Random Arts Journal Page

Random Arts is hosting another "Journal Page" challenge

in order to make a book that will raise money

for a local charity, "Arts For Life".
The last one that Jane did raised $500.00 for the local Senior Center!
Wow, what an awesome effort from everyone!
I took my page up to the shop yesterday and forgot to take pictures
(even though I have a NEW CAMERA!!!)
(I am SO excited about that!)
so I snagged pictures from Jane's blog.

I had begun a collage that was inspired by DJ Pettitt's work.

I was trying to learn the technique that she uses for her fused collages

but didn't have exactly what I needed...

and didn't have the time to wait until I had the correct supplies...

so, being the kind of artist that i am,

I just proceeded with what was on hand.

I had small pieces of canvas (cotton duck canvas or fabric)

that I had painted with gesso a while back

(actually in prep for a Katie Kendrick class!).

I had tried a couple of techniques

from Kelly Rae Roberts book on it

before going to a larger, more stable canvas

after I felt comfortable with the techniques.

I keep these little pieces of canvas

to use for collage or other mixed media work.

I was at Jane's on a Friday "Unfinished For Free" day

and wanted to show "the girls" what you could do with a piece of "scrap canvas".

I added a few torn pieces of tissue paper,

cut out the flower shapes & stems.

I used gel medium to collage each piece on (under and over the tissue).

Then I added the "sketchy sewing".

This was the part that I had got so much inspiration from DJ on...

her work is filled with this awesome sketchy sewing,

it looks so random yet it

"fits" each piece so perfectly!

I began sewing when I was a young girl

then taught myself to quilt...

needless to say my sewing was usually fairly even, followed the lines and all that.

But THIS sewing...I'm lovin' it!

It made such a difference in the small piece after adding the black thread outlines.

Jane suggested adding the black paper,

a couple of inspirational words...

and wa-la

my journal page was born!

I used a scrap of college canvas from another experiment

to make the other side.

I added Random Arts address label (that was in the journal page packet)

and printed out my address label,

then added the line

"Sending some LOVE your way" in a nice script font

to complete the "postcard journal page".

When I lined up the pieces of canvas,

I made sure that the stitching lines would sew both pieces of college down.

I really enjoyed making it

and am so glad to be able to participate in raising money

for such a worthy cause.

And I'm really loving the sketchy sewing...

it keeps coming up in my work now.

Love, love DJ Pettitt's art work...

you should go and see it!

Katie Girl

Well, read down a couple of entries and you'll see that I went to an awesome workshop in Saluda NC on Friday. It was sponsored by Random Arts (http://www.randomartsnow.com/) , one of my Two Favorite Shops. The Most Wonderful & Talented Artist Extraordinaire that was teaching was Katie Kendrick. Go see her fabulous Art Work at http://www.katiekendrick.com/ or keep up with her daily ramblings and adventures at http://www.joyouslybecoming.typepad.com/.

I am mainly a fabric, fiber, mixed media type person...I paint fabric...not faces...so this was new to me...and a bit scary I might add. But Katie made it all fun and quite the adventure! I forgot to take pictures of my own girl and now Jane has reminded me (not to gently either). So, I took some pictures and will go through them with you.

This is the inspiration for my Katie Girl. It was a sketch of a woman with this wild & crazy hair, quite pointed face but very lovable and fun.

You will see that she is far from completed. I haven't even worked on her since I got home...so very busy! But I WILL finish her!

The blob on her head will eventually be her wild hair. I plan on making it appear as if it is "swept up" on her head and the curls will be off the top of the canvas...And of course I'll add some white streaks. Gee, where did that come from. Now I guess I'll have to change the color of her eyes...bluish/greenish/grayish...Oh, I am playing with the idea of making the blob on her head a birdnest, adding a bird up there and calling her Bird Brain. Whatdaya think?

The curly thing at the top (coming out from her head) is one of those wild & crazy curls, not a snake as was pointed out to me...Hey, I could put a jewel on her forehead and then add a..well, nevermind that...
I'm still auditioning the fabric for her dress too. I had sewn on rust fabric for the sleeve cuffs, but that could possibly change also...I see a trend developing here.

Hopefully you will all recognize her when I'm through.

But if not, I'll be happy to reintroduce you all.

Doesn't she have really nice eye brows? I started the painting out with no eyebrows...her face COMPLETLY changed when I added them.

OK then...there you go My Katie Girl.

Happy now Ms. Jane?

Katie Kendrick- Artist Extraordinaire

Do you know Katie? Have you seen her art (http://www.katiekendrick.com/) or read her blog (http://www.joyouslybecoming.typepad.com/)? Have you taken her classes? One very smart lady (http://www.praterposte.blogspot.com/) told me to SELL MY SOUL ( I decided selling my body was just easier) to go to Katie's class... Sooo my husband insisted (Who I am to argue with that man?) that I go, and like a good little wife, I did. And I am so very glad that I did! What an awesome time I had! She is so talented, so generous with herself and the knowledge that she has. I met so many talented women, painted a cool picture of a "delightfully frustrated" lady (we will call her Katie Girl from here on out) and just generally Had A Blast!
I met Kristi Steiner. Ohhh and I believe that I am going to go to her Retreat this September (http://www.kristinsteiner.com/). It's called "Believe in Yourself Retreat" and I hope that my good friend Paula will go with me. I'm in the process of begging her right now.
And even though I had "talked to" (via email) Jane Powell, owner/operator of The Best Shop Around (http://www.randomartsnow.com/) I got to meet her face to face. She is just as cool as I felt that she would be. We actually had quite a few things in common and had a really great talk over lunch. And yes, Cheryl, I gave her a hug from you!
There were 12 people there (including me but not Katie) and they were all awesome. And very talented. Oh, wow and you should have seen what Meg Fowler created...I wanted to take it , and her for that matter, home with me. I will post some pictures. I failed to get everyone's name but there were 2 people there from Alabama, some from Georgia, NC, SC...all to see our beautiful Katie. Does everyone that meets her love her or what? A lot of them were staying for the 2nd class but I had to go back down the mountain. I was just pleased to have one day with all of them.
I love, love, love Random Arts. It is the coolest store around. If they had a quilting corner, it would be The Perfect Shop. Oh, and chocolate...but you can get that fairly quickly outside the shop...so we'll let that pass for now!
Happy Father's Day to all you wonderful men that are Dad's.