Happy Solstice

At the moment of the Solstice, I decorated the mantel with holly and ivy from our yard. The clock celebrates a year gone by and another coming, as the light returns. Blessed be.

Well, cooking is creative!

This may not be directly art related, but it is still related to creativity. I cooked some polenta according to the package directions. I not only got polenta, I got P*O*L*E*N*T*A. Our first meal was warm polenta with pasta sauce over it (good.) We had more polenta than we could consume. Next, we had turkey and polenta with home made turkey gravy (very good.) There was STILL more polenta. This morning we had fried polenta and eggs (not shabby either, albeit maybe not so healthy.) I still have a tiny block of polenta left. Next time, I'll half the recipe! Aside from putting paint on it and stamping texture onto art, is there something culinary that I can do with cold polenta?

The Altered Page: 5 Tips to Integrate Your Collage

The Altered Page: 5 Tips to Integrate Your Collage

Seth Apter is generous both artistically, and interpersonally. He replies to everyone who comments on his FB page, and I don't know how he does it as busy as he is! Anyway, enjoy these fun tips.

The wonderful work of Dale Lindman

I was blog hopping, and was lucky enough to find a link to Dale Lindman. He does wonderful work with paper among other things. Please visit his website. You won't be disappointed!

http://www.dalelindman.com/Artist.asp?ArtistID=30327&Akey=PRGJQ8CG

Sunset at my house

Sometimes things like this fade before I can grab my camera. This sunset stayed, and I must say that no painting could be any lovelier.

Mixed Media Surprise

My latest abstract painting entitled The Meadow At Dusk. It was a happy accident. I put layers upon layers and really wasn't satisfied. Then I decided to cover it with black gesso, and this emerged like magic! This could not possibly have been planned beforehand. That's why I love mixed media!

My First Canvas

This is the first canvas of any kind that I've ever done. I think of myself as a mixed media artist, but have confined my efforts to art cards, or art journals. I began the canvas about 6 months ago by making some texture with modeling paste, and collaging on ephemera. Then it sat languishing, until one day I finished it with reinkers and glaze medium, plus more ephemera and ink applied directly to the canvas. I've kind of surprised myself on this one! I had no idea how it was going to look but am pleased with this. Who knew?

I found a nice tutorial on bookbinding with tyvek. You can view it at
http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=AiwDT8mJdJHNQwFFRx_Oxo6vulI6?p=bookbinding+tutorial+you+tube&fr=ush-mailn

I like the results!

My First Encaustic Painting

I've been wanting to try my hand at encaustic for a while, so finally took some holiday time and tried my hand. This is the result, and I'm intrigued by the textural possibilities. FUN! Will do again. This is entitled "The Obelisk"

Backyard Archaeology

I went out way early this morning to pull weeds. I unearthed about 18 inches of brickwork at the edge of our patio, that has been buried long enough for me to forget it was there. Some rose canes were growing between them and had to be removed. Just a few years ago, I was unable to get down on hands and knees to do something like this. I'm grateful on multiple levels.

This Piece IS Finished! (or not!)

It has taken me a while to come to terms with this piece. It began as a 4-page accordion book which is shown in the post directly under this one. I wasn't satisfied so I kept working it. Thanks to those who viewed and commented! Two of the pages eventually pleased me, but the remaining ones seemed overworked. I mounted my favorites on black card stock. The leaves on the front cover were originally masks for inking the pages. The colored circles were cut from an unused page. The turquoise rawhide ties it together.
I am finally satisfied. PS 12/21/13 Looking at this again, I'm going to add some paint splatters to the leaves on the cover. They are pretty, but need a little something else. I'll post when it's done.

This piece took a long time to evolve, but that happens!

This Piece Is Not Finished

Did you ever know what you want, but aren't sure how to get there? That's happening with this little mini-book. I like the blue and the monoprints with the leaves. I like the art paper on the cover. I used paper tracings of the leaves as a mask when I inked in the blue

 and I like how they contrast with the cover. I'd like to finish the edges and add some rust color to those.

The inside isn't really what I want. I want layers. I want mystery. I'd like a darker tone. I'm wondering whether to collage some botanicals over it, or maybe cover it partially and redo it.

Ideas?

I'll keep you posted with its progress......

So true!

Do not imitate; do not follow others--you will always be behind them.                     Corot

Paper Transformed

I just bought Julia Andrus' book, Paper Transformed. She says something in there that I really like:
Such is the power of art. It is about relationships. What begins as an act of self-expression becomes a revealing connection when shared with others.

The Wye Oak

The Wye Oak was the oldest white oak tree in the United States, and was more than 500 years old. Sadly, it fell during a thunderstorm. It was 96 feet tall and its branches spanned almost 120 feet across.

The state of Maryland took the wood to a nearby park, and invited Maryland artists to come and take a piece or two. I was lucky enough to obtain 3 pieces along with certificates of authenticity from the state.

This fiber sculpture is made from one of those. I didn't want to alter the wood, so I embellished it with these "tree ears."

I also made a larger sculpture from another piece, which will post soon.

Intuitive Basketry

This piece is entitled "Filling the Well"  and is my first intuitive basket. It was originally intended to be two baskets joined at the base. One was a bowl and the other, a goblet. Halfway through the goblet, I got the distinct impression that I should turn it sideways. I followed that impulse, and this is the result. After that experience, I try to always honor those impressions.

They left a note...

We have a bird feeder in The Back Forty. One morning we had a dusting of snow, and the birds left us a thank you note in it.

Driftwood Speaks

I love to walk along the Chesapeake Bay and gather driftwood. When I weave, I allow the driftwood to suggest a form for the basket, and then follow that to my best ability. Collaborating with Nature has resulted in some interesting pieces.

Shapeshifter

I love Sherrill Kahn's Impress Me rubber stamps. My favorite image is the shapeshifter here, and it has appeared in several of my pieces. The first is a polymer clay charm which I made to embellish one of my recent baskets. The other is bleach on art paper. As you can see, he really is a shapeshifter!

If at first you don't succeed

Hello everyone,

My previous blog was entitled Spirit Art. Unfortunately, blogger disabled it because they apparently got a "false positive" that I was spamming. I dislike spam and wouldn't do that! I deleted the blog but am back, because there are many artists I'd like to link to. Let's see what happens!

This is a view of "The Back Forty" where I am inspired to much of my art. It 's more like 40 feet than 40 acres, but it's a wild place and its voice is louder than its size. This photo was taken on January first. Time for a new beginning.....