then say (to myself)
"Well, but..."
You can imagine how the morning went.
I eventually decided to go to Random Number Generator to take the pressure off of myself...
When when I tried to post the widget with the number on it...
Arrrggghhh...

Needless to say I settled for a simple "copy/paste" thing just to finish with it!

So - all babble aside -
the lucky winner is
(TA-DA!!)

True Random Number GeneratorMin:Max:Result:15 Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Patsy Thompson, you win!

Yay for Patsy!
I'll email you soon and let you know that a soon as I get back from a bike ride, I'll mail your DVD out!

~~I'm not sure if there are other people~~ still giving away copies of Lyric's DVD -

Oct 5 Sue Bleiweiss http://www.suebleiweiss.com/blog/

Oct 7 Jill Berry http://jillberrydesign.com/blog/

Oct 10 Jane LaFazio http://janeville.blogspot.com/

Oct 12 Tracie Lynn Huskamp http://thereddoor-studio.blogspot.com

Check out the above blogs for another chance to win!

And go here to purchase yours before the price increase.

Thanks everyone for participating!

Bead it Like You Mean it

2011-10-03T00:01:00.007-04:00

I am honored to have an opportunity to review Lyric Kinard's new beading DVD today on the blog!

Lyric is a fellow host on the "Sketchbook Challenge" and I've enjoyed getting to know her there.
Oh, I've seen her work, watched her Quilting Arts DVDs and heard lots of good things about her but I've never met her in person.

Watching the DVD felt like meeting her though!

One of the things I really loved about the DVD was her voice...it sounds so calming and the distinct way that she enunciates her words made it so easy to understand what she was saying (coming from someone with a bit of hearing loss- that is important).
Bonnie McCaffery was the videographer and did a spectacular job with scene shots, the sound, and close-ups. She shot the close ups in such a way that you could see every movement that Lyric (and her beading needle) made.
Great job Bonnie!

Back to the actual content.

Lyric covers applying one bead at a time, attaching a long line of beads (seed beads, bugle beads), a curved line of beads, stacks of beads (including funky chunkies), caging a cabochon (or just making one look better!), scrumbling and how to attach beads to a finished quilt without leaving evidence on the back of it.

Whew!

I learned so many cool tips about needle selection and thread usage. Now I know why I was having so much trouble beading the edge of a small bag that I had made...

This video is PACKED with information! There is truly something for everyone here - from the newbie to the advanced beader.

And the price is right people...19.95 (plus shipping) until Oct. 12. The price increases after that to 24.95 (plus shipping). Grab it while you can save a few bucks...you can use the savings to buy more beads.

I'm giving away a copy of the DVD here on my blog!
There is one small catch though...you'll have to answer a question for me to be entered in the give-away.

Q:What is the craziest thing that you've ever seen anyone put beads on?
A: ??

So - leave a comment with your answer and I'll choose a name on Oct.7, this Friday. That will give a few days for everyone to leave a comment.
If you don't have an email attached to your blog name, please leave me a way to contact you.
Or be sure to check back Friday for the winner.

Good luck!

If you just can't wait - here is a link to go ahead and purchase it. Remember it's on sale until Oct. 12.

There are a few more blog reviews with give aways associated with them. I'll post a list of them so you can keep entering to win!

Oct 5 Sue Bleiweiss http://www.suebleiweiss.com/blog/
Oct 7 Jill Berry http://jillberrydesign.com/blog/
Oct 10 Jane LaFazio http://janeville.blogspot.com/
Oct 12 Tracie Lynn Huskamp http://thereddoor-studio.blogspot.com/

Good luck!

October Theme

2011-10-02T12:14:00.000-04:00

This is a repost from the "Sketchbook Challenge" blog.
Original post here.

Carol here, welcoming you to October.

A month that brings many changes to my Southeastern US landscape... the days become shorter and temperatures drop cuing leaves to change color and fall off the trees, gardens mature with their harvest and are tilled under signaling their rest period.

Here in the South Carolina we are getting a much deserved break from the relentless humidity that we have suffered through this summer.

My husband and I kayak in the local rivers and can often be found tromping through the forest on any given trip...we're noticing things now that we didn't see all summer – whether it's the changing of the leaf color or the filtered light through the trees – our landscape is changing...

Which brings me to the theme for this month.

The theme for October is VIEW

View/Views

noun

1. An instance of seeing or beholding; visual inspection

2. sight; vision

3. range of sight or vision

4. a sight or prospect of a landscape, the sea, etc

5. a picture or photograph of something

My suggestion would be to look the word up in a couple of different dictionaries (here, here, or here), check out the synonyms and see how it is used in a sentence.

This is what I usually do...but I can get rather intense from time to time. The research phase is one of my favorite parts when beginning a new project.

I am choosing to begin the month with a more literal interpretation of the word.

If you're been reading this blog (here and here) and my personal blog, you'll know that I've been doing a bit of (much needed) work in my bathroom.

I purchased and altered a shower curtain, which by the way, turned out very nice. Now I'm painting a triptych for an empty space on the wall.

I knew that I wanted a landscape painting. I wanted bold, bright colors (aren't you proud of me Kelli?) that would just jump off the wall. I also wanted to try out an idea I had about the house paintings that I had been doing.

So the first step in my “journey with a view” was my trusty sketchbook.

************************************************************

You know, we've all been so brave this year in sharing our sketchbooks.

I don't know about all of you loyal readers but there are marks in my book that are, um, less that stellar. As a matter of fact, they are almost pitiful! But there is one thing that I have learned in this Sketchbook Challenge journey, it's that we all make marks like that. We all have room to grow and improve. And when you share your bad marks along with your good marks, people connect with you on a different level.

That view is the same for all of us, isn't it?

***********************************************

Kinda got off topic, didn't I?

Anyway...

I started painting a series of houses and landscapes last year called “It Takes A Village”. I envisioned a village of wonky skinny houses that had tall skinny trees and odd skinny flowers in the garden.

I fell in love with the whole project and I am still painting them a year later. I wanted to take that idea up a notch with this triptych.

I sketched out my idea – which was to have the painting flow through three separate panels of wood (my substrate).

This was my first idea (sorry, I didn't scan it before I painted it).

I also used this page ( Moleskine Folio Sketchbook A4 ) to try out several different colors of paint. I have to jot down the name of the color or I will forget it. I was using the Derwent Intense Watercolor pencils on this page.

I liked what I had on this page – it was bold and colorful, it was in keeping with the “It Takes A Village” series...but something just wasn't clicking with me.

I really wanted to let my wonky little houses grow up a little bit.

I began thinking of how I loved the “Rainbow Row” houses in my beloved Charleston SC. I decided to look at some images pertaining to that type of structure.

When I begin a project or get stuck with one, I often turn to Google for help. I click on “images” at the upper left hand corner of the main page and type in what I looking for. The returns are usually pages and pages of images to calm or confuse you.

In this case, I found just enough to get me going in a different direction.

I went back to my sketchbook.

These pages are a sample of what I sketched out after my Google search.

I really liked a couple of the houses this time and began another “test” painting.

This is what I came up with (again, I didn't scan before I began painting).

I laid out the landscape as one continuous scene, then drew the lines in to separate it into the triptych panels.

You will also see the smears of red paint on the left hand side. I was trying to make up my mind about which color to paint the houses. You will later see that I used almost every one of the colors in my shading.

I also added a bit of the ocean to the background in the "real" painting.

The scene is a compilation of views that we have when kayaking in the Charleston Harbor.

I used a bit of artistic liberty but that's what we do, right?

I'll give you a tiny peek at how the painting is progressing. Throughout the month, I'll post updates and let you see how it's going.

I hope that you will enjoy a small view of the work that started in my sketchbook this month.

Please share yours as well!

The theme for October is VIEW

How to be eligible for prize drawings:

In order to be eligible for one of the October prize packages you must post at least one photo of a sketchbook page related to the October theme to the Sketchbook Challenge Flickr group and you MUST tag one of your photos with the code "oct489".

IMPORTANT: PLEASE ONLY TAG ONE OF YOUR PHOTOS with this special code!

It is not necessary to tag more than one and it will not increase your chances of winning.

Information on how to upload photos to flickr can be found here.

Winners will be chosen based on random draw on 10/31/11 and announced on the Sketchbook Challenge blog either on that day or on 11/1/11.

Stackaholics Anonymous

2011-09-30T13:54:00.000-04:00

I'm joining in with Seth Apter (and a host of others) in standing tall & proud with my stack. (thanks Kelli for the link!)

My husband asked "Which stack?"

Haha...isn't that funny (and true).

I have said before that I have an over active imagination and with that, comes an over abundance of ideas.
My attention span is not overly large though...

You know what follows - lots of UFO's.

I have stacks of class ideas, a stack of step outs for class ideas that were abandoned for better ideas, stacks of files of interesting magazine pages, stacks of interesting pieces of things that have texture, stacks of things that are red, stacks of things that are...

You get the idea. (No, I am not a hoarder) (I don't think I am...)

So, thank goodness Seth narrowed things down for us all by drawing attention to
"The Paper Stack".

Since I couldn't back far enough away from my stack of "paper to be used in journal/book making" to get a photo, I decided to simply photograph my stack of paper filled handmade books. This is not all of them as I have them sent several out to various other homes at the moment.

So - here it is. My photo confessional of the day along with my admission.

I, too, am a Stackaholic.

Come on, you'll feel better after you confess it...Join in with us!

Weekend Classes

2011-09-29T06:30:00.001-04:00

I just wanted to put a reminder up here about the weekend book making class at Artists Guild Gallery of Greenville. (SC).
I have 2 spots left in the class if anyone is interested in it.

Hours -
Saturday Oct. 1 10:00-3:00
Sunday Oct. 2 1:00-6:00ish

Fee $135 plus optional $20 kit (check, cash or credit cards accepted)

email me with questions(carolbsloan@yahoo.com)

This is everyones favorite class. You will love what you learn and the book that you leave with.
I think that this is a great beginner through advanced class.

It is packed with great techniques including:
Understanding the differences in papers and acrylic mediums and which mediums to use when.Great ways to include vintage linens and keepsakes that you have been hanging onto.
Basic construction of a handmade book.
Sewing on nontraditional surfaces.
Making and painting signatures/book pages.Collage methods to create beautiful book pages.
how to utilize papers, fibers, fabrics &/or keepsake items to construct a waterproof book cover
machine and hand-stitching techniques to attach signatures in to the book
embellishing the front cover of the book to make it uniquely yours.
How to make the outside of your book waterproof and extremely durable.

I send you home with a lot in information in written form so that you will have something to refer to later and I am always available via phone or email to help you should you need it.

We all need to nuture our creative spirits - this class is a fantastic way to do just that!

The Sketchbook Challenge E-zine

2011-09-28T09:24:00.000-04:00

Stop the presses! The first Sketchbook Challenge E-zine is now available for purchase!

Available for download right now for only $9.99!

The Sketchbook Challenge E-zine is 83 full color pages of creativity, inspiration and projects!

Click here to peek inside!

What you’ll find inside...
Learn how to draw a pinecone with Jane LaFazio
Exploring Text Collage with Kelli Nina Perkins
Make a Scrappy House Quilt with Jamie Fingal
Working in series by Jane Davies
Make bad art with Lyric Kinard and become a better artist
Sue Bleiweiss shows you how to make a sketchbook sleeve
Carol Sloan shares her remedies for blank pages
Take 5! with Carla Sonheim
Screenprinting for the Mixed Media Artist by Leslie Tucker-Jenison
Take your sketchbook out to eat with Susan Sorrell
Stacked Journaling with Judi Hurwitt
Learn how to use your inner GPS to create journal pages with Violette
Learn a trio of pamphlet binding stitches from Diana Trout

Important information regarding printing this document for binding:This e-zine has been formatted for on screen viewing. If you want to print a copy to have bound then you must scale the document to 90% to allow for a wide enough left side margin. In the print box, select the scale option and change it to 90%. Please print a test page first (we recommend page 5) to make sure that the setting is appropriate for your printer before printing the entire document.

Want to read the zine on your IPAD or Android Tablet?
In order to get it onto your IPAD you'll need to save it to your computer first and then use an online transfer vehicle such as dropbox.com. Upload the zine to your dropbox account and then go to your Ipad and search the app store for the dropbox app. Install that on your Ipad.
Open the dropbox app, log in and you'll see your dropbox files. Download the zine to your Ipad. Since it's an adobe document you'll need to have some sort of pdf reader app installed. Ibooks works great for this.

For Android devices, simply follow the link to purchase and download your zine. On Android, files do not launch automatically, so you'll have to go find the file. To launch and access pdf files, search the Android market for a file manager app like Astro. Download the Astro or other app and use it find the files stored on your device's memory or storage card. After downloading the SC Zine, open Astro and navigate to the "downloads" folder. Locate the file sczine_final.pdf and click on it and it will offer reader options based on your own device (eg. Adobe Reader, Aldiko, LumiRead, PDF to Go, etc.). Any of your installed readers should work. Enjoy!

The Sketchbook Challenge E-zine is in pdf format and include step-by-step instructions and full-color photo illustrations. You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 or higher to be able to open the lessons. Adobe Acrobat Reader is a free software that you can download from the Adobe Website here.

POST A REVIEW AND WIN A PIECE OF MAIL ART!

Post a review of the sketchbook challenge e-zine on your blog or website and we'll enter your name into a drawing to win a piece of mail art from one or more of the Sketchbook Challenge artists! Send a link to your published review by 12/1/11 to sue at sue@suebleiweiss.com to be entered into the drawing. Winners will be announced in December - good luck!

Angels

2011-09-27T15:13:00.000-04:00

A friend of mine is packing up her home in preparation for a move to another state.
Yesterday I drove over to her house to hep her separate, purge and organize her sewing room. She collects antique furniture, linens and period clothing (yum) but I had no idea what treasures she had stored in her attic!
Homespun linen, laces, tatted edgings, crocheted doilies and beautiful embroidered samplers...that's just the short list!
I wasn't planning on bringing anything home with me (remember - I said "NO MORE" a few posts ago??)....
I was weak people...
so weak...

Here is one tiny little peek of why I was so weak...

I love the angels!
And I love the HUGE piece of Homespun linen that she gave me also.
And the yardage of hand tatted edging...
and the...
and...

So weak.

2011-09-22T07:05:00.000-04:00

I'm back with the tale of my Shower Curtain Unfurling...
or the unfurling of the shower curtain idea...
or the “I don't know if I'll ever do this again” shower curtain story...

It could simply be called the “Try to find a commercial shower curtain that you like before you decide to make it yourself” story.

All jokes aside, I love the curtain that I made.

BUT I learned some really good lessons from this experience.
1. Lean wayyyy in to your sketchbook, really flesh out your ideas before jumping in without a well thought out plan.

2. Work on a teeny tiny baby shower curtain FIRST (you know, before you make that great ole big one)

3. Lay out the step by step BEFORE you make the curtain. (duh)

4. Have everything ready so that you will only have to take the curtain down ONE time (instead of the five or six that I did). (can I get another “duh” from the peanut crowd?)

Can you see where this tale is unfurling to?

I am a “let's try this and if we screw it up we can fix it later” kinda girl.
I get great ideas (or they seem like it) and jump right in without figuring out the best way to do it.

It works a lot of the time.
But some of the time, I make things really hard on myself.
This may have been one of those times...

I was so excited to get going on the appliqued flowers that I couldn't wait to have all my supplies.
I didn't have enough (suitable) green fabric so I contacted one of my fabulous fabric dyeing friends for help.

It's great to have “people”, ya know?
My friend, Patsy Thompson, whipped out a couple of fabulous greens to choose from. They were so luscious that I had to use them both.

What got me in trouble (not real trouble but “too much time messing with it” trouble) was that I went ahead and began sewing on some flowers before I had all of my supplies.
I finished the first flower and had to hang the shower curtain back up (cause we had to take a shower...).
The next day I realized that while I had sewn around the large green background fabric, I had neglected to secure the colored petals onto the flower. I used Mistyfuse (which I totally LOVE!) but I wanted to make sure that the smaller petals were there to stay.
Well – I had to take the shower curtain back down to do that.
And, yep, you guessed it – I had to put it back up that evening (cause we had to take showers, ya know).
And on it went...
I must have taken that curtain up and down , um...well, several times.
Wayyyy too many times actually.
I later realized that the easiest thing to do would have been to leave the old curtain up while I was working on the new one.

So, the actual step by step of it was this -

1. Draw a simple line drawing of a flower.

2. Create a Thermofax screen of the drawing (I can do this for you!).
3. Screen print the flower onto five different colors of red/orange/yellow fabric as well as five separate prints onto green fabric. I used red or orange fabric paint for the red flowers and green paint for the green ones.
4. Heat set the fabric paint per manufacturers instructions.
5. Apply Mistyfuse to each fabric flower per instructions.
6. Using the screen printed lines as a guide, cut out each petal of the red (yellow/orange) flowers.
7. Using the screen printed lines as a guide, cut apx 1/8” to 1/4” away from the outside line of the flower shape. You will have the entire flower shape cut out as one piece. Look at the close up below to see how you will be using the green fabric. It will make sense to you after this. You can also see the lines of the screen print below.

8. Place the small petal pieces that you cut out onto the green flower shape. You will be able to see the lines for each petal on these shapes making it very simple to line things up.
9. Iron to activate the Mistyfuse per manufacturers instructions.
10. Using a small zig zag stitch with mono-filament thread, secure the petal shapes to the green background piece. Do this on all of the flowers.
11. Lay out your flower garden on the shower curtain. Vary the height of each flower to give more interest. Fuse in place.

these are the flowers pinned in place

12. I used strips of torn green fabric for the stems of the flowers, varying the length of each one. I tied the pieces together, leaving the ends a little longer to mimic leaves. I cut the tips of the “leaves” at a slight angle.
13. Pin the stems in place.
14. Stitch each stem with a straight stitch, then secure each flower by zig zag or straight stitching around the edge of the flower.
15. Quickly hang the shower curtain and grab a large glass of wine to celebrate your creativity.

So there you have it.

How one spark of an idea unfurled into a home dec DIY project.

And to think that it all started with a new makeup bag...

Random Arts is BACK!!

2011-09-21T15:37:00.000-04:00

The shop that we all love in the western mountains of NC is back!
Random Arts is back!
Jane Powell will have her shop open tomorrow (Thursday), Sept. 22 from 10-5.
I'm hoping to be able to make it up there with samples for my next book class.

Oh - the next book class!

I'm so happy to report that I'm teaching the fun mixed media book making class on Oct. 13 & 14 at the new shop!
I can't wait to see what the new place is like.
Jane has such a way of putting things together that I'm sure the studio is going to look wonderful.
We're going to have lots of room to spread out too.

So - if you're interested in taking the book class in this new and creative environment, get in touch with Jane about the class.
I was actually thinking that you could get a room in one of the local B&B's and make a mini retreat out of the whole thing!
Now that would be fun...I'm thinking that I will stay up there overnight for the second day of class...be sure to let me know if you're staying in town or close, we can get together for dinner.

I'll leave you with several photos of books that I have made for the class.
I use my books to paint in, draw/sketch in as well as write in.
You could make them the work of art...
You could use them as visual journals, a place to capture photos, or as a written journal.

I love to just thumb through them after I have made them.

Those of us who love books will know exactly what I mean when I say that it is just a joy to hold that handmade book in your hands.
The effort that goes in to making the book is so worth it.
I promise that you will love this class!

Urban Sketching

2011-09-15T16:59:00.001-04:00

When I was a young girl, I used to love to ride my bike. I would wake up early (my mom said that someone had to wake the chickens, right?), eat a quick breakfast and jump on my trusty stead.
What I felt for my bicycle could be described very easily.

Bike = Freedom

I rode a bike almost everyday until I was 16 (then I discovered boys with cars).
I have missed riding.
One day a couple of months ago my husband and I rented bikes to make sure that we wanted to ride regularly before we purchased one.
And, in all honesty, to make sure that my back and hip could take it (I have back and hip "issues").
And of course, it was great!
I felt the same exhilaration that I did when I was younger...that same feeling of freedom (maybe with an additional ache or two!).

A couple of nights ago my husband had a baseball game to umpire. I didn't want to stay at home, I wanted to ride my bike, I wanted to do some urban sketching...

What's a girl to do?

Why allow her gallant husband to offer a solution!
He loaded my bike into our car and we all took off to the complex where the games were.

I made sure that I had the necessary sketching tools & supplies.
1. Compact watercolors
2. Water brush
3. Pitt Artist Pen
4. Reading glasses (or drawing glasses...)

I took off on my bike (Electra Townie 7D) (awesome round town cruiser). I rode over and watched a little bit of youth football (and those cute little cheerleaders), a softball game, a soccer match, and a baseball game. I got a little bit of exercise, let the wind blow through my hair and then set up to draw.

First I drew my Townie.

Now the back wheel really isn't that small...It was late, I was getting tired, the light was bad - okay, how many more excuses do you want?
My bad but I still love the simple lines on that drawing.
And the fun of it is this - I'll draw it again and it will be a better next time!
I'm getting practice, I'm not only exercising my body but I'm exercising my drawing skills...
Remember - if you don't USE it, you'll LOSE it.

By the time I finished the Townie, it was too dark to draw anything else where I was.
So I headed down to the baseball game.
Found a patch of blooming gardenias...
Drew this in the twilight -

I love the way that the gardenia petals unfurl as the bud opens, don't you?
The blooms smell so sweet...
They remind me of waking from a summer's nap at my grandmothers home. She had huge shrubs just full of sweet blooms outside of the bedroom that I napped in. I'd wake with the windows open and that sweet smell greeted me.
The gardenias remain one of my favorite flowers to this day.

So - remember to exercise your body as well as your mind.
Use your eyes to really see the world around you as you use your hands to draw what you're seeing.

Don't forget to check out the Sketchbook Challenge Blog. There are several free tutorials on the site as well as links to many, many more!

New Class Schedule

2011-09-08T18:04:00.001-04:00

Hello everyone!
I sent out a newsletter about an hour ago announcing a new book making class that I have scheduled in Greenville SC at Artists Guild Gallery of Greenville on Saturday October 1 and Sunday October 2.
I am limiting the class to 6 students and have already heard from 2 3 people that are registering. (yay!)
Sooo, I'm thinking that if you want to take this particular weekend class, you'd better get in touch with me pretty quick as it is filling up.

Down and dirty details

Who -me and you (and 5 other lucky people)
What- Mixed Media Book Making class
Where- Artists Guild Gallery of Greenville
When- Saturday Oct. 1 10AM-3PM
Sunday Oct. 2 1PM- 6PM
Why- For fun, To learn new & exciting things, To stretch that creative spirit, to get out of cooking dinner and doing housework!
Cost- $135 for both days, $20 optional kit

Questions? Email me at carolbsloan@yahoo.com for registration details

Developing Ideas

2011-09-06T06:42:00.001-04:00

This post is also being posted over at the Sketchbook Challenge blog.
I hope that you're following along on that blog - there are so many free tutorials from 16 different artists!

This summer I purchased a Thermofax machine (yes, I jumped up and down when I saw the ad!).
I had been thinking of looking for one for a while and wasn't fully committed to the idea when I looked at a local "Craig's List" ad.
There it sat.
Only one for sale.
Only 20 minutes from my house.
Only a few hundred bucks...

What's a girl to do?

I decided that it must be Fate at work and made the phone call.
Bingo.
I made a few calls and inquiries about the machine, calculated the cost of getting it up and running and made the leap.
I had to invest a little more money on maintenance, film and a belt but I still got a good deal.
Now I am the (ecstatic, jubilant,over joyed) owner of my own Thermofax!
One of the things that I wanted to do was offer screens of my line drawings.
And I will, it may just take a couple of more weeks for that.
In the mean-time, I wanted to share the unfurling of an idea that involves the Thermofax.

My husband recently took on the chore (and I do mean chore) of re-doing our bathroom.
Now our house was built in 1864 so you can imagine how wonky it is.
We always say this -
"The more you look, the more you find".
And it isn't always a good find either!
But - he did a great job replacing walls, floor, toilet, tub and whatever else he replaced while I was in Colorado Springs.
Smart man - doing this work while I was gone, huh?
So now we have a really clean and white bathroom.
We decided to put in one of those rounded shower curtain rods (which are awesome!) along with the snap on curtain that you can get for those type of rods.
The only color options were white, brown or gray.
Yikes...
So I decided that I could alter the white one with a bit of color.

That was the seed of an idea.

Barely shaking in the fertile ground of my mind...but beginning to take root none the less.
I began thinking about colors, shapes and tried to decide if I wanted to go with a "theme".
At this same time, Clinique was having one of their bonus buy events at Belk's.
Yep, you're asking what in the world does that have to do with her bathroom and making art??

(Stay with me, it will all come together soon)

My husband (he really is wonderful about doing these special little things btw) went by the store and got one for me, brought it home and sat it in the bathroom.

(you really need to see both sides of the bag)

Well, well, well...
That little seed of an idea just had a growth spurt!
It was unfurling, developing, gaining ground in my mind.
I want to take a second here to talk about the creative process...how creative ideas are developed.
The above story is a perfect illustration of how I get ideas.
Ideas for any art that I make - whether it's a painting, a collage, a mixed media piece or a pen and ink drawing.
I see something that triggers another idea, which triggers a different idea, which triggers...
You see what I mean.
You must learn to pay attention to your random little thoughts.
You have to allow these thoughts center stage.
Let them unfurl.

I tried a couple of different ideas for the design of the shower curtain.
This is the one that I actually sketched out in my sketchbook.

This one is hand drawn, painted and then free motion stitched.

It's nice but not what I had in mind.
Then I drew a simple flower shape. A line drawing devoid of a lot of details.

Then I made a Thermofax screen from this drawn image.
I printed the image on a piece of green hand dyed batik using a green paint. Sounds strange but I had a plan.
I cut the fabric out around the screened image, leaving about 1/8 inch around all edges.
Then I printed the same image on a piece of orange/yellow batik. I cut each petal out separately, along with the center of the flower.

Oh – I forgot that I fused Misty Fuse on both pieces of fabric. I love Misty Fuse because it is so thin and fine. You can fuse two (or more) pieces of fabric together and it is still so soft...it's almost impossible to tell that there is a fusible between the layers at all.

After all the pieces had fusible on them and they were cut out, I placed the orange/yellow petals on the green “background”.

This is what it looked like.

Looking better...getting there.

I'm thinking of adding a long skinny stem to each flower on the curtain - like a flower garden of different colored shaggy daisies.

I'll post more as my ideas continue to develop or unfurl.

I'd love for you to hang around, to tag along with me.

First Friday

2011-09-03T10:23:00.001-04:00

Greenville, SC.
Artisan Traders.
1274 Pendleton Street in the historic West End art district.

That's where I was last night, along with my incredibly handsome and hard working Art Husband.
Along with a few of our friends.
Art Friends.
Art Lover Friends.
And the nurse from my internists office ;-)

Really - we had a grand time there - eating good Italian food, drinking home-made wine, tasting Art Cake, gazing at fine art and talking to fellow art makers and lovers.

Art lovers or just lovers?
Oh, a little bit of both I suspect (that's my Saturday humor kickin' in!).

Today I am starting in our bedroom -
I am being
RUTHLESS
and throwing out, donating, giving away and otherwise cleaning out my house - room by room.
I am tired (sick and tired actually) of a cluttered, dusty house and I am going to do something about it!

That's one big draw back to being a collector of things...
a repurposer of all wonderful things in your artwork...
a sentimental fool that wants to hang on to that book cause your mom loved it...
or that half made doll from your grandmothers sewing stash...
or a rusted old bell that, well, you just might need one day...
It all begins to pile up, to crush your creativity or at least your house cleaning.

Can I get a big "hell yeah!" from all of you that completely understand what I'm sayin?

Most of what I have could be found again.
I'll hang on to a few (maybe more) things but I am at the point that the rest
has got to go people.

And what is up with the return of the horribly hot and humid weather in upstate SC??
Someone told me last night that the thermometer downtown was reading 102!

I sure do hope that this won't be one of those years that fall just passes us by...
or it lasts for two days and turns to winter.

I miss my river time.
I want to go camping in some cool weather.
Looking for sharks teeth.
Wading in the Charleston Harbor.
Kayaking in the Atlantic.

I have been away from the healing powers of our kayak,
missed the flow of the river and her cool waters.

What are you missing today?

Sketchbook Challenge September Theme

2011-09-01T08:52:00.000-04:00

Thursday, September 1, 2011

September Theme: Unfurled

Kelli Nina Perkins here with September's Sketchbook Challenge theme. I've chosen UNFURLED as my theme for all things
spiral-y, wrapped and unwrapped, slowly revealed and layered.

Unfurl is such a lovely word. It evokes fluttering flags, tendrils of new growth, winding paths, bound fabric scrolls, blossoming flowers, secrets, unwrapped gifts, labyrinthine creations that reveal themselves one layer at a time.

unfurl
verb
1.To open, unfold, open
out, blossom, develop, progress
2.To unroll
or release
something that had been rolled
up

3. to unroll, unfold, or spread
out or be unrolled, unfolded, or spread out from a furled
state

4.
To turn
out
or unfold;
to evolve;
to progress
or debut

Our
artistic journey unfurls as we acquire and debut new skills day by day. Looking
back over your creative life, see how many discoveries you've made by unfurling
your wings a little at a time. There is no hurry; no rush. We all have a little
blossom inside of us that is coaxed open as we travel through this life.
Continuous growth means constant unfolding of our protective layers, and as we
expose ourselves to others and to new experiences, we evolve into the artists we
were meant to be.

What
will you unfurl? Don't be afraid to fling your arms open wide and release your
inner artist.

Pen sketch.

Collage. Watercolor.

Stitching.

Snap a photo and add some digital sketching.

How to be eligible for prize drawings:

In order to be eligible for one of the September prize packages you must post at least one photo of a sketchbook page related to the September theme to the Sketchbook Challenge Flickr group and you MUST tag one of your photos with the code "sep257".

IMPORTANT: PLEASE ONLY TAG ONE OF YOUR PHOTOS with this special code!

It is not necessary to tag more than one and it will not increase your chances of winning.

Information on how to upload photos to flickr can be found here.

Winners will be chosen based on random draw on 9/30/11 and announced on the Sketchbook Challenge blog either on that day or on 10/1/11.

Art Journal Pages

2011-08-28T18:26:00.000-04:00

Three simple ingredients (so far).
Gesso
Spray Ink
Masks (&/or stencils)

Swipe gesso across page in a random (and distracted) manner.
Hold stencils (or mask) down with one hand while using the other hand to mist watered-down ink over area.
Allow to dry before proceeding with the next step.

I'll proceed with the next step later.

Just wanted to pop in and share a simple background method with you all.
This is a great way to add color/texture/just something to your paper without a lot of work.
It also prevents that "blank page" syndrome...nothing like a little (or a lot of ) color to brighten up a page of paper.

2011-08-28T11:39:00.000-04:00

I have been remiss in posting on this blog and the Sketchbook Challenge blog this month!
Over at the SBC blog, Jane has offered up this wonderful theme ("Everyday Objects"), that should have had me jumping up and down for joy (since I draw everyday objects so often) but I (like so many of us here) have been so busy preparing for, teaching workshops and recuperating from the prep and teaching of said workshops that I am pooped.
I have been ignoring so many things that I should not be ignoring...
this blog.
The SBC blog.
Making new artwork for the upcoming First Friday art crawl in Greenville SC.
Oh, so many things to do.
But I'll show you a peek of what I did do.
I taught two wonderful workshops at "Textile Evolution" in Colorado Springs last week.
Tex Evo is the brain child of Liz Kettle- teacher, writer and artist extraordinaire.

I taught a two day book making class that everyone loved!
The folks that didn't take the class, saw the books that the ladies made while in the class...and now they all want to take the class!
They made some awesome books! I love how they plow right through their doubts and work so hard in those two days to create a treasure.

The "Whimsical Mark Making" class is what I really wanted to talk about.
Most of the 9 ladies in this class said that they "couldn't draw" at the beginning of class.
I asked them.
They didn't want to believe me when I told them that they could draw.
But they also plowed right through - laughing at the silly things I asked them to do.
I was a strict teacher and didn't allow them to draw with a pencil!

Straight to paper with a pen...

I would say that around lunchtime these ladies were beginning to shock themselves...
I gave them a few tips, some guidelines, explained the paints, gels and pens at their disposal and turned them loose.
They were drawing a variety of things - some everyday objects, some totally from their imagination, some from source books that helped them along.

And the thing that I loved was how quiet they got as they began to believe that maybe they could draw...
then the excitement as these beautiful, whimsical images began to flow from their pens...

right from their pens!

I'll show a few photos of what they were doing.
These drawings are from women that believed their entire lives that
they could not draw.

Their entire lives (so far) spent not drawing.

Not even really trying because they had been told/believed/were not the creative one in the family/husband told them they needed to quit tracing or copying/and so on and so forth.

Now?
These women are drawing the most beautiful, whimsical, heartfelt images.
Straight to paper with a pen!

Take a local drawing class, check my schedule for one or watch for my online Mark Making class that will take place...um...in the future.

Until then?
Practice making marks.
Every single day.

Here's that peek -

Click on these photos to see the detail!

I do wish that we could have put together a small journal for these pages...
Wouldn't that be awesome to have a hand drawn journal?
Maybe I need to develop another class that includes this...we could squeeze in a small journal, couldn't we?

I'm listing a new local class soon - in Greenville SC.
Please sign up for my newsletter so you can get all the details of my classes - whether local, online or across the country.
I'll also advertise sales on original artwork, prints and handmade books.
I will occasionally offer my subscribers a special discount or deal on classes and artwork.

Keep on making marks!

Back Home

2011-08-23T17:41:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone!

I'm back from Colorado Springs at Textile Evolution.

What an awesome retreat!!

I personally had so much fun and was so inspired & fulfilled by all the creative work done there.
The atmosphere was not only inviting but safe.
Safe to begin at where you are.
Safe to push where you want to go...

We had creative spirits there that ran the gamut - young women that had no idea of what they were getting in to all the way to grandmothers that we just finding out that they HAD a creative streak.

And they all LOVED it!

Yummy healthy food that was catered in.
A section of the room had piles of supplies to use in our art journals (all free!) with daily demos of different products and techniques (some brand spanking new ones- barely in the stores yet!).
Lots of heartfelt conversations, laughter, some tears (of pain, self discovery and growth) and most of all - lots of support and friendship.

Women need these relationships in their life - we need unconditional support and the love of each other.
We need a strong shoulder to lean on at times.
These types of relationships and support systems are built at this retreat.

It's a great place to learn a new technique or make a great project but it's an even better place to add to your self confidence and build your tribe.

Next years dates are already booked even though I can't remember them right now.
I do know that it will go back to the Sept. date next year. I'll post it as soon as I can find out.

I do have some photos but I'll have to find my camera first.
Now where did I put that new indigo shibori tee shirt at...?

First Friday Video

2011-08-13T16:44:00.000-04:00

My husband was playing around with the new Flip Video at a "First Friday" art crawl event.
This was last Friday at Pendleton Street in Greenville SC.

The building is a newly refashioned space with several rooms.
The walls are just beautiful!
They look like fresco paintings.

I was invited, along with four other artists, to show work that evening.
There was food, adult beverages, wonderful art and lots of chatter!
We all had a great time and I met so many great people.

My husband took this short video of a portion of my table.
I am hoping to record more videos now since I am finding out it's not as difficult as I thought it was.

I'm leaving for Colorado Springs soon. I've sent ahead class supplies and lots of book samples.
I am so excited about teaching at the retreat again this year!

I am also hoping that I can schedule another book class next month at AGGG in Greenville SC.
The first class there went so well and I absolutely love the space for teaching small groups!
It was super inspiring to create in the gallery surrounded by such fabulous work.

Class Update

2011-08-10T10:41:00.000-04:00

We had a great first day of class in Greenville! I truly love working in the gallery space.
All of the beautiful artwork surrounding us was such an inspiration. I can see scheduling another class there soon.
I'll try to remember to get photos on the next day of class! I had my camera with me but it stayed in my purse...
We were so busy that I forgot all about it (as seems to be my habit!).

I'm busy unpacking and repacking supplies, class kits and other necessary items (like, um...clothes?!).

I'm SO excited about teaching at Textile Evolution again this year!
I'm excited to be spending time with my peeps Liz Kettle, Judy Gula, Tama Brooks and Laura Cater Woods also!
Maybe someone there will be more diligent at posting photos than I was last year. I just get so busy that I forget! And I have never developed the "Facebook" habit...

Okay, break time over...
back to packing.
Um, I mean unpacking and repacking.

Whew...

2011-08-05T08:12:00.000-04:00

What a crazy couple of weeks it's been...
I have talked about the Big League World Series that my husband and I volunteer at, right?

Yup, last year.
Well, what we call "the circus" was in town the last week.
It's a lot of fun but man oh man, what a lot of work too!
It was just as busy as ever and very, very hot.
And very humid.
Typical SC weather.
If you're interested, you can go to the web link above and read all about it.
It's a great opportunity to volunteer if you're interested.
We have ESPN coverage of the final game every year so that's fun.

I am also busy making the final preparations for a run of fall classes coming up.

I'm heading to my fiber group tomorrow to teach them the second day of making a cool little book.

Next week (August 8 & 11), I'll be teaching my "Bound by Heart, Made by Hand" class.
We make a beautiful book using all sorts of acrylic mediums, paints, cool papers, fabrics, inks and vintage goodies.
This two day class will be at Artists Guild Gallery of Greenville in downtown Greenville SC.
There are two (maybe three) spots left in this class.
Email me if you're interested.

The week after that, I'll be in Colorado Springs, Colorado with my buddy Liz Kettle at her retreat, Textile Evolution.
If you're love mixed media or mixed media fiber work, want to try your hand a mixed media or love hanging out with a bunch of wild and crazy mixed media fiber lovin' women - this is THE retreat for you!
There are several classes that I would love to take if I weren't teaching!
Check it out!

Elements of My Drawing

2011-07-28T08:01:00.001-04:00

When I begin a new piece of artwork, I never really consider what I am going to put into it.
I don't think about where I will start or where I will finish...
I typically start from the "Hey, that would be a great idea!" point of view.
I tend to jump right in, worrying about running out of things (like room on the page) when it actually happens.
Like this piece of artwork.
It's called "The Dancing Elephant"

I love this silly, happy little elephant.
But when I drew her, she kicked her back foot up so high that it went right off that page!
Of course, since I (usually) never sketch things in pencil first I couldn't go back and re-configure the entire drawing.
Or convince her to drop that back foot a little.
But you really can't do anything with a happy elephant anyway- they're going to kick up their heels no matter what you try to make them do...
Instead of trashing the entire drawing, I decided to just draw her tail going off the page as well.
I figured that, in the grand scheme of things, no one would really notice that she was falling off the page.
Or dancing in to it.

That is - until I told all of you...

My point is this - one of the elements of my art is going with the flow.
Learning to work with what you're got in front of you...what you've already done.
I could have thrown this young girl away and look at all the smiles I would have trashed as well!
Instead, I stuck with it, added a few washes of acrylic paint and a ton of interesting tiny details and
introduced my Dancing Elephant to the world.

Maybe I should have called her "Tiny Dancer"...
.
These little details are things that we will be talking at my "Whimsical Mark Making" class I am teaching at Textile Evolution in Colorado Springs on August 20.
We'll also cover drawing on fabric as well as what tools to use when adding color to your drawings.
I'd love for you to join me!

Inspiration

2011-07-22T07:20:00.001-04:00

I was reading a few blogs this week (I usually only read them once or twice a week) and got to Alisa Burke's.
Man - have you looked at her blog lately? She has got IT going on!
Launching a brand new shop with her mom, all those fantastic online classes, phenomenal artwork, a new book coming out soon AND a baby on the way!
She is one busy and talented lady.
One of the things that caught my eye on her blog was the photos of seahorses.
I love, love, love going to aquariums and watching the seahorses. They are so odd looking, so beautiful and quite whimsical also.
Alisa had drawn a few and painted them - look at her paintings here.
I loved the one that she didn't paint (or maybe she painted it but just didn't post it).
I just had to draw it!
I googled "images" and seahorse and found a similar photo for some more inspiration.
Here's my drawing -

I decided to go back and add a little water so the little guy wasn't just hanging in thin air...

I really needed to tie him to the background and I think that the water did just that.
Thanks Alisa for letting me post my rendition of your photo!

One of the classes that I'll be teaching at Textile Evolution (in about a month)is called "Whimsical Mark Making".
I'll cover some tips and tricks that I use to make my marks a little different than others, kinda like the seahorse above.

I'd love for you to join me in Colorado Springs for this class or my two day class called "Bound by Heart, Made by Hand".
This is a book making class that also incorporates my love of using items from loved ones in my artwork.
I love making books.
I took a class from DJ Pettit a couple of years ago that changed the way I make books.
I was so inspired by the techniques that she used!
I have since then made the techniques my own (by many, many hours in my studio working) but she was my initial inspiration.
If you ever have the opportunity to take a class from DJ, I'd suggest that you jump at the chance.

Book Making Classes

2011-07-20T17:43:00.000-04:00

I have taken a couple of Mary Ann Moss's online classes,Remains of the Day and Full Tilt Boogie.

If you into book making, journaling and love scraps of paper and such - you should take them too...

I'll show you the latest book that I made from the binding technique that she teaches in the class.

I love the stitching technique!
If you don't read Mary Ann's blog -you should.
It's a good read.

Journal Work

2011-07-14T17:49:00.001-04:00

I've been writing and drawing inside of one of my handmade books here lately.
I have written other posts about it (here, here and here). My "plan" is to use this as my everyday journal...just to draw in, write in, a place to hold all those things that elbow around in my head everyday.
And just like anything else, this requires a commitment or it does for me anyway.
Other things are habit for me - drawing, writing- but not in THIS book. I have been using a different book to write in and another one to draw in.
I have read in a few blogs how other people approach this issue. Some use totally separate books for each different practice. Others use the same book for all of it.
It really doesn't bother me if I mix it up. The only thing that I need to consider is the drawing part...if I draw something that I decide to make a thermofax screen from or use it in a different manner, I need to be able to scan or copy it. And that could prove to be difficult if it's in a book with other "things" on the pages around it...I'll just have to be aware of that and try to work around it.

Anyway - thought I'd share a couple of pages that I've been working on.

This is the first page in the journal (paper page that is...I have a couple of fabric based "pages" before that).

Now, who knows - I may choose to spread out some gesso on that page and re-do the entire thing.
That's one of the things that I love about journaling, about working in a book.
You can scrap it and start over...just like that.

This is a page that I had already done some stitching on. I had brushed some watered down acrylic paint on the background. Then later drew a couple of sketchy flowers...then added a thermofax flower screen over that. I still have more plans for this page.

This is a little painting (watercolor) that I did in preparation for my "Whimsical Drawing Class" at Textile Evolution next month.
I'll be showing everyone some tricks and short cuts that I use as well as sharing how I draw. It may not be the Correct Way but it's my way.
Run over to the retreat web site and sign up for that class! I would love to see you there.
Last year we had a blast...just a blast!
Judy Gula (from Artistic Artifacts) will be teaching there as well as vending (oh boy!). She and I are flying out a little early to spend a few days with Liz (we're supposed to be helping but I'm thinking we're going to be playing and laughing). Either way, it is sure to be fun.

And one last page with a whimsical tree on it. I actually left a space to journal on this one! I used Derwent Inkense Watercolor Pencils on it along with my trusty Pitt Pen.
Don't forget to check out the Sketchbook Challenge blog site for this month's theme. Lyric Kinard is the featured artist this month and she had chosen the theme if
"Element".
There are already a lot of great posts illustrating that.

And I am going to be teaching a book class in Greenville SC next month!
I am SO excited about this!
Artists Guild Gallery of Greenville has asked me to teach there. I'll be sending out a newsletter to all of the local people about this class.
I'll put details on the side bar but you can email me at carolbsloan@yahoo.com if you have any questions.
The quick rundown is this -

"Bound by Heart, Made by Hand"
Aug. 8 & 11, 2011 from 10:00am-3:00pm
$135 for both days, an optional $20 kit from instructor
At Artists Guild Gallery of Greenville (AGGG)

864-239-3882

200 N Main Street
Suite 104 Ivey Square
Greenville, SC. 29601 (inside the lobby at Atlanta Bread Company)

You can see samples inside the gallery (beginning tomorrow) and may sign up there.
You may also email me to sign up.
If you are considering taking the class, better call or email quick as the size is very limited!
The space is smaller but I wanted to keep the class small so I can give everyone lots of attention.

Have a great day everyone!

Sourcebooks

2011-07-12T06:36:00.000-04:00

There are times that I want to sit and draw but can't really think of what to draw.
Or I'm just not in the mood to draw what I see around me.
Sometimes I just can't draw very well at all.
Other times, I'm looking for a particular shape that I'm not familiar with and I need to look at a 2D rendering of it to help me draw it.

That's when I turn to sourcebooks or pattern books.
You can find several of them online.
Some of them say they are copyright free.
Some are not.
Be sure to read the reviews as this is usually where you find out this type of information (on Amazon that is).
If you just want to use the book for ideas to draw in your personal sketchbook then you won't have to worry about the copyright issue.

When I first began drawing again, after years (really decades) of not drawing, I turned to sourcebooks from the library.
They quickly became my "go to" for ideas.
It's a great way to churn out a few warm up sketches without having to concentrate too much.
And it's a great help to the person who says/thinks that they can't draw.

Here is an example of a quick sketch that I did last night (while watching a Harry Potter marathon) (again).
I love the shapes in the design and couldn't help but grab my Pitt Pen to sketch it out.

(you can see the head of the wonky kitty at the bottom of my sketch) (her tail also)

Here's the design from the book that I was thumbing through.

The book is called "Patterns" (editor Macarena San Martin) and it's a compilation of motifs from different designers.
The designer of the particular pattern above is Labolaululintu. There was only an email address given (labolaululintu@gmail.com). I suppose that it's okay to post it since it was posted in the book. I tried to locate a website but couldn't find one with Google search.

It's a smaller book with 479 pages in it! Wow! Lots of beautiful motifs and colors to be seen.

So, if you're looking for some inspiration with patterns or of making patterns from a single motif, check this book out.
You're in for a visual treat to be sure.
But if you're looking for copyright free images, this is not the book for you.
It would be fine for you to copy them into the pages of your personal journal though.
So, all of you visual journalers that are looking for some design help on your pages - this could be the help that you seek.

I love to use my book to inspire different designs and shapes to paint inside of my visual journal and sketchbook.

Etsy Update

2011-07-07T11:52:00.000-04:00

I am wondering why time seems to pass so quickly these days?
Or perhaps it's just me, being in a fog...allowing the days to slip by me...

Either way, I've looked up and it's July 7 already!

I am posting original works of art in my Etsy shop.
If you see anything that you're interested in, let me know!
I am also beginning to work on another series of these wonky little houses based on buildings in Greenville SC (I live near there).
I'd love to do some of Charleston SC as well!

Here's a photo of the first one that I have listed in the "It Takes A Village" series.

I paint them first and then add a ton of tiny little details with India Ink.
Most of them are painted on scraps of different pieces of wood or laminate but the last two have been painted on MDF board as it's resistant to warping or splintering...plus it's a recycled product as well.
I love painting these pieces! They are so fun and everyone seems to really like them.
They would be really cute in a kids room...but I've sold several to women that want to put them where they can see them - they say the work makes them smile.

And I do like to make people smile.

Hope you're having a lovely day.
I think I'll go out and ride my new (used) bike today!

Summertime Thoughts

2011-06-30T13:56:00.000-04:00

Well, the temps are continuing to rise in the southeast.
As well as the humidity.

Heat + Humid = Tired Irritable Carol.

I've spent a few moments asking my friends about their energy levels during this hot weather.
I never know if it's some external force affecting my energy levels or my immune system showing its tail...so I ask others.
Everyone that I ask answered the same way...
They tell me that the heat zaps their physical energy as well as their creative energy.
So I've decided to quit worrying about whether I have any energy to create (or anything else ftm).

I'll take the advice of a wise friend...
"When you're tired, just rest. Sit your ass down and quit worrying about what you should be doing. Your body is trying to tell you something...like sit your ass down..."

Good advice, huh?

So right after I pack my stuff for a Fiber Freaks get together tomorrow
and get my stuff ready for a First Friday showing in Greenville SC,
I'm going to sit my ass down.

What about you?

Furman University Sketch In

2011-06-26T07:18:00.001-04:00

This past Monday was the day of the Greenville SC Sketch In.
We all met at the Furman University Asian Garden. The grounds of Furman are just beautiful and the garden was no different. Check this link out for more info.

You can see the Bell Tower from the entrance to the garden.

I stopped to sketch that (I do love buildings!) but just couldn't get in the "groove" of drawing a building for some reason.

So I moved on.

Looked at this...

While watching Nancy do this...

Stopped for lunch (well, it was 11:30 by then!) and then went back to this sight.

Notice the Buddhist Temple in the upper right hand corner of the photo.
You can read about it on the link above as well as view the many photos of the building of the temple.

Quite fascinating, isn't it?

I am always amazed at the things people do to preserve their cultures...to share with others (or new generations).
I think it is an internal desire or drive.

To show the paths that our lives are on.

Our Pathways are so very important.

What pathway are you on today?

an incomplete (kinda wonky) rendition of the sculpture

Wonky Flower

2011-06-24T22:06:00.000-04:00

I apologize dear (and lonely) readers for my lack of posting.
How do I explain that the days just fly by before I realize that they have flown?
I suppose I say just that, eh?

I do have a new toy though...
she has been sitting quietly in my studio, waiting for me to come back in there and pay her some attention.
I drew a wonky, silly flower tonight.
Then ran it through my new toy and viola!
A screen print.

Yes, I found a Thermofax machine on Craig's list!
DIRT CHEAP...
So, check your local list for new toys.

That wonky flower?
Here she is.

This is one of the prints that I made with it (on paper).
I drew it with a Pitt Artists Pen and it burned a screen just fine.
Nope, no carbon copy - just a Pitt Pen Drawing!

Creating Pathways

2011-06-16T05:36:00.002-04:00

This is a copy of the post on the Sketchbook Challenge blog that went up today.

I went to Spartanburg (SC) with my husband yesterday.
He was going to umpire a baseball game, I had planned on going to the local library.
Until I saw this...

This beautiful piece of equipment.
I called it a lightweight piece of heavy equipment (cause it was kinda small to be called Heavy...).

Anyway - I had to sit down and start sketching immediately upon seeing it!

Nothing like a modified contour sketch to get things going...

As I was sitting there, lost in my own little "Sketch In", I didn't realize that I was drawing my next "entry" in to this month's theme.

Pathways.

If you look behind the piece of equipment (what is that thing called?!), there is a new path being cut.

Evidently Spartanburg SC is joining Greenville SC in hosting (building and promoting) bike riding and walking trails.

So - I figured that my drawing is a way to illustrate a pathway.
Whether it is a link between two paths or something that actually creates that path...

The finished drawing stretches over several sheets actually.
I think I might put some color on it with watercolors and then use brads or something to make it an interactive piece of artwork.

Either way it was a lot of fun once I started.
Just remember that the real key to drawing from life is LOOKING and SEEING what you're drawing.
Not just drawing what you think you see.

2011-06-12T05:36:00.000-04:00

If you've read any of my posts here or those at the "Sketchbook Challenge" blog, you'll know that I've been um,,, out of sorts here-lately.
Been having a bit of trouble finding (or staying) on my creative pathway.

I'm using previous marks that I've made to lead me back to the "right" path.

Last time I posted (SBC blog), I talked about using the individual elements of a collage idea to spark some energy.
I've continued to do that - going back to my very basic art routines to rebuild my momentum.
In today's post I'll approach it from the blank page of my trusty pocketbook sketchbook.

I went to the library in Anderson SC while my husband was at a meeting.
I browsed through the (non) fiction books, picked out a couple or three and went to the small coffee cafe to wait for my sweetie.

Sitting at a small round table with a small silk greenery arrangement on it.
Looking out of a tall window at an even taller building across the street.

I had the thought that I should do some sketching...
draw the silk greenery...
sketch the "McDuffie Place" building across the street...

shoulda
woulda
coulda...
none of these three things ever did anything, did they?

But sitting there at that small table, looking at that small greenery arrangement in front of a tall window, across the street from an even taller building, I decided that I WOULD do something.
Not just sit there and think about it.

Nike was right, right?
Just Do It.

So, here is what I did in about 10 minutes...

The small arrangement on the small round table?

That (even) taller building in front of the tall window (McDuffie Place)?

That's how it all looked to me and my trusty pen.

Little by little, sketch by sketch I'm settling into my sweet spot for creating.
I'm learning (again and again) not to rush things...
just allow it all to happen in its own time.

Together we can find our own individual pathway to creative energy.

I hope that you're all peeking at my Flickr photo account from time to time.
I try to add photos there whether I post them on my blog or not.
There are a lot of older pictures there so check it out.
Think about setting yourself up an account if you have the inclination. It's a great way to share inspiration and an even better way to share photos with friends and family.

Pathways

2011-06-07T05:19:00.001-04:00

I have been thinking about this months theme over at the Sketchbook Challenge blog –

Pathways.

How did I want to approach the subject...

where would I start...
what would my inspiration be...
when would I get off of my (uninspired) rear end and get going with it...

As my regular readers know, last several weeks I have been struggling with some type of artist block -

not a true block I know, but troubling to someone like me just the same.
I have always had a plethora of creative ideas.
I'm not lacking there, even now.
It's the energy to get started or follow through with anything that I am having issues with.
So – I am trying a little exercise today to see if I can jump start that ol' creative energy.

I chose three separate pages from my sketchbook that I had been working on when I last saw my energy.

Yes, I am going to try the “if you lost something go back to the last place you saw it” routine...

Back to the three pages.

I had started playing around with an idea that I had for a collage piece.

I usually work in my sketchbook first- investigating symbols/meanings/looking at drawings, etc. on the particular subject.
Then I begin the process of combining or merging the subjects. This may be as simple as drawing them from different angles or collaging them onto a painted background.
This particular project was to include poppy seed-heads and botanical drawings (among other things).
I did a couple of drawings in my sketchbook of poppy seed-heads (I know you're shocked) and decided to carve a stamp instead of having to draw them all. During the carving process, I ink the stamp and stamp off sample images in my sketchbook to see how it looks. I always keep these pages to add collage items to later. This is a wonderful way to avoid that dreaded “white page syndrome”.

Here is a sample page (or two) of the “stamp-offs” that I did.

Notice I had already used one page to do some contour drawing on. I kinda like the combo of the two (the face + the seed head) and may wind up using them together.

I would have never known this had I not taken that particular pathway.

“Many are obstinate with regard to the pathway once they have set upon it, many without regard to the goal.”

Friedrich Nietzsche

When I am creating art, when I am “in the zone” as some would say, I am not obstinate about the pathway or the goal.

I may have started out with a particular idea but it usually morphs or changes as I go.
I often allow my choice of materials to change the outcome.
I always give myself permission to change my mind, to change the end goal.

There are many, many ways to obtain similar outcomes or goals. It's a great idea to set aside time and materials to play – don't worry about the outcome – just pick a pathway and run down it.
If you see something else you like while on that path, just veer off of it!
Run down a different pathway!
The important thing is that you are enjoying the pathway that you take. Or that you're beginning to enjoy it.

Here are a couple of scans of the different pages that I was experimenting with.

This one is a collage background using acrylic paint washes, tissue paper, paper napkins, watercolor paint, and Neocolor 3 crayons.

I stitched a poppy seed-head design over a netting fabric to create a light shadow as well as to create the stitched image on the opposite side.

Here's a scan of the opposite side of the stitched poppy. I've added tiny bits of color by using the page to press against pages with wet paint - effectively removing the areas with too much paint and beginning the layering process on this background as well.

The last one is a compilation of things...

several different pathways, if you will.
The bottom layer consists of a light tan/brown acrylic wash. I stamped a couple of images, used masks on a couple, Shiva paint sticks on stencils, thermofax screens with watered down acrylic paint and made marks with a variety of sticks and different items.
You can't tell on this scan but it has amazing texture and little bits of color peeking through.

I'll keep working on the theme...slowing pecking away at that rock wall that is trying to hold my creative energy captive.
I'm hoping that this exercise (of talking about the pathways that I took on my sketchbook pages) will jump start my energy...
Hopefully I will be able to see a clear pathway back to that creative zone I was in just a month ago.
Make sure that you visit the Sketchbook Challenge blog - the June prizes are just fabulous!
Visit our generous sponsors and see what goodies they have!
Tell them that the Sketchbook Challenge artists sent you!

Being Proactive

2011-06-02T14:27:00.000-04:00

Watch this please.

Very powerful indeed.
My step daughter has had two moles removed that were pre-cancerous.
We don't like to think about what could have happened if they had not been found.

I worked as a RN for many years and one of the things that I found to be true is that we MUST be proactive in our own health care.
No one is going to do that for you.
So remember.
Be Proactive.

Fiber Freaks

2011-06-01T11:14:00.000-04:00

Well, I finally got up and managed to do something in this heat.
My fiber art group, Fiber Junkies (more commonly known around my house as the "Fiber Freaks"), got together at Val McGaughy's house for some Deconstructive Screenprinting. I love doing that but it's a lot of work, especially in the heat. It was cooler in Asheville though.
Judy Simmons and Val McGaughy did the prep work for us, mixing dyes, setting up the space...all that "pre-work".
All we had to do was show up with the rest of our supplies and get to work.
I didn't take any pictures (bad Carol) but I'll be willing to bet that if you go to Mary Stori or Judy Simmons blog, you'll find some in a day or two!
I've got two screens here at home that I am going to print. I'll post some pics of that.
And I also have several pieces of fabric that I am batching. When I finish them, I'll try to post some photos.

So - there you go.
I FINALLY got up and did something!

Lazy, Hot Southern Days

2011-05-26T14:15:00.001-04:00

I can't believe it's been over a week since I posted!
That blows my "three posts a week" right outta the water.

I don't have any "real" artwork to show for it either.
I've been traveling a bit with my sweetie, my son is home from college (for the summer)
and I'm still battling the
(sing to the tune of "where oh where did my little dog go?")

"where oh where did my energy go"
(Oh, where oh where did it go?) blues.

So, have I done ANYTHING?

Um, well...I did draw two or three small things.

I thought about doing several things...
but, after thinking about them for too long, decided not to put the energy into them.

I should say here that I have to avoid that particular pitfall...
if I think about/plan a particular project too long,
I get tired of it.

I guess it goes back to what I said about working a piece in my sketchbook too long...
If I do that, I feel that I have worked through whatever it was that I was trying to work though (whether it was a design issue or an emotional issue) and don't have the desire or the need to actually make that piece of artwork -
I "made" it in my sketchbook.

Do any of you ever feel that way?

The gardenias are blooming here
along with the most fragrant magnolias.
Too bad I don't have a smellicamera...
I'd share these in a heartbeat!

Now - get out there and make some artwork!
(she said to herself)

This and That

2011-05-17T19:03:00.000-04:00

I've been trying to switch a lot of my computer files over the past few days

so I don't have much artwork to show for my time...

I do have a small (~4" x 6") painting that I finished at a ballgame this past weekend.

This is reminiscent of my "Sisters At The Beach" that I did last year, As well as the series "It Takes A Village" that was so popular at the West Greenville Arts Festival last fall.
One lady told me that they made her happy when she looked at them.
Cool...
What more could an artist ask for than to make people happy?
(other than to make sure "they" buy your artwork that you're worked so hard on and spent so much time on...)

But I mean emotionally - I want to make people feel some emotion when they see my work.
Happy is a good emotion to feel.

Well, I never intended for the blog post to go that way but it did, didn't it?

Yesterday I had a Wonderful Day.
I drove to Asheville (via Fairview) to spend the day with Judy Coates Perez .
She is there for a lecture & classes with the Asheville Quilt Guild.
I met Judy online several years ago and we struck up a conversation and subsequent friendship.
I have taken two (in person) classes from her - "Whole Cloth Painting" and "Mixed Media Painting".
Both are wonderful! If you want to learn how to paint, whether whole cloth quilts, or small fiber pieces or even on canvas - Judy is THE teacher for that! She teaches you color mixing, glazing, background painting...tons of wonderful information.
I highly recommend her classes! She is SUCH a great teacher.
I also took the very first "Color Theory" online class from her.
Another excellent class! If you are unsure of what colors to use, what combinations to use or color mixing with painting - then Judy's class will definitely help you!
I learned so much about mixing paint colors in that class it was unbelievable!

Now, I don't make any money from Judy
if you take her classes but you could tell her that I sent you...maybe she would love me more!

All jokes aside, if you have a chance to take any of her classes - you will not be sorry!

We spent the day just messing around in downtown Asheville NC-
except for that two hour shoe store visit...
I NEVER shoe/clothes shop but this store (Discount Shoes) was AWESOME!
They had a bazillion pairs of really cute (and comfy) shoes!
Highly recommend this shop...
We had a great lunch at Roman's, ate some sinful chocolate at Chocolate Fetish (OMG!), did some girlie clothes shopping at Virtue's, met Gwen Dien for tea at Dobras, then topped the day off at Bookworks in West Asheville.

My.
Oh.
My.
What more could a girl ask for?
(well, except money for another pair of shoes in that seriously awesome shoe store).

Can't Resist This

2011-05-13T18:04:00.000-04:00

This is a post of mine from the Sketchbook Challenge blog about this month's theme.
I can't resist drawing while I am traveling in the car...

No!

Not while I'm driving!
While I'm riding...
My sweet husband (almost) always drives, leaving me lots of time to draw or paint or whatever it is I'm doing at the time (maybe sleeping).
This past weekend, it was drawing a little bit.
When I am in the research phase of a new class or a new piece of work, I always spend time getting to know the individual elements of what is going to go into the new piece of artwork.
For example, if I were going to do a piece using architectural elements and birds, I would look at/research/draw/paint/think about/dream about architectural elements and birds.
Here is an example of what I drew this weekend.

I've used a source book to get ideas from, then added my own "Callie marks" (Callie is my nickname) (thanks to Melanie Testa for the previous phrase).
I'll be teaching some of these very techniques in August at the "Textile Evolution" retreat in Colorado Springs.
The retreat runs August 17 - 21, 2011 with the one day "Whimsical Mark Making" class on Saturday, August 20.
I'd love for you to join us! It's going to be a lot of fun and you are sure to learn a lot.
I am also offering a two day mixed media book making class called "Bound By Heart, Made By Hand".
This is going to be a fabulous class!

I'll leave you with a partially complete drawing that I did.
You can see how much difference the little Callie Marks make with the entire drawing.
Sometimes all your drawings need is a few little finishing touches to make them spark!

Finding The Art

2011-05-08T06:35:00.002-04:00

I did a post about that canvas (which is actually a wood panel), I think it's the previous post.
I had painted an image on it then covered it over with gesso (didn't like it).
Then I collaged different random papers on it (yeah, I didn't really need to cover it with gesso but I didn't know at the time that I was going to cover it with paper...)
Then I scraped a couple of acrylic paint colors over it (with a credit card).
Didn't like it so I used wet/dry sandpaper to distress the hell out of it (whoops) (but true).
Liked it better but something was...it just wasn't right yet.
I drew a couple of things on it but they didn't work either.
I would add another color, sand, turn it round and round...
Leave it a day, come back and just look at it.
I really could feel that there was something there...
trying to tell me, to encourage me to allow it to take form.

But what was it?

I'll tell you this, it's kinda weird but...
weird things happen to me (in me, around me). Sometimes I hear things...
Like I'm sitting there and a phrase will pop in my head.
Or a word.
Or two words...like "Spirit Dogs"

What?

Spirit Dogs.

O.
K.

I was doing computer work (yuck) and I heard someone say this (albeit inside my head).

I ignored it for a bit.
Tried to anyway.

Then - I went into my studio.

There was that panel sitting there, glaring at me like an ignored child...

I began to turn it, like I had been doing...

Turn.
Turn.
Turn.

Hey wait a minute...
Is that...?

That looks like a...a dog...
And there is another one...
and another!

I kept looking and allowing the panel to show me what was there...
It WAS Spirit Dogs (and one elephant)!

Look at this -

There are seven Spirit Dogs and one Elephant.

If you go back and look at the original panel (above) you can see them there.

Waiting patiently.

I guess that Carla Sonheim would be proud of me.

Ramblings

2011-05-06T11:49:00.002-04:00

After I recovered from the initial rush of nerves at the beginning of the radio show interview, I really enjoyed it.
Rebecca made me feel so comfortable, just like two buddies chatting away on the phone.
We were both (more than) a little surprised to find that we had quite a few things in common...
making similar types of artwork, teaching the same type of classes, having artwork in the same book and, like a lot of artists, feeling such an attachment to what we do.

I love being able to use my creativity.
I try to exercise my creative muscles everyday.
Even on days like today -
I am SO tired. It's almost overwhelming how tired I am
but I'm still yearning to DO something...make something...
create something.
I usually pull out my trusty background papers and start throwing paint around on them
but today I did do something a little different.

I have this piece of artwork that I have looking at,
circling,
trying to find its purpose the last couple of weeks...

I've done a bit of collage on it.

A little bit of drawing & painting that I later covered up.

I scraped paint across it...

I'm continuing to look to it to figure out what it wants on the surface...

looking.

thinking.

feeling.

So far this is what it has...

I love the way that the surface looks aged - cracks and splits over the entire thing.

There is no crackle on it - it's just the way it turned out as I have painted, wiped off, wet it, sanded it...

constantly feeling no pleasure in what I see.

So, this aged appearance was a nice thing to see. Perhaps that means I am heading in the right direction with it.

I'm hoping that my energy will return soon - this being worn out when I have SO many things that I should be doing is for the birds...

May Theme

2011-05-04T19:28:00.000-04:00

Okay, better late than never on this post...
The May Sketchbook Challenge is Can't Resist This.
Here is Judi Hurwitt's post.

Hi everyone, Judi, here!

What can you never resist? What are you more successful at resisting? What favorite things do you just refuse to resist? Chocolate? Love? Dessert before dinner? We want to see them all! This month we want you to sketch, paint, collage, or express in abstract the things you resist and fail at resisting. Come on, we all have them!

One of the things I can't resist is using "resists" in my sketchbooks. In artistic parlance, a "resist" is a medium that is used to mask off areas in our work that we want to preserve. If you've ever seen batik fabric, you're looking at surface design that relies heavily on resists- in this case, wax.

But many products on the market will also work nicely to create both removable and permanent resists and resist-like effects on paper, so let's talk about a few of them.

The first and possibly easiest way to get a resist-like effect on paper is with acrylic paint. When acrylic paint has fully dried, it forms a flexible, plastic-y film on top of the fibers of the paper (or fabric, for that matter!) This allows you to work back into a piece with washes of color that will stain everything not touched by the acrylic paints.

Here, to emphasize a black, spiral monoprint on white paper, I used white paint to impress a subtle sunburst image on top of the page.

After the white paint had dried fully, I worked back into the paper by "buffing" blues and magenta onto the page with a soft sponge. Notice how the white paint "resisted" the later layers of paint and retained its own character.

One of my favorite products to use as a resist is rubber cement. This inexpensive office supply can be purchased in most grocery and hobby stores.

To create an effective resist with rubber cement, simply "paint" the cement onto dry paper, allow the cement to dry fully, and brush, smear or stamp paint on top. Once the paint has dried, carefully rub the cement off the paper to reveal the layers below.

Above, a simple spiral design was brushed onto an empty, dry page (I used the brush that comes in the can of rubber cement.) When the cement had dried, I painted the page with a wash of green acrylic that I had thinned to a milk-like consistency with water. After the paint dried, I rubbed off the cement and stamped a new image on top of it with more rubber cement. When that dried, the page got another wash of color, this time in orange, and when the whole thing was fully dry, I rubbed off the cement for the last time.

You can leave the rubber cement on through multiple layers or color washes, though...

On this page, I painted a commercial foam stamp with rubber cement and impressed it onto the paper. Then I added a wash of color, allowed that to dry, added another layer of rubber cement, allowed that to dry... another color wash, another layer of rubber cement, and so forth. Finally, when I felt like I had filled the entire page with texture, I let it dry and rubbed all the layers of rubber cement away to reveal the final imagery.

Tips for working with rubber cement:

~ If you don't like the fumes, wear a mask. This stuff is sold to children, so I have to hope it's not toxic to breathe!
~ Be sure to keep track of all the little balls of dried rubber cement you'll be rubbing off your paper! If they get stuck to your clothes or the bottom of your shoes, you could track it into your house and deposit it on carpets and furniture. It's difficult to remove!
~ If you find you've covered a large area with a lot of rubber cement and need to remove it, use an old studio rag (rather than your fingers) to rub the cement away- you'll save your fingertips a lot of rawness this way!
~ You can modify any imagery you paint with the cement simply by letting it dry and then rubbing away any areas you don't want.

Another resist I love to use is one that has been specifically formulated for art. Liquid frisket is a milky looking liquid that you can purchase in handy squeeze bottles with fine, metal tips which allow you to get a very detailed application. Like rubber cement, once the frisket and paper/paint have dried, you just gently rub it away.

Here, I pushed liquid frisket through a Thermox fax screen** onto a dry, clean page. When the frisket had dried, just as with the rubber cement, I hit the page with a wash of color and allowed that to dry. Then I used the squeeze bottle and metal tip to do a little Stacked Journaling, allowed that to dry, and hit the page with another wash of color. Then I rubbed off the frisket.

** Warning: this isn't recommended. I did it as an experiment on a screen I wasn't particularly attached to. I immediately raced to the sink to wash the frisket out of the screen- this stuff dries fast- and saw no ill effects in the screen during later usage, but I cannot guarantee you will have such luck with your own screens! HOWEVER- you can use plastic stencils and when the frisket has dried on them, you can rub it off cleanly with no ill effects to the stencil.

So... what can't you resist?

May's theme is: Can't Resist This!

How to be eligible for prize drawings:

In order to be eligible for one of the May prize packages you must post at least one photo of a sketchbook page related to the theme for May to the Sketchbook Challenge Flickr group and you MUST tag one of your photos with the code "may725".

IMPORTANT: PLEASE ONLY TAG ONE OF YOUR PHOTOS with this special code!

It is not necessary to tag more than one and it will not increase your chances of winning.

See the available prize packages here!

Information on how to upload photos to flickr can be found here.

Winners will be chosen by random draw on 5/31/11 and announced on the Sketchbook Challenge blog on 5/31/11.

Inspiration

2011-05-03T05:16:00.002-04:00

I love to look around me for inspiration.

Imagine my surprise when my own artwork totally knocked the socks off of the "inspiration meter" today!
(something that I noticed on my artwork, that is)

I had this quote hidden under a strip of lace on the inside of a book that I made.

"Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher."
William Wordsworth

I love that.

"Come forth into the light of things, let nature be you teacher".

How smart would we be if we actually did that?

Artistically Speaking Radio Show

2011-05-01T11:26:00.000-04:00

Join me TODAY, May 1 at 6:30 EST for BlogTalkRadio Show "Artistically Speaking" when Rebecca Parsons and Lyna Farkas will be interviewing me as part of their ongoing support of the "Sketchbook Challenge" project.

So, grab a seat and join in.

Or, if you can't possibly get there for the live show - you can go back anytime and listen to the show online.
I have a link on the side bar of my blog - just click on the show with my name and it will take you where you need to go.

Either way, I hope that you will listen as I tell a little bit about my life, my art and my future dreams!

Painting and Rusting

2011-04-29T11:39:00.000-04:00

I've been doing a little bit of mixed media painting this week.
Getting ready to go to a local gallery tomorrow (!) to show my work for a possible "visiting artist" spot.
I've been a bit nervous and really excited (since they ask me to come!).
Hopefully I'll have the opportunity to show and sell my work there.
I'll be taking books, fiber collage pieces and mixed media paintings.
Here's a peek at three new pieces from the "It Takes a Village" series.

I'm also thinking about starting a batch of rusting this weekend...
My husband and I rusted a bunch of fibers (and things) last year but haven't done any since then.
I'm getting low on a couple of my favorite pieces...it should be perfect weather this weekend to throw together a batch of rusty goodness outside.

What's on your table today?