Seasonal Attire

This post is also available on the "8 That Create" blog.
Check out the artwork, creative ramblings and activities of myself and seven other artists!

I am using the fashion of nature as my inspiration for the Old Forge show pieces.
I often work in my sketchbook before hitting a canvas or anything else with ideas. I find this helps me to focus, flesh out good ideas and scrap bad ones (hopefully).
The last piece that I want to share was started in just this fashion.

I went into it with vague idea of what I wanted to do or the idea that I wanted to share in my art making.
I use a large sketchbook (8 1/2" x 11") to work on most of my canvas art. It allows a little more room to move things around on while I am auditioning ideas.
I gathered my supplies - leaves, jute, molding paste, absorbent grounds, acrylic mediums for adhesives, acrylic & watercolor paint and gesso.
Then set to work.
Some of my inspiration came from this book  about people that use nature as fashion accessories -

Hans Silvester is a very talented photographer that has amassed a huge body of work that includes (in my humble opinion) some of the best tribal photos any where.
I already had the idea of working with nature as my fashion icon. When I started doing research on "the fashion of nature" this is one of the books that was recommended to me by our friend Mr. Google.
I was immediately hooked after I saw a tiny sampling of the photos.

(I've included a link to the book on Amazon but I do not receive any compensation from the sale of it)

After completing a small piece of art in my sketchbook, I went to a 20" x 24" stretched canvas to tell one of nature's fashion stories there.
There are many many layers on this canvas. I kept adding collage items, covering them up, painting, scraping pastes & mediums, adding more paint, natural items and then a piece of driftwood.

"Seasonal Attire"
20" x 24"

I liked the sketchbook page so much that I framed it too.
It is, after all, a completed piece of artwork.
Don't be afraid to share the artwork that is in your sketchbook!
You have to learn to let the light of all your work shine...put it out there in the world.
You created it from a deep well of creativity. You have to bring it out in order to make room for more.

"Seasonal Attire:A Study"
18" x 22"

Both of these pieces were difficult to photograph at home. One is lighter (white/sand/tan/sienna colors) and the other is in the black (multi-layered) shadowbox frame.
I hate to read this and really hate to write this but...the photos really do not do the pieces justice.
They are better enjoyed in person.

So - there you have it.
Stories, details and ingredients to the five pieces that I created for the upcoming show in Old Forge, New York.
I can't wait to go there, see the show, teach a class and spend time with my friends Liz Kettle and Jane Davila.
Check out the workshop offerings that we have and join us on October 12 for the opening!

Quarterly Journal Dress

This post is also visible at the "8 That Create" blog.


I love create collages out of vintage papers.
I usually add paint and molding paste on top of them, almost covering them up...but I still love to add them for texture and the occasional peek of text.
After completing one of my larger pieces for the Old Forge show, I decided to make a sculptural type collage.
Seeing three "dresses" in the show, I decided that, even though my slant on the fashion theme was nature's fashion, I would create a dress.
A tiny dress.
Out of paper and vintage lace.

I actually made two dresses (I was having too much fun to stop!) when it was all said and done but will only send one of them.
For the first one, I used pages from a women's magazine ("Demorest's Monthly Magazine" 1878), vintage sheet music, dress pattern pieces, antique book pages and a few scraps of handmade paper.
I glued these torn pieces of paper onto a scrim type fabric with an acrylic medium.
(let that dry of course)
I used a doll dress pattern that my grandmother used (when I was a young lass) to make doll clothes out of.
It is veryyyy old...
And then I stitched the paper dress up on my sewing machine.
I added a sash at the waist with vintage netting as well as antique lace around the sleeves and bottom.

Framing was going to be a problem since it is a 3D piece.
I decided on a deep shadowbox frame. This worked great but was a bear to photograph.
Here's a shot out of the frame.

I'll add a couple of detail shots so you can see the fashion references on the dress.
I had a lot of fun making this tiny dress (overall length is about 7 inches)

The Nature of Fashion

This will also be posted on the "8 That Create" blog.
Check out the other blog posts there!



Like everyone else in the group, I've been working on the upcoming show in New York.

I chose to incorporate a bit of natures' fashion into my pieces.
I've been working off of the knowledge that nature, just like fashion, dresses herself according to the season.
Her fashionable colors change as well as the way that she clothes herself.

I spend a lot of time observing the fashion show that Mother Nature organizes.
I try to take my creative cues from this show.

Season to season, the colors change.
The emotion changes.
She sheds her autumn foliage for the monochromatic palette of winter.

The fashion of nature sheds light on the nature of fashion.
Meaning that fashion changes with the same cycle as nature.

I created this piece from natural elements - sticks, stones and leaves.
The stitched background is made from real leaves that have been pressed and allowed to disintegrate into tissue paper before laminating them to tea bags and scrim.

You can see the leaf above - it has disintegrated
into the tissue paper that I pressed the leaves on.

I used leaves that I gathered from my home garden
as well as vegetation from the forest near my home.

You might find an herb or two in my fabric...

Petals from garden flowers, especially gardenias and lilies.

You can see the layer of tea bags and scrim on this sample.
I laminated all of it together with acrylic soft gel and matt medium.

I also dipped a couple of the central collage elements into beeswax.

The beeswax makes the tea bag very transparent.

I love the smell!

"Nature's Fashion"

This is a 12" x 12" piece mounted on 1.5" stretcher bars.
Each person in the group of 8 will create a panel the same size.
They will be hung in a grid - like a nine patch - with our signage in the center.

I have created two other pieces of wall art plus a book.

Last April, I helped a friend of mine vend at the Virginia Beach "Art & Soul" retreat.
She had all sorts of vintage items to sell (!) and I was one of the helpers in charge of putting these things out on display (can you believe that she left me there with all that cool stuff?!) (my husband couldn't).
I unpacked a pair of little girls espadrilles.
I immediately saw the potential for a book in this pair of shoes.
Some of the group used women's shoes to create a piece of artwork out of.
I chose to use this well loved pair of shoes for one of my projects.
Here's what I came up with.

"The Sole Book"

"Sole Book"
front view

I spent a lot of time painting, staining, crackling and waxing each page
before adding them to the book

I love the crackle pages.
They look like an old sole (or soul, for that matter).

I used a glaze of acrylic paint to bring out the crackles on painted paper

End of Summer Break

Blogging break, that is.

I have several (looming) deadlines right now that are keeping me very busy.
I am thankful that I have deadlines...because if I didn't - I'd never get anything done!

So please excuse me while I finish up my obligations this month.
I'll be back as soon as I can!

Along Came A Spider

and sat down beside her
and frightened Miss Carol away.

After picking gardenias to bring into the house, I noticed a HUGE spider on the counter.
EEEEKKKKK! I am afraid of HUGE spiders!

My husband wasn't at home so I put a cup over it to contain it.
Then I figured that I had better add a note in case I forgot that I had captured a spider...

It was relocated to a safer habitat (other than my counter) at a later date.

Crisis averted.

Finding Inspiration

I usually work on several projects at one time.

Art ADD.

I get bored too easily.

I also get tired of working on the same thing for long periods of time (aka bored too easily).

I'm involved with a group show this October in Old Forge, New York.

I've had several great ideas, lots of techniques & concepts but can't seem to settle on one to get started with.

So what did I do?

Yep, started several at the same time.

I'll continue to work this way until one catches my attention.

The first photo shows what I have cooking on my studio table.

What's on your table?

Here's a close up of the really cool colors and textures that I collected for one of the projects.

All cast offs hoping for a new lease on life.

Maybe they will find them here.

Summer Samples

I've been working on a Fall class sample for a class that I am going to teach in Charleston SC at "Fashion Fabrics".
It's a traditional reverse applique technique with a modern twist.
I have always been so inspired by Natalie Chanin's books and love the projects in them.
But I love making my own stuff up!
So I spend a lot of time creating my own stencil designs (that I turn in to thermofax screens when I'm happy with them).
That means a lot of "stitch-outs".
Many, many samples...
I decided to make them all the same size so that I can create a throw out of them later.
Or a book of samples.
But the throw sounds like more fun, doesn't it?

Here's the latest stitch out.
It took me a few tries to get the drawing just right for its purpose as a stencil.
You never realize how far apart the lines should be for a design to work as a stencil until you try the stitching technique on it.

Did I mention that I have lots of (failed) samples?

I like this one and will probably use it in the future.

Last week I went to a place called "KRB Fabrics" in Lyman SC (no website).
It's a huge warehouse type fabric/notions store (home dec, etc).
I was looking for mid - heavy weight cotton jersey fabric (since it is so difficult to find).
Jackpot!
The place had TONS of it...not to mentions tons of everything else.
I found a wonderful roll of mid-weight canvas that I love.
All at very, very good prices.

If you're close to me (or far away) and want to go, shoot me an email and we'll get together one day.
It's a great place to find treasures...did I mention the antique/junk store next door?

One More Sketch

After I had drawn everything that was in the room I worked in, I turned to a magazine that I picked up at a gift shop for inspiration.

I don't normally draw from photos/magazines but I loved this image so much (and was so bored) that I jumped in anyway.

Here is the last drawing that I did last week.
It's a fossilized Oreodont skull found at Brule Formation South Dakota.
No credits were given for the photo in the magazine ("The Laurel of Asheville").

There you have it.

My week (last week) in sketches.

I did watch a few baseball games but didn't sketch at the park.

Too hot.

Too tired.

Too crowded.

Home sounds so good to me right now...

Satellite Studio Equipment

Another drawn image from my week in a studio away from home.
We (hubby and I) would spend one night on the Southern Wesleyan University campus, then one night at home.
After a week of this I am so content to be at home every day.
It's very difficult for me to creative work this way.
I spent more time thinking about what I should be doing than actually doing it.

I did manage to fill in a few pages of my sketchbook though.
Here's another one -

If I carry a machine with me when I travel, it's this lightweight Brother machine.
It did what I needed it to do while I was away - sew simple jersey knits. I was working on making a shirt from a ready made pattern. I was not pleased at all with the end result!
I think I will just deconstruct one of the shirts that I like (& that fits well) and use it as a pattern.
I'm through with the other patterns unless someone can convince me otherwise.

Travel time

More sketchbook images from a week of volunteer time at the "Big League World Series" in Easley SC.

I didn't have much to draw in the room that I was working in (a temp studio) so I drew the chair.
It's one of those sitting chairs that almost rock.

Travel watercolor palette, Koi waterbrush.

Sketchbook Image

Busy busy summer days lend themselves to very little creative time...
but I did make use of my (away from home) down time in a creative manner.

My trusty sketchbook, travel watercolor palette and a simple little Koi water brush.

Sketching at Home

I am doing my best to draw every single day.
Sometimes at home, sometimes in public.

This particular day it was at home.
A Trader Joe's bag, beside the TV.

I smudged the journaling to protect the privacy of another.
No deep dark secrets about me (not today anyway).

Faces in the Crowd

I keep  saying that I want to learn to do quick sketches of people.
Saturday morning was a great place to start that since there were lots of people downtown at the Saturday Morning Market.
I did a couple of easy sketches first - buildings, tents, trees, backs of people...that kind of thing.

I finally made myself begin to make quick marks that resembled people.
As soon as I began that, the lady at the table next to us started looking over my shoulder watching me.
I almost froze but decided that it didn't matter anyway. I would just keep sketching and hope for the best.
I couldn't have asked for a kinder onlooker.
She was like my mother, constantly giving me positive affirmations and murmurs of encouragement as I pushed forward (even though I secretly wished she would quit watching me work and thought that my sketches were less than stellar).

I will hesitantly share them here- only because it will force me to do more.
Which will in turn make me sketch more, which will increase my skill, which will help me share more, which will encourage you to sketch people too.

Ahhh, the circle of sharing ones artwork, right?

Evidently I was so intent on sketching that I was unaware of the actual faces that I drew.
I spied a vampire on the page after I got home (mid page on the left).

In looking at this page now (and then actually), I can see that I REALLY need a lot more practice.
I will certainly work on that.

Market Sketches

Here's another sketch that I did on Saturday morning.

This tent was right in front of us.
As the day progressed, the shadows did as well.
My sketch doesn't reflect that but I'd love to go back next week and do a series of sketches showing the changing shadows from the tree on the top of the tent.

As before, I added color after I got home.
I didn't work from a photograph (even though I had one) as I was away from my computer so I made up most of the colors...except the green cucumber.
And the tree colors.
Oh, and the tent...

Saturday Morning Market Sketches

My friend Sarah and I met in downtown Greenville, SC at the Saturday Morning Market to do some urban sketching.

I had never been to the Market and was surprised at the number of people selling organic produce, "happy" meat (as my friend Liz calls it), local baked goods, herb plants and a variety of fruits and vegetables.
I was equally surprised by the number of people milling about & shopping on Main Street.
Rows of crisp white "E-Z Up" tents and  brightly colored coordinated shop signs greeted us as we turned the corner.
It was a veritable feast of sketching scenes!

We found a small table under an awning to sit away from the sun, grabbed a cup of joe and got to "work".

I wanted to spend some time (trying to) sketch people in the crowd but didn't want to start out on this (as it would wound my sense of accomplishment right away).
I spied a woman sitting in front of one of downtown Greenville's beautiful fountains - quietly reading.
She was to the right of me, with a busy main street hustle and bustle all around her.
But, there she was, sitting still.
Barely moving!

I was using a Faber Castell Pitt Artist Pen on a 6" x 8" piece of 90 pound watercolor paper.
(well, it's actually a piece of 8" x 12" paper that is folded to be the above size).
I will stitch my loose pages into a handmade book later.
I like the flexibility that the loose pages offer me.
I added color (with various watercolors) and small details at home.

I'll share more sketches this week.

Beaded Birds

"Birds of a Feather"

Art and Soul Retreat

Virginia Beach, Virginia

April 24, 2013

Sea Life

While I am (supposed to be) working on class details, putting together samples and step-outs,
I have to do other things to keep me inspired (to keep me away from work) and to help me keep a fresh outlook.
When you teach, you tend to deal with the same materials and the same projects for a long time.
It's nice to take a break and (escape) (run away) play with other things.

Drawing is one of those things for me.
I have long held the belief, as many others do as well, that daily drawing/writing/painting (insert whatever creative endeavor you love) will not only improve your technical skills but your creative skills as well.
It's just like exercising your skeletal muscles...you use them/exercise them and they increase in size/stamina.
They reward you by serving you in an increased capacity.
If you exercise your creativity, it will do the same thing!

Grab a cheap journal, sketchbook, pile of paper and get to it!

Just make marks, write, paint...just do something creative every day.

I started drawing these little underwater plants a couple of days ago.
Now I can't seem to stop!


This is where it all began -

I usually begin my drawings with simple lines.

I getting a little looser with the designs in this one.

Maybe it's time to stop...

I made a thermofax screen out of some of these and I love it!
The tiny details really look good on paper as well as fabric. I'm going to use this screen on the "Birds of a Feather" mobile that I'm working on.

"Birds of a Feather"

I hope that everyone is enjoying the summer. It's hot and humid here in the upper corner of SC.
You can usually find me inside, far from the maddening humidity.
Playing with pen and paper, moving paint around or beading on some tiny birds that are hanging around in my studio.

This little fellow is just peeking out of my window.

This one looks kinda like a sea horse with the crocheted tail feathers!

Look at all of the beading fun on this little bird!

I love the tiny scrap of tulle that I used on the wings.
Lots of seed beads put to good use here.

Nothing like showing off a little bead embroidery, is there?

Here's a full view of the mobile with another one in the  background.

I am so excited to be one of the artists teaching at Art and Soul next year!
I'll be teaching one class in Virginia Beach in April.
The class, "Birds of a Feather", is a mixture of surface design (we paint our own fabric with Thermofax screen printing), a tiny bit of machine stitching, creating the stuffed birds (stuffed with a secret ingredient!), several different beading techniques, constructing a mobile and crocheting the wings (if you choose to use that type of wings).
Maybe that is too much for one class...maybe I will crochet the wings and bring them for everyone to pick from.
The photos above are of one of the first mobiles that I made.
Here is another -

The last one is particularly difficult to photograph...But you'll get the idea by this shot -

I'm working on (yet) another one and I think that I will weave bones and other found items into it.
Won't that be fun?!

So - you can register for next years Art & Soul now.
My class will have a kit so you won't have many items to bring at all.
I promise that it will be fun and filled with interesting techniques! You'll get a thermofax screen for the bird pattern and get to use my huge stash of screens for painting your base fabric.

I'm off to do some beading.
What about you?

Sketchbook- Fourth of July

The fourth of July found us looking for a little cooler temperatures so we headed up to Ceasar's Head (in SC) and stopped at Bald Rock to see if we could catch any fireworks while overlooking Greenville, Easley and Table Rock (South Carolina).
It was much, much cooler there with a nice gentle breeze blowing.
The outcropping of mountainous rocks is a popular viewing spot but has been desecrated with graffiti over the years.
It's a beautiful place - you just have to look over the irreverent graffiti.
It would seem that many of the guests that stop there have the overwhelming urge to document their name...
I could expound on this but I won't.
It's just ridiculous (in my opinion).

Anyway - here's another two page spread in my Moleskine sketchbook of the overlook.
I did pencil in colors of various areas to remind myself later (when I will add color - hopefully).

Here we were, surrounded by the majesty of the beautiful mountains and what is the lady next to me doing?
Playing games on her phone.
I wasn't surprised when she left (after sitting there for over two hours) about 10 minutes before the fireworks started.
She had already missed the show that nature was putting on anyway.

We did see some beautiful fireworks but evidently the show from Greenville's downtown area hit a snag.
We thought that we were just too far away but seems that the people right there at it didn't see very much either.
I know that the event coordinators really hated that. All of the work that goes into an event that size is tremendous. To have that happen must have been so disappointing.

Still drawing?
Every single day?

Sketchbook- Daily Life

I chose the theme last month for the "Sketchbook Challenge" blog.
It was "Urban Sketching".
If you regularly read my blog, you'll know that I love getting out and sketching outside - not only around my own town/city but every where I go.
Since I started sketching public places, I've hardly left my home without a sketchbook or pieces of drawing paper in my possession.

I know that I have said it before, that you've read it in any sketching /drawing book, but it really does force you to look at your world differently!
You have a greater appreciation for the world around you - for the potential sketches- for the layout that nature provides you.
Every single direction that you look lends itself to a sketch or drawing.

Like this, for example...

My husband got a little too much sun/heat one day and had to go in for IV fluid replacement.
What's a doting wife to do after she has tucked him in and done every little thing that she can think of to comfort him?
Why draw him, of course!

Draw.
Every.
Day.