Thermofax Screen designs

I'm working on more screen designs.
I am totally loving the way that I can get the sketchy details in a screen print!
Here's an elephant I am playing around with -

Honoring Your Creativity

I am gearing back up with my preparations for "Art Camp For Women".
Even though I love teaching, I think it would be fabulous to attend this retreat as a participant...no packing supplies, no agonizing over what to carry/what to leave at home...
just show up with a few articles of clothing, some toiletries and an open & creative mind.

How cool would that be?
Evidently Oprah and her staff felt it would be The Best art retreat - Art Camp was recently in "O" magazine as one of the top four art retreats in the US!

I think that there are a couple of spots left - if you are interested in the sisterhood of an exclusive art retreat, making life long friends that totally get what you love to do,
spending days immersed in the creative process,
being cooked for (yes, all meals, wine and chocolate provided!),
beautiful views (Winter Park Colorado ladies!)
as well as making a soulful mixed media book...
then this Camp is for you.

I'm not giving the "hard sell" here ladies - you know that you deserve a break like this.
We all work hard, we give and give as women often do...
you need to fill your creative well with luscious events like this.
And if you have never attended an art retreat before - you are in for a HUGE awakening of your creative energy!
The first retreat type event that I went to totally and forever changed my creative energy and outlook.

That is what is waiting for you.

Isn't it time that you made yourself a priority?

Baby, Baby

I am in love with making thermofax screens from my drawn letters!

I screened this on a cute little cotton tee shirt for a sweet baby girl.

I'll try to post a photo of it soon.

Cute Little Things

When I was a young thing, my mom taught me to sew.
And I loved it. I would sew for hours and hours...making all kinds of silly things.
Doll clothes, bags to put my found rocks in (and feathers, bottle caps, interesting items), skirts for myself, book marks, aprons for my mom...etc...
She was a wonderful seamstress- making our clothing, doll clothes and all sorts of crafty items for the home.
She could fix any torn, tattered or non functioning piece of clothing known to man (or young tomboy like me!).

When my son was born, I made a ton of sweet little rompers for him as well as quick and easy shorts.
I guess that having a little girl to sew for would be a dream (so many sweet fabric now days).
While I usually prefer to draw, paint and make books, I do occasionally get bit by the "I want to make some cute kids clothes" bug.

That is what happened a couple or three weeks ago.
I have been drawing, painting and stitching up a storm since then.


Here is the result.
I gave these to my nieces that have young ones.

"Caden's Sailboat"

"Caden's Truck"

"Kennedy's Bird"

I'll be teaching a class on this technique (which includes learning how to screen print with a Thermofax screen!) at "Fashion Fabrics" shop in Mt. Pleasant SC (near Charleston) on May 12.

If you're interested call Cathy Buck at 843/884-5266 for details.

Here are a couple of Onesie type tee's that I used my drawings to screen print on.

Wonky Flowers

We all need some Love

Whimsical Bird

Any of these designs are available for purchase in newborn to 5T size shirts.
I use non toxic paint in all of my screen printing.
And 100% organic cotton in the reverse applique designs (the actual tee shirt is not organic cotton though).
I have a ton of other designs, I just have to print them out and post them.

If you're interested, the best thing to do is email me.
We can talk about sizes and designs then.
I did do a listing in my Etsy shop if you're interested.

Oh yes - I can also sell you the actual screen and you could print your stuff.
I can make screens of your drawings and photos (need to be high contrast photo).
I thought it would be so sweet to make a screen out of a young child's drawing (or handwriting) to create a shirt or tote bag from it.


Have I mentioned lately how much I love my Thermofax machine?
I do.
It's a full fledged love affair...

Sunday Urban Sketching

My husband and I were riding our bikes on the Swamp Rabbit Trail today (rode apx. 25 miles).
I went up to the A.J. Whittenburg Elementary School of Engineering to look around.
Imagine my surprise (and delight) when I saw the play area that had A.J. the robot as part of the slide arrangement!
What a fantastic idea.
I had to stop and sketch while my husband rode into Falls Park.
I want to go back and sketch the play area at the Kroc Center - it looks like a huge molecule!

140 pound watercolor (single sheets to be sewn into a handmade sketchbook), watercolors, Pitt pen. Apx 20 minutes with a few details done at home.

Sketching at the library

I volunteer at the local library's gift shop (Greenville County Library - main one) ("Friends of the Library").
I take different things with me to occupy my time when things are slow.

Some days I do computer work.
Sometimes I draw.
Or crochet.
Or read.

Today I did some urban sketching.

This was a section of the view from my perch in the gift shop.

I added some of the paint splatters that I adore in my friend Sarah's sketches.
I am loving that the sketching in public is getting a bit easier as I continue to do it.



I'll try to remember to post photos of the visitor that was on the bike trail yesterday...
I'll just do it now.

EEwwwww!

This copperhead was just sitting there (or whatever they do) on the Swamp Rabbit Trial while people whizzed by on bikes.
The walkers (and runners) either didn't even see it or gave it a wide berth.

My husband moved it off of the trail (with a long stick) and I was terrified when he was doing it!
I am terrified of snakes, just terrified yet find them so interesting (like inside a display at the zoo).

I was glad to peddle away from this one.

We have a lot of snakes here in the upstate of SC.

It's always a great idea to look around you if you're out hiking or out enjoying nature.

I hope that you all have a great weekend filled with creative endeavors.

Urban Sketching Around Town

I have a couple of good buddies that love to get together and prowl around different places doing urban sketching.
We are trying to be present and more authentic in our lives.
We want to document our lives through drawing our surroundings.
And one solid truth has continued to be in the forefront...

The more that you draw what you see - the better you begin to SEE what you draw.
It's true.
You notice things that you never saw before...or took for granted.
You see the shadows that the afternoon sun cast, or the way that a small stream appears to be brown as it reflects the soil around it.

You begin to notice the sheer beauty in the landscape around you.

These are a few of the quick sketches that I did while wandering around Falls Park in Greenville SC.
I spent no more than 10 minutes on each sketch.

Hopefully I can go back later and add some color.
But if I don't, I won't let it bother me...I'll just go on to the next page.

This sketch was made while sitting down towards the side of the Reedy River, near the bridge in the sketch above.
It's the back of the building that houses "A Postcard From Paris" boutique.
My husband and I rode our bikes back down there today - I wanted to sit and add some color to my sketches but a storm blew in and cut my painting time short.
I was able to add a few shadows and that was it.
Overall I am pleased that I am beginning to be able to leave out a lot of the "noise" of the scenes but I continue to work on getting things more..um, not quite so wonky...

This was my view of the "Overlook Grill" at the entrance of Falls Park.
I loved all of the umbrellas at the outside tables. I really want to go back and add color to this one...I may change the color of the umbrellas since theirs were so bland.
You know - artistic license...a wonderful tool.

I truly love to sit and draw my surroundings. I would love to have a large "Urban Sketching" group here in Greenville SC.
My fellow sketchers and I want to put our pin on the worldwide "Urban Sketching" map.
Won't you join us?
Or begin your own group in your town.
You can check out the manifesto here.

Flower Line Drawings

This post will be released on the "Sketchbook Challenge" today as well.
Click over to read (almost) daily posting from 13 other artists showing their sketchbooks habits.



Like everyone else, I am busy as a bee but I am also feelin' kinda lazy as well.

I recently spent two weeks away from home, teaching and being a teachers aide as well as helping one of my buddies vend at Art & Soul.

Wow, what an experience.

I had never attended Art & Soul before and was blown away by the creative support that was evident there.
From the instructors to the students themselves, everyone was so very supportive of the creative work that was taking place.
I met online friends there for the first time in person (waving to Jill!) as well as friends that I had met at other creative events (Hi Joanne!).
I tried my best to share the message (and website) of what we are doing here at "The Sketchbook Challenge". I feel that daily sketchbook work is so valuable to every artist.
We learn to flesh out our ideas, capture new ones and try out other ideas without using a lot of our expensive supplies.

I'll go back to my opening confession of feelin' kinda lazy here lately.
I have some health issues that kick up their heels every so often, zapping me of physical energy.
There are times that my creative energy follows that same path.
I have learned a few little tricks through the years to keep me occupied until one or the other (or both) returns.

Enter my sketchbook.
I have found that making marks in my sketchbook will often trigger an outpouring of creative energy- oftentimes prompting the skeleton idea for a new piece of artwork.

And yes, there is always the dreaded "I got nothing" day as well.
I can doodle, sketch, draw, research, paint or stitch little bits of this & that only to find that nothing I do interests or inspires me.
The difference between letting that stop me and plugging on through the "nothing here" days is equivalent to a body of work.

"What?" you say.

Well, if I allowed every "off" day to define my work habits, I would never get anything done!
I think that the universe rewards those of us that keep pushing and keep making marks even though we feel totally uninspired.

I'll share some of those "I AM going to draw today" marks from my sketchbook.

Loosey goosie marks made by a frustrated (and stubborn) artist.
This is a sketch of a wonky type flower I drew when I was trying to design a shower curtain motif a while back.
Nothing that I drew suited its purpose so I scrawled out this flower in my frustration with myself.

Not the flower that I was looking for to go on my shower curtain but I have since used it for a thermofax screen image.
A perfect use for this flower.
So - no time or work lost and a cute little thermofax screen to use in my surface design or art journal.

I have been fixated on these little round flowers lately...must be my OCD kicking in, but I can't seem to stop drawing them in my sketchbook...over and over again...

I will keep drawing it until I find some combination that I like or I get tired of it.
Or both.

The lesson in all of this is to keep making marks.

You will not only grow in your sketching/drawing skills but your "stick to it-ness" will grow as well.
You will find that working in your sketchbook becomes a daily habit - one that you begin to look forward to.
(it also gives you a safe place to channel your OCD impluses!)

Looking Forward

I'm trying to clear a few layers of rubble from my studio table and get back to the doing what I love to do.
Making art instead of cleaning up packing/unpacking messes.

I'm ready to start working on more ideas for "Art Camp For Women".
I'm teaching a brand new book class that I designed just for Camp!
It's going to be great for people (well, women in this case) that have been wanting to try their hand at bookmaking as well as those that have made a few books.
We're combining three different book binding stitches to create a beautiful handcrafted spine.
My roots are in fiber/textile art so I love being able to see the waxed linen stitching along the spine!
I'll be bringing a lot of different colors of linen thread with me so there will be several colorway options.

We will also be covering several design options for the cover collage. The ladies at Camp will have a ton of supplies (and I bring goodies from my own stash!) so options will not be an issue.
If you have an image, a postcard, photo or some other item that you want to use on the cover of your book, feel free to bring it. Otherwise, leave all of that to us!

I love building the book but one of my favorite parts of this class is the surface design for the inside pages.
My students always love the time that we spend adding color and other things to the pages.
You could leave your book pages blank but it's a lot more fun to put your stamp on them while you're building the book.

I can't wait to see the mountains of Colorado again!
I've looked at the Camp website photos (at least) a hundred times and am so excited about spending time nestled in the Colorado Rockies.
Just look at this view -

There may be a few spots left at June's Camp - check it out before it's too late!

Playing Catch-Up

I've been a bad blogger, haven't I?

I really do have a great reason though!
I've been away from home the last two weeks, busy as a little bee.

I spent two days teaching at Judy Gula's awesome shop in Alexandria Virginia "Artistic Artifacts".
If you are ever close to the shop, you should definitely stop by. She has everything from hand painted batiks (a new business that she recently purchased) to  acrylic paints in her shop. And she can find just about anything that you may want to create art with.
I taught my two day book making class "Bound by Heart, Made by Hand".
I was remiss in getting photos (as usual) so if any of the people in the class are reading this - Send Photos! I'll post them on my blog or on a Facebook page.
Everyone loved the books that they created!
I love seeing how each person makes their book so personal.
It's a joy to see them work through their doubts (in making art) and succeed in making a truly spectacular piece of work.

I also spent a week helping out at "Art & Soul" at Virginia Beach, Virginia.
This was the first time I had ever been to "Art & Soul" and I was blown away by it!
Glenny has certainly created a fantastic art retreat as well as a supportive team.
It was so inspiring to see all of the creative work that was being done and to meet all the the teachers and students that came through Judy's shop during the retreat.
I was honored to be able to take one of Jill Berry's classes "Spontaneous Deconstructed Journal".
It was sooo much fun!
Jill is a great teacher. You should definitely sign up for one of her classes if you ever get the chance.

Even though I had a lot of fun, met a bunch of cool and creative people, had time with two of my best friends Liz and Judy), I am SO glad to be at home with my sweetie (my bestest best friend).
He met me at the airport gate with a dozen red roses...every woman there appeared to be swooning at his feet and the men probably scowled at him for raising the bar higher for them.
What an awesome way to be welcomed home!

I promise that I will put up another post soon - I've got some fun things to talk about, some exciting news in the works and a new project on my work table.

Even though I worked hard while I was gone, I feel so rejuvenated artistically. Everyone was so excited about creating art at the retreat that it was contagious!
I can't wait to get to my studio and put some of my ideas to work.

Avoiding Deadlines- Technique 872

I have SO MANY deadlines right now...

Do they include reverse applique fingerless gloves?
Nope.

With beading?
Nope.

Aren't you ( Carol) supposed to be packing for a two week trip to teach at Artistic Artifacts and vend at Art and Soul?
Yep.


Reverse Applique Fingerless Gloves with Beading??
Really??
Yep.

(insert silly little grin)

Truth in the Tea

You can learn more than patience from brewing a cup of tea...

New Book Shipping!

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)

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

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

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

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

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

(and my tea bags)

Are you listening to The Universe today?

Stating Your Intentions

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

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.

You know, that group of like minded people. They love the same things that you do (who else could get so excited about sitting in a cold airplane hanger sketching?). 

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

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

We need a safe place to tell our stories and to express our creativity.

Enter "Art Camp For Women".

All women (sorry guys!), all fun, all your tribe.

And just look who is talking about us!!

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

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

I'll be teaching there in June and I've planned a brand new book making class just for this retreat.

Today I am the guest blogger on the Art Camp. 

Follow this link to read my post.

Expressing Yourself

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

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

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

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!